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The Best of All Worlds
Eclectic Homeschooling
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
As in many aspects of life, nothing is all "good," even a great concept such as eclectic homeschooling. There are some drawbacks to this untraditional mode of teaching, the most common being the fact that many children thrive on routine, and routine is not an ingredient in eclectic homeschooling.
"As for curriculum, an eclectic homeschooler rarely uses a resource exactly as the instructions indicate," says McKee. "He will take the information and mold it, restructuring it to glean what he needs most from it. The options, directions, and/or content may be change a little – or a lot. And absolutely everything can be considered curriculum. There is not much room for repetition or routine."
An important word that is often used when referring to this particular method of homeschooling is "seems." Eclectic homeschoolers use what "seems" best at the time. And as we all know, things are not always what they seem.
"The choices eclectic homeschoolers make are not erratic," says Krueger. "The methods and resources they select to use are chosen to further the educational goals they have for their children. Their children's temperaments, gifts and learning styles are all taken into account in determining how they will homeschool and what they will use. Occasionally, what seems best does not actually work out to be best. It can be frustrating and expensive to buy something that does not work. On the other hand, it can be frustrating to a child to continue doing something that they dread."
The world is a resource for eclectic homeschoolers. As previously mentioned, everything can be molded or formed into some kind of curriculum – and often is.
"To avoid making mistakes, most eclectic homeschoolers are resource scavengers," says Krueger. "They want to know what you are using and why. If you stopped using something they are considering buying, they want to know why you stopped. If someone says they have a list of resources for a study on the middle ages, they want a copy. If you are looking for a particular item, they'll know right where to find it in one of the catalogs they have stacked in a pile. When someone begins a discussion of a particular way of homeschooling, they are all ears, listening for new ideas or a different angle on an old idea. Everything, everyone, every place is a resource."