We don’t know very much about home education prior to compulsory education. We don’t know, for example, how many children were taught formally by tutors or by parents or were learning incidentally or were apprenticed or were working. But we do know that before school became compulsory, people had less rigid ideas of what was appropriate for children to learn and at what age and so on.
Then compulsory education was invented in the nineteenth century, so we then had to have something to teach the children while they were at school. And that’s when we got ‘school curriculum’.
Think about it; if you have children for five hours a day, over ten or eleven or twelve years, then you have to fill up the time with something; and putting that into some sort of order and quantifying the results is how we have a school curriculum.
Now one of the great things about homeschooling, is that you are not bound by a curriculum invented by committees and changed as time passes, to fit with the latest trend or social hysteria. So why not focus on looking at a child, to see what the child needs, rather than creating a manufactured ‘checklist’ of ‘compulsory subjects’ that must be studied.
Be encouraged to keep working out what you want for yourself and your children. Keep working towards the freedom you want for your own family, and – this is important for your peace of mind – keep your eyes off what others are doing, and what is happening in schools in your area. That way, you are more likely to be successful in homeschooling. You’re also more likely to enjoy homeschooling and enjoy the time with your children. Today’s the day to enjoy and learn and grow, A S Neill said that childhood is not preparation for adult, but rather that it’s a part of life.
This topic is covered in detail in Lesson Seven from Successful Homeschooling Made Easy. www.successfulhomeschoolingmadeeasy.com