Releasing my students into summer happened a couple of weeks ago (huzzah!). Seeing the room without 34 desks, chairs, and students made it feel huge. On my last day at school, I took time to just sit and my desk and write out that list of suggested books for the summer (see: Young Adult Fiction to Read This Summer)
Homeschooling’s Black, White, and Gray Series 1 Episode 4
At age 29 I learned what I missed by not going to preschool. As a
preschool aide for a year in a Catholic school, I learned how certain kids howl, run away from teachers, and scream as they start the separation process from Mommy. The first few hours of preschool sounded like school was a very sad place. (Starting preschool looks like it can be a traumatic process for some children.) One little boy and I became quite close because he had not started learning to obey when an adult instructed him to do something, so he received many time outs where he had to be watched to stay in his chair to learn from his consequences. If my parents had taken me to preschool, I might have been in a chair next to him…maybe…We both really liked our own way.
My Mom chose to homeschool me, so I did not attend regular preschool.
My “preschool” consisted of cooking play dough and making things, learning my letters through songs, learning to make friends with kids at church, and living life with Mom, Dad, and my siblings.
I remember playing with my friends and siblings when I was three or
four, but I do not remember my first day of school. Probably, it was a
normal day of playing and learning a little more about math at home.
We do have a photo from our first day of school, which I don’t remember, but it looks like a fun day! Our school’s name was Campbell Christian Academy, and we might have started earlier, but the day of this school picture was September 9th, 1986. I was four, my younger sister was almost three, and my older brother was seven.
From looking at the photo, here’s what might have been happening:
Mom is talking to us–saying, “Hold up the sign!” I’m holding the sign AND something I created–it looks like a toilet tube wrapped in yarn (perhaps my own personal telephone?!) My sister is just content to be on my Mom’s lap, and my brother seems to be enjoying waving the flag!
What I do remember from the early days of our homeschool are memories of saying the pledge to the flag of the United States of America, and we had a time of learning together. Especially when we were little the puppet shows Mom did for us to help us memorize passages from the Bible were my favorite. Mom is great at making different voices, so she had puppets or characters in stories she read to us sound different. Mom let her creative juices flow through having lots of stories be part of our homeschool.
I still have a love for stories, and I’m enjoying sharing my stories with you. It’s okay that I don’t remember my first day of school because it wasn’t a jarring experience. School just flowed out of already learning things at home. I’m thankful for how my parents chose to give me a more gentle start to my education through teaching me at home.
By M. H. Campbell Copyright 2014
Home Schooling’s Black, White, and Gray Series 1, Episode 3
This is a drawing of my Dad chopping firewood from my first journal.
By M. H. Campbell Copyright 2014
Home Schooling’s Black, White, and Gray: A Series on Home Schooling and Life-Long Learners Series I Episode II
Home school parents are a unique breed; they are similar to people who choose to be missionaries. It’s a strength of will, a vision for their children and the people they desire to influence; it’s a pioneer spirit.
The pioneer mindset means that these people are willing to start something new and blaze a trail across the plains where no one has gone before. It takes guts to start something new, to start a whole school system that educates children for life! From growing up in a home schooled family, and from other observations, many home school parents don’t have a huge strategy for education with benchmarks, objectives, and goals. (Having all this structure is an advantage of public and other established schools.) What home schools do have are parents who desire to deeply influence their children’s beliefs, passions, and hopes, and by teaching the kids at home, the parents have that chance.
People may say to these parents, “Doesn’t it seem a bit presumptuous to assume you know what your child needs to know to succeed in life?” Well, a parent WOULD (or at least should) know the most about that child and what is best for them, right? Yes, having other adults positively influencing their children is important, but if the parents are healthy, wise adults, they can teach their children much of what is needed to live a successful life.
Sceptics may think: Aren’t these parents arrogant in going against the established school systems and starting their own educational institution? Well, WHO started all those established schools? Schools are started by people with vision, strength, and a desire to mold children into who they are created to be. Home school parents have that same vision as the famous educational leaders, such as John Dewey, of imprinting beliefs and molding the hearts and lives of children. Home school parents are reformers who start the reforming in their own families; they desire change and influence and invest in the humans they are supposed to invest in the most: their children.
I had the advantage of being home schooled from Kindergarten through high school, and then I’ve been trained as a certified secondary English teacher and have worked in public and private schools for the last six years. I see the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling and traditional schooling; throughout this series I will be talking about both.
I received an adequate home school education from two pioneers: Anne and Rick Campbell. Recently I interviewed my parents to hear again why they chose to home school their four children. When asked, “Why did you home school your children?” my Mom answered: “We learned about the idea from Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family. And then God told us to do it, so we did.”
My Dad’s answer to “Why did you home school your children?” was: “Because educators were withdrawing prayer and the Bible from public schools. It was important in my life, and I wanted it to be important in your life.” I had thought it was because they wanted to teach us the Bible as part of our education, and that was part of their reason (and out in the country there were no private schools nearby). I love the Bible, so my parents accomplished their main goal of Campbell Christian Academy.
Home school families are pioneers, especially back in the 1980s when home schooling was less common. I am glad my parents chose to home school me; my up-bringing had more of a pioneer-flavor than most with living on a farm with sheep to care for and vegetables to raise, but that’s another story for another time.
If you are on the fence about if you should home school your children, ask yourself, “What vision do I have for my children? Will teaching them at home help bring about that vision?” Only you know the answer, but if you have the guts to grab your straw hat and shot gun and head off toward the west, you are probably one of those gutsy pioneers that will greatly influence the world.
By M. H. Campbell Copyright 2014
Home Schooling’s Black, White, and Gray: A Series on Home Schooling and Life-Long Learners
Series 1 Episode 1
Most junior high girls like to giggle about boys and lay out at a pool party, but not me. I didn’t know what it felt like to have crush until I was fifteen, and I wasn’t crazy about being in a bathing suit. At one pool party I attended in junior high, I splashed with the girls for a while, but then picked strawberries for an hour because the hostess offered strawberries to anyone who wanted to pick them. I baked some amazing fresh strawberry pie with those berries. I treasure the freedom and creativity being home schooled gave me, but it did not make me normal. But why should I be normal?!
Home schooling has a lot of white, but there is black as well, and some gray. Through this series of blog posts, I will be looking at the mediocre, the ugly, and the beautiful parts of home schooling. I do not mean to step on anybody’s toes, but I need to be honest and truthful. Being lovingly honest can bring healthy change; I desire to bring life through my writing.
Educating humans to be what they were created to be is a life passion of mine. I believe in giving students the freedom and structure needed to develop into healthy, robust, loving adults who will do more in the world than I ever will! Home schooling is one method of doing this, but it may not be the best pathway for all children; that is up to the parents and children to explore. However, home schooling molds students into people who may be more in-tune and willing to stand up for their uniqueness in this world full of cliques and conformity.
After attending traditional college, I came home and went through a time of evaluation and sadness. I let myself admit that being home schooled wasn’t perfect; I admitted that there were some dark-sides to home schooling. Since then I’ve worked through most of the anger I had once I realized some of the unhealthy parts of home schooling and have come into a time of acceptance and challenge.
Recently one morning while walking down a gravel road in Lincoln Marsh, it hit me: I CAN graciously critique home schooling, but I must begin with a confession of forgiveness and of thankfulness.
I forgive my parents for the gaps I had in my education; they did the best they could with the resources they had. No school is perfect. Period. Even home schools. I am so thankful for the faith and freedom they instilled in me. I learned how to learn, so I get to fill in those gaps now!
I thank my parents for sacrificing so much time and energy to pour into me and my siblings. My Mom has a Masters of Education and a Masters of Divinity, so she WAS qualified to home school me and my siblings. She could have done many other activities, but she desired to have the Bible be central to our education, so that’s what she did. I thank my grandparents for funding many textbook purchases and encouraging us in whatever creative project we were working on when they stopped by, be it comic books or silly children’s stories.
Thankful is where I am at in regarding my upbringing. Thankful for so much individualized love and nurture that my parents poured onto me. Thank you, Mom and Dad.
Copyright 2014 By M. H. Campbell
I’ve waited three years to get my own classroom again, and it’s worth the wait:
I earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree to become an assistant? An aide?? A substitute???Well, yes, for a season. For the last three years I have been an aide, then a substitute, and finally a teaching assistant. I called myself a teacher, partly to keep up face and it is true, I am a certified teacher. But I was the assistant. It was like another round of student teaching, but this time with elementary students, which meant lots of parenting:
“No, you do not run in here!”
“You need to say that again without whining and then I’ll hear you.”
“Let’s play the quiet game!!”
I’m thankful to be learning how to parent with other peoples’ children; you can only become better, right?
Some things challenged me. Students knew where the power was…Maybe I had more power than I realized because for some reason I let the assistant title get to me. The students knew the difference — that I was the assistant and when I stepped in to be the full teacher a couple of times, they acted just like they do for a substitute. I felt bound to follow the guidelines, ask permission, and not just be free to teach. I learned how to follow a leader and work under someone. I enjoyed doing more team teaching and that happened occasionally. Being an assistant is humbling, but there ARE perks.
If you’re a newly graduated teacher or if you have taught and are looking for a new job, here are some advantages to being an assistant:
This is a double-edged blade: You are not the one in charge. That means you might hear about some of the challenges, but you don’t have to fix them. This job showed me more of my control issues; I like to be the one in charge. I had to submit to Jesus, then to those over me. You get to follow and serve.
I learned on a deeper level how to have fun with learning. Students learn better when they are interested and having fun while learning important principles. The teacher I worked with was great at making learning enjoyable. For example, we learned about the rain forest by making a bulletin board collage of the layers of the rain forest; we also planted seeds to learn about how plants grow.
I learned different methods and ways of handling kids from seeing the teacher I worked with and the specials teachers work with our students. The art teacher ruled the class with an iron-hand, but the students created colorful, intricate art projects that impressed us all. She laughed at me when she saw I was reading a teaching book that another teacher had recommended, but I just laughed back. Because the kids were busy most of the time, I could read a few lines of the book, then when a kid needed me I could go right then and put into practice what I had just been learning about classroom management. My “teaching style” grew, got challenged, and grew some more.
It has helped me see more of my teaching gaps. I’ve been too sensitive at times, and made mountains out of mole-hills; my skin is getting tougher. I had this weird feeling of not being sure of what I should be doing at times; sometimes it was because I didn’t ask and I needed to talk with the teacher I worked with, and sometimes I just feel weird when I’m not in charge. Following well is harder than it looks. I’m also a slower processor when there’s lots of activity around, so it’s much easier for me to think when it is quiet. Now that I know those things about me, I can work with those traits in me so that they won’t hold me back.
It was a perk to just leave work at work!
Remembering that Jesus, the greatest example of how to live life, served those around him helped me. Being an assistant is a serving job, which is humbling, but you learn so much. And you never know what opportunities will open up because you have been faithfully serving. Take it from me…good things blossom. I received an offer to teach Bible and College Writing–a combination of my gifts I never would have even thought to ask for! Humility and faithfulness pay off. Go for it: assist, help, serve.
Substitute teaching is harder than it looks.
“Miss Campbell, are you married?” The junior higher asked. “No,” I said as they continued. “Are you engaged?” “No,” I responded.
Then a junior high boy made a comment that I didn’t fully hear: “Maybe that’s why…” I looked sternly in his direction and didn’t hear the rest. I had had enough battles for that day of substitute teaching.
My imagination added the rest: “Maybe that’s why she’s cranky and unreasonable sometimes.”
Or “Maybe that’s why she’s quiet and doesn’t laugh much.”
Taking the time to consider myself from my students’ perspective is helpful, sobering, and a little funny (I shouldn’t take myself so seriously!)
Did I really need to let one student get under my skin so that she started shouting when I asked her to leave the room?
How could have I made it more fun to transition instead of just repeating the same instructions several times?
The life of a substitute teacher flows with newness and lots of challenging students. Students go on their worst behavior when a substitute comes; why is that?
It’s human nature, so I guess they just have to test the limits.
I’ve done okay, but I’m not an amazing sub. However, I’ve learned a lot from subbing:
I’m a grouch sometimes. Period. And a little chocolate helps.
Students can’t read my mind, so I need to give them clear directions and then if they choose not to follow then they get a consequence.
I forget to smile and am nit-picky.
My processing speed in new situations is slow at times when I’m stressed out, and I need space to figure out what to do next.
I need to know my high expectations for my students, have fun getting there, and not let them get away with being sloppy.
My teaching voice needs work (maybe voice lessons?).
Assume I’m right and don’t argue with students!
Be confident; I am the teacher, even if I’m grouchy sometimes, and students must have an okay attitude or if there’s a bad attitude, work through it with me.
Apologies help with everyone.
Be confident enough to admit I was wrong and humbly apologize when needed.
Be observant. Students are sneaky!
Students want the sub to be strong and not let other students push him or her around.
Don’t nit-pick; save the correction for important times, but you can be establishing your standards in a fun way. I’ve been unsure of correction, so I’m nice until I need to confront someone, then I come down hard to show who is boss, then students take offense because I didn’t have a connection with them and emotional capital to use. Students are not machines!
I saw a friend over-do correction recently and then it clicked in my head why I had been offending some students. There is a relational balance, and I had been over-doing it. They had just been talking when they should have been studying, but I came on full-force; adjust to the situation.
I’m learning to build rapport and trust with my students.
Teaching is worth the hassle! Do it.
Be yourself and teach well.
To all the substitute teachers out there: My hat is off to you. Continue teaching and serving those students! You have a hard, but rewarding job.
Watching the children handle change is fascinating. This week our school welcomed a new Spanish teacher! The old teacher had introduced the new teacher to the kids last week, but now the new Spanish teacher took over. Watching how a change in leadership influences kids intrigued me.
Here’s some of what happened: I tried to prepare the students to do well in the first class with the new teacher by reminding them how to act, but once we were in the classroom, I was the supporting teacher, and she’s the main teacher.
The period started out well with the students practicing what they had learned in the last class: saying “Buenas tarde!” when they entered the room. They sat down at their tables, then the new Senora played them some music and started teaching them different Spanish words that were in this song about a wooden doll. At first the students followed along, but then there was more talking and subtle goofing off (the new teacher may not have noticed it, but I did and was not happy!)
About half the class was engaged, while half of the class (the more active, less able to transition well half) was testing the new teacher. Some students were being extra silly, while others were apathetic. I tried to keep them engaged, but I couldn’t make them completely focus because I wasn’t leading the class.
This makes me think back to when I took over four English classes mid-year at a private school in Costa Rica a few years back. The first six weeks it seemed like it was going so smoothly, then problems started popping up. I had wanted to be sensitive and supportive as we all went through the change of teachers, but I’m seeing that I should have been lovingly tough from the start. Now I have learned that knowing how you want the students to act, clearly stating it, giving consequences if they choose to not follow directions, and then plow ahead into learning is a great way to function in a classroom. When a student even does something a little different than how you want it done, quickly correct them and then get back to work. The students want you to keep your word and create a safe place to learn.
In Costa Rica I didn’t clearly know how I wanted them to act, and then I didn’t confront things quickly, so they got away with disrespect and things they shouldn’t have done. I shouldn’t have let them. Once this got away from me, it got harder to manage the students, and then it was even harder to get the classes back on track. I was able to bring a couple of the classes around, and one finally came around on the last day when I finally said a clear “No!” to one junior high boy who had been getting away with murder. I made it through that season of teaching, but now I see how important it is to be able to say “No!” to kids.
Now back to yesterday’s Spanish class. After we got back to our class, I started talking with the kids about it, but I wasn’t sure how firm to be or what exactly to say, so my fellow teacher jumped in and helped me clearly tell the kids, “That is NOT how you act in Spanish class!” They got a consequence they didn’t like, and tomorrow they will have another chance to do well in Spanish. Children need guidance and support through a transition of leadership, and I’m interested to see how the kids will act tomorrow.
Kids want you to stand up to them. They want to know you will protect them and guide them through learning. Saying “No” to children is sometimes the best way to love them.
Great news: Hark is going to be published because over 245 people worked together to accept Erin and her dream, and now the children’s book will come out in December! Thank you for being part of my sister-in-law’s dream. Erin is someone who has modeled for me acceptance of others and self-acceptance.
How do we learn to accept ourselves? Healthy leaders and authorities over us should model healthy boundaries, self-acceptance, and acceptance of others. If they do not, it is harder to learn, but self-acceptance can be learned through rejecting lies about ourselves and believing the truth: that we are deeply loved and wanted. What do I mean by self-acceptance? Liking yourself, knowing that you are valuable for just being you and not anything you do, and loving how you were made! Many people hate themselves and show it through abusing substances, people around them, and hurting themselves intentionally. How can self-hate turn into healthy self-love? We can’t love ourselves or others well on our own; we have to receive love from an outside source: God.
To illustrate God imparting His love to us, picture this: This morning at my school we had an assembly where a troop of youth from Nicaragua came and did a program of street dances to music that also was a drama illustrating the fight between light and darkness, good and bad in our world. One young man wore white, representing God the Father, and there was a kid in white who represented Jesus. In one scene, God was holding out his hands to Jesus, wanting to give him something. He repeated the motion of putting his hands near his heart, like he was wanting to give Jesus his heart. The kid playing Jesus wasn’t sure at first, but then God pointed to the dying people around him (the other people were laying around on the floor after the darkness had knocked them down and hurt them). Then Jesus did a receiving motion, taking up God’s heart and receiving it into his own, then going out and loving the dying people, giving the love and life to them. Acceptance first comes from God, then as we are stabilized in His love we can love others. The assembly ended with the leader sharing how many of those young people from Nicaragua grew up having to sell things on the streets starting around age 10, and now seeing them so joyful as they danced and acted, it showed the power acceptance can bring.
Trees of Transition 