The other day my husband called me the “Flower Child of Education.” He was referring to my idea that one needs to “de-school” their brain in order to educate properly. One of my favorite quotes is by Mark Twain; “I never let my schooling get in the way of my education.” My husband has heard me quote this many times and smiles each time at my enthusiasm for being a “flower child of education.” As a matter of fact, I love that term so much I may use it for a blog or a book someday. While, my husband intends the term to be silly and not quite a compliment, I love it. My husband is orderly and logical. I imagine a trip through his brain would be very compartmentalized with easy to follow road maps and straight lines. Conversely, a visit through my brain would be like a clash of Dr. Seuss and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. My mind is a kaleidoscope filled with creative ideas ready to burst out at any second. Watch for debris!
I have this idea that all homeschoolers are inherently rebellious. We rebel against the common system. We rebel against the traditional education. We rebel against state institutions which seek to indoctrinate our children. We take comfort in days filled with exploration as a means of education. We can assess without a test or grading system. We feel textbooks and plans are guidelines and suggestions. Does this describe you? Maybe not. It most certainly describes me while at the same time I am an advocate for any choice a parent makes on their child’s education. I do not believe all parents should homeschool. I do believe that education is a plate best served messy and by the child. Yet, I believe the cook should be the mom who guides, directs and schedules the day to include a sense of world schooling. I love a guided education and not one confined to completing tasks to achieve high marks on an exam. I believe in experience education and not lecture education whenever possible. I maintain that a traditional setting is ineffective and does a disservice to those advanced or below the standard expectations. Schooling in mass production is no friend to individualization and creativity. Once a product is mass produced the quality is downgraded and schooling is no exception.
Please do not misunderstand; I have a tremendous respect for teachers. I love school and education. There are amazing schools and teachers that deserve recognition and should not be bundled in the same category as failing school systems and ineffective means of education. If I had to teach thirty children I would most likely resort to a traditional approach for the sake of organization and hitting goals. Understand this, I do not believe a traditional environment with textbooks and grade cards will give my children the experience or exploration I feel are inherit to a proper education. While a child will be equipped for college through traditional means he may not retain more than a faint memory of completing tasks as his schooling. I believe education is a lifelong goal and not something to be pushed aside each time a class is completed. This is not a criticism of teachers or systems as it is my thoughts on what education means and what I strive to give my children. If that makes me a “flower child of education” then I proudly wear the term. What about you?