The most common question I'm getting right now

Over the last few weeks one of the most common questions I've been asked is Have you given any thought to what curriculum you're going to use?  Yes, actually, I have.  Since the month of October, I've been considering home schooling for my kiddos, so I've been researching and reading and researching and reading and researching and reading all about curriculum, structure, space, experiential learning, working and home schooling, and keeping sane.

The truth is, things will probably change a lot before August, but I'm already beginning to consider my current philosophy of education so that I can create my mission. What do I really hope to accomplish with home schooling my two children - intelligent in two very different ways. 

Several years ago I created my own personal mission statement for teaching, and I feel like, for the first time in my life, it hasn't changed all that much.  At the risk of sounding like a stuffed shirt, it goes something like this:

As an educator it is my responsibility to instill a sense of independence in all students. I will approach my students with curiosity and collect as much information on them as individuals as I begin my work. Knowing children are vastly different from one another in their academic, social, and psychological needs, I will treat them as such and point out their unique needs to them so that they can become more metacognitive in their learning. In doing this, each child will develop a feeling of safety and self-worth that will support his or her academic needs, ultimately creating independent learners.

Now, as I reread this, I can already see that it needs a little revamping.  Part of the reason I'm choosing to educate my children myself is because I feel like having my attention on just the two of them, their curiosity will get fed more often.  I keep going back to what Stephanie Harvey said about a year ago at the Illinois Reading Council Conference.  Her entire presentation hit home the idea that without curiosity, what's the point?  Monkey Boy used to ask hundreds of questions, but I can already see that the fire has been doused for him, and it's going to take a lot of fanning to get that flame going again.  He's started already, and tonight he even said, "Hey!  We can try to learn about that next year when we are home schooled!"

Last year we started curiosity journals where we wrote down questions as they came up with a promise to look up answers - which we did on occasion, but I'm ready to get those journals back out and dust them off so we can start writing down our questions again.  Time to teach my kiddos how to ask good questions.

A few nights ago my hubby asked me the same question - Have you given any thought to the curriculum you're going to use?  Why yes, yes I have.  We are going to go where our curiosity takes us and integrate the essentials into our inquiries.  I'm a writer and a reader with a degree in teaching kids how to read.  I know my children need X, Y, and Z to go on with life and A, B, an d C to get into college.  I've heard it over and over again from home schooling parents - do not try to duplicate public school curricula - what's the point in home schooling if you're just going to follow what the masses are doing?  For now, however, how about if we develop our reading, writing, and math skills while we question, inquire, research, create, and learn.