Homeschooling for the Glory of Knowledge
Resources and Support for Freethinking Homeschoolers
Jan 7, 2009
Modern homeschooling got its start as an education reform movement in the 1970s, and soon became a popular choice among families seeking more personalized, in depth religious instruction and lifestyles for their children. As a matter of course, a comprehensive commercial market developed, specifically for Christian homeschoolers. Many of these materials are still popular today.
And appearances to the contrary, there have always been a lot of nonsectarian or secular resources available in libraries and bookstores, and secular home educators seeking prepared curricula have often made due with the popular offerings, adapting them to their needs. Some religious curricula, like that offered by Sonlight, is actually quite popular among secular homeschoolers, as well as acceptable to a variety of school boards across the country. Non-religious home educators have also used KONOS curriculum with great success.
Correspondence Programs and General Education Resources
Correspondence programs like Calvert, Clonlara and Oak Meadow have also long been available, providing broad based home based learning programs to homeschoolers of all backgrounds and interests. Additionally, the Core Knowledge series (Delta) , developed by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., professor emeritus at the University of Virginia and author of many acclaimed books including Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know [Vintage; 1st Vintage Books Ed edition, April 12, 1988] has always offered solid secular academic guidance from kindergarten through middle school in the form of a series of grade specific books.
The World Wide Web of Learning
It was the Internet, however, that truly made the world everyone’s classroom, making online learning through formal and informal programs available to all, and helping nonreligious homeschoolers connect with one another better. Where a cursory online search on “secular” or “nonreligious” homeschool resources or support once netted a minimal response online, today, pages and pages of resources appear.
Groups like Homeschooling Freethinkers and the Denim Jumper provide a great home on the web for both support and resource discovery, sharing resource reviews and information from members. The Evolved Homeschooling webring brings together even more resources for secular home learning.
By its very nature, secular homeschool curriculum resources are many and varied, consisting of a lot of hands on, real time learning opportunities like everyday science, community experiences, and youth programs. For the secular home educator, online learning resources are endless, ranging from free sites like the Library of Congress and the Franklin Institute to subscription based sites like EdHelper.com . The advent of open courseware like that offered by MIT and other universities broadens the learning experience even further, with post secondary level learning at a truly affordable price – free.
While in the past, secular home educators often had to make do with adapting religious educational materials to their needs, or cobbling together their own programs from public library resources, today secular materials and support abound. Books like the Core Knowledge series continue to provide a broad based educational plan for learning, and the wealth of material available online provide an endless supply of quality secular learning materials and opportunities.
 |
