Anyone here homeschool?

[jbischke]

I'm really interested in learning more about homeschooling and would love to talk to some people who homeschool. Especially those who do it because they think it's a superior way to educate children not just because they don't want their kids learning about evolution. If you fit the bill post here or PM me. I'd love to talk!

[Dan.Linehan]

I've known some people who have done it, and their kids turned out great. Way, way better than average. Good luck!

PS teach them some computer certs.

Brainbench = win.

[Tuumble]

We don't do home schooling but am interested to hear the reasons for doing so.

Just out of curiosity, how would you see the tuition working? What would happen if they had any questions that you couldn't answer? Would study be structured like school with similar hours?

Personally I think a lot is gained by interaction with other children but as helps with social skills rather than being (mostly) confined to the family unit.

Why do you consider home schooling so important?

[The David]

It was really hard for my parents to find opportunities for me to have a social life, and by the time I got involved with church groups my growth was pretty stunted. I am definitely ahead in the area of English but I really think I could have excelled if things had been slightly different. It became very easy to blame this on 'homeschooling', and so when I hear that word I see a little red. Really, though, it is a better alternative to public schooling as far as learning goes.

And hey, the social isolation even kind of worked out for good in the end. But everything does.

Honestly, a public school is just not a place to learn. You can go to one and excel in life, but it will probably be in spite of it.

[carolczech]

Hi,

I stumbled upon this board through a random google search. I hope you don't mind a stranger (and homeschooler) jumping into your conversation!

If you'd like to see the numbers, here are the results of a (growing) number of studies that show hs'ers scoring well above their public school counterparts on standardized tests HSLDA | Academic Statistics on Homeschooling

However, I don't think the numbers tell the whole story. For one thing, I don't think that standardized testing is necessarily a good measure of ability or knowledge. However, it's a jumping off point in the discussion. For another thing, not all hs'ers have their kids tested. It varies by state. Some states require it, other states (like my home state of Ohio) require either a standardized test or an assessment by a certified teacher.

That said, I think that hs'ing is often a much better academic setting for children. You're not going to get many teachers to argue against a 2-1 student-teacher ration compared to 20-1. There is no way an institutionalized setting can provide the individualized learning plan and attention given to a child in a homeschool setting. The parent, unlike the teacher in a crowded classroom, always knows exactly how each student is progressing and whether or not they are grasping the material. If the child has a problem with multiplying fractions, you stop and work on it for as long as it takes to master it. If it comes easily, you move on, rather than having a gifted child who is bored out of his mind waiting for the other kids in the class to catch up. "Slow" kids are not singled out and placed in the "slow" reading group and doomed to a life of low expectations. And if a book or a program is not working, we throw it out, even if it's the middle of the year!

I believe that the high school years can better prepare a student for college than a traditional high school education. Most homeschooled high school students I know are, by that point in their lives, self-directed learners. The parents become facilitators more than teachers. They study, research, write, etc. without having every minute of their day planned by a teacher and responding like Pavlov's dogs to bells that tell them when to sit, when to stand, when they need to eat and when they need to eliminate My 16-year-old is given his assignments for the week and it is up to him to decided how to budget his time in order to get his work done by Friday. There are some weeks he is efficient and paces himself, and other other weeks he's pulling an all-nighter on Thursday.

There are some challenges for high school, but there are creative ways to overcome them. Higher level math and science courses can be difficult for some families. However, as hs'ing has evolved, co-ops have formed for parents to pool their talents and expertise. Some parents hire tutors for such classes. Many private schools open their doors to hs'ers and allow them to take individual classes to help meet these needs. There are also many online options, satellite schools, even MIT Open Courseware if you really want to challenge your kids! Here's an article about college admissions for hs'ers
HSLDA | Homeschooled Students Excel in College

A little about our personal situation.....my two sons are 16 and 13 and have always been hs'ed. My older son is the gifted type - always tests off the charts on standardized tests (even on spelling, although he's NOT a good speller - thus my reluctance to trust standardized tests....some kids are just good at taking tests!). My younger son has ADD and some mild LD issues. It has been wonderful to be able to work with their individual needs. We could breeze through things my older son masters easily and he can spend free time on sports and conquering the intricacies of Linux. My younger son is still trying to master fractions. And we'll keep going over it until he gets it. In the meantime I'm trying to fascinate him with decimals by studying the baseball box scores. And encouraging his gift for writing and at the same time giving him ample time throughout the day to MOVE and wiggle.

We belong to a co-op that meets once a week for core classes (English, history, science). The kids turn in their assignments (which they complete at home during the week) and different parents teach the classes. Their work is graded and, from what I hear from public school parents, it is much more difficult than what is expected in a typical high school. The interesting thing about these classes is that they are not "age segregated", but rather, based on ability. I teach the World History I class, and last year I had kids from age 13-16 in the same class. The 13-year old was highly gifted and was doing 9th grade level work. The 16-year old has Asperger's and although he is a very gifted writer, struggles with following directions. Obviously, with Asperger's there are social issues, but the kids in this groups are incredibly accepting of him.

Just a comment to respond to the poster who felt a little socially isolated.....
I think that in the earlier years of hs'ing, when it wasn't so prevalent and there wasn't so much networking, there was perhaps more isolation. I think that as it has grown and evolved, the "social misfit" caricature of a hs'ers is more of an urban legend. Certainly there are some parents who isolate there kids, but they are few and far between. Most hs'ers I know are involved in many activities and actively involved in their communities. In fact, I think they are better prepared to enter the "real" world when they leave home, because they haven't been isolated in an "age segregated" world with kids exactly their age for 13 years. When does that happen in in the "real" world? My kids are comfortable being with people of all ages, whether they are 3 or 103!

Honestly, my only area of complaint would be high school athletics. It's the only problem we haven't been able to overcome. Some states (13?) allow homeschooled kids to play on the teams for their local high schools. If your state doesn't allow it, there are really no other options for competitive team sports, since the powerful high school athletic associations have a monopoly on high school sports) Ohio is not one of the states that allow it. My kids are both good athletes and it's a big part of their lives. When my older son hit 9th grade, he was booted off the soccer team he had played on since he was 7 years old (and the baseball team), because the community league he had played in was swallowed up by the high school team and the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Just something to keep in mind when considering hs'ing. If I were to make the decision again, knowing that my kids would have to sacrifice sports, I would still choose hs'ing, but perhaps we would downplay sports a little more, so as not to have such a huge disappointment when they got to high school.

Hope that helps.

Carol

[Doku]

(Full disclosure: I have no children... I am preparing for when I do)

I'll answer some of these questions based on how I plan to do things, and what my interviews of homeschool parents/children have shown me.


1) What would happen if they had any questions that you couldn't answer?
You can help them research the answer. If you mean to ask how you would teach a subject that you know nothing about, you can either learn it then teach it, learn it together, or find someone else to teach it (much like most kids piano lessons). One of the interesting things is that many of the more difficult home subjects such as chemistry can be done at local community colleges. The community college near my house has a speciffic chem class for homeschool kids. If they don't have a speciffic class for homeschoolers, you can often enroll them in the "actual college class" instead.

2) Would study be structured like school with similar hours?
For me, absolutely not. In a "normal school", the kids spend very little time learning anyway. I will have about 5-10 hours of "classwork" per week (all year round). The rest of the time, my children will be learning in the real world. Learning about fish? Why crack a textbook? Go to a local aquarium, the local fish and game comission, etc. Or even get a fish tank, or go scuba diving, or ...

3) Personally I think a lot is gained by interaction with other children but as helps with social skills rather than being (mostly) confined to the family unit.
Boy Scouts, volunteer work, neighbors, local park/pool, etc. When people ask me "but how will your children have any friends if they don't go to school?" I generally respond, "So, your children have no friends in the summer time?"

4) Why do you consider home schooling so important?
I can teach my child each subject as fast as they can learn it, using the method that they best learn with, with as little frustration as possible. I can teach my child all of the important stuff in life along the way.
I plan on teaching my child with life experiences. (note: I plan to be retired and independantly wealthy before my kids turn 6. The way things are going now, I'll likely be there around the time that they are born)
Examples:
A) Want to learn German? Cool. Let's learn German for the next 6 months or whatever, and start to study German history, economy, government, etc. Think you learned German well? Ok, let's take a two-six week trip to Germany and find out... And while we're at it, we'll tour some of the castles, rivers, towns, etc. that they read about the previous six months.
B) Want to study the civil war? Ok, study two key battles. Got it down? Good. Let's go on vacation to the first battle site, and you can tell me all about it. Then go to the second. Still interested? Ok, more battles, generals, home lifestyle, etc.

I will also socialize my children via the parties that I have at the house all the time. And before you go off on me about drunken debauchery and loud music, they are social events more than "parties". I generally have 1-4 families over for some kind of dinner. The adults range from about my age (30) to in their 70's. The children that come with them range from pregnant women to 14. (the ones older than that don't come because they don't want to hang out with their parents) And I have some larger parties (the one next weekend is past/present co-workers, and so far I have had 50+ adults and 20+ kids RSVP).

There will be plenty of social opportunities for my children... much more so than public school kids get.

--Doku

[Brutha]

How much work does the parent need to invest per week? Is it possible when both parents work?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Look into unschooling too.

[The David]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

Look into unschooling too.

You mean unstructured homeschooling, or deprivation of books?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Sorry, I should have at least provided a definition. Here's the wikipedia entry. And here's the faq from Unschooling.

What is unschooling?

Have you ever described 'red' to a person who is color blind? Sometimes, trying to define unschooling is like trying to define red. Ask thirty unschoolers to define the word and you'll get thirty shades of red. They'll all be red, but they'll all be different. Generally, unschoolers are concerned with learning or becoming educated, not with 'doing school.' The focus is upon the choices made by each individual learner, and those choices can vary according to learning style and personality type. There is no one way to unschool.

from here.

[Honeywith4bees]

I have four children that I homeschooled for five years. The youngest was just a babe so he wasn't actually homeschooled, just involved in the activities of our life as much as it is possible for a baby. I decided to homeschool as a lifestyle choice. I was a stay at home Mom with a working husband. I began their education in the public schools and was a very involved parent, did lots of volunteering in their classrooms and got first hand exposure to what they where learning (or not), and how they were learning. By the time my oldest finished 4th grade, I had decided to homeschool. I started by purchasing a curriculum through Oak Meadow, rather pricey, but had all the information, including a "teacher's" guide with it. Where I live, there are loads of homeschooler's so we were able to join two different groups right away. My kids did homeschool swim, they took a quilting class, nature stuff at the Audobon Society, fieldtrips, just tons of different social things. They never lacked for socialization. By the next year, I felt more confident in our capabilities and adapted more of an unschooling style. I let the kids really follow their own bliss while trying to open up new areas to them by simply providing lots of new experiences.

Then things fell apart.

My husband quit working, had a breakdown, went to jail on drug charges. I left him and had to go back to work. I had an extensive network of homeschooling friends that helped me out the first two years, but it wasn't the same. My second in line son had reading disabilities and I was having a difficult time paying a tutor. It was tough shuffling them out of the house every day. I have two younger kids and two older kids, so I often had to try to find two separate places for the two groups each day.

My oldest went to a private Quaker high school when it was time. The second oldest lives with his Dad, dosn't go to school will maybe get his GED if he can read the exam, and the two youngest are in public school all day. I wish that I could spend more time with them, give them the same great experiences their brothers had but I had to make the decision to be a working Mom rather than a welfare Mom (and I don't say that in judgment against any Mom that is.)

Homeschooling, unschooling, freeschooling are all fabulous educational alternatives. I think that everone has to make the decision that works best for them and not feel guilty about what they do end up deciding.

[The David]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

Sorry, I should have at least provided a definition. Here's the wikipedia entry. And here's the faq from Unschooling.



from here.

That makes sense. Although, by that definition, I would prefer the term 'REAL schooling'.

[Doku]

1) How much work does the parent need to invest per week?
Depending on how your kids learn, how fast, etc. If they learn very well via just reading, and they can read well, you can invest very little time and get great results... but if they learn best by doing, it will require a much greater time investment. The age is also a factor. (easier to set a 16 year old on track and walk away than it is a 6 year old)

2) Is it possible when both parents work?
Possible? yes. Practical? Not of both work at the same time. If one works days and the other nights... but if you're going to pay for a babysitter/daycare/... you may as well just stick them in school and hope you can undo the damage... or get grandparents involved if the kids can stay there during working hours, or ... But my guess (purely a guess) is that you are going to catch a LOT more grief if you both work and try to homeschool than if you have one person being at home, and doing the homeschooling.

Take a look at the costs for a two parent household. If your kids are still young, you can head a lot of expenses off at the pass... Most of the time, the expensive clothes, cell phones, iPods, computers/tvs in their rooms, game systems, etc. are from peer pressure at school.
With a two income household, you have two "eat out lunches" to worry about, more eating out in the evenings because you're too tired to cook, second car, second travel expenses, daycare, etc. Really take a look at what the second job is costing you vs. the income it is bringing in. (My sister did this, and found that she was working for about 19 - 23 cents per hour, depending on gas prices)

[The David]

Originally Posted by Doku

Most of the time, the expensive clothes, cell phones, iPods, computers/tvs in their rooms, game systems, etc. are from peer pressure at school.

Well, there goes our age-old video game stereotype...

[Enlightenment]

To Carol,

I am so glad to find this post here! Especially this week. For various reasons I googled 'homeschooling' because I really am tired of the school system. Sometimes they are just not advanced. It is very Victorian. And my daughters have suffered greatly from some seriously troubled teachers who subscribe to the idea that it is the children's then the parent's fault if a child isn't learning in a particular teachers class, meanwhile half the class is failing and being sent up to remedial. Even the other teachers, for fear of their jobs, won't accept that maybe it is the teacher.

Another problem with homeschooling, at least in Canada, is that the school system is typically the institution that keeps track of children. In fact, many people have told me that it is 'the law' to send your kids to school here. I think that's a myth. Anyway, if you don't send your children to school, and this has happened to people here, then Children's Aid comes after you making it very difficult for you to keep your children in homeschooling or keep your children for that matter. It doesn't matter what education you have, they still investigate.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Perhaps soon, homeschooling will be accepted as home birth is here in Canada.

E

[programcsharp]

My parents homeschooled me through high school, after which I went off to college. In terms of academics, I think it was a great choice. As for social development and interaction, not so much.

If any of you have questions for someone that has been through the experience, I'd be happy to answer them.

[Iksander]

Parents pulled me in and out of school, it seemed to be a few years homeschooling and a few years private schooling - I did public school a little bit but really didn't like it much.

Homeschooling in a way is very similar to other structured school systems, the parents are still deciding what is important for their kids to learn (even though the children do have more sway than they would in a traditional school).

The child should have complete and utter freedom in choosing what they want to learn - it should be self-directed and free from the clutters/oddities of peer dynamics. The best time of my life was my choice to drop out of highschool (mind you it was only half way through senior year) and learn how to educate myself; I also traveled.

Let the kids choose, it won't be for nothing, I promise.