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Homeschooling the Gifted Child
A Gift of Time and Experience
By Teri Brown
David Albert, author of And the Skylark Sings With Me: Adventures in Homeschooling and Community-Based Education (New Society Pub, 1999), and whose own daughter received a scholarship to Smith College at the age of 16, believes that time is one of the most precious resources a homeschooling family has.
"All parents will find there are more opportunities for learning outside the institution than there are inside of it," says Albert. "Once you take your gifted child out of school, the world is truly your oyster."
In his books, Albert discusses how homeschooling allowed his daughter to delve deeply into different interests. They had time to learn the intricacies of building their own telescope, attend lectures, volunteer for various causes and nurture their musical abilities in a far more meaningful way than if they had spent a large portion of their day in school.
Parents who might be overwhelmed by the challenge of teaching a gifted child should look to their own community for inspiration. The Alberts used all the community's resources to feed their daughter's never-ending quest for meaningful information. Albert believes the overwhelmed feeling parents may have about teaching their child is a good thing.
"Think of your own ignorance on the matter as a great opportunity, and you and your child will end up exploring options you never dreamed possible," says Albert.
"Parents should pay less attention to teaching and more attention to learning. I don't think anyone is really qualified to teach children, but all parents are qualified to help their children on their learning quest."
