When did you know you wanted to home school? - Page 2

[SundayCrepes]

Originally Posted by trghig

I am a big believer in delayed education and not really starting till 7ishh with an actual curiculum and instead letting them learn through play. However, due to complusory school age and where my children's birthdays fall I will have to see on paper at least do some sort of curiculm once they are 5.

Maybe these would help you: http://www.fun-books.com/books/livin...ing_guides.htm

From the website:
These guides are put together by Nancy Plent, founder of the Unschoolers Network in New Jersey and a long-time homeschooler. She reviewed the scope and sequence charts and curriculum guides of dozens of schools in various states, then combined the highest standards of elements from each to create these guides. Why purchase these curriculum guides? 1) They may help you to fulfill your state's legal requirement to provide an educational plan 2) They allow you to see some of the highest standards for schools at various grade levels, just in case you are curious about what the schools expect or are anxious about what you are doing 3) They provide record-keeping space that can help organize a portfolio.

Besides providing a checklist under each subject, Nancy offers suggestions on how to translate real-life experience into curricula goals. She also lists resources from a variety of companies. Each guide covers two or more grade levels. The first four are in comb binding, while the high school guide is in a 3-ring binder.

[nettlesoup]

I wanted to homeschool since before I was pregnant with my daughter. At first we had problems finding much information on groups here in Edinburgh, but we've recently found a great homeschooling community. We've just started taking her to the group as toddlers are welcome, which is great.

I really don't like the way public schools are, and I feel they miss out on so many important things.

[inky leeuhhh]

the thought briefly crossed my mind when dd was 2. i sort of dismissed it then, because i was a single mom and working full time. when she got nearer to kindergarten age, i was engaged to someone and we had a little more flex room financially. i ended up having to go back to work full time, but we made hsing work for us this last year anyway, thanks to a great home daycare provider. i plan to try and stay home again this fall and hs on a tight , TIGHT budget. i'm sort of looking forward to the challenge, and of course being home with my girls. my reasons for wanting to homeschool mostly have to do with thinking that kids grow up way too early these days; especially girls. dd was also diagnosed with autism, and since i have had her home the last year she has flourished. not sure if that is related to the hsing, or just that she is "catching up" developmentally in some areas, but it is certainly encouraging. i also think hs'd kids get a better overall education, because it's more tailored to their learning styles. the topper for me is the fact that it seems like hs'd kids get more "real world" socialization, with people of all ages and types- not just peers.

[trghig]

Thanks for the link I'll have to check it out.

[rockportmama]

When my sister had her babies, she wanted to homeschool. I thought she was nuts. After all, we'd gone to public school, and we turned out OK! Besides, homeschooled kids were weird. She ended up putting her kids in a private christian school, but she'd put the bug in my ear.

FF a decade & I finally start having kids. I don't remember how old he was, but I remember holding my sweet, precious, innocent baby and there was no way in Hades I was gonna institutionalize him! The party line was that if we were able to at the time, we'd homeschool. But now that he's 4.5 I know that nothing will stop me from homeschooling him. What can I say? I'm really into educating my kids. Way more than any teacher could be paid to care about educating my kids out of a room of 30+. KWIM?

[inky leeuhhh]

Originally Posted by rockportmama

What can I say? I'm really into educating my kids. Way more than any teacher could be paid to care about educating my kids out of a room of 30+. KWIM?

this is so true. i know there are are teachers out there who are passionate about what they do, but there is no way to compare the energy and passion a parent would put into their own child's education!

[MrsJewelsRae]

this is so true. i know there are are teachers out there who are passionate about what they do, but there is no way to compare the energy and passion a parent would put into their own child's education!

Yes! I have felt so proud and happy teaching my children at home, I love hearing them read and knowing that I taught them that, or hearing them explain random interesting things to their grandparents and realize that everything they know was learned right here in this normal day to day life w/o public school, weather I taught them myself or facilitated it for them to learn on their own, it is empowering as a mother to know that I can DO this! I also love seeing them running around outside for hours on end, and the bonding this is helping create between them as they learn together, I feel good knowing that they are getting a great education while not being stuck inside every day for hours on end, especially while they are so little and full of life! I want to shelter them and I willingly admit that compared to most I am overprotective of them, in this day and age I take that as a compliment!

I'd never heard of the concept of homeschooling until I was about 14 years old and my parents became Christians and pulled my younger sister out of school due to some religious disputes they were having with the teacher and higher ups. My sister was 10 and they started homeschooling her, this was my first introduction to homeschool. My brother and I stayed in high school, though in hindsight I wish I were pulled out too.

A few years later my older brother went to college- Pensacola Christian College, which is the place where they develop Abeka Book hs curriculum and he married my SIL who was the oldest of 7 hs'd kids. Yet more exposure to some really awesome and NORMAL people!

So due to my exposure to hs, I always had it in the back of my mind that someday it was definitely an option I would consider for my family. As a Christian I had huge reservations about the public school system and how safe our children would be there- not only physically but spiritually and morally speaking, but I was still afraid to commit to it. It seemed daunting and so hard and what if I failed!? Plus, knowing that everyone around me in dh's family and at church was against it was very unsettling.

When ds' 4th birthday was approaching I found everyone was asking me if he would be starting JK in the fall!! What!!?? My BABY?! Going away from me for hours with a bunch of total strangers?? Not a chance! I realized I could never do it and no matter how hard it was I had to give hs a chance- I was ready! Thankfully, a well respected family with 4 of their 6 kids already in ps decided to hs shortly before we did, so they paved the way for us in our church, fielding most of the criticism and questions. It certainly helps that near 10 years later she has 3 awesome children graduated and holding steady jobs while going to college!

My oldest is now 8 and going into grade 3, dd is 6, we took a very relaxed approach to hs for the first early years yet they have learned so much and are doing amazing! We are quite determined to go all the way through high school.

[scottishmommy]

It's actually kind of funny. I was super against homeschooling for a long time. I knew a family who homeschooled and it was a total disaster. Some of their children didn't graduate from highschool. FF to now! I am a musician and a teacher. I teach singing and piano at a music school where all the kids go to public or private school, and I also teach at a church where all the kids are homeschooled. The difference between the kids is amazing. The kids who are in school are tired, burnt out and frankly not very well educated. It's sad because they are from a very affluent area and I know that a lot their parents are bending over backwards to live in such a "great" school district. The kids who are homeschooled, however seem eager to learn. They also seem way more well rested and healthy. They aren't jaded by the system. They aren't distracted by all the drama that happens at school. Their purpose in life is to learn, not to be popular, or fit in. They just seem so much more well adjusted and mature. After working with these kids, I've come to realize that children should be learning at home and not at some institution.

[LucyRev]

Originally Posted by Sienna-forever

My ds was three months premature, and although he is perfectly healthy, and very intelligent, he is very sensitive, and doesn't handle separation well. I have recently read the 'primal wound' by Nancy Verrier and she says that 'incubator babies' experience this in the same way as newborns placed for adoption. I definitely recognise some of those signs in him. He needs reassurance that we're here for him although he is very sociable.

That is really interesting! I'll have to read that book. My DD was a month premature, and was an "incubator baby" for her first 7 days. The worst 7 days of my life, I think. I can't even imagine how much you went through. Anyway, my DD is 7. My interest in homeschooling started in college. I studied sociology and always thought the institution of schools and their place in society was a bit strange. But then I had my daughter and she sealed the deal.

She's extremely sensitive (possibly SID) and can't really function normally in such a large group of people. Especially under a rigid schedule. I found a spot for her in a very small charter school for Kindy, but pulled her out half way through the year. Our home life had turned into hell. She was so stressed out, she was having tantrums and raging after school and giving herself stomach aches in the mornings before we left. This was from 4 half days/week, and she really didn't learn anything at school either, although she was perfectly well behaved and quiet. She daydreamed and drew. This girl doesn't do anything by the book. Totally the square peg in the round hole. She hates being taught, but loves to learn. She questions everything. She doesn't learn the way teachers generally teach. School really squashed her bright spirit and gave her a bad attitude towards anything academic. It was heartbreaking to see. I knew that for my child, it was doing more harm than good. I didn't want her to "fail" by school's standards and internalize that judgement. I also couldn't imagine not knowing what was going on during so much of her life once school started full time in 1st grade. It just seemed like way too much time away for her. We are all SO much happier now.

[pigpokey]

When I started researching schools, I realized that by home schooling my children I could save them untold hours of boredom and unproductive "work," allowing them time to achieve much more but still have much more time to play, travel, sleep ... Also that the social climate was not going to be hostile to my children and that not only would they have plenty of opportunity to have a social life with schooled friends, but also to take courses and sports with other children as much as they wanted.