homeschooling

this decaf life

I know it's really early but is anyone else interested in homeschooling their LO? We'll be moving a lot throughout DD's life and I worry that her education will suffer in a normal school. I'm a little overwhelmed by the thought so I want to start looking into it early so I'm comfortable with the decision when she actually is school aged. 

Anyone already homeschooling an older sibling or interested in homeschooling your LO? 

Jbosarge85

I plan on homeschooling. I know a few people who homeschool. In fact my sister homeschools her daughter who has down syndrome, the schools have a program where she can send her to public school for any classes she wants and homeschool her the rest of the time. They also have online homeschooling you could look into.

this decaf life

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/292522938268080332/

The 5th one down is part of my reason for wanting to homeschool.

court115

I won't be homeschooling for two reasons: 1 I would be terrible at it and 2 we couldn't afford it. But my SIL and her sisters were homeschooled and they loved it. There is a program here where kids that are homeschooled have some classes with other kids - like gym, music or art - so that they still get some sort of social interaction.

I think with your lifestyle and the amount of moving that you'll do, homeschooling is probably a good idea. You're probably right about moving her around in different school systems. The only thing that I would be worried about is socialization but I don't think you'll have any problem with that. You guys are super active.

bennikki

I go back and forth about it.  I think I'd really like it, but I haven't totally committed to it yet.  

I was a tutor and worked with incoming homeschooled students in college.  The biggest challenge was getting them to go to class and turn assignments in on time.  So many of them came from a structure of "study what you want when you want" as long as it was completed at some point.  If I do home schooling, my day will be structured similar to regular school.

My SIL's husband was home schooled, and he'll be in college for 6 years because he wouldn't take classes in the logical order, so he's pretty much done with his major, but still has tons of general ed stuff to complete.  His attitude was, "I want to take classes that interest me," but refused to acknowledge or maybe didn't understand that it didn't matter what he wanted to take, it's what the school says you have to take to get your degree.

BLPL101

I have zero interest in homeschooling, but I have a lot of friends/family members who do it and LOVE it. My cousin home schools and she has 6 kids (1 on the way). I really respect moms who homeschool. I could never do it. 

ReeceFamily

I have lots of issues with the California school system and with US schools in general, and would probably Unschool if we could afford to have one of us at home with DD (which we can't).  So, even though realistically DD will be in public/private schools, I still am educating myself on homeschooling...just in case, I guess, and because I think it's interesting.  I've learned a lot lurking over on the Homeschooling group here on the Bump!

AshleyDehaven

I would be perfectly fine with home schooling, but i think he would benefit more from a more intensive program that i could realistically give him. I will not, however, put him in public school. Period. Trouble will be finding a private that isn't a religiously based program. But i would consider a Charter as well. But yeah, public is not happening. The whole reason i would consider homeschooling is to keep him out of the public school system. My husband thinks that homeschooling would negatively affect his socialization though, and i tend to agree. Though with the hybrid scenarios mentioned above that would be worth considering.

brachysira

I am strongly against homeschooling for most people.  I do not think most parents are capable of providing education in all areas at all levels, and I think it prevents public school students who do not have the option of homeschooling from benefiting from having these students in their classrooms.  I also have heard that in religious homeschooling materials and at religious homeschool events there is a lot of propaganda from extremists that many parents end up buying into because it sounds safe and ideal, but is really not a good choice for most families who never intended to live this way (strong patriarchy, courtship marriages, extreme limitations of music type/social interactions/culture, quiverful, etc.).  Finally, I can say my interactions with homeschool students have convinced me that I never want my children to turn out that way.  Yes, many converse impressively with adults and can do impressive math tricks or similar, but many also have very whiny voices, pick their noses, and do other childhood behaviors that have not been advanced via peer interaction.  In my college classes, some of these students acted like extreme know-it-alls but were not very bright and others never spoke to anyone.  In the classes my mother teaches at the community college, she finds many are seriously unprepared for college math.  Of course if feels nice to keep your little ones close and you feel as if you are protecting them, but you do not do your children any service if they do not learn how to operate independently.  There are extracurricular activities and college courses if you worry about how educational public school is.  Sure, you can do okay with homeschooling by taking your children to regular events where they can socialize, avoiding radical curriculum, and working hard so that you are one step ahead on the materials...but this is still not the best choice for most children.  If there is severe bullying, your child just hates school and begs to stay home, or they have some disease or something, you may need to try it...otherwise, I do not agree this is a good choice.  Plus, living in many countries and interacting with people there is an excellent opportunity to learn about other cultures, as a PP pointed out.

Mom2anAngel2

DH and I have been looking into homeschooling as well. We will be avoiding public school all together. We have been looking at several private schools and hybrid homeschooling programs. I am not sure if I want to completely give up my career to do a true homeschooling program. I have worked so hard and love medicine too much to give it up completely.

We are definitely looking for something that will not use the common core curriculum as I feel that it holds students back. I still have so much more research to do, but the more I read, the more nervous I become about the school system in general.

emja0214

I agree with b0710. I am a public school teacher too and homeschooling is a touchy subject. All I am going to say is if you choose to homeschool please go through a reputable organization. I also have to say please do not base your opinion of public schools on what the media reports on. The media LOVES to focus on the bad and never on the great things going on in classrooms. Also please remembet schools must follow government mandates no matter how ridiculous or unrealistic they are.

Ok sorry off my tiny soapbox, I could go on forever. When it comes down to it, do what is best for your child and family. I understand the moving concern, I have had students who move around a lot and some adapt great and others struggle. I do believe though that there are some experiences in a school setting that cannot be replicated at home.

codeaard

I was homeschooled and my mom is still homeschooling my younger sisters. DH and I have talked about it and I see the pros and cons to both sides. DH moves a lot during his school years and was in so many different schools and he doesn't want that for our kids. I guess we are just going to see where life takes us and where we are living when DS reaches school age.

DCKate

I actually think it would be more interesting to attend school in different countries, as opposed to being homeschooled. I have friends in the Foreign Service, though they do not have children. Are there other families and kids that you all interact with in the same boat? It seems isolating to homeschool, and even though moving sucks, the socialization is so worth it. I have there cousins who were homeschooled and they are lacking in certain social skills they missed out in because of this.

That said, do what's best for your family. And agree with some of the posts here to look out for religious materials.

AshleyDehaven

emja0214 said:

I agree with b0710. I am a public school teacher too and homeschooling is a touchy subject. All I am going to say is if you choose to homeschool please go through a reputable organization. I also have to say please do not base your opinion of public schools on what the media reports on. The media LOVES to focus on the bad and never on the great things going on in classrooms. Also please remembet schools must follow government mandates no matter how ridiculous or unrealistic they are. Ok sorry off my tiny soapbox, I could go on forever. When it comes down to it, do what is best for your child and family. I understand the moving concern, I have had students who move around a lot and some adapt great and others struggle. I do believe though that there are some experiences in a school setting that cannot be replicated at home.

I hope i didn't offend. Because the reason i won't use public school is for exactly that reason. The government isn't giving the system enough wiggle room to really serve the community to the fullest of it's abilities and as a result students as well as teachers suffer for it. I have nothing but respect for teachers. But the current method of "teaching to the test" isn't realistic or really beneficial for a lot if not most students. That is just how i feel about it though. Public school was not a pleasant experience for me, and that probably colors my view a lot as well.

Mom2anAngel2

AshleyDehaven said:

emja0214 said:

I agree with b0710. I am a public school teacher too and homeschooling is a touchy subject. All I am going to say is if you choose to homeschool please go through a reputable organization. I also have to say please do not base your opinion of public schools on what the media reports on. The media LOVES to focus on the bad and never on the great things going on in classrooms. Also please remembet schools must follow government mandates no matter how ridiculous or unrealistic they are.

Ok sorry off my tiny soapbox, I could go on forever. When it comes down to it, do what is best for your child and family. I understand the moving concern, I have had students who move around a lot and some adapt great and others struggle. I do believe though that there are some experiences in a school setting that cannot be replicated at home.

I hope i didn't offend. Because the reason i won't use public school is for exactly that reason. The government isn't giving the system enough wiggle room to really serve the community to the fullest of it's abilities and as a result students as well as teachers suffer for it. I have nothing but respect for teachers. But the current method of "teaching to the test" isn't realistic or really beneficial for a lot if not most students. That is just how i feel about it though. Public school was not a pleasant experience for me, and that probably colors my view a lot as well.

This is what I was trying to say as well. I have many friends that are teachers and give nothing but respect for the profession. I just do not like the government dictating how and what my child learns. I know many teachers get frustrated with restrictions placed upon them as well.

bennikki

The reason I take issue with our public school is not the teachers or really even the tests/mandates, it's the parents.  We live in a small, rural, but affluent community (we're two hours from any metro location, but we have many crystal clear lakes, so the Dr's and lawyers commute to the city and live in their mansions on the lakes), and the parents are raising self-righteous mini-me's.  

For example: the sports teams are always very successful (probably because the parents have personal coaches for their kids at very young ages), so the school is constantly going to state tournament games.  The parents charter luxury bus on which they serve appetizers and drinks (again, this is to a HIGH SCHOOL tournament).  Well, one of the local pastors got fed up with the parents showing up drunk to the games, and he got all the local pastors to write a letter to the editor about the poor example they were setting for their children, and the poor way they were representing the community.  Now, the appropriate and normal response should have been, "you're right; we're sorry; we won't be drinking at the HIGH SCHOOL sporting events any more," but no, that wasn't the response.  Instead these wino-housewives, got all pissy, and tried to get people to boycott the churches who signed the letter.  They also wrote their own letter saying their star-athlete children were what brought money to the school district in the first place, so they were going to do what they wanted.  

Basically the school board wouldn't touch the issue with a ten foot pole because they didn't want to lose the big donations to the school foundation, so the whole issue was ignored.  I wish I was joking!  Because this is a rural area, our only private option is a religious school that doesn't believe in dinosaurs, so yeah, in my situation, homeschooling will probably help me raise the type of young man I want my child to be.

AshleyDehaven

bennikki said:

Because this is a rural area, our only private option is a religious school that doesn't believe in dinosaurs, so yeah, in my situation, homeschooling will probably help me raise the type of young man I want my child to be.

This is exactly my fear in terms of private school. Not being able to find one that isn't religious.

ReeceFamily

brachysira said:

I am strongly against homeschooling for most people.  I do not think most parents are capable of providing education in all areas at all levels, and I think it prevents public school students who do not have the option of homeschooling from benefiting from having these students in their classrooms.  I also have heard that in religious homeschooling materials and at religious homeschool events there is a lot of propaganda from extremists that many parents end up buying into because it sounds safe and ideal, but is really not a good choice for most families who never intended to live this way (strong patriarchy, courtship marriages, extreme limitations of music type/social interactions/culture, quiverful, etc.).  Finally, I can say my interactions with homeschool students have convinced me that I never want my children to turn out that way.  Yes, many converse impressively with adults and can do impressive math tricks or similar, but many also have very whiny voices, pick their noses, and do other childhood behaviors that have not been advanced via peer interaction.  In my college classes, some of these students acted like extreme know-it-alls but were not very bright and others never spoke to anyone.  In the classes my mother teaches at the community college, she finds many are seriously unprepared for college math.  Of course if feels nice to keep your little ones close and you feel as if you are protecting them, but you do not do your children any service if they do not learn how to operate independently.  There are extracurricular activities and college courses if you worry about how educational public school is.  Sure, you can do okay with homeschooling by taking your children to regular events where they can socialize, avoiding radical curriculum, and working hard so that you are one step ahead on the materials...but this is still not the best choice for most children.  If there is severe bullying, your child just hates school and begs to stay home, or they have some disease or something, you may need to try it...otherwise, I do not agree this is a good choice.  Plus, living in many countries and interacting with people there is an excellent opportunity to learn about other cultures, as a PP pointed out.

I used to feel this way about homeschooling until I started reading more about non-religious homeschooling philosophies (writings of John Holt and others) - lots of good stuff there.  Public schools are great in some communities and for some kids.  I personally got lost in the big, impersonal public schools I attended, academically and socially.  I do not look back fondly on my school years.  I think this is a family-by-family (and child-by-child) decision.  Are ALL parents cut out to homeschool?  Definitely not.  But in some cases I think it's a great (and in many ways desirable) way to educate a child.

LovelyLou23

ReeceFamily said:

brachysira said:

I am strongly against homeschooling for most people.  I do not think most parents are capable of providing education in all areas at all levels, and I think it prevents public school students who do not have the option of homeschooling from benefiting from having these students in their classrooms.  I also have heard that in religious homeschooling materials and at religious homeschool events there is a lot of propaganda from extremists that many parents end up buying into because it sounds safe and ideal, but is really not a good choice for most families who never intended to live this way (strong patriarchy, courtship marriages, extreme limitations of music type/social interactions/culture, quiverful, etc.).  Finally, I can say my interactions with homeschool students have convinced me that I never want my children to turn out that way.  Yes, many converse impressively with adults and can do impressive math tricks or similar, but many also have very whiny voices, pick their noses, and do other childhood behaviors that have not been advanced via peer interaction.  In my college classes, some of these students acted like extreme know-it-alls but were not very bright and others never spoke to anyone.  In the classes my mother teaches at the community college, she finds many are seriously unprepared for college math.  Of course if feels nice to keep your little ones close and you feel as if you are protecting them, but you do not do your children any service if they do not learn how to operate independently.  There are extracurricular activities and college courses if you worry about how educational public school is.  Sure, you can do okay with homeschooling by taking your children to regular events where they can socialize, avoiding radical curriculum, and working hard so that you are one step ahead on the materials...but this is still not the best choice for most children.  If there is severe bullying, your child just hates school and begs to stay home, or they have some disease or something, you may need to try it...otherwise, I do not agree this is a good choice.  Plus, living in many countries and interacting with people there is an excellent opportunity to learn about other cultures, as a PP pointed out.

I used to feel this way about homeschooling until I started reading more about non-religious homeschooling philosophies (writings of John Holt and others) - lots of good stuff there.  Public schools are great in some communities and for some kids.  I personally got lost in the big, impersonal public schools I attended, academically and socially.  I do not look back fondly on my school years.  I think this is a family-by-family (and child-by-child) decision.  Are ALL parents cut out to homeschool?  Definitely not.  But in some cases I think it's a great (and in many ways desirable) way to educate a child.

Definitely this. Doesn't that also apply to just about everything in raising a kid??

I'm impressed with this thread....very civil. The schooling debate is so controversial. 

While we plan to homeschool for many reasons, we're definitely going to take it on a year by year basis. If it works, great, if it doesn't, great! Same for public school. 

And for what it's worth--this probably isn't the norm, but the majority of people I know now that were home-schooled are perfectly normal socially. It's so many more factors than just how they're schooled.

this decaf life

Depending on post kids aren't sent to local schools usually they're sent to an American/British school or boarding school. I absolutely wouldn't plan on home schooling her in high school because I don't know everything about everything but when she's really young and impressionable I think I could do a good job.

I ended up majoring in hospitality management because I thought it would travel abroad better than education but I took courses in education and helped in a few schools during college. We aren't religious at all so the religious factor isn't an issue. 

ObLaDi

I was homeschooled (actually, unschooled) and we plan to do the same with DS. I had a wonderful experience and have pretty strong feelings about alternative education.

Someone mentioned John Holt--I very much recommend his writing!

ReeceFamily

ObLaDi said:

I was homeschooled (actually, unschooled) and we plan to do the same with DS. I had a wonderful experience and have pretty strong feelings about alternative education.

Someone mentioned John Holt--I very much recommend his writing!

That's so cool!  When I first learned about Unschooling, I was actually really jealous of the kids who were raised this way.  I'd love to hear more about your experiences (I was the one who mentioned John Holt).  

ObLaDi

ReeceFamily said:

ObLaDi said:

I was homeschooled (actually, unschooled) and we plan to do the same with DS. I had a wonderful experience and have pretty strong feelings about alternative education.

Someone mentioned John Holt--I very much recommend his writing!

That's so cool!  When I first learned about Unschooling, I was actually really jealous of the kids who were raised this way.  I'd love to hear more about your experiences (I was the one who mentioned John Holt).  

Thanks! It was great. As a kid I did a ton of reading, writing stories, playing outside, cooking, gardening, singing, acting, swimming. I really got to experience childhood, and don't feel that a lack of formal classes or subjects in any way impeded my development (quite the opposite). I interacted with a wide variety of older kids, younger kids, and adults; I always prided myself on my social ease relative to my school-going peers. When I was 12/13, I wanted to try more structure and did Oak Meadow, which is a correspondence curriculum. Ultimately I decided I wanted to be a bit more conformist (ah, the teenage years) and chose to attend public high school, which was easy for me academically but challenging personally because I was unused to being treated as a lesser person just because I was a child. 

Have you read Teach Your Own? We've shared it with both of DH's parents to read, and I think it does a great job of reviewing a lot of the questions most people have about unschooling.

So cool that you're interested in unschooling! I've seen you on the AP board; I think it's a very AP thing to do

ReeceFamily

ObLaDi said:

ReeceFamily said:

ObLaDi said:

I was homeschooled (actually, unschooled) and we plan to do the same with DS. I had a wonderful experience and have pretty strong feelings about alternative education.

Someone mentioned John Holt--I very much recommend his writing!

That's so cool!  When I first learned about Unschooling, I was actually really jealous of the kids who were raised this way.  I'd love to hear more about your experiences (I was the one who mentioned John Holt).  

Thanks! It was great. As a kid I did a ton of reading, writing stories, playing outside, cooking, gardening, singing, acting, swimming. I really got to experience childhood, and don't feel that a lack of formal classes or subjects in any way impeded my development (quite the opposite). I interacted with a wide variety of older kids, younger kids, and adults; I always prided myself on my social ease relative to my school-going peers. When I was 12/13, I wanted to try more structure and did Oak Meadow, which is a correspondence curriculum. Ultimately I decided I wanted to be a bit more conformist (ah, the teenage years) and chose to attend public high school, which was easy for me academically but challenging personally because I was unused to being treated as a lesser person just because I was a child. 

Have you read Teach Your Own? We've shared it with both of DH's parents to read, and I think it does a great job of reviewing a lot of the questions most people have about unschooling.

So cool that you're interested in unschooling! I've seen you on the AP board; I think it's a very AP thing to do

What a cool childhood - from everything I've read on various boards and blogs, people who were Unschooled seemed to love it, and have happy childhood memories. I will definitely put the book on my reading list, thanks!  As of now both me and DH have to be working, but who knows what changes the next 5 years will bring...maybe DH will get a huge raise and I can stay home and Unschool DD !

TarheelMama202

Did those of you who were homeschooled (or unschooled) go to college? I'm very interested in homeschooling, but I definitely want my child to be able to go to a competitive university if that is what he chooses. I would love some insight.

ObLaDi

@TarheelMama202, I went to a fancy liberal arts college and then medical school. If anything, I think my unique background helped me.

Chappy_jr

Those of us having this discussion all seem intelligent and very involved.  No matter what your personal choice are for your children, these two factors will help your child learn and succeed.  The concerns most people have about homeschooling are the many out there who "homeschool" for reasons that are not in their children's best interest: to continue to baby them, educationally neglect them, not have to pester them about getting up in the morning, etc.  I have no concerns for parents who actually educate their children at home.

I just want to pipe in to say that I plan to use public education, because I believe it works in MOST communities (though not all) but I will always consider my child's education to be my job.  While DS is young it is my responsibility to supplement, fill in the gaps, and help him make connections between what he is learning in school and what he experiences outside of school.  I cannot leave it fully to the teachers, whether public or private.

I also want to add that I went to public schools but all of my teachers were very religious.  In fact, about 3/4 of my science teachers worked creationism and skepticism about dinosaurs into their lessons and I can remember my father providing me with the social and cognitive skills necessary to critically examine and respectfully ignore them when necessary.  

clariknittist

We've talked a lot about this and have not reached any conclusions. I love a lot about Waldorf but I don't know that it's practical for our lives, and I worry a lot about our state's public schools. We have a lot of strife right now and I feel like it will take a couple of years for the dust to settle. I used to work one on one with kids in public and private schools, and the differences and ranges were just disturbing. Not all private schools are great, not all public schools are bad, but gosh, there's a huge mix out there.