Intuitive best describes the type of homeschooling method I use. Albeit, in the beginning I wouldn’t have used that particular discriptive word. Rather, I was deliberate and fairly consistent. Our style of homeschooling reflects our family’s lifestyle. Purposeful, slow paced, God centered and flexibly fun. I prefer not to rush learning.
Our lifestyle suggested pacing out our school work over 3 – 4 days a week. Mostly three. Math and reading were taught nearly every school day. Whereas, the other subjects; art, science, grammar, history, writing … were taught once a week.
Unbeknownst to me, one of the methods I was following was the Charlotte Mason principle of education, more or less. (www.simplycharlottemason.com). We would easily become absorbed in a project or book. I caught on that an interruption to move onto the next subject would have spoiled their focus thereby nipping what was being learned. I respected my child and what was occurring in their life at that moment. We read from rich, living literature, rather than what Charlotte referred to in the late 1800’s as “Dumbed -down twaddle”. Books in which the story comes alive and the reader is taken away into the authors world.
Intuitively, I was following another method. Classical education, more or less. (www.classicalacademicpress.com) I didn’t realize I was teaching the grammar stage when math facts, spelling rules and be nice and don’t poke your sibling were learned. I knew these facts were simply the beginning and would be helpful as they progressed. Eventually, they sorted those facts into useful knowledge, which is the second stage, dialectic or logic. The day came when I realized my children could speak and reason well. The time when we dove into learning Latin. It has a name, the rhetoric stage.
There were days when not one book of the educational type was opened. The children had time to freely roam and explore; creating childhood memories in the process. Unschooling or child-led learning is what I was told we were practicing on those days. (www.educationcorner.com) Intuitively, I believed everyone needed a break. Looking back, I realize more was learned when we did less.
Over the years, our family dynamics have changed. The school day is different from what it was in the beginning. The babies and toddlers have grown up so certain distractions are no longer a factor. No more Hookham babies to upset the peaceful school setting by crawling across the table before he could be apprehended.
Dear Reader, intuitively follow your heart regarding the homeschooling method that best suits your family’s lifestyle. If your educational method gives you peace than that may be an indicator you are on the right homeschool adventure. After all, Home, is where Wholesome School Begins.
Carol Hookham 