Saturday, August 7, 2010

Education

"Whatever education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges; it should allow you to find values which would be your road map through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important: how to live and how to die."
-John Taylor Gotto

A large part of why I homeschool is out of the hope that my children will find themselves as they study and learn.  That instead of heading to college without any clue what they are good at or what they like, they will have spent their adolescence unearthing their talents and skills.  And that in that process they will discover the world.  That they will feel a part of the community - that they will know what contribution they can make - and are able to make one even before they are adults.  I hope that they will learn how to live.  I love being a part of that miraculous process.  A process that may happen in a public school, but in my opinion, in spite of it not because of it. 

Megan

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4 comments:

  1. Pamela (a.k.a. The InfoJunkie)August 7, 2010 at 5:07 PM

    AWESOME!!!

    I love how you worded why you home school. I totally agree and that is why we home school as well. :o)

    Pam

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  2. WendyAugust 8, 2010 at 7:33 AM

    Great quote by Gatto!

    His speech "Dumbing Us Down" is part of what has kept me homeschooling - even as a former public school teacher myself ;). So much of what he said resonates with me, and the idea that my children would be led (perhaps in a direction I would rather they not go) rather than taught is what has kept them home, where they can find their authentic selves - a lesson that took me twenty years of deschooling to learn :).

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  3. Farmgirl CynAugust 8, 2010 at 7:43 AM

    I totally agree with Wendy...John Taylor Gatto was an inspiration to me as we homeschooled thru many trials. His book, "Dumbing Us Down" is a classic that should be read by anyone having doubts about whether or not to homeschool. It is THE book I lend to anyone who has an ear to hear.

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  4. ZachAugust 25, 2010 at 10:45 AM

    I taught in an award winning school district in central Illinois, and I did not think that the kids were getting a very good education. They were learning how to succeed on the ISAT (state standardized test), not how to tackle big challenges, not how to unlock their unique talents and skills, and not learning how to really contribute to society in any substantial way outside of having a bake sale to raise money for new cheerleader uniforms.

    I think you have outlined an excellent vision for education!

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