The Mocha Moms Homeschooling Network is a collective of mothers who
have not only made the choice to stay home, but also made the decision to be the
primary educator of their children. The goal of the Mocha Moms Homeschool
Network is to create an assembly that is both personal and online for
homeschool families across the nation who are seeking to share, get together
and support one another in the adventure of homeschooling! Mocha Moms welcomes people of all religions,
races, educational backgrounds and income levels.
I
want to thank Ms. Scanterbury for this invitation, and I say sincerely that I
am thankful and humbled by the opportunity to share with you. I fully realize that for each of us, our
children are gifts from God and our most precious commodity, so I don’t take
lightly this time of me sharing with, and hopefully, inspiring you to make even
more of the time you have with your children.
As
time is short this evening, I’ll dive right in with my perspective on what
might be your first question, particularly if you have smaller children: why history is important. I want to
share with you some information from the Bradley Commission, a 16-person
committee of history educators and scholars, when I speak of the changes that
history should effect:
An understanding of the significance of the past to
the student’s present
A perception of past events and issues as they were
experienced by people at the time, to develop historical empathy
A comprehension of diverse cultures and of shared
humanity
A realization that not all problems have solutions
A recognition of the importance of individuals who
have made a difference and the significance of personal character for both good
and ill will
A recognition of the difference between fact and
conjecture, between evidence and assertion, and thereby the ability to frame
useful questions (Bradley Commission, pg. 9)
Also,
let me distinguish history from social studies: when I speak of history, I am describing
something larger than the study of community and its helpers, of societal norms
and cultural expectations. I am also speaking
beyond the memorization of dates and facts. I am speaking of promoting both personal growth and
active and intelligent citizenship. We
have an opportunity when we share history with children to shape their
understanding of who they are in the larger context of understanding the world,
its people, and events that have occurred over the last several thousand years.
When should I begin to study history?
When you read aloud, children understand well above their actual reading level, so your four or five year old might enjoy the stories, although he or she is too young to “do history,” so to speak. When you begin to study history also depends upon philosophically how you want to approach history. There are theories that children understand more when you begin with where they are (i.e., cultures, family, etc.) and then expand outward with U.S. History, then the world. Others suggest studying world history as a foundation for U.S. history; America is much younger than the world, and to understand what happened in the U.S.
I
would encourage you, regardless of your philosophy, to begin at least a study
of cultures when you have kindergartners.
Begin to shape your child’s heart for the nations. This broader understanding of the world is so
critical to who they will become spiritually and socio-economically. Whether they run corporations, preach the
gospel, or become a missionary overseas, they will need to understand a world
that is larger than they are, and full of many people who don’t share their
worldview. In our home, even with our
youngest child, a preschooler, we read books and use maps and reference books
to talk about what people are like and where they live.
What should I use to study history?
I’ll share with you a quote from Carole Seid
regarding the use of textbooks to teach students history. She says that ‘Textbooks will never create
an educated child; they are a recipe for mediocrity.’ A textbook should strictly be used as historical
overview. In this way, a student can
refer back and revisit certain themes, or see how they developed over time, or
more importantly, to transfer the learnings for a present or future
application. Instead, give your
children a love for learning by using literature to teach history. Charlotte Mason, a 19th century
British educator, uses the term “living books” to describe the rich literature
that will take your history studies to another level. What is a living book?
- Written by a single author
- Literary expression of the author’s ideas and love of subject
- Personal in tone and feel, touching the heart, the emotions, and
the intellect
- Ideas are presented creatively in a way that stimulates the
imagination
It
is the opposite of a textbook, allowing students to experience the emotion of
history through the writer, to step backward into an encounter with heroes and
heroines of the past, and to develop character that doesn’t conform to negative
stereotypes. There are a number of literature-rich
curriculum out there, to include Ambleside Online (designed to resemble
Charlotte Mason’s curriculum with her students), among others. You will find great books and well laid-out
study plans, but might I humbly submit that something is woefully missing.
When
we study history in public school, what we are really studying is history of
Western Europeans. This version of
history fulfills the mission for the culture that created it, but it leaves the
rest of us wanting. I found most curriculums
within the homeschool community to be no different. I have heard lecturers describe what would
seem to be a Eurocentric presentation as a matter of following the Judeo-Christian
thread; so I’m perplexed—aren’t there Christians of other races who contributed
to the growth of this nation? Please
understand, I don’t object to including these books in your history studies;
there is still a body of knowledge which all are expected to know to be
considered culturally literate.
However, I formed A Blessed Heritage Educational Resources in 2004 in
the effort to introduce more inclusive works in presenting history, with a
focus on our history as African-Americans.
I have seen the power of literature in our home, and my desire is that
our children have a solid understanding of who they are and whose they
are. I love the fact that I can present
to them the great founding fathers of this country, but I also want them to
meet Phyllis Wheatley, Booker T. Washington, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Thurgood
Marshall, to name a few. You are
welcome to visit our website at www.blessedheritage.com
for more about our vision and our products.
How do I teach history to different ages?
In
our home, we set the expectations for narration with all three children, even
our youngest. When we began, we would tell
the children that we will read, and they will explain back to us what they’ve
heard. In the earliest stage, start
with small portions to narrate, then build.
This is also an effective technique for parents with children who
struggle to keep still. We design our
studies to teach to the oldest level first, while the younger children listen
and engage in related activities (coloring, drawing, etc.) You would be amazed at retention of younger
ones! A saying that I heard early in
our homeschool journey was that you cannot be everything to every child every
day. Set goals for your history study,
realizing that the younger children may not “get it” the first time. They will see the information again as they
grow and continuously build depth in their understanding.
Finally,
I want to say a word about reading aloud to your children, no matter the
age. Having them explain back to you
what you’ve read is the process of oral narration. It
trains the mind to hear information and to retain it, to analyze it, and to
translate it into spoken, comprehensible language. They are “teaching the teacher”, as it were,
which we all know is an excellent test of true learning. I also use reading aloud as a time of
nurturing, regardless of the kid’s age.
With our older two, I’ll position myself with a pillow across their
backsides while I read to them or they read to me. I can stroke their hair or play with their
ears and just bond, even when they don’t know what’s happening. Touch can be so important, especially when
they’re older and hugs and kisses from Mom aren’t cool anymore, but they need
that physical affection more than they realize it. If we don’t give it to them, they’ll look
for it in the wrong places, and we want to avoid that kind of development too
early at all costs.
So
in conclusion, where knowledge is given, there is also responsibility. Where does this leave us? I didn’t talk about field trips because of
time’s sake, but taking your children to places where they can experience
history is so important. It might mean
that you change the focus of your vacations, centering them around the period
of history you’re studying. You might
visit
Additional
resources for living books:
Black Books Galore! By Donna Rand and Toni
Trent Parker
Multicultural Resources for Young Readers
edited by Daphne Muse