LeliaThomas.Com

An Educational Seminar

When I was small, I remember certain times–many, in fact–where I created elaborate “lesson plans” for my students (i.e. stuffed animals). Isn’t it funny how childhood whims sometimes become desirable careers in adulthood? As I grew, I left behind such concepts of teaching until I was about fourteen or fifteen, when I decided that I would aim for a teaching profession if I didn’t like working in my other areas of interest. Teaching and education in general are becoming a high topic of interest for me, especially in how education is changing even today.

My interest led me to a homeschooling seminar this evening to see two women speakers who I cannot describe as anything short of extraordinary, not just in their profession (and profession, it is), but also in their kindness and wonderful personalities. One lady spoke on learning styles and communications, specifically of that between adults and children with special needs, and the other spoke about teaching teenagers.

The thing I found fascinating as I listened to these women was that they had obviously become passionate about homeschooling, not only with their children, but within their community. The concept of education has become a lifelong pursuit for them, and each has her niche and uses it.

While this is interesting and wonderful, I can’t help but feel a little sad as well–sad that so many students in government and privately funded institutions are missing out on this kind of education. Worse yet, they don’t even realize/think that they’re missing out!

There were two women speaking tonight who had more on the ball than most of my high school teachers put together, and yet many in America might consider them foolish for the decisions they make for themselves and their children. The common notion, despite constant proof against it, is that homeschooling creates ignorant, socially-inept children who grow into ignorant, socially-inept adults.

To contrast that thought, let me say I have an odd advantage when it comes to understanding education facilities. I’ve been a student in private and public schools, as well as one who has been homeschooled; all of that has taken place in more than a few states. The thing I have come to learn was that, with the rare exception of two years spent in a local elementary school, public and private schools are deplorable academically and morally, no matter their affiliations with organizations or religions.

Yet I met some of the smartest people under homeschooling groups, and whenever I went into a public or private school after being homeschooled for a while, I found myself ahead of others without even trying. I don’t believe that had to do with exceptional intelligence on my part, but rather on the extra attention to my specific needs.

Specific needs are vital in education, which is frightening, considering, at least here in America, we want to put everyone at the same level (i.e. standardized level), whether that slows one down or speeds another up too much.

One thing that was covered tonight when it comes to that was to work with a child’s specific pace, something that I’ve been saying for years. One of the speakers, the one who spoke on special needs, gave the example of her son, who has Asperger’s Syndrome.

He could not understand algebra II at all, but if he skipped it and went straight to geometry and trigonometry–something that is conventionally thought of as stupid if you don’t understand algebra II yet–he began to understand it. He is one to think in pictures, so geometry and trigonometry come as second nature to him, and he loves it, and through it, he’s learned algebra II. In the “conventional world,” he would have failed algebra II, despite being fully capable of comprehending the concepts, but just in another way. He might never have gone on to geometry or trigonometry, and I am almost certain he wouldn’t be aiming for an engineering degree (which he will be).

As I sat and listened to these things and thought back on so many of my own thoughts and theories, I couldn’t help but remember a whole line of my old classmates. I remembered dozens of middle school peers who failed miserably in math, but excelled in English, or vice-versa, or had a knack in science and nothing else. Instead of helping those students cultivate the things they loved, they were often condemned for their shortcomings in everything else. Or worse, nothing was said one way or the other, so failing and excelling, alike, became absolutely unimportant. To what advantage?

Most of those people will be lucky to keep a steady job now, if they are anything like they were when I left the local high school two years ago. Greatly because, in my opinion, no one was willing to recognize their real potential. “Schools” were more interested in them following the same, standard learning pattern of the masses, whether it was what they personally needed or not. The paid price is that dozens likely graduated without any understanding of the classes they just eeked by in; the other cost is that many others, despite making straight A’s or good grades, were only working the system, and so know nothing about their actual wants. All they know is how to work the system, which is something I, too, learned and used.

I think this is where homeschooling and other forms of education split apart drastically. In homeschooling there are few bounds, because you aren’t nearly as tied to standardized regulations. You teach so your child will learn. If that takes five days, it takes five days; if it takes a year, it takes a year; yet in the end, the child knows the material to his or her benefit.

In conventional school, you teach, but you move on, whether a child understands or not, and you teach and move on, mostly ignoring some children’s special interests that might later blossom into careers. Conventional “wisdom” in modern education effectively confuses and holds back, one way or another, both the challenged and the gifted.

Despite (or perhaps because) all of this, I want to one day teach in a public or at the very least private school, because I know that’s where most will always go. I don’t care if that’s where the supposed “troublemakers” are or if I’m bound to more political correctness, as I will undoubtedly find. The point is I want to be a different kind of teacher.

Education doesn’t have to be boring or ruin your day with its mundane lessons. With the right initiative and the right amount of care for the wellbeing of students, a teacher can make even the dullest information fun. I know, as I’ve been lucky enough to have a [very] few teachers like that, and hopefully I’ll pass that on in time.

Tonight was good!

Comments ordered from oldest to newest.

Brendan

*hugs you* Sounds like its opened a lot of things in your life in future, hon. I hope it continues to be the path you see it to be :)

You can always talk to my mother, since she has been a teacher for over 45 years now. She would be a great asset :)

Steve

You’re right. In homeschooling you can educate and raise up a child better than in many formal, public, compulsory (sp?) forms of education. Unfortunalty, like the public system, things can break down and humans can be humans and make a mess of things. This is well written.

Jean-Pierre Sammut

Brilliant post !

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