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re: RealTalk: Homeschooling
Posted on 10/28/14 at 12:47 pm to 3nOut
Posted on 10/28/14 at 12:47 pm to 3nOut
First of all: I'm a public school teacher.
Pros:
I'll say this: with online education, khan academy, and the various avenues out there in the modern age, homeschooling is increasingly attractive.
The AAA (Arkansas Athletics Association) just passed a law allowing homeschooled kids to participate in public school athletics. So, you can homeschool your kid and still have them on the local high school sports teams.
I also think there are plenty of homeschool/unschool parenting associations out there that get together for field trips and educational activities. This goes a long way to help with socialization.
Problems:
If they're going to make the transition to public school eventually, it's very important that you, as a parent, have access to and understand the curriculum's scope and sequence. Otherwise, they could enter into public in like 5th grade and not be on grade level (most likely, they'll probably be above grade level, though... but it's possible that the public schools might hold them responsible for some learning that you didn't realize they "needed" to know).
A lot of public school, unfortunately, is about having the right habits and attitudes, moreso than actual intelligence. A lot of homeschooled kids struggle with the transition to public schools due to the amount of busy work, focus on deadlines, and penalization for not completing busy work or meeting deadlines.
As much as I hate standardized testing in general, it does do a good job of ensuring that your kid is "on grade level," especially as they build up their foundation. My youngest son is smart as hell (my oldest has some developemental issues). I've always thought he was a great reader and totally on grade level. Then I found out, through the public school's assessment program, that he actually was behind on his fluency. Without the standardized assessment tools, I wouldn't have realized that and addressed it.
If you have Special Ed kids (I have one), then the right public school can be a miracle worker (the wrong one can also be a destroyer). Our schools have done amazing work with my son and continue to do so. They have the support staff and programs in place that I just couldn't possibly replicate at home. Nor would I have the patience to do so.
Good luck!
Pros:
I'll say this: with online education, khan academy, and the various avenues out there in the modern age, homeschooling is increasingly attractive.
The AAA (Arkansas Athletics Association) just passed a law allowing homeschooled kids to participate in public school athletics. So, you can homeschool your kid and still have them on the local high school sports teams.
I also think there are plenty of homeschool/unschool parenting associations out there that get together for field trips and educational activities. This goes a long way to help with socialization.
Problems:
If they're going to make the transition to public school eventually, it's very important that you, as a parent, have access to and understand the curriculum's scope and sequence. Otherwise, they could enter into public in like 5th grade and not be on grade level (most likely, they'll probably be above grade level, though... but it's possible that the public schools might hold them responsible for some learning that you didn't realize they "needed" to know).
A lot of public school, unfortunately, is about having the right habits and attitudes, moreso than actual intelligence. A lot of homeschooled kids struggle with the transition to public schools due to the amount of busy work, focus on deadlines, and penalization for not completing busy work or meeting deadlines.
As much as I hate standardized testing in general, it does do a good job of ensuring that your kid is "on grade level," especially as they build up their foundation. My youngest son is smart as hell (my oldest has some developemental issues). I've always thought he was a great reader and totally on grade level. Then I found out, through the public school's assessment program, that he actually was behind on his fluency. Without the standardized assessment tools, I wouldn't have realized that and addressed it.
If you have Special Ed kids (I have one), then the right public school can be a miracle worker (the wrong one can also be a destroyer). Our schools have done amazing work with my son and continue to do so. They have the support staff and programs in place that I just couldn't possibly replicate at home. Nor would I have the patience to do so.
Good luck!
0
Posted on 10/28/14 at 12:53 pm to Pavoloco83
quote:
A lot of advantages to Home Schooling. My brother and his wife do it with their younger kids. Where I never understood how it worked is what if your kid has trouble with math and you yourself werent that strong in it? (Im talking algebra and up). Or how does your kid take French, or Physics, or Chemistry that requires either knowledge or facilities you dont have?
Modern homeschooling is often only partially done in the home. I did almost all my subjects in the home, while my sister (8 years younger) did almost all outside classes.
If you are going to do it right, you need to get involved in a homeschool co-op in the area. The other parents will let you know if someone locally is teaching advanced classes for homeschool kids, like biology, chem, history, etc. No parents are good at all subjects, and if you are weak at math, find a local co-op class (some are free, most are not) and send your kid. They will get some socialization and you'll get some time during the week with them out of the house.
Also: Make sure to read up on the state laws for homeschooling, as they vary widely from state to state. Texas has almost no requirements, while New York requires annual social worker visits and standardized tests. Your local co-op will help with that as well, and you can find a lot online at [link=(HSLDA.org)]The Homeschool Legal Defense Association[/link].
This post was edited on 10/28/14 at 12:57 pm
Posted on 10/28/14 at 2:41 pm to 3nOut
The thing about homeschooling is it leaves kids with a lot of blindspots.
I dated a "normal" girl who was homeschooled for 2 years but she knew surprisingly little about real world things like parties, drugs, porn, crime, etc.
I know all of those things sound like something you'd want to protect your kid from but at the same time she had no clue how to take care of herself in college if I hadn't done it for her.
I dated a "normal" girl who was homeschooled for 2 years but she knew surprisingly little about real world things like parties, drugs, porn, crime, etc.
I know all of those things sound like something you'd want to protect your kid from but at the same time she had no clue how to take care of herself in college if I hadn't done it for her.
Posted on 10/28/14 at 3:24 pm to 3nOut
I don't have any credible input here since I attended a private school, but if you do homeschool, get them into extracurricular activities such as sports. Let them figure things out the hard way too. Maturity doesn't come with age, it comes with experience. Something my dad taught me at a young age.
Posted on 10/28/14 at 8:58 pm to cokebottleag
quote:
If you are going to do it right, you need to get involved in a homeschool co-op in the area. The other parents will let you know if someone locally is teaching advanced classes for homeschool kids, like biology, chem, history, etc. No parents are good at all subjects, and if you are weak at math, find a local co-op class (some are free, most are not) and send your kid. They will get some socialization and you'll get some time during the week with them out of the house.
Absolutely. This would be my advice as well.
Also if you're considering re-entering them at some point you're going to need to keep very detailed records in regards to their grades, attendance, etc. I know in our district if they do not show records that can be kept up, they can actually be placed in the most acceptable grade by age and not academic progress.
Posted on 10/28/14 at 9:01 pm to 3nOut
The fact that homeschoolers are over represented on the rant should tell you something...and it's not a good thing.
Posted on 10/29/14 at 5:30 am to KSGamecock
You're on here too fricker.
Posted on 10/29/14 at 6:37 am to 3nOut
High school is a social experience as much as it is a learning one. I don't think I would ever home school.
Posted on 10/29/14 at 6:37 am to 3nOut
High school is a social experience as much as it is a learning one. I don't think I would ever home school.
Posted on 10/29/14 at 9:53 am to TeLeFaWx
interesting points from all involved. the general consensus (to me at least) is, it's not a terrible thing, just make sure that your kids have a normal social life and do drugs and hookers before you send them off to college so they don't go psychobinging upon not living under my roof.
This post was edited on 10/29/14 at 9:54 am
Posted on 10/29/14 at 9:58 am to 3nOut
All of the homeschooled kids that I knew came from super religious families. I don't really know what they ended up doing. But I remember thinking they were weird....and that was saying something, because I was a weird little kid.
Posted on 10/29/14 at 10:02 am to 3nOut
Weird parents homeschool weird kids.
Normal people who homeschool end up fine, and you seem extremely normal.
Weird parents that send a kid to public school can possibly end up with a prety cool kid, thanks to outside influences..
Normal people who homeschool end up fine, and you seem extremely normal.
Weird parents that send a kid to public school can possibly end up with a prety cool kid, thanks to outside influences..
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