Homeschooling Made Simple – Jacquelyn from “Little Owl Crunchy Momma” Shares
My Homeschooling Made Simple series returns today with Jacquelyn from Little Owl Crunchy Momma, and this time, she's sharing what it was like to be homeschooled as a child. I created this series to get advice, ideas and inspiration for those who desire to homeschool but aren't sure how to start. Click here if you've missed any of the previous posts!
Take it away, Jacquelyn!
I was home-schooled my whole life – pre-school through high-school. After high-school graduation I attended a four-year Great Books college where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts, got married two weeks later, and had a baby two years later.
As a new mom I have a LOT to learn. However, I can say with confidence that I know homeschooling has prepared me well for whatever I want to do with my life. There are many aspects I could share with you, but here are the ones I have chosen to highlight.
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” ― Mark Twain
As a child I never attended a traditional classroom. The closest I got to a classroom setting was either sitting with a group of fellow homeschoolers around a kitchen table studying algebra or taking the SAT's at a local high-school. So for me, the idea that education is something that you can do anywhere at anytime feels natural. My last year of high school I spent three months traveling France and Morocco, which I was free to do since I wasn't tied down to a classroom. Due to the flexibility homeschooling gave me, I was able to experience education in ways I would have been capable of otherwise.
Because of my unusual experience I also quickly realized that my education is only what I make of it. It was not the government's responsibility to teach me, my parents responsibility, or anyone else's. Ultimately, if I was going to learn, it was my responsibility. As a result, I am a highly motivated self-educator. I read voraciously, and enjoy it. I ask questions, even if they sound stupid. I don't mind. I want to know. I want to learn. And it is my responsibility to make that happen.
“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” ― Robert Frost
One of the beauties of homeschooling is the ability to see your parents for who they really are. As a child you see them as your teacher, but as you get older you begin to see your parents as your fellow students. I admired my parents as I got older because if they could no longer help me with a set of math or chemistry or biology problems, they were willing to accept their limitations and point me elsewhere to have my questions answered. (In our case this meant my friends' parents who taught me these subjects). This never made me judge my parents. Far from it. In fact it helped me to see that a teacher's best friend is honesty when they are ignorant and their worst enemy is arrogance when they pretend to know more than they actually do. I myself have tutored and taught students since I graduated from high-school and it is nice to feel that I can be honest with them when I don't know the answer to a question they have. We can learn together.
“You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.” ― Brigham Young
Will I homeschool? This is something I get asked a lot. I don't feel that homeschooling is right for every family, or every kid. I think it is important to be flexible and to understand your own limits. But, yes, I would love to homeschool. Not just for my kids' sakes, but because I am selfish. Yes, you read that correctly. I want to homeschool because I am selfish. What do I mean by that? There is not better way to learn something than to have to teach it. I would love to homeschool my children because it would mean that I would continue to educate myself as well. I saw this beautifully at work in my mother. She had a passion for history, literature, and art and through homeschooling us she gained an abundance of knowledge that she wouldn't have otherwise. Of course, life doesn't always turn out how we plan, so who knows what will actually happen when that stage of life is here, but for now, that is my hope.
My name is Jacquelyn and I joined the blogging world around four months ago. I record my daily happenings, real food recipes, crunchy recipes and tips, and adventures as a wife and a mom to a highly energetic seven-month-old over at Little Owl Crunchy Momma.