My Non-Educational Thoughts on Curriculum

by Veronica Sherman

 I've been a home school mum for over a year now.  Something to be
 proud of, I know.  Initially I was happy if I survived a month..then a
 term...and now with a little bit of hindsight I'm kind of thinking
 that maybe its not so hard after all.  There is one thing in
 particular though that hangs over my head like a dark cloud.

 It's that eternal question that pops up when I least expect it...’which
 curriculum are you using?’  I know, I know...people just cant help
 themselves.  It goes hand in hand when mentioning that I home school.
 In the same way that children get asked how old they are and mothers
 of babies asked ‘is he a good baby?’

 In my opinion, the word 'curriculum'...like other words that have that
 dreaded ‘rr’ in them, should be removed all together from this planet.
 
No one would disagree with me that terrorism, hemorrhoids and cardiac
 arrest are things that we could all do without.  So why not get rid of
 the curriculum concept as well?  Just think... it would make
 homeschooling so much more enticing.

 Imagine the education department sending their rep over to your home
 to make sure that your children were being properly educated.  They
 would make sure that your child was spending most of their day outside
 in the fresh air.  They would then deduct points if they felt that
 your child's day looked too similar to the day before.  The rep would
 ‘tsk tsk’ when seeing work that looked repetitive and practically faint
 when presented with a daily schedule.

 In many ways a curriculum for a home school family reminds me of a
 birthing plan for the pregnant couple.  It's a fairly standard
 procedure these days for the doctor or midwife to sit down with the
 couple and discuss what sort of ideas they have in mind for the
 impending birth.  The options are endless.  Water births, epidurals,
 medical students being present and so on.  Reality is though...that
 once the woman is about five centimeters dilated, the birthing plan -
 along with the scented candles, whale sounds CD and the massage oils
 get thrown out the window.  The rest of the labour is then able to
 progress as nature intended.  It's a completely acceptable practice to
 spend ages discussing a birth plan and then having it discarded
 within moments of that first contraction.  Let's embrace that for the
 homeschooling family as well.  Let's allow the dialogue about
 curriculum to take place...but once that first cramp happens...let's
 ditch it and allow nature to take its course.

 As much as I'm in awe of families that have their day planned out...as
 much as I come away from their home with my head hanging in shame, I
 have to wonder…

 How do you design a curriculum that makes room for a spontaneous trip
 to the beach... that lasts all day... where you just can't pull
 yourself away from the magical sand castle so you come home after bed
 time with sand in your hair and exhausted smiles on your faces.  A
 curriculum that then allows the next day to not even start till after
 ten because everyone needs to stay in bed and recharge.

 Or a curriculum that allows for the kids to venture down to the nature
 reserve at the back of your house.  They pack their own lunch and
 don't come back for hours.  Eventually in the late afternoon they
 return with stories about waterfalls from the latest downpour,
 finding blue tongue lizards and catching yabbies with their bare
 hands.

Or a curriculum that caters to younger siblings who urgently need help to build the biggest Duplo tower ever and then decide that they no longer need morning naps?

 For the life of me I just can't see how a home school curriculum can
 in anyway go hand in hand with children who wake up in the morning
 ready to create, explore and have that zest for life that is so rare
 these days.

 Yes my kids are doing maths most days.  Yes they write stuff about
 their lives or stories that they create.  And yes...if I can pull
 myself away from the endless dirty dishes I try to make a point of
 correcting their spelling and so on.  But to be honest, other than
 that our days just happen.  I figure that they are learning so much
 from the books they devour, the cubbies they are building, the dance
 routines they choreograph and the time spent helping in the home.

 Their dad gets involved with the occasional science lesson (thankfully
 I'm not expected to help out in that department) and he is available at
 dinner times for vital questions about friction and distances in
 space.  We are also blessed with a multi talented friend that teaches
 the kids anything from fire twirling to crocheting colourful beanies.

 I long for the day I can stand tall when asked about my home school
 curriculum.  When with a straight face and with full confidence I can
 say “we follow the highly sought after... ‘spontaneous’ approach”.

 
Veronica Sherman is
 the wife of one
 the daughter of two
 the citizen of three
 and a mother of four.