| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| mommakatof2 |
Posted - Jan 05 2008 : 8:26:15 PM
What do you think of homeschooling? I am homeschooling both my sons. Alex 6, who is also autistic and Eli, who is just stubborn as hell.
What is your opinion on homeschooling?????? |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mommakatof2 |
Posted - Jan 07 2008 : 06:35:30 AM
That's wonderful, I am really glad to all you who replied. I'm amazed at some of the answers. I'm not new at homeschooling. My mom taught 4 of us, me being the oldest. I graduated from homechooling and say I got a better eduacation than my friends who went to public school. I tried the public school deal with my boys, but I could see where they were laking. Alex is 6, he's autistic and very bright, but I found that the teachers were addressing his autism more and not acually teaching him. Since we started only this past september, he has really bloomed. I can't get over how well he is doing. He's in 1st grade, but he will be starting 2nd grade math in about 2 weeks. Now on to Eli, he's 5. He is very smart, but his also very stubborn, so that was the problem with him. If he thru a fit, the teachers wouldn't make him do anything. Being homeschooled, he doesn't get much of a choice about doing his work. He's in kindergarten, but he is also doing 1st grade math and phonics.
Well, thanks to everyone who replied, I really wanted to know what others think of homeschooling. Thanks again.
Nieki Neill |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 10:13:47 PM
I am so thrilled to have a wonderful public school here in our small town..BUT...I agree that as a parent..the best way to assure a great public school education is to be informed and involved. I substitute teach and have always been very involved at the schools my kids attend. I KNOW I could probably teach my kids at home and would if I felt like they would get a better education. I know they wouldn't. Not from me.I just don't feel qualified to teach so many things that they do learn at school...they are happy and well adjusted. I am so thankful that
we do have a great school district here. I have 3 sis in laws who have homeschooled all their children, and while I think they tried hard, the kids have struggled to keep up once they are out in the world. I am very in awe of the homeschoolers who do it right. I think it really depends on the people, the schools in your area and then of course, your child's needs.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| faithymom |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 9:39:53 PM
I'm homeschooling right now. I have a k/1st grader (he's in k in some things and 1st in others) and my 4 yo does school with him. I did hs for my oldest as well until this year (6th grade)
I love it and I think that having personalized cirriculum for children is a great idea and something you don't/can't get in public school. It's not for everyone, though.
I honestly think that the biggest problem in the public school system is the NEA, not individual teachers.
"All television is educational television. The only question is, what is it teaching?"-Fmr. FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson |
| tziporra |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 6:37:05 PM
Because of our religious beliefs public school isn't an option for us, it's homeschooling or very very very expensive private school. Right now I'm "homeschooling" our daughter (she's four), but we are considering sending her to first grade. The private school with the teaching philosophy we like has all-day kidergarten, which I feel is too much like day-care, and so we are opting out of that program.
So my four year old knows the alphabets and vowel/consonant sounds in two languages (English and Hebrew) and can read basic words in each language. She can do basic addition and subtraction. I'm very pleased with where she is "academically", considering that aside from about 20 minutes religious instruction each day we don't really have a scheduled "school" time.
I don't think it will work for our family indefinitely, but it's an amazing experience which I am thoroughly enjoying right now.
Best,
Robin |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 5:34:33 PM
Elizabeth I agree about the peer pressure. That's a tough one. My parents raised me not to drink or do drugs. I went to public school and was friends with a lot of kids who did just that. Fortunatly I was strong in my morals and believed in what my parents taught me and didn't fall into it. My friends respected my decision not to.
Farmgirl Sister #17
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| babysmama |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 4:40:15 PM
We will be homeschooling our children. Though I am not going to debate about whether the public school can educate a child better than a homeschooling parent (I have known dumb homeschoolers and brillant ones, as well as dumb public schoolers and brillant ones).
The problem I have with the public school system (or private school) is the peer pressure. To throw a child into a system where they are taught day in and day out that fitting in is cool is not what I want my children exposed to. Whether it is wearing the coolest fashions to swearing, or being told you can only go to the bathroom at certain times is not the best set up to teach a child how to be an individual. I hear the same thing over and over again from pro-school persons such as "You need to be exposed to those things in order to deal with them" or "You have to go along to fit in the real world." Yes and no. School is not the real world. Once you hit 18 and graduate you enter a world where people of all ages are supposed to connect and work together, not a set age like in school. Yes, you can be taught to follow rules and orders without being told how and when to color a picture or what times it is acceptable to go to the bathroom.
Public school is not bad, but the system is not great either. There are homeschooling parents commited to giving their children the best education possible. There are also teachers commited as well but it is a bit harder when there are 20+ kids in a classroom and most of them are bored to death and waiting for the bell to ring. I think that if you are a commited parent your child will turn out just fine, whether you homeschool or send him to public school.
As with sports or music or whatever, you can choose the option of dual enrolling so that you can choose a class or two to send your children to if you so choose. We will probably do that with sports and maybe music.
-Elizabeth |
| bboopster |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 4:32:50 PM
I was a teaching assistant in the ps special education dept high school level, 5 of my own children and taught preschool. If I could do it again I would home school in a heart beat, include sports that included ps children so if the time would come the transition would be easier. I have friends who home schooled through high school and SAT scores out of this world. Great children who turned into great adults. I also believe that the ps is also a great place for learning and opportunities in subject matter that some families may not be able to provide. Teaching is very much a skill that some parents may have and some do not. If more parents were involved in their children's lives the ps would be more user friendly. There are a lot of awesome caring ps teachers in this world. 
http://www.bboopster.blogspot.com
3 Blue Star Mother and Proud of it!
Pray for our troops to come home safe and soon.
Enjoying the road to the simple life :>) |
| ArmyWifey |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 4:18:57 PM
No problem here. I think it's great if you are an involved teacher -- many schools though DON'T encourage parental involvement or questions. Many teachers take it as a slap against them personally if people choose to homeschol rather than looking at the systym and what needs to be changed.
Blessings,
Holly
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
http://timsarmywifey.blogspot.com
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| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 2:59:33 PM
also if a teacher is teaching to the lowest child in the class than that is an issue of a specific teacher and not education in general. It has always been stressed to me that we teach to excellence but at the same time helping that struggling child along.
I teach art so I see the importance of the arts but I also see the importance of math and science. We live in a technologically driven world where everyone needs some math and science skills. I think a balanced curriculum is the key.
Also as mentioned above I do not take issue with people who homeschool that do it correctly and for the right reasons. It is a personal choice. I was nearly stating that in MY area most people do not do it for the right reasons. I have seen many children failed by their parents who chose to go this route. Being "behind" is one thing but I take serious issue with a 5th grader who was never taught to read. In my book that would be neglect.
Holly I know you are a great mom and that you are doing wonders for your children. As a military family I am sure this is a great alternative for you. Please do not take my opinion as a personal one I am not taking you opinions of my profession personally. The original question asked what we thought of homeschooling. Just as you have an opinion of PS based on your experiences I have an opinion of HS based on mine.
I think in the end each family has to make their own decisions.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
Felt and Fabric Crafts
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| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 2:42:58 PM
holly I disagree with you. I dont think money is the issue at all. The issue is that a large majority of people send their kids to school in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day and never set foot on campus for anything else. Too many parents think it is the teacher job to educate the kids and take a hands off approach. If more parents were involved with their own child and the whole school in generally I believe public education would see dramatic changes. Parents volunteering in their childs classroom or showing up at a ball game has NOTHING to do with money.
Homeschooling is so successful for some families because it causes (forces?) parents to be more involved with their children. The same parents who are failing their children in PS are the same ones who would fail their kids if they homeschooled. I think it is a shame though that so many people find that leaving is a better alternative to finding ways to make changes. If every parent volunteered one day a month at this childs school I think the entire education system could be turned around in less than 6 months.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
Felt and Fabric Crafts
www.willowartist.etsy.com
www.willowtreecreek.com
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| Peanut |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 1:18:39 PM
I don't read where anyone has said the issue is money, but rather the support of the community. I don't believe support equals money in this case.
I think this is a fascinating discussion. We all have such diverse backgrounds and educations. I'm enjoying reading everyone's opinion.
"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| ArmyWifey |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 11:30:37 AM
I disagree --- look at all the money the goverment keeps pouring into our schools and they aren't getting better they're getting worse! The issue isn't money or lack of it! Emphasis on conformity, science and math to the exclusion of the arts, unwillingness on teachers parts to let parents parent or an attitude of intellecutal snobbery all contribute! Things will only improve when people are willing to admit the systym is BROKEN and are no longer willing to sacrifice their children on the altar.
Are there great teachers out there? Teachers who really care and want to see children thrive and learn? Absoloutly! Positively! However it is very hard to TEACH in a systym that precludes it through a plethera of rules and regulations which tye those teachers hands. When students are taught to the lowest child in the class and not the highest, when excellence is no longer the standard and teaching to pass tests are, things like that. Yes teachers have gone to school to learn but does your three - 8 years negate my 18 with my child more hours than not?
Now back to the the real thread which is the pros and cons of homeschooling not how to fix the public schools....
respectifully,
Holly
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
http://timsarmywifey.blogspot.com
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| laluna |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 10:56:39 AM
quote:
Originally posted by willowtreecreek
I'm a public school teacher. I think our schools have the potential to be amazing but many families view them as "free" daytime babysitters. If parents gave more support to public schools I believe they could offer more than homeschooling can. Despite what many outsiders believe the downfall of the public school system has more to do with lack of community support than federal and state mandates.
That being said I think some people do truely educate their kids when they homeschool them. I dont think this is the majority though. We get a lot of kids that come back to school when the parents give up on homeschooling and they are several grade levels behind. The parents weren't really teaching. We also have families that choose to "homeschool" their child because he/she has discipline issues and gets in trouble a lot.
I am not knocking homeschooling and I assume most of the women here on MJF do a good job at it but I also strongly agree with public education and believe that children can really benefit from it.
As another public school teacher, I'd just like to say thank you for stating so well what I have also seen to be the case more often than not with my students. I teach in a fairly diverse (socio-economically speaking) suburban district, and for many of my students, their public school education is the only opportunity many of them have ever had to engage in different cultural experiences, like attending the theater and even going to the nearby zoo. Again, if more people supported and valued the system rather than taking for granted or ignoring it, things would indeed improve.
"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature." -- Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Peanut |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 10:09:09 AM
quote:
Despite what many outsiders believe the downfall of the public school system has more to do with lack of community support than federal and state mandates.
Amen to this. The private school where I taught takes nearly all the middle-class families out of the public school system. The families that are left in the public schools are often just trying to stay alive - education isn't imperitive. If these supportive, involved, middle class families stayed in the public school system the schools would improve dramatically.
"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| Peanut |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 10:06:00 AM
This has been really interesting to read. I'm thinking about homeschooling. Right now my daughters are in Pre-K and 1st grade and it's working out well for them, so we'll see what happens.
I feel like I have enough education and experience to make a good decision when the time comes. I was educated in a tiny private school and taught there for two years and saw that it was NOT a place I wanted my children to be - there were no standards for the teachers (only a bachelor's was required, no certification, nothing else). The school also pandered to the families with the most money.
Then I taught in a small, rural public school (the same ones my children attend)for two years and loved it. Their education is personalized (differentiation, they call it - it's required by NCLB - one of the few good parts of NCLB) and I know their teachers (grew up with some of them) and I can go there anytime, any day and be welcomed warmly.
Who knows... things may change when they get to middle school. Homeschooling is definitely something I would consider.
"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| ArmyWifey |
Posted - Jan 06 2008 : 06:44:30 AM
We have been homeschooling since 1997 -- presently have 12th,10th,8th and 2nd graders.
I started homeschooling because I felt led to by the Lord and also because I saw our public schools failing big time! Even when I took my eldest dd out in 1st grade she was already getting a surly attitude by the end of the day, the reading program they were using was supposedly phonics based but wasn't really (gh is NOT a begining phonic sound), and I was willing to try, had friends who were doing so succesfully(well behaved, attentive, smart, articulate, funny children)
So what if she's "behind" -- who sets that standard anyway? Our goal is not a genius but a well educated (liberal eduation in the sense of wide and varied which used to be the goal of ps's not just math and science)adult who loves God and others. Then you throw in the rest -- not being bullied, not having to worry about school violence (not just shootings but the stupid stuff too), not having to argue with so called professionals about what's best for my individual child (schools these days aren't about individuals and thinking for yourself), drugs, sex ed I don't agree with, evolutionary teaching (yes we do discuss it), inflexibility of schedules for our military lifestyle, and on and on.
Do I sometimes wish they had the extracurricular activites such as marching band? sure however many of the larger homeschool groups these days are offering those things. And you still can't beat homeschooling for the individual, tailored curriculum. Are there those out there who use homeschooling as a cover? sure but so do parents who send their kids to ps. And to many kiddos with "issues" still fall through the cracks. Plus there's this whole issue now of being pc -- oh we can't have an honor roll cause junior might get his feelings hurt. BUNK! and what happens when he graduates and gets a job and doesn't get pandered to? Then we wind up with what we are seeing today a whole society of people who expect handouts! It's all about ME.
There are several studies out about homeschooling and the advantages of it - check on hslda.org. Also Educating the WholeHearted Child is a great book; John Taylor Gatto's works are eye opening about ps - confirmed things I already intutively knew;Charlotte Mason's books; The Elijah Company has a great resource guide with charts showing the major homeschooling methods along with their strenghts and weaknesses. I have a friend who homeschools her ppd/autistic child and he has made tremendous strides!
Homeschooling doesn't take hours and hours a day either to be done "right" you can taylor it to your family's needs/schedules and be done in just a few hours -- be sure to include everything even your nature walks can be educational! your homeschool doesn't have to look like mine and vice versa.
My husband loves it as we have the flexibility to be off when he is! Kids like it cause we include our field trips (which sadly many ps don't really do anymore!) such as our trip to Cabrillo NM last spring when there was an extreme minus tide and we were able to get to tidepools that are usually way under water!
There are pluses and minuses as in anything in life but in my book the pluses far outweigh the minuses! All off the top of my head - gotta get breakfast if you would like to email me personally that's fine! And just look at the list of great people who were homeschooled!
Blessings,
Holly
ps- there are several threads pertaining to this subject already:
http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11298&SearchTerms=homeschool
http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12910&SearchTerms=homeschool
http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14139&SearchTerms=homeschool
http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13543&SearchTerms=homeschool
http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12854&SearchTerms=homeschool
http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12837&SearchTerms=homeschool
That's enough reading for a few days don't you think? ;)
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
http://timsarmywifey.blogspot.com
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| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Jan 05 2008 : 9:36:04 PM
Found this and thought some of you might actually find it to be of interest.
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Famous Home Schooled Individuals
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Educators
Frank Vandiver (President - Texas A&M)
Fred Terman (President - Stanford)
William Samuel Johnson (President Columbia)
John Witherspoon (President of Princeton)
Generals
Stonewall Jackson
Robert E. Lee
Douglas MacArthur
George Patton
Inventors
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
Cyrus McCormick
Orville Wright & Wilbur Wright
Artists
Claude Monet
Leonardo da Vinci
Jamie Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth
John Singleton Copley
Presidents
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
John Quincy Adams
James Madison
William Henry Harrison
John Tyler
Abraham Lincoln
Theordore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Scientists
George Washington Carver
Pierre Curie
Albert Einstein
Booker T. Washington
Blaise Pascal
Statesmen
Konrad Adenauer
Winston Churchill
Benjamin Franklin
Patrick Henry
William Penn
Henry Clay
United States Supreme Court Judges
John Jay
John Marshall
John Rutledge
Composers
Irving Berlin
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Anton Bruckner
Felix Mendelssohn
Francis Poulenc
Writers
Hans Christian Anderson
Charles Dickens
Brett Harte
Mark Twain
Sean O'Casey
Phillis Wheatley
Mercy Warren
Pearl S. Buck
Agatha Christie
C.S. Lewis
George Bernard Shaw
Religious leaders
Joan of Arc
Brigham Young
John & Charles Wesley
Jonathan Edwards
John Owen
William Cary
Dwight L. Moody
John Newton
Others
Charles Chaplin - Actor
George Rogers Clark - Explorer
Andrew Carnegie - Industrialist
Noel Coward - Playwright
John Burroughs - Naturalist
Bill Ridell - Newspaperman
Will Rogers - Humorist
Albert Schweitzer - Physician
Tamara McKinney - World Cup Skier
Jim Ryan - World Runner
Ansel Adams - Photographer
Charles Louis Montesquieu - philosopher
John Stuart Mill - Economist
John Paul Jones - father of the American Navy
Florence Nightingale - nurse
Clara Barton - started the Red Cross
Abigail Adams - wife of John Adams
Martha Washington - wife of George W.
Constitutional Convention Delegates
George Washington - 1st President of the U.S.
James Madison - 4th President of the U.S.
John Witherspoon - President of Princeton U.
Benjamin Franklin - inventor and statesman
William S. Johnson - President of Columbia C.
George Clymer - U.S. Representative
Charles Pickney III - Governor of S. Carolina
John Francis Mercer - U.S. Representative
George Wythe - Justice of Virginia High Court
William Blount - U.S. Senator
Richard D. Spaight - Governor of N. Carolina
John Rutledge - Chief Justice U.S. Supr Court
William Livingston - Governor of New Jersey
Richard Basset - Governor of Delaware
William Houston - lawyer
William Few - U.S. Senator
George Mason
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~
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| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Jan 05 2008 : 8:48:38 PM
I'm a public school teacher. I think our schools have the potential to be amazing but many families view them as "free" daytime babysitters. If parents gave more support to public schools I believe they could offer more than homeschooling can. Despite what many outsiders believe the downfall of the public school system has more to do with lack of community support than federal and state mandates.
That being said I think some people do truely educate their kids when they homeschool them. I dont think this is the majority though. We get a lot of kids that come back to school when the parents give up on homeschooling and they are several grade levels behind. The parents weren't really teaching. We also have families that choose to "homeschool" their child because he/she has discipline issues and gets in trouble a lot.
I am not knocking homeschooling and I assume most of the women here on MJF do a good job at it but I also strongly agree with public education and believe that children can really benefit from it.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
Felt and Fabric Crafts
www.willowartist.etsy.com
www.willowtreecreek.com
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