Why do people homeschool? - Page 6

[joesmom]

Originally Posted by sha_lyn

I was a few yrs older than you, but other than that I could have written your post word for word. I gave up in 9th grade when I realized that we were only being fed the facts so we could pass the tests.

Yeah, I don't understand what is so great about being able to REMEMBER things for 24 hours. My mom actually pays my nephew when he gets a good grade on a spelling test.
: (He actually always gets good grades in spelling, he is like me & it comes naturally to him- he is not even nine yet & he has read all of the Harry Potter books!) I just don't think it is right to pay him. She doesn't pay Joe for any of the amazing things he does EVERY day- because they don't come to her with a TEACHER'S official red pen grade on it, ya know??

Originally Posted by thismama

I saw this in Walmart the other day:

Dear Wal*Mart:

Thank you for the gloves and garbage bags you gave us to help with our clean up on Earth Day.

Love,

Lord Richards Grade 1 Class
[insert every child's first name and last initial here]

BS indoctrination like that is a BIG part of why I plan to homeschool.

I have seen those all over the place. The best ones are the ones where the TEACHER misspelled something! (Yes, I am petty, thanks!)

[nomadmom]

We are too busy for school.

[maplesugar]

We unschool for so many reasons! Yes the major reason is: school sucks!

And seriously, I cringe at the idea that I need an expert of any sort to help me in my day to day life. I guess I am more of DIY type. I feel the same way about health care, to a lesser extent. I don't run to the doctor everytime I get a stuffy nose, I don't feel the need to consult a "teacher" every time my son has a question.
Even though I quit college and have no degree, I feel more than qualified to encourage my children along on their life's journey. I read a lot. I think a lot. I am independent. I expect that my children will be the same because they will not go through the collosial waste of time that is called "education".

[paganmum]

Having a NT (nurotypical or 'normal') Ds, a SN (special needs, currently Dx'd with SID and possibly ASD waiting for the jurry to deside on that one so to speak) Dd1 and a so far NT Dd2, here is the short and sweet version of why we choose to homeschool.

Ds is very active and adding to that the fact that he knows how to schedual his own time (even though he can't really read a clock yet) would be labled ADHD by the schools here. Ds is not ADHD and as the schools here have a nasty tendancy to force parents to drug up the kids who don't fit in I refuse to put Ds in that position. He has a good enough grasp on how he learns best and has done an amazing job keeping me in the know. As such on his request we will be getting him a curriculum this fall. We are going to spend our time between now and Dd's birthday feeling out just where he places in certain subjects and then tailoring the books to his needs and desires.

Dd1 as I have said is SN, the schools here have decided that Dd1 is perfectly "normal" and that her current Dx in a load of *fill in the blank*. Trust me that didn't fly well with me and Dh, let alone the grandparents.

Dd2 is following in Ds's footsteps so far.

As such with my three kids and the fact that Dh and I were homeschooled we choose to homeschool as it is the best choice for our family. We don't bat an eyelash about those who choose to send their children to public or private schools, that is what they feel is best for their families.

We play what we do by ear and change as needed. Each child has (or in Dd2's case will have) an equal say in how school is done.

[joesmom]

Originally Posted by maplesugar

And seriously, I cringe at the idea that I need an expert of any sort to help me in my day to day life. I guess I am more of DIY type. I feel the same way about health care, to a lesser extent. I don't run to the doctor everytime I get a stuffy nose, I don't feel the need to consult a "teacher" every time my son has a question.
Even though I quit college and have no degree, I feel more than qualified to encourage my children along on their life's journey. I read a lot. I think a lot. I am independent. I expect that my children will be the same because they will not go through the collosial waste of time that is called "education".

Yes. My sister, with kids in PS, goes to the doctor at the drop of a hat... Joe & I rarely go- just like I trust him to learn what he needs to know, I trust our bodies to work through minor illnesses, viruses, colds etc, & do what it is intended to do- heal itself.

I didn't go to college at all but I don't feel that I am at a disadvantage. Like you, I read a lot, & I think I have a good enough grasp of the world around me to be able to teach or to help Joe learn anything he wants to know. And as for the things I don't know- GOOGLE, baby!! It really works!

[frogguruami]

Originally Posted by M_of_M

Thank you for your reply. It does answer my questions.
The only thing though, for me personally, getting through high school and being 'smart enough' has nothing to do with being a good teacher to a child.

It is not about being a good teacher. It is about being a good facilitator. My child can teach himself. I simply provide him with the means to get the information.

[captivatedlife]

Originally Posted by Sagesgirl

Having an education degree isn't exactly isn't exactly a signifier of being a brilliant, burning soul able to perfectly impart knowledge to hungry minds. In fact, education majors tend to come from and remain in the bottom part of those going to college. (This is one huge reason for the push towards "highly qualified" teachers, ie those who have a degree in the subject they'll actually be teaching.)

I'm sorry, I have to take offense at this.

Those who can do, those who can't teach, right?

I received a full ride scholarship to a local uni where I graduated in 3.5 years with a 3.9 average with a dual major (elementary and special education). I continue my education by reading everything I can. I teach because it is a passion for me. I teach because I want to make a difference. I am smart. I was a part of a cohort and at least 15 out of the 22 were from similar backgrounds and graduated just as high (or almost as!) as I did.

That being said, I am taking a year off to see if I can continue to teach in a public school setting. My school is seriously taking kids and trying to turn out little robots. There is no discipline. It's respect me because I'm an adult and I'll make you do your work. And NONE of the parents see it. The teachers are nice. The kids come home happy. No one sees the lack of respect. I can't stand it.

My daughter will probably be homeschooled. Because when you have dd in a class with 22 other students, someone's bound to get left out. Do I want to chance that?

And I want to see her. Kids are gone from 8 - 2:30. Sent home with homework. It just doesn't feel right, yk. I want her to see me more than her peers.

Peace,
Kim

[frogguruami]

Originally Posted by M_of_M

What if your dc decides that he wants to have a career in a math-related field? Can he really do that if you only expose him/her to things that he/she can "live" in?

If a child has the desire to have a "math related" career then they will find the desire to learn the math.

[AuntLavender]

I remember in middle and high school the science class rooms

that has those built in Bunsen Burner type things along the wall above the desks. I never got to use those - ever. I always wondered who did.

(My husband says he never got to use them either! He went to a different school too!)

You can bet my children have used a Bunsen Burner! LOL! So to answer your question below about a number of teachers with interaction and projects does not make for Bunsen Burner usage! LOL! This 1 parent offers much more!

Originally Posted by M_of_M

I guess I just don't understand how a child can receive the same amount of information/knowledge at home given by 1 parent as he can get from school with a number of teachers + through interaction/projects done together with a group of other students.

*My fourth was born with physical birth defects. He will never go to public school. I remember from school how those children were treated. {{{Shudder}}}

Sincerely,
Debra, homeschooling mom of 4 ages 10 (AS), 9, 7, and 4 (HFA, Apraxia, Dysarthria, hand birth defects)

[pookel]

Originally Posted by LeftField

Am I the only person who never learned much from group projects other than the principle of social loafing? You know, one person basically does all the work while most others hang out in the security of the group/herd and contribute virtually nothing?

Group work, for me, worked out to this:
Pookel does all the work.
In exchange, the other three members of the group stop harassing Pookel about being a "nerd" for a week or two.

Amazingly, in the workplace, group work is more like this:
Pookel says, "here, I'll take this chunk of work that I happen to be talented at." Coworker says, "great, why don't I do this part, since that's what I'm better at." Coworker 2 says, "why don't you guys let me know what you need help on, since you're better at this stuff."

I never did see that kind of dynamic in a public school setting.

[pookel]

Originally Posted by RiverSky

Well, actually, I will agree to disagree here. Though I think that school-at-home is better than institutionalized schooling, I still think that it is a manner of force-feeding an education.

Do we have to have the discussion again about how unschooling vs. school at home is a false dichotomy? Not everyone who doesn't unschool is sitting their kids down at the kitchen table with workbooks and saying, "do these problems or else." : Or if you did want to start defining unschooling that way, I'm pretty sure just about every homeschooler at MDC would be an unschooler.

FTR, though I'm not homeschooling yet, my ideal vision for education is a scenario in which the parent guides the child's education but NEVER forces it. We'll see when the time comes how well that works in practice - but it worked great for me when I was a preschooler learning math and reading from my parents.

[chfriend]

Hey, we got to use the Bunsen burners. They make that cool whoosh sound when you turn them on.

My 6 year old could probably build one.

[rmzbm]

to the posters who said "school sucks" & "I'm too busy for school." Summerized very nicely!

[maplesugar]

Ah yes, group work....another reason to homeschool. While I actually love learning things on my own by reading books/ memorizing, etc...I HATE group work. It seems as though there is such a push for this in institutional school. Most recently I experience this in a college history class I took. I would have learned so much more without it.
I always hated the forced aspect of getting in a group to "work" on something most kids could care less about anyways. Or worse yet when the teacher would let us kids choose our own groups because then popularity dynamics would make the less popular kids such as myself be excluded and have to embarass myself by having to find a "group" No, I am not bitter


What is the point of group work anyways but to teach children to defer to the general consensus? Is this a way to actually supress creativity.

I really enjoy the fact that my son can choose to learn however he wants. Right now he is watching Reading Rainbow on PBS, playing with his baby sister, and building with his blocks.

[cottonwood]

that has those built in Bunsen Burner type things along the wall above the desks. I never got to use those - ever. I always wondered who did.

Yeah! Yeah.

[LionTigerBear]

We got to use the Bunsen Burners in high school. However.

I was really interested in chemistry but hopelessly lost. My poor classmate partner (we were paired off) was this sweet, smart younger girl that I had chorus with also. I say poor because she was basically tutoring me the whole time. I felt so bad to be such a burden to her that I eventually stopped caring or trying to understand and just started nodding along. *sigh*

I did much better with sciences in college.

And then in my other classes I was so ahead and it came so easily it was a joke. I remember once I wrote 2 term papers for English class and sold one. I felt SO bad afterward though, I never did that again! Not my proudest moment.

[UUMom]

Originally Posted by thismama

I don't know what Panera is (Canadian), but I don't think it's the end of the world that Hellmart donated the bags for a hs river clean up.

It depends how you frame it, what you teach the children about Walmart and how much it actually does or doesn't do to help or harm the planet. Somehow I'm sure the kids at Lord Richards did not receive any critical lessons about that subject, kwim?

Panera is a rather yummy sandwich/bread/coffee shop big chain. But still, a chain and no organics. Although I've heard other Paneras have organic coffee, but ours doesn't. The main distributor ships frozen dough and the employees put the frozen dough in the hot overs to bake. SO the places smells good, feels homey, but the it's not that the bakers are using yeast back there. lol The kids get free bagels and the parents free coffee on the field trips. Yum.

The clean up was a town-wide communtiy cleanup for our beloved river-- homeschoolers, community members, teachers, firefighters, police, public and private schools, church groups etc. My ds, who attends a private school, did indeed get the real environmental info before they set out.

But I know that the children from our neighborhood school got it as well. It's a small town and most of our neighbors attend the school and we all yack at the post offices and coffee shops.

And heck, I *detest * Walmart and haven't step foot in the place for *years* and *years*. I'm saying take their free shit at the same time you boycott their asses. And ime, some schools, especially liberal northeast schools are as wicked and liberal, full of rabid ecologists as you evah wanna see.

[Ceili]

I home school because I remember the large amounts of time wasted while I was in school. I remember wanting to do more advanced math than my third grade teacher was giving us. I remember seeking it out on my own in various forms, from computer math games when I was 8 (this was the early 80's, it wasn't a common place thing) to auditing college math classes when I was in 10th grade. Again, no one in Alabama at the time had ever heard of the phrase "dual enrollment" so I did it only for my own enjoyment (I was "too young" to even qualify for college credit) and still had to take a lower level high school class and do all the tedious homework for concepts I'd mastered 3 or 4 years before that.

I did all of this on my own. If I'd wanted to pursue a math career I could have without any assistance from the public school system.

I home school because my son seems to be a kinesthetic learner. He learns by moving, touching, and doing. These are not qualities that are appreciated in most institutional settings.

[PumpkinSeeds]

You mean one that needs to jump on the trampoline when you read to him? Hey, I have one of those too!

Originally Posted by Ceili

I home school because my son seems to be a kinesthetic learner. He learns by moving, touching, and doing. These are not qualities that are appreciated in most institutional settings.

[alima]

Originally Posted by pookel

Group work, for me, worked out to this:
Pookel does all the work.
In exchange, the other three members of the group stop harassing Pookel about being a "nerd" for a week or two.

Amazingly, in the workplace, group work is more like this:
Pookel says, "here, I'll take this chunk of work that I happen to be talented at." Coworker says, "great, why don't I do this part, since that's what I'm better at." Coworker 2 says, "why don't you guys let me know what you need help on, since you're better at this stuff."

I never did see that kind of dynamic in a public school setting.

Pookel, are you living my life?

I did all the work in every single "group" work project I have ever been involved in, from gr.1 through university. Teachers never did a thing about it, whether I complained, or they noticed on their own. And the others in the group got whatever grade I'd earned for them, work or no work. By high school I would just take the work and walk away with it and turn it in when I was done. No one cared, not the teachers, or the other students (unless I didn't get them a good grade, then I'd hear all about it )

Now I'm a manager and I have to hire and fire staff. Not helping out with the group work is the biggest single complaint any of my staff have about other employees, and it's pretty well guaranteed to get you fired. Being a good student (lots of my staff are in high school or college) has nothing to do with how good they will be at work. I never bother to look at their education level on their resumes, except to get an idea of how old they are, and I don't know any other hiring manager who cares about grades or diplomas, only if you have special certifications and skill training.

I still hear parents and teachers say to kids "You have to do well in school to get a good job" and I want to stop them and say "No, to get a good job, you need to read, write, learn to speak in public, do volunteer work, take any job you are offered, start at the bottom, try to impress everyone you meet at work, network all the time, and try to figure out what you enjoy doing, so you don't waste everyone's time by doing a job you hate."


Oh, and I got to use the bunsen burners in high school too. They weren't nearly as exciting as I thought they would be