Yo Jo
a column by Joanne Casiello

North Suburban Home Learners

Homeschoolers Stand Their Ground

Living, Learning, and Loving It

To Swing in a Tree and From Bullets be Free: Why I Left School

Gymnactivist!

A Homeschooling Fable

The Scheduled Spontaneous Morning

Two of the Three Branches of Government

Homeschooling in Spite of Ambiguity

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Meet Massachusetts Homeschoolers
Homeschooling: The Adventure Never Ends
by Joanne Casiello
I'm sure it was only yesterday that we began homeschooling our four sons here in Worcester, MA, but when I glance around the house I can't help noticing that I am the only one home. One of our goals of homeschooling was to raise independent children who would discover their gifts and go out into the world to use them. And they do.

I'd like to say that it was my infinite skill, wisdom, and patience as a homeschooling parent that inspired my sons to become the capable adults and nearly adults that they are now, but my sons might read this, and they keep me honest.

A homeschool support list member, impressed that my sons enjoy singing in choirs and rock bands and play musical instruments, asked me how I had accomplished this. I wrote about singing to them from before they were born, always having musical instruments available, providing music instructors, playing music together. Third son looking over my shoulder said, "Um, if we were practicing music you wouldn't call us to come do our math homework."

So my four sons learned to be self-motivated, active learners because as long as they looked productive, I didn't stop and make them do something else. They learned rapidly that if they mentioned boredom, I might suggest they clean their rooms. If they fought with each other, I might decide it was a good time for a spelling lesson. Small boys engrossed in building with Legos, writing plays, painting pictures, designing science experiments, repairing bicycles, reading books, creating costumes, editing videos, inventing mechanical devices, or raising livestock were not interrupted.

From their parents' example they learned what they loved and what they hated. If you have parents who give you a quick lesson in drosophilae gender identification and state of reproductivity when they hand capture random fruit flies that happen to zigzag past the dinner table you either grow up to be an animal science major like our second son, or to avoid college bio classes completely by becoming a software engineer like our first.

This homeschooling adventure led us down paths I had never anticipated. I carry snapshots in my head of sons halter training a camel in the snow, bargaining in Spanish in a market in Honduras, singing in a cathedral in England wearing the formal vestments of choir boys, barefoot while picking tomatoes under the hot sun with a woman from Cameroon. I shake my head in disbelief remembering that while dressed in four layers of winter clothing I videotaped a son in shorts and jersey playing a crucial soccer game in a near blizzard.

Along the way I learned that if a son said he could do something, he probably could. Who was I to tell my fourteen-year-old that boys do not learn to dance jazz tap in talent shows by watching old movies, attaching metal plates to sneakers and practicing for two months in the basement to Duke Ellington? He did it and his act was a huge hit.

The official homeschooling adventure is nearly over for us. John Paul is married, living in Boston, a graduate of Northeastern University working as a software engineer. Ben is a senior at UMASS Amherst majoring in animal science and spending his summers working for Heifer International. Damon spent the summer as an intern in an engineering research and development department of St. Gobain. He'll finish his associate's degree in engineering at Quinsigamund Community College this year and transfer from there to a four year college as he moves towards a career in either material or bio-engineering, or maybe both. Gabe, at 16, the only one to officially still be homeschooling, works as a lifeguard, swim team coach, and makes training videos for lifeguard training courses. His formal internships in carpentry began this year as he continues to explore career options that mesh with his interests. The official adventure may be almost over, but the thrill of finding the best place and way to learn what you want to learn, I hope, will never end.

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