[slightly crunchy]

I was just wondering how many here are homeschooling, or planning to homeschool, because you are philosophically opposed to 6 hour/day school in general. Or because you don't want your children exposed to certain things associated with school (general "school").

Or is it more an issue of not liking what is available in your area, for your particular children? Is it only public school that you are unhappy with, and if there was a great affordable private school, would you send dc? Or if there were better public schools in your area, would you send them?

I am going to guess that unschoolers generally fall in the first category, but I may be wrong about that. I am really curious where your thinking lies. I think right now I am more in the first category, for young children, but not completely sure yet.

 

[slightly crunchy]

I just read this and it is worded in the negative too much for my liking. I know there are great reasons TO homeschool, and realize that people are not just homeschooling because they dislike schools. I hope my original questions still make some sense.

 

[SagMom]

Trying to keep my answer in line with your choices...

We're philosophically opposed to the system of school.

 

[onlyzombiecat]

The reason we are homeschooling is because we feel it is how dd will learn and grow best. Maybe if schools were very flexible and had classes of 5 children or less we'd feel better about them.

 

[NoHiddenFees]

I first started investigating homeschooling because I was less than impressed with the academic rigor of the locals schools. However, as I read more, other reasons became just as, if not more, important:

1. Peer stratification by age
2. Standardized testing and teaching to the test
3. Grades

Reasons to homeschool:

1. Academic rigor and programs tailored to DDs' needs
2. A desire to keep DD's connected to family
3. More field trips and real life experiences; more chance for outside classes and other learning experiences.
4. With the money we're not spending on private schools, we're planning 2 or 3 BIG educational trips.

 

[UnschoolnMa]

My problem is with the idea of school in general. Definitely with mainstream public schools.

 

[3momkmb]

Both?

We started homeschooling because of problems with our particular school. DD has LDs and they weren't working with her the way they should have IMO. After we began to homeschool I realized I have problems with how schools are run in general. The age segregation, the focus on conformity both educationally and socially, the way school controls the family, the walking through the halls like little soldiers, NCLB...the list goes on and on. I would have to find a very different kind of school to put my kids back in. I would also have to not be able to homeschool since that is working so well for us.

Having said that, Maddie attends school. Why? Because she loves is and because the program she attends is not like regular *school* at all. It's a contained classroom of mixed age kids of varying level of ASD. The classroom has about 10 kids to 2 teachers and 4-5 aides. The teachers stay the same every year and so do most of the aides. The kids all work at their own pace with the teachers using the methods and styles that work best for each student. They have the opportunity to *take a break* any time they need one. They are included in *regular* classrooms only to the extent each student is able to do comfortably and with support. She receives her therapies (OT, PT, speech) and her *clubs* (cooking and social) regularly within the school day. The staff is knowledgeable about and willing to work with her GFCF diet. They really love Maddie!

I feel it works best for us all right now, especially since our access to transportation is iffy and she really needs the therapy (believe me it isn't pretty when she doesn't get it!).

So...I guess I'm not opposed to any school, just the typical school.

 

[mommy2abigail]

I guess I'd fall into the first choice, but here are some of my reasons for hs:
NO ONE is going to care as much as I do about dc. Emotionally, physically, socially, spiritually, and regarding their education.
Keeping our family close knit (not that you can't do that and go to school, but I dont want my dc away from me/us for 8 hours a day, five days a week)
Dc will have a custom tailored education. They can learn in whatever method is good for them: visual, auditory, early morning, late at night, at home, out and about, worksheets, unschooled, ect.
Testing.
Grades.
Popularity contests.
Being teased.
Learning things (socially, spiritually, and morally) that we do not support.
Being exposed to things way beyond their years. (drugs, sex, violence, ect)
I would hate to miss all of their "Aha!" moments in learning.
There are so many more resources, ways to learn, and do things when homeschooling.
Ok that's my list so far....

 

[raleigh_mom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joan Trying to keep my answer in line with your choices... We're philosophically opposed to the system of school.

:

 

[PancakeGoddess]

For us it's the first reason. There probably are schools somewhere that would satisfy me, but not many.

 

[UUMom]

Well....both. Sort of. If I trusted that my children could get a respectful, thoughtful education for free, I would try it. I have met some lovely people in education, but the public system itself is cruddy (mandatory attendance, lack of creativity, mandatory stupid testing, length of day, lack of choice, crappy food, ugly buildings, no gardens, no recess, teachers who hate kids etc etc etc). If my kids could have 100% respectful teachers, clean, organic food on real glass plates and not in styrofoam, real fresh water in glasses, grass on the playground, real music and movement, art with excellent supplies, drama , and good books, teachers who felt joy etc., I would absolutely seriously consider it.

We take part in a hsing coop, and some of those programs are 'class-like', in a way, I suppose. So I am not absolutely against 'group' learning or certain classroom group dynamics.

 

[Shianne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoHiddenFees 1. Peer stratification by age 2. Standardized testing and teaching to the test 3. Grades

:

I started off homeschooling 16 years ago because of the particular school my son was going to go to. Drugs, gangs, etc. were rampant there and this was an elementary school.
But then it was the fact that my son was accelerating way beyond what the school system could offer him. I did put him in ps for part of 2nd grade because I was working two jobs and going to college full time. I felt that I wasn't giving him my best. But we found out that what I was giving him for education was way better than what the school had provided for him.
He was being bullied, beaten up on a daily basis, the teacher promised to bring in books for his level and never did and what he had learned in the first 3 months of homeschool for that year, they were just starting when he entered so he had to do it all over again.
Since then, I never looked to see what the school system had to offer. My other boys are just blissfully unaware (well, Dusty at least), they think homeschool is the norm.

 

[PancakeGoddess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UUMom If my kids could have 100% respectful teachers, clean, organic food on real glass plates and not in styrofoam, real fresh water in glasses, grass on the playground, real music and movement, art with excellent supplies, drama , and good books, teachers who felt joy etc.,

swooon. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I'd still miss my boys, but any school that nice would probably offer a half-day option, right? Or a 3-day week?

 

[IAMINSANE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommy2abigail I guess I'd fall into the first choice, but here are some of my reasons for hs: NO ONE is going to care as much as I do about dc. Emotionally, physically, socially, spiritually, and regarding their education. Keeping our family close knit (not that you can't do that and go to school, but I dont want my dc away from me/us for 8 hours a day, five days a week) Dc will have a custom tailored education. They can learn in whatever method is good for them: visual, auditory, early morning, late at night, at home, out and about, worksheets, unschooled, ect. Testing. Grades. Popularity contests. Being teased. Learning things (socially, spiritually, and morally) that we do not support. Being exposed to things way beyond their years. (drugs, sex, violence, ect) I would hate to miss all of their "Aha!" moments in learning. There are so many more resources, ways to learn, and do things when homeschooling. Ok that's my list so far....

Ok you took ALL my reasons LOL Now I don't think I have any left.

 

[Linda on the move]

I think school is a waste of time and not very educational. Private schools are at least more educational, but still very time consuming.

Separation was another issue for us. When my kids were little they really didn't want to be left anywhere without me. They are 8 and 9 now and want to be in a drop off program at the Y for homeschoolers (4 hours per week of games, PE, and swimming). It's funny to me -- they'd be in 3rd and 4th grade if they went to school and they are finally ready for a mom's day out!

 

[UUMom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PancakeGoddess swooon. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I'd still miss my boys, but any school that nice would probably offer a half-day option, right? Or a 3-day week?

Exactly. Or even two half days. After nap.

:

 

[Charles Baudelaire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slightly crunchy I was just wondering how many here are homeschooling, or planning to homeschool, because you are philosophically opposed to 6 hour/day school in general. Or because you don't want your children exposed to certain things associated with school (general "school"). Or is it more an issue of not liking what is available in your area, for your particular children? Is it only public school that you are unhappy with, and if there was a great affordable private school, would you send dc? Or if there were better public schools in your area, would you send them? I am going to guess that unschoolers generally fall in the first category, but I may be wrong about that. I am really curious where your thinking lies. I think right now I am more in the first category, for young children, but not completely sure yet.

I choose answer "E."

That's "all of the above."

 

[sweetpeas]

I'm not sure it's either one for us. I definately don't think homeschooling is for everyone (my mom & brother would have KILLED each other if she'd tried to homeschool him, they locked horns way too much, still do & he's 26). I haven't researched our local schools enough to have anything to say about them either way. I just feel like my kids have such a huge zest for life/learning & I know I often felt like I wasn't "learning" anything in school because I was having to spend all my time memorizing/regurgitating what the teachers wanted me to learn, so if I can help my kids keep that love of learning & learn what THEY want to learn, I'm going to do it. My parents will retire about the time my girls hit "school age" so we (my parents & I) will be able to travel w/ the girls & such. My dad loves researching & explaining "how things work" which I think will be great, kids get to spend time w/ their "Papa" learning all kinds of fun science experiments. I guess, in a nutshell, the flexibility of homeschooling fits our lifestyle & what I can determine at this age (they're only 3) of the girls' learning style, so that's the direction we're heading.

 

[zeldamomma]

Well, we are homeschooling largely because I really like the idea of homeschooling. We live in a decent school district and I believe my kdis would be physically safe in school. My only real complaints about our local public schools is the lack of diversity and their very traditional approach.

I guess that means I am more in the first camp you mentioned (philosophically opposed to school), but it's really more that I prefer homeschooling, in the same way someone might prefer Catholic school, or Montessori, or a private prep school.

 

[oceanbaby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PancakeGoddess swooon. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I'd still miss my boys, but any school that nice would probably offer a half-day option, right? Or a 3-day week?

This would be my ideal choice. I could find a private school we liked, but as long as it is 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, with mandatory attendance, it's not going to work for us.

Our inclination to homeschool started out because we weren't happy with any of the schools we saw, and could not get over ds being gone 30 hours a week. But then the more we researched homeschooling, we became more opposed to the philosphy of school, in it's current form, in general.