Proposed Home Schooling
Program For Ryan Elizabeth Connor
I have enclosed the steps
that Ryan and I have taken in coming to the decision to home school
as well as a personal statement on that decision.
We have stepped up our
initially agreed upon start date from February 2013 to October 2012
due to continued teasing at school but already have a curriculum in
mind so that we can begin four months earlier. Starting earlier will
give us time to test in maths and English and to set up our outside
lessons, such as flute, dance and knitting, before the start of
summer holidays. It will also allow us to assess our program and
tweak it as necessary before the 2013 school year.
Goals and Philosophy
My
broad goal as a mother is to raise a happy, creative, independent,
confident human being.
My
academic goals as an educator are to give Ryan a firm foundation in
the maths and English. I would like her to be able to take that
foundation and use higher order thinking to master basic life skills.
I would like her to be able to do sums in her head, to round numbers
and do simple percentages, to apply long-term thinking as well as
multiplication to figure out yearly charges from monthly bills. I
would like her to be able to alphabetise rapidly in order to go
through lists, to use a dictionary and thesaurus, find books in the
public library. I would like her to be able to read between the
lines and know what someone is saying. I would like her to expand
her vocabulary for the same reason (as well as possible foster a love
for words). And to learn proper punctuation, particularly when
something is possessive versus plural, something modern English
speakers seem to have decided is no longer important!
To
balance this, I hope to foster a love of learning and a sense a sense
of adventure about the world around us. We will use Ryan's fondness
for German to read some classic German children's tales (in German),
her American heritage and Queensland residence to compare American
colonial history and the history she sees around her every day,
taking into account the plight of both country's indigenous peoples.
We will also use the environment around us to learn about the
ecosystem, about life's processes and about our responsibility to a
sustainable planet.
My
creative goals are Ryan's own. She will continue flute lessons
privately as well as join a local youth band. She wants to enrol in
gypsy dance classes. We will also look for ways for her to develop
her interest and talent in the fine arts, by enrolling in art classes
and/or taking advantages of workshops offered in the Moreton Bay
region as well as visiting the GOMA in Brisbane regularly.
Ryan's
own goal at the moment is to be a horseback riding instructor. She
will continue her weekly riding classes and her Equine Australia
certification course with the goal of becoming a Junior Instructor at
the end of two years' time.
My long
term goal is to develop Ryan's natural interests and talents in
horseback riding and the arts while at the same time strengthening
her basic life skills in maths and English. I would like her to be
able to build upon her education when choosing a life path, a path
that will eventually include artistic circles other than the two of
us, one I trust leads her to university and one that allows her to
make her own choices and create her own happiness in the future.
Philosophy
My
approach to teaching draws comparisons to both Montessori and Steiner
philosophies.
“The
Montessori educational approach looks for more than retention of
knowledge. It aims to also generate security, trust, and independence
in the child. As a result of individual teaching and a child being
allowed to work at his or her own pace in a peaceful, non-competitive
environment a desire to learn is developed and concentration is
enhanced. Thus Montessori Education provides education in harmony
with life. “
(http://parahilwps.sa.edu.au/montessori/philosophy.htm)
Like
Dr. Montessori, I want to foster Ryan's independence, her
self-confidence and her self-discipline, instilling in her a desire
to learn, initiative and creative self-expression.
Like
Steiner, I want to nurture Ryan's imagination and creativity as well
as her intellect. By home schooling her, I am able to cater to her
individual needs rather than what is expected from the status quo.
“Steiner
schooling strives to support the development of well rounded human
beings who are able to feel deeply and broadly, to think
penetratingly and clearly, and then to act rightly out of conscious
and free choice. The best overall statement on what is unique
about Steiner education is to be found in the stated goals of the
schooling:
"Our
highest endeavour must be to develop individuals who are able out of
their own initiative to impart purpose and direction to their lives".
Rudolf Steiner
In
practice, I will be using Maths and English workbooks from an
Australian based company that will lend a more structured learning
approach to these two subjects.
I
will be loosely following the Australian National Curriculum
especially in history and science and especially for the rest of the
2012 calendar year.
LOTE
will be German and the arts will be Ryan's flute, dance, sketching
and knitting initiatives. She will also continue with horseback
riding with the aim of achieving Equine Australia Junior Level
Instructor certification in two years.
In
this manner, I hope to blend the best of both philosophies with a
practical approach to the basics of maths and English especially.
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