Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

This picture was taken last weekend after a Christmas musical, written and directed by my husband. It was beautiful. A local church asked him to compose it specifically for their choir.

Peter is home from college. It's been great having him around, even though he had to be gone most of the first week working spotlights at our favorite theater. But he needed a little cash, so this helped. Then when that job ended, he had the flu for a few days. Nova kept him entertained while he recovered. He said it was great to be on break and have time to learn things--spoken like a true unschooler. He had four classes last quarter and got all A's except for one class where the teacher hasn't posted the grades yet.

Melissa, my first term public school freshman also got straight A's! Good for her. I feel very strongly that if she is going to "play the school game," she has to play to win. There's no sense blowing off school and ruining your chances at a good college. If she doesn't want to play the school game, she doesn't have to. She has options; she can always come back to homeschooling. I tell her it's like basketball (her current obsession): Why would a coach let you on the court if you don't do your best and play to win? I'd be glad to sideline you anytime. :) Last fall she really wanted to go to Mexico to stay with friends who are running a children's home. Those plans fell through on their end, but we have another opportunity in June. She may spend a good part of the summer down there.

Meg is eagerly awaiting auditions for at least three theaters coming in January. She also wants to go to Texas to visit friends.

Me? I'm back to my knitting frenzy. I just love knitting, and cold weather means I can huddle around the fireplace, get out my yarn, and create fun little things. So far I've done lots of those felted pouches, a scarf and a pair of socks. A friend got me a knitting book for Christmas and the kids gave me a gift certificate to an online yarn store. Life is good.

Last Minute Christmas Knitting! iPod Pouch (or cell phone pouch or accessory bag)

I usually keep my posts to education and homeschooling topics, but I just had to share this pattern because I've been having a lot of fun with it. And maybe knitting is one of your homeschool "subjects."

If you're pressed for time, this is a quick and easy project. It's also a great first project because all you need to know is how to cast on, bind off, knit, and knit two together.* And if your stitches don't look perfectly even, don't worry because you'll be felting this creation. Just throw it in the washing machine with a hot water load and it will emerge shrunk up and matted together. This process, called "felting or fulling," creates a nice firm fabric that will protect your iPod or other items as they bounce around inside your backpack or purse.

Knitting Skills required:*

Cast on (CO)
Knit stitch (k)
Knit two together (k2tog)
Bind off (BO)

Materials:

100% wool, worsted weight, at least 20 grams
size 10 (US) knitting needles
tapestry needle
snap or other closure
sewing needle and thread
embellishments

Pattern:

Cast on 14 stitches.
Knit every row until you reach 11" in length. This is called garter stitch (knitting every row on straight needles).
After you reach 11", begin decreasing: k2tog, knit across, k2tog.
Repeat the decreasing row until you have four stitches.
Cast off the remaining 4 stitches.

Finishing:
The pointed end of your strip is the flap that will fold over the top. Take the flat end of your strip and fold it up so that 8 ridges of garter stitch are left to flap over the top (see DVD).* Sew up the sides using the same yarn. If the tail from your cast on is long enough, use that for one side. It's important to use the same yarn for seaming because it will felt together with your knitting and make it all one piece of fabric. I did a whip stitch up the two outside edges. Weave your ends back in and out of sight. You can cut them off close to the fabric after felting.

Felting:

Left is a "before and after" picture. The pouch on the left has been through two hot water wash cycles. The pouch on the right has just been knitted, folded up from the bottom, sides seamed closed, and ends woven in.

Felting is the process of matting natural fibers, so don't try it with acrylic or wool blends. 100% wool works best. Do a hot water load and add your finished iPod Pouch, but be careful. If your yarn is a dark color, the dye might run and turn your white items pink, so wash it with dark load. When the load is done, don't put your knitting in the dryer. Look at it. If it still looks like garter stitch, put it through another hot water load. I had to wash mine twice, and it could even use a third time, I think. But DON'T PUT IT IN THE DRYER! It might shrink beyond repair. Some people put their knitting in a pillow case and tie a knot, then throw it in the washer. This keeps your yarn from picking up lint from other things in the load.

Blocking:
When your pouch doesn't look like garter stitch anymore, it's time to air dry it into shape (called "blocking"). Wrap an iPod in plastic wrap to protect it from moisture and stick it in the damp pouch. Pull on the pouch to make it stretch and fit the way you want. You should have a snug fit. Pull the flap over the top of the pouch to stretch it out a little as well. You can even pin the flap down or place something heavy on it to force it to dry into shape. Let the pouch dry with the protected iPod in it and you'll have the perfect size. If you don't have an iPod, try a deck of cards, a makeup compact, or pin it down to the right size until it is completely dry. This could take a day or two, depending on the moisture in the air.

Final Touches:
When everything is dry, sew the snap closure in place. Embellish with embroidery, buttons, beads, or felt patches. Sew patches with thread, yarn, or use fusible webbing (like Stitch Witchery).

Caution:
Pressure on your iPod screen can cause damage, so to be extra careful, insert your iPod upside down or backwards to protect your screen from the snap closure.

*I made knitting kits with a DVD to sell at a craft bazaar recently. If you're interested, they are at sticksandyarn.com.

I got the idea to post my pattern because I got an email today from Knitting Daily. They sent out five free sock patterns. I'm currently into sock knitting, so I was really excited to get them. Here's the link. Happy knitting!!

How to Teach Writing in the Home School

This is all you need to know:

WRITING IS NOT HARD. Writing is communicating. If you can think, you can write.

So why do home schoolers spend so much money on writing curriculum, give writing assignments starting in first grade, and worry that their kids don't write enough? Probably because the home schooling parent went to traditional school and that's what they went through, or because that expensive curriculum I just bought says we have to, that's why.

It's hard to imagine a world where eight-year-olds are not asked to find the topic sentence of a paragraph or where 12 year-olds are not asked to write book reports. What would become of our youth?

Abraham Lincoln lived in that kind of world. He only spent a few months in a traditional school setting. The rest of his childhood was spent in search of time to read, and no one asked him to write anything. In fact, he didn't have paper. He would write in the dirt or scratch on wood. As a farmer, he had time to think about his readings as he plowed fields or chopped wood, but he never wrote a summary or an analysis of his readings. He didn't even take notes.

When he moved away from home, Lincoln became a store clerk and had plenty of time to read behind the counter. When a family moving West had to lighten their load, he bought a barrel full of their belongings. "I found at the bottom of the rubbish a complete edition of Blackstone’s Commentaries. I began to read those famous works, and I had plenty of time; for during the long summer days, when the farmers were busy with their crops, my customers were few and far between. The more I read, the more intensely interested I became. Never in my whole life was my mind so thoroughly absorbed. I read until I devoured them.” source

That's how Abraham Lincoln became a lawyer. He read, studied what interested him, and passed the bar exam. Without traditional education he became one of the most eloquent, influential communicators in American history. He never took a speech-writing class, yet the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address are among the best speeches ever delivered (and yes, he wrote his own speeches).

But could he write a five paragraph essay? Argh! I'll have more on that topic in a future post.

Here are some specifics for today's student:

1. Let them read.
2. Let them think and express opinions about what they read.
3. Respect their opinions and insights so they will feel the freedom to talk honestly with you.
4. Share your own insights and wonder at a writer's ability to communicate.
5. Don't kill the fun of writing by pointing out spelling or grammar mistakes all the time.

Here's what we did.

At the age of six or seven, Peter began reading the Boxcar Children Series over and over again. I had to remind myself that even if these weren't Dickens, he was at least being exposed to correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. At one point he told me that on the second or third reading he started to notice how the writer was laying out the story, foreshadowing, and creating suspense. This is a good thing to remember: On the first read you are engrossed in the story; on subsequent readings you can be more detached and notice the craft. He even noticed how quotations were organized so that each new speaker had his own line--pretty sophisticated stuff for a young reader to discover on his own. If you think your child isn't picking up on these things, you could casually point them out, especially if you are reading out loud to him. But keep comments minimally invasive or you'll kill the joy of reading.

As your child is reading books that interest him, allow him to respond naturally. He may want to talk about it, write about it, act it out, find more information, who knows! Then he will find more books and websites and have more responses. This can go on for years.

Encourage creative writing by suggesting your child write his own book. Or if he likes to create imaginary worlds, give him a little journal to chronicle his adventures. Melissa had dog stories going on for awhile. She liked to type them into the computer and work on them with friends. At one point, she created a newspaper that reported on happenings around the house, including an advice column and comics.

Meg was a late reader, but she loved to listen to books, and we did a lot of that (Little House on the Prairie, Chronicles of Narnia, The Borrowers, etc). Around the age of 10, she started reading on her own, and with very little instruction, her spelling and grammar are up to grade level just from the exposure she gets from her books.

In 8th grade, take stock of your child's knowledge of grammar, especially if you have not been taking standardized tests all along.* And by the way, I would not recommend taking standardized tests if you don't have to. They could traumatize some kids and they just aren't necessary.

How do you assess your kids in the area of mechanics? Check out EnglishChick.com. She has a great grammar basics section and links to other sites, including a free assessment with online lessons. To check your child's knowledge in the least threatening way, just read over the basics page together, or do the assessment together and see what areas are weak. I also like the Online Writing Lab from Purdue University. They are concise and have a nice list of topics to choose from. EdHelper.com has free worksheets on various grammar topics if your child wants to try those. And my all-time favorite book on English mechanics is Woe is I by Patricia T. O'Connor.

For high school, encourage your child to continue reading great books and allow plenty of opportunity to research whatever interests him. If your child needs some help finding things to read, I highly recommend Invitation to the Classics. It gives short background information on the most respected authors through time, discussion of some of their most important works, along with some questions for thought. Your child could start reading through this book until she comes upon a piece of literature that sounds interesting, then find it at the library. Or you and he could be reading the same thing so you can have the fun of discussing it. This is a great guide to help you find wonderful things to read.

You could give writing assignments, but I wouldn't unless the child really wants one. Melissa used to do this to me. In junior high she'd ask me to give her a research assignment. She tended to do reports about animals. I'd tell her what types of things she might want to find and she'd come up with her own way to present it, complete with pictures she found on the Internet.

One year during high school, Peter and I met with another home schooled student and tried to do a more formal type of literature class. It was fun to have a time set aside once a week to do that, but it really helped the other girl more than Peter. He found the writing assignments easy because he likes to read and talk about what he reads. And after all, that's what makes a good writer--someone who can think and communicate logically. I spent most of my time trying to help the other child who'd been very traditionally schooled at home all her life.

The first semester of his senior year, Peter took a composition class at our local community college. We decided to do that so he could prove to himself and colleges that he could write. Unfortunately, it was mostly a waste of money. They had him writing essays (yes, the old five paragraph essay) on different topics. He got A's on all of them and I hear now his essays are used as examples in the class. Now he's completing his first quarter at the University of Chicago. He gets A's on his papers and at least one teacher used his paper as an example for the rest of the class. His friends wonder how he can be such a good writer when he's been homeschooled--meaning he was never subjected to hours of writing instruction and practice. Maybe that's the key.

If your child will take the SAT or the ACT, you need to teach them about the five paragraph essay. I will have a thorough discussion of that coming soon. But instead of teaching that topic ad nauseam for years, start about four weeks before the test to allow time to practice a few.

Home School Meets Public School in English Class

Recently Melissa told me about her high school freshman English class (she decided to try public school this year). They are learning how to write summaries. I just roll my eyes and think what a waste of time for those poor kids. Human beings can summarize without instruction, thank you. We do it all the time.

A few weeks ago they started learning how to write the five paragraph essay. If you haven't noticed by now, I have strong opinions about this traditional way to teach writing, and I can't wait to get some time to dive into it. But even worse than the fact that high school freshman are learning how to write the five paragraph essay, the teacher told them they wouldn't be writing a persuasive essay until next year because they just "aren't mature enough yet." Excuse me? How many eight-year-olds can present persuasive arguments, especially now, around Christmas time?

For the first time in her life, Melissa is taking notes on a book she's reading. She has discovered that the purpose of the note cards is to prove they are actually reading the books. Yes, the joys of institutional education. At various points in the unit, each child has to stand in front of the class and talk about the notes they are taking. Melissa did hers yesterday. I asked her how she did. "Fine. I always get full credit for things."

"How did the other kids do?" I asked.

"Terrible! It's amazing how no one can talk. The teacher has to pull things out of them and they just mumble."

But wait, these kids have been in a classroom since they were five years old, becoming magically socialized and learning such wonderful things! And here the child who spent her elementary years "in the wild" can actually talk and write about things she's learning.

Be assured, the freedom to read and think and follow his interests will make your child a natural, effective communicator.

*If you live in an area where your kids have to prove some sort of "competency" for the "experts," find out what exactly they are looking for and be sure your kids can do those things at a passing level. Scores on standardized tests in the elementary grades mean nothing to colleges. If, however, you plan to send them to a private high school, it might be a good idea to check ahead of time if those schools will use your elementary scores to determine admission or scholarships. Even if you have to "teach to the tests," you can probably cover what they need to know in just a few days if the rest of the time has been rich in reading and discovery.

Home for the Holidays

Peter was home for Thanksgiving break this weekend, his first time home since leaving for college in September. Melissa asked what Peter would do for the four days he was here. I said, "Read, do his homework, be on the computer..." She grinned, "Oh, yeah." She's the social, hyper activity child that can't sit still for a minute, so she had to be reminded that Peter would be just fine away from his friends.

Dad, Peter, Melissa

We had a nice visit. He loves his classes, even though he thinks German is "annoying." He just doesn't like repetitive busy work like worksheets and memorizing vocabulary. But he realizes that's what learning a language is all about, so he does it anyway. He anticipates straight A's and might even get out of the German final if he has enough points. I'm so proud of him. I mentioned in a recent post how well he's doing with writing papers, and I promise I'll get a post up soon about my philosophy when it comes to teaching writing.

One interesting exchange this morning as we were preparing to drive Peter back up to school: Melissa had made a model of a DNA molecule for extra credit in Biology (she's the one going to public school). Peter was admiring it and I suggested she explain it to Meg since she's never studied DNA in depth.

Then I said, "But she really doesn't have to know the parts of a DNA molecule."
Melissa: "Why not?"
Me: "Unless you're going into a health field or some sort of biology, it's not necessary." Peter was nodding in agreement.
Melissa: "But what about knowing it for tests?"
Me: "That's what I mean. She doesn't have to know the parts of a DNA molecule."

It all boils down to why we learn things. Homeschoolers have the freedom to focus on what they'll need in their adult lives, based on their interests and their natural bent, not because they have to know something for a test. Meg plans to go into theater or business, so knowing DNA parts is just something she'll never need, unless she is interested, and at this point in life, she's not.

But I must say, public school is working well for Melissa. She is focused and working hard, keeping busy and is very happy. I can't complain too much. Last week someone from the student council came to one of her classes to give her a package of Starbursts with a little message attached. It said she is being recognized as a leader by teachers, staff, and coaches. Only one other kid in her class got one. I attribute it to the personal strength and confidence she gained by being socialized in a loving, affirming environment for her first 14 years, and not cooped up with her peers in an institutional setting. That's my take, anyway.

What is Success?

A friend recently read an interview with Malcolm Gladwell (Readers Digest 2008) about his new book Outliers: The Story of Success. She said, "In his new book, he looks at the personalities and circumstances of successful people. He said something that made me think of interest-led learning and your blog."

Here's the Question: "How does a kid become the next Bill Gates or Tiger Woods?"

Gladwell: "Both of these men had parents who allowed their children to focus almost exclusively on what brought them joy and what they were good at. And both of them were able, as children, to invest an extraordinary amount of time in pursuing that particular passion. Again, not just a little time. The magic number for them, for Mozart, and for so many outliers, as I call them, appears to be 10,000 hours."

She thought the 10,000 hours was a little hokey, and I do too. As humans we are always looking for the magic formula. But that number does communicate A LOT of time, and that's the point, I think.

She went on to tell me that she's had time in her adult life to pursue "a number of interests, but nothing passionately. Why do some people have passions and others don't? Genetics, environment, energy level? I still have an entrepreneurial bug, but the cost of having a successful business is too high." Being a mom of two active preschoolers, she chooses to give attention to her kids instead of building a business.

Sometimes following your passion doesn't mean success in a Bill Gates kind of way. Instead of "success" maybe we should think of it as "happiness or fulfillment." A person who is plugged into what they are good at (or gifted at) is generally happy and well adjusted and has a positive influence on people around them. I think that's what's important. So some gifting leads to big bucks and some gifting doesn't. Right now my friend is passionate about being a stay at home mom and she should follow that dream! Who knows, she may be raising the next Bill Gates and then her financial worries will be over. :)

An Unschooler at College: #3, the first paper

My son Peter is a freshman at the University of Chicago. He has been unschooled/allowed to follow his interests all his life. That meant he didn't write many papers--he was most interested in reading and verbally debating ideas, not writing them down. So how would he do on his first college paper? Well, before he even knew his grade, the teacher emailed him asking if he could use his paper as an example to other students on how to write a good paper. Way to go, Peter!

I have always believed that children learn to write well by experiencing it as they read master writers. And if they are able to create and articulate logical arguments, they should be able write them down. There are certain elements of writing that might require direct instruction, but if your child has a rich reading and thinking environment, writing will come naturally. It's the constant analyzing of the act of writing that paralyzes kids, convincing them that good writing is a magical art that few attain. And most learn to hate it.

In reality, writing is an organized thinking skill. Give your child lots of time to read and think, and then spend time talking about their ideas. Challenge their conclusions with questions, come up with some of your own, and let him decide if your arguments are valid. Now that's a great writing lesson.

An Unschooler at College series of posts

Sir Ken Robinson on The Power of the Imaginative Mind

About 10 days ago I had a rough night sleep, got the kids up and going, and seriously considered going back to bed after I checked my email. That was a big mistake, because one thing led to another and I found myself on the Edutopia website where a video by Ken Robinson was sitting right on the front page. He was talking about creativity to a gathering of public school superintendents. Adrenaline shot through my system and I was wide awake. I clicked play and it was all over. No nap, but lots of inspiration.

I jotted down some of the quotes that jumped out at me (loosely quoted):

• The one thing that sets us apart as humans is our imagination and we spend most of our time suppressing it.
• Children are dislocated from their natural talents by being educated.
• The issue is not to reform education but to transform it into something else.
• Why do we educate children by age as if the most important thing they have in common is their date of manufacture?
• Creativity is as important as literacy and numeracy.
• Great teaching nurtures and brings out a child's natural abilities for innovation.
  

I can't embed these two videos, but I can link to them. If you want to watch them, here they are:

Creatively Speaking, Part I by Sir Ken Robinson

Creatively Speaking, Part II by Sir Ken Robinson

Who needs caffeine, anyway?

Newsy Tidbits from our House

I've been neglecting my blog, so I'm going to be a little newsy to catch you up on what's going on around here. Last weekend we took a whirlwind trip to Chicago to see Peter. That was our first visit since moving him in. He looked great. I was so pleased to see him healthy, happy, and looking like the handsome college student that he is. :)

He's dating a young lady, so we got to meet her and take them out to dinner in China Town. Yum! Driving around Chicago and looking for parking places reminded me why I like living in Smalltown, USA. But he loves it and is making the most of his opportunities in the big city: he recently navigated public transportation to see a production of Our Town, just our favorite play. I'm jealous! And on Tuesday night, he and his girl were among the ticket-holders at Obama's rally in Grant Park. As he waited in line, he called for election results, (ah, the beauty of cell phones) and we had fun looking for him on TV, but no luck.

Also this week, Melissa, my public schooled freshman made the girls' basketball team. This is good because she loves team sports, but that means any extended time in Mexico will have to go on hold. She made the honor role for the first quarter, earning a pass into every high school sporting event, and she got slugged in the face during PE yesterday. Yes, I learned of this as I drove her home from school. She didn't cry or even tell the teacher. She had two more classes until the day was over and thought she was fine. A football player hit her face instead of the big ball he was aiming for. She didn't pass out or anything, but during the next class she started to feel nauseous and couldn't focus on the board. During the next class a big headache came on.

When I heard these symptoms, I called the doctor and he told us to go to the Emergency Room. So, a couple hours later, we were reassured that nothing was broken and she'll be fine, but watch for worsening symptoms. I'm just glad he missed her nose. It could have been much worse. Today she's not even bruised, but has a big headache.

And Meg? As we look ahead to colleges she's interested in, we realize that she should be studying a foreign language unless she wants to take two years of it after high school. So she's decided Italian would be good for a singer and we found a great website from the BBC that teaches Italian, so she's starting with that. And today she's at an all-day choral festival with the high school.

That's the latest from our world.

Home School Meets Public School: Diagnostic Testing

My youngest child is a freshman at our local public high school, but she was homeschooled for kindergarten through 8th grade. Going to public high school was completely her idea. She wanted more friends and she wanted to experience high school. Even though I'm an unschooler and believe completely in the philosophy of interest-led learning, I wasn't too happy that her interests were leading her into public school! I've written several posts about her adventures at school and her revelations. It's been eye-opening for all of us.

Every morning I get up with her, fix her breakfast, and drive her to school. This morning she is taking the Explore test, a preACT/diagnostic test based on the ACT. In the car she said she didn't understand why they were taking the test when it didn't count for a grade. I told her the teachers want to know who they have to work with. They aren't your mom. They don't know you very well and a test is all they have to work with. Tests aren't a very accurate way to get to know a kid, but when you have a couple hundred (the whole freshman class), it's the best they can do.

I've said this many times: Traditional school is a good idea in an impossible situation.

An Arts High School at Home

My middle child didn't really learn to talk until she was past two, and even then, it was years before she could clearly communicate verbally. When other kids her age were learning to read, she was crying over phonics lessons. But around age 10, everything made sense and she was reading with very little trouble. In those early years, I could have worried that she was learning disabled, but she was extremely bright, quick thinking, competent, and excelled in anything that required control over her body. She potty trained herself when she was two (is this getting too personal?). I sat the potty chair out one day and that was all she needed. She could ride a two-wheeler at 4 or 5. No instruction, nothing. That was easy! When she discovered painting around the age of 9 or 10, she made beautiful flowers and commented once that when she painted, she felt like she was going into another world.

I noticed her love for music as a baby. A parade went by our house and she bounced to the beat. As a toddler, she would lose herself in music, dancing expressively around the house. She took ballet classes like most little girls, and at performances, people would comment how her movements were so much more mature than others. And singing. When did that start? We had whole years in our household when Meg sang instead of talking. I remember telling people we lived in an opera.

In the summer between her 8th and 9th grade years we learned of a theater company that was having auditions for Annie Get Your Gun. All three kids tried out and it was the beginning of their theater careers. That fall Meg enrolled in a drama and dance program at a professional theater that does a children's musical every Spring. She got a great part and loved every minute of it. The next school year she took the classes again and got the lead as Gabriella in High School Musical. This year they will do Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She plans to stretch her skills and try out for Willy Wonka!

Helping Meg through her high school years, I've tried to keep her on track with the basics, with an eye toward giving her every opportunity to develop her love of music theater. I wondered if there was such a thing as a high school that focuses on the arts. I know there are math and science high schools, but arts high schools? Just a little Internet searching answered that question. As I learned about Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Perpich Center for Arts Education, and The Boston Arts Academy, I realized that's what we're doing--an arts high school, but at home.

Arts high schools make dance, music, theater and visual arts the focus. Every student chooses a track and pursues their art form. These schools also require the more traditional subjects like math and science, but they teach from the perspective of art and with the artistic student in mind. When I read about these schools, I'm tempted to move out of the cornfields and into those cities.

Here's what our arts high school looks like:

• Math:
  Teaching Textbooks (visual and aural)
  

• History: Documentaries and a time line book that she is creating

• Science: She hasn't done much in science so far this year. She's very interested in the brain right now, so she's been watching documentaries.

• English: reading from a college textbook of dramas

• Dance: private lessons with a wonderful teacher who's preparing her to go into music theater if she chooses
  

• Drama: class at a nearby professional theater that will produce a musical in the Spring

• Music: choir at the high school, an a Capella group at the high school, piano lessons with Dad, and music theory tutoring with Dad (he is a music professor, otherwise I'd probably hire someone to do this)

• Food Service: Part time job at a coffee house

• Psychology: her current fascination (documentaries and readings)

• Stage Craft: reading about lighting for the stage from a college textbook and a part time job running a spot light at a nearby theater

• Careers: She hasn't started this yet, but I found a series of videos online called The Art of Teaching the Arts: A Workshop for High School Teachers

• Interior Design: she's always redesigning her bedroom. :)
  

Every day she does math (ideally) and reads and practices piano. The other things are sprinkled in. She is very conscientious to do her "educational" things before noon. I like that about Meg. She's very responsible and wants to be prepared for college if she decides that's the best choice.

She's also interested in cosmetology. That's a one year program that meets all day every day at our local community college. She could actually start that as a high school senior, but it would mean giving up choir and the a Capella group, so she decided against it. Instead she'll probably enroll in math and English for dual high school/college credit next year. I like that plan because I'd be here to tutor her, and if she goes away to college, she'll have those classes out of the way.

When I asked Meg to read this over and give me an idea for an ending, she suggested, "In conclusion, Meg is my favorite high school child." :)

Three Kids, Three Learning Styles

If you've been reading my blog for any time at all, you know that I have three teenagers who have all been home schooled from the beginning. My oldest is in his first year of college and I find it very interesting that he is doing so well after a lifetime of unschooling/interest-led learning. And I like to bring up the fact that he got a FREE RIDE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO! Of course, this could just be parental pride, but I like to think that I'm encouraging others who are considering interest-led learning in their homes.

OK, so you've heard a lot about Peter, now what about my other two? How are they doing? I get emails from moms wondering about children with different personalities and learning styles. What about them?

I think God was very organized when He planned out what kids I would get:

My first one is an extreme left-brained absent-minded professor type. And yes, he does want to be a professor. He practically aced the ACT and the SAT and was a National Merit Finalist. That alone earned him a free ride to a handful of colleges.

My second child (Meg) is an extreme right-brained creative, random-thinker type. She will sing and dance her way through life looking just fabulous!

My third child (Missa) is down the middle, hanging out a little more on the left-brained side. She loves structure, competition, athletics and has always wanted to be a police officer. Recently she wants to be a missionary--all things that require hard physical labor with a highly heroic aspect to it.

I didn't know these things about my children when we started. All I knew was that I had three adorable kids and I wasn't sending them off to someone else to be educated. I was going to let them grow and develop along their lines of interest and see what happened. I wasn't going to force them into educational boxes, I was going to try lots of different teaching styles, and I would go with what worked for them.

As it turned out, this was especially good for Meg since she didn't catch on to reading until she was about 10 years old. In the school system she would have been put in special classrooms, labeled something unpleasant, and probably forever scarred, being the overly sensitive, perfectionist type that she is. It was especially good for Peter too, because he was able to accelerate at his own lightning speed. Melissa? I'm still trying to figure her out. She's a perfectionist who would probably have given herself (and me) ulcers trying to do everything just right if she'd been in traditional school. Being home gave her stress-free time to become herself in all it's wackiness (and by the way, she's getting A's and B's in her first quarter of high school).

Watching and taking my cues from my kids helped me teach to their learning style without even realizing it. When kids are allowed to follow their interests, they gravitate toward topics and activities that "fit" them. I write more about this in A Look at Interest Led Learning.

So here we are at Meg's junior year of high school. She is not going to ace the ACT or the SAT like Peter. As a matter of fact, she has such an aversion to tests that I had to give her pain medication ahead of time because the headache would start about one hour into the test. And the most important strategy was to make sure to fill in all the little circles no matter what (blanks are automatically marked wrong). She took the ACT early in her junior year because she can take it as many times as she wants, pick the best score, and send that to colleges. But that first test was so traumatic, she has vowed to never take it again, and unless she changes her mind, she has a fairly low score to show admissions committees.

BUT, Meg is not a test-taker! This is not her thing. This in no way measures her intelligence or ability to succeed in life. These tests measure your ability to sit for four hours and concentrate on words on a page. There is quite a movement against using the ACT and the SAT and I am whole heartedly with them. Even some colleges are seeing the folly of relying so heavily on numbers, and I would like to give them a big hug. Numbers worked for Peter and we're happy about that, but we see the inherent problem with the system.

Meg would like to go into music theater and/or hair and makeup design (cosmetology). These fit her perfectly and she would be very happy with a life immersed in art. Our local community college has an excellent cosmetology program, so that's a possibility. Music theater programs often look more at talent than test scores, so the audition and a theater resume will be most important. Next year, her senior year, we plan on enrolling her in the community college to take dual credit/freshman level math and English. Most music theater programs require these classes, so she can do them while she's living at home and have mom as a live-in tutor.

Melissa is still at the public school and doing very well. She is still planning on going to Mexico as much as she can, but trying to figure out how public school can fit in there too. She likes the challenge, the constant activity, and the structure. She even does math an hour EVERY DAY without complaining. But if I asked her to do it... So I tell her, "If you're going to play the public school game, you have to play to win. Go for the A's. That will keep your options open at graduation." Is she willing to pay the price to win? So far yes. And as time goes on, my prejudice against boxed education is softening. I can see how it's good for her and working for her. Traditional schooling works best for left-brained kids who like structure and like people telling them what to do (our home school is so not that). We have a unique situation in our school district--homeschoolers can sign up for any number of classes. So we might mix and match public schooling with homeschooling as time goes on, or completely go back to homeschooling. Only time and a desire to go to Mexico will tell.

As I did a some research about learning styles I found these links. I hope they help you understand those little mysteries you have called "children."

TopsieTechie has a bunch of links on learning styles.

Here's an article and video with links about learning styles from edutopia.org.

Live Without School has an article about right brained learners.

Check out Myers-Briggs personality information.

Learn about Multiple Intelligences.