Malaysian Homeschooler leaves for University in the States

Now that I am actively following Out of the Box Learning, I read that David BC Tan's son, Ethan, has left for Hardin-Simmons in Texas. Congrats to the whole family!

It was pleasant to read Ethan's delightfully witty rendition of his departure from his family and entrance into a "schooling" environment for the first time. It just goes to show that there is comedy relief and excitement in education, rather than just grades and stress.

Well, now that I know an Ethan has made it to University, I will also be hopping in and out of his blog. It sort of jives with my current state of sleep-deprivation. I know my children will not be babies forever and one day, they will be 17 or 18 or 19, and leave the nest. With that, I am also paving paths for them, even if I still have over a decade to go.

Let's Look it Up!

Just before bedtime we were watching a National Geo segment of the Liger. It was really interesting as I had no idea this animal existed. Questions of morality aside, I was impressed with the story of this creature and how a hybrid between a Lion and Tigress would actually turn out twice the size of the male parent. The liger is also considerably stronger than both parents; swims like a tiger and socialises like a lion.

The short segment really captured our attention and the children had many questions. It is fun to know that their world is their classroom. We have the opportunity to learn together and answer each other's questions. There is no shame in not knowing the answers either. And with the wealth of information the net has to offer, we can always google on up and find the answer side by side. We're each others' teachers as much as we are students, and as every student should know, learning really has no end.

A few weeks back we watched a part of "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader," and the show focused on laughing it out as a 5th Grade Teacher with a decade's worth of experience could barely get by the simplest questions without the help of one student each time. When the host asked how she answered questions in her class when she did know the answer, she said, "I tell them, let's look it up!"

We only watched National Geo for a while as bedtime was imminent (itchy heads, red beady eyes), so we said goodnight to the Liger once the credits were rolling. Ten minutes of that was enough to remind me that DH and my collective knowledge would never be enough to satisfy those endless questions. But that is one the advantages I feel we have in homeschooling. When we don't know the answers, we will look them up. And in time, as most homeschoolers advocate, their children take the initiative to look up things that capture their interest and their curiosity.

It's a Blessing to Know

I had recently signed up for eHomemakers only to find out that I had signed up before but had forgotten my password. It's a good thing though, there are some interesting networks going on in there, especially for mothers / WAHMs.

I was browsing around the forum and naturally I clicked on a discussion about education. I was actually in search of other homeschoolers for playgroups with my children. Unfortunately there weren't any so I continued reading the existing sections.

That was when I stumbled upon a thread on "knowing what your child was doing wrong" (something to that effect) and a mother had posted a query on how to get her daughter's maths grades up as she was falling below 80%, (read as, falling below grade A).

Her daughter was still in primary school and she was worried that caning was no longer working. Ouch.

I'm reminded why I homeschool. The other mothers were quite supportive, though they agreed that they could not always about know what was happening in school. That's quite obvious. If your child is away from you for a few hours a day, there is no way of knowing exactly what happens during that duration, even if she or he tries to tell you in detail.

I notice that parents who send their children to school do worry about what their kids do not know and it's expected as this void reflects the fear of not knowing what they know, about their children.

When speaking to Coachsha the other weekend, besides her normal advice:,"if you have a choice, homeschool," she also said that one big difference between homeschoolers and outschoolers is that homeschoolers, know what their kids know.

Simply said, homeschoolers tend to concentrate on what their children know. And it's easy to know what they know, because we educate them ourselves. We notice their development at minute level and champion them on.

We don't dawdle around the areas that they need coaching in, getting stressed out and frazzled. Sure, it can poke on nerves, but we know what our children know, and that is enough to provide assurance that they are developing. Development does not necessarily have to happen in accordance to what is stipulated by the State.

Homeschoolers recognise development from a holistic point of view, where learned principles are carried out through living, and not just by book.

That alone realigns priorities on a custom-fit route for each child. We slowly encourage them to improve at their own pace filled with positive affirmations and support. This gives us, homeschoolers, the time and energy to focus on our children's strengths, which generally represent their interests - and children - as adults - are the happiest when they are engaged in the activities that interest them the most.

For the mother on eHomemakers, I believe her worries stem from not knowing what her child is knowing - translating it into the concern for her child's B's in mathematics. She could be scoring A's in all other subjects, but this mother was more concerned than ever about what her child could not do.

I think I was a bit agitated after reading the thread so DH asked me to quit for the night. It's good to take his advice and it helps when spouses support each other when educating their children. Homeschoolers are generally teams. Very rarely are mothers able to homeschool alone with peace of mind. If their husbands are supportive, the task becomes lightweight - lightweight and rewarding.

But it's also nice when both parents are in the know of their children. It's hard enough for one parent to keep track of a child's education in a institutionalised setting, so for both parents to know of their child's daily milestones in intrinsic detail is definitely a blessing like know other.

Magnetic Mayhem that Makes the Home, Our Home

Every time we end up at a stationery section, the kids flock to the magnets and insist on choosing one. Today was no different, more magnets joined the fray. Check out our magnetic board.

It started when the kids realised a magnet could stick to the stairs banister and they hung up an art piece each. Soon they were scaling the staircase on a daily basis. So we bought the board.

Ever since then, (and believe me, there are MORE magnets behind those layers of art), they have been rotating their artistic expressions on a daily basis. The nice (but tired) ones later go into their colour coded files and the ones that are found on the floor, (and within seconds ripped up by the baby), are discarded.

I think the board and the gazillion magnets managed to tickle their creative nodes and with that came waves and waves of self-appreciation and expression. I LIKE...! (As Yusuff would say heh heh). There is no day that passes without an activity related to magnetic mayhem.

Unlike in school where their artwork would be "judged" and graded, they take pride in every single unique piece they create and subsequently find more than many, that are important enough to put up for show.

Some parents have advised me to move the board into the back room so it does not clutter the living room but others have appreciated the mess they make, and even more so, the art. I like the latter better.

Having their artwork and magnet collection as part and parcel of the living room reminds me of why I homeschool and that my kids are the ones who make this house a home - more importantly, our home.

They are the source of magnetism between these four walls, holding all that is worthwhile in one piece, even if they are screaming on top of their lungs and running in circles trying to strangle each other.

I want them to know that their creativity and expressions are welcomed in our home and are not just clutter and mess that should be relegated to the back room to be kept out of sight. And besides, it's THEIR home, not the home to the critics. Let it be... I LIKE!

Above all, I want them to know that we appreciate their self-appreciation; we love watching them think on their own and build their own personalities. We don't always smile at the mess they leave behind, but we enjoy watching their creativity, and how proud they are of their achievements, no matter hard they are to decipher.

They are not going to be like this forever. Already some of the magnets are missing, broken or just plain forgotten about. The kids are going to change and one day they may forget they ever had an obsession with their magnet collection. Luckily I have this blog to remind them. But no matter how much they outgrow their art exhibition board, I know that they will always be the magnets that hold up the creativity and expression on the walls of our daily lives. Ameen.