Education Debate Challenge #4 - SumatraNate's Entry

in Home Edders3 years ago

This post is my entry for the Education Debate Challenge #4.

I am choosing to answer the following question:

Do you believe the way in which your child is being educated is preparing them for the future?

My wife and I were discussing and developing our educational philosophy long before our first child entered kindergarten. Honestly, there were lots of meaningful conversations about education even before our first child was born.

We have always had the heart to be involved in our children's "education," whether that be family talks, exploratory exercises, mentoring, modeling, traditional curriculum, etc.

We believe that our children's education prepares them for the future because we are active in their education journey. We firmly believe that parents are the best equipped to prepare their children for their future lives.

I realize that we can all think of a couple of examples of parents who don't have their act together or are down-right hateful to their children. I like to think of these people as "exceptions," not the "rule." I firmly believe that well-equipped parents are the keys to growing well-equipped "future adults."

And I know that many people are terrified of the idea of being responsible for their children's' "formal" education. We were scared too, but once we stepped into that role, we realized it was just an extension of our parenting from the first day we held our kiddos in our arms. And FYI, we did not feel fully prepared that first day either.


crayons1445053_640.jpg
Image by Aline Ponce from Pixabay



So to answer your question, we say YES!

And here are some of the reasons why:

1. We believe that a strong foundation is crucial.

A strong foundation is planned and built long before a child reaches school age and extends far past the traditional core curriculum.

The strong foundation we are trying to build is based on, but not limited to the following:

  • life skills: how to cook, clean, plan, organize, etc.
  • traditional school subjects: math, grammar, reading, writing, science, etc
  • financial skills: the importance of saving, investing, budgeting, etc
  • social skills: how to love, show kindness, be patient, value others, stand up for what is right, etc.
  • I am sure I have missed something: After a foundation is built, it must be cared for and sometimes reinforced. There may be things that needed to be added to this important foundation. We reserve the right to add and change moving forward. Education is not stagnant.

2. People are different. We have different interests.

While we believe that there are core concepts and ideas that all people need to learn, we also believe that all people have unique gifts, talents, and interests.

Education does not need to be formal, and it definitely does not need to be boring. Helping our children learn should include giving our children the freedom to choose what they learn.

Some of our kiddos are interested in painting, but not all. One child is especially gifted in music. I think we might have a future engineer on our hands. Since everyone is different, the educational methods and topics will be equally diverse.

3. We are not bound by time or curriculum, but instead focus on mastery.

The education process is not a series of boxes that need to be checked. Learning should lead to change, not be solely measured by marks or grades. If the ultimate goal is "grades," the learner is falsely lead to believe that failure is bad. Failure is inevitable. We should not be measured by how we fall, but rather how we stand after we have fallen.

Since we are not bound by time, we spend extra time evaluating and improving our weaknesses (when necessary). And we enjoy extra time improving what we are already great at.

4. We realize that learning is not bound to a specific time frame or place

Education can take place anywhere at any time. Some of our family's greatest learning moments take place around the dining room table in the evenings.

A lot of great teaching and learning moments have been in our car or outside. Learning can take place anywhere.

5. My wife and I believe that we are the primary educators, but not the only educators.

We want other people to invest in our kiddos. Although we strongly believe in our right and responsibility to teach our children, we want our kiddos to see other examples and hear other opinions.

It is in those differences that we help our children process the values that are most important to our family. In the end, our children must choose what they believe. They need conviction about what truths that they hold to be true.

As a parent, I am a filter to keep their childhood safe and innocent, but my goal is to prepare them for their future lives.

6. Our goal is to equip our children to be the best versions of their future selves.

The time my wife and I invest today is so that our kiddos will thrive in the future. The time and effort we put into education, modeling, and mentoring is so that our children feel equipped to live the best version of their future lives.

Now is the time to keep our kiddos safe and close, but all we do is so that someday, we can launch our children into the big, wide world.

If they can fly on their own, then the way we have educated them will truly be validated. I guess only time will tell. I may make mistakes, but the biggest mistake is if I choose not to act.

That would be the greatest disservice to my children - if I choose to not be an active part of their education.


A big thanks to the @homeedders community. I appreciate the great prompt and the opportunity to share.

@sumatranate

Sort:  

Very interesting and controversial topic... I believe on the idea that fathers should be the main source of core values for the childrens, whatever they are.

Have a great day.

!ENGAGE 15

Thank you for your engagement on this post, you have recieved ENGAGE tokens.

Now is the time to keep our kiddos safe and close, but all we do is so that someday, we can launch our children into the big, wide world.

That's the role we, as parents, are trying our hardest to have be the end result! It's not easy or always glamorous but the best things in life aren't. It's amazing watching them grow and develop their skills, personality and ideas.

Really good entry here, I like how you and your wife are doing things. I feel like we are similar in a lot of ways so that's always nice! I've seen people in our friends circles that can't be bothered with their kids when they are out and look for excuses to get rid of them. I think that's a disservice to them in the long run, from an education as well as an emotional standpoint. Kids develop with what they are exposed to so we find it important to be as supportive and loving as possible (even as challenging as that may be sometimes lol).

The life skills you are teaching your kids are great. There is FAR more to an education than we realize or may have been taught growing up. Incorporating important things like how to cook, do the dishes, clean, laundry and fixing small things are huge to build confidence in the little ones! We try to take each of those moments as learning opportunities. That and it helps to have a little helper!

It's not easy or always glamorous

So true, but the journey is worth it. The wonderful thing about parenting is there is a past, present, and future (yet to come) aspect. All can be enjoyable, tough but enjoyable.

Kids develop with what they are exposed

Everyone makes mistakes, but as parents, my wife and I are striving to grow in the same way that we want our kids to grow. We believe that modeling is just as if not more important than just telling them something. My kiddos are the best judge of my hypocrisy (when my words and actions don't match). They are watching. That keeps me on my toes.

We try to take each of those moments as learning opportunities.

Keep it up! There are so many opportunities. I am glad to hear that other parents are looking for these moments. As you said, a lot of people aren't.

Our little helpers provide a lot of help. Their willingness to serve other members of the family is a huge blessing.

Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed reading and interacting with your comment.

I've seen people in our friends circles that can't be bothered with their kids when they are out and look for excuses to get rid of them.

I never understood this. When my girls were in school, so many parents would say how they dreaded the holidays and having to keep them entertained, so I assumed this was default. I was so relieved when I spoke to one mum and asked her if she was ready for the holidays and having them at home and she said she loved having them home.

!ENGAGE 40

Thank you for your engagement on this post, you have recieved ENGAGE tokens.

I agree with you, education is crucial for the development of an individual and there is nothing better than the values and tools that can be taught at home. Unfortunately in some countries exclusive education at home is not allowed, they force you to school under the system.

!ENGAGE 20

Thank you for your engagement on this post, you have recieved ENGAGE tokens.

@cryptoxicate - You bring up a very good point. Exclusive home education is not a right in all countries. I think this points to the need for parents to take every opportunity possible to train and equip their children. As I mentioned in the article, my wife and I want other people to speak into the lives of our kiddos.

But at the same time, we do not want to "farm out" our parental responsibilities to institutions. We want to be active in how our children learn and grow. In cases where children are required to be formally educated outside of the home, parents have to be extra diligent about understanding what and how things are being taught.

Exactly, regardless of whether they go to an institution or not, education, values and morals should be taught at home.

@tipu curate

Thank you for the tipu curation.

We've switched to full homeschooling because of the COVID situation and a lack of organization and professionalism from the public school system here. We went nearly 6 months without any word from the schools when we could get study packets or online opportunities, but nothing ever came.

By the time school started back up sporadically, we had already became independent of the system here in Suriname, and we've found our combined blog earnings allow us to break even and keep our heads above water.

Your list of reasons why tells me you are a livicated home educator. I share many of your sentiments, but I do miss the social skills our kids were getting from the public school system before things shattered.

@justinparke - We live in tough times, and my heart goes out to you as you navigate life in another country. My wife and I moved to Indonesia as a married couple and we grew our family there over the course of 10 plus years.

Our homeschooling journey started in part due to the lack of education options where we lived, but it has continued because of our strong convictions.

Props to you and your wife for being able to make such a strong shift in the education paradigm to meet the needs of your kiddos.

Providing opportunities for social interaction is a legitimate concern, one we have to work through as well. COVID adds a new layer of complication.

For me, I don't want to confuse a lot of social interaction with quality social interaction. It is important for my kiddos to know how to interact with children their own age as well as how to relate to people both older and younger. Over the last few months, my 13-year-old has been wanting more time with her friends/peers. My wife and I are working through how to make that happen in light of the unique circumstances we live in.

Thanks for reaching out and sharing!

!ENGAGE 30

Thank you for your engagement on this post, you have recieved ENGAGE tokens.

Congratulations @sumatranate! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You distributed more than 22000 upvotes. Your next target is to reach 23000 upvotes.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Feedback from the February 1st Hive Power Up Day