You May Be Right, I May Be Crazy
The stalwart Robin Raven asks:
How do you respond when people ask if you recommend homeschooling? It's my understanding that you're passionate about it being right for many, but I imagine not everyone. So I was wondering how you respond to those seeking that sort of general advice.
Oh, thank you, Robin. This is a conversation which needs airing, and then reairing, and then possible bringing out and airing again. I DON'T THINK HOMESCHOOLING IS RIGHT FOR MANY PEOPLE. People work full-time. Some people know themselves well enough to know they're better parents for not being full-time parents. Some parents and children love each other very much but aren't wired to learn together. I'm not even sure if it's right for my child. I can tell you that in this moment she appears to be happy, engaged, learning things which will matter to her next week and next year, but honestly I have no idea if this is the right path for her. It's back to my analogy of live-cutting the Olympics; this is one way to tell the story, and possibly not the best way. I second-guess Tweets I put up, so you know I'm going to stay awake at night worrying whether homeschooling was a good idea or a spectacular folly. Only I can delete Tweets; I have yet to figure out how to delete three years of education. I wrote the book to explain what we did, what I went through, and to take note of a rapidly-growing cohort in the U.S. Thirty years from now, let's see if America is better off for these homeschoolers, or if my daughter is working at something she loves and bothering to visit me in the home. Only then will I feel comfortable being able to say "This was a success."
And now if you'll excuse me, I woke at 4:00 this morning to be on a morning show based out of New York and I'm starting to see penguins where none might actually exist. See you tomorrow.
How do you respond when people ask if you recommend homeschooling? It's my understanding that you're passionate about it being right for many, but I imagine not everyone. So I was wondering how you respond to those seeking that sort of general advice.
Oh, thank you, Robin. This is a conversation which needs airing, and then reairing, and then possible bringing out and airing again. I DON'T THINK HOMESCHOOLING IS RIGHT FOR MANY PEOPLE. People work full-time. Some people know themselves well enough to know they're better parents for not being full-time parents. Some parents and children love each other very much but aren't wired to learn together. I'm not even sure if it's right for my child. I can tell you that in this moment she appears to be happy, engaged, learning things which will matter to her next week and next year, but honestly I have no idea if this is the right path for her. It's back to my analogy of live-cutting the Olympics; this is one way to tell the story, and possibly not the best way. I second-guess Tweets I put up, so you know I'm going to stay awake at night worrying whether homeschooling was a good idea or a spectacular folly. Only I can delete Tweets; I have yet to figure out how to delete three years of education. I wrote the book to explain what we did, what I went through, and to take note of a rapidly-growing cohort in the U.S. Thirty years from now, let's see if America is better off for these homeschoolers, or if my daughter is working at something she loves and bothering to visit me in the home. Only then will I feel comfortable being able to say "This was a success."
And now if you'll excuse me, I woke at 4:00 this morning to be on a morning show based out of New York and I'm starting to see penguins where none might actually exist. See you tomorrow.
posted by Unknown at 9:11 PM
3 Comments:
Ah yes, the curse of imagined penguins.
Best catch up with some sleep.
Thanks so much for answering my question. :) I think the blog book tour was a fantastic idea. I am anticipating The Year of Learning Dangerously even more now.
If the penguins are like Jason Isaacs' penguins from "Awake" then I wouldn't worry -- you're not sleep deprived, just mentally fragmented.
Post a Comment
<< Home