On another forum for home schooling moms, someone posed the question: Wouldn’t the learning environment be better preserved at school? I thought this would be a perfect conversation for those of you who are considering home schooling, or have newly decided and have these kinds of things going through your mind. After all, aren’t schools designed with learning in mind.
The Real Question
I think the real question is, what it the ‘right’ learning environment for a child’s optimum development? Is it a place with colorful interactive bulletin boards and file folder games, as well as centers? If so, then yep–school is them much better place to learn. I have been accused of having a ‘child friendly’ home. I have a giant bean bag in the living room for reading, My halls are lined with bookshelves upon bookshelves and I have various places all over the house for children to do work. It is not the best decorated place on the block. The point is though, even my house is lacking colorful bulletin boards and centers.
But is that all there is to creating a learning environment? Charlotte Mason didn’t think so. Her classroom would have lots of ‘living books’ and her day would most certainly include time outdoors. Neither did Maria Montesorri. Her classroom would be full of things that children can interact with and explore on their own. Now that doesn’t sound so far off from where I’m at.
All Those Distractions
But isn’t the public school environment less distracting? Since you know, it’s designed for children to learn and they can’t learn without distractions?
I’m not really convinced that children cannot learn without distractions. . .in fact, I think in home school the distractions become part of the learning rather than something to be brushed aside! But in home school, the teacher can control the distractions. I can turn off the phone, the television or not answer the door. In fact, I do do those things when I’m home schooling.
But a classroom full of students loses time when they have to line up to go somewhere, when they have to practice for a fire drill, or when they have to wait for everyone to finish a test. I haven’t even talked about all the learning lost when teachers have to follow mandatory drivel like health or test prep.
To assume that the learning environment is better in school is to assume that learning only takes place from 8am to 3pm in a classroom. And that, would be a fallacy.
Related Articles:
The Fallacy of Traditional School
The Fallacy of Comparing Children