i’m really curious now, can you share more about what a typical “home education” routine might look like for your kids? is it similar to the routine you had as a kid?
The Ambleside/Charlotte Mason Method is what we follow, and my wife and I are huge fans. She runs a general homeschool co-op with friends and does a smaller more intimate group specifically around the Ambleside method. our kids are still young, but it’s going great. The day to day revolves around the kids getting their school work done at the dinner table in the morning while my wife helps each as they need. readings, copy work, math work, piano practice, etc. and then playing and then getting together with other families. overall, it’s a good life they are living.
As for my upbringing, it was not as educationally dense. My parents were just figuring it out as we went along, so we probably changed curriculum and methods 2-3 times in my younger years, and by 15, I started going to the local community college for classes.
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Fascinating, esp because I’m a teacher in the public school system haha. How does your wife manage the varied needs of the kids whom I imagine must be from different grades and academic levels?
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As a teacher, how do you cater for 20-30 kids who, despite being similar age, all have different abilities, strengths, learning styles, personalities, academic levels, special education needs etc? Home Educating parents have a far fewer children to cater for, with the added bonus that they are their own children, so they know them much better than anyone and have more of a vested interest in their success.
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Good question. Singapore is on-the-ball when it comes to differentiated instruction. All kids with learning needs will be banded together in one class. Other students will be channeled into classes based on their academic ability. So there is some form of uniformity.
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you just figure out where each one is at, and where they should be. usually based on the curriculum you choose. there is so much curriculum and info out there now, it’s really easy to know. managing the kids isn’t any harder than it would be helping different age kids with their homework.
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Did you grow up in a small town or urban area?
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suburb in a very populous area.
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