Once children reach pre-teen age, their need to be separate from parents intensifies dramatically. They begin to develop their own identity more fully. They can be very susceptible to peer pressure and may mold their behavior around whatever standards make them acceptable to their classmates. This is manifested even at elementary school age.
For families that home educate, this presents a challenge. Many parents have concerns about the negative influences that exist in a middle or high school environment, but aren’t left with many other choices. Kids can do activities outside the home, like lessons or sports, or independent study online, but often this isn’t enough to fill their personal needs.
I want to tell you about a new kind of school that fulfills many of the needs our children have at this time of their lives in a highly positive way. It’s called a New Commonwealth School.
Some years ago a mom noticed that her teen had needs that weren’t being satisfied by their homeschool. She wanted her teen to interact with other teens who could provide friendship, commonality and positive peer pressure in a wholesome, uplifting atmosphere.
She got together with some other parents who shared similar values and goals. They organized classes, hired teachers and established a weekly day of school for the kids, who then studied on their own the rest of the week. They were able to tailor the classes to the interests of the families involved and it was a success.
After a few years of directing this program, the mom just couldn’t do it any longer. She got the parents together and told them she needed to quit. She expected the group to discontinue, but the other parents were so happy with how things had gone, they insisted on finding a way to keep it going.
They elected a new director and several parents volunteered to be on a board of decision makers. They established bylaws and structure that could continue year after year, thereby creating a pattern that could be duplicated.
The mom that directed the school found another mom that had done the same thing in her community. These two got together and wrote about the experience and shared instructions on how to do the same thing in any community. Together, Aneladee J. Milne and Tiffany Rhoades Earl published their story in The New Commonwealth School.
My own son attended a local commonwealth school last year and loved it. He took Shakespeare and a class called “Key of Liberty” which was developed by the authors of the above book and is based on American History.
Nathan (with sombrero) in the Shakespeare production of Love's Labours Lost--an Old West version
This year my son is taking an upper level Shakespeare class and the next class after “Key,” called “Sword of Freedom” which is based on Civil War history. My daughter will also be old enough to attend, and is taking Shakespeare I and “Key.” They will both also take a ballroom dance class. I am serving on the board as the parent-to-teacher representative.
The curriculum that has been developed by Milne and Earl are designed to teach and inspire youth to:
- Study for extended periods of time out of personal choice
- Start doing the “hard things”
- Learn time management
- Discover more about who they are
- Understand their duty as a citizen
- Write independently and with insight
- Think deeper, study things that may not interest them at first
Milne and Earl have also founded a support organization called the Leadership Education Mentoring Institute, which offers training and continued help for parents and others who plan to teach in a commonwealth school, or just want to be better mentors to their children. Their trainings are 1-3 days long, and webinars are also offered occasionally. I participated in a webinar last year and it helped me understand how to be a better parent-mentor to my kids.
We don’t need to force our children into a compulsory education system, just because we feel there are no other acceptable options. There are alternatives. A Commonwealth school is one of these.
First day of Nathan's Sword of Freedom class
Our children are our future. If we don’t help them learn powerful skills and values relating to their education, what kind of future will we have?
Let’s seek out the best opportunities for them, fulfill their needs in a positive way and enjoy more freedom in the process.
*Updates: 9/10/10-Also check out this blog post on How, Where and Why I Recommend Online Learning… by Rachel DeMille.
9/21/10-Just to let you know how motivated Raquel (she’s 11 1/2) was during her first week of Commonwealth, here is a list of the Shakespeare plays she listened to AND read within that time:
- Macbeth
- The Tempest
- The Comedy of Errors
- Twelfth Night
- Merchant of Venice
- Much Ado About Nothing
- The Winter’s Tale
- As You Like It
She’s seen most of these plays performed over the last few years here at the Shakespearean Festival, which I’m sure helps her comprehension and attention span. There are some good movie versions of these plays as well. My son, Nathan did the same thing last year over his semester of Shakespeare.
Kids can love learning the classics!
*Top photo-credit http://www.buzzle.com/articles/negative-and-positive-effects-of-peer-pressure.html
Yes, we do that. Except we don’t call it a commonwealth school. It is called a co-op, since the parents are still responsible for the schooling.
Co-ops are similar to this type of schooling. They differ in the level of organization and curriculum. Some parents may obtain special training to teach in co-ops, but this happens on a regular basis in Commonwealth schools. The training and curriculum is fabulous and inspiring!
hello im a mother of 4 2 girls 2 boys the oldest is married* My daughter at home is 21 joshua is 16 and joseph 8 ive been recently seperated for almost 3 years im feel the presure for schooling for my 2 boys my youngest son goes to a special class in school for special learning children and my son joshua now 16 was attending an alternative program* A guidents counselor is pressuring me to get joshua to attend some schooling i want him to go where i know he will be happy to go its quite a distance from home*Since my seperation its been really hard for me to help my children i want the best for all of them my oldest daughter couldnt finish high school because the lights in the school were giving her mind grand hedaches she also is trying to get her education rolling again im not sure if home schooling would be a good choice i really myself dont have my education to really teach them i do have life experience i wanted to share what i feel i need some help and support iam very much interested in your moms essentials websight thank you for reading my comment ANNIE
Hi Annie!
I’m glad you like my site and are trying to help your children get a good education. I believe that girls and boys should be home for seasons at a time to learn about real life and gain important life skills. But it’s also important that they get their basic education somehow.
There are many programs online now. Do you mind if I ask what state you live in? Many states offer a program called K-12, which can be done at home and is free. There are many online charter schools and other programs cropping up just in the last few months. Many of them even give you a free computer when you enroll your child. I suggest asking your local high school or school district about online programs and find some home-schoolers in your area to ask as well. See my other article HERE.
Don’t stress about your lack of education. If you are serious about helping your kids, you can actively search for the tools that will help them and you can find other ways to help them learn. You are already listening to your intuition and that’s a critical factor.
Good luck and thanks for reading!
~Jenni