Child-led Learning - WHY

One of THE BEST reasons to homeschool:
Why would you outsource one of the most fun and rewarding parts of life: learning?

Now, if you haven't ever thought of learning as fun, chances are you went to public school. And not all public school is boring. In fact, my guess is many kids going like it a lot. But some like the social aspects, and some like recess, and some like seeing their friends, and some like field trips, and some like the praise that comes with good grades, and some like all of that AND learning. But is it any wonder in a room of 20 same-age peers and a teacher, that learning may not be the most fun thing.

Much of the FUN in learning comes with discovery. Whether it's something we've wondered about, or something we never considered, the world is FULL (so full I'll say it again) FULL of wonders, and what could be more delightful than discovering some of them? Some wonders are just fun to know. They might strike us as funny. They might be some factoids that no one else knows, including grandpa, who likes to do the pop-quizzes. Some knowledge gives context and enriches other knowledge - makes the knowing more meaningful. And some enhances our person.

THAT is the other fun part of learning: growing as a person. We grow by increasing understanding of the world - how it works, what makes people tick - and increasing our skill to live in it.

Both the knowledge and skill that are the most FUN to master are unique to the individual. My mom "grooved on" sewing as a child. She is now making my sister's wedding dress. She almost demanded the job - insisting though it might be stressful, that it is what she prepared her whole life to do. My dad, in his youth, spent hours practicing baseball. Now, a month away from 60 years old, he's joined a baseball league and reported pitching for a recent game was the most fun he'd had in years. Not surprisingly, I liked spending time by myself, writing poetry and short stories. Is it any wonder that I feel completely content at the moment, blogging about life and learning?

So every school teacher has two great challenges when it comes to teaching and making learning all the fun it can be. First, it's hard to work a spirit of discovery into a set curriculum. Of course, very skilled teachers are able to get the students to wonder about the subject or material to be covered. So the learning process might feel a bit more like discovery and less like being told something on a schedule. However, the illusion might not last very long. All it takes is one good question from any student who, while fully engaged, might not direct his curiosity down the line of the lesson development. And then the teacher's challenge is getting him to let go of his curiosity, OR spending time on what WON'T be on the test. What a choice to make!

And it's quite probable that our individual curiosities are driven by an inner sense of what will bring us joy. Which gets back to how does one teach the same material to students who may become all sorts of different things when they grow up? Some might become number crunchers, some may work with their hands, some work with people - all of these talents driving the individual's sense of what skills he'd like to master. Creating an education to meet these incredibly varied needs is the second great challenge. But mostly our schools simply pick some skills to encourage, discourage others, and IF any student gets to a point of mastery in the time allowed, it may be nothing short of a miracle!

For these reasons - for keeping learning a process of discovery that serves the needs of individuals - I think it's very foolish for homeschooling parents to try and duplicate school at home. How sad for any student of a home education to never have experienced that learning IS fun! Child-led learning is the best way to keep learning the fulfilling adventure it should be.

Click here to read my post about how to begin Child-led Learning.