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How many of you home school? For those with experience as either student or teacher, I would appreciate short responses. I would be especially interested in any brief criticisms, how you would do it differently, and so forth. Thank you.
My school age children are home schooled and will continue to be as long as we live in the worst public school system in Norfolk, VA. I would not have it any other way but I would advise you to be prepared for alot of prepping and whines from your child because they think they can get mom and dad to bend the rules. We use the Abekka curriculum and heavily use local museums and historical sites. Works out really well. Not only that, my 5th and 2nd grader can tell you more about our Constitution and Government than most adults can.
Not only that, my 5th and 2nd grader can tell you more about our Constitution and Government than most adults can.
You see, there's the problem; Socialist groups like the NEA don't want your kids to learn about the constitution or their God given inalienable rights.
Keep up the good work!
We homeschool. I'm not sure what you mean by "brief criticisms", though. Do you mean criticisms of our own homeschooling or criticisms of the restrictions/regulations that our state and local governments impose on us?
You ask what I would do differently...well, I've homeschooled for ten years now and I do things a little different every year. I used a variety of materials--Saxon math for the older kids, ABeka for some subjects and so on. Each child is different and I cater each one's education to him or her. My goal is to end up with completely self-taught students by the time they are in high school. I have reached that goal with my oldest child, but it's not looking as rosy for the next one in line :-).
Candi
SLB, any help here?
I'm in the process of talking my wife into it, but she's not sure if she could do it.
My daughter is now in 2nd grade, and I hope to have her at least in a private Christian school before middle school. The small Elementary school she goes to now is not too bad, but I see a lot of "writing on the wall" as to what lies ahead. I've been to several classroom activites and a few field trips, and it seems like the teachers spend way too much time trying to keep the Ritalin zombies in line rather than teaching.
The empty, secular observances of holidays also bothers me, especially when the pagan holiday of "Earth Day" is celebrated with great fanfare. I really don't think things were nearly as bad when I attended a public school. It seems to be getting worse every year...
This is the garbage public schools are substituting for learning:
How do kids really learn?--- This relationship-discovering process should be the primary emphasis of classroom instruction. Ordinarily, it is not. In most classrooms, the emphasis is on the comparatively minor, passive, knowledge-absorbing way kids learn. Far less attention is paid to the major, dynamic, knowledge-constructing way they learn.
Homeschooling allows the parent to pass on his/her values to the child. It allows the parent to 'disciple' the child in his/her faith, and provides training in becoming a responsible adult.
Traditional schooling segregates children according to age. Twenty-five six year olds can't teach each other to be adults, they can only pass their present thoughts and values (which can be good or bad) around between themselves. Traditional schooling also allows the teacher to 'disciple' the child in his/her faith, be it socialism, environmentalism, liberalism, whatever.
We homeschool 3 of our 4 children 5,8 and 11. Our 16 year old attends public but was homeschooled and private schooled until her freshman year
(/brag=on) The 5 year old can read already, the 8 year old has to be kept away from dad's tools because he wants to take everything apart to see how it works. The 11 year old was tested last year and reads at a 9th grade level. The 16 year old is an honor student, soccer and volleyball athelete, Drama club and National Honor Society member. and she has her mom's good looks and her dad's stuborness (/brag=off)
Homeschoolers here for ten years. The teaching style varies by the parents and children and the "household" style (relaxed, organized, etc.). But overall the biggest issue, IMHO, is to balance sound academics with the flexibility offered by the home environment. I know too many homeschoolers who do little or no academic work at all, and it is very obvious in their children. I'm not talking about the relaxed style of homeschooling here -- I'm talking about no schooling at all. At any rate, that's one danger.
The other danger is overdoing school. Thinking your child needs to sit at a desk and do piles of worksheets. Aside from not being academically fruitful, this sets up a household for utter frustration. Just as you can't get a child to swallow food he/she does not intend to swallow, so doing or not doing schoolwork can become a battleground of wills. A nurturing balance is necessary.
Which assumes progress on yet one more danger. And that is the whole-hearted involvement of homeschooling parents in their children's lives. Many tend to feel that by simply having their children at home, they are doing the job of homeschooling. Not so. Homeschooling is an attitude, a nurturing environment which brings the child along every step of the way, be it in academics or character instruction or teaching how to do household chores. Yet I see many homeschooling parents who don't have a clue about this -- patting themselves on the back for homeschooling while absenting themselves from involvement in their kids' lives. Sounds like an oxymoron, but it is indeed possible and happens all the time.
So the homeschooling parent must determine a balance of academics with the "fun" of play and field trips and with the reality of running a home. The parent must also determine to be thoroughly involved with his/her children, be it with math problems or a character issue involving self-control.
It's a great choice, but I believe it is much more than an educational choice. It is a whole-hearted approach to parenting and family life.
Given all that, I hasten to add that half our children are in public school and half at home. For yet other very strongly-held opinions. But that's for another day.
We homeschool due to the moral decline in public schools. I have to admit that my older two children received excellent (albeit secular) educations in the local public school system, although we did homeschool them for middle school, since all middle schools are ghastly, imo.
Not all education is dumbed down. Many honors and AP classes are still very academically rigorous....at least in our local suburban high school. My two daughters' high school reading list each year was lengthier, and much BETTER, than you would find in most universitites. They actually read the classics. We also had many committed Christian teachers. Unfortunately, the NON-honors classes were pretty pathetic. Little was usually expected in those classes.
I just cannot put my younger children in public school. The moral decline of too many students and teachers is too great. My children are being "hot-housed." When these tender young plants are sufficiently mature, they will be transplanted into the real world where they will continue to grow and flourish. My tender little shoots will not suffer the ravages of wind and rain, if I can help it.
Another homeschool family here... We highly recommend it. It builds relationships, imparts the values of the parents, and "stretches" each of us!
If you ask this question because you are considering it I would highly recommend doing some "homework". I read many books before coming up with my "model" of how I wanted out children educated.
Most communities have homeschooling seminars around this time of year - into the spring. Those are great places to see what resources are available as well as to observe other homeschool families.
In fact that is what really sold me - visit a local government school and look around - then attend a homeschool conference and draw your own conclusions.
Not that I think homeschoolers are perfect (we certainly are not) but we believe it is the best for our family. Hope you find the information you were looking for.
Blessings!
Wow! Great post and I agree with EVERYTHING you said! We are in our tenth year of homeschooling, too, and have reached all those same conclusions.
Candi
Hello TexasRepublicans: My wife and I have not had children yet but we do not plan to use the public school system -- at least not in the decaying Blue Zone city where we currently reside. Home schooling may be the option we're looking for. The Internet provides a tremendous learning tool and I'm absolutely certain that some conservative organization could sponsor a website for the purpose of home schooling, that is completely free from the left-wing indoctrination championed by the NEA. (Because we could never trust the liberals not to slip in some left-wing indoctrination, in one form or another.)
Such a site should be completely free from any kind of political or religious indoctrination. That absolutely does not mean that it has to be value-neutral. On the contrary, good moral values can be taught without religious overtones. By keeping it neutral on politics and religion, we can convince more people to get on board.
Good morning, Alan Chapman. You may want to rally the troops on this thread.
Have homeschooled for all of our children's (ages 16,14,12 and 9). Never realized the briefness of time that they are with us. Each day is gold.
We home school as well!
Public School Welcomes Shooter Back to Class
Read More About the Homeschooling Revolution
By all means send the children to public schools so they may socialize with other children. Are you not horrified at what children are associated and surrounded with in schools today?
BULLIED ‘FREAK' HAD LOTS OF FRIENDS
News/Current Events Front Page News Source: New York Post Published: 3/06/01 Author: DAVID K. LI Posted on 03/06/2001 01:58:18 PST by kattracks
SANTEE, Calif. - His skinny frame, pale skin and big ears made Charles "Andy" Williams a natural target for bullies.
"He was picked on all the time," Santana HS student Jessica Moore said. "He was picked on because he was one of the scrawniest guys."
The bigger, cooler kids called Williams a "freak" and a "dork," and someone recently stole his prized skateboards.
But friends of the 15-year-old freshman, who regularly wears a blue Navy Seals sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head, said he was an unlikely candidate to mount a deadly revenge-of-the-nerds massacre.
"He was always happy, always smiling," said Vanessa Willis, 15, a neighbor.
Williams "always seemed to have a big group of friends," she said. "They liked to go to the beach and skateboard."
He's addicted to his Nintendo system, loves "The Simpsons" and is a big music fan who's into Crazy Town, Three Doors Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.
In response to the taunts, he recently started talking about bringing his father's guns to school.
His dad, who works at a nearby Navy base, is a military buff who keeps his extensive weapons collection in a cabinet locked in his bedroom, friends said.
Andy had threatened to use the guns to mow down students in the past, but friends shrugged off those threats as tough-guy posturing.
One friend said Williams had experimented with drugs, and another said he had started drinking.
And he had recently broken up with a 12-year-old girlfriend amid rumors that he was pressuring the girl for sex while she was intoxicated, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The allegations led one teen to beat him up, the paper says.
Williams, who last summer moved with his father to California from Maryland, didn't defend himself against the attacks.
But ask him about his mother, who lives in South Carolina with an older brother, and Williams would explode, friends said.
"If you talked about his mom, he'd get really, really mad," one pal said.
To all of you who responded, thank you. Perhaps we will meet at a convention someday.
Where does one start in this?
We have home schooled for the past 13 years. To some that seems like a long time, but I can remember the first days very well. First of all be prepared for your relatives (mom and dad on both sides, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, and even the dog catcher) to be critical of what you are doing. You must have a total conviction that what you are doing is what is best for your children. Once that is clear the rest is easy.
For starters go to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website. (www.hslda.org) They are the experts across the country and keep track of state organizations which in turn specialize in individual laws. For Kentucky, I would recommend that you go to the Christian Home Educators of Kentucky (CHEK) website: http://www.chek.org. It lists several links to include the current Kentucky laws on home schooling. Right now there are several challenges to home schooling in Kentucky, but that just makes life more interesting.
Find out when your state home school conference is and by all means attend! The cost is minimal and the information you garner is invaluable. There will be vendors and speakers for every facet of education. Also, find a local support group and join. We belong to two at the present. One Christian and one secular. We are not as active as we would like to be at present, but taking care of aging in-laws is the priority right now. The road is tough, but the reward at the end is priceless.
The values you teach whether in home school or public, are what we have found to be the most priceless. Our 18 year old home schooled daughter is not interested in dating. She wants to do a courtship/dating combo. And that is without any input from mom or dad. She is going to be 19 in a couple of months and wants to be sure of any relationship she starts. A local pastor's son did ask her out, but when she referred him to me, he hightailed it. Guess he did not want a relationship that bad. The time will come when some young man will sweep her off of her feet and her mom and I will be doubly proud then. Our oldest daughter is 26 and was not home schooled, but followed the same type relationship in dating. She has now been happily married for almost 2 years. I don't necessarily approve of her choice in husbands, (liberal) but found that I can live with it (she calls him a closet Republican). He and I had some long talks before they were married, and he is coming around.
Bragging - Our oldest home school graduate was just accepted into the honors program at the University of Louisville. As I said earlier, the reward is priceless. Drop me a note by FReeper mail anytime with whatever questions you have. If I don't know, I will get the answer or send you in the right direction.
I'm in the process of talking my wife into it, but she's not sure if she could do it
Find your local Homeschoolers association and let your wife talk to some of the other homeschooling moms. Observe the children of these homeschoolers, they are generally more polite, more knowledgeable, kinder, and calmer than other children their age. Ask yourselves if this is what you want in your child. Reassure her that it will not be sitting at a desk all day long. At this age 2-4 hours of homeschooling covers much more than 8 hours in even a private school.
Now for you. I don't know you but make your mind up that you may need to make some lifestyle changes. Support your wife any way you can. Maybe take her out to eat more often or maybe you can cook a quick meal occasionally. Take your child(ren) to the park one afternoon and let her have some rest. Realize that your child will eventually (if not already) love to learn. Make your mind up that everything is a learning experience and plan accordingly. Just driving down the road can lead to a discussion about speed, velocity, law, nature, mechanics, etc. Plan on following up any questions that your child has and lead the discussion to the point that they learn at least one new thing each and every time.
I guess I can boil this down to - homeschooling requires both of you and the most important thing you can do to reassure your wife is to make it clear that you will help any way you can.
For whatever it is worth, let me share an experience with you.
While serving as Mayor on our local Township Committee, I chaired all the meetings. Each month one of those meetings was designed for the public to come and tell us what was on their mind. To help focus the discussion, we would pick a different topic for each of those meetings.
One night we choose the ENVIRONMENT as the topic and invited all the schools (K-6, 7-8 and 9-12) to participate. One fourth grade teacher brought her class as a group. When I opened the podium for comments, several of the fourth graders stated how the environment was being destroyed by corporations. Specifically they were not concerned about the quality of the air or water.
After several of these students parroted the same cliches, I asked where they learned this and they turned to their teacher and said: "She told us".
It was the most obvious example of the brainwashing that goes on in our schools that I have witnessed.
There are many other examples. I support the experiences cited by many home schoolers.
We homeschooled for two years, when we lived in an area with rotten public schools. We had access to many museums and historical sites...lots of good science and history and our child was able to go to science camps put on by the museums in the summer. There was also a large homeschool group we joined, but it was exclusive and cliquish. The kids were pretty mean to him as a new kid. That was the last thing I expected in a homeschool group. I hope that our experience is an exception. He did better hanging out with the neighbor kids for "socialization".
Now we live in an area where the public schools are 'good', and there are less resources for homeschool, although I have recently found there is a large home school community here.
When it is time for middle school (a couple of years) we may home school again. The hardest part for us was being in a new place and developing friendships at first.
I have homeschooled all my children since my son was in fourth grade. He is now a sophomore at Virginia Tech and his sisters are 13 and 14.
We chose to homeschool for academic reasons, but we have since come to realize what a great benefit it is to them in the moral/social arena , as well.
I use the same old-fashioned techniques used to educate me. I don't believe in "major, dynamic, knowledge-constructing" educational methods, or any other educational twaddle being used in modern classrooms. I make my kids memorize facts, diagram sentences, write papers, read classic books, prove geometric theorems, etc., etc., etc. To complement this very structured learning environment, we have also allowed them lots of free time.
Although homeschooling has been at times frustrating and a lot of hard work, it was worth it to us to keep them out of the establishment schools. Everything I have seen says it was the right choice. Our son has also stated he is proud of the fact he was homeschooled.
In the beginning, I spent every summer investigating how I could do schooling better. But in the end I always rechose the A Beka curriculum, supplemented with a few other materials. I honestly wouldn't do anything differently, not because it was perfect, but because I think you can drive yourself crazy looking for perfection. The best thing we did was to decide what our goals for our kids were, then make choices based on our goals. We believe our goals have been/are being met.
I'm in the process of talking my wife into it, but she's not sure if she could do it.
My fellow Kentuckian, "Y'all can do it"!! I'm in my second year of home schooling our two children (grades 1 and 3), and it is the "2nd best" decision I've made in my life.
BUMP for a great thread!
My kids started out in public school in Texas then I pulled them out for various reasons (I will discuss privately if you are interested) - In our school district I was committing a big NoNO - even got a letter from the school Administrator to "remind" me how much money I was taking away from the district! Homeschooling is what you make it. You can alienate your children, or you can join or make your own groups (as we did) and your kids can have the best education as well as friends and activities. We moved to Pennsyvania and continued to homeschool for a short time. Both of my children requested to return to public school and I am pleased with what they are learning - but we are considering homeschooling our youngest again. It is worth the effort you put into it. Good luck - as you can see many of us believe in it and will be happy to help with advice or suggestions.
You have "FreepMail"!!
One priceless thing about homeschool is instilling the love of learning. Another is the sense of confidence/self-assuredness that comes from being in a positive learning environment - a socially, emotionally secure place to pursue education. It gave my son a good grounding when we decided he should return to school. I would not want to relive my middle school years in a public school, and that was almost thirty years ago (junior high then). I know it is much worse now, and there is a good chance we will be at home again in a couple of years.
We live in eastern NC and homeschool. We've made some sacrifices to do it, but I wouldn't have it any other way. For one thing, it enables our two kids to get a really first-rate educational experience, and for another, it enables us to keep our amazingly distractable kindergartener son off the walls, ceiling, and Ritalin, and on task.
We really need a 2:1 student-teacher ratio to manage him properly.
We have homeschooled in the Dallas area for 12 years. Like others, we use a variety of cirriculum, including Saxon, Bob Jones and home made studies.
One thing that we would do differently?
Budget for a major vacation every year or so. A couple of years ago, we made a jaunt into Canada from St Paul, MN and met a family from Burleson. They were in the middle of a driving tour from Dallas/Ft Worth to Newfoundland, back to Thunder Bay where we met up (completely by accident). Their trip continued onto Edmundton and then back to Texas.
I must really commend them. How many families have sacrificed to allow this kind of adventure? How many kids from Texas have any idea what the Atlantic Ocean looks like from Newfoundland? How many kids from back East have any idea what it is like to live in the endless plains of the Midwest?
When our kids were younger we were able to plan and execute major road trips. These are still the memories that our kids use to bookmark the major events in their lives. We made sure that each of the kids could discover an event or activity that we could all do as a family, including the planning for the events. There is no substitute for the self esteem that comes from planning and accomplishing objectives, verses the false self esteem promoted at many government schools.
Also, go back and re-read wyopa's post #12. There is no comparison to Mom and Dad being intimately involved in the lives of your children, and with the lifetime of rewards that comes from seeing them blossom.
< /preaching>I better stop before I start my Paul Harvey impression!
Hi! We're in our 8th year of homeschooling. I have 3 boys, 17, 14, and 6. Oldest was in 4th grade when we started. He was "diagnosed" as ADD/hyperactive & immediately put on drugs to make him a compliant little zombie in class. When we brought him home, he would cry when asked to read a paragraph. Now he enjoys reading for about an hour every day.
Our decision to homeschool was definitely a leading of the Lord. I had been working full-time, my kids were in public school/daycare, the whole nine yards. I though we could NEVER afford for me to quit work & stay home, but the Lord impressed upon me the importance of trusting him to provide--and he has!
I have to admit that after 8 years I am feeling a bit burned-out on homeschooling, but I don't think I'd want to put my kids in public school. It's very intense. You get to know your kids like you never thought you could. However, due to my spiritual shortcomings (impatience, anger, a critical spirit), I'm finding the same fruit in my sons, which makes homeschooling more difficult. But that's my fault, not theirs.
My oldest is a very conservative patriot, with a strong sense of morality. He is committed to remaining pure until marriage, and is purposely not getting involved with girls yet because he wants to complete his schooling first.
Middle son has a very sweet and sensitive spirit, which would have been absolutely crushed in public school. Right now his sweetness is being obscured by teenage testosterone, but hopefully we'll make it through this like we did with his brother!
Youngest is adopted and a bit developmentally delayed. Due to his background, he needs to be "babied" a little bit more than most 6-year olds. Homeschooling allows for that.
Overall, I'd say that homeschooling is not just an educational decision, it's a complete lifestyle choice. We've had good times and not so good times, but I wouldn't have missed this opportunity for the world!!
We've HSed for years. It is one of the best decisions we ever made. We determined that, by God, our children were going to be educated, not indoctrinated in statism by an increasingly paternalist, intrusive, arrogant government agency. The logic of sending our youngest and most tender to an enemy indoctrination camp for 6-8 hrs/day finally eluded us, and we knew we could do better on our worst day than the State could do on its best.
Know what? We were right.
Dan
Homeschoolers for 17+ years, six kids. HIGHLY recommend it. Have used Christian Liberty Academy's curricula all these years...............superb.
I was home-schooled all my life, from K-9. Overall I'd say it was an excellent experience (especially knowing what I do about public schools these days). The only thing I'd change about my education at home is more interaction with other home-school students. I felt quite isolated for a long time. Also, keep your kids working for hours in their books. I got to the point where I would finish all but one or two books, do one lesson in them, and be finished with school around 10:30-11:00 a.m. That left me the entire day to sit around, waiting for my public school friends to get home.
My home-school education was also supplemented by reading the newspapers, political discussions with my parents, and daily listening to Rush Limbaugh. Granted I was in 6th Grade at the time, so you may want to hold off on such deep thinking (although young kids are a LOT smarter than given credit).
There are many different dedicated schools and curriculums out there for home-schoolers. My family wanted me to be raised a Christian, so they enrolled me in Christian Liberty Academy Satellite Schools (CLASS). It is a very difficult curriculum (kindergarteners usually have about 12 textbooks dealing with handwriting, basic math, phonics, and Bible study), and you will notice that your child/children will be more advanced than others their age. I know I was, no bragging intended.
Anyway, just my two cents, as a former student currently attending a nationally-acclaimed engineering school (bragging intended) ;-)
We homeschool up here in Canada.
We have four children, 12, 10, 9 and 7 and they have never been to school. We use Sonlight Curriculum and really like it as it is based on really good literature. (Newberry Award-Winning books etc.)
I totally agree with the poster who said that it gives you time to disciple your children. That is the most important part about homeschooling for me. We have a child who is dyslexic and it provides a great opportunity to help him develop his reading and writing skills without having to be "labelled" in the school system.
My kudos to all of you home schoolers. I recently attended an event with many children and I had the opportunity to view the conduct and knowledge of many children. I was so impressed by a particular group of seven children all belonging to the same family. The children were so well spoken, extremely well behaved and were being complemented by many. While other children were running rampant around the place, the seven well behaved children stood out. Later we all learned the seven children are home schooled and extremely bright as a result. The difference among home schooled children and public school children is obvious. Keep up the great work parents. It takes more time and energy to home school but many of us do notice and applaud you. Blessings to you.
We "Homeschool" both our children--ages 6 (almost 7) and 2 1/2. We currently don't use a structured curriculum, but our eldest was reading (not just individual words, but actual books) at age two, and is now doing math in his head. Our youngest has had trouble talking, but is catching on, and I am pretty sure he can also recognize words at this point. Being of 1st Grade age, our youngest is reading at a 6th or 7th grade level, and knows everything currently being taught in 1st grade around here. What makes it easy for us, is tht he truly enjoys learning new things and we are not forcing any kind of lessons on him. He knows geography and history. In short, the method we use stimulates his curiosity and he really wants to learn.
Home educator for 7+ years. Not just good for the children, is fantastic for the family! Know the legislation, and schools are not getting any better. DO read John Taylor Gatto, his "Dumbing Us Down" great place to start; he can be found on the internet.
Find an excellent curriculum, get started, and never look back. Curriculums abound - can also be found by research on internet. Home education movement is beginning to move into college realm. It continues to grow every year. Excellent decision.
My bride of 24 years has done the homeschooling thing for 18 years, our daughter is the last of three. Home schooling is not for everyone nor should everyone do it.Commitment is the key to a successful endeavor, I was in the Marines / Navy and as tough as that life is my wife had it 1000% harder with raising 3 kids and home schooling to boot.
PS.. be prepared to suffer the crap that people who have no idea what home schooling is about like …
your kids will be social retards (a total lie)
What your kids will become with Gods direction, is self thinkers and reliant on no one, able to have intelligent conversations with adults, and something libs hate more than anything able to see through the lies of the "victim mindset"
I was at lunch yesterday with my boss, we had been discussing home-schooling, he asked me what affect it had on my children - the news broke about Santee on the TV near by and I replied, "They don't get shot."
It's odd that people always want to know if it's good for the children. Do they get the social skills they need.
They get all the good-stuff they need, such as interaction with mature adults, discussing mature topics in the light of God's wisdom.
They miss-out on all the negative stuff - the vainity of girls clothes, popular music. Exposure to drugs and opportunities to be involved in sexual relations. The list goes on and on.
Home schooling has been very good for my children. We constantly get remarks from others regarding their behavior.
I home school because I felt called to do it. Before my children were even born, my husband I both felt the desire to do this. When my son, who was three at the time, was in for his yearly checkup, his pediatrician suggested I have him tested and we found that he was cognitively at a 6 year old level. She suggested getting him into the liberal school for gifted children right away. Well, I cried, then prayed, then came to conclusion that God didn't give me the desire to home school if he wasn't going to provide me with the means to do it. So I waited a while, then started him in first grade when he was four and a half. He's five and a half now and will be starting second grade soon. I must say I was born to do this. We do school 4 days a week year round, skipping some pretty days to play and doubling up on boring bad weather days. We both just love it. He also has church activities where he sees friends on a regular basis and he goes to a PE class for homeschooled kids with 20 other 5 year olds.
My favorite story is about the time we were at a party and our congressman was there (Matthew was barely five.) Matthew introduced himself to our congressman (Steve Largent) and told him "I know that you are part of the legislative branch of government". Mr. Largent looked at him in stunned silence for a second, then said "What are the other branches?" My son told him. Then Matthew told him what each branch does. Mr. Largent asked "What should a president do?" Matthew said he should lower taxes, because taxing people too much was taxation without representation and he's hate it if we had to go to war like we did once against that king. At this point, a lady whispered "He's talking about the Revolutionary War!" Mr. Largent spoke quietly with him for about 20 minutes. I stood off to the side and listened. Then he asked Matthew if he wanted to be president when he grew up and he said "No, I want to be a gardener". This meant a lot to me, since at the time his daddy was a gardener. As we were walking away, I heard Mr. Largent say "That was amazing!" and Juliana (our county vice-chairman) said "He's home schooled." Mr. Largent replied "Oh, well that explains it!"
Sorry this is so long! Here is a picture of my two Jedis.
Flag, Osage!
We did it with my oldest, through the end of 3rd grade when we lived in the People's Republic of Jefferson County - mainly because I went into a snit about paying private school tuition for primary schools. It was OK, I guess, and a lot of work for the Mrs., but we both reached some conclusions about many homeschooling parents which were real unflattering - and which I felt reflected on other homeschooled children. There is also the very practical problem of teaching stairstepped children the fundamentals of reading - which is time intensive, and begs to be tailored to the age of the children taught. Now that we live in Oldham Co., and send them to our public schools (and have things like real Christmas programs), we couldn't be more pleased. We have found teachers and administrators to be responsive and hard working, and we supplement as is necessary.
Ultimately it comes down to what a parent feels is appropriate for their children. I refuse a doctrinaire response to this question. I know there are some true beleivers on both sides out there - but it does not beg a simple answer.
"....we both reached some conclusions about many homeschooling parents which were real unflattering...."
Can you elaborate?
A local pastor's son did ask her out, but when she referred him to me, he hightailed it.
They always say never let your daughters go out with the preacher's son. I have a plan for when my daughters start dating. The young man is brought to my home. I'm sitting in my living room, wearing old boxers, black socks and a tank top, unshaven, drinking really cheap beer while cleaning my Garand and re-clipping .30-06 AP rounds. I send the wife and daughter to the kitchen for cookies and say "OK you little s***. I was your age once, and know exactly whats on your mind - so knock it off. I get one inkling of anything happening, and I'll hunt you down like Cool Hand Luke. Got it?"
That many of those moms who were in our group were more interested in not waking up to put their kids on the bus than they were in homeschooling, and that some of them should not consider going beyond the 4th or 5th grade because their personal knowledge base was inadequate to the task. Its snobby, I know, but you had to be there. I also had doubts as to the integrity of people who were involved with the program.
Like I said, every situation is different. Your area might be better.
homeschool? yes...why ? grades 1-12 = 17,280 hours of government indoctrination...during the week the kids study math, algebra, latin, french, Bible study, Old Testament history, Shurley-method grammar, science, geography, English comprehension, and spelling...attend 4H, Sunday school, Wednesday confirmation classes, church kids groups, pottery classes, Tae Kwon Do, work out at the Y, help out around the house, do evening family Bible study and still have time to sit, read, relax and be human beings...
God's blessings has no bounds...janis
Great name for 2 great reasons. You have reason to be so proud. Keep up the great work.
With a computer and fancy printer, you can make your own curriculum--streamlined for the needs of your children. In fact, get a copy machine. It costs a little, but if you budget can afford it, it really is the way to go for fill in the blank worksheets. This way the same curriculum can be used for several children. And if you need writing paper (all homeschoolers teach cursive writing skills) voila, print a sheet. In the long run, a copy machine will save you $$. HP has a nice one.
I also had doubts
I too have seen inadequate and insufficient motivations and skills in homeschool situations. It is good to know that the freedom is there for those who need to homeschool, regardless of the inadequacies of individuals. I mean, are you gonna give licences to parents who qualify to raise children?
First you said:
. . .we both reached some conclusions about many homeschooling parents which were real unflattering
And then you said . . .
I'm sitting in my living room, wearing old boxers, black socks and a tank top, unshaven, drinking really cheap beer while cleaning my Garand and re-clipping .30-06 AP rounds. I send the wife and daughter to the kitchen for cookies and say "OK you little s***.
I got a real chuckle out of this!
Hey, would I really do it? No. But it is an amusing scenario, and I can imagine how much that scene would have terrified me at 15...
Home schooling can teach what the parents know...which in most cases isn't very damn much!!!
This is our 8th year to "formally" homeschool our five children ages 6,8,11,12,13. My children have never been to either public or private school and have no interest in going. We are involved in several outside activities so our children get more interaction than we sometimes would like. I really don't know of disadvantages to homeschooling except maybe my house is not as tidy as I would like because my children are constantly working on projects and I don't discourage them. Also, we are at home a lot and I guess being with them is a bigger priority for me than constantly cleaning house, there will be plenty of time for that when they are gone. We also have a home business and are able to incorporate our children in to that at times, which is great hands on experience for them and enables their dad to spend some time with them. Also, we set our own schedule, we try to promote learning all the time not just from 8:00 to 3:00. One recommendation I have is before you spend a lot money on curriculum I would try and find out my children's learning styles which may not be apparent early on but, this has helped me tremendously to know what will most likely work for each child. Knowing whether a child is left-brained or right-brained will make a big difference in what you choose. Some things will work well for one child but not for the other. One of my children is definetly right-brained and I have to work with him in a different way that works with my left-brained or whole-brained children. This may sound overwhelming but it's really not. It has made things much less complicated than expecting everyone to learn the same way when they are not able too. Most of all incorporating a lot of good literature will work for any learning style. Don't try to have "school" at home the way we all grew up with school. This is your home, most of all relax. If a child doesn't get something try it again another day when they are a litte older and maybe ready for a certain concept. This is one of the many advantages parents have over teachers that have to keep on a lesson plan schedule. If a child or child and parent are already spending 2 to 3 hours a night on homework, you are already homeschooling. We can get the majority of our work done in this lenght of time and the kids can persue their own interests and have a life. We stay very busy.
We have been homeschooling for almost 7 years now. The advantages far outweighh disadvantages. I feel that we have been blessed knowing that I can stay home and teach my kids and we have been doing it on a lower than average income. That in itself is something many cannot comprehend because we put our priorities in a different order. Homeschooling is a Godsend and the choice for curriculum is endless. ABeka is my very favorite and their history can't be beat. It is so nice to be able to decide what is taught and what is not!! And to be able to use the Bible as our guide in how we are to live our lives makes it even better!!
We homeschool our twins -- they will be six in April.
Things I like -- freedom to do museums, politics, traveling, whatever, whenever we want.
Things I don't like -- homeschooling in Maryland where we are accountable to the county, or an umbrella/correspondence program.
twinzmommy
.. be prepared to suffer the crap that people who have no idea what home schooling is about like … your kids will be social retards (a total lie)
I had to chuckle when I read this. Our fourteen year old daughter flies a lot and it never fails that she ends up on a plane with a seatmate who finds out that she is homeschooled. The big question is always:
"Are you socially challenged?" or "Do you feel socailly challenged?"
She gets so tired of these questions. This is a kid that has competed over seas and all over the US and across Canada for two years. Many times traveling North America by herself. She finally answered one seatmate with the following question, which I think is perfect:
"Am I not speaking with you; am I not making sense?"
She has decided that she will ask her adult seatmate the next time. . . If they have children in school and if so . . . . "Oh my, are THEY socially challenged?"
Your unshaven, drunk, gun-cleaning plan sounds effective. You might want to add this:
Application to Date My Daughter
An excerpt:
Our son is currently in a private half-day Christian Kindergarten. Next year my wife will begin homeschooling in earnest. I say "in earnest" because she's been doing it informally for a while. He reads at about 4th grade level, is doing fairly well (extremely well for his age) at arithmetic, and is very inquisitive.
We won't do public school for many reasons, most of which you can guess. My wife and a neighbor take turns picking the kids up, and my wife says he does the 2nd-grader's school-work in the car on the way home. I don't see much purpose in sending him to first grade at the Christian school for academics.
During our research, we've become very impressed with the Classical Homeschooling method, and are leaning towards that as the framework for our homeschool. Check out classicalhomeschooling.org for more info. I mean, if that's how Thomas Jefferson was educated, then...
Hey, would I really do it? No. But it is an amusing scenario, and I can imagine how much that scene would have terrified me at 15...
I have a friend who, it seems, was always cleaning a very large, shiny, S&W .44 magnum whenever a boy came calling on his daughter. The fellow she is now engaged to is the only one who asked, "Can I help?"!
My wife and I homeschool, well..she does most of it. I do need to be more involved though. We have seen great results. We have other friends who also homeschool, so our kids have plenty of interaction with other children.
Hey, maybe I could use that technique when my daughter reaches that age.......
A hearty Amen to all the wonderful comments about homeschooling. We homeschool our 1st and 3rd graders and wouldn't have it any other way. My children are not exposed to the violence, disrespect, and other negative influences that exist in the public school. I believe I give them an excellent education without all the "fluff"(peer pressure, etc.) We live in Hawaii and are involved with a homeschool group, which I highly recommend. We have PE classes with them and take field trips with them. The other homeschoolers are the kind of children I want my children to be influenced by. They are kind, considerate, respectful, and you would never hear them teasing another child because he/she is different in some way. They are being taught manners and how to be a decent, caring human beings. That's the kind of people I want my children to be.
When I told my folks that we would be homeschooling, my Mom (normally a very smart lady, and conservative to boot) asked, "Aren't you worried about socialization?"
I said, "Yes, that's why we're homeschooling."
The lights went on for her, and she's now a firm supporter.