I asked myself the same questions.
Was I smart enough?
Could I be as effective as the teachers in school?
After all, I was the one who would be responsible for most of her learning. I had the time because of my work schedule and I was the best at research on the net so I needed to be sure this was a good idea.
So here are my thoughts on the subject.
First, a little reflection..Do you remember when your child was born? Of course you do. Who doesn’t!
My little girl was a blessing I didn’t anticipate. I was 52 years old and already had 2 grown children, but there she was in my hands at the moment of birth..It was love at first sight.
We took her home and she began learning from us right away.
Our faces, our voices.
Who mommy was. Who daddy was.
The cat.
Her favorite stuffed animal.
Her favorite toy.
As she grew she learned to crawl.
Then to pull herself up using the furniture.
She learned to eat and how to hold a cup to drink.
She learned to talk. Imagine that, she was learning a language
She learned to walk then to run.
And the list goes on and on.
At one and a half years old she was sitting on my lap as I researched things on the internet or built a web page.
She learned to use the mouse and the keyboard. So about a year later we started her on Jumpstart Pre-K . She mastered all three levels in less than a year and moved up to Kindergarten, then 1st, 2nd and now is doing 4th and 5th grade work. She just turned 8.
Her biggest asset was learning to read. I read bedtime stories to her and pointed out the words as I read. She was watching and learning and now she is an excellent reader.
So what’s my point here?
Is my child special?
Not any more special than your child is to you.
Is she supersmart?
Not any smarter than yours.
Am I just a great teacher?
Not any better than you are. After all, most of what you just read you also did.
Here is the main point;
Almost “everything” my child has learned she has learned on her own. All I did was give her the opportunity and assist a little. Her own curiosity and her inborn need to learn new things did the rest. All children are like mine when it comes to learning. Give them the “chance” and they can learn “anything”.
So isn’t this why we send them to school when they reach school age? So they have the chance to learn everything?
Are they given the “chance” in school to learn “everything” they want? And taught the way that is best for “them”?
I did say that”All children are like mine when it comes to learning”
Well!! “NOT” all children are like mine when it comes to learning.
They all have the same curiosity and the same potential, but
Every child is a little different and every child has a different learning style. What is interesting to one is boring for the next. What one child learns easily another has trouble with. Why? Because they are all different. You have to use a different way of teaching for each child. Find out what they are interested in, or what works best for them and make it “fun” and they will learn even the hardest things.
Can this be done in a classroom?.
The simple answer is NO..
The teacher has only one way to teach. She/He has maybe 20 students or so and cannot teach each child separately. A curriculum must be followed. What if some get it and some don’t..then some do well and others fall behind. If the teacher were to ask the students what they wanted to learn right now some would say math, others science, still others history. But it doesn’t work like that in school.
Everyone has to learn the same thing at the same time. So if any child is not interested in learning math right now what happens?
Well, there mind wanders while the instruction is given and they miss the concept or learn little, they get bored or become agitated and disrupt the class somehow and are classified as a discipline problem. Then when testing time comes around they get frustrated because they can’t seem to pass the test or get a good mark on it and they so much want to please there parents or the teacher or show other students that they know something.
Is it because they can’t learn it?
NO.. It’s because they were taught the wrong thing at the wrong time for “them”.
They were not given the “chance” to satisfy there “curiosity” on something they were “interested” in at the right moment and so it was no “fun” trying to learn what was being taught.
That is why we decided to homeschool, or as we call it, home learning.
At home we are one on one and so we can ask what she is interested in at the moment and give her the chance to learn something new. A home learning atmosphere is very flexible and can meet the needs of any child.
Another thing is that home learning goes on all the time while she is awake, 7 days a week and she never feels forced to learn. We inculcate all of the basics and many extras into everything we do. All of her “why is this” or “why do I need that” type of questions are answered to her satisfaction, and she has plenty of “whys’” as all children do.. We have the time to answer them when they come up, the school doesn’t.
She goes on field trips of every sort and even a trip to the supermarket or gas station can be a learning opportunity.
So, is she learning what she needs to know to satisfy all of the states requirements? All that and then some. She is not only learning everything she needs to know but also concepts and ideas that stretch the imagination. And guess what? She loves to learn. It’s fun.
Is she smarter than your child? NO.
Am I just a great teacher? NO. I’m not any better than you.
The only difference is that she is learning at her pace, the things that stir her imagination, the things she is curious about, at the right time and in a way that makes it fun for her.
So ask yourself again ” Can I do This?”
Of course you can.
Just give your child the chance to learn. Provide them with the opportunity to satisfy there curiosity. Make it fun. You will be amazed at what they can do.
The Ernissee’s
