Homeschooling

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Originally Posted by Smulkin

I agree - parental involvement in your child's education is KEY whether it's helping with homework, talking about the day at school or answering random questions - anything can be a potential learning experience - that applies no matter what mode of education your kids are involved with. The lack of parents who show up for parent/teacher conferences is both telling and disturbing.

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*nodding* yup i agree completely matt!

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Originally Posted by Smulkin

I agree - parental involvement in your child's education is KEY whether it's helping with homework, talking about the day at school or answering random questions - anything can be a potential learning experience - that applies no matter what mode of education your kids are involved with. The lack of parents who show up for parent/teacher conferences is both telling and disturbing.

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Smulkin you couldn't have said it better!

Question for homeschooling parents
Do you or you know of a sort of like homeschooling co-op where you have a group to which you take turns doing the schooling among the parents of that group ?

I know a good friend of mine have their preschooler in something like that and he was saying they where trying to get it together for regular schooling.
Seems like a great idea.

SideBar-------
Jason Taylor was homeschooled but had to go to Woodland Hills HS to play football.
Same with Jonathan Loe who had to attend Bartlett HS because recuriters don't check out the homeschooled leagues

there are homeschooling groups all over the place. we share ideas, she costs of hiring tutors, hiring teachers for swimming lessons etc.

dr phil had a show on homeschooling last year and i was completely appauled at his biased opinion and how he shared it with the world, instead of allowing people to make their own choices/decisions regarding homeschooling.

the link is the story of a homeschooling mom who was at the show... and how dr phil padded the audience with school kids, ignored the people who were are knowledgable about homeschooling etc.

if you are passionate about your disdain for dr. phil - you may want to read this. i know this is an old thread... but... i was just sent this link and wanted to share it with you all.

personally i consider dr phil just another jerry springer... it's fake, sensationalized television... at it's worst! i don't watch him, but i did watch that episode... unfortunately :rainon:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

dr phil had a show on homeschooling last year and i was completely appauled at his biased opinion and how he shared it with the world, instead of allowing people to make their own choices/decisions regarding homeschooling.

the link is the story of a homeschooling mom who was at the show... and how dr phil padded the audience with school kids, ignored the people who were are knowledgable about homeschooling etc.

if you are passionate about your disdain for dr. phil - you may want to read this. i know this is an old thread... but... i was just sent this link and wanted to share it with you all.

personally i consider dr phil just another jerry springer... it's fake, sensationalized television... at it's worst! i don't watch him, but i did watch that episode... unfortunately :rainon:

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But Most springer watchers dont take jerry too seriously...I'm not sure this can be said about Dr. Phil watchers......

Here's a link on some of my thoughts about home-schooling vs the home-schooling movement from my blog.

I have no warm fuzzy feelings about Dr. Phil and I agree that it's pretty sensationalized television.

As someone who went to private schools until 3rd grade and was home schooled 4th and 5th grade, I have a pretty mixed opinion on homeschooling...6th grade through 12th, I was in a public school and I don't think that I was emotionally prepared for the change.

My mother, my two siblings and myself were a part of a home schooling group, in so far as I remember once going on a field trip with them to a chocolate factory...but outside of that I don't remember ever doing anything else with them. We lived in a small neighborhood and I didn't really have any friends--the kids were my sister and brother's age. I lived inside of fiction books a lot during those years.

My mom was a high school graduate (though she admits she couldn't stand school) and I'm glad she didn't attempt to continue home schooling when we moved up to Massachusetts from Florida. The more complex topics presented in High School would have been impossible for her to teach in such a way that we would have been any way prepared to attend college-level classes.

That isn't to say I think high schools do a particularly good job of preparing kids in any case, but better than my mother would have been able to--you can only glean so much from a text book alone.

On the flip side, I have a VERY close relationship with my mother--all of us do ("us" meaning my siblings and myself). I'm sure that comes in part from spending so much time with her during those years of my life--even 1st-3rd grade, she was always there to pick us up from school and she was a "house wife", so was almost always home when we were.

I'm very grateful for the closeness I have with my mother, but I feel like I was pretty ill-prepared for dealing with other children who had grown up in the "real world"...I was an introvert and a half until High School.

Just a few thoughts...I know it's an old thread, and this was a kind of long post--but homeschooling is something that I've been thinking about from time to time. I don't think I ever would do it myself.

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

Here's a link on some of my thoughts about home-schooling vs the home-schooling movement from my blog.

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i think it's really important to remember that every family has different reasons for homeschooling. EVERY family. so lumping people together is never good.

kinda like saying, "all people who keep snakes do it because they want to protest authority". simply because you've met people who are keeping them and have those political views.

honestly, my kids are being raised with my spiritual values and if they went to school... they'd still be raised with my spiritual values. having them homeschooled doesn't change that fact. ;) and saying they aren't going to get the same education/experience as kids who go to school... well YA that's the point of homeschooling LOL

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

I'm very grateful for the closeness I have with my mother, but I feel like I was pretty ill-prepared for dealing with other children who had grown up in the "real world"...I was an introvert and a half until High School.

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i'm not making light of your situation at all.

but...

i always have a little chuckle when people blame homeschooling for being shy or an introvert - as if no one who goes to public school is shy or introverted. :P

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i think it's really important to remember that every family has different reasons for homeschooling. EVERY family. so lumping people together is never good.

kinda like saying, "all people who keep snakes do it because they want to protest authority". simply because you've met people who are keeping them and have those political views.

honestly, my kids are being raised with my spiritual values and if they went to school... they'd still be raised with my spiritual values. having them homeschooled doesn't change that fact. ;) and saying they aren't going to get the same education/experience as kids who go to school... well YA that's the point of homeschooling LOL

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Where did I say that all homeschoolers are the same and that all families homeschool for the same reasons? I never made such a generalization.

Just because there are many different reasons for homeschooling doesn't mean that there are not families that share some of the same or similar reasons. Furthermore, some of these reasons are good and educationally sound, while others are not.

No method of teaching, schooling, or education is right for every student in every situation. Each method will have its own advantages and disadvantages. However, this is not to say that we cant point to bad teaching or educational methods. Within homeschooling itself, there are good and bad practices. Moreover, teaching bad science or teaching science badly is the same regardless of whether it is in a public,private, charter, or homeschool. If you teach creationist physics atr home or in a school, your doing nothing for your child educationally but wasting his or her time as well as your own.

That being said Homeschooling can be a great educational choice for organized, highly educated parents with the time and means to help their children.

I became a teacher for two reasons (1) I have a passion and enthusiasm for science that I like sharing with young people (2) to become advocate on for my students.

This last reason requires a moment of reflection in the context of homeschooling. An advocate is someone who has our best interests in mind and will guide us into promising opportunities as well as argue for us on behalf. None of us lives a life full of advocates. But having a larger number of people who will fight for us and vouch for us is better than having one or none. Most people have their parents and family/close friends as their advocates, but this certainly isn't the case for everyone.

Homeschoolers often don't get to search out or find an advocate outside of their family. For some people this may not be an issue.

Even if the family is full of guidance and advocates, it's helpful to have advocates outside of one's family or social circle. For example, a family may not be equipped to adequately prepare their special needs child in every way, as much as they wish they could do so. Moreover, if a child has very different interests from his or her parents, then he or she may find it helpful to find in advocate in someone who is different than their parents--and that person could be a teacher.

and some kids love science... while others prefer pottery. doesn't make one 'less than'... just different ;)

honestly, i didn't write my post to argue with ya... i was merely stating that when i read your blog... my interpretation was... (see my post) - and after all... we all interpret things differently. :P (a good example is the bible if you really want to see a LOT of different interpretations of one book!)

you are a science teacher, therefore science is your 'thing' your passion... but there's lots of kids out there who could care less about learning science. http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k1.../knitting1.gif i understand and commend you for your passion.