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How do you know the kids know what they need to know?
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I am a really laidback mom, when we started homeschooling I knew I did not want to use some box curriculum and I didn’t want to overwhelm myself. I like to keep things as simple as possible.
However, recently a friend gave me copies of two “What your first grader/what your 3rd grder needs to know” books and reading through then I feel overwhelmed! I love using CM methods and I have not tested my children, but do you use exams or anything like the books I mentioned to be sure your children are on track and aren’t missing anything?
Not every child learns at the same pace or in the same way. Having a child with dyslexia has taught me a lot and really changed my approach to schooling. School is not ‘one size fits all’. So many people have that misconception and think that, even in high school, they need to complete certain courses to be able to graduate. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can choose what and how you want to teach your child. I say ‘quit reading those books’.
Simplicity has been the topic of discussion lately, and that is the path that we have been on, and I am finally seeing some progress. I know our situation is out of the norm, but then, what is normal? I second what psreit says, ” what is normal” today my son was evaluated here in PA , the evaluator does the Peabody testing,orally. One section is trying to gauge their awareness of the community around them . One of the questions asked was, if you need to buy stamps to mail letters where do you go to buy them, reply was post office, the. He was asked where do you go to buy medicine, he said health food store, he was not wrong b/c we are alternative in our medicinal approach so do make purchases at a health food store. On a more serious not he was shown given a sentence with the word dog in it, then shown on a chart 4 spellings of that word and he was to select the correct one, he chose the wrong spelling, and continued to make many wrong selections for other spelling words. The test was very deceiving if you will, my son has never used a spelling program, but is an above average speller, by showing him alternative , phonetically correct spellings of the word he could choose any of them and they would be right. Had she given him a pencil and paper and asked him to write dog, he would of done it correctly, but that method confused him, and after seeing his writing samples in his portfolio done from dictation only, she could see spelling is not an issue for him. Many years ago , one of our older children then took the state regents exam in algebra, he scored in the mid 70 s, which you only needed a 55 for passing. I was upset with his low score, he had produced nothing less all year at home than a 90, so I made an appt with the school who had done testing, and they thought I was being absurd since he had passed, but they accommodated me and what we found why he scored lower than his capability was , in one part of the exam they had graded for the answer and then they graded for the work shown, he would get the answer right but how he got the answer was marked wrong, now mind you it was marked wrong b/c they didn’t teach it that way in the school or throughout that state as the way to solve it. Imagine that! I never allowed him to take another regent exam after that. I hope this Enables you to see much curricula and testing is contrived and arbitrary and isn’t necessarily representative of true wisdom…
HTH kk
My approach is to think more about what my children will need to know when they are 16 or 26 or 56. They need to have basic skills, primarily being able to read with comprehension, able to use math to wisely manage finances and do other tasks in life, and able to run a household. They need to be able to learn or find out anything they need to know for whatever profession, activity, or task they choose or need to do. They need to be able to think critically so that they can make good decisions and not be influenced by the marketers, media, and prevaling opinions from others. They need to know how to work – to put forth effort to achieve something worthwhile, even if the task is difficult and unpleasant.
There are, of course, other things I could add, but you get the idea. I don’t think that any specific content or facts or information are NECESSARY in and of themselves. Certainly, there are very few things I can think of that a 1st grader or 3rd grader NEEDS to know. An older student might NEED to know certain subjects and information to progress towards whatever post secondary education or life path they choose, but what one 16 year old needs to know might be very different from another 16 year old. It is definitely beneficial to have exposure to a wide range of ideas and topics, which is why I love a CM approach. The ages at which specific things are learned, however, is fairly unimportant to me. As long as you know how to learn what you need to know, you can learn it when you actually need to know it.
That is my dilemma. My kids learn a lot each year, but is it what the standardized tests expect them to know? My 12YO could give you a nice overview of world history, but he might not be able to pick out a past pariciple on a standardized test. My 8YO did Chemistry with my older son this year, so his science skills may not exactly match-up with those of a second grader in the public school.
Per NH law, I either have to do a portfolio review or have the kids do testing. Part of me would like to know how they would do on the test, but another part of me doesn’t even want to know.
I find the “What Your…Needs to Know” books overwhelming, too. I skimmed a few of those when I started homeschooling and they left me saying “but why??”
Thanks for all your replies ladies, I am thinking I am going to get rid of the books 🙂
In my state there are pretty much zero requirements for us homeschoolers so I truly don’t know what would happen if my kids had to be tested, but I believe they are where they need to be, even if they are behind or beyond on certain subjects, I think that’s pretty normal.
Also, certain topics in the books I don’t feel need to be taught to my first grader, like all world religions. Later maybe, but I didn’t think that we something to cover now. Are any of you covering world religions with elementary students?
We study other religions as they come up in history and a book is suggested. In natural conversation a specific religion will be discussed as it comes up. Geography brings up religious beliefs too.
I didn’t like those books because its just an overview really of what someone decides a 1st or 2nd or 3rd grader should know. My kids have to be tested by our local public school so that they can take gym or art or music class there, and I could have told you what the results were beforehand because I know my kids best and what they are behind in or excelling in. Remember you can’t cover every single thing.
Sonya recently wrote a really good blog post that seems to relate to this discussion…http://simplycharlottemason.com/2014/04/16/dont-know/ I found it encouraging!
Simplicity has been the topic of discussion lately, and that is the path that we have been on, and I am finally seeing some progress. I know our situation is out of the norm, but then, what is normal? 
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