What's so great about homeschooling?

[maryjk]

At what age do you stop homeschooling them?

Right up until the first time my son says he wants to stop, and he means it. Not the, “I hate school.” More the, “I want to go to school, because…”

Many families home school right through graduation. One family in our group has had three graduate. One is now a teacher, but wants to home school her own kids when she has them. One is still in college, but just finished her second year to become a nurse. The last one is in a program for becoming a chef. The mom has three more children. Of those, one is at a private school, because he wanted to go to school. The other two are still home schooled by mom.

How do know what to teach and at what point do you put them in school? Do you do it until they are in highschool? I don’t think I would be able to teach trig, lol

There are many programs that will help you with choosing what to teach. In fact there are programs that are called “a year in a box” that you can order and the whole program ships to you. There are many options.

At this point we plan to home school through high school. I can teach through advanced math, my husband can help through advanced science and we can get help with the other stuff if we need it. It is not as hard as you think.

 

[gmarie21]

At this point we plan to home school through high school. I can teach through advanced math, my husband can help through advanced science and we can get help with the other stuff if we need it. It is not as hard as you think.

I am like you and your husband, but when it comes to literature and vocabulary, I’m terrible at both. I pray that my dd has a good balance, but if she’s anything like her dad’s side of the family, she’ll be terrible at math and will excel at music and art. Who knows, maybe she’ll be a composer (combo music and math). Anyway, do you worry about homeschooling high school literature (since you and your husband are both analytical)?

 

[KCT]

I have a question but please don’t take it the wrong way. I think that many parents could teach their kids up to a certain grade level. However, lets be honest, we all have strong points and weak points. So what do you do in those situations? Do you get a tutor to make sure that your child gets the information that he/she needs. Do you let them figure it out on their own?

No offense . . . legitimate concern.

My husband is good at Algebra and above, so he took over when the time came. I did hire a tutor for one child when he needed math help and dh was traveling.

In our county, kids can attend community college starting at 16. We took advantage of that. Our kids got foreign language, some sciences and upper level math that way. Our son took culinary arts classes as electives. He’s a great cook

To me, homeschooling doesn’t mean I have to do all the teaching. I’m a facilitator. If I can’t teach something, I find someone who can. —KCT

 

[bear06]

I have a question but please don’t take it the wrong way.

I think that many parents could teach their kids up to a certain grade level. However, lets be honest, we all have strong points and weak points. A person can be great at History and English but poor at Calculus. So what do you do in those situations? Do you get a tutor to make sure that your child gets the information that he/she needs. Do you let them figure it out on their own?

I always wonder about this.

Math is not my strong point. I’m OK but not great and have forgotten many formulas!. When my daughters got into 7th and 8th grade I bought DVDs that go along with my math book. A teacher on the DVDs teaches us the lesson. There are many aids like this.

We also do have special classes we take the kids to. Some Dominican brothers offered to teach an intro to logic course this summer. We have another lady who is an english teacher who teaches an english lit. class for the high school students.

All of this said, the bulk of our stuff is taught in the home and we have complete control over our teachers and courses of study. We can stop and make sure our kids get it if they are having trouble with a particular subject and we can plow ahead if it’s too easy and they need something more challenging.

The best thing of all is that I don’t have to hear “my bad” coming out of my kids mouths like my neighbor’s kids!

 

[bear06]

How do they meet other children to make friends with?

We belong to a Catholic homeschool support group of about 80 families. We meet every week for choir. We have a monthly First Friday Mass. We have fieldtrips, special classes, etc. and we also play softball in our local city league as well as playing in some musical groups. Sometimes I feel we have tooooooo many friends.

How do you go about being someone who teaches children at home?

 

[Kuryakyn]

Ok, I’m not a homeschool mom, but I am a soon-to-be homeschool graduate (going to college this fall to get a bachelor’s), so I have a few words to offer as well.

Often, people get the opinion that because I’m “homeschooled,” my mom sits down with me every day and literally teaches me as if I were in regular high school. Not true. In the past two, three years I have been virtually teaching myself, using the textbooks that my mom and I decide on at the beginning of the school year (this method is usually for the math and science courses). I then sit down with the books and figure out, ok, at the first quarter I want to be up to this chapter, or lesson, or module, etc.

English is more of a challenge. My older brother took an online AP course during high school, and he and I also attended some homeschooler writing courses given by a local writer (who also, by the way, homeschooled her children). Once I got this shove, I’ve been able to design my own writing curriculum; I look through books for suggestions on writing, I read a lot, and I have a huge amount of internet resources. I have most of the vocabulary, grammar, and spelling skills, so now for my senior year of high school I’ve been doing lots of different types of reading analysis and writing.

As for the “extras”-- music, art, PE, etc.-- a lot of this is just based on what the individual child wants. I do Ukrainian dance, violin playing, religion classes, calligraphy, embroidery, pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs), family history, public speaking (through 4-H), basketball, soccer, several languages…you don’t have to worry about homeschooling not affording your child opportunity!

So, after that long-winded speech which I hope will help somebody… I just want to conclude by saying that yes, homeschooling is possible-- you will have some rough times, but you’ll also have great times! I am the second oldest of ten (all homeschooled), so believe me, I’ve seen about all of it. It’s only impossible if the mom thinks that she has to do everything. She doesn’t! A lot of it depends on having the kids do their own work. If you can get to that point, you’re going good.

And it’s been great for me too-- I now have the knowledge enough to learn a lot just on my own. In my eyes, this is a priceless knowledge to have!

 

[ElizaE]

Ok, I’m not a homeschool mom, but I am a soon-to-be homeschool graduate (going to college this fall to get a bachelor’s), so I have a few words to offer as well.

Often, people get the opinion that because I’m “homeschooled,” my mom sits down with me every day and literally teaches me as if I were in regular high school. Not true. In the past two, three years I have been virtually teaching myself, using the textbooks that my mom and I decide on at the beginning of the school year (this method is usually for the math and science courses). I then sit down with the books and figure out, ok, at the first quarter I want to be up to this chapter, or lesson, or module, etc.

English is more of a challenge. My older brother took an online AP course during high school, and he and I also attended some homeschooler writing courses given by a local writer (who also, by the way, homeschooled her children). Once I got this shove, I’ve been able to design my own writing curriculum; I look through books for suggestions on writing, I read a lot, and I have a huge amount of internet resources. I have most of the vocabulary, grammar, and spelling skills, so now for my senior year of high school I’ve been doing lots of different types of reading analysis and writing.

As for the “extras”-- music, art, PE, etc.-- a lot of this is just based on what the individual child wants. I do Ukrainian dance, violin playing, religion classes, calligraphy, embroidery, pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs), family history, public speaking (through 4-H), basketball, soccer, several languages…you don’t have to worry about homeschooling not affording your child opportunity!

So, after that long-winded speech which I hope will help somebody… I just want to conclude by saying that yes, homeschooling is possible-- you will have some rough times, but you’ll also have great times! I am the second oldest of ten (all homeschooled), so believe me, I’ve seen about all of it. It’s only impossible if the mom thinks that she has to do everything. She doesn’t! A lot of it depends on having the kids do their own work. If you can get to that point, you’re going good.

And it’s been great for me too-- I now have the knowledge enough to learn a lot just on my own. In my eyes, this is a priceless knowledge to have!

Kuryakyn, I am glad you posted this. May I ask what you will be majoring in? Also, how are your other siblings doing at Homeschooling. It sounds like you are very motivated, but what happens when a child is not motivated to learn on their own? Of course, any child will not do well if they are not motivated to do their own work. However, some are more inclined to do the work when they have a clear cut schedule of homework and tests. Also, regular school introduced the child to the competitive world of higher education. As a medical student I understand the pressure of being compared to others. I don’t like it, but it is the reality of this world. I am mostly interested in doing the best I can, but I know that when I was seeking a medical school, they were comparing me to other people. How do you think a homeschooled child would do with the transition?

 

[Kuryakyn]

Kuryakyn, I am glad you posted this. May I ask what you will be majoring in?

Good, someone liked it! I’m going to be majoring in nursing-- when I’m finished and (hopefully) pass my boards, I will then be an RN.

Also, how are your other siblings doing at Homeschooling. It sounds like you are very motivated, but what happens when a child is not motivated to learn on their own? Of course, any child will not do well if they are not motivated to do their own work.

You have put your finger on what I think is among the toughest parts of homeschooling; that is, the self-motivation factor. My siblings are all at various stages: my older brother did very well in his work (he has already graduated); the three middle brothers are at the stage where mom gives them the work and they do it as fast as possible to just get it done. The two younger girls are doing pretty well, though they still need nagged often to get their assignments done. (The rest of the children are not of school age yet, if you’re wondering why the numbers don’t add up…)

The important thing that we always, always stress in our house, though, is “you must work hard at school.” If someone is having trouble or is slow learning, that’s one thing. But laziness is not tolerated. Of course, we all have our bouts where we don’t want to do work-- I know I did, more than once. But we all snap out of it, sooner or later. And any great accomplishments the older kids do are held up to the younger set as examples: “See, if you work hard you’ll be able to do that too!” Which puts some motivation into the natural siblings competition-- kind of like “if they can do that, then I can too!”

Also playing into the sibling rivalry game is the fact that yes, we all have an ego! For example, my three middle brothers race to get their subjects done as fast as possible. Therefore you will hear the first brother bellowing at 10:56 in the morning, “I got all my stuff done, haha!” They have a slight undercurrent mentality of who-can-get-their-work-done-fastest. Discouraging for me, since there’s no way on the planet that I would be done that early, but it’s good for the boys. And as an additional push, imagine the shame of being placed in the same math book as your younger brother! If nothing else, that would encourage anyone…

However, some are more inclined to do the work when they have a clear cut schedule of homework and tests.

Righto. This usually depends on the person and their age. We usually tend to do this with the younger kids, since (especially the boys! ) they tend to want to do no more than is necessary. Plus, it can give them a goal to work forward to. “You have to have done this much work today,” or “this week,” or “this quarter.”

I vary too; sometimes I feel burnt out, so I make a list of what needs to be done for a certain week. It sounds stupid, but seeing a list slowly get checked off can help me a lot when I’m feeling dead in the water.

Also, regular school introduced the child to the competitive world of higher education. As a medical student I understand the pressure of being compared to others. I don’t like it, but it is the reality of this world. I am mostly interested in doing the best I can, but I know that when I was seeking a medical school, they were comparing me to other people. How do you think a homeschooled child would do with the transition?

Well, as I said before, there is sibling rivalry from the cradle. I know that’s minor compared to the real world, but we do have several other small factors that lead the younger kids to an understanding of competition with other kids. Standardized testing, for example. Obviously, this means you’re being scored against other kids. I don’t know…we never make too big a deal on competition; it’s kind of already recognized as being there…almost taken for granted.

I realized this when I was a bit younger, of course, but what with the process of doing a lot of high level testing, and then obviously getting into college, it was made very obvious! The college I’m going into is very competitive, so I had to work pretty hard (I lived on tenderhooks for awhile before I got the acceptance! )…Anyway, what I’m trying to get at is that yes, we know there’s rivalry in the world. We just acknowledge that and keep moving along.

These are some of the longest posts I’ve ever written…I can’t believe I’m writing this much…

 

[APCatholicMama]

The best thing about homeschooling to me? The way my kids are so connected. They work so well together now! I can’t explain why so but they are.

 

[maryjk]

Anyway, do you worry about homeschooling high school literature (since you and your husband are both analytical)?

It hasn’t been a problem so far. I like to read, as does my husband. I loved English Lit in high school. My problem comes with English Comp. I HATE to write. SO does my husband.

There is a Co-op in our town that offers many types of classes. One of those is English Comp for 9th grade. Most likely, our son will attend that class in two years.

Our other issue is Art, Music and Languages. Our son takes an Art class. And we are starting a foreign language next year.

We just keep our eye out for problems and address them as soon as we see them.

 

[Loren_1of6]

I haven’t read all the responses to this, and my eyes are starting to cross from looking at the computer too long, so I’m just responding right now to subscribe. Later, when I can make a coherent reply, I will be able to find the thread and share my thoughts and experiences.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

From littlepaperstar:
*How do they meet other children to make friends with?*Playgroups, homeschool group, neighborhood, park district, ballet group, etc. And homeschool children do not live in an aritfical environment. The clsoest environment to “real life” IS the homeschool evinronment, with different people of different ages interacting with same. School is artificial, in that in real life, those kids will never be in the same place with 24 other children of hte same age, doing work, under the supervision of one adult. Current classroom structure is over 100 years old, and based on a model to promote good factory workers.
How do you go about being someone who teaches children at home? How do know what to teach and at what point do you put them in school? Do you do it until they are in highschool? I don’t think I would be able to teach trig, lol You might be smarter than you think you are. And each state varies as to requirements.

*I don’t have children yet but I would consider homeschooling them but I would want them to be in school first to know what it is like to have to listen to someone other than a parent and what it is like to do school work with other children, and I would want them to go on school trips. *Homeschool groups, park district, scout troops, and all the other numerous activities offer the opportunity to “listen” to another adult. Homeschool children are usually better behaved than children who spend all day “listening to” a teacher, as they have their parents to model behavior on a regular basis.

At what age do you stop homeschooling them*?*That is up to you and your husband. Some people never stop homeschooling, all the way through college. Some stop after third grade. Some stop at middle school. Some stop at high school.

My favorite reasons for homeschooling: My adult children had problems not entirely of their own creation. I was told they would NEVER do this, NEVER do that.

Home education allowed them to achieve. It allowed them to have a better life than they would if I had just gone along with what “experts” said.

**My son might be a schizophrenic, but he’s a schizophrenic who reads at the post-college level. **My daughter might not be what she should be, but she’s a college graduate and has job skills she would not have obtained had I listened to the so-called “experts” in the 1980s and just shipped them off to what consisted of special education at the time.

And I also learned something from home education- I learned to stand up for what I believed, to go against the tide when I thought I was right, to do my best, and when I didn’t know something, to go ahead and learn it, even if I thought I couldn’t do it.

I don’t home school my granddaughters at this time. Home education has changed the procedures in better schools over the past 20 years. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it if circumstances change- and they might.

 

[PaulinVA]

My wife and I decided not to homeschool because of temperament of our children. Plus, it’s pretty presumptuous to believe that a couple can create or buy a curriculum and do a better educational job than an average to good school district.

Home schoolers create an insular environment where they only hang out with other home schoolers and generally don’t deem to participate in life with the rest of us. Maybe it’s where I live, but generally the home schoolers around here are nice enough to the rest of us, but their superior holier than though attitude makes me glad I’m not one of them.

There seems to be a hierarchy of “what’s best for catholic kids” that start at the poor unholy slobs that send their kids to public school, then the kids going to Catholic school, then the penultimate kids that are home schooled.

Why is that? Several people have mentioned that they homeschool for the family benefits and closeness of the family? Is there any educational benefit?

 

[KCT]

There seems to be a hierarchy of “what’s best for catholic kids” that start at the poor unholy slobs that send their kids to public school, then the kids going to Catholic school, then the penultimate kids that are home schooled. quote]

I’m sorry to hear that you’ve experienced such attitudes. I’ve homeschooled for 16 years. NEVER have I presumed to know what’s best for another family. Most of the homeschoolers I know feel the same way. I’m grateful we live in a country where we can choose how to educate our children. —KCT

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

My wife and I decided not to homeschool because of temperament of our children. Plus, it’s pretty presumptuous to believe that a couple can create or buy a curriculum and do a better educational job than an average to good school district.
**
I would think it has more to do with the temperment of the parents than the children. After all, if their temperment is that bad then no teacher would want them in their class, lol. I know for me that I will really have to pray for patience because that is where I’m weak. And my daughter is very strong willed already at 10 months. But I know that if I want to homeschool her that I’ve really got my work cut out for me!!!

As far as trained teachers, I have seen it mentioned several times on homeschooling forums that the teachers who homeschool see such a difference in learning and achievement that they would not put their kids back into the system. They may be the best ones to talk to because they’ve been in both trenches.
**
Home schoolers create an insular environment where they only hang out with other home schoolers and generally don’t deem to participate in life with the rest of us.

There is such a wide range of homeschoolers and ways to homeschool that I think that is an unfair statement. Of course, the families that choose homeschooling as a means to shelter their children from everything having to do with the “outside world” would fit your description. But there are many families who are much more well-rounded.

From the little bit of research I’ve done so far, homeschooled children can participate in a wide variety of activities open to ALL children. Sports, art classes, lessons of all kinds etc. Then there are groups like Boyscouts, 4H, and others that would provide opportunities to mix with all classes,religions, and races.

Maybe it’s where I live, but generally the home schoolers around here are nice enough to the rest of us, but their superior holier than though attitude makes me glad I’m not one of them.
**
I don’t know you, but I know what I’m like. I am guilty of only seeing the negative sometimes. Could that be possible with you? Maybe you are overlooking the nice ones and the ones who do not have a superior attitude just because they don’t stand out as much?**

There seems to be a hierarchy of “what’s best for catholic kids” that start at the poor unholy slobs that send their kids to public school, then the kids going to Catholic school, then the penultimate kids that are home schooled.

**I think that is a product of our society and not just a religious thing. We naturally judge things according to what’s “best”. We all have our own standards and many times they are wrong. **

Why is that? Several people have mentioned that they homeschool for the family benefits and closeness of the family? Is there any educational benefit?

**Honestly, education was my first priority when i began looking into homeschooling. What could be better than having a tailor-made way to educate our children? Children have so many different styles of learning that not all of them do well in a structured classroom setting. And it is impossible for teachers to give every student the one on one attention they may need.

Also, for me, there is the issue of homework. I know I had too much of it as a kid. I have friends with older children who have too much of it now. If I can help it, I don’t want my daughter to have to be in school all day then come home and spend her evenings and weekends doing homework instead of something relaxing and fun.

To me, homeschool appears to provide the opportunity for easier learning, more family time, and a wider range of experiences and friends. Seems like the total package to me:thumbsup: Of course, I don’t want to get into “mother burn out” right now while I’ve pointed out the more positive aspects!

malia**

 

[leonie]

cbn.com/CBNnews/144135.aspx

So how do these different settings affect children? Dr. Thomas Smedley believes that homeschoolers have superior socialization skills, and his research supports this claim. He conducted a study in which he administered the Vineyard Adaptive Behavior Scales test to identify mature and well-adapted behaviors in children. Home learners ranked in the 84th percentile, compared to publicly schooled students, who were drastically lower in the 23rd.

Welcome to the real world

Many school socialization advocates argue that homeschooling precludes children from experiencing real life.

Instead of being locked behind school gates in what some would consider an artificial setting characterized by bells, forced silence and age-segregation, homeschoolers frequently extend their everyday classroom to fire departments, hospitals, museums, repair shops, city halls, national parks, churches and colleges, where real community interaction and contacts are made.

Dismantling the stereotype that home learners spend their days isolated from society at kitchen tables with workbooks in hand, NHERI reports that they actually participate in approximately five different social activities outside the home on a regular basis.

Furthermore, researcher Dr. Linda Montgomery found that 78 percent of high school home learners were employed with paying jobs, while a majority engaged in volunteering and community service.

Research presented at the National Christian Home Educators Leadership Conference divulged that homeschool graduates far exceeded their public and private school counterparts in college by ranking the highest in 42 of 63 indicators of collegiate success. They were also ranked as being superior in four out of five achievement categories, including socialization, as they were assessed as being the most charismatic and influential

 

[gardenswithkids]

****I would think it has more to do with the temperment of the parents than the children. ****

**For some, it’s the combination of temperaments between primary home-educating parent and child/children that makes it difficult. If they don’t spend much time together, those differences and/or difficulties still exist, but they may not clash as often simply because they aren’t together. **

**One the most important lesson to learn in life is to get along with others–especially family. Present and future happiness often depends on getting along with the people we live with. Homeschooling provides an educational opportunity for *both ***children and their parents to work out such personality conflicts. Yet some may find such clash makes the academic education too difficult to accomplish at home.

 

[PaulinVA]

[So how do these different settings affect children? Dr. Thomas Smedley believes that homeschoolers have superior socialization skills, and his research supports this claim. He conducted a study in which he administered the Vineyard Adaptive Behavior Scales test to identify mature and well-adapted behaviors in children. Home learners ranked in the 84th percentile, compared to publicly schooled students, who were drastically lower in the 23rd.

Welcome to the real world

Oh, come on! Smedley surveyed 20 home-schooled kids and 13 public-school kids! For a master’s thesis at a small college with a total enrollment under 10,000. It means nothing. I bet the margin of error of a sample that small approaches 100%.

As for the rest of the article, the other studies suggest that home schooling creates superiorly well-adjusted kids. They don’t take into account the possibility that parents of home schoolers themselves tend to be better educated and well adjusted, therefore producing well adjusted kids.

Compare the home-schooled kids against a sample of public-school kids in the same demographic and see what happens.
[/quote]

 

[carol_marie]

Home schoolers create an insular environment where they only hang out with other home schoolers and generally don’t deem to participate in life with the rest of us.** Maybe it’s where I live**, but generally the home schoolers around here are nice enough to the rest of us, but their superior holier than though attitude makes me glad I’m not one of them.

I don’t homeschool, but I know ALOT of homeschooled kids because they participate in everything my kids do. I know they homeschool, but I honestly could not pick them out of a crowd - they look & act like regular kids. Opps… scratch that - they are actually more polite.

You’re right - maybe it’s where you live? (or maybe it’s just you?? )

 

[PaulinVA]

I don’t homeschool, but I know ALOT of homeschooled kids because they participate in everything my kids do. I know they homeschool, but I honestly could not pick them out of a crowd - they look & act like regular kids. Opps… scratch that - they are actually more polite.

You’re right - maybe it’s where you live? (or maybe it’s just you?? )

I have no beef with the kids, although I find they are awkward in settings with people their own age like sports teams. The other kids just say, ‘Oh (s)he’s homeschooled’ as an explanation to each other.

It’s the home school parents that get to me. If their kids are so smart and well adjusted, why are they hiding their light under a basket instead of shining like a beacon on a hill? We aren’t these superior kids in public school being a shining example for the rest of kids?

As for it could just be me? Of course. I obviously have issues in this area! I try to love the home school parents, but their overall attitude that their kids need to be kept away from my kids is insulting.