since we’ve been out of the country, max has had some incredible experiences for a five year old. in uruguay, he attended a preschool and became the light of the little group of kids. he missed one day due to travel and the teachers said that nobody was the same without him there! he walked into the situation without knowing any spanish, but in a few weeks, he was having full conversations and since then it’s his mode of language when he is playing on his own. (i love walking by his room and hearing the rapid fire rioplatense babble in different voices that come from his matchbox cars and stuffed monkey.) since we moved to buenos aires in the middle of the south’s school year, i’ve been doing independent study with him. his favorite activity, besides driving his little cars, is drawing and painting. he could sit for a couple hours and just draw in his little notepad, little details and letters evolving on the pages in stories. he begins with a character or a vehicle and narrates from there… i haven’t been able to throw any of those drawings out! a few weeks ago, he learned some basic color theory with my gouache paints and mixed his own secondary colors. look how kandinsky this one is:
these are some of my favorite online resources for home study and play:
guilt-free homeschooling
enchanted learning
pbs kids
family fun
martha stewart kids
i admit that i wasn’t always keen on “homeschooling” in fact, i still cringe with that name. i never had any good impression of kids who weren’t in public school like i was. i only remember knowing a few homeschoolers, but they weren’t beating the system any more than someone at public school was. in fact, it seemed that attending public school was better than their situation because all they were doing was taking the basic, one size fits all curriculum away from the public school environment (because the world is so evil, apparently) and being sheltered at home. these poor kids lacked any kind of basic social intelligence, and when they made their appearance back at public school they stuck out like sore thumbs with their awkardness. after all, they were among all the kids trying their hardest to be socially accepted, which meant they had to be as normal as possible.
besides, i couldn’t understand why any parents would want to take away the anticipation of a new school year. fresh sharpened pencils, the ready backpack, wondering who the new kids would be and what everyone did over the summer. i loved elementary school, loved pleasing my teachers, loved every moment of school then. but by the time junior high rolled around, school became more of a drag. i felt like most of what we were doing was a complete waste of time. my senior year of high school was almost torture… how does all of this apply to real life, could someone please remind me? it bothered me that i had to wait to go to college just because i wasn’t a certain age, that i had to miss all my friends who were in the grades ahead of me and moving on with the real stuff. all that was left was the motions. if only i could study what i felt was useful and interesting…
which is why i get it now. independent study (as i want to call it) allows a person to lead with their desire to learn. independent study teaches a person to be in the world and interacting with it, instead of the fabricated situations that public school provides. the way i see it, all public school does is train up a citizen who knows how to stand in line, do what they are told, and not think for themselves, but bend their ideas to what will make the grade or change their unique shape to fit into the box. i could go on with what public school does NOT teach a child, but i’d rather focus on what a good thing i’ve stumbled onto here. i guess i accidentally fell into the situation, but i’m glad i did. i don’t know what our plan is from here, it’s overwhelming to think of what i’ll be doing with max one year from now, shoot, even a few months from now gets me a bit flustered! but looking ahead to just this week, i have nothing but total confidence knowing that we’re going to a few museums, learning how to spend his earned money at a kiosko, shopping for ingredients at the store and baking some banana bread to understand measurements….and every moment in between using his second language with everyone we come in contact with. not bad for a kid in preschool, right? (<– correction! kindergarten! man, time flies when you’re making your own fun.)
First off: your son is an amazing artist! I love how kids have such an innate sense of color and aren’t afraid to use it. :)
I found it very interesting to read your thoughts on schooling your son. I’m a former unschooler (we basically were taught *how* to learn and then self-directed from there), so I can totally agree with and see some of the concerns you have with more rigid forms of homeschooling. It sounds like you’re doing with your son what my mom did with me when I was his age: allowing him to explore and learn valuable life lessons. Those are memories that I cherish very dearly, and I daresay Max will too! :) To me, the best lessons and form of school, particularly at that age, is just being allowed to roam and learn and explore. Kudos to you! :)
hi casey – thank you for your comment! i think an important thing to do when navigating the first child through this kind of learning is not to go overboard. it’s so easy to! there’s so much information out there and different styles of teaching, with all kinds of fancy names and curriculum. reminds me of when i was first pregnant and all the information out there could have bombarded me with how to feed, play, sleep etc. less is more in this case, i feel. and of course, there are great public schools that are exceptions, and sometimes i think this age it’s not detrimental when they are just playing and learning to interact.
bottom line is to let them know they are loved!
This was such an interesting post to read. I don’t have children yet but am formulating thoughts on similar schooling for when I do. I was educated in a very rigid academic environment with huge emphasis on exams and performance and love the idea of children being able to explore life creatively and without constraint. At the same time I have wondered how to maintain the very sense of excitement that you describe so well. Max is ever so lucky – and a talented artist! cheers, lottie.
we homeschooled for seven years before sending them to public school. it was the hardest thing we had ever done (homeschooling) but the most rewarding.
hola max! me gustaria mucho hablar espanol contigo y jugar un dia. besos!
what to say, what to say?…
children are born to learn and love it. everything is new and exciting. they’re like sponges– they can’t help but learn. it’s in their nature and we really don’t have to get in the way with fancy cirriculum and the like. that actually can turn their “love of learning” into a “hate of learning.”
you will always know just the thing max needs– you have so much practice in really listening to and following that deep voice of direction that tells you who you are. you’ll know who max is and where he needs to be:)
your attitude of making him more capable of interacting and dealing with the world, rather than sheltering him from the world will make all the difference.
what a great post! i have been thinking about what i am going to do with fiona for school, i guess what is familiar always seems more safe. i went to private school my whole life and that is what i am used to. here, in the us, everything in schools seems a little different so i am a bit lost. i know that the public school close to my house doesn’t seem to be what i would like for her.
i totally agree with going with the desire of the child to learn. also, i think it is important to know you child and see what is best for her/him: more structure, more freedom…etc.
thank you for the great links and for helping me ‘think’ about this subject, jenny!
me again, i forgot to say that i love all these photos of max. what a talented little artist!
what you are giving him now, by travelling is, in my opinion, the best education he can get.
Beautiful paintings Max!!
p.s. Megan told me her Running Start program at the college covered more the first 2 weeks than a semester in HS
“We’d still be studying the syllabus”
(how sad- but true)
She Loves college
(your comment on your senior year brought that to my mind :o)
yeah – megan is lucky! think about all the wasted time at school… waiting for teachers to be ready, for everyone to get what is being taught till you can move on, waiting for the bell to ring for the next class… blah blah… haha
veronica, is it true that schools aren’t all day here too? i always notice how most of the kids (in private school) are out in the city in the afternoons…
glad to hear all your comments, there are so many of you with so much more experience at this!
beautiful work, max!! thanks for sharing. xx (i’d sound off on the schooling thing, but i have no real concrete ideas yet about what works best or what will work best for my children… that said, what you’re doing with max sounds just perfect.)
Thanks for your thoughts on home schooling. It opened my mind a bit. I think I hover in the same school of thought you mentioned, but your post got me to crack open that thinking. :)
I love the view from your place – those windows. It must be great.
yes, jenny, the schools there {private and public} are half day, morning or afternoon. but the bilingual schools have an all day program, in general.
besos
hi jenny,
I ‘homeschooled’ both my boys for over 3 yrs., simultaneously…(and felt very overwhelmed much of the time)…I too cringed at the very word…and found that my own philosophies on home teaching were very different than those of my peers. but as time went on, i discovered the beauty in finding our own groove. i loved that i could incorporate many different ‘methods’ and stuck closely to the simplicity of learning.
yes, by middle school, almost all children are at ‘burnout’ and i believe public school is to blame for that…education should be intoxicating! learning should be something we look forward to daily and the love for learning is a gift given to us by God.
the pressure placed upon children in the ‘public school system’ is ridiculously unnecessary (sorry, but that is my ‘humble opinion’ ;)) ok, you have got me going now ::wink::, have you researched ‘charlotte mason’? what a beautiful style and one that embraces teaching outside the box, and outside in nature quite a bit. it is a beautiful way of teaching. it’s primary focus is about being out in nature, sketching and keeping a nature journal. a large emphasis is upon the arts and love of good books.
i found it to be a joy for my children and i. we would take long hikes, and find so much learning had been done that day. if you need more information…please don’t hesitate to email me for more information.
have a wonderful day and Max is truly quite talented! those are beautiful paintings…he must take after his mommy :)
Jenny, it seems you are doing what’s right for now — and these comments are really interesting! I don’t have kids but imagine that it’s hard to keep the balance of structure that kids need/actually like and living a creative life, but you’re doing such a great job!
thanks everyone, i love a good set of comments! it’s such an interesting topic (even if you don’t have children) because everyone has ideas on education and experience with it too.
shelbi – i’ve actually done a lot more reading than i have deep diving into curriculum styles – max has kept a notebook with leaf pressings and rock collections, so when i read the mason theory i liked what i was seeing, it all sounded familiar.
i also want to add that i don’t mean to *blame* public schools for falling short in so many areas – just by their nature (being run by government) they have to make a system, and it would be impossible to have that system fit every child. it fails by design. plus, it’s ridiculous to consciously send your child somewhere for an entire day for nine or ten months out of the year and then be upset that THEY aren’t “doing their job” teaching your child. :P there is always freedom to change what you don’t like, ultimately it’s our decision. and who better knows a child than the parent?
veronica, i love the idea of half day – (lucky you to have them growing up) i think independent study could fit in more quality, concentrated learning into a day and then allow for more time learning playing living in between. exciting!
This gives me much to think about as we prepare to bring our little baby bonacci into this world. Thank you.
There is more than one way to do things. Sometimes I forget that.
I miss Max. He was alright. Tell him said that please.
kristin – congratulations!!
m&j, will do, and hello!
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