MusicWoman Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 So, who home schools their children? What are your reasons for home schooling/not home schooling...and has anyone ever considered it if they don't?
CrashIntoMe Posted March 24, 2006 Posted March 24, 2006 I was home-schooled for awhile because I was an army brat and we moved alot. I loved it. But your kids might get lazy.
a4a Posted March 24, 2006 Posted March 24, 2006 I certainly would HS if I had kids (cross my legs and apply super glue), I never plan to, but no way in hell would I send my kids to public school here in the South! I think they can learn at more at home, but social activities with other children certainly need to be arranged. Here they have HS baseball teams ect.
Pink_Tulip Posted March 24, 2006 Posted March 24, 2006 I think it depends on your district. I live in a very progressive district with a great superintendent. You can choose any school in the district to go to, there are many charters, and philosophies ranging from strict fundamental education to arts based, child directed learning schools. My kids go to the latter. My son learned math in first grade by sewing his own quilt. The kids call their teachers by their first name, to encourage a family environment. There is a lot of required parent participation and monthly parent meetings. I know all the parents in my kids classes on a first name basis. I did consider homeschooling before I found this school. It is important to me that my kids go to school with others who share the same values, etc, and that simply wasn't the case in a regular, neighborhood school, and we couldn't afford the private schools we were looking into. However, I was a reluctant almost-homeschooler. I guess I really believe there is something to be learned when kids have to work together, share limited resources (toys, etc.) follow along with a teacher when their buddy is trying to talk, etc. It is a hard decision to make, I was really stressed until I found this school. Good luck.
blind_otter Posted March 24, 2006 Posted March 24, 2006 You have to do extra, since they are home schooled -- especially extracurricular activities and team sports that are not affiliated with a school. I knew a kid in HS who was home schooled and he was so weird. He didn't know how to interact with kids his own age and it definately made it more difficult for him.
Pink_Tulip Posted March 24, 2006 Posted March 24, 2006 Ya, the one kid I knew who was homeschooled was so painfully shy, it was sad. His only friends were the few of us from the neighborhood. Any other kids showed up, and he stayed in the corner until he found an excuse to go home. Poor kid.
Author MusicWoman Posted March 25, 2006 Author Posted March 25, 2006 I think it depends on your district. I live in a very progressive district with a great superintendent. You can choose any school in the district to go to, there are many charters, and philosophies ranging from strict fundamental education to arts based, child directed learning schools. My kids go to the latter. My son learned math in first grade by sewing his own quilt. The kids call their teachers by their first name, to encourage a family environment. There is a lot of required parent participation and monthly parent meetings. I know all the parents in my kids classes on a first name basis. I did consider homeschooling before I found this school. It is important to me that my kids go to school with others who share the same values, etc, and that simply wasn't the case in a regular, neighborhood school, and we couldn't afford the private schools we were looking into. However, I was a reluctant almost-homeschooler. I guess I really believe there is something to be learned when kids have to work together, share limited resources (toys, etc.) follow along with a teacher when their buddy is trying to talk, etc. It is a hard decision to make, I was really stressed until I found this school. Good luck. wow that school sounds amazing! any tips on finding ones like this? I would ask where exactly this school is because it sounds amazing but I don't want to infringe on the privacy of this site.
Pink_Tulip Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 It really is an amazing school. They all start music classes in first grade, they try and teach as much math through art as possible, they do two school wide plays a year (its a k-8), I could go on for pages. I am in N. Cali, I'll get more specific if you are there too, lol. I found it by going to greatschools.net which profiles all the schools in your area. I don't think its nationwide tho. Anyway, when my son was 10 months old, Columbine happened, and I freaked out. I remember rocking him and just being glued to the TV, thinking my baby will never ever go to public school. By the time he was two I had a file two inches thick of all the schools in the area. I would get all their information, teaching philosophies, test scores, etc. And if it was a school I was interested in I would go interview the principle and sit in on classes. My personal interest was finding a school that modeled Piaget's theory on child develpment, was child directed, and art based. AND k-8. I personally think Jr Highs are so detrimental to child development. No small order. I really liked a lot about the Waldorf method schools, but there was enough to creep me out and decide against it. The school they are in is similar to the Waldorf philosophies, but without the cult aura (my opinion), but since it is a public school they have to meet district standards, so its kinda the best of both worlds. And whats funny to me is, as much as many people around here want to consider it a 'hippy' type school, they have the highest test scores in the district, and it is one of the largest districts in the country. Anyway, if you haven't made up your mind yet, I'd start compling lists and intervieing. What I found was, when I told the principle I planned to be the 'class mom' and spend a lot of time at the school volunteering, the schools that I really liked and felt were best suited for my family said GREAT! We love parent participation! Come every day! The ones that gave me the creeps and ended up not being what I was looking for always left an awkward silence and then gave me some reason why I didn't need to be there. With our school, I could be there all day, every day, and I would be appreciated, not seen as a weirdo. I like that. Sometimes I wish I could be there every day, its a lot of fun. But darn bills have to be paid somehow... I remember when I first found the school, my husband was a bit skeptical. So I took him there to let him see first hand what I was talking about. It was a beautiful spring day, and many of the classes had decided to go teach their lesson outside under the trees. The kids were all into it, happy, relaxed. Genuinely happy, you know? He was sold. Good luck! It will be a lot of work, but worth it when you are content in your heart you made the best decision for your kids, whatever that decision is.
Touche Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 We have charter schools around here that are "child directed" too. Funny, but I found the kids to lack discipline and respect for adults. Guess I'm old-fashioned. I WANT my child to address his teacher as Mrs. or Mr. not by their first name. I too considered home schooling but decided against it. My child is highly social and needs to be around others. I also felt that going to school would provide the structure that he needs. More structure than I thought I could provide at home. He loves his school. It's "art based." I love that they're learning the multiplication tables in Spanish class, for example. Math through art, etc. It's a great school. My only regret is that it only goes to 5th grade and I agree with the poster who brought that up. Wish it was through 8th. I don't like the idea of Junior High or Middle School. We're talking about moving to a town not far where the elementary school goes to 6th grade at least.
justagirliegirl Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 Ya, the one kid I knew who was homeschooled was so painfully shy, it was sad. His only friends were the few of us from the neighborhood. Any other kids showed up, and he stayed in the corner until he found an excuse to go home. Poor kid. I agree. I have seen homeschooled kids who just didnt seem to know how to deal with life outside of their parents. I think they become saddled more with the psychological baggage a parent may bring; like overprotectiveness. Also, most have huge gaps in their education. They have poor spelling and grammar. They don't seem to know how to put a thought together on paper.
Touche Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 I agree. I have seen homeschooled kids who just didnt seem to know how to deal with life outside of their parents. I think they become saddled more with the psychological baggage a parent may bring; like overprotectiveness. Also, most have huge gaps in their education. They have poor spelling and grammar. They don't seem to know how to put a thought together on paper. I once did research on that and from what I remember, they actually did very well compared to their counterparts in school. I forget the percentage but quite a few of these homeschooled kids go on to Ivy League colleges. I just happen to believe that the social aspect of a child's development is JUST as important as their academic development. I mean what good is all that great education if they can't function in a social setting?
Pink_Tulip Posted March 26, 2006 Posted March 26, 2006 We have charter schools around here that are "child directed" too. Funny' date=' but I found the kids to lack discipline and respect for adults. [/quote'] I agree with this to some extent. There are many administrators who don't fully understand the term 'child directed learning' and use to as a way to deal with social issues rather than learning, and this is a terrible idea. And it breeds disrespect, an inability to control impulses, and a 'holier than thou' attitude that I HATE. I found this myself at some schools I interviewed. Child directed learning is about educational needs, not social rules. Say for example you have a child who does well in other subjects, but math he just doesn't get. Rather than have this child constantly fail, causing him to start hating math and give up trying to understand, child directed learning requires the parent, child, and teacher to sit down and set attainable goals so the child will have a sense of accomplishment, rather than be compared to peers who 'get math' better than he. I believe very strongly in competition, and both my kids are very competitive in karate. We drive several hundred miles for tournaments. But I would never put my son in a competitive baseball situation, b/c that just isn't his sport. Same with school subjects. My goal is for him to foster a love of learning and maintain his curiosity, not beat him down b/c one subject is more difficult for him than others. In life as adults, we look for careers that best suit our talents, likes, and interests. By allowing the child to acknowledge the fact that they are not good at everything, they can gain valuble experience working to improve areas they have a harder time with, while still being supported in the areas they do embrace. In many fundamental schools, they are required to excel in all areas regardless of ability, and this just burns them out and makes them hate learning. I speak from experience as I went to a fundamental school growing up, which fueled my desire to find a better alternative for my kids. I hope that makes sense. The three core values at my kids school are respect for others, volunteering in the community, and integrity. The kids are exceptionally well behaved and have a great deal of respect. Outside of school, my kids call adults sir and ma'am. By creating the 'family atmosphere,' it sets up a different dynamic at school, one which I really like. My kids don't see their teachers as figures of authority that need to be treated a certain way, they see them as partners in their learning experience. The teachers are not disrespected at all, in fact, its quite the opposite. They are members of our extended family. As for homeschooling, I have ready MANY studies about how well many homeschooled kids do. But I think in order to get that result, there must be a lot more work by the parent than just teaching the basics. Especially if a child is naturally shy or introverted, the parent MUST work extra hard to make sure that child is socialized, or you end up with my childhood friend- an extremely bright kid, wonderful personality, but so insanely shy he didn't even go to college b/c the large class size scared him. Thats not fair to the child. I agree that socialization is just as important as education. What is the use of knowing how to read and write if you are too afraid of the world to go apply it. And as for middle schools, like I said before, I think they are horrible and should be abolished. Fortunately, our super intendent agrees and has put a plan in the works to eliminate one of our districts middle schools and extend five elementaries into k-8. If he finds parents prefer and support this, it will continue until hopefully all schools go k-8 and 9-12.
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