- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
The Best of All Worlds
Eclectic Homeschooling
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
Some experts and homeschoolers say that homeschooling can be compared to building a wall. While some prefer the uniformity of bricks to build their wall, others turn the building of the wall over to the ones who will live inside of it – their children. The latter will do their best in providing their children with an assortment of building materials and assistance when requested.
"Eclectic homeschoolers start with a foundation of their own views about what makes a person well educated," says Beverly S. Krueger, director of the Eclectic Homeschool Association. "To that foundation they will add stones that are similar but of different shape and size, selecting each stone to fit in a particular spot, removing a stone that wiggles too much and shifting a stone to create a tighter fit. The result is a functional stone wall of great beauty and strength. Eclectic homeschoolers strive for a functional education that helps their children become people of great inner beauty and strength."
One of the most common benefits of eclectic homeschooling is the fact that the children have the majority of say in what they do, study, learn and develop. While parents will offer some basic rules or "must dos," allowing children to determine their own course of study often keeps them motivated, interested and striving to accomplish more.
"Most of the eclectic folks I know might insist their children do some math and language arts workbook stuff as basic study," says Shay Seaborne, moderator of the Virginia Eclectic Homeschooling Organization. "The parents may even choose which period of history the child will study. However, the children are then allowed to determine which history books to use and projects to make. They may let the kids decide what science or art areas they'll discover. It is a nice balance, and many parents feel most comfortable having some say in what is covered and when. But the benefit of allowing the child to determine their own course is still there, resulting in a much more involved student."
