Homeschooling in 2020

[Peeps]

As a teacher, I disagree strongly with this conclusion. Standardised testing is not an indication of future earnings. It doesn’t take into account the student’s aptitude in practical areas or trades.
Now I’m a teacher of a particularly academic subject (English), and I encounter kids who really excel at English but I don’t see them getting on well in the work world. I have other kids who are rubbish at English and do very well at woodwork, metalwork, or science and maths.

If they can’t graduate from high school, they will not be admitted into trade schools.

Neither will they be hired at a company for an “apprenticeship”, which generally isn’t done anymore as too many of the “apprentices” take off as soon as they have their certificate, and the company is left with no new tradesman, and the knowledge that they have given away an education and have actually paid the “student” to take their education instead of getting paid by the “student.”

And hopefully, they won’t graduate from high school if they can’t read, although obviously that happens all the time because the teachers don’t know what else to do with an 18-year old who can’t read and hasn’t responded to all their special programs to teach him/her to read.

 

[Peeps]

BTW, since you are a teacher, you might be interested in knowing that 50% of our African American boys drop out of high school by age 16.

We do have an “Adult” high school, which allows young adults the opportunity to try it again in a high school that is geared towards their special needs (e.g., there is a nursery on the campus). But many don’t choose to take advantage of it. Many of them join gangs that promise wealth and prestige, and end up dying young, often in a gun fight.

So sad.

 

[1ke]

although obviously that happens all the time because the teachers don’t know what else to do with an 18-year old who can’t read and hasn’t responded to all their special programs to teach him/her to read.

Free high school education is available begins 18 in all states. It varies between 19 and 26 for the max age.

 

[DivineMercy01]

I’m actually not a teacher. I’m an undergraduate academic advisor And I know those statistics, as I’m a higher ed professional.

I would like to point out that I know people who work in trades (like welding) that didn’t necessarily go to school for it. I know people who work in construction who say some of their best employees are high school dropouts. Everyone is different. I know people who pissed away years of their life and thousands of dollars in university, coming out with no degree and no job, simply because university was what they were “supposed” to do.

 

[Anicette]

Okay, it is the norm to have 2 working parents. However, as I stated in the original post, my job doesn’t pay enough for it to be worth putting kids in daycare/Catholic school. For me personally, working would put us in the “two income trap” where my whole paycheck and then some would be going to tuition, uniforms, transportation, etc.

I understand that having two income for paying a catholic school in your area would be a trap and pointless.

But if we are very honest, you would have the choice to have two income and public school for your children. In this situation your economic situation would be far more better than with catholic school. Maybe not on short therm than homeschooling, but definitely better on long term such as for retirement, paying college etc.

I have a dilemna like yours even if it was less terrible as your catholicv school cost less. We would have to go to the city, so we would have either to let her all the extend day in school and wait that my husband pick her and paid the canteen that we can,'t afford. That would be pointless as I am at home, so can feed her and keep her. The other solution would be to buy another car. But we cannot afford it, and being on the road all the day for school and involved the baby would not been a good solution.
The more harmless other solution would have been the public school just a few step away, free cost, no canteen. But It was not my choice.

Homeschooling permit me to keep control on my child education and have a more confortable life on schedule and finances.

 

[DivineMercy01]

Blockquote

True. However,

Public school is not free until the child is 5 years of age. That means I would still be in the 2 income trap for the first five years of my child’s life. Essentially, I would be working all day and putting my whole paycheck into someone else watching my child. At the cost of not getting to see my child all day.

Not to mention, public schools in 2020 was #6 on my list of reasons for wanting to homeschool. I don’t want my child in a hypersexualized culture where sex education happens in pre-K and R rated movies are shown in elementary school. Heck, I went to Catholic school and that was my experience. I can only imagine what it would have been like in public school.

All the extra money in the world couldn’t make me put my kid in a public school today. There are some things money can’t buy. My child’s salvation is one of them.

 

[AdamP88]

In Ireland it’s quite common for kids to drop out of school and become apprentices. It tends to work quite well. The state pays for apprentice education as we have free education up to undergraduate level.

 

[Anicette]

But she is not social at all due to homeschooling.

How do you know this is due to homeschooling and not just her personality?
Just saying, I know some antisocial people who went to public school or Catholic school and some very social homeschoolers. It depends on personality.

In fact, my friends who homeschool their kids say their kids know how to socialize with ALL ages, not just their age. Public school has a tendency to box kids into socializing with their own age group.

I have had a very social baby. Then we mooved and our social life die for a while. She became more frightening of others. As whe don’t go to school she don’t have the opportunity to interact with others children on a daily basis. It is possible that she would have been more social.

yes, it depends on personality. i had been to schools and even nanny, but I am very shy. But not only on personality. Homeschooling does not equal to see a lot of people all days. For some families, yes. But we live in a less populated area, where we have not a lot of contacts and homeschooling is only practiced by three families there. I know only one. There is not a lot of cultural proposition for children, and i can’t moove easily because I don’t have a car and a baby. I do as must as events as I can such as park, public library, toy library every week before the quarantine.

I try yo see the other homeschool family but that’s not easy as the mother is truly exhauted with only two children. Including her homeschooled child who is with a nanny the morning. One day she even sleep on a bank on the park as I supervised all the children due a sleepless night…

Risk of exhaustion is also real, because we have all the house to keep working as we stay at home+ school.

 

[Anicette]

Public school is not free until the child is 5 years of age.

Valid point.
That’s a difference with us as in France school is mandate since 3 year old (since sept 2019) and public scchool is completely free. You only have to pay for your own child material and a part of the canteen cost if you want to put them in.

Is kindergarten is a mandate in USA?

Not to mention, public schools in 2020 was #6 on my list of reasons for wanting to homeschool. I don’t want my child in a hypersexualized culture where sex education happens in pre-K and R rated movies are shown in elementary school.

I understand your point and that’s also one of my main reason for homeschooling.
I am sure that our situation is less worst than yours in sex and “gender” education, but it is now worst than when I was in school.

I was in public school, it was not horrible, but it is difficult to be a Christian in them. And a lot of children model their vision on the value they found through their friends and the curriculum, so they left the Church and go to wordly morality.

There are some things money can’t buy. My child’s salvation is one of them.

Agree too.

 

[TC3033]

I don’t want my child in a hypersexualized culture where sex education happens in pre-K and R rated movies are shown in elementary school.

the public school in your area does that? Can I get a link to the school system there.

Heck, I went to Catholic school and that was my experience. I can only imagine what it would have been like in public school.

OK, really…you don’t know what actually happens, but it’s #6 on your list…

@1ke first post at post #5 is solid. I always chuckle being around the public education system with my wife over 20 years and hearing what the public school “teaches”, when I have never seen or heard of a syllabus that actually does (nor when asked ever had one provided to me).

 

[DivineMercy01]

@TC3033 If you think public school sex education is anything to jest about, open your naive eyes. I didn’t go to one, but my brother did. I know what they teach. Furthermore, I work in the education field and have a unique perspective on what public school does to a child.

 

[DivineMercy01]

yes, Kindergarten is a mandate. Preschool is not and it costs an arm and a leg.

 

[AdamP88]

the public school in your area does that? Can I get a link to the school system there.

In fairness this is happening all over. In Ireland the State is trying to introduce sex education from a very young age.

 

[TC3033]

open your naive eyes. I didn’t go to one,

I did…

Furthermore, I work in the education field and have a unique perspective on what public school does to a child.

My wife does too…, as a Catholic that teaches at a public school (and got to teach some health). Another sister in law is Catholic and teaches health at a public school.

Please don’t call me naive, it’s not a good look.

In fairness this is happening all over. In Ireland the State is trying to introduce sex education from a very young age.

I’d still like to see a link to the elementary sex ed sylubus, I’ve yet to see one (if this is indeed the states).

Eitherway, I came here agreeing with @1ke

I’d suggest that you not go in with preconceived ideas. You should let schooling unfold as you have children.

 

[AdamP88]

I know there is a policy document that was circulated that talks about knowing about masturbation and how “you can get pleasurable feelings from different body parts” in the infant and junior school curriculum. Again, I’m speaking in an Irish context, and at the moment we’re on a bender of liberalism.

 

[Peeps]

I would like to point out that I know people who work in trades (like welding) that didn’t necessarily go to school for it. I know people who work in construction who say some of their best employees are high school dropouts. Everyone is different. I know people who pissed away years of their life and thousands of dollars in university, coming out with no degree and no job, simply because university was what they were “supposed” to do.

I don’t think it’s possible to get a job as a welder these days in the U.S. without having the certificate. I think the certification is required to get an actual job. You can do home welding projects without any certification.

I believe that a certificate is required for many of the skilled trades. We have a huge shortage of skilled trade workers in our city (over a thousands openings for welders), and in response, our community college has opened a trade school, and is seeking to open a much larger site for trades, except now they’re in trouble with the city because they have been accused of “redlining” (locating the trade training center in an area that isn’t easily accessible by our city’s poor/immigrant/minority population)–and Peeps agrees that this college is behaving badly–originally the plan was to open the school in an old factory site right in the middle of one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, and that would have been so good for these people who currently have to find a way to traverse the entire city to get to the community college!

My brother attended a trade school in Iowa for two years to earn his welding certificate (back in 1977-1979).

He is good, really good at his job, and he’s also a mechanic who works MacGiver-like miracles! And he has kept up with his old trade school, which is now expanding and building a huge new facility to meet the demand for the skilled trades–in other words, even though there is a demand for welders, etc., a person can’t just step into the job without that all-important certificate!

And my brother, who works for a very large and successful metal company (been there since 1980), says that they stopped apprenticing (training on the job) years ago, as the workers would train and then quit to go work elsewhere.

So I do agree with you that dropouts can and do come back to school and make a good life for themselves, but I stick to my guns–they CANNOT go to trade school without a high school diploma!! I don’t think that 50% of African American men who drop out of high school all return to the alternative high school to earn their diploma, although I know that some do.

 

[Peeps]

In Ireland it’s quite common for kids to drop out of school and become apprentices. It tends to work quite well. The state pays for apprentice education as we have free education up to undergraduate level.

Not the way it works here in the U.S. Dropouts aren’t admitted into trade school or apprenticeships.

We have free education through age 18 (high school), but after that, there’s usually a cost. (The exceptions would be those who earn some kind of scholarship, or those who join the military and get a college education.)

 

[Anicette]

yes, Kindergarten is a mandate. Preschool is not and it costs an arm and a leg.

Ok thanks you.
I had a vocabulary problem. I see that preschool is up to 5 years old, and kindergarten is from 5 to 6 years old.
I was thinking of children age 3 to 5 years old, that is the age of our maternelle in France, before primary school.

If Preschool is not a mandate and cost an arm and leg, then the simple solution is to not put our children in it.

 

[Anicette]

AdamP88:

In Ireland it’s quite common for kids to drop out of school and become apprentices. It tends to work quite well. The state pays for apprentice education as we have free education up to undergraduate level.

Not the way it works here in the U.S. Dropouts aren’t admitted into trade school or apprenticeships.

@Peeps,

I find that sad, because not all children like school nor have the ability to learn a lot. Disabilities are one exemple.
In France, as in Ireland, you don’t need to finish high school to go to an apprentice. It can be part of a professional high school. it works more or less but at least people can have a good professional formation without having a high diploma level.

 

[jclarkson]

Does anyone have any experience with “unschooling” https://www.time4learning.com/homeschooling-styles/unschooling.html

No, however I think a child needs a combination of the two. As I understand it, unschooling bascially allows the child to meander through topics that interest them. I don’t think that’s a great long term strategy for them as the sole education method. Don’t get me wrong, I think each kid is individual and has their own interests that should be nurtured - I just strongly feel that a strong grounding in key subjects (Math, English, Sciences etc) is vital regardless of the child’s desire to study each.

Honestly, the unschooling sounds a bit “snowflake” to me!

I know there is a policy document that was circulated that talks about knowing about masturbation and how “you can get pleasurable feelings from different body parts” in the infant and junior school curriculum. Again, I’m speaking in an Irish context, and at the moment we’re on a bender of liberalism.

You see, this type of thing scares the heck out of me for my children.