Homeschool

Ever since I was a young girl I always loved to learn independently. I was the kid who would come home from school disappointed because I had no homework, so I would make it up. Weird, I know. I would create my own projects, write my own books, and challenge myself anytime I could. I loved learning and I think a lot of that came from the long line of ancestors on my mother's side who were teachers. I believe my great great grandfather was the first teacher in all of Upper Canada.

When I hit grade 8, I had heard about someone who did homeschool. It seemed like the coolest thing I had ever heard! What? They can decide what and how they wanted to learn? Heaven. I proposed to my mother that I wanted to do it too. I don't recall her initial response, but she knew me, and realized I would flourish if I had the opportunity to explore and learn independently. It was a bold move on her part but she supported me every step of the way. I love her for making that choice.

We encountered a lot of opposition and many people made judgements because homeschool was not really a known practice where I lived, but my mother persevered and she made the call to pull me partially out of school. We found one high school in our city that would allow me to attend science and math classes and the rest I learned at home.

On top of the regular readings of Shakespeare, calculus, and social studies, I was able to travel and experience so many other cultures and people. My parents first sent me north to live with an Ojibway family in Moosoonee, Ontario. I could only go there by a small, one propeller plane and I remember the lake was frozen over most of the year so they made a highway out of it. I learned to soapstone carve, snowmobile in the middle of no where, and I volunteered at a disabled facility, among many other activities.

At the Moosonee Community Living Center

My parents also made me attend an Amish school where I met one of my very good friends who became my pen pal for many, many years. I remember wearing a Laura Ashley dress to the school and feeling so out of place because I looked so modern. It was a one room school house and the students there were so welcoming and nice.

During my homeschool years, I visited a private school, worked in a fabric store, participated in an exchange with a girl from Calgary, shadowed an actor at the Stratford Shakespearian Festival, and lived in Israel for a couple of months where I consequently met my husband who was studying Arabic at the Jerusalem Center. My parents afforded me with so many incredible experiences and for that, I am forever grateful. They must have been inspired because it was all in preparation for what I was about to experience after I married Axel. It made me open to many other cultures and people and I also realized that learning is a lifelong endeavour.

The orphanage that Axel and I both volunteered at in Jerusalem

Spending my time wisely.

Charity Masters and Amber Allred overlooking the old city

Mom and I at Mosada

In Waterton, Alberta with Kathy, my exchange student

Consequently, I have always been active in teaching my children ever since Heavah was tiny. I loved to watch her learn and grow and understand the world around her. However, I must admit that when she enrolled in the all girls school in Dubai, I became a little lazy. She had two excellent teachers and they really taught her well.

It wasn't until I came to Nepal that I realized I needed to get back on track and play an active role in my children's education. The philosophy of the school Heavah and Xavier attend don't really jive with mine. Heavah would have moved up to grade 1 but because of their 'age policy' Heavah had to move back to Kindergarten. This frustrated me because she is reading at a 3rd grade level and has excellent math skills. Xavier has also been reading for over a year now and has been doing very well in all the maths and writing. He was put in 'preschool' this year. It has annoyed me but also motivated me to keep my children challenged and growing.

I decided the best way I could do this is to devote an entire room in our home to teaching and learning. I created a curriculum, Heavah (grade one), Xavier (kindergarten) and we have a very nice routine. Everyday the kids come home they asks, "Can we do homeschool now?" They both have such a love for learning.

Once a week we have a presentation day. The children look up information about whatever subject they are interested in. One week it was penguins for Heavah, and deserts for Xavier. This past week Heavah did a project on birds and Xavier on electricity (it is a hot topic in our home these days). They each have to find out 3 interesting facts about their subject and then they must make some visuals. In the evening, when Axel is home, the kids make their presentation. For that time, they are the expert and they are given questions at the end of the presentation.

The children have daily journals, and they learn about money, time, social studies, science, etc. I then have alone time with each one and they read books to me. The best is when we have a guest speaker--dad. They love it when Axel teaches them about anything. He usually teaches them about science and they do a little experiment.

The main point of homeschool for us is to show that our house is always a house of learning. I try to make it as fun as possible and they are always eager. I haven't made the final plunge of taking them completely out of school because I am fearful of the social aspect. They don't have neighbourhood friends and very few friends at church. It is the only place they really get a chance to see other children their age. The school is more focused on the social aspects of the child than academic anyways. So, it has been necessary for me to send them to school so they can play with friends, and supplement their education at home.

Heavah's bird visual

Xavier showing the flow of an electrical current

Xavier's desert diorama

Explaining to dad what they did for the day

The 'classroom'

The 'Reading Corner'

Dad explaining how to age a tree

Heavah showing her graph

Bob our friendly classmate

Nothing has brought me more joy than to experience something new with my kids. We are a family that is linked strongly together because all we have is each other. I intend on continuing this process with my kids for many years to come. It is comforting to know that wherever we end up in the world, we will always have instruction and fun learning at home.