Would you still homeschool if...

[theretohere]

You could open a school that operated the way you homeschool? We're eclectic/ classical homeschoolers, but my husband has expressed that he'd rather open an academy then homeschool, in some ways. I have no idea.
What do you think?

[Ruthla]

I don't know. Honestly, I can't imagine any school could possibly meet DD2's needs- but if one opened up that looked like it could be a good fit, and they offered enough financial aide, I'd consider it.

But knowing what DD2's specific needs are, I'm not sure that any institution could really meet them. She needs to learn at her own pace- not be held back by classmates who learn slower than she does, and not press ahead before she understands a specific concept.

She needs to be away from crowds, loud noises, and overstimulation; or at least have those things in very minimal doses. 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, she simply can't handle it. 3 hours once a week is another story!

She needs to be shielded from the foods and fragrances that set her off. At home this is fairly easy to accomplish. At school, her willpower weakens when she sees her friends eating stuff she can't have EVERY SINGLE DAY- after a few weeks of this she ended up eating things she shouldn't have been eating, and the results were nightmarish for all who live with her.

Plus I'd never consider putting her in a non-Jewish environment- either school supports the values we have at home or she won't go.

So, get me a school that is 100% Feingold compliant, is Kosher and has a Judaic curriculum, no more than about 5 kids in the class, all about her academic level, and is affordable.

I think I'm going to be homeschooling her for a while.

[emdeecee_sierra]

I would still home school. There is simply no comparison, no way to copy hsing in a class setting.

[beanbean]

Nope, never. HSing for us is much, much more than the curriculum/way it is presented. It's absolutely a way of life (and we love it!).

[Callimom]

I'd still homeschool - absolutely. For us some of the benefits of homeschooling are implicit in not "doing school" - meaning not having our days dictated by someone else, not answer to someone else about how we believe is the best use of our time, the kid to adult ratio, the integration of learning with everything else in our lives, the community/friend aspect that connects our whole family with others.
Karen

[umbrella]

Opening my own school does not sound the slightest bit appealing. Not at all. But I don't have the notion that children must come together as a group in order to learn.

[frogguruami]

Originally Posted by emdeecee_sierra

I would still home school. There is simply no comparison, no way to copy hsing in a class setting.

Yeah that. I couldn't imagine any school being able to be as flexible as hsing allows us to be. Heck, it is 7pm and we haven't even started today's "lessons".

[theretohere]

I can't say as I'm too surprised at the responses. I think that I agree. I'm just so unsure.

[elizawill]

Originally Posted by theretohere

You could open a school that operated the way you homeschool? We're eclectic/ classical homeschoolers, but my husband has expressed that he'd rather open an academy then homeschool, in some ways. I have no idea.
What do you think?

okay, i'm the oddman out here. heck yea i'd do it (pretending in the land of make-believe we have money to open an academy - lol). i mean if it was mine and dh's school that we opened and wrote the mission statement, etc.....and other people paid me to let their kids attend!!! you betcha we'd roll with it!!! ....or at least try it out!!

[oceanbaby]

If it was part time or had flexible attendance policies, then we would enroll in such a school.

[theretohere]

Originally Posted by oceanbaby

If it was part time or had flexible attendance policies, then we would enroll in such a school.

It is legal to have a part time or flex school?

[saimeiyu]

RE legality of part time or flex school-- yes, of course. That's how the K-12 online schools work. Also there's lots of districts where you can send your child to certain classes or what-have-you but not be completely enrolled.

If I could open an academy-- yes, I would. But that's just because I could control it. Also, I understand that there are plenty of parents who just can't homeschool, or don't have the temperament, or just don't want to-- if I could provide a more-HS-like environment for other children, I totally would. Why should my kids be the only beneficiaries if others want to participate?

[Lovenest]

Nope, my son loves homeschooling and we love homeschooling.

[elizawill]

Originally Posted by theretohere

It is legal to have a part time or flex school?

yea, it's legal. especially if your school is specific to homeschoolers. for example, classical conversations is popular in several states (which focuses on the classical education). i know the 2 classical conversations in my area meet one day a week & they offer activities and filed trips, etc. on other days. but it's a couple thousand dollars or more to be members for the year! in atlanta where i used to live, there was a school called king's academy for homeschoolers that had a lot of options and classes for homeschool families. it's very popular. if i had my own school, it would have a ton of options and would be specific to homeschool families too. if you wanted a full-time school that was not for homeschoolers....you could look into starting a charter school of sorts....not sure how hard that would be though ...as it's treading in different water. good luck!!!!

[onlyzombiecat]

No.

I would not wish to teach a bunch of other children every day. I like giving my dd one-on-one individualized attention. I think if there were more kids it would have to change to meet the needs of the majority.

I wouldn't like being tied to a schedule or location because others are involved/paying. I want the flexibility to homeschool at 3 AM or on the road to grandma's house.

I would not want the headache of dealing with other parents and the red tape of running a school (accounting, taxes, contracts, staff, rules, etc.).

[tankgirl73]

Originally Posted by umbrella

Opening my own school does not sound the slightest bit appealing. Not at all. But I don't have the notion that children must come together as a group in order to learn.

Well-put.

I've often thought to myself that if I *had* to send my kids to school, I'd be happy enough to send them to a Sudbury Valley model school. That's where the kids are in charge, there are no 'classes' unless a group of kids decides they want to study something in particular and they ask a 'teacher' for guidance... They can play outside all day long if they'd rather do that... It's like slightly-more-structured group unschooling.

It sounds really cool, and I can see some advantages to like-minded kids feeding off each others' interests and passions and ideas.

I agree that kids don't need to be in a group to learn, but it can certainly be motivating and exciting to be in the right kind of group. And larger homeschooling families are like that anyway.

When you just have one kid, or two well-spaced (like mine), you can see the appeal of the interaction and stimulation of other kids.

BUT... when it comes down to it, the attachment of the family is what is MOST important. So my first choice will still always be to homeschool.

[KimProbable]

I would still choose to homeschool just like we are.

I have no desire to stretch out my time and energy to that extent past my own children. I love that our family is our family's focus. I enjoy the freedoms of homeschooling any time of day and anywhere we please.

I greatly value the option of taking part in some structured classes and activities, but I want these to complement what we do at home instead of being the central part of my children's education.

[lisarussell]

With 6 kids, I feel like i have created my own school, but i see what you're saying. There are so many regulations involved in actually operating a business of a school, I can't imagine going to all that trouble. Is the goal to run a successful school, or to provide the best possible for your own kids? And, there;s so much insurance and legal issues regarding operating a school. What kind of school would be allowed to just wake up one day and go to the museum or something. For us it's about non-institutionalized. I think it's a neat idea, but for us it would have to be a boarding school because our "way" happens 24 hours a day.

[phathui5]

:

I have four of my own and also do part-time childcare, so we have a little school already. But what I love about homeschooling is it being organic and flexible, being able to start when we want to and end when we decide, being able to pick up and go (as much as you can with 4-8 kids).

[oceanbaby]

Originally Posted by theretohere

It is legal to have a part time or flex school?

Yes, but I believe the individual would still have to register as a homeschooler. It depends on the truancy laws of each particular state.