Help me, Obi-Mom Kenobi! You're my only hope!

Obi-Wan: “Interesting… I’m still not sure I understand.”
Jocasta Nu: “Well, I’m sure you didn’t call me over here for a history lesson. Are you having a problem, Master Kenobi?”
Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones

One of my local librarians asked me to sit as part of a panel before a statewide group of librarians tomorrow. The goal is a better understanding of homeschoolers and better linking between the homeschooling community and the programs/services available in local libraries.

I know! How cool is that?

The overall consensus among the librarians appears to be that working with homeschoolers is akin to herding cats. As Yoda & Qui-Gon Jinn love to say, “Bless their hearts.” They’re trying to include us all, but we all seem to have our own direction, rate of speed, and degree of willingness to play along.

To make a little more sense of what “we homeschoolers” do on a day-to-day basis, I’m including an overview of the most common homeschooling methods. What do you think of my breakdown?

Butt in the Chair (Like what most grow up with – often thought of as the One Right Way to Learn)

School-at-Home: This mimics a traditional school day, for the most part. Subjects are defined, delineated, and ordered by subject or time during the traditional school days & hours. Often a single curriculum or two is the basis for all the core lessons. Lessons and tests often have the option of being checked and graded by either a parent, mailed to a program teacher, or taken online. (e.g., k12, Abeka, School in a Box)

Classical: This approach gained favor over the years with high-octane parents of college-bound students as school systems drop traditional classes such as Latin, Greek, Logic, and the Fine Arts. Think of a traditional high school curriculum, only much more intense. (The Well-Trained Mind is one of the more familiar programs.)

A Theme (Often thought of as an “interesting” or “cute” approach to the general public)

Charlotte Mason: This is a liberal education with a decided bent toward nature and classic literature. Emphasis is placed on narration, journaling, getting outside as much as possible, studying local flora and fauna, and eschewing all “twaddle.” (e.g., The Tales of Peter Rabbit rather than Captain Underpants, and Pride and Prejudice over Twilight)

Unit-Study: Especially common among families with young children, all aspects of the child’s education is wrapped around a unifying topic such as the Little House on the Prairie books, classic children’s literature (such as in the Five in a Row series), or just about anything else you can imagine. This is especially helpful when children of different ages, skill levels and interest are being taught at the same time as activities can be expanded or contracted to meet each child’s needs.

Bits and Pieces (often brings out the “But what if they have gaps in their education?” argument)

Eclectic: The direction and timing is the parent’s, but it’s based on the child’s needs alone. Kids might take a Homeschooler Only orchestra class and an after-school wood-working program if they fit a desire or need. These families are willing to skip parts of a “program” if it’s deemed unnecessary or accelerate/delay parts based on the child’s readiness. Different kids in the family will likely use different curricula. These families may use textbooks, or they may not. They may use worksheets for math but not for spelling, or vice versa. They may give tests, but they probably don’t do it very often.

Unschooling: This is full-on, child-led learning with a whole lot of “trust the child” thrown in. This is the practice of letting real life situations (such as shopping, cooking, gardening, volunteering, etc), any and all local resources available (museums, colleges/universities, state parks, historical markers/sites, stores and a parent’s/friend’s place of employment) and passions (dinosaurs, space, trains – and often a rotation of many passions over the years) lead children to meaningful knowledge.

These families believe that children have an innate need to learn, understand and be part of the world around them and, therefore, will want to learn about as many topics as they can and participate in life as much as they are able. They do not follow any pre-determined educational schedule whatsoever. (e.g., Reading Robin Hood leads to an interest in archery.) Unschooling families may use textbooks or not. They may take outside classes or join a task/topic specific club (pottery class, piano lessons, writer’s club, etc). They may simply borrow/buy the materials needed to learn the process/skill together or on their own. There is no “one way” to an unschooling family. Unschooling is presenting topics, ideas and opportunities to kids with enthusiasm, but also being able to accept “No thanks,” as an acceptable answer.

Waay Out There (These people scare the beegeezus out of me. Sorry, but it’s true.)

Radical Unschooling:  They take educational unschooling one more level and apply it to every single aspect of life — brushing teeth (don’t feel like it? don’t do it), meals (candy for dinner? sure), safety (don’t want to wear a bike helmet? leave it in the garage), bedtime (who needs bedtimes?) and etc.

NOTE: Yes, I know there’s more to Radical Unschooling than that – but that’s what screams through my head when I even hear people talking about it. No flaming necessary. No need to send in the RU troops to set me straight.