Home School

[ohioMickey]

Any other DVCers out there Home School?

We have DS 4 (home preschool) and DD 6 (home 1st grade). It sure makes going in the off season much easier!

And don't give me any grief about socialization! When she is not doing school work, DW runs herself ragged taking the kids to weekly ice skating group, swim-gym-and art group, symphony group, and our church AWANA group.

Anyway, just wondered if any one else out there home schools or is thinking about doing it.

And PLEASE don't move this to the community board (it probably fits in better there) because I am particularly interested in DVCers who home school.

 

[Lesley]

We also homeschool...or actually unschool. My ds is 6 and a kindergartener on his own terms and my dd is pre-pre-K...unschooling talking and climbing and all those other things 14 month olds do. I know if my kids were schooled DVC wouldn't make nearly as much sense for us.

And I agree about socialization (actually all parents teach their kids socialization skills, or should!...you don't want kids being taught how to interact with others from kids who are just as inexperienced at it as they are!) but as far as opportunities to be with other kids we've got skating and tae kwon do, and other friends and social situations too. One friend who pulled her son out of school this year said "he didn't have any friends at school anyway!" about her little guy, who is quite the individualist.

 

[ptrbryant]

We're preparing to homeschool our 5 year old DS this fall and will be taking our first ever trip to WDW in November. He likes geography and I think it will be fun to learn about the countries featured at EPCOT before the trip.
Glad you started this thread!
Karla B.

 

[KathyR]

I home school our children too Our DD is going to be 6 this summer and is halfway through 1st grade, and our DS is going to be 4 this summer and right now just learns along with her (at a slower pace of course .) He will officially start Kindergarten later this year

Boy do they grow up fast, and I am just so happy to be able to spend as much time as I do with them. For MY family home schooling is perfect.

Our children are very well "socialized" as well. I honestly don't think this is as big an issue as people would like to make it. I don't remember socializing that much in school. School was just an avenue to meet friends, and the socializing took place after school. My children meet plenty of other children through other extra-curricular activities.

I just love to watch them learn. There is nothing better than seeing the looks on their faces when they "get it." I LOVE it!!!

I also love being able to visit WDW when it works for us! Rather than when it works for the schools. Being a DVC member just sweetens the pot a bit

 

[MosMom]

I'm currently considering homeschooling my daughter who is only 3.5 at the time. One of my main issues with school is how lazy they have become in finding creative ways to teach kids. Disney has started something (can't remember name) that I saw in a magazine the other day where instead of sitting at a desk reading about ancient clay pots, you see a picture of the teacher & classroom out in an open fire making clay pots.

A friend of mine lives in southern california & her son was learning about spanish missions in school. She said they just sat at their desk reading about them in a book when there were 5 actual historic spanish missions just blocks down the street. My friend took her son on a weekend to tour the missions & he now appreciates that history far more than he did before the tour. She is also considering homeschool as well.

When I was in high school, I volunteered & went through courses that invovled dolphins. I lived in the Florida Keys throughout the summer of my senior year & was allowed to participate in a course that at the time only college students were allowed to. It was my career path to work with dolphins in a non intrusive research environment. I was back in school & had the opportunity to go to a week long conference on marine mammal biology in Texas so I planned the trip. When I went to okay this with my high school they threatened to FAIL me if I went because I would miss over the allowed 7 days per semester. They did not consider the educational value of this trip & how it directly helped my career goals. High School is supposed to prepare you for your career, yet they were too wrapped up in beaurocratic nonesense to see that. Finally, my dad went in & ranted so they allowed me to go.

I don't want this for my daughter, I want my daughter to have an education that won't limit her. My only fear is that I won't be able to give her the adequate academic teaching she needs. I know we get teaching aids (booklets not people) just like school teachers do, but I still worry. I've also heard of tutors available for subjects the parents aren't quite up to par on (math *cough* math).

We are considering joining the DVC & I think our decision on homeschooling will be the deciding factor. We wouldn't get enough use out of it if she were in traditional school.

 

[sha_lyn]

I was really preparing to start HS this coming up school yr but noe my DS is begging to give middle school a try. If he werre going to still be at the elementary school we would HS for sure. I will be HS my DD starting in the fall for preschool.

 

[tink2dw]

From the parents veiw Jr. High school is THE hardest set of scooling to get through[Dd is a freshman at the High School this year] If I thought I could have [not very well Educated myself and Dd resists learning anything from parents] Those are the years I would have HS her!! Dd was miserable!!!

Jr. high was where swear word were all the that came out of the boys mouths. The teasing is fierce,bone cutting painful. Girls are more cruel to each other.

And we have all seen what boys do they get guns!!!


I would continue to Home School right up to High School,where all students enter a on to a level playing field. IMHO FOR WHAT ITS WORTH!!

 

[eeyore0062]

My hat is off to all of you wonderful parents that home school!!! You are giving your child not only the gift of education, but the gift of yourself!!! I wish I had the patience to do it...my DH does--(and the brains, too), but he is finishing up his degree and wouldn't have the time necessary to devote to it. I would love for it to be an option for us, but for now, it just isn't.

Again, I wish you every success!!!

 

[Maleficent2]

I am really considering this but I have to find out the laws about it in my state Tennessee.


My DH needs to be swayed he says he needs to socialize with children his own age but that is what I am afraid of partly.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Mal

 

[sha_lyn]

maleficent2..check out this site for links to Tenn. organzationsHomeschooling....A Light at the End of the Tunnel . therre is a lot of great information on this site.

 

[LisaR]

OhioMickey,
Thanks for the great post! We have just started considering homeschooloing. I never even gave it a thought that we could use our DVC more efficiently if we homeschool! Just another advantage.

I just started searching the web for some HS sites. There are a ton. Some are useful and others aren't. If anyone has any good sites to share, I would really appreciate it. You can post here or feel free to email me. Thanks so much!

lisarigg@mediaone.net

 

[piratesmate]

Reading this thread has made me soooo jealous! We were able to do this for DS a number of years ago, but are unable to do so for DD! (financial reasons - mom must work!)

My hat is off to those of you who are able! I encourage those who have mentioned that they are thinking about it to give it a try. It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. DS is now 20 and I can see the ways in which he benefited by HS.

BTW - I know you didn't post to hear about socialization, but I want to mention that DS was unable to engage in many social activities before we decided to home school him. He was having difficulty with the classroom environment, spent most recess time at his desk completing work (despite our arguments against this) and then spent all night & all weekend trying to "catch up!" Believe me, this was AWFUL! When he was home, he completed his work very quickly and had many opportunities for additional learning that interested him, as well as time to spend with friends. PA has a large number of HS families & I've known more than a hundred such families. I've only ever met one family that did not provide their children with more (& better) opportunities for socialization than they had while in school! In addition, the socialization is positive - instead of questionable!!

 

[vwrose14]

For those of you that are told that your child needs to socialize with kids their own age. What is that about? I am a mother of 3 and I homeschool and I am 32 and I just don't socialize with 32 year olds

 

[Lesley]

My favorite homeschooling site is
Kaleidoscapes

Hope that helps someone!

(I fixed the link...I spelled it wrong the first time )

 

[ohiominnie]

I'm so excited to have found homeschooling Disney fans!!!!

I'm the "DW who runs herself ragged" that ohiomickey spoke of!

We had considered homeschooling for awhile, and one of the things that helped us decide to do it was that we could take family vacations easier. At the time our dd was in public school kdg and we had planned on taking her out every year for a week of Disney. Then we realized we would want to take her out a week to ski every year.... and pretty soon she'd be home with us more than at school!! So why not homeschool The straw that broke the camel's back was the death threat she received in kdg from a troubled little boy suffering "anger issues" (according to his counselor) Long story. :/

Maleficent2, check out www.hslda.org It's the Home School Legal Defense Association. They have all the information about laws and requirements for each state. Homeschooling is LEGAL in all 50 states. It will vary what notification the state needs and what assessments are required to make sure you child is progressing.

Lesley, that website looks really cool!! I'm going to have to surf that for awhile!! Thanks for sharing!

eeyore0062, I too thought I wasn't smart enough to homeschool my kids. I got good grades in school, but prompty forgot most of what I learned after I turned the test into the teacher. Believe it or not, it wasn't THAT long ago that I asked my dh "now...WHO won the revolutionary war???" Because I'm homeschooling I've re-learned a lot of what I have forgot and it's been SOOOO fun for me!!! (I even know who won the Civil War!! -- don't know all the battle sites yet, but my dd is only 6!!)

LisaR, how old are your kids? Mine are 6 and 4. Our major curriculum is Five in a Row www.fiveinarow.com We also supplement with Reading and Math programs. Five in a Row teaches most subjects out of children's picture books. We really like the flexibility of the program.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!! Hope to hear more about your families.

Anyone going to be at WDW this May (11-20) or December (can't remember dates)???????

ohiominnie

 

[Disneydenise]

My hat is off to all of you who Home School. I could never do it because I am too easy and they would be happy kids but not real bright. The nicest boys my DD know in the band were both home schooled until sophmore year of high school. They are both in National Honor Society and respectful young men. I am sure they will both be having the colleges fight for them to attend. I am having a great time just trying to get my own son to do what he has to inorder to get the grades he capable of getting.

 

[LisaR]

OhioMinnie and Lesley,

Thanks for some great websites. I have been reading all night!

Here is my situation. Any comments, suggestions, etc are greatly appreciated.
We have a DD (6 next week) and DS (4 in August). DD is very smart. She is in a Montessori school in K. She is not a genius by any means but she is doing 2nd and 3rd grade work according to her teachers. Public school is out of the question. We went to an open house and their 1st grader were doing things she was doing at 4.

Here are my two BIG issues with Montessori.

1. She already has 40 minutes of homework in K. In 1st grade it will take at least 1 hour to do her homework. I think that is a lot for a 6 year old. Also, any work that is not finished in class, goes home in addition to homework. If it isn't completed that night, she will get a zero. I have talked to many parents in the elementary program who say their kids have 2 hours of homework. I am all in favor of a strong academic program but I think they are going overboard.

2. The price. It isn't cheap!

All that being said, she LOVES school. I am not sure if I am doing the right thing. I just don't know with her.

My DS on the other hand, would love to be HS! He is a normal kid but really likes to do things at his pace. A real hands on kind of boy.

Anybody been through this before? Any advice at all will really be appreciated.

Lisa

 

[sha_lyn]

I am not against Home waork but I think it should not be given before 3rd grade,(other than review work and studying etc). I find our local school is very inconsistant about work. In 5th grade my son had 2-3 hrs of HW a night. In 6th he might have 15 min a week. I have heard that in middle school it is 3-5 hrs a night. If the school has my child for 8 hrs a day why can they not get most of the work done then? It is because they spend no time doing work in class. He is still begging to go to PS next year even though he has gone from an A student with high test scores to a C student with low scores.
I have a freind in the next county whos son is a grade below my DS. This child has a book report every 6 weeks. My son has nver had to do one in school. It seems the work in the other school is way above what my son is studying at school. I really think his school has not taught at a high enough level for him to keep up next yr.

 

[eeyore0062]

We will be in WDW May 17-22. We are staying at CBR, we did not request a certain section because I am a castmember and can't do that. We will be in a non smoking area though, since it is a medical necessity. We have a DD in 1st grade, too. She will be celebrating her 7th birthday. Maybe we can meet up while we are there. 9 days and counting!!!

HaPpY VaCaTioN!!!

 

[ohiominnie]

LisaR,

WOW! That would be a LOT of homework for a little one!!!!

One of the (many) reasons I love homeschooling so much is that my kids have time to be that...KIDS!! At the elementary level "sit down" school work can be completed in 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Of course, there are MANY other opportunities throughout the day for "teachable moments." (my dh cringes at that word!) But seriously....we make homemade bread frequently.. what a great way to teach about yeast, math (measuring), following directions (reading a recipe), kitchen safety, nutrition...etc etc!! And a walk down our street doesn't have to be just a walk...we can talk about seasons, insects, safety (again), etc etc. We could even do math...counting by 4's...how many wheels have passed us so far? 4, 8, 12, 16, etc.

The way I see it....kids in "real" school have 7-8 hours of on-site school time, an hour or more of homework a night, dinner, a bath, and then bedtime. Where is the time to spend with family around a board game? Or reading stories? Or just plain playing with their siblings? Now, throw in some soccer practice or piano lessons and you've got even LESS free time! (actually...my dd's bus ride round trip would be 1 1/2 hours a day....we could be DONE with school in the time it would take her to travel to school and back!!!)

One more thing...we can spend time each day in prayer, or learning household skills (cleaning, laundry, etc) or spend time on character issues. When something comes up, we can tackle it. If it came up while my dk's were at school, I may never know about it.

Oh, I could write so much I'd blow up the server when I tried to submit my message....but I'll stop blabbering now. Suffice it to say I am a strong proponent of homeschooling. I know that there are some people who can't do it (esp for financial reasons) but I'd say if you CAN do it, try. You'll really love the relationship that you'll foster with your child.

Hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

ohiominnie