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Making the Transition from Parent to Homeschool Teacher

Are You Qualified?

Making the Transition from Parent to Homeschool Teacher

Parents often tell me, "I'd love to homeschool my kids, but I don't think I'm qualified." Other parents are intrigued by homeschooling, but couldn't possibly imagine themselves as both parent and teacher. Is it possible for average parents to take on the enormous job of educating their children? Aren't years of specialized training required to become a good teacher? The answer to both of these questions is "yes." How is that possible? Because learning at home is very different from learning in a classroom.

When my oldest daughter was four, I agonized over whether to homeschool or send her to kindergarten. I doubted my ability to teach her. When I asked Mel, a dad who homeschooled his five children, for advice he said, "You've made it through the sleepless nights of infancy and toddlerhood, taught your daughter to speak, feed herself, dress herself, and behave properly. You're finally dealing with a reasonable little human being, the real fun of being a parent is about to begin, and suddenly you think you're no longer qualified?" Well, she never made it to kindergarten, and now, almost ten years later, I'm very glad I heeded Mel's advice.

The assumption that trained professionals are the only ones qualified to teach our children is a relatively new concept, historically speaking. Around 1850, compulsory education was introduced in Massachusetts, and by the turn of the century, parents (often reluctantly) turned over the responsibility for their kids' education to the state. A study later showed that the Massachusetts literacy rate was 98 percent before compulsory education; after compulsory education, the literacy rate never exceeded 91 percent.

To teach in today's classrooms, educators certainly do need years of specialized training. Large groups of kids with different interests and abilities spend six or seven hours a day together memorizing blocks of often abstract information. John Taylor Gatto, NYC Teacher of the Year, shared his teaching experiences in Dumbing Us Down: "I began to realize that the bells and the confinement, the crazy sequences, the age-segregation, the lack of privacy, the constant surveillance, and all the rest of the national curriculum of schooling were designed exactly as if someone set out to prevent children from learning."

On the other hand, children who learn at home have the freedom to choose when, where, and how they learn. The only credentials parents need for this type of teaching are a strong desire to help their children achieve academic excellence and a belief that their kids can and will succeed. This sounds like a simple process, but how does a parent become a good teacher?

Gatto explains, "I had to drop the idea that I was an expert whose job it was to fill the little heads with my expertise, and I began to explore how I could remove those obstacles that prevented the inherent genius of children from gathering itself." The best way to accomplish that goal? "Get out of the kids' way and give them space and time and respect."

Homeschooling, seen in this light, is not about a parent becoming a teacher, in the traditional sense, but a parent becoming a guide and a partner in the learning experience. Successful home learning involves observing your child, following his lead, and respecting his choices. This can be done within the framework of core subjects like reading, math, and history -- it's just done creatively.

For instance, I remember studying about the Civil War when I was in school. We opened our history books, did a few activities and spent many hours memorizing large blocks of information. It was incredibly boring, and after I passed the test on Friday, I remembered very little about the Civil War.

When my daughter Jessica was seven, we read a series of books about a little slave girl named Addy who lived during the Civil War. Told from the prospective of a nine-year-old girl, Addy's story fascinated Jessica. She was filled with questions and wanted to learn more: "Why were there slaves? What was the Underground Railroad? Who was Abraham Lincoln?"

We found the answers to these and other questions in the colorful books and educational videotapes in our library. We cooked with recipes from that time period, and made simple garments that were (almost) historical. We also went to a Civil War reenactment -- complete with soldiers camping and food cooking on open fires. But most importantly, we had fun. I never had to "teach" her anything, and I certainly learned a lot. Six years later, Jessica still recalls just about everything we covered -- now that's real learning!

Covering the BasicsBut what about math and reading and writing? How can you effectively teach these subjects without a struggle? Many kids have difficulty because they begin studying too young, and the presentation is often boring. In school these topics are dissected into meaningless little elements that are painful to many kids. But in the big picture of real-life applications, math, reading, and writing are a part of daily living. As an active participant in this process, kids seem to pick up these skills effortlessly. Here are a few ideas you can try at home:

Math
Become aware of how you use math each day. Numbers on a page are often meaningless to kids, but measuring and planning a special project is fun. Try building a tree house, picnic table, or simple shelf. Include your kids in your routine activities: "How do we estimate how much paint we'll use for the kitchen? What is the total amount of our food bill each month? How much of that is junk food? How much would we save in one year if we don't buy junk food?" Even candy can present a challenge: "What is the average number of red candies in ten bags of M&M's?"

Writing
Most writing assignments are merely busywork, and kids know that. For a positive writing experience, children must believe that their work is meaningful. My girls enjoy keeping a journal of their daily activities. Buy a really cool-looking book and ask your kids to begin writing a few sentences about what they did each day. My 13-year-old loves to look back over her five years of journaling. Pen pals are another great way to encourage writing. I rarely have to coax my girls to write back, and they're thrilled to receive letters and pictures and even small gifts from their new friends.

Consider starting a writing club. Invite a few kids over to write together once a week. Let one child start the story, and ask the next child to add or change the direction of the storyline. One mom filled a small bag with unusual objects...an old pair of eyeglasses, a tattered teddy bear, and a whistle. The kids wrote a story that included all the objects. The results were amazing!

Reading
I say this repeatedly because there's really no better way to foster your children's reading skills: Read aloud to your kids every day. Make going to the library a weekly event. Take out books on tape and play them in the car. Choose beautiful picture books for younger kids on whatever subjects interest them. Ask your librarian to recommend quality reading materials for your older kids. Consider a few subscriptions to interesting magazines -- the same boy who balks at reading a book might just devour a soccer or sports magazine.

Parent as Teacher
My transformation from parent to teacher to learning partner has been a long and challenging one. After many years of home learning I believe that the homeschool parent/teacher's role is to support, encourage, and enable each child to pursue his or her individual learning goals.

If you're still not convinced that you are qualified to teach your kids, read what Gatto -- after 26 award-winning years of teaching -- has to say about teacher qualifications: "That certified teaching experts like myself are deemed necessary to make learning happen is a fraud and a scam. Trust in families and neighborhoods and individuals to make sense of the important question, 'What is education for?' It is illegitimate to have an expert answer that question for you." Sounds a lot like homeschooling to me.