Homeschoolers generally perform above average academically, but that doesn’t make every homeschooler a genius in academics. Homeschooling allows kids and their parents to explore what type of genius the child has and develop it.
When my youngest was in first grade, a dinner guest started quizzing her on multiplication facts and when she didn’t know them, raised his eyebrows and started trying to teach her to multiply. Not that I compare my children to government school students, but I don’t know many 6 year olds who are confident with multiplication tables.
When my children were younger, they had an extensive knowledge of history, but were not good spellers. I got very irritated when people judged how “smart” my kids were by how well they could spell a few words thrown out for an informal oral spelling test. Now that my kids are older, they still aren’t great spellers, but can get by especially since the majority of their work and communication is done by typing with some sort of spell checker available. AND what they are very good at (better than most teens) is COMPOSING their writing. They have great ideas and can communicate them clearly and succinctly.
I have one child whose “genius” lies somewhere in the theatre. That’s a mama’s opinion of course, but others in the industry have expressed to me the talents and abilities she demonstrates at her age bode well for her future in technical theatre. (I will be posting more about her endeavors later!) If you asked her what 6 x 9 is, I’m SURE she would have to think…even at 17 years old. She’d know it, but it would take quite a lengthy delay by “regular high school” standards.
My oldest is more academic and her “genius” lies in writing fiction and “just getting” math. I’m not sure she realizes it yet…she’s got time. Science on the other hand, is a struggle. Learning scientific names and doing experiments is something she really struggles to do.
As homeschool parents, we have to be willing to encourage and accelerate the genius while accommodating the weaknesses. If college is in your child’s future, they WILL have to have science; but, do they have to have a AP Physics class if their passion is Russian History? Probably not. Our job is to help them be successful with their life’s calling, not burn them out. You never hear about Albert Einstein’s work in the theatre, or about George Gershwin’s physics discovery…so don’t forget you could be raising the next Einstein or Gershwin…encourage success!
