Why do you/want to Home-school


Avrham
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My wife and I discussed why she wants to Home-school

she stated(reason's) to me

1 (Unschooling)So they can learn what they want to learn(at their own pace)concentrate on their strenghs and weakness

2 More qaulity learning time(no time wasting)more time dedicated to learning/experiances oppartunities (one to one)

3 Does not agree with the school mainstream ideas (herd mentality vs individual mentality)

I could elaborate more but these are just some of my wife"s verystreamlined views i would like to hear anyone elses:):)

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We homeschooled our last two for high school. We were living outside the US and were not happy with the available schools and needed to prepare them for college. One was admitted to Utah State and the other BYU as starting freshmen.

Home schooling allows for a better education if you are prepared to be a teacher. If you are disciplined. Our kids would do a days work in a couple of hours. No wasted time with kids that use up teacher's time in non productive activities.

Ben Raines

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herd mentality

I think you offend many a teacher with that phrase. I for one would for sure homeschool for the following reasons.

1. If I lived in a larger area where the schools are over crowded and understaffed.

2. If I ever thought the teachers wern't meeting the needs of my children.

The thing that really bugs me about this and was on the other thread is people seen to think that homeschooling is superior to regular school. I know that is not true for me. I have a wonderful school for my children and their needs are being met on a daily basis. Our school challenges each individual to succeed and works to support each child in their efforts. We have one of the highest benckmark scores in the state with most children reading and math grades far above the average school. They are getting a superior education. I am so proud of all who work so hard to ensure the retention and success of each student.. Parents who homeschool seem to have a superior attitude saying they are doing more and a better job than our poor children who are public schooled and that is where I disagree.

If you think about it homeschooling begins way before school age. I started with my children at a very early age. As babies when I put on socks or shoes I would say and here is your right foot and here is your left foot .... this simple game ensured them to know with out any real effort. Before they even went to kindergarden they could read , do simple math, in fact I had to push and recieved extra and appropriate work for their achievement level. They were not herded . Part of the public School problem is parents do not get involved , think it is all up to the school and it is a partnership to assure success for each child. My children continue to get extra learning experiences at home , being in public school does not negate my responsibility to their success.

As I said in a previous thread Home schooling and public schooling have their positives and negatives. There are wonderful dedicated parents as well as many wonderful dedicated teachers who see each childs success important. To say one is superior to the other is wrong . It is a choice . We are lucky to have a wonderful, school I can not brag enough about. Our music teacher won a Holland Opis award he has expanded the music program to be one of the best for a small school. Our family is blessed to be here, but we researched the area looking for a smaller school and moved here. If the situation ever changed I for sure would home school.

Both have their individual pro's and con's and neither is superior to the other. I have 7 children who at times were homeschooled. My oldest is getting her MBA and graduated top of her class. All of my children so far graduated and went on to college or careers with much success . So their schooling both at home and in the public school was key to their success.

I support both but cah say I have seen parents who home school drop the ball too many times , it does take dedication and dicipline. I have also seen before i got to this school the ball being dropped on the schools side. It also takes teamwork and dedication some parents do not choose to be a part of but luckily our staff won't dropp the ball and in some cases their efforts are doubled for those individual who need it.

I guess it is a case of agree to disagree I see and appreciate and support the the homeschooling side, I wish that the same could be said for them.

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I have an educational doctorate and am a professor who has in the past taught all ages from junior high to high school to college to government and corporate training.

I do not take offence to anyone using terms like "herd" or saying anything else critical about public or private schools--because these negatives do exist and are a fact that we as educators have to deal with, and often do research on.

One of the greatest concerns of all educators is the student to teacher ratio, and the best ratio of all is not 50 to 1 or even 20 to 1, but one to one--special scenarios might require group/team work, but that is for older students and also easily adjusted for to the serious home-schooler.

So long as the parents are truly capable of holding up their end of the deal in home-schooling, I feel it is in fact superior to either a public or pivate education. --the key is the parents ability to commit to and direct the educational process.

I have schooled four of my children in the public schools, and so long as the parent stays involved, it is a great education. Two of my children are home-schooling now, I have a three and a half year old who can read at the first grade level and a five and half year old who can read beyond the second grade level.. and we're just getting started (they enjoy it, they come to me and mother to get started and often want to double up on lessons, they sit down and read even when we're not around). We have a commitment to teach them till the fourth grade. However, if we discover later that we really aren't, or can't, hold up our end of the bargain, we'll place them in public/private school.

Advantages.

--Moslty economy of time. You can teach at home in a few hours what takes all day at school. My 3 and 5 year old got to their reading level with only 20-40 minutes three or four times a week. The more advanced the subject, the more time is involved but it will ALWAYS be a more economical use of educational time when appropriately home-schooled.

--Flexible schedule. Taking a break/vacation when either the children or the parents start to get a burnout.

--capitalizing off your children's real interests, pushing them in directions of interest they may not get at school (having more free time to venture into all kinds of personal projects or service).

--understanding exactly their weakness and attacking them head on, while capitalizing off their strengths.

There are plenty more, but these are my top.

One of the reasons I didn't do home-schooling with my other children (though I mentally flirted with the issue all the time) was that I had become somewhat conditioned into believing that the only ones who can give an education are professional teachers and schools. That is a false concept, at least up through elementary and possibly middle school (after all, most kids don't even hit algebra till middle school--so exactly what are the schools teaching up to that point that can't be taught at home?).

If you can't do high school algebra, I wouldn't be home-schooling my children, unless you have definite way to supplement that weakness. At some point your child, if you have done your job right, should start to be getting smarter than you (book-wise, that is), and you'll need to be prepared for how to go forward at that time.

But I could be wrong-- it's been known to happen (frequently, but that's a big secret --shhh).

Edited by richlittell
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If you can't do high school algebra, I wouldn't be home-schooling my children, unless you have definite way to supplement that weakness. At some point your child, if you have done your job right, should start to be getting smarter than you (book-wise, that is), and you'll need to be prepared for how to go forward at that time.

As mentioned in the other thread about this, my husband and I figured if it came to us home-schooling, we could very likely hire a college student as a tutor for subjects one of us couldn't handle (in my case, math above the basics of algebra), since we've normally lived near colleges and students can always use some extra money. That way, as long as we could find someone who did know that material to handle teaching it, our own limitations wouldn't be passed on.
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As a single mom who could not have ever homeschooled, I had to rely on the public school system. But one thing I did learn..if you disagree with the system..get involved. I was a PTA President one year and a Community Group Chairman for a school for the following 2 years.

I found it was the parents who did absolutely nothing to get involved (even with their own child) that were the biggest whiners.

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Unless you have a very quality level school in your area, home schooling can be a very good thing. Using some of the standard programs now available, home schoolers usually lead the nation in testing. By a lot.

Recently several home schoolers have won or placed high in national spelling bees and other contests.

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As a single mom who could not have ever homeschooled, I had to rely on the public school system. But one thing I did learn..if you disagree with the system..get involved. I was a PTA President one year and a Community Group Chairman for a school for the following 2 years.

I found it was the parents who did absolutely nothing to get involved (even with their own child) that were the biggest whiners.

And get to know the teacher. Volunteer in the classroom, or, if you work, ask him or her what school supplies s/he's in need of that you can send to school with your child (tissues, printer paper, crayons, glue sticks, etc.) My parents are both elementary teachers, and readily admit to giving more attention to those students whose parents are as involved as they can in the classroom. They know the parents are more likely to "check up" on the child's progress, and will likely complain and/or ask for a different teacher if they feel their child isn't doing well in the class, and that can effect promotions and such.

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Reasons why I am considering homeschooling:

* Education here - even a not so decent one - is getting really expensive

(No, our tax money does not go towards any education here)

* I worry about what my child with actually get out of a class that has a 1:30 or even 1:40 ratio.

* I worry that things will not improve by the time my child is school going age

* I worry about my child's safety

* I think that I can offer my child so much more at the same cost if I were to home school him

* I think that I can give him a more international exposure to the world that what he would get at school

These are just a few resons why I want to homeschool

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And get to know the teacher. Volunteer in the classroom, or, if you work, ask him or her what school supplies s/he's in need of that you can send to school with your child (tissues, printer paper, crayons, glue sticks, etc.) My parents are both elementary teachers, and readily admit to giving more attention to those students whose parents are as involved as they can in the classroom. They know the parents are more likely to "check up" on the child's progress, and will likely complain and/or ask for a different teacher if they feel their child isn't doing well in the class, and that can effect promotions and such.

The way this is written makes it sound like kids with parents who both work (or single parents) who don't have time to be in the classroom, and whose parent(s) can't afford to be sending in supplies all the time, are going to pretty much be ignored.
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Ther are plenty of ways to be involved even if you have no xtra resources, work etc. Our school had e-mail and a school website to each teacher. Parents can be involved as they choose to be. The weekly e-mail or phone call and attending the conferences really does make a difference and dosen't take much time or effort or money.

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The way this is written makes it sound like kids with parents who both work (or single parents) who don't have time to be in the classroom, and whose parent(s) can't afford to be sending in supplies all the time, are going to pretty much be ignored.

I should have added e-mailing, or some other form of formal communication with the teacher. Be sure they know who you are.

Of course kids with uninvolved parents aren't going to be ignored, but lots of teachers will go out of their way to help those kids whose parents are involved in any way.

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I live in a nice suburban area and the schools are adequate. I doubt they are winning any awards but they seem to be OK. I never hear anything horrible and parents seem happy. I'm not in some high crime area with overcrowded classes or some terrible conditions.

I am NOT impressed with the social stuff in the school like exposing my children to things that we feel are inappropriate or not right, Godly etc. I also don't care for the political ideology either. :rolleyes:

I'd homeschool even if I could afford a nice Christian school or the schools were more to our moral standards.

Many of us (Christian) homeschoolers feel that homeschooling is a calling and mission from God.

People argue this topic out using thoughts, articles, who gets higher scores and which provides a better education, who is qualified to teach and who is not.

I'm not interested in any of that. I believe God has called my family to homeschool our children. I will homeschool my children no matter what anyone says. I follow God's will and don't allow all of these "other" arguments to veer me off of God's path.

I never sat down and looked at the statistics for homeschoolers vs. public schooler vs Christian schoolers and thought "hmmm...which one is better?" I did pray for God to show me how HE wants HIS children to be educated. This is the answer we received. I trust blindly in his decision.

As for worrying about how I will teach a more challeging subject? I don't. The same God who provides everything I need can surely provide some resources for algebra. There are plenty of options available to homeschooling parents and God will lead me to the correct one. I can't worry about alegbra right now.

God knows that math is not a strong point for me and He chose me to homeschool anyway.

God knows that I tend to be disorganized and He chose me to homeschool anyway.

God knows that I need to work to help support our family and He chose me to homeschool anyway.

God will provide for us. I have faith in that.

I'm not painting a happy-dappy picture with no bumps in the road. Homeschooling is challenging and affects your entire life. There are days I wonder "why am I doing this???" :eek: But I follow God obediantly and know that He knows what is best for His children.

Edited by Lilac
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The way this is written makes it sound like kids with parents who both work (or single parents) who don't have time to be in the classroom, and whose parent(s) can't afford to be sending in supplies all the time, are going to pretty much be ignored.

It seems to me like a comon-sense rule of reality: Nobody will ever want what's best for your kids as much as you will. You can't pay someone enough to love them as much as you do.

So yeah, it seems like a reasonable consequence of having children on planet earth, that the more you outsource your kid's education, and the less you are involved in that outsourcing, the higher chances that your kid will be in a less-than-desirable situation. I guess you could call it unfair, but at the end of the day, calling it unfair doesn't make it stop happening.

I'm reminded of something in the Gospel Principles manual:

Parents work together to provide for the physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being of their family. They should never expect anyone to take care of this responsibility for them. The Apostle Paul wrote, “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith” (1 Timothy 5:8).

The quote doesn't specifically mention child education, but it's there. Educational neglect is considered a form of abuse (although not as injurious as other kinds of abuse). The state doesn't educate kids, parents do. In America, most parents' tool of choice for educating their kids, is to send them to public school. That doesn't absolve the parent(s) of their ultimate responsibility for raising the child.

LM

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The thing that really bugs me about this and was on the other thread is people seen to think that homeschooling is superior to regular school.

Isn't this obvious? Why on earth would anyone do the work to homeschool their children unless they believed it was superior to public schooling?

Why would you take offense at such a thing? What you are basically saying is that you are offended by anyone who homeschools -- since they obviously believe their homeschooling is superior to public schooling.

As I said in a previous thread Home schooling and public schooling have their positives and negatives. There are wonderful dedicated parents as well as many wonderful dedicated teachers who see each childs success important. To say one is superior to the other is wrong . It is a choice .

Deciding whether to go to college or spend your life playing online games is also a choice, but that doesn't mean that both are equally valid.

It is very obvious that those who choose to send their children off to public schools believe public schools to be superior. Otherwise, they wouldn't send their kids to them. Now, that superiority may lie in the fact that it gets the little monsters out of the house for the day, or that it allows both parents to work and bring in money, or any other trivial reason -- but the point is, the parents have decided in their cost-benefit analysis that public schooling gives them better value. That is to say, it's superior.

So do you get offended by those people who send their children to public schools, thus implicitly proclaiming that public schools are superior to home schooling?

Didn't think so.

Both have their individual pro's and con's and neither is superior to the other.

As I have already pointed out, this is a meaningless thing to say. Clearly, homeschoolers believe homeschooling to be superior, as public schoolers believe public schools to be.

Why is this such a big deal for you?

I support both but cah say I have seen parents who home school drop the ball too many times , it does take dedication and dicipline. I have also seen before i got to this school the ball being dropped on the schools side. It also takes teamwork and dedication some parents do not choose to be a part of but luckily our staff won't dropp the ball and in some cases their efforts are doubled for those individual who need it.

If you support both, as you claim, then why haven't you mentioned all the times you have seen parents "drop the ball" with public schooling? My sister, a public school teacher, tells me that the typical parent "drops the ball" completely, leaving almost all aspects of the child's education to her. Why didn't you bring this out as you did with homeschooling?

I guess it is a case of agree to disagree I see and appreciate and support the the homeschooling side, I wish that the same could be said for them.

What might homeschoolers say that would indicate the "support" for public schools that you expect to hear from them? Do you expect them to say, "Hey, I think public schools are perfectly wonderful and exactly as good as homeschooling if not better, which is why I have modified my lifestyle, cut my income, and taken huge pains in order to homeschool my children"?

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Our eldest kids are at school which is not such a bad school. They enjoy school but I can see there are far more opportunities to learn in the every day.

I believe I am unschooling them when they are not at school and all of my children are natural learners.

Hopefully one day soon our lifestyle will accomodate homeschooling in our family.

I want the very best for my kids, only I can provide that with my husband. We care about their welfare more than anyone else. I want them to take the responsibility for themselves also ie. they can make the most of the learning and pave their own path.

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Homeschooling is a great option, IF the parents are busy learning themselves. You cannot teach what you do not know. If all you know is ignorance, then that is all you can pass on. Sadly, that's what happens in many of our public schools today. And it also happens in some home schooling programs, also.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is a topic that my husband and I have sat down and discussed at length. We are expecting our 1st child and have already decided that we will have as many children as God chooses and not as we will. I have already taken the role of SAHM at 7 months pregnant and we will homeschool for multiple reasons.

1. DH degree is in social studies and education, (was a life long ambition to be a history teacher) however is a manager due to the poor compensation in this state for teachers.

2. His sister is a 1st Grade teacher in another state and has offered us the assistance via email and phone.

3. AZ has one of the worst rankings for public education nationwide.

4. I have my PHD in Physics so mathematics and science are strong suits.

5. My nephew who goes to a local public school has difficulty with basic addition due to a class of 45 kids. He is 9.

6. we are going to actively enroll our children in outside social activities such as T ball.

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