Why not homeschool? - Page 3

[EFmom]

As for learning boring things not being an advantage, I actually beg to differ.

Me too.

One example comes to mind. I was a chemistry major in college. In order to understand some fields of chemistry, you need to have a reasonably strong math background. I will freely admit that I hated every minute of calculus. It was and is of no interest to me, but I needed to know it in order to explore the subject that did interest me.

By and large, I love my job. But there are some facets of it that bore me to tears. I have to know how to do those parts in order to keep my job.

[CarrieMF]

Is it because of the education or socialization? Is it because you have to work? Did you send your child to school because it is customary, and you never considered homeschooling? Are you happy with your decision?

None of these.

My kids go to public school becuase it suits THEIR needs. My own personal wants and needs have nothing to do with why they go. If we are still here when they hit Grade 7 they will be homeschooled. The JR and SR schools are not places I want my kids. If I get my way we'll be back in my hometown before then and they'll go to the high school there.

There are things I do not like, however I feel it is a great life lesson in learning how to deal with daily aspects that are not your own beliefs/values.

My 7yo thrives at school but we clash when we try to teach her anything. My 4yo otoh would do fine homeschooled or in public school. She really wants to go to school so she will. My 3yo I have no idea about but will most likely go because she drains me.

If the school was no longer meeting their needs they would not attend.

[wildmonkeys]

Learning to type was boring - I am glad I can type...

BJ
Barney & Ben

[lauren]

"As for learning boring things not being an advantage, I actually beg to differ. Things I considered boring in high school, like my world history class served me in good stead as I read other things when I got older and could link them together."


I never thought about this in this way, but I so agree. I hated history in school, and now it is one of my favorite subjects. My favorite reads are historical novels, and the background I was taught, and loathed, helps me understand this. Also, always hated math, but glad I can do enough of it to function well in life. I think if I had been an unschooler I would have read horse books all the time as a child!!

[Ellien C]

If you don't mind the theoretical, the reasons we intend to send our 3 yo to public school are much like Wildmonkeys.

DH and I enjoyed school and found it valuable. We weren't bored but we allowed to pursue enrichment curricula on our own - which was kind of like unschooling. When DH finished his work early, he was allowed to pursue other reading and I remember writing a puppet show in 4th or 5th grade.

We live in an economically and ethnically diverse area now with OK public schools - not great.

[maya44]

1. My children really enjoy the feeling of independance they get in school. At no other place can they do things as freely at such a young age. (for example, go to the library by themselves to return a book and pick out another which they are allowed to do at our school when they have finished their work on a particular subject). Or lunch where they decide where to sit, what to talk about etc...)

2. Forming LONG TERM bonds with non-family members. Our school is realtively small and they really get to know the other kids well over the 6 years they are at the same school. They have made wonderful friendships and have also learned how to deal with people who are very different than themselves.

Also my dd's schools have many special needs kids. I can't think of any way that they would have the "day to day experiences" with people that are differently abled like they do at school.

3. Projects that are very difficult to replicate outside a classroom. For example, the students in dd's 5th grade class live in "houses" (cardboard boxes around desks). Student goverment runs the grade. They produce a televison show for local acess tv. They "pay" for postage to turn in homework or other projects. Its a very cool experience.

In third grade they have a two month pioneer unit where they are seperated into families and then travel groups and have to plan how to make it across the United States on covered wagon. Its a long term fantasy game that involes strategy, planning and cooperation

[Alenushka]

I stand by boring

yYep, boring is good. It drive me freaking crazy in US all this talk how learning always has to be interesting, entertaining, God forbid a kid get bored. Adult life is not always fun.... what is inside my head may make it fun. Keepings statistics at my job, for example is not fun...but it allows me to do other fun parts at work, which I like. Yep, it would be great if all of us could go to Burning Man every summer and have little art business at home. That is fine...there people for whom it works, the rest of us, boring suckers, make the rest of the world work. Keeping the store running, keeping the ERs opened 24.7, putting gas, serving coffee etc. Life is not bowl of cherries
another day my son and I were working together with a Chemistry Set (It is just one of many learning thing we do outside school)
So, he has to fill 20 different bottles with various solvent before we could do the experiment. Whining "It is boring, I want to mix things". But I insisted that we follow the instruction...and then we did the experiment.
I suppose I could have just let him mix thing whichever way he wants (Which we do, in the yard, he can do his little things with baking soda, vinegar etc).... but he wants to be scientist. And sometime you have to sit in the lab and fill out boring bottles with solvent. BTW, the experiment we did were tons of fun and some was very unexpected

[zinemama]

What the pp said about how she'd rather set fire to her hair than homeschool. Same here.

My son is in k at a wonderful school 3 blocks away. Great teacher, fascinating curriculum and it's k-8, so he'll never have to experience the colossal educational mistake that is middle school (hooray!). I suppose if we lived in a horrendous school district or he (god forbid) was having a terrible experience in ps I would have to consider homeschooling. But I know myself and I know my kid and it would not be a pretty picture.

[applejuice]

I sent my oldest to school because I thought I was not competent enough to teach her myself to read and write.

A year later, I began to homeschool her and her brothers because the school did not teach her to read, and I had to find a tutor to bring her up to speed. I taught her brothers to read, write and do 'rithmetic.

I am competent. I care. My DDs teacher retired right after my DD left her class. No accountability for my DDs lack of learning, but it was her job.

[lilyka]

Hi I am a homeschooler but I had to comment on the boring thing. I'm not here to crash the party I promise.

I am totally on board with that. I find cooking, dishes, taxes, drawing up leases, finding a sitter and much more to be boring and sometimes downright painful but it has to get done and I am glad I have the skills to get through it quickly and learned how to stick with stuff even if I hated it.

Doing what you would rather not with qulity and good attituide is a huge theme in my children's education. Not all homeschoolers only do thing they find fun and intresting.

thanks for starting this thread. It is intresting. I'll go back to lurking now.

[mamaverdi]

Well, we were using school quite frankly because my younger son has health issues that require us to be at multiple therapies, doctors appointments, tests, etc. Constant. We put ds1 in a private G/T school where he was supposed to be learning reading, writing, arithmatic. Still hasn't happened. Two weeks ago they got a new teacher. She is a bully. Plain and simple. My son has gone from loving school to hating it.

The local p/s is not an option. Our neighborhood school is fine, but ds1 just wouldn't be served there for many reasons: sexual predators being among them. Other private schools are expensive or filled for four years from now.

So now, we have no idea what we will do. At this point, probably homeschool until another option opens up. But that is why we were and want to use school.

[Alenushka]

sexual predetors?

Waht do you mean by this. Schools supposed to conduct strict backgorund checks. ANd private shcool is not garantess of abcence of sexual predetaor. Plenty of children were molested in private catholic schools

[BusyBee]

I consider myself a homeschooler (I'm in homeschool groups etc...), but as a parent I try to do what I think is best for my child. At this point in time I am recognizing a need my child has that I am not fulfilling. My guess is that going to school next year will fill that need. I will always be reevaluating my parenting choices, and if I was off target, then, Homeschooling it is. By the way, I consider school to be one of the "activities" in the repertoire of educational tools that we will use in raising our children. Somewhat like violin lessons or soccer practice. I suppose I am more of a community-schooling advocate. This may include school or not, but in the center of it all, it is the home-life and family making the decisions. For me this is empowering, for others it may be overwhelming, or even wishy-washy.

[mamaverdi]

Well background checks aren't always correct. There was an elementary teacher recently fired here because his background check did not reveal that he was in fact a rapist of small children. He had been at the school for several years. Not only that but we have had run-ins with a *child* : that child has molested several other children, but he has not been removed from the school.

I can't speak for Catholic schools in my area.

[lauren]

Background checks can only help with perpetrators that were substantiated by the child protection system and/or those who were convicted after trial. What is never trackable are those who have been reported but not substantiated (proven to have done it) because the victim either recanted (took it back) or there was insufficient evidence. Hence, someone with an offending background can and could be working with children.

[oceanbaby]

Originally Posted by Alenushka

Waht do you mean by this. Schools supposed to conduct strict backgorund checks. ANd private shcool is not garantess of abcence of sexual predetaor. Plenty of children were molested in private catholic schools

Most sexual predators are not caught (convicted), or are not caught until they have molested many children, so therefore would not have any record to be found on a background check.

[KangaTwo]

Because it's there. I don't like the public system (although I am on my way to certification - irony? I plan to incorporate what I can from homeschooling into my classroom), but DH insists I go to school full time, and he works, so at the moment it's the solution for DSS.

However, he's having issues in school lately: the refusing to pay attention to the lesson because he'd rather talk, and then wants a second explanation for him on the assignment, and still not know what he's supposed to do once he gets home because he didn't listen to THAT explanation either, if he got one! He even requested to take up his behavior chart with the principal in an attempt to keep from getting in trouble over it once he got home (didn't work, although he did get to talk to the principal). My mom offered to homeschool him the other day: I am all for the idea, DH is interested but is still trying to make a decision because of custody issues (we have full custody but he's worried that his ex - her mom, rather - would make a fuss, so we are looking into legal issues).

My hope is that we will end up homeschooling DSS between my mom and myself.

My two boys, who are still too little for school, I definitely plan to have homeschooled.

[cristinaoketch]

just based on what i have experienced with family that homeschools, i believe that public school offers many benefits that are not attainable at home.
ie, multiple teachers, leading to an understanding of discipline from multiple adults. The more adults the children are exposed to, the easier it is to follow directions or instructions from other adults. IMHO, the exposure is most important, as it teaches kids that their parents arent the only people that know what they are talking about. you know that syndrome, where the child runs back to their parent to double check everything they were told? I believe this leads to children thinking that only their parents have the correct information.

[briansmama]

Originally Posted by cristinaoketch

just based on what i have experienced with family that homeschools, i believe that public school offers many benefits that are not attainable at home.
ie, multiple teachers, leading to an understanding of discipline from multiple adults. The more adults the children are exposed to, the easier it is to follow directions or instructions from other adults. IMHO, the exposure is most important, as it teaches kids that their parents arent the only people that know what they are talking about. you know that syndrome, where the child runs back to their parent to double check everything they were told? I believe this leads to children thinking that only their parents have the correct information.

Actually, this is one of my main reasons for wanting to homeschool- to provide our children with the opportunity to engage in mentorship relationships with other adults, instead of an authoritative teacher/passive student relationship they'd experience in school. Please understand, I had no idea that this was a major benefit of homeschooling until I researched the topic extensively, and found that homeschooled kids generally have excellent relationships with adults because they are built on mutual respect and common interest, something that is seriously lacking in a coercive school environment.

One of my favorite authors on the subject is John Holt, who believes that schooling treats children with little respect and that young people are much more capable than schools give them credit for.

[simple living mama]

Originally Posted by cristinaoketch

just based on what i have experienced with family that homeschools, i believe that public school offers many benefits that are not attainable at home.
ie, multiple teachers, leading to an understanding of discipline from multiple adults. The more adults the children are exposed to, the easier it is to follow directions or instructions from other adults.

Im not quite sure what you mean here. I suppose if the child was to go on and work for a corporation, it is good that they know how to follow directions from one or more people but I don't see homeschooled kids any less able to follow instructions then schooled kids. I mean they take side classes, they play sports, they hold jobs and so on.

But yes I will agree with you that school kids have more exposure to taking direction. Especially in their early years.

Originally Posted by cristinaoketch

IMHO, the exposure is most important, as it teaches kids that their parents are not the only people that know what they are talking about. you know that syndrome, where the child runs back to their parent to double check everything they were told? I believe this leads to children thinking that only their parents have the correct information.

Actually one of the main rolls of a homeschooling parent, at least in my opinion, is to teach the child how to look up information on his own. Help him to find the correct resources for what he's looking for. Believe me, if I thought I had to be an expert at everything my child learns, I would of never gotten in to this whole business of homeschooling!