Vocabulary Word of the Day: Research

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

11 Mar 2008 10:38 AM

Research means to "inquire into". It is a "systematic investigation to establish facts", and a "search for knowledge". (worldnet.princeton.edu) Research is a very important part of homeschooling for many reasons. To learn how to homeschool your child, you must research and discover the right approach for yourself. Likewise, to truly teach a child, you must also teach them to find information for themselves.

As homeschoolers on a mission, we tend to forget to do our due diligence and jump to conclusions based on the reports of others. I especially am guilty of this error. When talking about the very recent California ruling, I quickly began giving my opinion and making judgments based on the reports of mainstream media and other bloggers. This morning, after getting an email from a person actually involved in the case, I began to second guess myself. "Maybe I jumped the gun," I thought. Perhaps I was too hasty to comment on something that I knew nothing about. Fortunately, in this case, I was not. It was not until after I did the research and found court documents did I feel comfortable that I had not been unfair.

As homeschooling parents teaching kids, we need to also remember to teach them the value of research. Just like my mother would motion to the wall of encyclopedias whenever I wanted a quick answer, we must also force our kids to research using reputable methods to find the answers to their questions and curiosities. As the old saying goes, "teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetimes", we must also teach our children to learn, so they will continue to gain knowledge and not just rest on information we feed them.

(This essay is an exercise in vocabulary. I encourage you to pick a new word each day and have your children to write an essay. Choose the number of required words according to grade level, age, or ability. ) For more words of the day see: syncretism, autodidact, extreme and mediocrity and more.

*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.

* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?

Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger