by Suzanne Wielgos
Imagine this scenario: your local public school announces that it will not enroll girls in its science classes because, really, they are most likely never going to use that information as adults.
Huh? The uproar would be deafening!
As homeschoolers, we are so lucky to be able to expose our boys and girls to a rainbow of subjects without traditional limitations. And without the conventional peer pressure that they can encounter in a large group setting, our girls can feel confident to shine in math and our boys can be proud of their baking skills.
As we plan out the next academic year, let’s stop for a moment and ask ourselves if we have offered our daughters and sons the chance to learn “outside the box.” Might your teenage daughter be interested in automotive repair? Could your son enjoy a watercolor painting class?
It only takes a few minutes to sit down with our kids and ask, “if you could study anything strictly for fun, what would it be?”
You might be surprised at their answers! And what started out as a fun, short-term project might reveal innate, lifelong talents.
Just recently, a homeschooling Mom and I were discussing high school chemistry classes. She told me dismissively that she would not include chemistry in her daughter’s high school curricula because she wanted to study art instead. How could this girl know if she had a gift for science unless she studied it first?
Another Mom once told me that she would never consider post-high school education for her daughter because she wanted to become a wife and mother. My mind immediately went to a dear homeschooling friend who was widowed several years ago with four children. What if she had never been prepared to be a wage-earner by receiving a well-rounded education?
Our kids are born with many gifts and talents; some are obvious, some are hidden. Our job as homeschooling parents, I believe, is to help our kids discover both.
Many homeschooling Moms from my generation were not given a strong educational foundation in math and science. So it’s harder for us to teach these subjects in middle school and high school, and easier for us to avoid them altogether. If we did not learn how to write geometric proofs ourselves, why have our daughters learn it?
Because failing to expose our daughters and sons to a complete, diverse education is failing to open every door to a limitless future.
We need to continually ask ourselves: do I let the tough subjects slide based on gender? Even if my daughter despises precalculus, do I encourage her to plug away and complete the course? Or do I let it slide, rationalizing that she will never use these skills in “real” life? Do I teach my son to cook dinner and do his own laundry, or decide that it’s easier to do it for him myself?
I’m not advocating wasting time, having our kids study useless subjects for no reason. I am encouraging the application of a wide-ranging, liberal arts education to all our children, beginning at a young age. Let’s expose them to math, science, the arts, and sports, regardless of gender. Prepare to be surprised and delighted by how they grow these gifts.
Isn’t that the joy of homeschooling, after all?
Imagine this scenario: your local public school announces that it will not enroll girls in its science classes because, really, they are most likely never going to use that information as adults.
Huh? The uproar would be deafening!
As homeschoolers, we are so lucky to be able to expose our boys and girls to a rainbow of subjects without traditional limitations. And without the conventional peer pressure that they can encounter in a large group setting, our girls can feel confident to shine in math and our boys can be proud of their baking skills.
As we plan out the next academic year, let’s stop for a moment and ask ourselves if we have offered our daughters and sons the chance to learn “outside the box.” Might your teenage daughter be interested in automotive repair? Could your son enjoy a watercolor painting class?
It only takes a few minutes to sit down with our kids and ask, “if you could study anything strictly for fun, what would it be?”
You might be surprised at their answers! And what started out as a fun, short-term project might reveal innate, lifelong talents.
Just recently, a homeschooling Mom and I were discussing high school chemistry classes. She told me dismissively that she would not include chemistry in her daughter’s high school curricula because she wanted to study art instead. How could this girl know if she had a gift for science unless she studied it first?
Another Mom once told me that she would never consider post-high school education for her daughter because she wanted to become a wife and mother. My mind immediately went to a dear homeschooling friend who was widowed several years ago with four children. What if she had never been prepared to be a wage-earner by receiving a well-rounded education?
Our kids are born with many gifts and talents; some are obvious, some are hidden. Our job as homeschooling parents, I believe, is to help our kids discover both.
Many homeschooling Moms from my generation were not given a strong educational foundation in math and science. So it’s harder for us to teach these subjects in middle school and high school, and easier for us to avoid them altogether. If we did not learn how to write geometric proofs ourselves, why have our daughters learn it?
Because failing to expose our daughters and sons to a complete, diverse education is failing to open every door to a limitless future.
We need to continually ask ourselves: do I let the tough subjects slide based on gender? Even if my daughter despises precalculus, do I encourage her to plug away and complete the course? Or do I let it slide, rationalizing that she will never use these skills in “real” life? Do I teach my son to cook dinner and do his own laundry, or decide that it’s easier to do it for him myself?
I’m not advocating wasting time, having our kids study useless subjects for no reason. I am encouraging the application of a wide-ranging, liberal arts education to all our children, beginning at a young age. Let’s expose them to math, science, the arts, and sports, regardless of gender. Prepare to be surprised and delighted by how they grow these gifts.
Isn’t that the joy of homeschooling, after all?
