Latest / The Christy-Faith Show / Ep. 61 - Are Schools Killing a Love of Learning?

Transcript

Ep. 61 - Are Schools Killing a Love of Learning? · The Christy-Faith Show

• 0:00
  Christy-Faith: Hey there, mamas. Welcome back to the Christy Faith Show. I'm Christy Faith and if you're anything like me, you're constantly asking yourself, are we really doing this homeschool thing right? Are we truly fostering a love of learning or are we accidentally recreating the very system that we're trying to escape? Whether you're a seasoned homeschooler needing a reminder of your why, a newbie feeling overwhelmed by curriculum choices, or even just a homeschool curious parent and wondering if this crazy path might be right for your family, grab your coffee or your wine, no judgment here, and settle in.
• 0:36
  This episode is for you because today, we're diving deep into why traditional schools often fail to ignite that passion and love of learning. We'll expose the ways the system stifles creativity, crushes individuality, and turns education into a joyless chore. I know. Bold sentence there. Right?
• 0:56
  Hang with me. But more importantly, we're gonna talk about how to avoid replicating those same pitfalls in your homeschool. Because let's face it, it's easy to fall into that trap of rigid schedules, endless worksheets, and a constant pressure to keep up. And at the end of today, my hope is that we can understand the system's flaws so that we can be intentional about creating a different experience for our kids in our homeschools. Today is about reminding ourselves why we chose this path in the first place and how to stay true to that vision, and I cannot wait to dive in.
• 1:41
  Alright. Before we jump in, make sure you click that subscribe so you never miss an episode, and maybe share this one with that mom friend who's been tearing her hair out over school. If you're new here, hi. I'm so happy about that, by the way. I'm Christy Faith, twenty year educational adviser.
• 1:58
  I've worked with thousands of kids k to college. I'm a homeschool mom of four, author of homeschool rising, speaker and founder of thrive homeschool community, where I use my twenty years experience in education working with all those kiddos I just mentioned to help you build a homeschool that your kids will thank you for when they're adults. And how do we do it? By training you and giving you a solid community and building your skills. I'll put a link in the show notes for you to check out all the jam packed value we have waiting for you in there.
• 2:28
  Okay. Enough business. Now sit back, take a deep breath, and let's get real about what the school system is doing to our kids and how we can cultivate a love of learning that lasts a lifetime in our homeschools. We're gonna start with a tough pill to swallow, especially for those of us who are trying to create something different in our home. Why schools kill a love of learning?
• 2:49
  You see, schools weren't really designed to cultivate a love of learning in the first place. I know it sounds harsh, but it's true. If you love historical deep dives, you will love my historical chapter in my book homeschool rising where I go in-depth regarding the history of compulsory schooling in America. Think back to the industrial age. The model was about churning out compliant workers, not passionate thinkers.
• 3:14
  Rows of desks, rigid schedules, standardized tests. It was about control and uniformity. Does that sound like a recipe for curiosity? And honestly, when we're feeling overwhelmed as parents, it's easy to fall back on those familiar structures even in our homeschools because we were probably raised in it and it's all we know. The heart of the problem is that the system needs to manage large groups of children effectively.
• 3:37
  And when you're trying to manage that many kids, individuality often gets lost in the shuffle. It becomes about teaching to the test, about hitting those benchmarks instead of nurturing the unique spark in each child. And that pressure can creep into our homeschools too if we're not careful. We start worrying about falling behind or comparing our kids to others. And suddenly, we're recreating that same stressful environment that we were trying to avoid.
• 4:02
  And the curriculum in the school system, oh, the curriculum, it's often a mile wide and only an inch deep, forcing kids to memorize superficial understanding of vast ranges of subjects. There's no time really to deep dive into what fascinates them, to explore their passions or their curiosity. It's more about covering the material whether it resonates with the child or not. And how many of us have boxes of used curriculum gathering dust in the corner? It's tempting to buy all the things to try replicate real school and give our kids everything and give them that experience.
• 4:38
  But the truth is, if you've been around me for even a hot minute, we know that less can be more. And what about creativity? Schools stifle it, valuing conformity over original thought. Kids are taught to color inside the proverbial lines, to follow instructions, to give the right answer, and there's not a lot of room for experimentation, for thinking outside the box, for challenging the status quo. That's what's so cool about homeschooling.
• 5:07
  We can allow our kids to truly explore their own interests. They can veer off the prescribed path. We can encourage them to ask questions and to challenge assumptions and to think for themselves. And then there's the pressure, the constant testing, the grades, the competition. It creates this toxic environment that sucks the joy right out of learning.
• 5:29
  In schools, kids become more focused on getting good grades than on actually understanding material. They're afraid to make mistakes and they're afraid to take risks. It might affect their grade and therefore, they're not really exploring new ideas. They're just trying to get the right answer and deliver it. With homeschooling, we can just throw grades right out the window.
• 5:48
  After all, we're sitting right there. We know if they understand the concept or not, and we're having amazing conversations with our kiddos. Let's not forget the social stuff. Schools can be tough places, breeding grounds for bullying, peer pressure, and social anxiety. Kids are constantly comparing themselves to others, worrying about fitting in, and trying to navigate complex social hierarchies.
• 6:11
  And what people don't realize is all of that. It throws kids into fight or flight, and that is a huge learning distraction. Huge. And while homeschooling offers a different social landscape, that also too, I will admit, is not without its challenges. We need to be intentional about creating opportunities for our kids to connect with others in meaningful ways.
• 6:30
  And while homeschooling offers us this opportunity for a healthier, just really cool social landscape, I'm not gonna say that it's not without its challenges. We still need to be intentional about creating opportunities for our kids to connect with others in meaningful ways. And it's funny because homeschool moms are always were accused of not socializing our child. And to be honest, mentoring thousands of homeschool moms, that's one of our biggest worries. We care so much about their socialization.
• 6:58
  Sometimes we're exhausted from our kids' socialization and we have to scale back. But the result of all this, of everything that I just talked about, kids are bored, they're stressed, they're disengaged. They've lost their natural curiosity, their innate love of learning, and that desire to explore the world around them. This is what the schools do. They become kind of passive recipients of information instead of active participants in their education.
• 7:24
  It really breaks my heart to see it. All kids care about is will this be on the test? And it's a constant reminder of why we chose this path in the first place. Now I know some of you are thinking, okay, Christy, this is really depressing. What can we do about the schools?
• 7:40
  I get it. It feels overwhelming. So before you throw my own book at me, I wanna share something that might just be a game changer for your perspective. We'll dig into that right after the break. As a homeschool mom who values a family together approach and leans towards the classical and Charlotte Mason styles, I often struggle to bring my educational vision to life with my kids' diverse ages and learning needs.
• 8:00
  With all our interests and super packed schedule, bridging that gap between the dreamy homeschool I want and reality, I gotta be honest. It's a challenge. Now, yes, I know perfection isn't the goal. But if you're listening and you could use a little easing of your mental load in your day to day, I found a resource that has become the quiet hero of our routine, and it could be a really great option for you too. BJU Press homeschool curriculum.
• 8:23
  Now many think that BJU Press homeschool is solely an all in one option, and though it does excel in that role, did you know you can also opt for specific courses and tailor them to fit your family's needs just as I have? BGU Press Homeschool provides the perfect balance of structure and flexibility and easily complements my family's mixed age family together on the couch learning style. They are second to none in integrating a biblical worldview, stimulating critical thinking, and offering tons of hands on activities in the lessons. To find out how BJU Press Homeschool can come alongside you in your homeschooling goals too. Visit bjupresshomeschool.com or click the link in the show notes.
• 9:02
  Is your child struggling with attention, memory, reading, writing, or math? If you're experiencing this, you know how heart wrenching it is to watch them face these hurdles. You've poured love, time, and attention into their education, yet the struggle persists, leaving you feeling stuck and desperately searching for answers. You guys, I want you to know about LearningRx, a proven program designed to help your child's cognitive skills, enabling them to think faster, learn more easily, and perform at their best. I'm talking getting real long term help here with things like ADHD and dyslexia.
• 9:34
  LearningRx is backed by thirty five years of research, and their results are transformative. Use code HOME 50 for $50 off your cognitive skills assessment. Go to learningrx.com or click the link in the show notes. Now, before we get into how homeschooling can redeem your child's education, I would be remiss not to talk about testing culture. So we're not quite done with the schools yet.
• 9:56
  Both testing on school material and standardized testing. And I get a little fired up about this because these tests have become the sacred cow of the education system, the metrics by which schools are judged and funded. And what do they really measure? Right? Like, do they measure intelligence, creativity, critical thinking?
• 10:17
  No. They measure the ability to memorize and regurgitate information. And honestly, that's not what matters in the real world. And yet how many of us still feel that little twinge of anxiety when we think about whether our kids are on track according to those arbitrary benchmarks? And we hear it all around us too.
• 10:35
  These tests also, they force teachers to teach to the test, which by the way, they hate. It narrows the curriculum and stifles creativity. Kids spend weeks, even months preparing for these standardized tests, drilling facts, practicing strategies. It's a colossal waste of time and energy that could be spent on more meaningful learning experiences. It feels like we're trying to train them to be robots, not thinkers.
• 11:00
  So if in your homeschools, this is an anxiety that you have, just rest assured you're doing a different path, you're not on that hamster wheel, and you are so in tune with your child, you're giving them an amazing education. Don't let those external pressures dictate what and how you teach. Now I should mention here that a lot of mamas join Thrive Homeschool Community because they're worried if they're doing this right and they're doubting themselves. I have so many amazing resources where I give you materials so that you can homeschool with confidence. I even walk you through a very detailed audit in there in one of my frameworks so that you can know without a shadow of a doubt if you're on the right track with your child's education or not.
• 11:41
  So make sure to check the show notes if Thrive Homeschool Community is a fit for you. Now back to the testing. So what about those kids who don't test well? Does this now mean that they're failures? Are they less intelligent?
• 11:54
  Of course not. But the system often labels them as such, kinda creating a self fulfilling prophecy. Kids who struggle on tests often lose confidence and motivation further hindering their learning. It's heartbreaking. And even in our homeschool settings, it's really easy for that negative self talk to creep in.
• 12:15
  Our kids can and will compare themselves to others or they might internalize messages that they're not good enough or that they'll never get this. This is why I love homeschooling because we can stop and pause and focus on that social emotional learning that is so vital and practical honestly for the rest of their lives. Because the truth is standardized tests and all tests are really flawed and they're inaccurate measures of learning. Now let me say that again. Standardized tests are inaccurate measures of learning.
• 12:46
  They don't capture the complexity of human intelligence or the diversity of learning styles or the importance of creativity and critical thinking. They're a relic of the industrial age designed to sort and classify students for different roles in the workforce. And news flash, the world has changed. Why are we still doing this to our children? That's why homeschooling creates such an incredible opportunity to do it different and to do it better and to do it customized because our kids are so precious and cool, aren't they?
• 13:17
  In today's society, we no longer need an army of compliant workers who follow instructions. Honestly, that wasn't good in the first place. The future workforce, they need creative thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators, and yet our schools are still churning out students who are trained to memorize and regurgitate information. It's stuck in the past. It's preparing kids for a world that no longer exists.
• 13:41
  Why do you think I'm such an advocate for homeschooling? It's because childhood is such a precious time and we have an opportunity to create lifelong learners with relevant skills that will translate later on when they're older. And I also wanna take a moment to think about homework. So often, it's assigned as busy work. Right?
• 14:00
  It's reinforcing concepts that were already covered in class. When I was a teacher, I was required to assign a certain amount of homework and the parents always complained, but I got in trouble if I didn't assign it. And why do families hate all that homework? It's because it takes away from valuable family time. It takes away from extracurricular activities, time for interests, and opportunities for free play that we know our kids need developmentally.
• 14:25
  And homework often creates stress and conflict within families too. Parents are now in the position where they have to enforce what the school is telling them to do. And for those of you listening who still have your kids in the system who are homeschool curious, I have a feeling you are battling this battle every single night, and I just wanna let you know that you can be free of it. Now don't get me wrong. Homework can be beneficial when it's meaningful and it's engaging and it's reinforcing concepts, but often it's really just a burden and a chore that sucks the joy out of learning.
• 14:57
  Seven hours a day in school and then several hours of homework per night is a lot. When we homeschool, sure. Sometimes my kids have homework, especially if they're in an online class and they have an assignment due before the next class. But most often, when our kids do their lessons, they do their lessons. Their homeschool days are done very quickly.
• 15:17
  Again, I'm not saying that practice and reinforcement is not important. What I am saying, and you know this to be true, so much of that stuff is just busy work. Now let's talk about the social environment of schools. Because are they really preparing kids for the real world, or are they creating a bubble, a microcosm of society that's often dysfunctional and even toxic? I know what some of you might be thinking.
• 15:42
  Homeschooling is great, but isn't this a little extreme? Aren't there other ways to get a good education? Well, we're gonna debunk some myths now about school choice and explain why homeschooling is often the best choice right after the break. Before we continue, I wanna share with you a program that's been a game changer for our homeschool. At our center, we instructed and helped kids through pretty much every math program on the market and know firsthand just how important a solid math foundation is for our kids' futures.
• 16:11
  As a career educator with high standards, finding the right program that checked all the boxes felt like too tall of an order. Until one day, I tried CTC Math. CTC Math is an online math curriculum for k to 12 students with motivating interactive lessons that allow kids to learn at their own pace. It does all the teaching and grading so you don't have to and their adaptive lessons adjust so your child is progressing confidently. With CTC Math, your child is getting a top notch education and you just made your homeschool life easier.
• 16:40
  Visit ctcmath.com to start your free trial today or click the link in the show notes. I've got some news. There's a new reading curriculum that ditches workbooks and drills for fun and games. If you're thinking fun and games sounds a little too good to be true, it's not. Ninety eight percent of children improved their reading test scores in just six weeks with the reading skill set by Love Every.
• 17:03
  It's a phonics based program that follows a science of reading, but makes learning to read fun, motivating, and confidence boosting because it happens by playing games and then practicing with just right skill level books. Kids love it and parent educators love it, and it works. Visit lovevery.com/ChristyFaith today and use code Christy 10 to get 10% off your purchase of the reading skill set by Lovevery. That's lovevery.com/christyfaith.
• 17:34
  Welcome back.
• 17:35
  I like this segment a lot because I am going for the jugular here. Right? So we hear a lot about school choice these days. Right? Public, private, charter, magnet, so many options.
• 17:45
  But let's be real. How different are they really? Are they truly offering diverse educational philosophies? Or are we just shuffling kids between slightly different versions of the same thing? And more importantly, are they giving our kids what they really need?
• 18:01
  I'll never forget the time someone told me in total confidence that he didn't need to homeschool because his district had the best charter schools in the state. He was missing the entire point. See, most schools regardless of their label operate within a pretty rigid framework. They're still bound by standardized tests, state mandates, and the need to educate large groups of kids efficiently. That means a one size fits all approach even when they claim otherwise.
• 18:30
  And private schools, oh, don't even get me started. One of the biggest misconceptions out there is that homeschoolers are just people who can't afford private school. Seriously? Tell me you know nothing about homeschooling without telling me you know nothing about homeschooling. Back when we were running our center and consulting for schools, we worked with over 50 private schools.
• 18:50
  And you wanna know what I learned? They're often using the exact same curriculum that the public schools are using, and they're also hiring certified teachers like the public schools. And they're bragging about it as if it's some sort of validation. To me, it's like praising a restaurant for serving food that's exactly like the cafeteria. But no, no, no, no.
• 19:10
  They have chapel once a week. Oh, okay. Alright. That's worth the $20.30, or 40 k a year price tag? Now look, I'm not saying that all private schools are bad, but let's be honest.
• 19:22
  Are you really getting a fundamentally different education, or are you just paying extra for the smaller class sizes and a fancier building? And is that really worth sacrificing the freedom and flexibility of homeschooling? Now, I will admit something here. I am missing an important point, and it's one that has nothing to do with children, their love of learning, or their childhood. One of the major reasons we found why parents send their kids to private schools is connections.
• 19:50
  And that's a whole can of worms that I'm not gonna go into here right now because right now, I'm focusing on that love of learning and what's best for our kids. But honestly, it's a real thing. Now let's talk about those charter schools. They might offer specialized programs or a particular focus, but they're still ultimately accountable to the same bureaucratic hoops and political pressures as public schools. They're not truly free to innovate in a way that homeschool can.
• 20:16
  And that's the key difference, isn't it? As homeschoolers, we're not just choosing a school. We're choosing an entire philosophy of education. We're saying no to the factory model system and saying yes to a personalized passion driven approach. It's about recognizing that your child is an individual, not a number, not a statistic.
• 20:36
  It's about fostering a love of learning that goes beyond grades and test scores. Now I started out as a teacher before we ran our center, and I know amazing teachers in all kinds of schools. The problem isn't necessarily the teachers, it's the system itself. Our public school system prioritizes conformity over creativity, memorization over understanding, and standardization over individuality. Full stop.
• 21:01
  And that's why homeschooling isn't just another choice. It's a completely different paradigm. It's about taking control of your child's education and creating a learning environment that truly nurtures their potential. So next time someone tells you that their charter school is just as good or just like homeschooling, smile and remember, they're comparing apples to oranges. They're still thinking within the confines of the traditional system while you're building something entirely new.
• 21:30
  And for me, that's the moment. Now I've been pretty critical of the system in this episode, and I wanna be clear. There are many wonderful teachers out there, but the system itself, the compulsory school system in America, mass schooling, both public and private, is flawed, and it's failing too many kids. And it's time for us to start asking some tough questions and exploring different possibilities. And as homeschoolers, we have the freedom to create those possibilities within our own families.
• 22:00
  What if we could create learning environments that are truly tailored to our kids' individual needs and interests? What if we could empower them to be lifelong learners driven by curiosity and passion? Okay, mama. This has been a bit of a roller coaster. We've spent a good chunk of time dissecting the system, pointing out the flaws, and acknowledging where it falls short.
• 22:19
  If you're feeling a little bit down right now, it's understandable, but I don't want you to lose heart. Even though the traditional education system has its challenges, there are powerful things we can do to reclaim education for our families. And as homeschoolers, we're already several steps ahead. Let's start by fully embracing the truth that learning isn't confined to a classroom. It's not about only textbooks and lectures.
• 22:44
  It's about sparking curiosity, fueling exploration, and celebrating discovery. It's about connecting with the world around us and rediscovering the sheer joy of learning. And as homeschoolers, we have the freedom to fully embrace that philosophy. Field trips to museums, nature walks in the park, quiet afternoons at the library. Learning can happen everywhere our curiosity takes us.
• 23:06
  And even more importantly, what I love is we can empower our kids to take ownership of their own educational journey. We can encourage them to pursue their passions, to ask thought provoking questions, to challenge assumptions, and to develop their own unique perspective. Together, you and your children can create a dynamic learning environment that adapts to their individual needs, it nurtures their interests, and provides unwavering support. And I want you to never forget, although homeschooling feels new and different, you don't have to do this journey alone. If you're a little bit anxious, you're worried about messing up, or you're worried about the things that you're forgetting, we have an amazing community for you in Thrive Homeschool Community.
• 23:50
  It's where we share resources, exchange ideas, we offer master classes, and we help one another out, and it's a really cool sweet community. And is homeschooling the easiest road? No. It's not. But most things worth doing aren't.
• 24:04
  Homeschooling is a place where kids can thrive in their true potential. Thank you for spending time with me today. I hope you're walking away from this show feeling a little bit more inspired than you were when you started. And I want you to remember, joyful learning is possible, and it starts with recognizing the flaws in the current system, deciding that you don't want that for your kids, and choosing to do things differently. And it requires bravery, and you do not have to walk this road alone.
• 24:34
  Until next time, happy homeschooling.