Some common homeschooling questions
I often get emails asking me about homeschooling, so I thought I'd take a post to answer some of the most common ones I receive.
How do you handle homeschooling kids of different ages? They certainly learn things differently, so how do you handle it? Any suggestions or tips for sharing?
That can be a challenge! And it would be a HUGE challenge if homeschoolers tried to replicate the classroom experience at home...there aren't enough hours in the day to personally teach every subject to every kid. However, I don't do that. Once my children are able to read and follow directions, they're able to do a large portion of their schoolwork by themselves. Of course, I'm available for questions, and I correct their work and help them go over wrong answers.
Another thing that helps is to do some subjects with all four kids...for instance, we've did our 50 States study together and we're studying the U.S. presidents together as well. Of course, Joshua gets more out of this than Zoe does, and I give him harder work than her, but we're doing the bulk of the activities together.
I know you homeschool, and I'm not too familiar with how that process works in the long term. I feel it could be brilliant for kids while they're young, as schools are often overcrowded and underfunded, but what are your long term plans? Will you home school until your kids enter high school? Beyond that even?
As of right now, I plan to homeschool my kids through high school. However, in the high school years, I plan to have them start taking some classes at our community college, to give them some classroom experience and also because they can get high school AND college credits for those classes.
I know you said that for now your children are not allowed to go to school, although they have no desire to. However, if in the future they changed their minds would you ever be willing to send your children to school and allow them to choose for themselves?
That would depend on a lot of different factors...the maturity of the child, the reasons for them wanting to go to school, the school they wanted to go to, etc. I'd be very surprised if any of them wanted to switch to regular school, though...my siblings and I never did! 🙂
Are you concerned about how homeschooling will affect college applications or their social life? The kids seem to have a lot of cousins and neighborhood friends which is great, but do you worry that they might be missing out on learning about other cultures and ideas?
Nope! Applying for college does not seem to be difficult for homeschoolers, especially now that homeschooling is becoming more common.
As far as the social concern goes, I'm also not worried about that. I've had no trouble socializing and neither have my siblings or my homeschooled acquaintances. In fact, as a teenager, adults often complimented me on my conversational abilities. 😉
Homeschoolers do get out and about more than a lot of people think, and I actually believe that homeschooling provides some social advantages over age-segregated school...being around people of different ages and stages during the day offers children the opportunity to learn to relate well to people outside of their grade level.
I agree that peer pressure, cliques, and things like that are a big issues. Everybody experiences it, albeit to different extents. However, I feel there are many positive aspects of peer interaction. Collaboration, competition, companionship, and so forth are all things I gained from school. Eventually your children will enter society even if they don't enter the work force. Do you ever worry about whether or not they'll be able to keep up with the competition that is necessarily present in our world? In the real world schedules are not always so flexible; school teaches you how to manage your time. In the real world even if you are confident in your abilities to learn something from a book there are certain things that cannot be learned from a book. The world has over 6 billion people, do you ever worry that raising your children in such an isolated environment will not prepare them for real life??
In a word, no. I truly, truly don't worry about any of these issues. I know from my own personal experience and from observing the experiences of other homeschool graduates that adjusting to "the real world" is not a problem.
My brother worked from the bottom up and now manages the east coast IT systems for a large restaurant.
My homeschooled brother-in-law owns computer consulting business.
My sister graduated magna cum laude and was a successful nurse (she now manages 4 children!).
My other brother graduated with a degree in business and now manages a hotel.
We've all managed to relate to people (we're socialized!), excel in the workplace, and do well at college. And there many other successful homeschool graduates out there as well.
As something of an aside, I'm not sure school actually does teach people to manage their time. There are definitely poor time-managers who graduate from regular school (and by the same token, homeschooling doesn't necessarily guarantee a graduate who manages their time well!)
I think school allows you to experience things that I don't feel could be possible at home. Do you ever worry that without the larger resources school provides your children are missing something?? For example in most scientific subjects the lab portion of curriculum is an essential part of learning; wouldn't you find it difficult to obtain a frog or pig to dissect, or chemicals to perform chemistry experiments with?
Actually, my mom managed to obtain all those animals for dissection even back in the day when homeschooling wasn't nearly so common. 🙂
Plus, for people who don't wish to take on dissections and such, there are SO many opportunities for homeschoolers to outsource bits and pieces of their childrens' education if they so desire...there are co-ops and tutorials for homeschoolers, and a lot of community colleges will let high schoolers take classes right along with regular college students.
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I guess I could sum up my answers to a lot of the questions I receive in this way: Nope, I'm not worried!
Since I've already been through the homeschooling process myself, I don't experience a lot of the, "Oh, no! What if I'm royally screwing up my kids???" fears that a lot of new homeschooling parents do.
I'm delighted to have been homeschooled, I'm thrilled to provide this same opportunity to my own children, and I feel confident that they'll be just fine.
If you're not a homeschooling parent, but are on the outside looking in, I'd love to share that a lot of brilliant, effective people were educated in non-traditional way (hey, even the Jonas Brothers were homeschooled!)
I know it might seem strange to imagine that school can work at home, especially when you've only ever known school in the traditional school building form, but it can!
And I know it might be hard to imagine that people can turn out socially normal without being in a classroom, but I promise, it's possible. 🙂
Thanks for sending in those questions, everyone! I'm always happy for the opportunity to share my thoughts about and experiences with homeschooling.
(P.S. I feel it necessary to acknowledge that there are some people who homeschool badly, just like there are some schools that don't educate very well. In my experience, though, the vast majority of homeschooling parents are truly dedicated to educating their children well, and it is that type of homeschooling that I'm proud to support.)
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Today's 365 post: Oh, grilled peppers! How I love you.
Joshua's 365 post: The New Color (uh, actually not. Censored by Kristen.)
Great post!
I have to admit, at this point I don't give much credence to the "What if he wants to go to school?" argument. If my child was in public school, people wouldn't be asking me, "But what if he wants to be homeschooled?" and I wouldn't be stressing myself out about making him go to public school instead of homeschooling him. I'd say that 90% of the time, my son is very happy to be homeschooled. The 10% of the time he wants to go to school tends to be when he's thinking of school as all-day recess. But I know from when he was in a public school kindergarten that opportunities to socialize during the school day are very, very limited.
We're fortunate to live in a neighborhood with tons of kids. Some go to charter schools, some to public schools, some to private schools, and a few are also homeschooled. So he has lots of friends he plays with after school and on weekends, without my having to expend a lot of effort to find opportunities for him to socialize.
For me, the biggest challenge of homeschooling is one I hadn't really anticipated, which is just how emotional things can get when mom is the teacher. I also teach outside of the home, and when my classroom students don't get something or write terrible papers or are just really reluctant to work, I don't take it personally. When my son doesn't get something or is refusing to put in effort, it can become this huge ego-entangled thing for both of us. But, at the same time, that happens when your kids are in school, in a way. I would cry and complain and throw pencils about homework as a kid in a way that I NEVER did when I was in class. Having your parent there just brings a level of emotion and relationship into things that is in a lot of ways really positive but can also be a bit of a challenge, at least for me.
Yep, that's definitely true. I am much less tempted to be impatient with my regular piano students than with my own children when I'm teaching them how to play!
In that way, homeschooling is really good for me...it's painful, but it stretches me in a way that teaching other people's children doesn't.
My mom was a preschool teacher, and I once said (yelled, probably) to her, when I was younger, "Why are you so nice to the kids you teach, but so mean to me?!" She told me years later that that pretty much broke her heart, and the reason we talked about it was because I find myself doing the same thing. I can be so nice and so patient and so understanding with the neighborhood kids or my college students, but with my own kids my patience can be so limited. I know for me it's that I've got so much (wrongly) invested in them being some kind of reflection of me, and also just wanting to selfishly be left alone much of the time. So homeschooling really pushes me in those areas, mostly in very good ways. 🙂
BTW, I'm sure you've read this, but it was posted on a few homeschooling boards I frequent, and even I, as somebody who is very much not a part of the conservative Christian homeschooling culture being discussed, found it incredibly insightful and useful.
http://www.joshharris.com/2011/09/homeschool_blindspots.php
Yes! I read that directly on his blog (I follow him on Twitter). I love Josh Harris!
In a platonic kind of way. 😉
Agreed, great post! I was homeschooled and I often get similar questions. Just because you're homeschooled doesn't mean you are segregated from society. I'm not sure why that is such a common concern. In my opinion, being social or outgoing is just part of your personality. I have shy friends that did not come out of their shell because of high school. I also have homeschooled friends that are extremely outgoing.
As for science classes and dissecting, even if you don't want to obtain those animals your kids can still take college classes that do the exact same thing. They offer low level biology classes that have the exact same material as high school classes. That's what I did and because I was homeschooled I actually graduated from high school and college at the same time. There are lots of benefits to homeschooling...... and I promise I am a part of society. 🙂
Yes. And some people will be dorky and socially inept regardless of the schooling they receive. I actually think that homeschooling can be really good for a kid who tends toward the non-stereotypical end of things because sometimes those children are made miserable by their peers in school.
My daughter was in Honors Biology last year. They never actually dissected an animal. It was all done on computers, a virtual "dissection". Of course, DD was THRILLED. She is an animal rights activist and can't stand the sight of blood.
I homeschooled my three children over a period of 19 years on two continents (we were missionaries in Portugal for part of that time). Both daughters graduated from college (one with highest honors, and one with honors). My son took a little longer to get on his feet, but is now a general manager in a fast food chain, planning on college in the future.
During the time we homeschooled, we did a whole lot of stuff outside the home. We volunteered at a local historical site, and helped with the living history demonstrations, and participated in some homeschool groups. A friend with a degree in biology taught my son biology and did the dissection parts.
Overall, our kids had a much richer education than we had. If I were doing it over, I'd probably make a few adjustments, but the important thing is that their homeschool education prepared them better for life, made them lifelong learners, and became well-balanced in their relationships with others.
You go, Frugal Girl! 🙂
This post came at the right time!! I have researched homeschooling since my son was 3. He started having seizures and I didn't want him going to public school if they were going to be happening often. He did outgrow them, so off to public school he went. Since the day he started school, the two concerns from his teachers were 1. He doesn't complete his work(sheets) during class 2. He doesn't seem to want to play with the other kids. He has always had wonderful teachers who wanted to help remedy these problems, but to no avail, we are still dealing with the completing work issue 4yrs later. On the other hand, when said work gets sent home to be completed, because I am here to guide(not give the answers) he always completes them in a timely fashion. So, hubs and I have decided to give homeschooling a try. As far as learning time management, my daughter is 20, she was an honor student in the public school system, and she is not very good at time management/multi-tasking,but she is still able to hold down a job. I have a very good grasp of time management, it was learned at home, through chores. The quicker I got the work done, the sooner I got to do the things I enjoy! My son does not seem to have the need to socialize at school with the other kids for some reason or the other, but when we take him to parks, events, etc. he will see a group of kids, introduce himself, and jump right in playing with them. My friend who pulled her son out of middle school to homeschool, took her son to a local computer fix it shop and asked if he could "shadow" some employees. He wasn't big on Math,Reading etc. but he loved computers. He "shadowed" for about 3 months, they ended up hiring him part time. At 17, he can fix and rebuild computers. He had the chance through homeschooling to pursue his interest.
Such a great opportunity to "shadow" in the real world -- isn't this what an education is for? I am a public school teacher of "severely" disabled little kids and the miracle --and challenge -- is how much ability there is. I never thought about homeschooling before reading this blog but I see now how it can offer true benefits for all different kinds of students. One of our goals is to prepare our little guys -- the ones who tend to get lumped into the "can't" category -- to have jobs and lives, NOT to pass standardized tests. Your friend's son is such a great example of providing a meaningful education. Good luck to you with your son -- so many bright and capable children get squashed in the mainstream -- it sounds like your decision to homeschool is a good one. I am such a booster for public schools and the need to maintain them but I have learned so much on this blog -- appreciate this discussion and am really learning from it.
I think there are situations where homeschooling can work, but there are also situations where it seems to do a disservice to the kids. As a psychotherapist, I've noticed that a surprising number of the socially-odd kids I've seen have been pulled out of traditional school to be homeschooled due to their social difficulties. These kids tend to become even more socially isolated and odd because their parents tend to shelter them from social situations where they might have a harder time. They never learn how to appropriately interact socially with their peers in that kind of sheltered environment. For any parents that are considering pulling their kids out of school for social reasons, it might be a good idea to consider getting your kid into therapy and/or a social skills group to give them the skills they need to thrive socially instead of sheltering them from the situations that they have a hard time in. This is not to say that homeschooling can't work-- it seems like it can when the decision to homeschool is made because of other motives--but there are certainly situations where homeschooling might sound like a solution, but ends up preventing kids from learning the social skills they need to succeed.
Oh yes, if I had a child that was struggling in this area, I wouldn't let them live an isolated life. We don't even do that with our kids, and I'm certainly no fan of homeschooling in an insulated bubble.
My goal would be to help my child learn to improve their social skills in an environment that protected him/her from bullying and also to give my child a place where he/she could learn without being distracted and stressed by the unkindness of their peers.
I agree with Kristen. The number of social opportunities for homeschoolers are ENDLESS. There's no way we could possibly participate in them all. In addition, most homeschooled children tend to be MUCH more accepting of differences, whether it be in age, religion, culture or some sort of disibility.
I'm a parent of a child with a disability, and I can tell you that I did the ABSOLUTE right thing in taking her out of school. She was so stressed and out of control emotionally, while in school, and now she is a much more calm, well adjusted child. She has many new friends, and has opportunities everyday to "socialize". Homeschooling is not an insulated bubble by any means. Having had kids in public school and now homeschooling, public school seems like so much more of an insulated bubble to me. It makes me laugh that I actually emailed Kristin with the socialization question, when I first started reading her blog. After two years of homeschooling, I see my children living in a much bigger, brighter world, with SO many more opportunities everyday.
As a parent of a child with a disability, I would absolutely say to try homeschooling if you're child is having troubles in school. Btw, my daughter sees a therapist every Wednesday, and she sees the value of homeschooling for my daughter as well.
I would say that it all depends on the child. I think if there are instances of bullying, it would be very wise to pull that child out of school also while dealing with therapy. When I was in middle school and high school, I had some really cruel boys that called me fat (only in much more hurtful ways-I refuse to repeat some of the things that were said).
It caused me to become anorexic and extremely depressed, and my mom had no idea that anything was wrong because I was very good at hiding things from her.
After one very hurtful incident with an ex boyfriend who went on to harass me and say things that still hurt to this day, I had a very low night where I almost tried to commit suicide. If it wasn't for God overwhelming me with his presence that night and showing me that I wasn't alone in my suffering, I would have killed myself.
This is one of the big problems with public school in my opinion. And a lot of the schools completely ignore the issue of bullying. And there are children who actually have committed suicide because it was ignored. When I was in 7th grade, I had a boy make fun of me in front of the entire class, and the entire class laughed, including the teacher. So I would suggest that parents not be so trusting in the public school system. If you need to pull your children out of school-please do so. You can always put them back in when you are positive they are ready and willing to be in that environment.
And to think that public school is somehow training children for real life is pretty stupid. I'd say that the real world is much different from high school. I enjoy life much more now and I'd say that many adults can agree on the differences between work life and school life. If a co-worker was to say some of the things that children in public school get away with saying, they would lose their job. Just something to think about!
Oh and when I said to think that public school is training for the real world is pretty stupid, I didn't mean stupid as in I was referring to anyone on here. I should have used the word naive maybe. I can't think of a better word to get my point across, but I don't want to offend anyone with that comment. I'm in the hospital right now and I'm a little confused from all of the medicine, so please forgive me if my argument makes absolutely no sense lol.
Thanks so much for the clear post. My child's babysitter homeschools her children and more talented or well-rounded kids you will never meet. Keep in mind this is coming from a public school teacher who is passionate about what she does.
What I like the most of what I've seen is the network of fellow homeschooling parents that my child gets to interact with. The additional bonus of being in a house with two concert violinists is invaluable to my child who gravitated from day one to anything musical.
Kristen - my big worry about homeschooling is a lack of diversity - homeschooled kids interact mostly with their siblings and not on a daily basis with kids from other economic and social strata. Something to think about perhaps?
I'm coming from this from a slightly different angle, because I live in an urban area. My homeschooled kids are, simply by virtue of living in Detroit, exposed to much more social and economic diversity than I was growing up in a nearly-all-white, all-middle-class suburb and going to public school.
I really think that exposure to economic/social diversity has more to do with where you live and/or the experiences you seek out for your kids than where they go to school. In my experience, most public schools simply are not that diverse, racially or economically, because we tend to live (in terms of the actual places we settle) in very racially and economically segregated ways. Many parts of the country are still quite economically and racially segregated, and that will be reflected in the schools.
And, to the extent that schools are diverse, they aren't always teaching appreciation of that diversity. I know that my husband, who did go to a pretty economically-diverse public school, found the experience pretty difficult. He was from a poorer family, but most of the kids in his classes were from wealthier families (even in the diverse schools, classes were pretty segregated, with the wealthier kids making up most of the honors students and the poorer kids tracked into other classes), and he really felt a sense of discontent and not measuring up.
Now, that's not to say that public schools can't do diversity well or that homeschooled parents can't totally fail in providing experiences with different kids of people. But, I don't think it's a problem unique to homeschooling, or that the kinds of interactions happening between different types of people in public schools are necessary the most positive ones.
Very well said, Lori! I agree 100%!
Actually, most homeschooled kids have a far more diverse group of people that they interact with. When both mine were homeschooled they would accompany me wherever I needed to go - shopping, library or garbage dump, so they were active participants in all parts of the community we lived in. They were willing and able to carry on relevant conversations with the people with shopping carts at the bottle depot just as well as with the reference librarian.
Now I just have one who attends public school mainly for the sport opportunities, and his interaction, there, is almost exclusively with people his own age and socio-economic group - his peers. He's bored silly, skips class an average of once or twice a week (while maintaining a comfortable B letter grade) and has pointed out the "I have to have/say/do/wear everything 'everybody' else does to demonstrate my individuality" mentality. He is learning Russian on his own and attends evening classes with teens to adults. He was a close friend of an elderly neighbour until her death in her eighties. His peers think he should be drinking, having sex, listening to a particular genre of music, and not associating with people who are not "popular".
I went to public school, one of my kids has graduated from homeschooling and one will soon graduate public school after several years of homeschool and two years of private school. We all are pro homeschooling. We also acknowledge that not all parents can or even should homeschool. Some public school teachers shouldn't be teaching either. Homeschooling is not, by nature an inferior or superior way to do things - just different. And it is definitely Real World, sometimes more real than in an institutional setting.
Shannon, just so I can respond in the most helpful way, could you explain exactly what kind of diversity you're referring to? And what inadequacies would you expect to see in homeschoolers from this lack of diversity?
I think that's an area that homeschooling parents do need to be mindful about. I grew up in an all-white environment, but going to a public school wouldn't have changed that either. My hometown's percentage of minority population is in single digits. What DID help me was to be raised to be compassionate and to WANT to hear both sides of a story.
I moved away from my small town to go to college in Chicago. I was thrilled that I would finally have the chance to learn from diverse groups of people (ethically, culturally, economically, everything.) I was incredibly aware of how ignorant I was, but because I was raised to be cautious and compassionate, I asked quiet questions that started conversations. I acknowledged my whiteness and how much I had to learn and tried to show that I was eager to grow past my ignorance.
So yes, it's a concern. But it's also a concern in public schools. I've heard more ignorant and racially offensive things come out of the mouths of highschoolers than any of my homeschooled friends would ever dream of saying.
Oh, racial diversity is what we're talking about.
I was thinking the same thing as you, Elspeth, that public schools aren't necessarily diverse. It all depends on the makeup of the people in your school district. A public school can be quite homogenous if it's in an area like yours (mine is a lot like that, so public school wouldn't give my kids much diversity.)
We're pretty fortunate to go to a church that's culturally diverse, though. We have members from places like Germany, Nigeria, Japan, and China, plus a number of interracial marriages, and I'm delighted that my children are getting exposed to people of different races and cultures.
I also agree that the attitude of the home towards other races is incredibly important. And since Mr. FG and I are both white, acknowledging and discussing our privileges will help our children to view themselves and the world around them properly.
I teach at a very racially, economically, and culturally diverse public university right now, and I can't tell you how many of my students--and these are all kids from public and private schools--express how they have never been in such a diverse environment before and what a new experience it is for them.
I think that all parents, especially those for whom these issues matter, need to be mindful about facilitating relationships with people of different races, classes, religions, and cultures. There is just no guarantee they'll get it in school, and in some cases schools can be places where they'll learn things about other races/classes we might not want them learning. I know that I never heard either of my parents say anything racist, but I heard many racist comments from classmates at school. I never heard my parents talk badly about poor people, but I did hear those kinds of attitudes in school. And, yes, kids do need to be aware that those kinds of attitudes are out there and how to deal with them, but my point is just that schools aren't necessarily places where people of different backgrounds are happily and respectfully coming together, when they are coming together at all.
It's not even easy for schools that are racially diverse. I taught at a school in East London, with a very diverse population, but it took them a lot of effort and guidance to have actually cross-cultural relationships amongst the students. The students would self-segregate along religious and gender lines very quickly.
They said you'd walk into a room with a horseshoe set up and see a line of Muslim girls, then Muslim boys, Hindu boys, then Hindu Girls, Sihk girls, Sihk boys, then white British boys and girls, African boys and girls, etc all segregated even in this very diverse area.
Through lots of work it became much more mixed in terms of groups though at that age still quite a lot of boy/girl splits when given the chance to sit where they like 🙂
I am one of eight children (I'm number four) and I was home schooled until high school, because I asked to go. I will forever thank my parents for taking my request seriously. They had never given us the option, but I asked anyway. Home school was great for my older siblings who were very self motivated and learned easily from just reading through books & textbooks. I thrived in an atmosphere of assignments and teachers explaining subjects in detail to me. Being home schooled from k-8th grade was an amazing foundation for me and I would not trade it, but I am so glad I went to high school (away from home). 🙂
I did public school, Christian school and homeschooling and homeschooling was by far my favorite! One of my favorite subjects was when I did my New York State studies. We went to a bunch of places and I made a notebook full of pictures, State Facts, a report about the Native Americans, and all kinds of stuff. We even made a family trip into a a part of my studies.
Another good subject was when my mom had me do home ec. I pretty much didn't do any other subjects for one month and just focused on menu planning, cooking, laundry and all those other home management type things. It was much more practical than when I took home ec. at a school, where we just would cook up a batch of brownies or do a little sewing project.
I guess what my point is, is that you have more flexibility in homeschooling, which was nice for me, a hands on learner.
And also, for anyone worried about their child no getting a diploma, I got one through North Atlantic Regional School, http://www.narhs.org/.
Thanks for this post!!
There was an article in the NY Times on 11/08 about homeschooling from the viewpoint of the child (My Parents Were Home-Schooling Anarchists).
They were on the opposite end of the spectrum from you, Kristen. They seemed to be more "un-schooled" (an appalling trend), and had a terrible time when they finally did go to school. The mother later laughed when she found out how hard it was for the kids - one brother was routinely beaten up on the school bus EVERY DAY and no one did anything about it.
Like most things, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.
I want to defend unschooling a little bit, because I have a couple of friends that are doing it. It wouldn't work for my family, but it does work for some. You would be amazed at how well it works for some families. I don't have the patience required, so I could never go so far as to unschool, but I have seen it work. It requires a lot more work on the parents part, in my opinion.
I think unschooling works well for some people and my friend and her family do this with their younger girls. It's never all what the child wants to do, it is a mix of allowing them to explore and decide what they will focus on and mom helping them be sure to get some time focusing on a range of areas.
What is nice in either aspect is the amount of time that can be dedicated if someone is really into a project or topic.
Why is unschooling so appalling?
As unschooling tends to get done, it's no rules, no boundaries, all led by the child. Most children aren't dedicated or mature enough to be the ones creating and applying the boundaries and rules; the younger the child, the more this tends to be true.
My feelings about unschooling are highly dependent on how it's done. When it's done right, with lots of parental involvement and work, I think it can be a good thing.
It's not personally a good fit for me, though. I think it would be really hard to do a good job of unschooling four kids!
Oh man, yes. I knew a few "unschooling" families and oh gosh, it just seemed so ineffective and unhelpful. It's intended to foster curiosity, but it appears to heap all responsibility on the child and his or her desires! (and I hate to say this, but it can enable the slightest lazy tendency on the part of the parent)
Right, I think there are definitely examples of people who unschool poorly or even neglectfully (and that is appalling!). But I do think that there is a good argument that it can be done well. I know someone personally who was unschooled throughout the high school years and he is an EXCEPTIONAL human being. Part way through university he started a charity and for the past 6 years has been running it full time.
I think that unschooling - done well and done for the right child can be an incredibly powerful way to raise an independent thinker. It appears that many unschoolers become entrepreneurs which I think is fantastic!
While I agree that some people out there must be doing it poorly, there are some who do this incredibly exceptionally.
If anyone is interested, there are a couple of cool youtube resource I came across that I found very enlightening since they were created by people who are now adults but were raised in an unschooling home:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axoJSMwoXn4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp-6VgpcQ-8&feature=related
Not that I think that it's the "right" thing to do or anything, just that I think it's getting a bum rap in the media that's not fair.
I would argue that homeschooling teaches BETTER time-management than "regular" schooling - if you manage your time well, complete projects early, etc., you get that extra time to do what you choose. I went to public school and there was ZERO motivation to complete projects early - we didn't get to then use the extra time as we chose. If we completed projects early, we were just given busy work or had to sit and stare at the wall for the remainder of class. If you completed a project early at home, you couldn't even turn it in early and move ahead in the class.
I want to homeschool my kids precisely because I think homeschooling is a much better approximation of the "real world" than public schooling. After you finish college, when will you EVER be only around other people who are within a year or two of your own age? When will you ever be only around people who live within a few miles of your house? When will you ever be told exactly what's going to happen for the next few months? When will you ever get a "do-over" as a new semester starts? When you ever again be graded on a sliding scale (in the workplace, it's success or not success, no A-F)?
Home schooling gives kids the opportunity to see learning as something that happens OUTSIDE of a classroom. I was fortunate to have parents who embraced a lifestyle of continuous learning (both Ph.d.s), so I knew that you don't stop learning just because you're not sitting at a desk or doing homework, but many of my classmates seemed to think that once you aced a test, that was it.
Sorry, that came out really... reactionary. I've got a cold and two sick kids at home, wasn't really self-editing very well!
I have never in my 22yrs as a legal adult spent 8hrs a day with only people my age. One of my best friends is 67yrs old, I am 40. Not because I need a mom/grandmother figure, I have those. I enjoy being around " been there, done that" people.
I went to both a public & a private Christian school & I was motivated to get my work done early- then I could read!
The issue with generalizations is that there are always exceptions- public school can be good or bad, just as homeschooling can be good or bad.
Oh, me too! I loved getting my work done early so I could use my time to do the stuff I loved (reading, cooking, going outdoors).
Yes, parents are very influential either way about what happens and the attitude towards their children, whether they home school or not.
I read an article the other day that said when people finish school they do one of two things. In option 1 they think learning is over and really cling to the views they held when they graduated. The others see learning as being continuous and continue to change their views based on new learning. I'm so glad I didn't think high school and college graduation equaled the end of learning new things 🙂
I'm a fan of school. I don't think I'd have learned half of what know or have been interested in the range of things I am now if I had been homeschooled by my parents and I know it never crossed their minds. I had some bad times in school, but overall enjoyed my peers and having friends in the grades around me and the conversations with teachers too.
I was wondering if any of you homeschoolers could point me to some resources for learning more about homeschooling, either online or actual books. Our daughter is only 9 months old, so my husband and I don't need to make a decision any time soon. I'd just like to learn more about the subject.
Mind if I ask what state you live in? Many resources are regional.
We are in Pennsylvania (outside of Pittsburgh). My sister went to a fairly conservative Christian college so she knows a lot of people who were homeschooled, but I don't know a single one. It really does fascinate me now, but I don't know if I have the right temperament for it.
Lauren - One of the first things I would do is research the support groups and co-ops in your community and maybe go to one of the meetings. The other moms will be able to answer every question you could ever think of, while your daughter got to play with some of the younger siblings. We are a member of a secular group in our county, that plans book clubs, teen groups, craft clubs, park days, etc, etc. The park days are every Tuesday, and I learn something new every time I go. There are so many moms that have been homeschooling since way before anybody talked about, and the wealth of information is wonderful for second year newbie like me!
I echo what Rebecca suggested. Just googling "Pennsylvania homeschooling" or "Pittsburgh area homeschooling" will get you to sites where you can find someone to email. If they aren't the best person to answer your questions, they'll certainly be able to direct you to someone who can.
Outside of learning resources, a great resource most people don't talk about are the support groups Rebecca mentioned. (The one my mom was a part of met monthly in someone's home and they discussed various aspects of homeschooling.) They're a great place to start as a parent who wants to know more. 🙂
Great article Kristen. I love the freedom that homeschooling gives us. If my children have questions about different things we can take the time to look them up and find the answers. This week we took a break from some of our regular subjects to learn about the pilgrims, Indian's etc. The Scholastic teacher site has some wonderful videos, slides, articles and activities tied to Thanksgiving. We can plan our school year around my husband's vacation's, my oldest daughter's public high school schedule, and graduation.
There are so many co-op's, groups that anyone homeschooling can get there kid involved in if you are worried about socialization or tougher subjects as they get older. If your children do extra curricular sports etc than they are getting socialization. We take field trips at least twice a month with two friends that are also homeschooling. The kids love field trips. They have learned so much too. On our last field trip we went to the Historic Arkansas Museum school days and our group leader complimented our kids and said she really enjoyed them. I am not saying they don't enjoy all of them but I think as homeschoolers our kids have really been more active and aware of the history they are learning. Of course most of our field trips so far have been to historical places. We have one pre-k, one k, two 3rd and two 4th grades. At those ages they don't really get that much history in public schools, at least not here.
Believe me, I am not totally against public schools, I have a senior in high school about to graduate with a perfect grade point, and as valedictorian. She has had a great education but we did not allow teaching to remain in the classroom. We talked to her, taught her, encouraged her to want to learn more, encouraged reading and took her on "field trips". Schools cannot be responsible for all of the education children get.
There are three reasons we chose to homeschool this year. First, our local elementary school is in its 4th year of failure. If it fails again it gets taken over by the state. Personally I did not feel our kids were getting much of an education. Second, my 8 year old asked me to homeschool her and thanks me regularly for doing so. Third, I believe that in our state too much emphasis is put on standardized testing. It is all they teach until April. After these tests they pretty much do nothing the rest of the year. I wanted to be responsible for their education.
Homeschool kids are out and about while everyone else is at school. They learn to interact with people of all races, religions, age etc. My kids have experienced and been exposed to much more diversity as when they were in school.
In our state, starting this year if you fail the reading portion of the standardized test, you fail 3rd grade. It does not matter if you pulled A's and B's on report card all year, you don't get promoted if you fail that portion of the test. You can however go to summer school to move forward. I feel truly sorry for the children who just don't test well.
Oh my! They would be in trouble in our school! Our school is in failure for literacy among other things.
I just wanted to chime in that as someone who was conventionally schooled (and had a very positive experience). I used to have the attitude expressed in a lot of these questions. However, after reading your blog for the past couple of years and getting interested and researching the topic, I COMPLETELY see your point of view now (well, as completely as someone who hasn't gone through it could, I suppose).
Home schooling makes a whole lot of sense for the right family and a lot of us conventionally schooled folks take for granted that our school system does things that "right" way. I now find it kind of absurd that people think that school prepares people well for jobs. I actually think that because school is so structured, it doesn't prepare students well for knowledge based creative jobs (like mine). School rewards you for following the rules, business does not make those guarantees. That's a jarring and frustrating thing to get used to after 16 years in the conventional education system.
I just wanted to mention that I think you handle these questions very gracefully. I also appreciate how you don't bash conventional school. I've read a few articles and opinion pieces from an alternative education point of view and they can be a bit over the top about characterizing conventionally educated students and disengaged drones. There certainly are people like that in public schools, but I was an engaged and eager student, as were many of my classmates. I think no matter where you go you are going to find all types of people.
I'm really delighted to hear that! I'm always glad when I've been able to help someone understand homeschooling better.
You are really instilling in your children a great love of learning. That is certainly a gift that will last a lifetime! Thank you for sharing this post.
Great subject Kristen!
We have a happy homeschooling household too. This works for our family. I am always amazed at how the subject of homeschooling can flare defensiveness and criticisms on both sides of the fence. I find that some parents I have known and been friends with feel judged not by what I say or don't say but by me simply because I homeschool. I think this is a sad thing when it happens. I very much believe that, while homeschooling is a wonderful experience for our family, I recognize that it isn't the best fit for others. I find, for us, when asked if we worry about homeschooling, I answer the question with two genuine questions: "Why do you ask?" and "No I'm not worried for us. Are you interested in homeschooling yourself?" It usually opens up an interesting conversation where I am usually able to help provide insight into educational approaches that I have learned over our years of homeschooling and less about defending the educational choices of my family.
I was conventionally schooled, it worked very well for me. My parents are both educationally-minded and both were active in my education. But I can't imagine ... well, actually I *can* imagine how hellish it would have been for me to be homeschooled by my SAH mother. Oil and water were we, some days.
I'm not surprised it worked well for you...parental involvement seems to be THE key for successful education, whether public, private, or home.
What I would miss from homeschooling, personally, is the insight provided by classmates. The debate and challenges that arise from someone else having an idea or opinion I might never have considered.
During university I had a conflict so I ened up doing a class by tutorial, which basically meant I taught myself the course material and met with the instructor and her class for exams. My grade in the course was about my average for other courses, but I do not consider it my happiest or most fullfilling learning experience. I missed the insights of a classroom full of people. While a homeschooler may get some of that insight from siblings, age gaps can mean that peer feedback is not at their level and that I personally feel this is the biggest drawback to homeschooling.
I know there are ways around this, online discussions for one, meeting with other homeschools occasionally, etc. But I do not feel those approaches can replace realtime peer feedback in the learning process.
I guess I haven't personally felt like I've suffered because of this. I was quite able to participate in group discussions and debates in college, and I don't feel like there are gaps in my education.
But, everyone learns differently, so the classroom interaction might be more necessary for some people than for others. 🙂
Great, informing post! As a former public school student, we (school kids) were always under the impression that homeschool kids were weird. It's nice to see the other side.
My questions would be: Doesn't it get boring? Don't you want some time/space to do other things? What happens when your children possibly surpass the knowledge you have?
Do you mean boring for me? Or for the kids?
I don't find that I'm bored at all. I'm just really busy!
I don't think the kids are bored either. I know that I personally was WAY more bored in college than at home. Having to sit through an hour class going over material I could have read and absorbed in 20 minutes was so frustrating.
I definitely sometimes think having all of my kids gone for six hours a day would be fabulous, but I'm not homeschooling just because of how fun it is for me. 🙂 It's a sacrifice I make for the good of our children and our family (more on why we homeschool is coming up in a future post, actually!).
I'm not worried about my kids surpassing my knowledge...I'll learn with them, they'll learn from books, and eventually, they'll be in college classes. A lot of the point of homeschooling, in my opinion, is teaching children how to teach themselves. I learned how to do that, and so as an adult, I usually just use resources to teach myself how to do new things (improve my photography, set up a blog, fix a washing machine, etc.).
I have no problem with homeschooling whatsoever and see it as one of many education choices a family can make for their children. It's a good choice and good fit for many families. Your post brings up many of the strengths of homeschooling, where problems could occur, the importance of parental involvement and so forth. My one gripe about homeschooling discussions though is that you almost never hear mentioned that it's a privilege, as much of one as it might be sending your children to an expensive private school. Homeschooling may be a choice for many families, but for millions of others in this country, it's not an option, even remotely.
Yes, homeschooling requires sacrifice, maybe of a second income, less personal time for the teaching parent, or something else the family might want, but homeschooling families still have the privilege of making that sacrifice. It doesn't mean people who homeschool are wealthy or even middle class, but they do have the means or ability to make a sacrifice if needed. Much as they might want to do it, sacrifice is not an option for millions of families where both parents have to work (maybe several jobs) to keep a roof over their head, or food on the table or to stay off of public assistance. These parents can't afford to leave their public school. Homeschooling is not an option for most immigrant and refugee families whose children have to learn English in order to move forward and succeed in the United States. People who are able to homeschool are fortunate, but not just because it's an educational choice that fits their family. They are fortunate to homeschool because they have the means to make that choice.
It would be nice to the see the privilege of being able to homeschool acknowledged more often. Even public school is something that millions of children in the world don't have access to, let alone being able to stay home and have their mom or dad teach them. I consider us fortunate beyond measure because we have so many educational choices here in the U.S. and can pick what's right for our families and I know I am lucky beyond measure to have them.
Yes, I try to acknowledge this regularly by saying things like that I'm grateful I'm able to provide this opportunity to my children. I do make sacrifices to be able to homeschool, but those sacrifices are within the realm of possibility for me, and I'm thankful for that.
I'm sorry that this has been missing in the discussions you've seen.
I also feel VERY thankful to have this option or any options for that matter. My husband is a public school teacher, so I'm sure that gives you some idea of his income, so we have to make many sacrifices in order for me to be able to stay home. My husband works a part time job after school every day with home-bound students, and we are very, very careful about what we spend. However, I know many people don't even have anything left to sacrifice, so I am thankful every single day, and I'm teaching my children to be as well.
I personally believe it's much cheaper to homeschool than to have kids in public school. My two oldest both attended public school, and I had to hand them money every time I turned around! We had to pay for their art supplies, parts of their uniforms for sports, club fees, equipment fees for Science, etc, etc, etc. Public school isn't a free education anymore.
I also believe that a big part of homeschooling is teaching them to teach themselves. I'm not spoon-feeding them the information, but requiring them to have some responsibility in their learning. Closely monitored by me of course!
As a funny sidenote, the last time I remember being bored was March 1, 2004. I was waiting for an empty bed in the labor and delivery ward so I could have Sonia, I'd cleaned my house really well, Joshua and Lisey were at my parents' house, and I was bored.
I can't remember having been bored since then, and I wasn't bored before then very often either. Just busy. 🙂
Hahaha! I love that you remember the date.
Only because Sonia was born the next day! 🙂
I think homeschooling is pretty boredom-alleviating, actually. I'm a big learning geek, so I really enjoy getting to learn along with my son. And, even at 7, he's learning along with me about many things. I went to public schools for all of my schooling, and I left with very, very little background in world history. (I had lots of U.S. history, but very little world stuff.) So that's pretty new to me, and something we learn together. And, it can be really fun. Yesterday we were reading the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, and about halfway through I was like, "Wait! This is the plot of The Hunger Games!" And, sure enough, I went online, read an interview with Suzanne Collins, and saw that the myth was one of her main inspirations for the story. I'm pretty sure I never encountered the story in school, so that was just a really fun thing for me, as an adult, to read and discover.
I agree about the world history thing, my high school didn't have that as an option at all, all US history, then Government and some random courses like History of the 60s and Visual History as electives. I'd have liked a clear progression beginning in middle school from local history, to state, the region, to nation to world and then a very structured Government one with a review of local/regional, etc before turing 18 and beginning to vote, etc.
This was a great post, I love hearing you talk about homeschooling.
I agree about the age-segregation. Homeschoolers are often better prepared to interact with people older and younger than themselves.
I also have noticed that I (a homeschool graduate) have very good time management skills as opposed to many of my publicly schooled peers. Perhaps because I had a greater role in managing my own time at a younger age, rather than someone else managing it for me until I graduated highschool.
I took several community college classes while "in high school" and it was GREAT. That, homeschool co-ops, and educational DVD/textbook programs were great resources once I got older. And for what it's worth, I graduated highschool with a diploma (not a GED) because I reported to Clonlara School. (I know there are a lot of similar "distance-learning" schools out there, that's just what we used.)
One final thought: just because people learn social lessons from one source doesn't mean it can't be learned from another source. (such as competitiveness and conflict, as mentioned in comments) I had PLENTY of health debate with classmates my age. Specifically in a history class through a homeschooling co-op. We were GOOD at debating each other (almost all of us were on the same mock trial team) and did so often and fruitfully. I wouldn't say I was ever lacking that element of the public school experience.
I never really had any encounters with "homeschoolers" until my present job. I work as an athletic trainer at a small, somewhat rural Christian school and we have a "homeschool exchange" program where kids can come take a class or two at our school (it's often a class the parents don't want to or don't feel comfortable teaching). In addition, those kids can play on our sports teams (which is how I come into contact with them). To be honest, I usually have no idea they're homeschooled until they tell me. One kid in particular I've known for a year and a half and didn't realize until about two weeks ago that he was homeschooled. The days of the "weird homeschool kids" are over! 😉 Thanks for posting, I enjoy learning more about homeschooling!
I've been following this thread all day but haven't had time to sit down and comment, and it seems like everyone else has already raised such great points about diversity, socialization, time management, etc. with regards to homeschooling. I was home schooled and public schooled, and for me, homeschooling definitely took the cake. I think it all depends on the kid, and the family.
People have asked me some of these questions re: home schooling as well, especially because my husband's a public school teacher, and I love your answer, Kristen: "I'm not worried!"
I read your post and the comments with interest and am full of admiration for anyone who takes on the responsibility of providing their children with an education. Although I have never believed that education is the sole responsibility of any school and have done my best to encourage and support my two daughters at home, I honestly do not believe that I would have been up to the task of homeschooling. I have an honours degree in French and English Literature but this in itself would not have equipped me to teach either of these subjects to GCSE or Sixth Form level, far less subjects such as maths and science which I dropped much earlier on in my schooling.
I'm not claiming that formal education is perfect and am prepared to believe that it doesn't suit every child but, having witnessed the teaching in my daughters' secondary school I am full of respect and admiration for the knowledge, skill and commitment of their teachers, of a quality that I could never hope to match. Of course children should be encouraged to learn for themselves but they require a level of guidance and support that I could never have provided without hours of research, which would have made a nonsense of the whole idea. Teachers are not only masters of their own subjects but have been taught how to teach which is just as if not more important. A good school will monitor the performance of its teachers and will ensure that they keep up to date with their knowledge.
I hope you will not take offence at what I have written as it appears that homeschooling has worked for you, is working for your children and has been endorsed by most of the comments above. I'm just curious to know why, when you are presumably willing to seek professional assistance from the medical profession if your child were ill, you are reluctant to take advantage of the professional service offered by teachers.
Don't feel as if you couldn't have taught your children those subjects very well. I was a teacher in England and felt very out of my depth at times with the rigour of the A-level and even GCSE courses. I was also intimidated by the testing and coursework that didn't reflect anything I had experienced in the US before and I managed to have students get good results while I was there.
The main thing I think in England is understanding the testing board and viewing past tests. But I feel like you about other subjects like maths and science. I'd rather have someone else explaining formulas and theories in those areas 🙂
Believe me, because it's not false modesty. I honestly couldn't have taught my girls as well as most of their teachers.
I agree with your assessment of the GCSE/A level exam system which undoubtedly puts enormous pressure on students during their final years. However, given that homeschooled children would be expected to gain the same stringent university entrance qualifications, I don't see how homeschooling would alleviate this.
Like you I am concerned by the emphasis placed on performing well under exam conditions, but I have been equally impressed by encouragement given to independent learning and personal responsibility. Both my daughters are much better prepared for university and real life than I ever was. They are aware of what is expected of them, are confident in accessing the information they require and are able to manage their time and energy to achieve their goals. They have done me, the school and themselves proud.
Our education system is by no means perfect but when it works it works and when it doesn't we should be demanding its reform, because it's all some children have.
Well, I'm working on a post answering a reader question, which was basically, "Why do you homeschool?", so hopefully that'll answer some of your questions. 🙂
For a short response now, though, I suppose I'd ask you why, if studies and my personal experience have shown that homeschooling produces students that are at LEAST on par with public schooled students, you think it is would be advisable for me to send my kids to school?
To use your doctor example, I go to the doctor when my children's illnesses are more than I can treat at home, and I'll outsource when my children's educational needs are more than I can handle (I imagine Joshua especially will be taking some higher level science courses at the college, and we'll be getting Lisey some violin lessons soon).
I guess to me, it seems like you're saying I should take my kids to the doctor even though the home care is working and I'm a little confused by that (not offended, just confused).
Again, after you read the post I'm writing about homeschooling, my decision may make more sense to you. 🙂
Don't get me wrong, Kirsten. I would not presume to advise you on how to educate your children any more than I would wish you to do the same to me. If homeschooling works for you then that's fine by me. To return to the doctor analogy I guess I'm admitting that I'm less confident in my own abilities and am happy to relinquish at least some of the responsibility for the education of my children to the professionals.
I look forward, as always, to your post.
Oh, goodness, I think that's totally fine! I don't expect everyone to feel comfortable homeschooling and I don't look down on people who don't homeschool.
I just feel super-duper comfy with it because I've been through the process myself, and because I'm so happy with how my experience was.
I would just like to add that when I decided to send my girls to school I did not abdicate my own personal responsibility for their education, nor did most of the parents I know. I talked to my children from the moment they were born and was reading to them long before they started nursery. We went to the zoo, the library, the museum, art galleries, the theatre, swimming lessons, dance classes etc. We shopped, cooked, gardened, went on walks, visited family and friends, played in the park etc. I listened to them reading every evening and helped with their homework. We discussed (and often debated) all manner of subjects round the dining table. It was never a choice between formal schooling or 'homeschooling'. It was both.
As I love to often say, I've read that parental involvement is THE key to educational success, so I'm sure that your children were indeed well-educated. If all parents did what you did, I think there would be far more well-educated high school graduates out there. 🙂
I agree with Just Gai. Many readers seem to worry about social skills or time management, but what really divides us "lay people" from teachers is, well, teaching skills. My father was a chemical engineer, but he had a hard time helping me with my chemistry when I attended the "liceo" (high school). And when I had problems with math I got some private lessons with a wonderful teacher who easily helped me fill my gaps. My mother? Well, she was actually good at helping me with literature and history. She was a teacher. 🙂
I'm sure this has to do with my living in a place where homeschooling is a total rarity (I've never heard of someone homeschooled here), but I'd rather not take that chance. Children's education is a huge responsibility. Maybe our teachers are good enough, I don't know. And it's good for children to know other "authority figures" early in life.
This of course is a general comment, not about your personal skills, Kristen. You're a brilliant woman and I respect you, though you're very different from me. 🙂
I have been commenting/reading this post all day also. As a matter of fact, I believe I have spent a little too much time on the net today. The comments have been so interesting, I can not stay away. One of the things I do not understand, is why do people see it as such a horrible thing to be with parents and siblings all the time? Isn't one of the first things in our thoughts when we loose a parent, is the wish we could have more time with them? Also, a teacher can go to college, learn a method, earn a degree, but that does not make them a teacher, it just means they were good students. I can stand in my garage for 3 months, doesn't mean I will ever be a car.
I don't think any of us 'public schoolers' are suggesting that it is a horrible thing to be with parents and siblings all the time (although everyone needs their own space from time to time). Unless children are sent away to boarding school they are only out of the house for 6-7 hours a day and are at home every weekend and during the holidays, which allows them considerable opportunity to interact with their family.
I wonder if your lack of faith in higher education extends to other professions, and that you therefore have no confidence in doctors, nurses, solicitors, accountants, etc. I can't speak for the United States but teacher training in the UK includes teaching practice when the trainee spends time in a classroom observing other teachers before being let loose on the children, all under supervision and subject to continuous assessment.
I would agree with you only in so far as I believe that some people are naturally more disposed to teaching than others, but this also applies to parents. Being a good parent doesn't necessarily equip you to be a good teacher.
We wish we'd been homeschooled!
http://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/homeschooling-a-deliberately-controversial-post/
Hi
I have to agree with one of the previous comments about even though you have blogged about homeschooling you haven't made the 'school senders' out to feel wrong or guilty about their decision. Homeschooling was never even considered when our daughter reached schoolage. In fact I'm not even sure how common it is in Queensland Australia. I don't know one person that has been homeschooled or is homeschooling. Even though I have read your previous posts about homeschooling and it has given me some food for thought, I know that I still would not have taken that path even if it was an option. But having said that I do agree with one of the other ladies in that I haven't just left it up to the school to educate my daughter. We are very invovled with her learning also. Hate to admit it but we have sometimes learnt things ourselves just by helping with assignments. Who knew that Seahorse males give birth to live young? Learnt during a Grade 2 project!
Have a great day!
Oh, yes! I learn things all the time while I teach my children...things I never knew, things I'd forgotten, or things that just didn't resonate with me back then.
I just wanted to throw in my two cents-- my husband was homeschooled and LOVED it. He had pretty severe ADHD growing up (and is still a little scatterbrained 🙂 ), and the home-learning environment suited his needs very well. He's now a doctor.
Hi Kristen!
If you ever have a chance, could you share a bit about the cost of homeschooling? I am interested in homeschooling when my little ones are of school age. I was not homeschooled myself. Being on a tight budget, I sometimes wonder if we could afford the necessary materials to give our kids what they need to learn. I know that you use the library a lot...what other materials do you need to purchase? I met a family where each kid had his/her own computer...it doesn't seem that you have that, so I'm guessing it's not necessary?
Thanks for your time and insight! I am learning a lot from you!
My husband and I both went through public school but I have recently been interested in homeschooling. I have two toddlers and one just started preschool. He has already brought home a book I did not approve on that lacked some well needed morality . (Thomas and friends...who would have thought!) This prompted me to consider homeschooling. Do you know of any good resources that would give more information about homeschooling. My husband has similar concerns about socialization. I think this may be because we know very little about what it involved. Is there an association that all homeschoolers are involved in? How is curriculum developed?
I could go on and on with questions. I am sure there is a website to answer them all!
Thanks!
Can you give some advice to parents considering homeschooling? My husband and I were both public school, and although we both had good experiences and don't have a problem with it, I have been toying with the idea of homeschooling. My main concerns are that kids are exposed to so much more that we are not in control of in public school. I have been looking into "My Father's World" curriculum and like that it is Bible based. So any suggestions on how to find the right resources, how to set up a schedule, how to work around challenges, such as other kids not school age, and what your biggest challenges and solutions have been.
Thanks!!!
Hey Shaylin - My suggestion is to research support groups and play groups in your area. Even if your kids are younger, you can still join the groups even if your just thinking about homeschooling. They plan activities for toddlers up to teens, so your kids could already participate if you wanted them to, and you would meet so many moms, that could give you more information than you could ever imagine. So far everybody I've met through our local groups have been super willing to give advice and help me out. There are also tons of message boards and websites devoted to giving advice, but be a little careful with those. Some people put some crazy stuff on the internet! Lol!
I use the group study a lot....It is much like the old one room school house. It saves money, time, and it is fun too.
Homeschooling families usually do have one parent who stays home full time, yes. That does not mean we don't make sacrifices to do so or that it's easy. This is a choice to have one parent stay home and in the end you can do it if you really look at your budget. In my case we have three children and I stay home full time. My husband and I make the choice to stay in our condo (which we've owned for 10 years and completely re-did) versus buying a larger home which would make it impossible for me to stay home. For awhile we were a one car family. I got rid of the housekeeper and buy almost 100% of our clothes at Target. We are choosy about which activities our kids do and if they are within budget. More important they aren't being paid for with credit cards(we learned the hard way with this one too). There is so much more I could say on this subject but bottom line is you do have a choice if you're willing to make the decisions to live on one income.
Mary Ellen
Well, I would say that there ARE people who don't have a choice to homeschool...no matter what they do, it won't work. Single parents are usually in this boat, for example.
That's not to say we don't sacrifice in order to be able to do this...we definitely do! But the ability to sacrifice and make this work isn't something everyone has. 🙂
Oops, meant to say being paid for WITH OUT credit cards.
I was talking about households with two parents. Of course a single Mom for example wouldn't have that choice.
Great post! I am surprised to see so many comments. This tells the popularity of homeschooling. I have been following your blog from log but commenting for first time. Looking forward to read more interesting post from you. Thanks!