Marta Darby: Homeschooling is Not for Everyone

The following post is a contribution by Marta Darby, who blogs at My Big Fat Cuban Family and Babalú blog on everything related to her Latina life...

Homeschooling is a loaded topic!

My husband and I did not reach the decision quickly or easily. To decide to homeschool your kids is to make a lifestyle decision. Both parents need to be on board if you're going to be successful. I had homeschooled my two older kids for a few years in the early 90's. I had been a single parent for a few years and when I got remarried and had my third child, I was anxious to reconnect with my kids. Working and sending them off to school had made us a busy, but disjointed little family unit. So I brought them home to commence their education. While Spanish is my first language, my husband and I both speak English primarily at home, so their education has been completely in English.

There are as many ways to homeschool as there are families, but I can share a bit of our homeschool journey. I began by reading, reading, reading. I knew I did NOT want to just replicate school at home. And I knew I wanted to focus on educating, not "schooling." One of the books/methods that impacted me the most was The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. It gave me the map I needed to follow to provide my kids with the best education possible. It's a language intensive program of classical education that helped me train them to read, think (!), to understand things and to be curious. The biggest thing is that I taught them to "learn how to learn," which is the greatest skill they'll need to succeed in life.

When we first began homeschooling, we were looked on as radicals.

The first reaction I usually got when someone found out that we were homeschooling was "I could never do that." I couldn't help but wonder, "why not?" I can't remember one positive comment about our decision. In fact, we faced quite a bit of hostility. We felt we were constantly being judged and my kids were scrutinized. Were they learning what their peers are learning? The simple answer was no, they weren't. We were learning history in chronological order. We were reading real books: biographies, historical accounts. When possible, we used Jackdaws (http://www.jackdaw.com), or primary source materials. We didn't use any textbooks. I took complete responsibility for their education and developed my own curriculum. I know. Radical, right?

We also chose not to have television. That is, while we own a tv, we don't get any outside programming. The kids do watch movies, in fact, we have a weekly movie night where we play classic movies on a giant screen in our back yard for friends and neighbors, which is great fun. Early on, my husband and I determined that we, not the dominant kid-culture-as-seen-on-tv would be the primary influences in our children's lives. Another radical decision. We do have season tickets to the local performing arts center and regularly attend live shows and concerts. We have passes to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park and the Science Discovery Center. There's so much to see and do and learn in the world. We taught our kids that there's no reason for them to ever be bored.

In South Orange County, California, where we live the Department of Education has what they call the Community Home Education Program (CHEP - http://chep.ocde.us). In other words, it was like the public school for homeschoolers. We decided early on not to file our own school affidavit as long as we could homeschool in the manner that best suited us. By going through CHEP we got the benefit of outside classes, Art, French, Spanish, Algebra, Science, English Composition - quite a broad spectrum. We could choose whether or not to to participate depending on our personal interests and schedule. Each month I turned in work samples and lesson plans to a Master Teacher who kept our cumulative files and had someone with whom I could discuss any challenges we were having. She was a wonderful resource through all these years and is now a trusted friend.

Our favorite class was Drama. The kids met once a week to learn stage directions, blocking, songs and choreography. The parent volunteers filled in as Costume and Set Designers (me!), Prop Masters and Backstage Hands. As a natural offshoot of drama, I began hosting a group of 12 kids in our home once a week and had my older son (24) teach them improvisation games. We have been meeting weekly now for the past 3 years. We always feed them and many times their parents and younger siblings join us. Between CHEP classes, drama and improv, I never give "socialization" a second thought.

One of the biggest challenges I had when we began was that my son, Jonathan, was having trouble decoding words. He was a squirmy first grader and even though he loved to be read to, he didn't show much interest in learning to read himself. After doing some research, we invested in a trampoline and signed him up for gymnastics classes. That sounds crazy, no? We learned that the hemispheres in his brain were not making the cross-over needed for decoding to happen. We stopped doing any formal schooling for a while and just read aloud to him regularly and had him "bounce" every day. Within weeks of making this adjustment our bouncy boy was reading on his own. I don't think he would have fared very well if he was struggling in a regular school setting during this adjustment. The trampoline also served the purpose of helping us get our physical education in each day and ours soon became the most popular house in the neighborhood. Win!

I mentioned earlier that we didn't have much positive reinforcement when we began this homeschooling adventure, but now it's been eight years and our kids have grown. The people who know us and know our children are impressed by how charming and articulate they are. As teenagers now (17 and 14) they can look you in the eye and are comfortable discussing just about any subject. They are relaxed and fun to be with. Lucy and Jonathan are both self-taught musicians. Lucy wants to be a writer and Jonathan wants to be a film-maker. These past eight years of homeschool training, has made them confident and comfortable in their own skin and they've learned how to move towards their goals.

I know that homeschooling is not for everyone. 

But if you're a mom who is thinking about homeschooling your children, and your husband is in agreement, then I strongly encourage you to give it a try. The sacrifices and the time invested in those young lives are worth it. In fact, we are convinced that our homeschooling experiment has been a great success! We have raised four wonderful independent thinkers. They are comfortable in just about every situation. And we, as their parents, really KNOW them. They are not dependent on their peers and we have never, ever heard them utter the words, "I'm bored."

---------------------------------------

 

Marta Darby is an avid blogger, business owner, Cuban cook, graphic designer, scrapbooker, photographer and homemaker. She was born in Havana and left Cuba with her family when she was 5 years old. She likes to tell anecdotes and stories about her family (all 40 of them!), her passions (dulce de leche and red lipstick), and especially being Cuban. She is happily married to her fabulous gringo husband, Eric, and lives with him and their four children in a tiny house with a white picket fence.

Will Your School Year Be Like a Diego Rivera Mural?

Diego Rivera's mural at the Diego Rivera Theater in San Francisco.

Yesterday was our official first day of school.

In preparation, I spent the weekend pouring over lesson manuals and teacher guides, jotting down notes, reorganizing the school cabinet, sharpening pencils, stacking paper, and making a list of supplies that I still needed.

But I also spent some time in the last few weeks pondering how we were going to make this day special. I think it is really important for us as families to make our own traditions and celebrate milestones – even if they are just mini-celebrations.

So yesterday morning, after I was awakened by an excited pair of eyes and some (not so) smothered giggles, I got up and made one of her favorites: homemade French toast. Then she ran upstairs to pick out a nice outfit so that we could take her picture for her school album.

And just before we officially started school, I presented her with a little gift for her first day. Just a new backpack and a few school supplies that included a color-it-yourself pencil bag.

Nothing exceptionally fancy, but enough of a celebration for us to kick off the school year on a good note. A small fiesta for her to remember once she is grown.

I want the idea of starting school to be exciting, not burdensome. The coming year for us is like an enormous chalkboard that is sitting quietly just waiting for someone to walk by and pick up one of the colorful pieces of chalk sitting in a nearby bucket. We are embarking on a fantastic journey of discovery and growth. And just like one of Diego Rivera’s incredible murals, I want our chalkboard to be filled from top to bottom and side to side with bold, beautiful strokes depicting all the things we have seen and learned.

There will be times when Frustration and Impatience rear their ugly little heads, but I hope that for the most part our year will be exciting, fun, and productive. I’m going to work harder to incorporate more activities to engage my little learner and am working out our schedule to include three new extra-curricular activities: music class, sports, and 4-H. Hopefully we won’t over do things, but my main goal is to remain flexible, so if we do, we’ll just re-evaluate and change whatever needs changing.

¿Y tú? How are you celebrating the beginning of a school year? Whether you homeschool or not, how do you get your kids to look forward to school?



Did you enjoy this article? Are you thinking about homeschooling your child? Let me help! My book - The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling - covers everything you see here and more. 

Inspiring Latinos Your Children Should Know

As a Latina mom, it upsets me that history books rarely discuss Latinos who have had an impact on our society. In fact, when I set out to research this for my own children, I was surprised at how many I knew nothing about. I have talked a number of times on Mi Cielito Lindo about the crisis that young Latinos and Latinas are experiencing in this country. They are in desperate need of inspiration and guidance. They are bombarded daily by media images that insist that Latinas must be sexy and wanton, which conflicts with their family’s more conservative values. One of the major factors identified in the success of young Latinas is their relationship with their mother: Latinitas with mamís that listen – even if they don’t agree – are far more likely to succeed and grow up to be healthy and happy adults.

A recent study by researchers at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill has shown that "Latino adolescents in the U.S. who maintain ties to their culture of origin are more likely to develop healthy behaviors than their peers who do not. Latino adolescents with a strong awareness of their family’s culture reported higher self-esteem, fewer social problems and less hopelessness, aggression and substance abuse."

So the question is: How do we engender in our children a respect and pride for our culture? Wow. This could take a LONG time to discuss. I think that it is never too early to show our children the beauty of our Latino culture. Exposing them to the elements of our heritage includes the language, food, dance, music, and HISTORY. Which brings me to the point of this particular post: It is so important to give our children role models with whom they can relate. There are so many inspirational Latinos out there that I could start an entire blog simply featuring them. (Hmmmm….) But for now, I thought I would share with you some of the stories and on-line resources for learning more about significant figures in our cultures. Here are a few that I thought would be great to get you started on the track of exposing your children to positive Latino role models. Some are well known, while others are not. But either way, their stories are moving and inspiring.

Gabriela Mistral - The Chilean-born poet who began teaching at the young age of 15 and subsequently traveled all over the world in an effort to improve schools. She was inspired by her travels and wrote many stories during this time. Gabriela Mistral is her nom de plume. She was actually born Lucila de María del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga – Whew! Mistral is a wonderful role model for young children because she was so passionate about learning and writing. She is noted for the many contributions she made to the education system of Latin America. Mistral finally received the recognition she so richly deserved in 1945 when she became the first Latin American writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. A prolific writer, she published more than 30 collections of poetry during her lifetime.

My Name is Gabriela/Me llamo Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Mistral/la vida de Gabriela Mistral (aff) by Monica Brown

Nobel Prize Biographies

Poet Seers: Gabriela Mistral

Ninth Grade Language Arts Lesson Plan

César Chávez –Mexican American farm worker and founder of the United Farm Workers. This civil rights activist fought for the rights of migrant workers, including better pay and safer working conditions. He is noted for his nonviolent outlook and protests including strikes, pickets, fasting and a 300+ mile march. Though he never earned more than 5,000 a year in his life, he is remembered by millions for his determination to bring recognition and dignity to farm workers.

For more information about César Chávez, check out these books & websites:

The Cesar E Chavez Foundation

Las Culturas: The Story of Cesar Chavez

Celebrate Cesar Chavez Day Lesson Plans on Reach Every Child


Cesar Chavez Lesson Plan and Worksheet on Scholastic







Celia Cruz – Cuban "Queen of Salsa." Originally studied to become a literature teacher, only to interrupt her studies to pursue singing opportunities that eventually led to stardom. She has become beloved by generations all over the world for her operatic voice, flamboyant costumes and intimate relation to the music of Salsa.

For more information about Celia Cruz, check out these books & websites:

Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz by Monica Brown

Celia: Mi Vida (Spanish Edition) by Celia Cruz and Ana Cristina Reymundo

Biggest Stars: Celia Cruz

Lots of resources (lesson plans and more) related to Celia on Monica Brown's website.

Roberto Clemente – Puerto Rican baseball legend who transcended his reputation as a professional athlete to humanitarian and philanthropist. He is remembered for his efforts towards the recognition of his fellow Latino baseball players and for helping people in need across the United States and Central America. Clemente also held free baseball clinics for children in his homeland and created programs to help disadvantaged youth develop athletic skills and prevent illegal drug use. Clemente died in a plane crash while attempting to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

For more information about Roberto Clemente, check out these books & websites:

Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente

American Experience: Roberto Clemente

Lesson Plans from the Smithsonian


Teacher's Guide from Parade Classroom

Weekend Links: From School Starts to Dora the Explorer

School Starts Tomorrow!! :: Montessori Spanish

Famous Homeschoolers :: The Pioneer Woman

Homeschool Traditions :: The Happy Housewife

Homeschool Organization: GIVEAWAY :: Waddlee-ah-chaa (The giveaway is over, but this post has some great ideas for organizing in a small space!)

'Dora the Explorer' turns 10 as model for pre-K girls :: USA Today (Wow! I learned a some surprising stuff about the educational aspect of Dora's episodes...)

Blending Families and Cultures Through Latino Children's Literature

If you aren't already a fan of our sister site, the Latin Baby Book Club, then head on over there para hecharle un ojo at what they've got going on. The LBBC was created for bilingual familias that are looking for bilingual and bicultural books for their children. In addition to reviewing Latino children's literature, the LBBC also features guest posts by distinguished authors and illustrators, along with the occasional giveaway.

In fact, today is the last day for your chance to win a signed copy of author René Colato Laínez's book, The Tooth Fairy Meets el Ratón Pérez. My daughter recently lost her first tooth, and as soon as we realized it was loose, we read this beautifully written and illustrated book. It gave us the opportunity to once again compare the traditions of other cultures with the one here in America. We were able to discuss both the differences and similarities in children and families. And I was able to emphasize one more time how incredibly special she was to be able to enjoy both her Latin heritage as well as her American one.

I also loved this book because it teaches a great lesson on cooperation and team work. I think a lot of our world leaders could benefit from reading about la hada and el ratoncito!

For many of us in America, it is sometimes easier to simply shrug off the beliefs and traditions of our abuelitos. But how sad that would be to deny our children the chance to better understand their own family history. How much richer will their lives be if we give them the opportunity to celebrate the vibrant spirit of their ancestors and to understand that there are many ways to achieve a single goal? For us to raise globally aware children who care about their communities and strive to improve this world that we live in, it is up to us as parents to nurture their imaginations and adventurous spirits.

And don't forget that today is your last day to sign up to win an adventure prize pack that is just perfect for your estudiante especial! 

Con mucho cariño...

New Complete Montessori Homeschool Curriculum Now Available

Many Latinas who homeschool have chosen to use the Montessori method. You can find some of their blogs in the sidebar. So for those of you who are starting to homeschool and are seriously considering using this method, here is an awesome resource that I have stumbled across.

The North American Montessori Center (NAMC) has just created and released a program specifically for homeschoolers. This THREE YEAR  program is designed for children ages 3 - 6, and provides you with everything you need to set up and put into practice a three-year homeschool educational program for your child. It is designed to meet the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development needs of your child. The program includes:

• A How-To Teach Montessori at Home Guide
• Montessori Materials
• Curriculum
• Blackline Masters CD
• On-line Access to the Member's Area, which provides support and additional activities among other things.

Between now and Sept 30th, the program is available for $999.00. After Sept 30th, it goes up to $1,249.00. This may seem like a lot, but considering that you are getting THREE years of curriculum, it sounds like a great deal. I paid almost $700 just for my Kindergarten curriculum (and sí it was worth it) from an accredited company.

Keep in mind that this is a new program. I have not used it myself and do not know what kind of quality we are talking about. They sound like a respected company, but I could not find any testimonials, which is to be expected since they have just launched. You can, however, view samples of the curriculum, materials and ways to set up your Montessori classroom at home. The course is divided into two curricula. The first curriculum manual focuses on three key Montessori curriculums: Practical Life, Sensorial, and Culture and Science and the second focuses on the academic curriculum areas of Language Arts and Mathematics.


The website is VERY thorough and if you have any questions, you can call the phone number to reach their customer service, which is prominently displayed on each page. To learn more about this program, check out their website.

I think if I were to do things over again, I would certainly give Montessori a second look and some serious thought. If any of you choose to purchase this program, I would love to hear your thoughts about it. For those of you who are already homeschooling using the Montessori method, what do you think of it? Is it too expensive or do you wish something like this had been available when you started?

Con mucho cariño...

Cangrejos!

Within the next few weeks most children will be starting back to school – be it at home or in a classroom. So along with the rest of the world, we tried to squeeze in one last mini-vacation while los abuelitos were here visiting.

We spent this weekend en la playa, dodging waves, finding seashells, and trying to empty the sand from our pockets - and shoes, and underwear, and hair!

Our summer lessons on la playa worked their way into our conversations, but the most popular one proved to be el cangrejo!

If you, like me, have never been crabbing along the beach at night, you have no idea what you’re missing. My husband decided to sneak in a little educational activity while we were cavorting at the seashore. Armed with flashlights, buckets and a pair of leather gloves, we paraded onto the beach and proceeded to have one of the most fun evenings of our lives. Dodging las medusas (jellyfish) that had washed ashore, we eagerly searched for crabs with the beams of our flashlights. And amid shouts of “CANGREJO!!” we stumbled and pounced around in the sand chasing crabs of varying sizes before they zipped back into their holes or out to sea.

The highlight of our night was when we caught this beautiful blue crab (un cangrejo azul) …

It was so much fun to examine these fantastic little creatures and snap a few pictures before letting them go! We took advantage of the opportunity to count the number of legs they had, examine their odd little eyes, and to talk about their exoskeleton.

Here are a few on-line lessons on crabs in English and in Spanish for younger children.

I wonder, dear readers, how are you spending these last days of summer?


Con mucho cariño…

Weekend Links: Emotions to Organizing

Teaching Children How To Handle Their Emotions: As Simple As PIE :: Simple Kids

How Bilingual Children Play :: My Bilingual Boys

Sandía Paletas :: Culture Mami

Libro del Mes: Niño's Mask :: Latin Baby Book Club

Are You a Good Enough Teacher? :: Simple Homeschool

Lotería: Game Night! :: Montessori Spanish

Quick Click: 6 Ways to Get Organized for Back to School :: Scholastic Parents (Several of these helpful suggestions can be modified for homeschooling families.)

Win an Adventure Prize Pack from Nature Valley

For my family, science and reading are a top priority. This is mainly because my husband and I both met while working in the zoo field. (Enough with the jokes.) Anyway, after 12 years of working at a zoo in Texas, I left my job with the birth of my first child. We have since moved, but my husband now works at the world’s largest waterfowl park in North Carolina. So needless to say, my kids get a LOT of science lessons – whether they realize it or not.

We also have an incredible home library with rows upon rows of books about animals, nature, biology, conservation, and field guides. Need a field guide on the bats of Papua New Guinea? Got it. Or how about one on the birds of Venezuela? A guide to the reptiles and amphibians of the Smokies? Or maybe the birds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Sí. Sí. And yes.

These last two came in handy this summer when we went camping in the Smokies. It was a quick trip – only two nights – but that was good enough to get the kids really excited. Going on nature hikes proved to be the most exciting part of the trip for all of us, as the kids had gotten it into their heads that they wanted to search for salamanders. And amazingly, we did find them. Híjole did we find them!

Our family actually tries to go camping every summer. Most of the time we camp in a State or National Park. If you’ve never experienced this before, you would not believe how much fun it is! There is so much to see and do and learn. Every kid should – in my humble opinion – have this opportunity to explore and discover. This is the best way to really bring science to life and make learning about our natural world FUN.

¿Qué dices? You’re not into roughing it? Don’t worry. Many parks offer campgrounds with RV hook-ups and restrooms and/or bathhouses. Some of the National Parks even have cabins and luxurious hotels! (Now that’s what I’m talking about!)

But our national treasures do need to be taken care of and supported. Especially in recent years, since economic depression and environmental problems like pollution and climate change have begun to take their toll.

So my kids and I have embarked on a new project that not only teaches them about recycling, social responsibility and community action, it also directly benefits our National Park system. We are joining Nature Valley® and Patricia Shultz (author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die) in their quest to help the National Parks Project with its restorative work at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Biscayne National Parks.

We encourage your family to start the school year off with an easy project. We are buying specially marked boxes of Nature Valley Bars - which are 100% natural AND are fabulously healthy for you AND sabrosos, too! – then we save our wrappers and mail them back in to the address below:

National Parks Project
PO Box 450328
El Paso, TX 88545-0328

Simple, no?

Nature Valley will not only recycle the wrappers, but will also contribute $0.10 to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) for every wrapper received (up to $600,000 in total). To learn more about the National Parks Project and how you can make a difference, check out PreservetheParks.com


THE GIVEAWAY:

To help you get your kids in the spirit of adventure, Nature Valley has kindly agreed to offer one of you a “prize pack,” which includes a mini backpack; a military grade compass; a solar-powered, key chain flash light; a reusable water bottle and a copy of Patricia Shultz’s 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List. (Can you say, “Aventura?”)

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY, simply leave a comment below telling me which National Park your family would most like to visit someday and why. (We totally want to visit the Grand Canyon for the amazing landscape and wildlife that it has!)

For additional entries, you can also:

• Join our Facebook page

• tweet the following: Enter to win an adventure prize pack from @latinmami. Ends 8/12. http://www.mommymaestra.com #giveaway #contest #myblogspark

• Subscribe via rss reader or email

• Blog about this contest


All entries must be in by Thursday, August 12th at 11:59 pm EST. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

¡Buenas suerte!


Disclosure: The Nature Valley products received, information, and giveaway were all provided by Nature Valley through MyBlogSpark, but the opinions expressed above are completamente my own.

This giveaway is now closed.

Scholastic Continues to Support Bilingual Educators

Scholastic Inc. really does remain one of my favorite companies for educational material. I have to stand up and applaud them, because not only do they produce excellent materials in English, but they also strongly support bilingual education.

One of my favorite sites is their Hispanic Heritage section, which includes a description of Hispanic history in the Americas, and biographical information on famous and historical Latinos. It also features a teacher's guide and activities, such as this Toma Todo game from Mexico.

Most recently they have created a bilingual newsletter with links to resources and activities for bilingual families and teachers. Teachers can also subscribe to any of their classroom magazines, some of which are also available in Spanish.

Homeschooling in a Bilingual Home

The following post is a contribution by Silvia Cachia, who is raising her two beautiful daughters in Spanish, knowing that teaching them in their native language will only strengthen their mastery of another. Silvia is currently taking a sabbatical from her blogging, but both remain available for you to explore and reference...


When I started blogging and had to decide on a title, HOMESCHOOLING IN A BILINGUAL HOME was the one which best described what I had embarked to do with my girls. Although I have written about our family, beliefs, our thoughts about curriculum, our influences and principles that we hold for the girls’ education, I do not think I have talked much about how our bilingualism determines, shapes, enriches and challenges our homeschooling.

I have read many books that deal with bilingualism since my days at the university and teaching, but my most valuable observations are the informal ones I've had of children and people (students, friends, family members) who speak Spanish and English in varying degrees in their day to day life; like my friends who are immigrants or have another language and culture in their life. The years I’ve spent raising my daughters in a family with two active languages, English and Spanish, and with Italian and Maltese, both spoken by my husband, have also provided me with some experiences and observations I'd like to share with you.

Often I believe we take bilingualism for granted at home. To me, there is no boast in speaking Spanish. I lived in Madrid for 27 years, and learned English when I was little. My listening and speaking skills were not very good, but coming to live and work in Texas took care of that fast, and dating a wonderful man with whom I had to speak in English took care of it even faster. My husband speaks three languages proficiently and he has conversational Spanish. We speak English at home with him, but I speak Spanish to the girls when I'm alone with them and sometimes a bit in public, but I try not to appear as impolite or rude. Once, around acquaintances, I addressed my girls in Spanish while at the food line and was scorned by someone who I don't believe meant to insult, but who felt threatened by someone speaking in an unknown language. I try not to take offense because being a first generation immigrant (despite the fact that I am and feel a citizen of this exceptional country), I'm very conscious of the effort we should all make to adjust and become part of our new embraced country. My husband feels this way, and our girls are not only Americans, but GRITS (Girls Raised In The South ;-)

Back to BILINGUALISM. We have all heard the “one parent, one language” saying. That is very true. If you can have that situation, children will normally learn both languages, their dominant language being the one they are surrounded by and which they practice more. But both languages will eventually be very well learned, especially if you homeschool, since sending them to school in just one language will drastically cut the exposure time to the second language. If parents both speak the minority language at home, and children go to schools in the dominant language, they have also a good chance of being bilingual. However, I've noticed that how much they can acquire or maintain both languages depends on how proficient and consistent the parents are or try to be in both languages.

It can be the case for those whose native language is other than English and live in the States, to feel like they are not qualified to teach their children at home. They think their accent and lack of knowledge in general on how to teach will not make it possible for them to educate their children successfully. Bear in mind that many mothers or parents born and raised in the States feel the same lack of ability to teach their children at home. We know that parents without a college degree can successfully homeschool their children, but many times not having the degree affects our self esteem and makes us believe we are not fit for the task.

In many cases like ours, neither my husband nor I knew that homeschooling even existed. Homeschooling is a relatively common thing for Americans, there have always been those who chose this, with a boom in the past years that is making this alternative as common as mainstream, especially in Texas where we live. For us, though, it was a progression of thought. First our child or children (if we had them as we wanted to) would be in a regular class so that they'd learn perfect English, then they'd be in a bilingual or dual class, so that they could learn English and maintain their Spanish that I planned to teach them as much as I could before they started school. By the time I was pregnant with my firstborn, they'd be homeschooled! It took us some time to believe that homeschooling is not something some weird parents who wanted to raise their children in a bubble chose to do.

Many families with only one language understand the advantages of learning a different one. Once we decided to homeschool I read many general books on how to do this. At the time I read some books based on Charlotte Mason and her own writings. I left those books aside for a while and when I started to blog I kept researching and learning more about her and knew that this was the type of homeschooling I wanted for my family. I read "When Children Love to Learn" and that became the compass that I've never veered away from. Charlotte Mason wrote about children learning another language (French) and in another post or somewhere in the Internet, I'm sure you can read about how she advised us to proceed with this. Actually, that's the way I'd like to introduce an additional language to my girls, because Spanish is not a foreign language we are learning, rather it is more of a second 'mother tongue'. For those families who don't have a person who can bring a different language to their children, I believe there are great resources to learn languages, therefore there is no reason to despair or believe we are at a disadvantage. As advantageous as languages can be, I do not agree that one needs to give formal lessons to young children, I don't think they'll remember. It was my case. My parents signed me up in an academy when I was in first grade, after school, to learn English, and the only things I remember is disliking having so much homework; of being called to speak up and then being embarrassed when the answer was wrong (which happened all the time); and that one day one of the girls in class came with her mouth and teeth stained with blue ink, because she had had some procedure done at the dentist! I remember, by contrast, that when we were filling in the blanks in a Police song in high school, how the motivation to learn and be able to sing the song we liked properly kept us working on the grammar and vocabulary.

When a language is learned from birth, it is processed differently than it is as a grown up. My daughters have been learning two languages, but the process for those is the same. And that's good! That means they won't have an accent in either language. However, their literacy development in those languages is not necessarily going to be very impressive unless they keep reading and writing in both languages in their future. If you ask ME, I’d rather have an accent but be able to read and write in English as I do in Spanish, than to have no accent but nothing interesting to say in either. And literacy and proficiency in a different language can be acquired at any age.

For all monolingual families who homeschool (monolingual sounds horrible, but I don't know of a different way to say it), if your children have a love for learning and you do too, it's very likely they will want to learn another language. So many moms are teaching their children German or French. Or children learn with a tutor when they have the interest to learn a different language. If they live in other countries they will learn the language spoken there while being homeschooled less traumatically than they will do in other settings. There is no need to panic if they don't speak three languages, practice five sports, or play ten instruments. Having awareness of other cultures and people sets the basis for learning a language when life requires it.

And in your homeschooling days, incorporating other languages through songs, friends, programs, classes, tutors, etc. will keep that door always open.

Sometimes the best way of learning a second or third language is to know your first language very well. The degree of literacy you posses in your mother tongue will transfer. You'll always push yourself to be as good in the language you are learning as you are in the language you know. I'm a reader and an aspiring writer in Spanish, once I learned English it was just as a natural transition to want to become that reader and writer in English. Thirteen years after I came to the States, I can proudly say I'm reading Great Expectations in the original, but I couldn't do so the first year.

Knowing advanced calculus might be impressive and important if your interests are on a career or field that requires it. Knowing many languages can help you in life, especially if you live in a country different than where you were born, or even in your own if there is a lot of people who speak other languages. And trust me, if you fall in love with someone you need to know another language to understand, you will learn that language in a record time! If you are a missionary in another place you'll learn too. My friend David Raif went to Guatemala not knowing Spanish, but now he can read, write, understand and speak it.

Whether you know a lot or little, practice and learn more. Use what you know, then pick an easy book in a different language, or with some words in another language, and read it to your children. Make friends with someone who speaks a different language, and ask her if she doesn't mind saying some phrases, words, or even reading books in her language to your children at play dates. And if you are in a co op with a mom who is a native in a different language, plan informal activities for the young or more formal and fun classes for the older ones. Reading books about other places, cultures, and books that are wholesome, will ignite children’s curiosity and most likely they'll want to learn more about that culture - language included. My daughters have had an on an off fascination with Asian cultures, especially China, and they have learned some words that they've seen in books and others by watching Kaylan on the computer. Cartoons (not in excess) are good motivators for children, but remember that no matter how good the CD, program, tape, book, etc. nothing is as good as a parent. If we are the curriculum, when it comes to a second language spoken by the parent that's even truer.

Thank you, Monica, for asking me for the interview. I've been entertaining the idea of writing a book for some time now, and it may be something I'll eventually do since I see there is an audience for this topics of bilingualism in the homeschooling home. So please, feel free to leave your comments and suggestions, I appreciate them very much.

Six Qualities That Help You to Be a Successful Homeschooler

photo by laffy4k

Here are just a few of the qualities that I have discovered this past year, which I feel are probably necessary for most homeschooling families to be successful. Feel free to add to this list!

Organization

Creating learning opportunities and keeping track of lessons - not to mention all of the books, manipulatives, art and school supplies – does require some semblance of organization on your part. Fortunately, there are many homeschoolers in the blogosphere that are willing to help you out by sharing some of their best organization secrets!

Flexibility

Although your job is to guide and manage your child’s education, ultimately, your child will dictate the direction that your schooling will go. Learning styles, mood, sickness, interest level and much more will often throw a monkey wrench into your best laid plans, as will outside influences such as other family members, neighbors, friends, and business. In other words, LIFE. Your best bet is to roll with the punches and take advantage of unexpected opportunities to help your child learn some incredible life lessons along the way.

Creativity/Ingenuity

There is almost always more than one way to accomplish (or learn!) something. And when you hit a stumbling block, sometimes you have to let your imagination come to the rescue! Maybe your daughter is having trouble learning how to tell time. Maybe she is bored by the material. So you decide to have her make her own clock and you come up with a game to help her learn. Or maybe your son is having trouble with his sight words. So you create a board game to make learning them more fun. Or you start an incredible art project, only to discover you are missing one of the materials needed to finish it. No worries, a substitution will do! Bilingual homeschoolers will probably have to rely a great deal on their ability to translate so that they may tailor lessons in the majority language. Your creativity and ingenuity will be challenged frequently along the way. Homeschooling is a great way to develop these skills!

Patience

It’s not easy to maintain your patience when you have an idea in you head of all the things you’d like to accomplish on any given day and your child simply can’t – or won’t - cooperate. Or when your child is having a really hard time understanding a concept that seems so incredibly easy to you. But having patience will take you a LONG way towards not only helping your child learn, but also towards building your child’s confidence in himself.

Curiosity

If I am bored with what I am teaching, chances are my child will pick up on it and she will be bored, too. Try to keep in mind that the goal is not how much you teach your child, but rather to nurture their own curiosity and develop their love of learning. The best way to do this is to model these attributes yourself. Try to look at the world through your child’s eyes and find the mystery and beauty in everything around you. Homeschooling also provides us with a second chance to learn the things we missed (or dismissed) when we were younger. Yay!

Dedication

Homeschooling requires a firm commitment on our part as teachers. We must agree to learn about our children so that we understand the best way to teach them. We have to find the subjects/lessons/activities/projects that will capture our child’s attention and provide them with a firm foundation for success later in life. We must be willing and able to implement some sort of learning routine in their lives. For those of you who are bilingual homeschooling, this means dedicating the time to find lessons in your language of choice. In short, we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to our children’s education, which is something we should all do regardless of whether or not we are homeschooling.

Con mucho cariño…

Did you enjoy this article? Are you thinking about homeschooling your child? Let me help! My book - The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling - covers everything you see here and more.