I haven’t done a Homeschool State of the Union post this year. Maybe it’s because I’m having a harder time judging how things are going than I did when Older Daughter was in first or second grade. This year I have a kindergartner and a third grader, and I’m going to do a post about the materials we’re using and how they’re working.
First, though, let’s evaluate the grand plan. And let’s evaluate the teacher.
We’re using the classical approach as laid out in The Well-Trained Mind. I remember that when I read that book during Older Daughter’s year in public school kindergarten, the beauty and sensibleness of it convinced me to homeschool. “I love learning,” I thought, “I love books, and I love my kids. How perfect. How rewarding this will be!”
I didn’t picture workbooks, or pushback from daughters too busy acting out their play dramas to want to stop and “do school”, or even — idealist that I am — “doing school.” I pictured all of life as learning, and there was an effortlessness implied in it. The reality is that it’s work.
Here is what I am permanently in love with about classical education:
- Repeating the chronological story of history (a year each of ancient, medieval to Renaissance, early modern, and modern) three times, once during each stage of the trivium;
- Repeating the science cycle (a year each of biology, astronomy & earth science, chemistry, and physics) three times, once during each stage of the trivium;
- Literature-intensiveness — living books; ask my daughters a question, or answer “I don’t know” to one of theirs, and watch them scurry to the bookshelf. I. Love. This. Books are a source of knowledge and delight to them, however much work formal phonics instruction might be on some days.
- Text-based writing instruction that reinforces the conventions of written, as opposed to spoken, speech — lots of writing practice from copywork, dictation, and writing summaries (narrations) before children are expected to develop original ideas in writing;
- The humility learned through having to conform to a program of study. There is flexibility to tailor it according to maturity or readiness, and there is plenty of room for exploring subjects outside the school plan, but at the core we have a plan and an orderly structure of knowledge.
Looking at this list, I realize that I’m not having any questions about whether I still believe in this approach. The things I struggle with are not related specifically to the classical approach, but would plague me whatever philosophy we choose. Here’s the list of struggles:
- Math.
- Grammar.
- Spelling.
- Systematic phonics.
These are defined as “struggles” because I meet the most resistance in these subjects. The dailyness feels like tedium to my daughters (and often to me too). They all involve workbooks, except for phonics, which is basically a workbook without the writing.
They would all pursue us, like hounds of ____, no matter which learning philosophy we subscribed to.
One day last week, I got really discouraged with it all. It felt like we were doing school but not really striving for excellence. Taking a brutally honest look at myself, I think it’s because of the attitude I put forth of just wanting to get it done each day — getting through the schedule so we can move on to free time, in which at least as much learning takes place as during school hours. I mean, they don’t want to stop what they’re doing to do school, but what do they do after school is over? Play school. With their stuffed animals. Put in the history audiobooks. Read. Make Magna Cartas that specify what parents can do to discipline their children.
I poured all this out to my husband, who asked to see the school notebooks and assessments. He interpreted what he saw differently than I did, remarking on Older Daughter’s neat handwriting and the fact that there were no misspellings because I’d made her fix them. She produced a summary of a story she’d read, and he read it and was impressed with how well she’d captured the main points. Then yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning, and my husband administered the math assessments and supervised Younger Daughter’s handwriting. Afterward he reported that he’d gotten some push-back, but he’d enjoyed it. “It’s work,” he said, “but I enjoyed it.” He was pleased with their ability to think through the problems, and with the variety of skills they had at the ready.
It was very encouraging to me, and leaves me realizing that the struggle is less with the product than with the process. I need to do a better job of managing my inner struggle against the tedium. I need to be unapologetic about insisting on “doing your best.” Maybe most importantly, I need to invite my husband into the process more — not by turning over duties to him that he doesn’t have time for (he is busy earning a living for us, after all!) but by showing him more schoolwork, inviting his response, letting the girls (and me!) benefit from two perspectives.
I still believe in the classical approach. But “love of learning” looks different than I imagined in my pre-homeschooling reveries. It manifests itself in patience, a willingness to take as long as we need in order to get it right and write it neatly. It manifests itself in an unruffled awareness of resistance in some subjects. Mainly, it’s going to manifest itself in persistence.
Every year I have to learn these things at a new level. (Hence these long, meandering posts…)
Can I tell you how glad I am you shared this just now? As you know, I’m waffling on exactly what our homeschool will look like next year (with an infant thrown into the mix, to boot!), and you’ve synthesized exactly what appeals to me about the classical method (TWTM) so well.
I think you and I should talk. I have so many misgivings about going completely classical (is this possible?) with my very young daughters. Is there a link to your email address somewhere about?
Janet-
I can only say that I appreciate my mother’s constant effort to homeschool us as she did. She, like you, was very much classically bent, and I was well prepared for college by the time we were finished.
On the receiving end of the instruction, may I offer you some advice? (I’m the Older Sister of two, so, like your eldest, I was kind of the guinea pig. And, actually, that’s a good thing.) Have a basic idea of what you want them to know at a given point, and give them some rein to find it out in the way they want to. Guidelines and rules are good and necessary, but if they’re veering off a bit in order to express their own personal interests a bit, don’t sweat it; keep them on topic, but let them discover the content in the way that works best for them.
Bottom line is, you don’t have to sacrifice the process for the best end result. Don’t be apologetic on them doing their best; you keep them on target. But give them room to discover how to actually get to their “best.” My mom was amazing at adapting her teaching style for the both of us: I was a verbal, visual learner; my sister completely auditory. I would lock myself away in a room with a book of history, and my sister listened to music and drew while Mom read to her about the Ancient Greeks or botany. We both got the same education, and gave her OUR personal best, in the way that suited us the best.
So don’t panic; just observe and listen to your kids…. They’ll teach you what they need.
That’s great advice! Thanks so much for the powerful encouragement.
I think I have two auditory learners, but in the last 6 months or so they have both taken to drawing while I read to them, so it’s interesting that you mention that. In fact, whenever they hear or read something that strikes them, they bolt for their drawing pads.
Amy, I’ll send you my email!
I second Amy’s thanks for this post! It is so good to read about the very real challenges of homeschooling. I am a second-generation homeschooler, but the classical model is somewhat new to me (I had the high standards of. We are also following The Well-Trained Mind model, and I love it for all the reasons you mentioned! We are doing kindergarten with my oldest this year and trying to focus on phonics/reading, handwriting, spelling, and math with a little history, science, and art on the side. I’m already wondering how I will fit everything in for first grade.
I’m interested in what you mean by “push-back,” since my daughter seems to have a meltdown about something almost every day. I wonder if I’m pushing her too hard, too fast or if it’s just the natural resistence (sin nature) to following instructions (submitting to authority – mine or a workbook). Most of the time it’s probably the latter, and I remember that striving for excellence is a good and godly enterpise. But I agree with you that it is very wearying for the mother to shape these young wills against their natural inclinations and train our children to do their best.
I’ll look forward to reading your post about materials! Maybe you could include a typical daily or weekly schedule, too – that would be so helpful!
I felt kind of exposed after I wrote this post, so I appreciate your and Amy’s comments. It’s so easy to present ourselves as perfect in a blog post, but… that’s not my real life.
By pushback, I mean they react negatively to the idea of school: “Oh no! I was just going to…” They are never bored and always have long lists of things they want to do.
Sometimes I wonder if I am asking too much, and if it should be easy. That’s where my husband is so helpful. He reminds me that learning (and teaching) is supposed to mean work. He warns me not to let myself be manipulated. They’re good girls, but it’s true that they know how to push my buttons in a way they probably wouldn’t do with a classroom teacher. And like any children they’d prefer to call the shots.
If there wasn’t evidence in other ways that they do love learning, I’d be concerned. But I feel like there’s a fair balance between structure and freedom. (I just need my husband to remind me of that from time to time!)
I know this comment has nothing to do with your homeschooling post, but I did want to say I love the picture you used. I love to see children reading!
And the Harry the dog books are good ones. 
I agree! There was a time when everyone in our family could recite Harry the Dirty Dog by heart.