*** Homeschool List ***

[disneymom3]

Hey Guys,
Sorry I have been out camping and came back. Started reading; what are we all joining?

Sadly, we are all still just joining this list! I would so love to have our own forum/subforum but so far that is not happening. Keep posting and maybe they will decide we are active enough.


I have a question for everyone. We have a co-op that we are trying to figure out what to categorize as. We who are in it are all Christian but we do not teach church/religion/faith related issues at co-op. Our stance is that each family wants to address that at home in what way works for them. What we are finding is that we have trouble with people expecting us to be very religious or getting this attitude that we are not Christian at all because we don't open every class with prayer. We need to figure out what to call ourselves. Secular does not feel right, but yet we don't want to go with being a Christian group either as we don't want to set up that expectation. We have had issues in the past with, for instance, a mom that got very very upset when the kids were learning what the 7 Pillars of Islam are. (We were studying the SOTW book which covers Mohammed.) The kids weren't even memorizing them or anything just learning WHAT they were. Anyway, she left in a big uproar.

So, anyone got any good ideas for how to state what we are??

 

[andrychowski]

We are about to begin homeschooling in a few weeks. My oldest is going to start K and I am using the A Beka program.

I am using Abeka for the 3rd year with my 3rd grader and beginning again with my 1st grader. I really like it. I am sure you will, too. I love the way it includes Bible lessons with the materials everyday.

 

[sha_lyn]

I have a question for everyone. We have a co-op that we are trying to figure out what to categorize as. We who are in it are all Christian but we do not teach church/religion/faith related issues at co-op. Our stance is that each family wants to address that at home in what way works for them. What we are finding is that we have trouble with people expecting us to be very religious or getting this attitude that we are not Christian at all because we don't open every class with prayer. We need to figure out what to call ourselves. Secular does not feel right, but yet we don't want to go with being a Christian group either as we don't want to set up that expectation. We have had issues in the past with, for instance, a mom that got very very upset when the kids were learning what the 7 Pillars of Islam are. (We were studying the SOTW book which covers Mohammed.) The kids weren't even memorizing them or anything just learning WHAT they were. Anyway, she left in a big uproar.

So, anyone got any good ideas for how to state what we are??

How does Inclusive sound?

As for the mother who left in an uproar.... LOL, I wonder if she is one of the folks that left a negative feedback on amazon for SOTW vol 2.
Seems there are several opinions left that either complain that SOTW is too Protestant or too Pagan.
I was on the fence about using SOTW again (I wanted something more complete out of the box etc)until reading those reviews. I figured if it was pissing off enough people, then I must be on the right track LOL.

 

[sha_lyn]

So speaking of Secular....

Anyone else here a secular/non-Christain homeschooler?

 

[disneymom3]

How does Inclusive sound?

As for the mother who left in an uproar.... LOL, I wonder if she is one of the folks that left a negative feedback on amazon for SOTW vol 2.
Seems there are several opinions left that either complain that SOTW is too Protestant or too Pagan.
I was on the fence about using SOTW again (I wanted something more complete out of the box etc)until reading those reviews. I figured if it was pissing off enough people, then I must be on the right track LOL.

sha_lyn, you crack me up!! Inclusive would be good. Thanks for the suggestion. I will run it by the other members. We did have a woman who is Buddhist last year and while things did not work out familywise, I know faithwise she never felt uncomfortable.

 

[lori1043]

I am Christian and felt God led me to HS, but, did not start it BECAUSE of that,like so many. It has been a big perk for our family though! I would join a secular group although I find being around other Christians and thier views as enlightening(sometimes frustrating and other times, uplifting). We are Harry Potter reading Christans if you get that drift! That is a subject I wish not to address b/c I have before and it ain't worth the aggravation and everyone has good points.it's personal choices I find other Christians can attack and that is not thier business! I feel that is NOT a Christian thing to do!
Lori

 

[SeptemberGirl]

Please include me as interested in a forum for this!

Two questions, related to two recent posts -

Secular/non-religious homeschooling - is there such a thing? I wonder, because while we are religious, we are not in line with many materials out there. What do you use? How do you do it?

Also, there are faith-based programs that teach about other religions? Really?

And...what's a coop re homeschooling?

I'm very new to this, considering it. Thanks for your time!

 

[mousehouselover]

I am Christian and felt God led me to HS, but, did not start it BECAUSE of that,like so many. It has been a big perk for our family though! I would join a secular group although I find being around other Christians and thier views as enlightening(sometimes frustrating and other times, uplifting). We are Harry Potter reading Christans if you get that drift! That is a subject I wish not to address b/c I have before and it ain't worth the aggravation and everyone has good points.it's personal choices I find other Christians can attack and that is not thier business! I feel that is NOT a Christian thing to do!
Lori

This pretty much summerizes us. We were led to HS as this is what is best for our children but we do not include religion in everything we do. We teach and rely on a lot of world experience and learn about other cultures and religions. To focus on just being Christians or believing Christianity is the only religion is very narrow minded. I have seen children (my cousin included) that were so strongly Christian oriented while homeschooling they had a had time fitting in and making the most out of college. My cousin got a degree in cultural music so she could go on missions trips. She tried putting a Christian slant in every paper she had to write and if she performed solo, it was always a Christian piece. I think there is nothing wrong with having very strong beliefs but there comes a point when you have to open up to other thoughts and points of view. You don't have to accept them as your own but learning about other beliefs helps foster peace and understanding; it also prepare you for counter arguments when you feel that belief is mistaken.

 

[Tink561]

Please include me as interested in a forum for this!

Two questions, related to two recent posts -

Secular/non-religious homeschooling - is there such a thing? I wonder, because while we are religious, we are not in line with many materials out there. What do you use? How do you do it?

Also, there are faith-based programs that teach about other religions? Really?

And...what's a coop re homeschooling?

I'm very new to this, considering it. Thanks for your time!

Yes, there is such a thing. We're in the same boat. We're Christian but I choose not to use many Christian materials. Much of what I have found is not in line or I think it's over the top. I would rather have secular educational materials and add the religious material I want to cover on my own.

A coop is usually where a group of parents take turns teaching subjects in groups.

 

[sha_lyn]

Secular/non-religious homeschooling - is there such a thing? I wonder, because while we are religious, we are not in line with many materials out there. What do you use? How do you do it?

There are many non Christian home-schoolers in my area. We belong to a Pagan based HS group and a couple of secular groups.

As for curriculum. I pull from a lot of various sources. Thsi yr we are using

Singapore Marth

Easy Grammar

Easy Writing

Spectrum Reading, Speilling and vocabulary

Handwriting without Tears Cursive

SOTW vol 2 as our history spine and suplementing as needed with Usborne Internet link Histroy Encyclopedia, library booke etc

American Education Publisher's Maps and Geography

For science we are studying earth and space this yr.
I'm using a combination of http://msnucleus.org/curriculum/curriculum.html and an online program (that I can't remember the name of right now LOL)

 

[Happyflower]

Just saw this thread! I have been homeschooling for 5 years and love it! Especially when you can pick out the best times to go to Disney. The only problem, I am back in college working on my Phd., so I have to plan Disney around my school.

 

[lori1043]

I feel learning about different cultures/religions is necessary. If you learn only one view, and even one that you have strong beleifs in, how can you KNOW WHY it's for you. For me, part of my faith journey has been opening myself up to knowing about our differences-it has made me feel more definite about the one I have chosen and the one me and DH have chosen to teach our children and grow them up in. Now i am talking mostly in Christian "religions" and learning about Jesus' religion-judaism-you really get to know about Him better by learning his beliefs, I think. I know about other non Christian faiths, but they are not for me. But some Christians avoid things like yoga and the above mentioned books,Eygyptian history, the Greek mythical gods and even WDW(knowing the pricesses and pirates!), in FEAR of choosing a wrong path or thinking it will entice thier children in making a wrong choice. THAT , for us, is going overboard. And some kids/adults have it in thier personality to explore and not just accept due to mom or dad or whoever telling you so. Not every kid, but I really think MOST are curious. you need to give them reason why we are doing things the way we choose to do them. I, for one, CHOOSE to know and love and be thankful to Jesus for my life, not because someone told me to or taught me I had too. It used to be that way, but no longer.

Hope i haven't stirred the pot-Lori

 

[sha_lyn]

I guess I'll clarify a bit on on my perspective/POV

I do believe religious education is important, both that of ones own religion and of other religions. I just don't see a need to cover ones religion/beliefs as a part of each and every subject. While I believe ones faith should be a part of theiir everyday life, I guess I don't think it should saturate every aspect.

As a non Christain it is very hard to purchase a boxed/complete curriculum because most are published by Christian publishers. In many cases the curriclum started out (and is still available) for Christian schools. Therefore it's easy to buy every subject from one publishers, and often there is a guide lesson plans etc that cover all the subjects. If most biblical refferences were in a bible/religion course then it would be easy to work around it. However it is impossible. IE... I though I was safe buying LIFEPAC science for DD for 3rd grade. However each and every lesson came acroos more as a sermon on God's love for us and our need to serve God than as a science lesson.

 

[sha_lyn]

I don't think I've mentioned this either.

About a yr ago one there was talk of starting a drama club in one of the secular groups. Both the groups main website and their yahoo group said that is was a secular group. As the yahoo conversation progressed one woman said she was looking forward to the drama club reinforcing Christian values in her children. I politely said that the group was secular and that the dram club would not include Christan content. She basically called me liar, said that of course it was a Christian group. She had friends that were in the group for years and they wouldn't risk their children's safety by allowing them around non-Christians. She went on about how their souls, innocences etc would be in jeopardy if non-Christians were allowed in the group. That non- Christians could not be trusted around "our" children etc. I can't remember word for word what she had, but she seriously had me not only offended, but worried about our safety if she were ever around us.
Within minutes one of the groups board members called and reassured me that the woman was being called as we spoke. She was asked to leave the "physical" group and was banned from the yahoo group.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I am not Christian (in fact, not religious at all) and I homeschooled my children. While I think there were more Christian homeschooling groups than secular ones, I was able to find other homeschooling families like ours for support and to do activities together. Now my eldest son has three children and they are being homeschooled, too, and they are also not Christian.

I prefered not to use a curriculum at all, because one of my reasons for deciding to homeschool was that I wanted to follow my children's interests and natural style of learning. I found even before they reached school age that they tended to develop an interest in something (say birds of prey) and then would want to learn all they could about it before moving on to something else. Standard curricula just couldn't match that. My son and his wife are doing the same thing: responding to the things the children are interested in and helping them learn more about them.

Teresa

 

[graygables]

I was raised a Southern Baptist in Germany (Dad was Army). We were SO SBC that we even helped some with church planting and the missionaries in charge of that were close family friends.

That said, my parents felt it was of the utmost importance that we learned about the world in which we lived, so when we visited Turkey, we learned about Islam and toured the mosques. We respected the prayer times and customs. When we were in Israel, we learned about Jewish customs and visited the synagogues. When in England, we attended Anglican worship, when in Spain, we attended Catholic worship. When in Greece, we learned about the Greek gods and their place in the understanding of the times.

Aside, funny story: Poseidon got me suspended from the 3rd grade! Upon returning to school, we had the obligatory "What I Did This Summer" essay (along with illustration). I wrote about our travels through Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece, but am NO artist. As such, I copied a picture from a book that included a photo of a statue of Poseidon we had seen, only, being a 3rd grader, I enhanced a certain part of his anatomy a bit. I still remember the thudding sound my 3rd grade teacher made before she hauled me down to the principal's office as a pornographer (and I had NO idea what that even was...) Happily, he was a friend of the family and as well-travelled so after the parent meeting, I was allowed back to class without having to wear a red "P" on my shirt for the rest of the year. I will say, I almost fell down the stairs of the Adventurer's Club at Downtown Disney the first time I set eyes on THAT statue (only their version is family-friendly and not AT ALL like the real thing...)

OK, back to the point. My parents weren't afraid that by learning, we would lose our faith. They were giving us definitions for what we believe. Granted, we were still being hit with the "A praying leg and a dancing foot don't grow on the same leg" speech , but we were able to make up our own minds. Now that we are adults, it's very interesting to see how diverse our own belief systems have become based on our upbringing. I'm definitely the rebel in the clan, but that could be b/c I'm also the only girl...

I feel for those homeschoolers who are NOT Christians. It IS very hard to find curriculum that doesn't present the Christian belief system in so many lessons. That was one thing I did like about K12 was that religion was presented in an historic context and you could do with it as you pleased. However, as homeschooling continues to grow, I'm certain there will be more and more options available. "Back in the day", ABEKA was one of the few I could use with my older two and I struggled b/c it was actually written for private Christian schools, so many of the things simply didn't work in a one-on-one situation. Homeschooling has come such a long way since then and I love it when I see "inclusive" groups working together.

Another aside: my DDs were once in an ice skating class made up mostly of Christian kids. A new boy joined who was pagan and I decided to watch the dynamic. Parents basically refused to talk to the mom and watched the kids like a hawk. The kids, on the other hand, took right to him and they always had a great time playing together. I was proud to say that the KIDS behaved in a more Christ-like manner than the parents. I was happy to chat with the mom, she was cool and I actually learned a lot from her about techniques she'd used that worked for my DDs as well.

 

[Lisa Hale]

Yes, there is such a thing. We're in the same boat. We're Christian but I choose not to use many Christian materials. Much of what I have found is not in line or I think it's over the top. I would rather have secular educational materials and add the religious material I want to cover on my own.

This is where we fit in. We do use some Christian based curriculum, because it has a format and lesson plans and teaching style that works for us. However, for many subjects we use secular curriculum. We've heard some negative comments about it from some who believe that only faith-based curriculum is worthwhile, but we never have fit the mold either. We started homeschooling because of issues with the schools we were attending which were not geared toward the advanced classes our son needed to be in. While we do feel blessed that we are following this path and do look for guidance in our lives, we never did have that "epiphany" that many of the homeschoolers around us had.

We choose curriculum based on what the best program is for our children and we use an ever-widening base of references and curriculum.

Oh, and we did leave one private school when they, in our opinions narrow-mindedly, set up a book burning of the Harry Potter books. I actually read the book then (unlike the people who planned the book burning) and fell in love with the series. It's a family favorite now. Not debating this book series or movies, just a casual FYI about our situation, every family must decide these things for themselves and I have no animosity toward anyone who doesn't read or watch them. Respect travels 2 ways.

 

[lori1043]

WOW Sha-lynn. What a story! You see, part of being a Christian is SUPPOSED to mean we don't judge, especially like that! Judgement is saved for Someone else, when we die. That is the type of "Christianity" that is overboard. There is no excuse for that sort of behavior against non-Christians. I WORK, for goodness sake, and most of the people I work with think I am nutty for HS'ing, but that is MY choice. It is the same with Christian vs non Christian. From my standpoint, I cannot imagine life without Christ in it, but I am not going to be offended or offensive that you don't have Him in yours. Everyone comes to terms with thier beliefs sometime in thier lives and when that time hits, we find where we fit in in this life. I won't lie to you -what I believe in has EVERYTHING to do with Jesus, and sometimes I have trouble fathoming how non Christians can go through life without Him. But I respect that God made us all different, in His image, and I respect (and fear!)THAT. He made you different than I and I know there is a reason for it. We won't know until our day comes. I just find peace knowing what is waiting for me one day. Where I would find a drama club in a non Christian environment, I would have some questions, but "parent"-like questions. I certainly don't want my kids doing a play with any questionable content and i would want to know how the discipline would be handled, if needed. But HELLO- most gym and dance studios and rec facilities and Karate studios we have our kids in are not "Christian"(only a handful) and we willingly put our children in that. I am sorry you had to deal with that. I'd have been scared too! I get the evil eyes when I say I let my 9 year old read Harry Potter, so I can imagine what you can get sometimes.

I can see that curriculum dilemma. Being Christian, I appreciate it, but don't think every word probelm in math needs to be biblical, or every story in a reading book has to be from the New Testament. Where I love this perk, I can see how it could be a problem for non Christians.

Hoping you have found or find something that fits your HS curriculum, Lori

 

[Tink561]

This is where we fit in. We do use some Christian based curriculum, because it has a format and lesson plans and teaching style that works for us. However, for many subjects we use secular curriculum. We've heard some negative comments about it from some who believe that only faith-based curriculum is worthwhile, but we never have fit the mold either. We started homeschooling because of issues with the schools we were attending which were not geared toward the advanced classes our son needed to be in. While we do feel blessed that we are following this path and do look for guidance in our lives, we never did have that "epiphany" that many of the homeschoolers around us had.

We choose curriculum based on what the best program is for our children and we use an ever-widening base of references and curriculum.

Oh, and we did leave one private school when they, in our opinions narrow-mindedly, set up a book burning of the Harry Potter books. I actually read the book then (unlike the people who planned the book burning) and fell in love with the series. It's a family favorite now. Not debating this book series or movies, just a casual FYI about our situation, every family must decide these things for themselves and I have no animosity toward anyone who doesn't read or watch them. Respect travels 2 ways.

That sounds a lot like our story. I don't feel I was called to homeschool or however you'd like to word it. We made the choice for educational reasons due to the schools we were zoned for.

BTW, I totally agree about Harry Potter!

 

[applechips]

So speaking of Secular....

Anyone else here a secular/non-Christian homeschooler?

Although I don't label myself secular or non-Christian. I just call myself an unschooler/homeschooler, and if I needed to define my religiousness for some reason it would be Jewish homeschooler.

My dd is attending our Jewish day school beginning next week but I am unschooling/homeschooling my son, who is 3. And I will probably be taking my dd back to homeschooling after this year we'll see.