Homeschooling approach and personality type

[forty-two]

It's been noted on a classical ed board I'm on that our members trend heavily to I, N, and J, each at 75-80%, with T/F about equal (those who answer polls about it, anyway ;)). A full 20% were INTJs and another 20% were INFJs, both of which types are rare, about 1-2% of the population. So I was wondering what other hs approaches correlated with specific personality types.

Anyway, I'm an INTJ, and I'm doing traditional classical education - focus is on math and classical languages.

So how about you? :popcorn

[houseforjoy]

eNFj -- and i am doing classical christian (mostly following well trained mind)

[backtobasicsmum]

Another INFJ here :giggle

We are very eclectic here...a tad unschooly...and while I've read about classical education, we really do NOT fit into that particular branch of homeschooling. :shrug3

[TraceMama]

ENFP here and while I love much of the classical education theory and philosophy, making it a reality comes much more difficult to me. :shifty So, I'm pretty eclectic, like Charlotte Mason's philosophy as well, and am doing my best to blend quite a few different styles into one that works for us. :giggle

[Leslie]

I'm an INTJ doing Charlotte Mason.

[sweetpeas]

I'm an INTJ and we're very eclectic, bordering on unschooling. That said, I sometimes struggle with that, in many respects I LOVE it and truly believe it's what's best for my children. But if it was "all about me" having everything beautifully planned out for all 12 years with every i dotted and every t cross would be heavenly LOL.

[ReedleBeetle]

eNFp here. I don't know what we are. :shifty I know "fly by the seat of our pants" did not work for me, because I lost my momentum every time we got rolling good. I need a list and a plan that is somewhat flexible but has a definite next step...and so that is what we are pretty much doing...except for Social Studies....and I'm not sure how I'm doing on that. :shifty

[tigerlily]

So I guess I'm the first with an S that's ringing in? :wink

Although I'm an ISTJ -- so, not too far off the norm. I'd define myself as eclectic/structured/living books type girl.

[DancingWithElves]

i can see the J thing and the I thing. most moms who feel they cannot homeschool say that is so b/c 1) they need to get out more 2) they can't organize it :lol those would be your e's and p's.

i'm an ENFP and we are waldorfy unschoolers for now. when ds gets older we (and by that i mean my dh) will be doing more unit and theme study :grin

[Allison]

INTJ here and I create my own curriculum. It's a math and science focus, though. Grammar is important, as well.

[Tasmanian Saint]

DH is INfP and I, for the sake of argument, am probably istP.
We both started out very strongly on the unschooling/natural learning side, I am now leaning CM and as we hope to be able to continue sharing homeschooling together we'll probably end up 'relaxed/CM/unschooling'.

i can see the J thing and the I thing. most moms who feel they cannot homeschool say that is so b/c 1) they need to get out more 2) they can't organize it :lol those would be your e's and p's. See, for me, being a P is part of not wanting to put my kids through the awfully J environment of school :shifty (school really didn't work for DH in particular - P is part of that - probably the N, too :think)

[doubleblessings]

ISFJ - doing a lot of WTM stuff for History and Language Arts (we haven't started Latin or any foreign language). I am not following their math and science. For that we are doing Right Start and Math Mammoth (and a few others :giggle) and BFSU and REAL Science Odyssey.

[arwen_tiw]

ENFP and we're Waldorf-y Unschoolers too (and on the radical side of unschooling if you can imagine that in a Waldorf-style environment :roll)... :)

[DancingWithElves]

DH is INfP and I, for the sake of argument, am probably istP.
We both started out very strongly on the unschooling/natural learning side, I am now leaning CM and as we hope to be able to continue sharing homeschooling together we'll probably end up 'relaxed/CM/unschooling'.

See, for me, being a P is part of not wanting to put my kids through the awfully J environment of school :shifty (school really didn't work for DH in particular - P is part of that - probably the N, too :think)


people who say that usually imagine the sort of thing where you stay home all day and lecture, read, and grade papers :giggle ya know, ones who don't really know about different ways of homeschooling ;)

and i totally agree with you, having someone's J'ness imposed on me through out of home schooling sounds just awful to me! :shiver

[BarefootBetsy]

I'm an INTj/p :yes

I love Charlotte Mason and plan on doing a literature-based approach. I still have another year before I start thinking about doing much formal work (other than what the girls beg me to do with them) so I'll be doing much more research this year. I'm very excited! So far we've been mainly reading Sonlight books out loud and using the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons book which my girls enjoy very much :)

[DancingWithElves]

and what's the educationalese for when you read and read and read all.the.things to them :question :)

[Ellen]

Infp. Charlotte Mason style is what I'm aiming for. My NF idealist loves Charlotte Mason's values. My P wants freedom from much structure but my NF will aim for enough structure to implement my values. :grin

[forty-two]

Actually, I can see the INTJ-unschooling connection (and I seriously considered unschooling, and even now am incorporating much of unschooling into my approach to classical ed), in that INTJers are generally willing to go against the grain if we think it's right, plus are usually confident in our plans, so if unschooling appeals, we'd likely have the confidence in ourselves to go forth and do it, despite it's "out-there-ness" :giggle. (Or *because* of it's counter-cultural-ness :shifty - I"m constantly drawn to extreme positions, and respect their adherents' determination, even if I think they are also nuts ;).)

[sillybeans]

I'm an INFP. We're doing My Father's World, which combines Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies!

[ArmsOfLove]

GREAT question :tu

I'm an ENFP with a strongly developing T :) I'm doing classical eclectic relaxed homeschooling :giggle

[Firebird Rising]

I am ISFJ with ADD thrown in. I love CM stuff but find it too hard to organize so I just send them outside a lot for that part of it.

I don't plan worth beans but I am always willing to haul out the easel, paints, crayons, science projects, cooking utensils, whatever.

I spell things out for Cameron to write some days when he asks. I make him do ten minutes of Russian on Rosetta Stone each day when I get the chance, and he plays on Starfall. We also have him in gymnastics and theater.

I don't think my personality has much to do with it honestly but I'd live to hear if you see it somewhere in there.

[Leslie]

I think a poll here might be slanted because, from what I've seen, this forum (and type of parenting) already appeals to certain MBTI types. So we're already a limited group.

In fact, I think the internet itself (or forums, anyway) draw more introverts than the general population can account for because introverts tend to use the internet as a social outlet, where extraverts get enough socializing in real life.

[ReedleBeetle]

I disagree....there are a TON of extroverts here. :) I think more goes into it than that.

[gpsings]

ENTP and I am very structured in approach, but I like a simple, already sectioned out curriculum so I can know what we are doing every day to the letter.
I know, it's not very 'homeschooly' but after 5 years, I think it's the best I got.

[tigerlily]

ENTP and I am very structured in approach, but I like a simple, already sectioned out curriculum so I can know what we are doing every day to the letter.
I know, it's not very 'homeschooly' but after 5 years, I think it's the best I got.

I'm an ISTJ and I think I lean toward this approach, too. I fear that w/o the structure, I'll just scrap it all and do nothing.

Plus, on days like today, where I see them naturally going after more free play and activities that are brain building, I can push school back a bit and let those ideas flow. That's the benefit of this lifestyle right -- still learning what they need (or society says they need;)) But able to offer time and space to develop and play which is disappearing at a dangerous rate in ps.

[kwisie]

I'm an iesnftjp, and we're kinda relaxed, eclectic, charlotte masonish, classicalish homeschoolers around here. So, I guess I fit into a neat little homeschooling category just about as well as I do a neat little M-B category. :shifty

[Pragmatist]

I'm an INTJ and while the classical approach to education makes sense to me, it seems too structured b/c I don't want anyone telling me what to do. :shifty

DD is 4 now, and I'm not quite sure what we're doing. Currently a lot of play and too much TV. :O

[Aerynne]

ISTJ and we're mostly Charlotte Mason, but not totally. Also some Montessori leanings and we are ever so lightly sprinkled with Waldorf.

I only know I'm ISTJ because I took a quiz about it. Like my siggie says, I don't know what it means. I frequently have to look at my siggie to remember that I am ISTJ (in fact I typed it here wrong before I looked and edited it). I do know what the I means, and that's definitely me. The others- not so much.

[mommy2ella]

I'm an INF right on the cusp between P and J, and we do Sonlight in a relaxed way, with leanings toward classical and Charlotte Mason and child-led learning. On another note, I've noticed in the past that it seems there are a disproportionate number of INFPs and INFJs on this message board, considering how small a percentage they are in society as a whole!

[hbmamma]

I'm an INTJ here and I always knew I was going to homeschool. I was homeschooled and loved every minute of it! I was going to use the same method I used and loved.

So it caught me by surprise when they were dx'ed with Autism and Aspergers/ADHD. It caused me to throw out my original plans and start fresh. :doh :sigh

We are very eclectic, using books for math, science, and grammar. Everything else resembles more of an unschooling/Charlotte Mason sort of thing. It has taken me a long time to become comfortable with it, since it's not how I prefer to learn...

But through it all, I have been able to fine tune my homeschooling philosophy to better define what it should be: finding that method that best suits the child (not always best suited for the parent... I can adapt better than they can at this age... even if I don't want to) :cents :shifty

[BeachMama]

INFJ - though I'm borderline on the F

We are just getting started so I can't say what we will be doing in a few years. But for now I'm starting with FIAR and leaning towards Charlotte Mason for next year and beyond.

I can appreciate various aspects of each style. I know that straight unschooling and "delight directed" is out for me, though we already do plenty of student led learning. CC is probably not a good match for us either.

[heartofjoy]

I'm an INF right on the cusp between P and J, and we do Sonlight in a relaxed way, with leanings toward classical and Charlotte Mason and child-led learning.

Julie, I could have written that! :D

[momyshaver]

Another INFJ here :giggle

We are very eclectic here...a tad unschooly...and while I've read about classical education, we really do NOT fit into that particular branch of homeschooling. :shrug3

that is our situation too :nak2