Any Disney Homeschoolers?

[KathyTX]

Originally posted by sha_lyn
start gently exposing them to the real issue here -- a lot of what kids learn from other kids in social situations is simply living according to "The Law of the Jungle." In our family, we have a higher set of laws to follow and I bet your family does, too.

Sha_lyn, I don't think you'd respond to anyone in the smugly superior manner espoused by this article. (Well, maybe occasionally to the particularly obnoxious busybody who is just begging to be put in their place... )

In general, a response like this would just widen the rift in understanding between PS and HS families.

Instead of insulting the institution of public schooling (and by extension families who choose to use it), wouldn't a simple, "This is what works best for us" do?

 

[crazymomof4]

Originally posted by KathyTX

Well, maybe occasionally to the particularly obnoxious busybody who is just begging to be put in their place...

Ya, like my SIL who has chosen never to have children, yet who thinks she is a virtual fountain of information bubbling over with parenting know-how, and takes a strong anti-homeschooling stance. A paraphrased version of the cited article will come in handy the next time I'm subjected to her scathing remarks.

 

[KathyTX]

Originally posted by crazymomof4
Ya, like my SIL who has chosen never to have children, yet who thinks she is a virtual fountain of information bubbling over with parenting know-how, and takes a strong anti-homeschooling stance. A paraphrased version of the cited article will come in handy the next time I'm subjected to her scathing remarks.

Okay, with folks like your SIL I don't blame you for any tactics that seem necessary!

 

[rae519]

There have been instances both positive and negative experiences with public and parochial schools with my other two children (Christopher who was homeschooled after Kayla died - 9th grade on) and Kayla who passed on after completing 1st grade.

Christopher required more attention and had a hearing loss that went undetected for several years - this made him a challenge for his teachers - some of whom took the opportunity to ridicule him, others nurtured him until his hearing was corrected. Christopher remained in public school until the death of his sister when the school system could not and would not understand that he required time to heal and therapy for both his physical and emotional pain. It was at that point that I made the firm decision to educate him myself and now that he is a Dean's List student graduating next year with nearly a perfect 4.0 GPA - when his average public school grade was "C" - tell me that I didn't do what was right for him. It proves out.

Kayla was an advanced student - she was doing 5th grade reading and 3rd grade math in 1st grade. She was not challenged and complained of being bored so she started to work on her own during library time to learn more. She would have benefitted from an accelerated program or homeschooling had she survived the car accident. She self learned piano and French from being around both in our home - she truly was a brilliant child.

Michael has had a taste of PS and prefers being homeschooled. He does much better with one-on-one and has varied interests (including meteorology, horseback riding and piano). His reading and math skills are on par with his peers and he is able to have polite and interesting conversations with both younger and older children and adults.

Yes, we must do what is best for our children - I agree 100% - I would never suggest and apologise if my comment offended any - but the parent does know what is best whether that is PS or HS or Unschooling - as long as the child learns and becomes an independent adult with life skills!

There are homeschoolers who do not follow any program and truly are not "teaching" their children anything - even with the most liberal of programs. These parents are neglectful and are as bad as teachers who can't/don't/won't teach.

I always gave my children more to do than what was required by the PS and reading a book a day for beginning readers is not unreasonable -

Again, thank you all for the wonderful Socialization information - so much of it was powerful in it's humor and message!

Whether we choose to homeschool, unschool, public school or combine any of them - our children come first and foremost!

Rae

 

[sha_lyn]

Originally posted by KathyTX

Sha_lyn, I don't think you'd respond to anyone in the smugly superior manner espoused by this article. (Well, maybe occasionally to the particularly obnoxious busybody who is just begging to be put in their place... )

In general, a response like this would just widen the rift in understanding between PS and HS families.

Instead of insulting the institution of public schooling (and by extension families who choose to use it), wouldn't a simple, "This is what works best for us" do?

If someone really seems sincere in their question or concern I certainly wouldn't give a Sug" or BS answer. However there are a few out there who's attitude as soon as they hear the term homeschool, show that they don't care what your answer is. I have an "ex" friend who knew everything DS was going through in PS, and how hard it was to make the decision to HS. However a few months later she announced that the only reason anyone would HS is because they are too lazy to get their kids up in the AM. She was so insistent on the matter that nothing would getting through to her. Finally every time it came up Iwould say "your right, it is so much easier to get up at 8 am and teach for 5 hrs, than it is to get up at 6:30 and throw my kids on a bus at 7, and have the house all to myself for 8 1/2 hours."

Now I avoid her whenever possible so I don't have ot hear about how lazy I am.

Does this mean I think anyone who sends their kid to PS is lazy or has it easy? No of course not, I was was jsut sick and tired of hearing how lazy I was, and how easy I had it because I didn't have to get up and go to work every morning.

 

[KathyTX]

Originally posted by sha_lyn
...she announced that the only reason anyone would HS is because they are too lazy to get their kids up in the AM. She was so insistent on the matter that nothing would getting through to her. Finally every time it came up Iwould say "your right, it is so much easier to get up at 8 am and teach for 5 hrs, than it is to get up at 6:30 and throw my kids on a bus at 7, and have the house all to myself for 8 1/2 hours."

Now I avoid her whenever possible so I don't have ot hear about how lazy I am.

Oh my, Sha_lyn!!! She was beyond rude... it's amazing that someone could be that rude and insensitive. Sounds like your ex-friend could have benefited from a little more "socialization!"

Originally posted by rae519

There are homeschoolers who do not follow any program and truly are not "teaching" their children anything - even with the most liberal of programs. These parents are neglectful and are as bad as teachers who can't/don't/won't teach.

And I think this type of neglect should be prosecuted. These poor kids don't have a chance.

And you had teachers who actually ridiculed Christopher??? Poor kid, I'm sorry he had to suffer through such a bad experience. He's very fortunate to have you and to have been able to put that behind him.

You have both put much thought and planning into your HSing, and it sounds like it works well for you and your kids are thriving.

(After some of these stories, I'm ready to run to our school and kiss all the teachers and staff there. Maybe we've been extraordinarily lucky, but I could not be happier with the teachers we've been blessed with so far...)

 

[sha_lyn]

There are homeschoolers who do not follow any program and truly are not "teaching" their children anything - even with the most liberal of programs. These parents are neglectful and are as bad as teachers who can't/don't/won't teach.

I'm sure they are out there, but I've never come across any who I felt didn't "teach" their children. Almost everyone I know HS because they want their children to get a better education than they could (or were) getting in the local PS or even private school. However I can think of a few I worry about because they trully don't beleive in socialzing with anyone different than them in any way (religion and race being the 2 biggies). These kids are in such a bubble, and have their minds filled with so much BS about those who aren't like them.

 

[rae519]

There have been stories in our local papers over the last few years - I live in Indiana - about parents who are "homeschooling" but the children are not being taught.

Indiana requires only that you notify the school and keep a calendar marking off 180 days of teaching. There is NOTHING else required AT ALL - no tests, no curriculums, no monitoring - NOTHING AT ALL.

That makes it very easy for those type parents to just take their children out of PS and do nothing except tell the school and make a few check marks on a calendar.


Yes, Christopher had it very hard...

Kindergarten - his teacher threw him up against the wall and told him "If I were a physically violent person, I'd hurt you right now!"
That's because he mistook the first sound of the word "smoke" as "M".
We removed him from that school after lodging a complaint.

First Grade - good teacher

Second Grade - I observed the teacher THROW a wad of paper that was his homework (that I checked and found correct and neatly done previously) in his face. I was there because I had to take him to a dental appointment and it just happened so quickly I didn't know what to say or do. Same teacher found a small pen knife that my Dad gave Christopher and confiscated it. She made a big deal out of it and this was in 1987. I didn't realize he was carrying it to show others. (Yes, that wasn't a good idea but you know kids and their proud possessions). She did say that he never opened it up just showed it off. She also made a comment about his newly adopted sister being "half black" - and who was the father. The KKK does have a hold here in Indiana and you just never know where THAT type of prejudice will come up. Anyway, that was the end of that school.

Third Grade - BEST TEACHER he ever had!

Fourth Grade -Hearing loss confirmed by MD after years of our telling him there was a problem! AMEN!

Fifth Grade - Teacher tells him that he "can't do what he wants in his life, he has to get a job and make a living". Directly contradicts our position of "do what you like and make it provide a living for you". Could not understand why he was so self-assured and confident in his abilities - basically tried to "knock him down a few pegs". We hung in there with this one.....actually made him stronger.

Sixth Grade - Both his age and teacher made it very rough going. If ever there was a personality clash, it was here. But again, we just hung in there.

Seventh Grade/Eighth Grade - He was the top runner (cross country) and "Mr. Popular" - didn't sit well at times because he did have an "ATTITUDE" and often could be politely confrontational with his teachers because we always told him that there were two sides to every story/conflict/issue and get both of them. He also would challenge information if he knew something different.

Ninth Grade - Kayla died the summer before and this year was hardest for him. We decided to homeschool in the late winter due to toooo many conflicts with the High School over his therapy sessions and depression that bordered on suicidal. It just wasn't worth it.

So in a "nutshell" - that's pretty much our story. I was glad to be able to homeschool him during his high school years and it took only 3 years of full time work to get him through and into college.
I did make him take the ACT/SAT and get his GED - which he did excellent on.

Rae

 

[crazymomof4]

Originally posted by sha_lyn
I'm sure they are out there, but I've never come across any who I felt didn't "teach" their children.

I have! I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit this but here goes.......My MIL called what she did "unschooling" but I never saw her kids doing anything that I would consider "learning". (oh, ya, I do remember seeing them do some crosswords now and then). Recently, my BIL (spoken of above) told my HS'ed son, "Ya, mom gave us stuff to do but then she went to work and **** [his sister] and I watched TV all day." His sister failed the GED exam 3 times and he never even attempted it! I do believe that these cases are by far the minority but unfortunately, these are the ones that people remember and it contributes greatly to the negative opinions of homeschooling in general. I, obviously, never let it taint my view of HS'ing. I took it as an example of "what NOT to do".

 

[GladysK]

Originally posted by sha_lyn
I'm sure they are out there, but I've never come across any who I felt didn't "teach" their children.

I know a few who are left "home alone" all day with school work while the parents work. Not all parents who say they are homeschoolling do it the correct way.

 

[sha_lyn]

Originally posted by GladysK
I know a few who are left "home alone" all day with school work while the parents work. Not all parents who say they are homeschoolling do it the correct way.

Just because a parent works does not mean that they can't HS well. There are so many self directed or distant learning programs out there. Bob Jones U offers a satelite school. there are several online school where there is a teacher in constant contact with the students. Personally I don't like the idea of it (working while the child is at home "schooling") until high school. DS actually does better if I pretty much leave him alone. I give him an outline of what to get done with a 45 day period, and I hlep him manage his time each week. We check him work together once a week, unless it is something he has had problems wtih. With GBA I gave him exams each 1/4 and we sent those into the school. With the new school he will receive a detailed outline of what to study and several self-test. I'm not sure how often they require exams.

 

[rae519]

I became very ill during high school and had to stay home for a long time. My Mom had to work so it was up to me to keep up with my assignments for school, etc. As a self-motivated student, I was able to not only meet but exceed the expectations and was further along than my peers when I returned.

It is possible but the student MUST have motivation and determination or it won't work.

Rae

 

[crazymomof4]

I was just speaking with my Mom about this and was wondering if anyone else has encountered this:

My DS (14) went to PS until completion of 6th grade. I've heard that it takes about 1 yr. to "de-program" them from the PS student's mentality that learning is a drudgery, something you only do bc. you HAVE to. My DS was born with a love of learning. When he was 3 and 4 he always wanted to be read to from the enclyclopedia. I distinctly remember one night I wanted his bedtime story to be "The 3 Little Pigs" and he wanted "Science and Technology Illustrated, volume I". I can't be sure, but I think perhaps 6 hours in school, followed by an average of 3 hrs. of homework played a part in squelching that.
I know that thirst for knowledge is still in there, somewhere. This past year he taught himself to play the guitar and he's really good! He enjoys watching things on The History Channel and The Discovery Channel, but put a textbook in front of him and he rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh. Don't get me wrong. the HS year went better than I expected. He finished with a 94 average in 6 subjects. But he doesn't exactly knock me over running for the texts each morning!
It's only been a yr. since we started HS'ing so I know I can't expect too much but has anyone else experienced this? How much can I write off as a typical teenage response to schooling of any type? What can I do to foster the love of learning that he once had?

 

[Steve H.]

Originally posted by crazymomof4

My DS (14) went to PS until completion of 6th grade. I've heard that it takes about 1 yr. to "de-program" them from the PS student's mentality that learning is a drudgery, something you only do bc. you HAVE to. My DS was born with a love of learning. When he was 3 and 4 he always wanted to be read to from the enclyclopedia. I distinctly remember one night I wanted his bedtime story to be "The 3 Little Pigs" and he wanted "Science and Technology Illustrated, volume I". I can't be sure, but I think perhaps 6 hours in school, followed by an average of 3 hrs. of homework played a part in squelching that.

You just described my childhood to a tee (including the strange coincidence of the love of encyclopedias) -- right up to the school squelching learning part. I thrived in school, loved most subjects and dealt with those I didn't particularly enjoy (Language and History, specifically). My question would be: if I was homeschooled, would I have been able to just blow off those subjects that I didn't care for? Doesn't that stifle a well-rounded education?

 

[Beechparty]

You don't blow them off but use different strategies to make them interesting. Needless to say, I have not really found a way to make grammar or writing interesting to 14 ds. Now history is another story, wow you can really make it interesting compared to most ps. My ds knows more about history than I will ever know in my lifetime( which btw has already been quite a few years,LOL)
The other thing is you can find curriculum that matches your child's learning method (ie, auditory, visual, etc.)

 

[Steve H.]

Good point, that makes sense. Thanks.

 

[sha_lyn]

crazymomof4 ... wow I could have written your post a yr ago. We too pulled DS out after 6th grade. The 1st yr of HS'ing went pretty rough at times. What you describe sounds just like DS (loved to learn but hated text books). 2 things that really inproved things this yr are:

I looked into several text books and DS and I together picked out what he would use.

I gave him more control over what/when he learned.
I gave him an outline that was broken into 45 day 1/4. I asked that he cover each subject at least once during the week and he had to follow the GA law of 4.5 hrs of work per day. The more control he had over his work the easier it was to get him to do it. Now he'll break the 45 days into 9 weeks. If by Friday he has finished all the book work he gets a free day and can play education computer games, read etc.

Since your DS like watching education programs you should check out the Discovery channels Assignment Discovery programs. They will begin airing again in Sept at 9am EST. They even has online lesson plans for the shows.

http://school.discovery.com/

 

[rae519]

WOW! Thanks for that link to Discovery! It's a wonderful program!

Rae

 

[house_of_princesses]

My computer isn't feeling well, so I can't refer back easily, but to Mom whose son is de-programming...

IMHO, the hardest thing for a new HS family to do is leave the PS way of life behind. A mistake often made by new HS families is re-creating the classroom at home. Why does he have to have a text book at all? Give him literature, good literature. A program our family enjoys is Learning Language Arts through Literature. It covers grammar, spelling, composition, handwriting and reading. Science, purchase some chem kits for the home, study the microscope or the stars, visit nature centers, national parks or the local pond. For history, well, I could go on forever. Our basic tools for history are a time line created by the student, a history outline almanac (ie. Kingfisher History Encyclopedia) and period related novels. You could build salt maps, put on a play, make a papier mache Roman helmet, serve a medieval feast... the ideas are endless. Of course, travel is always a plus. Visit some Civil War battlefields, explore the Alamo, study the Grand Canyon.

Now, math, well, that's a challenge in our home. And requires some text material. But there are also additivies..Critical Thinking Press books, Family Math, Whatever Happened to Penny Candy. There's also opportunity for a small business enterprise run by your child/ren.

Do a unit study on something your child/ren find intriquing. Somewhere out there is a spark for that love of learning. You may not find it immediately, but it's there!

I just re-read my words... Up at the top I said something about breaking free of the PS life style. I DO NOT criticize a families decision, whatever it is, (barring abusive behavior) in their schooling decision. To clarify, one reason we HS is because our child/ren learn differently. The nature of PS is to teach to a group. It's just the way it is. We as HS have more flexibility in that regard. Is it better? Sometimes. Right? For my family, yes, for yours? Only you can say. No judgements here, please.

 

[house_of_princesses]

Uh-oh... I re-re-read my post, looking for potential pitfalls... I found another. I said:

A mistake often made by new HS families is re-creating the classroom at home.

I don't mean that re-creating the classroom is a bad thing. Just not for everyone. If a child isn't doing well in PS, it may be text book learning isn't his/her thing. So why would it be different at home? Some children need a different approach, and that's my point.

Didn't mean to offend anyone, and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. There's just too much to say, and so little space!