Adults and learning
Moving provides an interesting experience, in that you are meeting a lot of new people over a relatively short course of time. When you've lived in the same place for over 30 years, you just don't meet the same volume of people over time, and many people have known you for quite a while. Being the "new girl" is an interesting experience.
Recently I heard the comment, "Oh, you must be smart; you homeschool." This is definitely a smile and nod comment, because, really, what is there to say? Plus, I'm just never sure how to take it. There are so many possibilities... I'm smart, therefore I'm able to homeschool... I homeschool, therefore I've become smart... I'm smart to have chosen homeschooling. You can see the true meaning is a little unclear. For various reason, I felt as though option 1, I'm smart therefore I'm able to homeschool, was the correct meaning.
I find this to be a bit of a chicken and egg issue. I know I'm not unintelligent, but I also don't think I'm that freakish. I've done enough reading in the realm of neuroscience (which is just a fancy, smart-sounding word to having read a lot of books about the brain), to know that brain neurons which are used are strengthened, while those that are not are co-opted by other areas of the brain for other functions. It drives me a little crazy every time I see some sort of meme touting a particular practice or place, saying that doing ________ changes your brain. It often implies that this is something special and a positive thing. The truth is actually that everything changes our brains all the time. Brains are not static, but are always changing based on the input that is happening. We can even change our brains by merely thinking about something.
Let's take the habit of reading for example. You all know I read a lot... usually. But there have also been times where I have not read a lot, and instead happily have sat every evening in front of the television watching House Hunters because it was all I could manage. It was a very stressful time. When the stress had finally abated and House Hunters stopped being soothing, and instead became dull and formulaic, I started to go back to reading more. Guess what? This was tough. I had to start with some pretty simple, straight-forward, and often short books. Even for someone who was as practiced at reading as I was, the break from reading I had was enough to change my brain. I was not as good at concentrating and focusing as I was before my break. It took a while to get my skills back up. Now, on the plus side, this did not take terribly long because of my former reading habit, but it still felt surprising that it felt difficult at all.
Let's go back to that homeschooling and smartness question. One of the not-so-often talked about experiences with homeschooling is that affect that homeschooling has on the parent. I feel I am smarter now, after having homeschooled for 20+ years because of the homeschooling. It's all about practice and curiosity.
Having to teach elementary grammar and arithmetic to my children year after year has caused me to understand things that I never really understood when I was going to school when I was younger. Having talked with many homeschooling parents, I can tell you that the experience of trying to teach something to a child has caused nearly every parent to say, "Ohhhhh! That's what that means! Why didn't they say that in the first place?" Or realizing that two historic events happened at the same time. Or finally memorizing the multiplication tables. I've had these experiences more than once. Some days I feel as though I am homeschooling myself as much as I am homeschooling my children. This is a bit more than helping with homework, because the homeschooling parent is responsible for the teaching of the concept, and not just overseeing the practice of it. It is very difficult to teach something if you don't understand it.
Homeschooling one's children also helps a parent maintain their curiosity. As far as I'm concerned, curiosity is the basis for all learning and education. It quickly becomes apparent that children learn best when they are interested in something, so parents learn that it is easier to work with those interests and take advantage of that curiosity. This habit of being curious is also changing the brain. The more you get in the habit of doing something... asking questions, wondering why, searching out answers... the more it becomes a habit, and the more you do it. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots and realize that someone who is constantly wondering things and looking for answers is going to accumulate a lot of knowledge. You can't help it.
Homeschooling creates parents who are always learning because we have to teach our children and because we are constantly trying to engage their curiosity. By teaching our children, we are teaching ourselves. This phenomenon is probably at the root of the statistics that show that test scores are not affected by the education level of the homeschooling parent. If I remember correctly, the parent's education level is barely a factor. I know that makes some people uncomfortable. It does show, though, that the knowledge does not need to be generated by the parent to be learned, it can just as easily be leaned right alongside the parent.
Even if you are not a homeschooling parent, you do not need to stop learning or being interested in things. Have questions, look things up, read books, even if it feels as though you are a little rusty. It will get easier, I promise. And once you start with one question, another will arise, and as you follow the paths where each subsequent question leads, you never know where you will end up. Learning is an adventure that way. Don't let the children have all the fun.
Recently I heard the comment, "Oh, you must be smart; you homeschool." This is definitely a smile and nod comment, because, really, what is there to say? Plus, I'm just never sure how to take it. There are so many possibilities... I'm smart, therefore I'm able to homeschool... I homeschool, therefore I've become smart... I'm smart to have chosen homeschooling. You can see the true meaning is a little unclear. For various reason, I felt as though option 1, I'm smart therefore I'm able to homeschool, was the correct meaning.
I find this to be a bit of a chicken and egg issue. I know I'm not unintelligent, but I also don't think I'm that freakish. I've done enough reading in the realm of neuroscience (which is just a fancy, smart-sounding word to having read a lot of books about the brain), to know that brain neurons which are used are strengthened, while those that are not are co-opted by other areas of the brain for other functions. It drives me a little crazy every time I see some sort of meme touting a particular practice or place, saying that doing ________ changes your brain. It often implies that this is something special and a positive thing. The truth is actually that everything changes our brains all the time. Brains are not static, but are always changing based on the input that is happening. We can even change our brains by merely thinking about something.
Let's take the habit of reading for example. You all know I read a lot... usually. But there have also been times where I have not read a lot, and instead happily have sat every evening in front of the television watching House Hunters because it was all I could manage. It was a very stressful time. When the stress had finally abated and House Hunters stopped being soothing, and instead became dull and formulaic, I started to go back to reading more. Guess what? This was tough. I had to start with some pretty simple, straight-forward, and often short books. Even for someone who was as practiced at reading as I was, the break from reading I had was enough to change my brain. I was not as good at concentrating and focusing as I was before my break. It took a while to get my skills back up. Now, on the plus side, this did not take terribly long because of my former reading habit, but it still felt surprising that it felt difficult at all.
Let's go back to that homeschooling and smartness question. One of the not-so-often talked about experiences with homeschooling is that affect that homeschooling has on the parent. I feel I am smarter now, after having homeschooled for 20+ years because of the homeschooling. It's all about practice and curiosity.
Having to teach elementary grammar and arithmetic to my children year after year has caused me to understand things that I never really understood when I was going to school when I was younger. Having talked with many homeschooling parents, I can tell you that the experience of trying to teach something to a child has caused nearly every parent to say, "Ohhhhh! That's what that means! Why didn't they say that in the first place?" Or realizing that two historic events happened at the same time. Or finally memorizing the multiplication tables. I've had these experiences more than once. Some days I feel as though I am homeschooling myself as much as I am homeschooling my children. This is a bit more than helping with homework, because the homeschooling parent is responsible for the teaching of the concept, and not just overseeing the practice of it. It is very difficult to teach something if you don't understand it.
Homeschooling one's children also helps a parent maintain their curiosity. As far as I'm concerned, curiosity is the basis for all learning and education. It quickly becomes apparent that children learn best when they are interested in something, so parents learn that it is easier to work with those interests and take advantage of that curiosity. This habit of being curious is also changing the brain. The more you get in the habit of doing something... asking questions, wondering why, searching out answers... the more it becomes a habit, and the more you do it. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots and realize that someone who is constantly wondering things and looking for answers is going to accumulate a lot of knowledge. You can't help it.
Homeschooling creates parents who are always learning because we have to teach our children and because we are constantly trying to engage their curiosity. By teaching our children, we are teaching ourselves. This phenomenon is probably at the root of the statistics that show that test scores are not affected by the education level of the homeschooling parent. If I remember correctly, the parent's education level is barely a factor. I know that makes some people uncomfortable. It does show, though, that the knowledge does not need to be generated by the parent to be learned, it can just as easily be leaned right alongside the parent.
Even if you are not a homeschooling parent, you do not need to stop learning or being interested in things. Have questions, look things up, read books, even if it feels as though you are a little rusty. It will get easier, I promise. And once you start with one question, another will arise, and as you follow the paths where each subsequent question leads, you never know where you will end up. Learning is an adventure that way. Don't let the children have all the fun.
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