Like most eager homeschoolers taking the first steps into an
undiscovered country, conviction is usually greater than confidence. That could
just as well describe our own state of mind when we took the plunge ourselves
all those years ago. It’s not unusual to feel these unequal tugs of anxiety and
enthusiasm (even now, I may add). And depending on which side of the bed your
child got up, homeschool is either the best decision you’ve ever made, or the
most reckless! More so when your children are preschoolers.
Then there’s the simmering conflict: how much of study and
play should one incorporate into a child’s routine? One of our boys
used to
say, “a child’s work is play,” which is exactly what Maria Montessori
would
say, but then, what did she know about I.T and the
internet? If it’s up to the hundreds of kindergarten proprietors
in the
country, the earlier a child begins school, the greater the advantage.
Hurry,
hurry, no time to lose. And don’t just stop there – put them on a
course of
Computers, Drama, Creative Thinking Skills, and the latest in
left-right brain power enhancement!
On the other hand, homeschooling’s elder statesman,
Dr Raymond Moore, thinks that such accelerated learning is a sure
recipe for fatigue and stress in children, even serious harm. Start formal
education later, he says, preferably around 10 to 12 years. “…the young
child needs the early years for a normal blossoming period before he is ready
for any serious approach to the skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. “
(Better Late Than Early)
As an amusing aside, researchers from the Children’s Hospital
Philadelphia have concluded that intensive toilet training before a child is 27
months does nothing to properly toilet train him or her. All it does is to
lengthen the months of toilet training!
All this and more on potty training here…
His words follow those of famous Piagetian Dr David Elkind,
Professor of Child Study at
Tufts University.
His book
The Hurried Child (3
rd edition), is a hard-hitting and
well-documented indictment against institutionalised early childhood education
(including industry and media forces) that only projects the parent’s need
instead of a child’s inclinations
. “Young children have limited powers of
adaptation, which are sometimes exceeded by the pressures of adult scheduling,”
he warns.
On the other side of the fence is Richard Fugate, the
well-known writer and publisher of homeschool curricula. His book,
Will Early
Education Ruin Your Child is a scathing rebuttal of
Moore’s
ideas (and his theology).
“There is no reason that many children, beginning
phonics at four, five, or even six, shouldn’t complete high school requirements
by 13 or 14 years of age without undue pressure or strain on parents or child.
Homeschoolers should be at least one year above their public school
counterparts…” He is however careful to clarify that he opposes any “super
baby” type of teaching methods, and is merely challenging the position that
early formal education is
harmful to the child.
So much for the debate. What’s a simple Mom or Dad to do
about controversies like this?
I would say, examine your motives first. Are you exerting
adult pressure on Junior just to keep up with the Joneses? Are you egging him
on to unconsciously compensate for what you lack or to validate your own person?
Second, know your child and decide what’s appropriate to his
age and what matches his pace. Some basic skills such as reading, writing and
arithmetic are important, but not every child will grow up an Einstein or a Menuhin.
Finally, seek balance and put God’s desire for your child
(and for the family) first. As much as we parents love our children, our
Heavenly Father loves them even more. And as important as it is to start right,
it is finishing well that matters most of all.
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