Joyce Kinmont 1. Why would any parent want to teach their children? For
many reasons. Some people are doing it because they are dissatisfied
with the public school system, but that is not the best reason. Those
families who are finding the most success in home schools are those who
have established them for purposes of religious and moral training and
especially for family unity. Fathers find great satisfaction in
shouldering this responsibility. Mothers find joy in watching their
children learn new things, and they find their lives better organized.
Children like home schools because they are not under pressure or
bored, and they are able to develop their individual creative talents.
Family members notice a growing closeness, a less worldly outlook, and
they even fight less! 2. Is it legal? Yes.
Utah law requires that children be enrolled in either a public,
private, or home school. (Legal details are included in the legal
packet.) 3. Are public schools "bad" then? Not
necessarily. Sometimes they are very good. There are many excellent
teachers who could be even better if they were allowed to choose their
own programs and work without governmental and administrative
interference. The biggest problems are that the schools keep the young
children away from home too long and that they often teach Humanistic
doctrines. It is good that we have a choice. 4. If I did want to teach my children, how would I know what curriculum to use? Parents
must first deal with some very basic questions: What things do I want
my children to learn? How much time should be spent at a desk,
developing creative talents, watching the grass grow? When will they be
ready to read and write? In the BYU publication, School Can Wait by Dr.
Raymond & Dorothy Moore, the authors show that children are not
emotionally ready to leave their mothers or physically ready to spend
long hours at a desk until at least eight to ten years of age.
President Kimball said: "This mortal life is the time to prepare to
meet God, which is our first responsibility. We have this life of
limited years in which to learn of God, to become masters of our own
destiny." (Deacon's Study Course, p. 54). So the most important part of
your curriculum is the study of things relating to God. If your child
doesn't learn these things he won't be helping God here on earth, and a
collection of facts will not do him or anyone else any good. 5. Working at home; what things "count" as school? What
is school? At best it is life itself. At worst, it is an
institutionalized imitation of life. The more closely the institution
comes to duplicating life outside the institution, the better the
school. So home school includes all of life, and in everyone's life,
young or old, time should be set aside every day for scripture study,
academic pursuits, developing talents, and for recreation. Home school
is really for the whole family! 6. What about intelligence and achievement testing? In
institutionalized teaching, testing must be done in order for the staff
to evaluate their effectiveness. But testing is expensive, misleading,
inaccurate, and often emotionally damaging to children. It also creates
a competitive atmosphere, and competition is the world's game, not the
Lord's. In God's Kingdom certain requirements are set and anyone who
meets those requirements - not just the first three - may win the
prize. The Lord's plan is to measure achievement through personal
interviews. Parents should follow this interactive example by allowing
children to evaluate their present status against their potential
rather than each other. 7. What about socialization? The
idea that children must spend great quantities of time in same-age
groups is a theory of man and has no basis in fact or scripture.
Actually, large groups of undirected children tend to become
trivia-oriented, mean-spirited and competitive. Home schooled children
are not isolated; they merely have their socializing within the family
and within the social groups chosen by the family. 8. But will home-taught children be able to adjust to the "real world"? Hopefully
not! Most parents who home school do so because they want something
better for their children than what is usually meant by the real world.
Actually, the real world encompasses a lot of places and a lot of
lifestyles. None of us can be comfortable in all places. The skid row
alcoholic, for example, would be just as uncomfortable in a temple as a
prophet would be in a bar. Some people consider it a mark of maturity
for their children to slip easily into jr. high; other parents do not
want their children to fit into that atmosphere, ever. Parents must
decide which corner of the real world they want their children to be
comfortable in and then prepare them for that life. If they are to be
most comfortable in sacred homes and temples, they need to grow up in
holy places. 9. Can you have jr. high and high school at home? Certainly.
this age is the appropriate time for more emphasis on academics, and
many students are asking for home school because they see its
efficiency. They can get their academic work done more quickly and have
time to develop their creative talents, to serve vocational
apprenticeships, to get on with the real business of life. This age is
also an appropriate time to look outside the home for special teachers
and meaningful peer group activities. Because these students are the
masters of their time, they are available to participate and experience
many things; many exciting opportunities are waiting for them. 10. What about a high school diploma? Some
colleges accept the GED exam as proof of high school graduation. Many
home schoolers are admitted to colleges and universities on
scholarship. There are even some universities who have shown a
preference for home educated students because "they bring a fresh
outlook to the educational experience." 11. How much time will it take? Plenty,
but the time is there - 24 hours a day. Every hour must be spent on
something; it is simply a matter of priorities, organization, and a
simple lifestyle. Actually, I spend just 2 and 1/2 hours a day with my
children; the rest of the time they work on their own. 12. What if I haven't got the patience? Our
children are not the enemy. They are not the major inconvenience in our
lives. We don't begin living when they leave home, it is just a
transition from nurturer to counselor. Our children, are the very
essence of our lives. We are all in this together, and we can all work
together, helping each other learn and grow. The family is the divinely
instituted laboratory where we can best learn the important lessons of
governing according to the principles of freedom, which aids us in
acquiring knowledge, and developing character. Personal growth, or the
lack of it, is not an obstacle to home schooling; it is one of the
purposes for it. If you aren't patient, if you don't know enough, if
you aren't organized, this is a good time to start - don't sell
yourself short. You have intelligence and the ability to develop your
talents. If you have the desire to improve your own life and your
relationship with your children, this is the time. 13. Who will check to see that we are doing a good job? Who
is checking now to see if you are doing a good job? You certainly will
have to make an accounting someday - regardless of where your children
go to school - but it won't be to anyone on this earth. 14. But what if we DON'T do a good job? You
probably won't - at least at first. Home school is a new idea to our
generation, so we have many false traditions to overcome and many new
ideas to learn. But remember that the public school system has been
operating in Utah for a hundred years and they have not yet reached
perfection. Give yourself at least that long! 15. Where do I go for help? You
have accepted a stewardship over your children and the answers you need
to help you guide them past many of their early problems will be given
to you. Beyond that, there are many experienced home schoolers who will
be happy to help you in any way they can, up to a point, then you will
be helping others, too. |
