Philosophy vs Prejudice (vs Practical Application)

Time for that promised post on curriculum, if only to sort out and air my own thoughts.

Homeschooling is becoming a mental tangle for me. I have an educational philosophy, some deep-seated educational prejudices, and a certain housekeeping style, and they're all in conflict at the moment.

Philosophy: perhaps nothing more than a series of related but somewhat disconnected ideas, my philosophy centers around a single point: you can't make a child learn something they don't want to know. If the child somehow manages to remember long enough to pass the quiz, if the subject truly holds no interest, she will forget as soon as is convenient. Forcing "knowledge" on a child, at best, is a waste of time. At worst, it's a great evil, as it can sour the entire subject, or worse, the whole learning experience.

Learning is not a passive experience. Education is about the forming of a disciplined mind that knows how to find the knowledge it seeks. Standardization brings everyone to the lowest level. There's no such thing as "supposed to know by now." And so on.

So my philosophical goal in home schooling is to encourage the asking of questions (something I've certainly succeeded in), to cultivate interest in a wide variety of subjects, to develop reading and comprehension skills, and to enjoy watching my children grow.

Speaking of growing children, I've got four of them downstairs. Ergo, Prejudice and Practical Application will have to wait for tomorrow. Then we can all watch the fight.