I am not a teacher
Can you imagine if my kids were limited to learning only the thing I knew? Mercy, we'd be in trouble! 😂 My youngest (age 9) already understands math & engineering in a way I never will, and my oldest (10) knows enough about government & geography to just about rule the world! They certainly didn't learn that from me.
It's true. I am not a teacher. I don't have the credentials to be a teacher, although I do have a college degree. I don't consider myself to be my boys' teacher. And yes, we homeschool. So how does that work?
I view myself more as a facilitator of learning. Because of the interest-based approach we take, my boys love doing research on their own. If we're out & about and they ask a question, I usually say something along the lines of, "Let's research that when we get home." I'll often write it down so we don't forget. Then when we get home, I'll remind them that they wanted to learn more about "XYZ."
Their research usually is a combination of books, online articles, YouTube videos, and documentaries, depending how deep they want to get. I am so thankful to live in a world where information is so easily obtainable. My boys actually love researching. They think it's fun! After they've been playing for awhile, Connor will come up to me & ask if he can do more research on whatever his current interest is (latel
One of the things that we decided each boy needed for researching was their own little laptop computer. (This post does contain affiliate links) I didn't want them working on my computer & messing things up (been there, done that - we learned the hard way). We got Connor an HP computer and we got Casey Lenovo computer. We wanted something small & portable that was fairly inexpensive but that they could do their work on. I've been happy with both.
So no, I don't sit down with my boys every day & teach them everything I know, although I do teach them certain things (we're working on learning how to do laundry now! Ha!). But I do point them in the right direction, help them ask/answer questions, take them on field trips, find things that might interest them, etc.
I think once your kids are old enough to learn how to research on their own (really, once they can read), they should be entrusted with that. You can certainly help guide them & of course monitor what they're learning. But there is something magical about watching a child get excited about learning & ask to research in their free time...
It's true. I am not a teacher. I don't have the credentials to be a teacher, although I do have a college degree. I don't consider myself to be my boys' teacher. And yes, we homeschool. So how does that work?
I view myself more as a facilitator of learning. Because of the interest-based approach we take, my boys love doing research on their own. If we're out & about and they ask a question, I usually say something along the lines of, "Let's research that when we get home." I'll often write it down so we don't forget. Then when we get home, I'll remind them that they wanted to learn more about "XYZ."
One of the things that we decided each boy needed for researching was their own little laptop computer. (This post does contain affiliate links) I didn't want them working on my computer & messing things up (been there, done that - we learned the hard way). We got Connor an HP computer and we got Casey Lenovo computer. We wanted something small & portable that was fairly inexpensive but that they could do their work on. I've been happy with both.
So no, I don't sit down with my boys every day & teach them everything I know, although I do teach them certain things (we're working on learning how to do laundry now! Ha!). But I do point them in the right direction, help them ask/answer questions, take them on field trips, find things that might interest them, etc.
I think once your kids are old enough to learn how to research on their own (really, once they can read), they should be entrusted with that. You can certainly help guide them & of course monitor what they're learning. But there is something magical about watching a child get excited about learning & ask to research in their free time...
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