Alex's Thoughts on Homeschooling
Why I Home-school
My reasons for home-schooling are many and varied. I watched while the system killed my children's creativity, their love of learning. I watched my middle child struggle with reading, while her self-esteem eroded. Watched Helplessly, not knowing, that there was any alternative (at least not within my reach). Most importantly I found John Holt. This man reminded me how it felt to be a child, and more importantly, a child in that system. He reminded me of my own struggles to maintain my identity, while the system tried to grind it to mush.
Pagan Possibilities In Home-schooling
Very soon after we started home-schooling, I realized that a new world of possibilities had opened up for me and my kids. I saw the opportunity to educate them in an environment that was very pagan oriented. Especially when it came to the natural world. In school they were taught the somewhat common world view that nature is subservient to man. Environmentalism is fine where it is beneficial to man. I don't know about you but I feel that trees should be saved because they are magnificent living creatures and children of the Lord and Lady, not because we want to have natural spaces to visit. I saw the chance to hold my holidays when they occur, without my children missing a day of school. I could re-enforce our holidays with activities and craft projects that were relevant, and incorporate it into our regular schooling. My children no longer had to feel different, or left out of holiday or religious events at school.
On Finding A Support Network!
The theory was fine, but when we started out we were walking a new path with no guide posts,and that can be a very frightening thing. I looked around for guidance and there wasn't much. In fact I found a breed of rabid Fundamentalist home-schooler, that was enough to make any Pagan who valued their skin run for the broom-closet double-quick. In Canada especially the Pagan Home-schooler is a rare bird indeed! Resourses are scarce, support groups almost none-existant. So I decided to create one. We are still small and most of us pretty green, but together I hope we can forge a path through Tangled undergrowth of our educational systems.
