This school year is bringing a fairly substantial change to our household. Eleanor has decided to attend our local high school part-time. It is legal, though rare, in our school district. Luckily, the principal is supportive and welcoming. Eleanor has chosen this path for several reasons: just to try "regular" school, to have more consistent interaction with peers, to meet kids her age in our neighborhood, and to have more structure for some of her academics (I am not always good at this...). I understand and respect her reasons. She spent a lot of time considering her alternatives for 9th grade. It has not been an easy decision.
Our local high school is in the process of "re-inventing" itself. It has had
some very difficult years. Most of the kids are on the Free Lunch
Program. Teacher turnover is high. The current principal is beginning his second year. We are going to take it week by week. Since this school is implementing a new year-round schedule this year, last week was the first week of the new school year. The school is incorporating 4 off-campus learning excursions. The first one was last week and I chaperoned. Eleanor and I were very impressed by the amount of support the kids gave each other (including her, one of two Anglo students out of 300) when they were pushing their comfort zones (like sharing a talent, speaking up at workshops, etc.). Of course, there were behavior issues and the lack of freedom we experienced due to the needs of crowd control was hard at times (for example, our little group of 12 girls traveled en masse everywhere we went). As homeschoolers, we have gotten used to making our own schedule and avoiding crowds!
As we push the envelope with the school district and push ourselves out of our own comfort zones, we will learn and grow. I'll keep you posted...
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
The "Producers"
Although we are constantly pegged as consumers by the media, I think we really prefer our role as producers in society. We maintain this dance between consuming and producing: producer by day, consumer by night. Producing usually requires some type of creativity, while consuming is more passive (maybe that is why some people enjoy bargain-hunting so much--it makes shopping less passive and we feel more productive). Some people have jobs that provide more satisfaction than others, so some adults find other ways to be producers "after hours" through their hobbies. Parents are producers 24/7 (which can be taxing) by actively producing new members of our society as they raise their children. As much energy as it takes, it is so rewarding when our children become great human beings right before our eyes.
Children are given plenty of opportunities to be active consumers in our society of "buy, buy, buy." However, they are not provided as many opportunities to be REAL producers. Most opportunities for producing are fabricated by the adults around them--teachers, parents, and coaches. In school, they are given assignments in which they are required to produce something--like a completed worksheet or a science fair project. Some lucky children find a passion and are able to pursue it (sports, music, etc.) and feel the wonderful power of producing something truly beautiful (a piece of music, a well-played basketball game, a drawing, or a well-cooked meal).
This producer/consumer paradigm has helped me re-frame our homeschooling journey. We are in the process of shifting our homeschooling experience to provide more real opportunities for my kids to be producers through projects of their selection. Through these projects, they will not only have products, but they will also learn the skills and knowledge they need to be successful producers throughout their lives: project planning and execution--something adults are required to do at home and at work on a daily basis. Along the way, they will attain a certain level of competence at reading, writing, and math because those are basic skills adults need to be successful producers.
I believe that being productive is, in itself, a motivator. When the day is done, don't you feel better when you are surrounded by things you have produced rather than the spoils of your consuming?
Children are given plenty of opportunities to be active consumers in our society of "buy, buy, buy." However, they are not provided as many opportunities to be REAL producers. Most opportunities for producing are fabricated by the adults around them--teachers, parents, and coaches. In school, they are given assignments in which they are required to produce something--like a completed worksheet or a science fair project. Some lucky children find a passion and are able to pursue it (sports, music, etc.) and feel the wonderful power of producing something truly beautiful (a piece of music, a well-played basketball game, a drawing, or a well-cooked meal).
This producer/consumer paradigm has helped me re-frame our homeschooling journey. We are in the process of shifting our homeschooling experience to provide more real opportunities for my kids to be producers through projects of their selection. Through these projects, they will not only have products, but they will also learn the skills and knowledge they need to be successful producers throughout their lives: project planning and execution--something adults are required to do at home and at work on a daily basis. Along the way, they will attain a certain level of competence at reading, writing, and math because those are basic skills adults need to be successful producers.
I believe that being productive is, in itself, a motivator. When the day is done, don't you feel better when you are surrounded by things you have produced rather than the spoils of your consuming?
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| Producing is fun! Our entry into the 2012 Peep's Diorama Contest |
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Walkabout
The Walkabout education model is a self-directed learning experience that is based on an Aboriginal coming-of-age ritual. The core of the model is five "Challenges" (called "Passages" by the school we visited). These challenges cover areas of life: adventure, practical skills, creativity, logical inquiry, and community service. The student selects the specific project for each challenge (with the help of an advising group) and creates the plan to accomplish it.
To be clear, these challenges must really be challenges. The student must select challenges which are really hard, ones which force them to face fears or require a lot of physical and/or mental exertion. These things are meant to take years, not months. This is a plan for all of high school.
When they have completed these challenges, the idea is that they are ready for adulthood. They have proven their readiness to be a responsible member of the tribe. I highly recommend Maurice Gibbons' article introducing this idea http://www.selfdirectedlearning.com/walkabout.html.
This model seems quite logical to me as a road map for the high school experience. It creates an experience where learning has real meaning. There is a reason for the learning. The teen is highly engaged in her high school experience. By creating the challenges, she will grow as a person and learn along the way. This is not an easy way out.
As my daughter weighs the pros and cons of different high school options, we will incorporate all or some of the Walkabout model over the next four years. She will be an active participant in her education. She will do more than simply pick courses and satisfy requirements. Hopefully, when she is 18 years old, she'll have completed some challenges, faced some fears and feel ready to join the world community as an active and engaged adult.
To be clear, these challenges must really be challenges. The student must select challenges which are really hard, ones which force them to face fears or require a lot of physical and/or mental exertion. These things are meant to take years, not months. This is a plan for all of high school.
When they have completed these challenges, the idea is that they are ready for adulthood. They have proven their readiness to be a responsible member of the tribe. I highly recommend Maurice Gibbons' article introducing this idea http://www.selfdirectedlearning.com/walkabout.html.
This model seems quite logical to me as a road map for the high school experience. It creates an experience where learning has real meaning. There is a reason for the learning. The teen is highly engaged in her high school experience. By creating the challenges, she will grow as a person and learn along the way. This is not an easy way out.
As my daughter weighs the pros and cons of different high school options, we will incorporate all or some of the Walkabout model over the next four years. She will be an active participant in her education. She will do more than simply pick courses and satisfy requirements. Hopefully, when she is 18 years old, she'll have completed some challenges, faced some fears and feel ready to join the world community as an active and engaged adult.
Re-thinking high school
As my daughter finishes her 8th grade year, we are confronted with what to do for high school. It seems the beginning of middle school and high school are common times that homeschoolers enter "traditional" school. It has always puzzled me since, I feel, that as kids get older and have more maturity, the opportunities for learning in the community expand greatly.
However, as our family approaches this point ourselves, we are confronted with the reality that homeschoolers can have a difficult time finding peers with whom to socialize. The "easy" answer is to jump into a place that has lots of kids the same age: a school. But is it worth all the sacrifices: the loss of control over your time; the negative peer pressure; the bells, whistles, hurtles, hoops, etc.? These are the questions we face.
Parenting choices are rarely easy. This is merely one more in our quest to provide our children with the most healthy and nurturing environment that we can. We want to prepare our children for the adult world that they will eventually have to enter. What is the best way? Traditional school hardly seems the answer.
We visited a non-traditional school the other day. I was excited by their model. Thrilled to find an educational institution that did not seem like an institution. It is a wonderful place...if you have to go to school. However, no matter how wonderful the model, it is still, alas, a school. It still has the trappings of school: the shallow interactions, the peer pressure, the posing. This school, I admit, seems to have less than a traditional school, but it is still there.
This school, however, has introduced us to a potential model for our high school experience: The Walkabout. Read my next post to learn more.
TTFN
However, as our family approaches this point ourselves, we are confronted with the reality that homeschoolers can have a difficult time finding peers with whom to socialize. The "easy" answer is to jump into a place that has lots of kids the same age: a school. But is it worth all the sacrifices: the loss of control over your time; the negative peer pressure; the bells, whistles, hurtles, hoops, etc.? These are the questions we face.
Parenting choices are rarely easy. This is merely one more in our quest to provide our children with the most healthy and nurturing environment that we can. We want to prepare our children for the adult world that they will eventually have to enter. What is the best way? Traditional school hardly seems the answer.
We visited a non-traditional school the other day. I was excited by their model. Thrilled to find an educational institution that did not seem like an institution. It is a wonderful place...if you have to go to school. However, no matter how wonderful the model, it is still, alas, a school. It still has the trappings of school: the shallow interactions, the peer pressure, the posing. This school, I admit, seems to have less than a traditional school, but it is still there.
This school, however, has introduced us to a potential model for our high school experience: The Walkabout. Read my next post to learn more.
TTFN
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