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Parenting & Farm Kids:  Anyone here homeschool?  |
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ashcordes
True Blue Farmgirl
197 Posts
Ashley
Roann
IN
USA
197 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 12:09:44 PM
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Just wondering if anyone here homeschooled their children and if so do you have any advice, etc. for me as I try to make this decision for me and my children. My hubby thinks I've lost my mind to want to try to do this, but he thinks that about most things I do that are "different from the mainstream".
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 1:31:53 PM
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I begged my husband to let me do it, he finally agreed after many months. So I set up a class room in a spare room and came up with a curriculum from my mother-in-law who is a retired teacher. My kids are only 5 and 3-April 1st, so we mostly were just "playing", but I found I was not cut out for it. I don't have the patience and I was starting to "punish" my son for not trying things. I gave it up and now he is in a Christian school. Much better for him then having me get frustrated at him.
I did find a web site about un-schooling your kids. Where you let them pick what they want to learn about and they lead the way you just guide them along. I'm not sure exactly the site,now I was just surfing the net. But the kids they were talking about that learned this way were already in Harvard at 16yrs. There is a book about it too.
This sparked my interest again, but I decided to try it along with them still going to school. My son loves the ocean, so we are going to go explore the tide pools and the aqaurium for a science lesson. He also loves helping me bake, so I try to teach him about fractions as we measure things out.
I don't mean to discourage you at all, I think it is great that you are willing to make the sacrifice and I wish you success!
Farmgirl and mother of 2
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simpler1773
True Blue Farmgirl
234 Posts
Ricki
Ashland
Wisconsin
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 2:14:36 PM
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I homeschooled my first child (now 14) until 6th grade, at which point she begged me to let her go to public school. It was a challenge for both of us, I think mostly because of our personality conflicts. She is a social butterfly and I am a caterpiller wanting to hang out in my cacoon! LOL
She had (has) absolutely no self motivation to learn, no real hobbies (unless you count talking on the phone) and most recently has been diagnosed with inattentive ADD (which explains alot). So, given the right teacher/parent, homeschooling could have been an option for her...but not with me.
I think homeschooling is absolutely wonderful, it makes me sad that it didn't work out for us. I will most likely try homeschooling with my two year old, but I think we will go a different route and try unit studies.
There is a ton of homeschooling info on the net, and if you ever want to chat about it just e-mail me anytime.
~Ricki~
You can't pour anything out of an empty vessel, take care of yourself! |
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serenity1652
True Blue Farmgirl
140 Posts
Fawn
Elkins
WV
USA
140 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 4:49:12 PM
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I homeschool two of my children they are 12 and 14. I would not do it any other way. They are pretty much self taught with very little guidence now...as they have been homeschooled their entire school years. My 14 will start on-line homeschool next year as he enters high school. If you set a structured envirnment from the beginning and homeschool is all that they know than it is a wonderful thing...I tried to homeschool my two oldest which had already experienced public school and it was a nightmare as the system has already dug its claws into them...thank God that they will graduate next year. You have to have alot of patience and strength to homeschool but the reward can outweigh the downfalls.
Good luck with you choice.
"May all of your farm girl dreams come true...as mine has"
http://shallowcreekfarm.blogspot.com/ |
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smoothiejuice
True Blue Farmgirl
6309 Posts
Jessica
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
6309 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 5:09:13 PM
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| I know a lot of people who homeschool, and some succeed and some fail, but I think that is true with everything people do. There are a lot of different methods to homeschool. Some people use groups and some rely solely on themselves. The internet is a great source and if you have a local group that you agree with their methods it can be very helpful. I originally started out thinking that I would homeschool, so I did a lot of research. At the same time I investigated all my options as far as private, parocial(sp?), and public. Well, I found a Montessori School that impressed me. So, what I do for my 7 is a combination of homeschool/Montessori. The Montessori method we practice at home works well with that of the school. We go on trips and investigate things the kids are interested in and no one is upset with us for not coming to school without a doctors excuse or anything crazy like that. Our children are protected from the aspects of public school that we do not like, we can observe the classroom at any time. We can approach the teachers about anything. Most of all our children are treated with respect and can excell at any speed that is appropriate. If you have this type of facility available to you, it is a good investment. If you want to homeschool and you have a good understanding of what you want and what your children want, then do that. Our Montessori experience has been a great one, our problem is that it is costly and we live very simply in order to make this work, that being said, next year we will have 6 children in attendance and that may be too much for our household and then the children may have to be homeschooled. I am up for that and we do a lot of homeschooling already, and we do have several great homeschool groups in the area. I am trying to come up with lots of little ways to make money on the side to help keep my kids at their school, but time will tell. I know there are a lot of internet programs available and my kids are very good at the self taught environment, because they have this at Montessori. I think it is up to the individual, you have to know how much you are willing to take on. Whatever you decide make sure your husband has full disclosure and can be involved as much as possible...this makes things run a lot smoother. |
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 7:43:05 PM
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We have homeschooled since 1997 --- just a word of encouragement to Love-in-a-mist people often "fail" when they try to emulate public school at home -- homeschool does not have to be school at home. It is about more than just academics -- all of life is a learning experience.
We have a 17yo, 14yo, 12yo and 6yo. Only the 17yo dd has ever been to ps - K and 1/2 of first grade. It takes about a year before you really decide if this is for you or not -- or you should give yourself at least that long! especially if your kiddos have been to ps at all. A lot of what we do probably doesn't "Look" like school at all but it is! Example: Field trip to San Diego last weekend -- we discussed tides, tidepools, sea creatures, island life, lighthouses, the Navy, ports& harbors, camping skills, cooking, chores, driving directions, gas prices, read aloud, played cards, walked/hiked, went to the Zoo, visted the aquarium, went to the beach (shells, rocks and gulls),visted the national monument, etc. So what did we cover? Science, Social Studies, Geography/Map skills, math, life skills, military history, American history, pe, photography,health, home economics, and manners to name a few!
If your husband doesn't support you, don't do it. It will only cause strife in your marriage and put more pressure on you.
Some great sites for info as far as figuring out what you want/beleive etc are:
http://www.homeschooloasis.com -- she has great articles on homeschooling and on a time for Mom's to develop thier philosophy.
and The Elijah company's site (thier catalog for $6.00 is SO worth it and has a great synopsis of most of the methods out there, comparing thier weakness and strengths.)
You might also look at:
http://www.amblesideonline.com -- which is homeschool curriculum based on literature and Charlotte Masons methods. It is free!
http://www.sonlight.com --- also literature/history based but not free! ;)
In reality if you have a good library and a Bible you can homeschool your kids quite well for cheap/free!
Legal issues: http://www.hslda.com has a good synopsis of laws for your state and requirements.
An encouragement for hubby might be to look up famous homeschoolers (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln are two! and the National Spelling bees and Geography bees have both been won by homeschoolers several years!) and read the articles that hslda has about the recent studies compaing hs'rs with ps'rs (hs'rs are well above average). Homeschool Oasis also has some good articles for Dad and regarding socialization (for some reason men seem to worry about this more than women... go figure)
Hope that helps!
Feel free to email me,
Holly
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 7:53:53 PM
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ps .... the family Love-in-a-mist is reffering to is probably the Colfax's who's sons all went to Ivy league schools. Homeschooling for Excellence is their book.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
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fallsfarms
Farmgirl in Training
15 Posts
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 9:27:05 PM
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Hi!
We have HSed our DD for the past 8 years.
It was not easy in the begining, our family thought we had "lost our minds"LOL!
Having come this far, I must say it has been one of the most rewarding things we have ever done!
We would do it again in a minute.
Our DD also loves the freedom of being "schooled" in a way that suits her needs.
~Joy |
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herbquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
891 Posts
Kristine
Bonney Lake
Wa
USA
891 Posts |
Posted - Feb 26 2007 : 9:28:35 PM
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It's so good to see this topic going...
We are in our 19th year of homeschooling 7 children. Only 3 are left at home now, with the rest grown.
We've always been very eclectric in our hs, starting the day with a devotional, usually have a unit study going (this is triggered by a question or intrest that the kids have, then supplimented with materials from the local library, read aloud, then the children following an indiviual path. We use scouting materals for some of our unit studies & all particpate that want to. We have each child select their own study path as soon as they want to do regular school work. Of course what they do & how long they do "school work" is very individual.
I feel everything we do in life is educational, except video games & computer games (not educational game). Each child has their own talents that they want to develop & that has been fun.
We have always lived where we could focus on "lifeskills", including gardening, animals, & even encouraged them to have their own checkbooks when they are ready. Nothing like the real thing to learn from. Our library people know us on a first name basis & we love them too.
Our youngest 2 (dd14, & ds11) are deveolomentally delayed. I was told by the "experts" that they would never learn to read. They are reading, not at grade level, but improving all the time. If they were in the school system they would never have progressed like they are.
Blessings,
Kristine ~ Mother of Many & Herbalist
www.herbalmomma.com
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smoothiejuice
True Blue Farmgirl
6309 Posts
Jessica
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
6309 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 05:55:17 AM
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| I was thinking about this some more Ashley when I was going to sleep last night, I am not sure what kind of community you live in, but ours really embraces homeschooling. If you look around you might be able to find all kinds of activities offered to hs kids. I know a lot of people worry about the social of it and the topics that they feel they are not equipped to teach well. We have lots of programs available and all are offered for hs...The Waldron Art Center offers art classes in several different mediums, and so does the IU school of education as well as Michaels craft store...Yarns Unlimited offers knitting and crochetting, Frank Southern offers ice skating lessons, Banneker Community Center has Math classes, IU scool of music offers free and reduced cost music lessons of all instruments, the Hilltop Garden Center is affiliated with IU has gardening, recycling, and environmental classes, The Mathers Museum has classes on archaeology and early man workshops, The Indiana Geological Survey is headquartered here and has loots of grad students waiting for a project. The Monroe County Public Library has tutors available during the day for reading help for homeschoolers as well as adults. As well, the librarians there are so enthusiastic and helpful for everything and we have lots of programs offered through the library for kids. The YMCA offers some nutrition classes for hs taught by a persom from the local coop. Anyway, my point is that there are programs out there at little or no cost to homeschoolers if you need to augment your curriculum. We take advantage of a lot of these programs, and I think the kids like having a variety of people to learn all kinds of interesting things from. Oh, dont forget about any parks that are near you, both state and national, they have naturalists that can be very helpful. |
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Persephone
True Blue Farmgirl
172 Posts
Katrina
Indiana
USA
172 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 08:03:52 AM
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My dd is only one year, so we don't do any homeschooling yet, but I consider us homeschoolers, since I believe learning starts at birth- she's unschooling right now. :)
When she gets older, I plan to more formally start homeschooling. I want to homeschool, because - hmm... I have a lot of reasons, trying to get my thoughts in order-- the first thing is that I believe that in our society today, families don't spend enough time together- the adults go to work in different places, and the kids get sent to daycare, and the older ones are put in nursing homes, and no one is actually at HOME very much. And I think that a big part of the breaking down of our society, is because we don't have those strong family ties, which lead to strong community ties, and outward.
The second big reason I want to homeschool, is because I don't think the public schools can do as good of a job as I can- I mean, if you could give your child personalized one to one education, wouldn't that be the best? I also think public schools tend to kill the love of learning, and I want to foster that.
And I also like spending time with my dd, and love to watch the proverbial lightbulb go on, you know? I don't want that to stop. :)
I don't plan on doing anything very structured, unless my dd shows that she needs it- that will be challenging for me, since I"m a nonstructured kind of person. I plan to use elements from all the different styles of homeschooling: Montessori and Waldorf when she's younger, but also Charlotte Mason, Unit studies, unschooling, and school at home- I also would consider outside schooling, if it seemed she needed that, but like I said, it's not my first choice for many reasons. I also plan on joining a group when she gets a bit older- maybe next year or so, because I tend to be hermitlike, and I think she needs it.
I don't think school at home works, because the school model is flawed, and home is not like school anyway. But I'm sure there are always those kids who really need that super structure. If your kids are going from public school to homeschool, I think there needs to be a "detox" period, where the child can make the switch from one to the other, because they aren't interchangable.
My ultimate goals in homeschooling are to make sure she doesn't lose that love of learning, and to teach her to teach herself- I don't plan on teaching her advanced calculus, something I'm definitely not equipped to teach, because by the time she's at that stage, she should be able to learn it herself- or we can find someone who IS able to help her learn it.
*sigh* I could ramble for a while, but so far, my theories are untested, cause I havne't done it myself yet. |
Edited by - Persephone on Feb 27 2007 08:07:05 AM |
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herbquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
891 Posts
Kristine
Bonney Lake
Wa
USA
891 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 09:16:58 AM
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After thougth...If I were to start hs all over again.....
I wish that I had read, Thomas Jefferson Education first.
But I also love anything written by the Moores.
Love of learning is the key!
Blessings,
Kristine ~ Mother of Many & Herbalist
www.herbalmomma.com
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 4:33:30 PM
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When did everybody start "formally" teaching, as in made sure your kids could pass state tests and things?
Also how are the older kids socially? That is my husbands greatest fear. At pre-school the moms talk about wether or not they are going to put their children in pub. school or keep them in Christian. I think I am the only one keeping them in Christian. The other mom's think their children won't get enough exposure to the "real" world. And be awkward later. Personally I don't want my babies exposed. But I also worry about this for home schooling and they feed my fears. It would be nice not to have to pay tuition and all the gas money. Please share your stories.
Farmgirl and mother of 2
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 6:08:09 PM
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I'll do my best to answer.... (long answer)
Personally we don't teach to test, I don't give formal grades or tests (although there are lots of homeschoolers who do) to me it is a waste of my time as I know what they know. Not all states require testing and some don't require it every year. You can also always go with an umbrella school who you send their work to and get grades back from.
My older kids are all normal, in demand babysitters, and I get lots of compliments on all of them and how mature they are for their ages and how accomplished they all are. Studies have shown that in reality homeschoolers have better social skills then their peers -- which if you think about it makes sense. Unless you absolutely isolate them at home they not only have more time to be involved in various activities but also to interact (usually on a daily basis) with people of all ages not just people their age. My children have been involved in various activities throughout the years to include: Intramural sports (not school but community), AWANA, Church youth group, Homeschool group (kids range in age from 1yr to 18), Protestant Women of the Chapel, Family Readiness Group activities, babysitting, interacting with neighboorhood kids, and we are considering 4-H when we get to KS. And that's just off the top of my head.
They have time to pursue their own interests (such as Cake Decorating and Rocketry), read classic books and think ( this is exactly what eldest dd told me when I asked what she likes about homeshooling -- I have time to think). I enjoy my teenagers and we don't have the same issues that others who's teens are in ps do- not to say they are perfect cause they aren't but they are a joy to have around. As an example at chapel a friend was asking for prayer for their cross country move with teens -- we have our moments but for the most part we have a lot of fun when we move! My children don't have problems having conversations with children of all ages or even adults.
Check out the homeschool oasis site for an article on the "real world" -- personally I don't want my kids to learn school socialization skills ie fighting, bad language, peer pressure, popularity issues, etc. I mean if you seriously consider it how much of your school skills do you really use in the real world you live in? How much do you remember or use those subjects you crammed for in college? Most adults use them very little on a day to day basis.
A good education doesn't just consist of facts -- Charlotte Mason says education isn't the filling of a bucket (facts) but the lighting of a fire (a desire to learn) and how many of us had that happen in ps? --- but a desire to learn. Most people consider someone to be well educated who is widely read (especially in the classics), can speak well in public and hold an intelligent conversation, balance their checkbook and keep good track of their finances, do reasearch and read to learn, and is passionate about their lifes work. What is your definition of a good education? If it's just to get a diploma or a degree doesn't that seem a bit narrow?
and since you say your kids are in Christian school I will also broach the subject of what does GOD want for your children? where is He calling them --- or have they had time to think about that? As they are preschoolers what do you see in them? How are you leading them to obedience to God?
My eldest daughter doesn't see any reason for higher level math and I honestly don't think the Lord is leading her to do something with her life which will require it, if she decides she needs it later she can take it in college should she decide to go --- however dd #2 is interested in a scientific field so we will require more math out of her. I mean honestly how many of us actually USE trig or calc? To me it is a waste of God given time to force dd #1 to take those subjects if God isn't calling her to one of those fields. Time that could be spent on getting to know Him and walking with Him.
As far as gaps I heard an illustration of a hammock --- it has holes in it but it still holds you up - our goal is to build the framework for our kids and let them fill in the gaps later.
I am not willing to give the ps's any control over my children. Please don't hear me tooting my own horn as it is all God --- homeschooling more than anything will teach you to lean on Him!! It's not all peaches and cream and there are days when I am ready to drive them all to the nearest ps and drop them off! It is hard and you will often feel like a loner or a fool. However I know without a doubt that this is the right thing for our family and until God tells me different we will continue even when I feel totally inadequate.
A friend hit the nail on the head recently --- here's the gist of what she said:
If you group girls with girls for Bible study you get girls, if you group girls with women you get young women.
I've seen this principal in other areas as well.
Hope that helps,
Holly
ps -- yes it is scary to start but don't let your fears keep you from where God is leading you if you really feel like that's what's going on. Step out on faith.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
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Edited by - ArmyWifey on Feb 27 2007 6:16:56 PM |
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Persephone
True Blue Farmgirl
172 Posts
Katrina
Indiana
USA
172 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 6:15:03 PM
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| Can't speak to the formally schooling question yet, the short answer is won't be doing that at all. But I wanted to say that I was in a private Christian school from first through 7th grades, and the only thing I missed out on in the private schools were bad words (though I did learn a few, they weren't tossed around like they were in PS), and sex jokes. I wasn't sheltered in any way that has impacted my adulthood, and I dare say that I got a much better religious education than my dh, who was PSed all the way. I'm glad for that today. |
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 7:02:39 PM
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Just another thought -- I know I'm draggin on here sorry!
I personally think that pre-school and even K are usually unecessary. Most kids just need parents who pay attention to them, color, play with playdough, pretend play, numbers,lots of reading aloud, copying words out of books or off signs, letters, things like that! That being said if you and hubby feels it's necessary that's fine I just wouldn't put out the money. I was worried with eldest dd (17yo) if she would measure up to all her peers when she started school. We couldn't afford pre-school and we just did at home stuff like I mentioned above but she far exceeded them from the first day of school!
Also your "real" world is different than mine......etc,etc. So what does that really mean? Define it for you. Example: The real world for my chidren includes the war in Iraq in a personal way so they know exactly where Iraq is on a map, and probably more about some of the issues than their non-military counterparts; Geography is practical -- everytime we move!; our real world means Daddy doesn't come home every night or even at the same time every night - our schedule is differnt than a 9-5 job at this point, etc......
DH is quite happy as well with homeschooling because when he's off - we're off if we want to be. We have much more flexibility to spend time together as a family and do things together without worrying about the school's schedule or how many absences we have or when we can withdraw the kids for the year, etc,etc.....
Blessings!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
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Edited by - ArmyWifey on Feb 27 2007 7:09:10 PM |
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 7:55:50 PM
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I like reading what you all have to say, so dragging on is good. lol
I'm not sure where God is calling us. My view of what home schooling consists of, is still changing and growing.
One thing I really like about Christian school is learning about the bible and applying it to life. I am a relatively new Christian and still learning and discovering things myself. There is alot that I don't know. I feel it gives them a head start on life.
In Oregon, home schoolers have to take state tests to make sure they are keeping up. That is the only reason I am bringing up testing.
I never thought about how much control you and kids have over what they learn as it relates to what they want to be. What a big head start in life. I never graduated high school, I went all the way through though. They lost me after 8th grade. And you guys are right, they killed my love of learning. I am just now discovering it again and it is so much fun. In high school if it didn't have to do with horses I wasn't listening or didn't care. When I was told I should find something else to do I just rebelled more. Throw in my parents divorce and knowing we didn't have enough money for me to go to college and I didn't graduate.
I want my children to be encouraged to follow their dreams and do what God is calling them to do.
Farmgirl and mother of 2
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Aunt George
True Blue Farmgirl
1476 Posts
Georgann
Midlothian
VA
1476 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 8:36:49 PM
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Thank you for this discussion. I have been seriously considering homeschooling my two daughters. They are doing well in PS, but there are things happening in the middle school that I really don't want to expose them too. Also there is a bill before legislators that would require all 6th grade girls to get the cervical cancer vaccine...I'm sorry, but I am against that being a mandate for school attendance for girls. There are other reasons of course, but I saw the love of learning squashed in my son in 5th grade, and I don't want that to happen to my girls. Well, getting sleepy, thanks again for this wonderful thread of conversation!
http://auntgeorgeshouse.blogspot.com/index.html
Thanks for checking out my apron and sewing musings! |
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sweetoatmealhill
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
Daile
Rockford
Michigan
11 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 9:03:31 PM
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I've only been homeschooling our 5 year old for about a year, but at this point I don't plan on making any changes. I will be the first to admit it has been a growth period for me much more than her. I've had to adjust, but God has used this to grow us both as mom/dghtr, and as individuals.
I started out with more of the traditional PS picture in my head, but that didn't really work all that well. I know there are others who's homeschooling looks quite similar to PS, but if anything I've been moving away from it. I knew that I wasn't the sort of person to research and organize my own curriculum as some I know do, so I had to work with something else. I liked the idea of the Charlotte Mason concept (basically, using quality literature to teach any subject in a wide variety of ways), but knew from the beginning that I needed more structure.
When I started I was using a book called Five In a Row. Basically you read a quality book for five days with your child, and each day would use it to study one or more different "subjects". It is a great idea, but didn't provide ME with enough structure. I would let tasks and other children take priority, and it was too sporadic to be good for anyone.
We bought Sonlight curriculum in October, and I have to say that while I don't think it's perfect at all, it was an answer to prayer. I have the choice of a 4 or 5 day schedule and it tells me exactly what I need to do each day. The beauty of this is that I can completely choose what I do and how I do it. I can take a lesson and teach it some other way, I can skip it altogether, or I can make it stretch on for weeks.
I've had to deal with my daughter fighting me (we also are too similar to not lock horns some), but God has used and is using it to do awesome things for us both. It has actually brought us closer together and continues to do so.
I also continue to struggle with what to do with the younger siblings while teaching. It's relatively easy now because teaching a kindergardener doesn't require a lot of time per se, but I see this as a growing challenge in the coming years.
Next year I'm enrolling my dghtr in a one day program at a local Christian school that will provide art, PE, music, and science. This is both for needed time for us to be apart, and to give her an even wider scope of life experiences.
By the way, I also had family worry about our kids becoming "weirdos". I have to say that my viewpoint is that if homeschooled kids grow up as unusual individuals they would have been so even if they went to PS.
If you pray about it and feel God leading you to try again, I definitely would encourage you to seek out support and resources from minute one.
Thanks for the oppurtunity to reflect, and I am praying right now for you. |
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 9:07:01 PM
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Wow, I had no idea about the cervical cancer vaccine.
We have a problem with teen pregnancy in our town. We have a teen parenting building across the street from the high school. They built it about 12 years ago when I was a sophomore. There were 2-3 pregnant girls my whole time in high school, Juniors and Seniors. This year there have been 16 in high school, 3 in Junior high and 2 in 6th grade. A few of them are on their 2nd baby. The girls are so starved for attention at home, they finally found a place to belong. The ones looking in, see all the special attention the girls are getting and decide having a baby is a good idea. It's so hard to watch and there is no easy answer. That was one of the things that got my husband to agree to home schooling.
Farmgirl and mother of 2
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 9:50:32 PM
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We used to joke that our hs pregnancy rate was because it was built over the old red light district! (seriously -- I'm from Tombstone, AZ).
just an aside
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2007 : 08:42:27 AM
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Thank you for your insight and prayers Daile. I asked my son last night what he wanted and he said for me to teach him. I asked if he would miss his friends at school and he said "Just James, but we know where he lives now"
I mentioned everybodies points to my husband and he agreed, without talking much, which is good. I'm not sure exactly where he stands on it now.
Another "problem" that keeps coming up for us, is my husband does not like farming. Right now he is the only son that has come back to the farm and his Dad can't do it alone, he is ready to slow down and retire. His parents gave us the house that they built 30 yrs ago, and moved into a smaller one on the farm. Alot of sacrifices have been made by all to keep the farm going. When his brother comes back this Fall, my husband wants to join the reserves. He got out of the Marines right before 9/11. And felt like he never got to do what he was trained to do all that time. He tried joining the fire department and became an EMT, but it's just not cutting it he says. When we got married he wanted out of the Marines so bad and to come back to the farm. It's hard for me to support him, I feel like he is being very selfish. But he makes himself miserable and everyone around him. I usually feel like it is my fault that he came back to the farm. This morning I asked him, exactly how we ended up here, because I don't remember having a conversation telling him I would only marry him if we came back to the farm.
He said it was HIM and at one point when we were engaged I was going to go to nursing school and he was going to go to sniper school. I feel better about it, but I just want to yell at him that I don't always like being a farmer's wife but that's what we chose so too bad, get over it.
I have to think about how this is going to effect my home schooling decision. If he goes back in and gets deployed, I have sooo much responsibility here. We have horses, cows, llamas, sheep, chickens, rabbits, cats, dogs, turkeys and a 4,000sq ft house and 5 acre yard. All these animals are ours too, they have nothing to do with the others on the farm. I can barely handle it all when he is here.
OK sorry for whining. Any advice?
Farmgirl and mother of 2
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_Rebecca_
True Blue Farmgirl
568 Posts
Rebecca
OK
USA
568 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2007 : 11:18:50 AM
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I homeschooled my oldest child for 2 years until a classical Christian school opened at our church. Now my oldest and my second oldest go there and they love it. I am glad that we homeschooled in the absence of a classical school for them to go to, but to be honest, there is something about them learning their subjects with other children in a classroom and having chapel once a week and having to learn with others. Their school is working on accredidation and it will go up through the 12th grade. It is a big expense to send them there, but I see so many benefits to it.
On homeschooling, we used Veritas Press for curriculum. This is what their school uses as well. We shopped at homeschool fairs and talked to lots of people. I love David Quine of the Cornerstone Curriculum too.
With Grace,
.·:*¨¨* :·.Rebecca.·:*¨¨* :·. "Take out the weeds from some wild spot, remove each stone that shows, plant seeds of friendship good and deep, and tend the plant that grows." Mary Freeman Startzman |
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2007 : 12:38:53 PM
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Shannon,
You can do it..... all those chores ARE homeschooling. ANimal husbandry, science, etc. The Bible says in John you can do NOTHING without Christ and that includes homeschooling, being a military wife, and farming! With little ones you really only spend about 1-2 hrs doing school and then you're done! (20 minutes per subject covers reading, writing/handwriting/copywork, math, Bible and spelling which is plenty in my book for kids under 4th grade!)
I've known a lot of people who get out of the military for the wrong reasons or because they thought life would be easier on the "outside" who wind up getting back in for a time. There are lots of hard things about the military but there are lots of wonderful things too.
I had lots of friends who told me I should put the kids in school while hubby was on his last deployment (2nd go round in Iraq Mar05-Jan06) and I seriously thought about it but for us this is normal and it would have been more stressful to have to deal with the school on top of everything. The kids wouldn't have known what to do.
Sometimes it helps me to sit down and make a pros and cons list, and a sample schedule to really SEE what it would be like -- if hubby can help with it that's even better.
Really cover this in prayer and with hubby too if he's willing.
Blessings,
Holly
ps--- another thin to revamp is your concept of what chores the kids can do they usually are able to do more than we give them!
Oh and can I come live with you? 4000sq ft? Yowza! None of our homes have been over 1700!!!
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
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Edited by - ArmyWifey on Feb 28 2007 12:41:30 PM |
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ArmyWifey
True Blue Farmgirl
712 Posts
Holly
Abilene
KS
712 Posts |
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2007 : 4:03:06 PM
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Lol, sure you can move in, but you have to help clean house and the barn! Oh yeah and mow and weed.
My brother came to visit last Fall. While my hubby was gone hunting, my brother was up early cutting wood and building fires. He had to help me bring feed in to the barn once. He said he wasn't coming back because it was too much work. And that I tricked him promising he could have his own room and bathroom when really I was just trying to get him here to put him to work. lol He is in the Air force.:)
Before we moved in we lived in a tiny trailer house in the front yard. I didn't know how good I had it. This house has 3 fire places and 4 bathrooms. I ran out of bathroom themes! And I Love decorating. It's not all nice and ritzy either they built it and that was it. It hadn't been worked on, painted, nothing for 30 yrs, if it broke it never got fixed because farming took all my father-in-laws time.
Oh well, I am going to talk to my husband tonight about all this. And make some pros and cons lists like you said. Thanks for the encouragement.
Shannon
Farmgirl and mother of 2
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Parenting & Farm Kids: Anyone here homeschool? |
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Anyone here homeschool?
