Reflecting and pondering

It's simply amazing how interest can drive pursuit of learning in an individual We have decided to begin our experimental unit study on the Solar System. They recently boutgh a set of planets whcih they hung on the ceiling in planetary order. I'm amazed at how they know the order without me teaching them, and to think how laboriously I had struggled and toiled to teach them some lessons in Science and History only ending up with blank stares.

From my readings, I concluded "We're here not to teach, but to guide."

This is because children have a natural inclination to explore the world around them. In a Montessori home or classroom, (from what I understand) the environment is filled with materials that encourage and help learning.

Testing destroys a child's pleasure in learning. In the Glenn Doman method, testing is simply prohibited, and if done, should be done in a way that is not crushing to the child's self worth. In the mainstream educational system, grades are the epitome of education. How often do you hear people asking,

"So what's your CGPA?"

"Oh, you graduated with honors?"

"How many A's did you get" (in Malaysia particularly)

As for socialization, I've read some mothers' responses to it as,

"Yes, we do care about socialization. That's why we homeschool!"

Put in this way, it can be seen that cordoning children in an enclosed building every day of the weekdays, grouped with kids the same age, is actually a barrier to normal socialization. Socializing then needs a definition.

Basically when kids 'make friends' they are socializing, but it's not necessarily socialization. Socialization is learning the skills of interacting with people with manners. Enclosed in a building with other kids the same age, I do agree that kids end up being very cliquish, disrespect their teachers, and pick up 'socialization don'ts' from their peers.

When people say,

"They need to be around kids their own age,"

what do they really want for their kids?

The prophet SAW used to tag along with his grandfather to grown up meetings.
The scholars would learn from their shuyukh by spending time with them and observing their manners. Learning is more than mastering academics. A child may know his multiplication tables but may not have compassion for others. Which brings me to another issue: other people testing my kids.

I guess I've never had anyone actually explicitly trying to test my kids, after knowing they're homeschooled. However, I always worry that they would because that would destroy the whole concept of homeschooling.

I've had people berate me in public for homeschooling my kids (in a grocery store), and I've had disapproving looks thrown at me. Sometimes I even avoid mentioning anything about homeschooling, and I've even adapted answers to questions. Some people would ask

"Why do you homeschool?"

sincerely wanting to know the answer, and to these people I would be sincere in my answer.

But some people only ask so they can attack my answer with their own rebuttals, and to these people, I give them what I feel they want to hear (for there are many reasons why I homeschool) thus I'm not lying, technically. I also don't waste my time with these people, so I don't even bother explaining. Mostly though, I don't say much when asked because as it is, I myself am still finding out for myself the many aspects of homeschooling. I'm glad I stuck with it despite many a 'bad days'.

Having been dubbed with the label 'stubborn' growing up, I guess children really do behave the way parents expect them to, and if this trait of mine is extracted out of my 'stubbornness', then stubborn it is.

By the way, don't ever label your children (and that is more of a reminder to myself first and foremost!) because they really do live up to expectations around you, even if they behave otherwise when you're not around. I'm probably a living proof of that.