January 11, 2006 @ 3:34 am | Filed under: Fun Learning Stuff, Methods of Home Education, Tidal Homeschooling, Who We Are
Click here for the master list of all my tidal homeschooling posts.
People often ask me what kind of homeschoolers we are: Classical? Charlotte Mason? Eclectic? Delight-Directed? Unschoolers? How, they want to know, does learning happen in our home? Am I in charge, or do I let the kids lead the way? And what about math?
Over the years I have written with enthusiasm about the Charlotte Mason method (which is highly structured) and unschooling (which is not). These educational philosophies seem to have intertwined themselves in my home, so that the what we do—read great books, study nature, dive deeply into history, immerse ourselves in picture study and composer study—is highly influenced by Charlotte’s writings and their modern counterparts; and the how we do it—through strewing and conversation and leisurely, child-led exploration—is influenced by the writings of John Holt
The truth is, I couldn’t find any label that completely fit my family, so I made up my own. I call us “Tidal Learners” because the ways in which we approach education here change with the tide. Now, this doesn’t mean that we’re flighty or inconsistent, changing direction haphazardly. We aren’t Fiddler Crab Homeschoolers. What I mean is that there is a rhythm to the way learning happens here; there are upbeats and downbeats; there is an ebb and flow.
We have high tide times when I charter a boat and we set sail with purpose and direction, deliberately casting our net for a particular type of fish. On these excursions I am the captain; I have charted the course. But the children are eager crew members because they know I value their contributions. And also I provide generous rations. No stale or moldy bread on this ship: no dull textbooks, no dry workbooks. My sailors sink their teeth into fresh, hearty bread slathered with rich butter and tart-sweet jam. Well fed and proud of their work, my little crew exhilarates in the voyage. Every journey is an adventure.
And we have low tide times when we amble along the shore, peering into tide pools and digging in the sand, or just relaxing under beach umbrella. The children wander off in directions of their own choosing; they dig and poke and ponder. One of them may crouch over a rock pool and stay there for days, studying, watching. Another will run headlong into the waves, thrilling to the pull on her legs, splashing, leaping, diving under and emerging triumphantly farther out. Or a child might prefer to stay close by my side, drawing stick pictures in the sand or building a castle. All of these things may be happening at once. Sometimes it looks as though nothing is happening: there’s just an array of bodies on beach towels. But oh, the nourishment there is in a time of quiet reflection while the soul soaks up the sunlight!
Our family enjoys both kinds of learning—the heady adventure of the well-planned fishing trip, with a goal and a destination in mind, and the mellower joys of undirected discovery during weeks at the metaphorical beach. Around here, the low tide times happen much more often than the high tide times, and often I find that the children catch more fish, so to speak, when the tide is out. Beachcombing reveals many treasures. But they do enjoy their excursions with Cap’n Mom. I really believe joy is the key, the element we breathe whether the tide is in or out. It’s the wind that propels our ship; it’s the tangy breeze that cools and refreshes us on the beach.
In the coming days I’ll write about how the metaphor plays out in our house on a practical level. “So what do you do all day?” is a question I’m often asked, and since every day is different, it’s easiest to answer that question with snapshots and specifics. Right now, this week, we’re spending our mornings on the boat. We’re studying sign language and German; we’re enjoying a Robert Frost poem every day; we’re reading a book of English history together as well as the oft-mentioned The Penderwicks. Jane spends time on her self-prescribed drawing exercises every day, and my funny Rose continues her dogged pursuit of ancient Greek. (More on that another day). I’ve plotted a rough course that should bring us back into port in early April, when the newest member of our crew will arrive. And then I expect the tide will go out for quite a long time. It’s always a low tide time for us in spring, even when there isn’t a new baby. I’m laying in a good supply of books to read from the shade of my umbrella, but I imagine the children will spend most of their time off exploring the shore.
Read more about Tidal Homeschooling here, here, and here.
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Lissa -=- this is such a great description of a homeschool! I love the imagery. We too have started German (we might be going back to Austria) and we’re enjoying a book about El Cid by Geraldine McCaughrean. It’s wonderful!
Keep posting about the Tidal Homeschool — this is fascinating.
Posted on January 11th, 2006 at 5:06 amThis was so great, love the imagry(sp?) and metaphoric descriptions. I wish we were all at the beach with you right now. We happen to be hunkering down after a great all-day snow from yesterday! Warmly, M.H.
Posted on January 11th, 2006 at 8:07 amBrilliant! And particularly resonant for me as I finish packing for our five-week trip to the Caribbean to see my parents. Thank you : )
Posted on January 11th, 2006 at 9:06 amThis is a perfect description of the natural rhythms of homeschool life. Thanks for another winner.
Posted on January 11th, 2006 at 9:42 amGreat description of your day! You continue to amaze me. Since our new arrival(5 weeks ago), I feel like it’s all I can do to read 2 books to my kids each day, and I don’t even homeschool(although I still have the dream)! Just don’t know if I can handle it.
Posted on January 11th, 2006 at 3:05 pmSounds alot like us. We’d like to include it in the Carnival tomorrow as long as you don’t mind.
Posted on January 11th, 2006 at 4:22 pmAtypical Homeschool.net says:
Canival of Unschooling #2
Just like dawn rising, snow melting and spring flowers easing their way into the sunshine, many long-term homeschoolers find themselves in a full-blown summer of unschooling, not quite sure how they got there.
Posted on January 12th, 2006 at 6:50 amBut first, for the new readers, WFR at E…
Your post is up in the carnival of unschooling. Thanks!
Posted on January 12th, 2006 at 7:05 amThe Lilting House says:
All Roads Lead to Rome (Even for Bunnies)
The Sabine Women, Jacques-Louis David, 1796-99 Over at Bonny Glen I’ve been talking about the connections my kids are making during our read-aloud of Famous Men of Rome. This is for me one of the best things about homeschooling: watching
Posted on May 27th, 2006 at 11:06 amI think this method you are talking about for home schooling is great and I am going to use it when my daughter.I think she would like it too.
Posted on July 4th, 2007 at 12:53 amThe Tidal Homeschooling Master List — Here in the Bonny Glen says:
[...] (My favorite kinds of posts are in the Connections category.) Tidal Homeschooling [...]
Posted on October 17th, 2008 at 5:10 amI just found your blog (via WTM forums) and have been browsing about… when I came across this description, I was immediately delighted. This is us! You’ve described it so beautifully and coming from one who has grown up on the Oregon Coast – it really spoke to me. Thank you!
Posted on January 16th, 2009 at 7:22 pmYour description of tidal homeschooling so mirrors our own adventures. I have adopted your term when asked the probing questions by non-homeschoolers and homeschoolers alike. Thanks for sharing your journey and your imagination! On another note… Congrats on your latest edition! He’s adorable and you are simply glowing!
Posted on January 20th, 2009 at 7:02 pmI love your description! We are unschoolers and what you just described sounds so much like our family. Homeschooling this way is a great fit for our family and such a joy.
Posted on February 24th, 2009 at 1:30 pmWow! I just found your site via TheHomeSchoolMom’s Site, and “ran” into your Tidal Homeschooling thought process. A couple of years ago I got the Cathy Duffy’s 100 Best Curriculum Guide Book (not remembering the exact title right now – green cover with an apple on it), and took the “test” to see what style would fit me and my home. Well, I was not too happy with the results that it told me, as I wanted to be a CMer and not an unschooler.
However, the way you describe what Tidal Homeschooling is, you have describe my thought processes totally. Now if they would just figure out how to get that on the “test”, I would be happy.
Thanks for your site and blog. I intend to visit more often.
Liza from Nashua, NH
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 7:43 am