Baking 101
The blogosphere is full of back to school tales. From kids of bloggers to teachers’ classrooms, images of school abound. For me, the year begins in September. I’ve spent too much time in academia to change my habits. My day-planner runs August to August. I’m conditioned to think of September as a fresh start. New shoes, new clothes, new backpack, new paper, new pencils. New. Begin again. Fresh slate. Start over.
Homeschooling changes this reality on some fronts. It seemed a little forced to tell the kid to stand in his front yard for a “back-to-school” photo, only to then call him back inside for the morning. It’s not like he had a bus to catch, after all. And we’ve not bothered with the new school clothes drill in ages. My willowy child is weedy, keenly aware that highwaters are not a fashion statement of any kind. Pants should be long, like his hair. So, we buy new pants all the time and rarely schedule haircuts. Only having attended 3 years of brick and mortar public school, the back-to-school impulse never imprinted on him and he’s found his own rhythms.
It’s not that I miss the trappings of tradition. School shopping was tedious. Boy Wonder has never had a distinct style he liked, but he was plenty clear about what he didn’t like. Trying on clothes was high on that list. Yet, once he was cajoled into the dressing room, he would be completely non-committal or worse, insistent that everything fit, even if it didn’t. When he stopped going to a brick and mortar school and I realized that I wasn’t under any obligation to dress him in clothes that matched just to sit on our couch to read… I whipped out my computer and saved us all the experience. We’ve never looked back on that front.
The markers of change are just different for us. And there isn’t a direct replacement value for the trappings of tradition. I don’t have an equal exchange for Back-to-school night or the photos in the front yard waiting for the bus. It never seemed important to find an alternative. Instead, we’ve embraced a completely different pattern; one that has worked for us. Our photos are mundane and look like snapshots of any household—there is nothing in them that marks the beginning of something new. Without a guide to explain what you are seeing, you might not notice the difference in the record of our life.
But, there is a difference. For the past two years, while we considered ourselves homeschoolers, we were in fact part of an online charter school. Public school at home. And while we might not have shopped for new clothes or posed for pre-bus photos, we still had schedules to keep, projects to complete, books to read, teachers who called, and grades issued—all markers of our involvement in something larger than ourselves. It was a great system. It gave us the flexibility we needed while allowing us to teach our child in his learning style. We never regretted the decision to pull him out of public school, because in essence, we hadn’t. There was a safety net beneath us and it proved a rich environment to learn this art of home educating.
mmm… Pumpkin Chocolate-chip Squares.
The best part of the program is that it allowed our child to work at his own pace. Our sponge ate up the information and in the process found himself in 6th grade this year. Like most public school systems, the entry into middle school marks a shift in the way we educate children—and it’s a shift that may work for other kids, but not ours. Instead of having one teacher to account to, we now had half a dozen… each with their own expectations and most suffering from the “my subject is the most important” syndrome. Where we once had flexibility to dig deeper and provide enrichment that actually counted for credit, the emphasis was now on getting through the material in a timely manner. That might pass as education for some people—but it’s never been our definition.
And so, with a deep breath but with the full knowledge that we’d spent the past two years preparing for this (and blessing from our homeroom teacher who felt it was time!) we registered with the ESD as homeschoolers. While the markers have changed, we feel remarkably the same. I’m not sure what will imprint on Boy Wonder; if September will mean the beginning of fall or the start of a new year, or something completely unimaginable to me. I have no idea what of our schedules and our methods will take hold and become the definition of “school” for him. The rhythms that mark his life are so completely different than mine and I have never had any expectation otherwise. He’s been charting his own course since inception and I’m finally at a place where I can see that.
Back to School.
I really enjoyed this post, Wende.
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Thanks for telling me! 😀 ~W
BW is growing up fast, Wen. (and looking more and more like his mom!) Strangely for a public school teacher, I enjoy reading posts about homeschooling. I have always been fascinated by the structure of it, and how it works. I love the creativity and flexibility of it.
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He is looking more and more like me. It’s kinda weird. 😀 And I’m glad you’re not offended… I worry sometimes when I talk about homeschooling that the teachers who read my site will read it the wrong way. This was not a slam against teachers—but a recognition that the system isn’t working for us any longer. The hardest part was walking away from a lovely woman who has been such a great influence in G’s life for the past two years. ~W
I’m so happy for him. Not many people seem to recognize what you do. My district has a school for “at-risk” kids that allows them to work on the computer and speed through their credits so that they can graduate. They learn nothing.
I’m still struggling with what to do once Sage hits middle school….
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Yeah, eventually, he’ll need to be able to handle learning in a more “collegiate” kind of way. But for now, it seems pointless to rob him of the joy of learning only to fulfill expectations of a group of teachers who have never even spoken to my child. ~W
It’s interesting…the start of this school year came sandwiched in between me being in the hospital unexpectedly and our attempt to get the baby here early (so as to get my health under control). It also got rolled up in the fuss over our news that we’re eventually relocating to Texas. Consequently, many of what we consider the “traditions” of going back to school (the shopping, the end-of-summer Labor Day Weekend bru-ha-ha) just didn’t really happen. And you know what? Our kids survived. I beat myself up over it for a while before I realized that the start of school has become a kind of “event” the way that Christmas has become an “event” – something commercial and external that should really be personally felt and experienced. I think it’s getting tougher – and more important – for us as families to make sure that we protect those things that should be personally felt and experienced. Thanks for this post, as it helped me to realize this all over again.
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See, I’m a huge fan of tradition… but there is a limit. And when doing takes the place of experiencing, I suspect you’re correct, it’s gone too far. I hope you all will find a way to reclaim those traditions next year in a way that is meaningful to you. ~W
I have to say, since we’ve jettisoned the formal school I feel so much more relieved. I’m not worried about curriculum or structure. I know that we can expose G to everything he needs. It isn’t easy – but I’m so peacful about it. There are so many resources available! With so much change in the air, this one happens to be welcome. I’m glad we are doing it together. I’m glad we are using the time we have this way.
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I see marked improvement in his maths and spelling already. I think we’re going to be ok. 😀 ~W
This was a really moving post, Wende! What a beautiful life you lead!
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Thanks Amy! ~W
I am thinking about home schooling my son, but I’m worried about one thing and that is how will he make friends? Can you tell me if this is an issue with you there and how often he gets to see kids his own age? Other than that I think we’re sold, but it’s going to be a hard sell when my son gets to see all his friends every day. Please help!
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Roxanne, I sent you an email with info… I hope you get it and it helps! ~W
We are more new to home schooling than you are, having jumped right from the publc high school into our own home edition…and I’m afraid but secure in knowing that no matter what, this is better for her than anything they had to offer. Good luck and enjoy it!
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This is just it, there is no magic solution that fits every kid. You have to do what’s best for your individual child. I’m glad it’s working out for you all! ~W
I’m with Margaret. I enjoy hearing about homeschooling. I really envy you the flexible schedule and the chance for more authentic learning than we can provide in public school. You guys do seem like you have an ideal set-up for it, with IZ home as well as you.