[umbrella]

I don't really know why liking school is considered a strike against homeschooling. I've heard a lot of people say they'd consider homeschooling, ir even that they want to, but their child really likes school.

So? Don't most people like lots of things at the same time? And is liking one school really that much if a deterrent when the parent thinks switching schools is best?

My dd1 attended school, and she loved it. She loves homeschooling too. Why would liking school suggest she Wouldn't like homeschooling?

 

[Lillian J]

Well, I think it pretty much comes down to an "If it ain't broke, why fix it?" thing. If my son had liked school, I wouldn't have been running around looking for an alternative. A lot of people haven't had a negative enough experience with school to cause them to feel a need to move on..... - Lillian

 

[4evermom]

Yeah, it's like saying ds liking chocolate chip cookies is the reason he would not like peanut butter cookies.

 

[4evermom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lillian J Well, I think it pretty much comes down to an "If it ain't broke, why fix it?" thing. If my son had liked school, I wouldn't have been running around looking for an alternative. A lot of people haven't had a negative enough experience with school to cause them to feel a need to move on..... - Lillian

True. I didn't think school was so bad until it turned out to be horrible for ds.

 

[umbrella]

Well, I guess I find it most confusing when the parents are not pleased with their child's education and school experience. I don't understand the mindset that liking school would mean the child would not like homeschooling.

 

[Krystal323]

hm. well if i had a child who liked school to the point that they REALLY didn't want to be homeschooled, i think that could take precedence. one of the reasons i wanted to give my kids the opportunity of homeschool was that I hated school so much as a kid, but nobody cared. I want to honor my children's feelings, and if they were really hating homeschool, then maybe that would be a good reason to try school...? just some thoughts.

 

[Linda on the move]

When people ask me why we homeschool, I usually just say that my kids like it. How is that any different than some one who sends their child to school saying that their child likes it?

 

[umbrella]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linda on the move When people ask me why we homeschool, I usually just say that my kids like it. How is that any different than some one who sends their child to school saying that their child likes it?

Well, if you personally thought that your child would do BETTER in school, you would rather they went to school, and you had no reason to think that they would NOT like school, and the only thing that held you back from sending them to school was that they Do like homeschooling...yeah, I would scratch my head at that too. I'd say, "liking homeschooling doesn't mean they wouldn't like school too."

Like another poster said,it would be like saying, that a child wouldn't like peanut butter cookies because they do like chocolate chip cookies. It doesn't make sense. Liking one kind of cookie doesn't mean you wouldn't like another kind of cookie.

 

[Arduinna]

The argument presumes that school is the default. I knew I wanted to HS when she was little so for us HS is the default. Regardless if the child enjoys spending time at school all the inherant issues with out of home teaching are still there.

 

[Linda on the move]

Quote:

Originally Posted by umbrella Well, if you personally thought that your child would do BETTER in school, you would rather they went to school, and you had no reason to think that they would NOT like school, and the only thing that held you back from sending them to school was that they Do like homeschooling...yeah, I would scratch my head at that too. I'd say, "liking homeschooling doesn't mean they wouldn't like school too."

I think my kids would do just fine in school. I expect in some areas, such as writing, they would do better because they would be forced to do more of it. Some days I would rather they go to school.

Yet, I have no doubt that homeschooling is the right option for our family at this time.

For families that have put a lot of thought into it, there are usually several reasons and some of them may conflict. A mom whose child attends school may sound more "pro-homeschooling" when she talks to you because she wants to validate YOUR choice, not really because she wants to be doing the same thing herself.

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

My MIL says that babies like jello so she feeds it to them. My husband says they might like crack cocaine but we're not going to give it to them.
I know some don't agree but I feel one of my parental duties is to protect my kids from things that could harm them, regardless of whether or not they might enjoy them. I think school is one of those things. Along with certain foods, tv violence, growing up too fast...

 

[Arduinna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinky Tuscadero My MIL says that babies like jello so she feeds it to them. My husband says they might like crack cocaine but we're not going to give it to them. I know some don't agree but I feel one of my parental duties is to protect my kids from things that could harm them, regardless of whether or not they might enjoy them. I think school is one of those things. Along with certain foods, tv violence, growing up too fast...

you reminded me of a conversation I had with my neighbor as she was giving her grandbaby coke in his bottle. " But he likes it"

 

[frogguruami]

I suppose a response would depend on how you felt about school. I see public schools as detrimental to my children so my response would be something like this.

There are a lot of things DS likes, McDonald's, Lunchables, cheap hotdogs, etc., but that still doesn't make them good for him. He is too young to understand the lasting effects of the situation. Therefore it is my job to protect him until he is mature enough to make informed and responsible decisions. I won't let him eat unhealthy food at McDonald's everyday and I will not let him get an unhealthy education at public school everyday!

 

[mommy68]

I just started a thread about how I want to start H/Sing my 5 yr old. One thing that might make it hard for us is that she loves her school, her class, her teachers, has friends, etc. I know it would be hard on her to leave if I were to take her out right now.

She is a very opinionated, strongwilled, high spirited 5 yr old.

My older two boys were H/S until they were in late middle school and they love school now. I planned to start H/S them again in high school but they love private school so much now that I don't know if they will want to come back home.

I dread it when the time comes to make that decision.

 

[mommy68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arduinna you reminded me of a conversation I had with my neighbor as she was giving her grandbaby coke in his bottle. " But he likes it"

I saw a 4 yr old on his way in to preschool this morning at my child's school and he had a bottle in his mouth.

: I guess he likes it as well.

You guys have really got me thinking, thanks.

Quote:

one of the reasons i wanted to give my kids the opportunity of homeschool was that I hated school so much as a kid, but nobody cared. I want to honor my children's feelings, and if they were really hating homeschool, then maybe that would be a good reason to try school...? just some thoughts

That's actually the same reason I H/S our oldest two for several years before they started private school. But they ended up loving school and do way better than I ever did in school and actually have a better outlook on things. I realized eventually that just because I was miserable growing up (I had a broken home, alcoholic dad, mom worked all the time, etc) that it didn't mean my kids would hate school and they love it.

 

[happilyloved]

My DD1 is in preschool at the moment and LOVES it. It has 6 week enrollment periods and we definitely will not be re-enrolling her in November. We might even pull her before that. She loves it but as her mother I have to be the one to recognize that it is not good for her. She is going to be pretty ticked when whe wakes up Monday morning and doesn't go to school, but like the pepsi her little friend shared with her a birthday party, it isn't in her best interest. I think some schools can be a positive experience for some kids, but it is a parent's job to determine that. Liking school isn't enough reason to send them if it isn't what is best for them overall.

Ann

 

[4evermom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommy68 I saw a 4 yr old on his way in to preschool this morning at my child's school and he had a bottle in his mouth. : I guess he likes it as well.

And would it be a problem for you if he were nursing before going to school?

 

[Papooses]

Hopefully kids of married couples also like both parents -- doesn't mean they can't/shouldn't ever have one just because of their like for the other....

Leila liked public PreK & also likes homeschool: for us, this just means that we're enjoying homeschooling now & that returning to public school isn't a NEVER impossibility (someday she may return to public school, but I'll still continue some homeschool then anyway)

 

[Treasuremapper]

Well, I can give some insight into this. I was committed to homeschooling, active in local homeschooling groups, and getting all set up for kindergarten homeschool. To get ready, we practiced during the summer.

Then, right before kindergarten started, at the last possible moment, we decided to register our daughter at her request (all of the kids in the neighborhood go there). I figured she would hate it and want to pull out in a week anyway, and that would get the whole "I want to go to kindergarten" thing out of the way early on.

She loves it.

I do not love it -- I'm an unschooler at heart, and this school is so structured. I know I could do a better job, keep her closer to me, keep her healthier, safer, and so forth, and engage her in all kinds of great, creative projects where she learns something besides the rules.

But now, one month into school, she loves it more than ever. I have continued to sing the praises of homeschool, but she is not interested. I have not only her resistance, but my husband's resistance, since he does not want to make her stop doing something she enjoys so much. They do so much fun, interesting stuff geared towards five year old children. I'm still going to follow through with some of my hs'ing ideas and plans, but if I had it to do over again, I would never have allowed her to even read books about kindergarten, much less go there.

Right now my plan is to pull her out at first grade -- and to avoid letting my younger daughter go to K. I realize this sounds sort of radical, but I am still in a state of shock that after reading HS books and Gatto all summer long, I have a dd in a public school, which to me got to be evil incarnate.

 

[eilonwy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinky Tuscadero My MIL says that babies like jello so she feeds it to them. My husband says they might like crack cocaine but we're not going to give it to them. I know some don't agree but I feel one of my parental duties is to protect my kids from things that could harm them, regardless of whether or not they might enjoy them. I think school is one of those things. Along with certain foods, tv violence, growing up too fast...

This was what I thought of, too. One of my sisters used to justify feeding things like whipped cream to BeanBean, saying, "He likes it!" "He likes playing in the toilet, too, but we don't let him do that either." For me it's not about protection as much as it is about common sense. I figure, if kids didn't need us to think things through for them, they wouldn't have parents.