Michele and Kyle
Introduction
Why we homeschool
Flexibility is key
Having taught Kyle for over three years, Michele is effusive in her appreciation of homeschooling. Flexibility is important to her while she teaches Kyle.
“There are so many things to talk about,” she said, “Learning is flexible, I can evaluate whether Kyle is ready for new material, and I can always give him time to absorb his lessons.”
Michele recounted an afternoon where Kyle seemed to have reached a roadblock in taking in new information. Both were frustrated at the lack of progress, so she ended the lesson for the day.
“But the next day, Kyle just got it,” said Michele, “I think he just needed the time.” She added that school typically do not allow their students to think over what they have learn, which may prove to be an obstacle to learning for some.
Michele also prioritises free play for Kyle and believes children best learn through play.
“If kids call and ask, ‘Aunty Michele, can Kyle come out to play,’ I will stop lessons for the day and let him go,” she said, explaining that they would catch up on school work over the next few days.
Children still learn even through unstructured play, she believes. She sets aside every afternoon for Kyle to choose what he wants to do.
Recalling the time where Kyle was interested in and reading Lord of the Rings, she said:
“He would spend afternoons drawing maps and writing Elvish. And he’d translate what he had written for me.”
“I give him the freedom to choose. And if he discovers he likes drawing maps through this play time, that’s fine by me,” she adds.
Having taught Kyle for over three years, Michele is effusive in her appreciation of homeschooling. Flexibility is important to her while she teaches Kyle.
“There are so many things to talk about,” she said, “Learning is flexible, I can evaluate whether Kyle is ready for new material, and I can always give him time to absorb his lessons.”
Michele recounted an afternoon where Kyle seemed to have reached a roadblock in taking in new information. Both were frustrated at the lack of progress, so she ended the lesson for the day.
“But the next day, Kyle just got it,” said Michele, “I think he just needed the time.” She added that school typically do not allow their students to think over what they have learn, which may prove to be an obstacle to learning for some.
Michele also prioritises free play for Kyle and believes children best learn through play.
“If kids call and ask, ‘Aunty Michele, can Kyle come out to play,’ I will stop lessons for the day and let him go,” she said, explaining that they would catch up on school work over the next few days.
Children still learn even through unstructured play, she believes. She sets aside every afternoon for Kyle to choose what he wants to do.
Recalling the time where Kyle was interested in and reading Lord of the Rings, she said:
“He would spend afternoons drawing maps and writing Elvish. And he’d translate what he had written for me.”
“I give him the freedom to choose. And if he discovers he likes drawing maps through this play time, that’s fine by me,” she adds.
Response to her decision to homeschool
A look at Kyle's
math curriculum
Life of Fred is a math curriculum that teaches math concepts through story-telling. Students began by learning simple algrebra before they move on to progressively more difficult math concepts. Michele assured us that Kyle is a huge fan of the syllabus, and most willing to work on more than the assigned chapters.
Social interaction
Many non-homeschoolers believe that the children are deprived of social interaction with their peers. Michele assures you that it is not the case, with the potential for greater bonds between homeschooled children.