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Homeschooling As A Supplement Series – Educational Philosophies & Ideals

One commonality that exists between my wife’s life journey and my own is that our past educational experiences have played vital roles in charting the courses for our respective paths and life philosophies. 

She specifically recalls her middle school years and how so many aspects of her life had changed. She began to understand herself, her peer group, and the community in which she lived in a new way.  The way she saw herself and her world gradually took on a different shape and, ultimately, would never return to its original form. 

I experienced something similar during my formative educational years. However, unlike my wife, my most pivotal school experience took place well after middle school, as my undergrad years signified a time in which I began to open my eyes, mind, and heart more than I ever had.  

I share these brief histories for two particular reasons:

1) To illustrate that an educational experience does have the power to influence the direction one’s life course, and,

2) To highlight how such an experience can occur at any point in time within the course of one’s academic life.   

 

When my wife and I agreed that I would stay home with Blair until he was ready for school, I don’t think I truly understood the magnitude of the awesome opportunity—and responsibility—that awaited me. During his infancy, I would eventually see the scheduled feedings, diaper changes, and visits to the doctor’s office as routine necessities that became easier to manage with each passing week. However, when toddlerhood arrived, I began to think more intently about the ways in which I introduced Blair to learning. 

Given our educational experiences, what could we—his parents—do to see that he was adequately prepared for the classroom?  What if we could introduce him to a broadened view of the world as a toddler?  What could this potentially mean for him when he embarks upon his own journey as a learner?          

 

Had my wife and I not undergone transformational experiences, our individual perspectives on education may not have intertwined as well as they did. Without these experiences, we would have been unable to clearly articulate the tenets of our family’s educational philosophy, or explain what makes these tenets so important to us. 

In many ways, our family’s educational philosophy serves as an extension of our parenting philosophy.  We place a particular focus upon the educational ideals of connectivity, mindfulness, and imagination as a way to compliment the typical educational acts of showing, instructing, and modeling. The key for us, as parents, has been to introduce our so to his world in a way that feels fun, exciting, and natural.  Below, I have listed the cornerstones of our family’s educational philosophy:       

toddler classroom - the world is the classroom - educational

 

The World Is Our Classroom: Learning opportunities surround us at all times. We just need to pay attention.  Pause for a second, and think about all that goes into the most simplest of actions. Take walking down a flight of stairs with your little one for example.  Whether you count the stairs (by 1s, 2s, 5s, or 10s), point out the color and texture of the banister you grasp, or explain the direction in which you are moving by using different words, you can literally teach multiple lessons. You’ll be surprised as to how a full-length conversation can blossom from a child’s simple observation.    

 

Open a Door: Once we learned what Blair enjoyed doing the most, we have tried to support him by creating ample time and opportunity for him to engage with his interests.  While some kids are natural seekers (i.e., self-motivated in finding their own interests), others may need some coaxing to explore what treasures await them.  For example, Blair has a minor obsession with watching cars. Whether traveling in his car seat on the road, or strolling through a parking lot, he loves to point out the various types of vehicles he sees (down to the make and model). 

Interestingly, this interest was born out of his simple desire to push a baby walker around our apartment complex.  After a while, and to break up the monotony, I started to point out car logos to see if he could remember them.  After this, we eventually graduated to car types (i.e., SUV, minivan, etc.).  Fast forward to today, and he can spot a Dodge Challenger fifty yards away.

 child exploration of their space - educational

Space Exploration: At first glance, one may assume I am alluding to tales of aliens and rocket ships.  (I assure you, this is not the case.)  Yet, like astronauts, I believe our children should be given as much physical, emotional, and intellectual space to explore as many facets of their immediate world as possible.  What is great about the infant and toddler phase of development is that our children are naturally programmed to seek out a plethora of objects to get their hands on, and situations to become immersed in. 

Obviously, we as parents know that there must be reasonable boundaries put in place to prevent injury to our little ones.  However, once these safe guards are firmly established and (repeatedly) explained to our children, grant them the freedom to comb every inch of their living and play spaces.  I believe this may instill a feeling of confident ownership within our kids, a feeling that suggests their little (yet expanding) worlds belong to them as much as they belong to the adults managing their lives.

 

Read, Read Again, and Read Some More:  Language (and/or literacy) is the glue that binds together most, if not all, aspects of teaching and learning.  The intrinsic quality of language acquisition and communication is immeasurable, especially when we can witness our children using language to draw connections between themselves and the various aspects of their worlds.  Since before he could crawl, we’ve made a habit out of bringing Blair to our local bookstore or library several times a week. 

children's library for reading and learning - educational

We have also tried to amass a healthy collection of books at home, so that he could access them at any time.  It is very inspiring to see him request his personal favorites.  At times, he even refers to his books when he notices similar situations in the real world.  Ultimately, it has been my goal to familiarize him with all sorts of book titles, authors, characters, and storylines, so that he may become comfortable and confident with expressing himself from an early age.                             

  

While I know that there will always be educational experiences that surprise or scare us, I want for Blair to recognize these moments as opportunities—not obstacles. Rather than recoil in fear or discomfort, I would encourage him to meet these moments with an open mind and imagination.  

Ultimately, my goal is to equip him with as many real-life learning experiences as possible, so that he may possess the skills to answer to the questions he will raise, all while still preserving his innate curiosity for further exploration.

Matthew Rankin is a former teacher and current stay-at-home dad of nearly 3 years. He enjoys life on the go with his son and is a husband to a loving and supportive wife. He resides in Jacksonville, FL with his family. Matthew takes great joy in making life exciting for his little one. Matthews interests include writing about contemporary social issues, which will be the cornerstone of his graduate studies this year.

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