*** Homeschool List ***

[lori1043]

Hi everyone. I have stated to research homeschooling my little guys until at least the 1st grade. DH is very wary. Any good books that I can get him(he loves to read so I figure that is the easiest way to win him over). We are in Louisiana(New Olreans/Westbank specifically)

I would love tips, advice, anything...

Thanks!

Haven't you been on the DIS New Orleans boards before??? I am over there. I live in Covington. It took me and DH a full year to make the choice and do it!! We seemed to start being surrounded by homeschoolers and if that wasn't the case, it was suggested by people I would have never expected it from. Like the PS principal at my DD9's school.Or the dancing teacher, whom I didn't know homeschooled at the time.

I HAD to have DH on board, and I suggest that to everyone I know thinking about it. The support is necessary, if you ask me. Besides it IS his kids too!!

As far as him reading up on things, I am not sure on that, other than having him meet some homeschholers. My DH's main thing was he didn't want "wierd, unsocialized kids"-now he loves it, thinks it is the best thing for us!! He did not read anything-he made the decision to let me try it a year and insisted on testing them. I did talk him out of testing the younger one until 2nd grade year- or 8 years old. I just thought it was too much on her. DD9 has tested with Stanford 2 years now and her scores have improved overall. She did wonderfully in the first place though! We use them as a guide. Not to determine if we'll go on or not-unless 3 years in a row we found out we weren't doing such a hot job-them we'd consider our options-differnt curr., ps, or tutors. But none of that has occured and we feel this is going well for our family!

Good luck!-Lori

Lori

 

[flamestarrdust]

I am considering the possibility of home schooling my kids next year. I have fraternal twins and they will be entering middle school next year even though they will only be in 5th grade. I feel they are too young for this and was seriously considering homeschooling them for at least a year. However, I know nothing about how to get started. Also, wondering if there is anyone on here who is doing this in NC. That's where I live. Thanks in advance.

 

[MrsKreamer]

What are his concerns?

Raising unsocialized boys. Which of course can happen in ps as well. The thing is, he grew up mostly in Texas on an Army Base. He got a great, well-rounded PS education. I just don't think our kids can get that here, where we live at this time.

 

[Ellester]

I am considering the possibility of home schooling my kids next year. I have fraternal twins and they will be entering middle school next year even though they will only be in 5th grade. I feel they are too young for this and was seriously considering homeschooling them for at least a year. However, I know nothing about how to get started. Also, wondering if there is anyone on here who is doing this in NC. That's where I live. Thanks in advance.

Hi flamestarrdust! I live in Georgia now but we began our homeschooling adventure in NC. NC is a pretty easy state to homeschool in. I would check out www.nche.com and the state's information is on www.ncdnpe.gov. You will have to register as your own private school and show that your teacher (usually mom) and principal (usually dad) have the equivalent of a high school diploma. Testing is required yearly and you are required to keep record of attendance, but you do not turn them in unless you are requested to. I never ran into anyone who had even heard of someone being asked to turn them in, but I guess you never know. There is no minimum score required for the testing and you can choose what test you use (at your own expense). There are many HS support groups in NC. We lived in Charlotte, so if you are close to there I can give more specific advice. Public middle school scares the pants off of me, it's one big reason we decided to homeschool. I thought my kids would at least attend public elementary school, but that didn't work out and we haven't looked back.

 

[Helpmate]

I am considering the possibility of home schooling my kids next year. I have fraternal twins and they will be entering middle school next year even though they will only be in 5th grade. I feel they are too young for this and was seriously considering homeschooling them for at least a year. However, I know nothing about how to get started. Also, wondering if there is anyone on here who is doing this in NC. That's where I live. Thanks in advance.

Hello flamestarrdust!

None of us knew exactly what it would be like until we got started either. I taught in the PB before homeschooling and still nothing's like sharing learning experiences with your children at home and out and about on a daily basis.

No worries! If you decide you really want to do this, everything you'll need will be right at your finger tips. I would strongly recommend putting NC Homeschool groups in your search engine along with your county. Many homeschool groups will pop up in your area and you can check out their websites to see if your interested in attending one of there group meetings. A good way to get started is to connect with others who you think might be able to help you.

North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE) is big in NC. You can check them out at http://www.nche.com/. This might answer some of the many questions that you may have.

 

[Ellester]

Raising unsocialized boys. Which of course can happen in ps as well. The thing is, he grew up mostly in Texas on an Army Base. He got a great, well-rounded PS education. I just don't think our kids can get that here, where we live at this time.

One of my favorite quotes is "I don't want my kids socialized, I want them civilized"!

I agree with trying to hook up with some local homeschoolers. Many are more than happy to talk to prospective hs'ers. If you can get your DH to meet some homeschooled kids you should be able to dispel the ole' socialization issue. I can tell you for a fact that my oldest has more peer to peer interaction now than she ever did in PS. The only times she was allowed to "socialize" in school was for about 10 minutes at lunch, 20 minutes at recess (when they actually had it), and on the bus. I can tell you that I did not appreciate the socialization she received on the bus.

I'd try contacting a local homeschooling group and see if you can attend a meeting/park day/playgroup etc. Even without the kids, it will give you a chance to talk to some local moms and size up the HS scene there. Good luck!

 

[sha_lyn]

Raising unsocialized boys. Which of course can happen in ps as well. The thing is, he grew up mostly in Texas on an Army Base. He got a great, well-rounded PS education. I just don't think our kids can get that here, where we live at this time.

Since it is the "social" aspect I suggest looking into support groups and home-school activities in your area. In my experience the "social argument" isn't won by citing home-school statistics, reading about methods etc.
It's better to find local examples of what is available to the home-school community.

 

[MrsKreamer]

Haven't you been on the DIS New Orleans boards before??? I am over there. I live in Covington. It took me and DH a full year to make the choice and do it!! We seemed to start being surrounded by homeschoolers and if that wasn't the case, it was suggested by people I would have never expected it from. Like the PS principal at my DD9's school.Or the dancing teacher, whom I didn't know homeschooled at the time.

I HAD to have DH on board, and I suggest that to everyone I know thinking about it. The support is necessary, if you ask me. Besides it IS his kids too!!

As far as him reading up on things, I am not sure on that, other than having him meet some homeschholers. My DH's main thing was he didn't want "wierd, unsocialized kids"-now he loves it, thinks it is the best thing for us!! He did not read anything-he made the decision to let me try it a year and insisted on testing them. I did talk him out of testing the younger one until 2nd grade year- or 8 years old. I just thought it was too much on her. DD9 has tested with Stanford 2 years now and her scores have improved overall. She did wonderfully in the first place though! We use them as a guide. Not to determine if we'll go on or not-unless 3 years in a row we found out we weren't doing such a hot job-them we'd consider our options-differnt curr., ps, or tutors. But none of that has occured and we feel this is going well for our family!

Good luck!-Lori

Lori

Hey Lori, yes I used to frequent there, and I still read it from time to time when I have time....

That is the concern my DH has as well. I was a weird kid in private school, so it can happen in ps or hs...just sometimes depends on the kids, parents, etc...

I am looking into WHO(Westbank Homeschool Org) and another WB group. Hopefully we can get to one of their meetings so he can see that Hs are normal.

Oh I want to apologize for my typos in my OP, that's what I get for typing a question at 3am!

 

[Ellester]

I got this in my email today:

"Quoted from:
http://www.nea.org/annualmeeting/raaction/images/2007-2008Resolutions.pdf


I knew there was a reason I didn't join the NEA when I was a PS teacher. Any thoughts/comments?

Wow, they're not sitting on the fence are they? Have you seen the quote from the head of the NEA that says something to the effect of "I'll start fighting for the students when the students start paying union dues". That about says it all about the NEA for me. They are simply threatened. Homeschool teachers don't pay union dues, hence they don't pay union reps salaries. I learned plenty about unions in my preHSing career and I have to say that based on that the NEA's stance really doesn't surprise me.

 

[MrsKreamer]

One of my favorite quotes is "I don't want my kids socialized, I want them civilized"!

I agree with trying to hook up with some local homeschoolers. Many are more than happy to talk to prospective hs'ers. If you can get your DH to meet some homeschooled kids you should be able to dispel the ole' socialization issue. I can tell you for a fact that my oldest has more peer to peer interaction now than she ever did in PS. The only times she was allowed to "socialize" in school was for about 10 minutes at lunch, 20 minutes at recess (when they actually had it), and on the bus. I can tell you that I did not appreciate the socialization she received on the bus.

I'd try contacting a local homeschooling group and see if you can attend a meeting/park day/playgroup etc. Even without the kids, it will give you a chance to talk to some local moms and size up the HS scene there. Good luck!

I can tell you all horror stories about riding the bus when I was younger. Like how the bus I rode in 4th grade(14 years ago) had too many kids on it so someone always had to stand until the first(or last) few stops . Or how one of the bus drivers was caught drinking and driving when I was in the 8th grade. He only got caught because he was in an accident(the 3rd for that year)...with a bus load of kids...

 

[NATALIEBELLESmom]

My husband had the same worry about Natalie. He would say how is she going to be able to be social. I told him lots of ways and until this summer he was still alittle concerned. But she blossomed into this perfect social butterfly all on her own. She has tons of nieghborhood friends which are in PS. She has group friends. She is more social now than when she was in PS. I think the social aspect really depends on the child and their personality. Thats my own thoughts. I really believe I made the best choice for her.

 

[Helpmate]

I can tell you all horror stories about riding the bus when I was younger. Like how the bus I rode in 4th grade(14 years ago) had too many kids on it so someone always had to stand until the first(or last) few stops . Or how one of the bus drivers was caught drinking and driving when I was in the 8th grade. He only got caught because he was in an accident(the 3rd for that year)...with a bus load of kids...

I think I might understand about the bus thing. I became so sick at the thought of having to stand up on the bus smashed up against other students who couldn't find a seat until I finally opted out of the bus ride. This meant walking a very long ways home.

 

[sha_lyn]

NEA... I'm sure the lecture or article is still out there somewhere but I'm too lazy to search LOL.
Yrs ago their position was that some of the problems with homeschooling were:
There was no guarantee the student(s) weren't being abused in the home-school
there was no guarantee the student(s) were being fed a balanced lunch.

Which of course reminds me of some politician in GA that said HS'ing was popular in GA because farmers use their children as free/slave labor.

 

[Helpmate]

NEA... I'm sure the lecture or article is still out there somewhere but I'm too lazy to search LOL.
Yrs ago their position was that some of the problems with homeschooling were:
There was no guarantee the student(s) weren't being abused in the home-school
there was no guarantee the student(s) were being fed a balanced lunch.

Which of course reminds me of some politician in GA that said HS'ing was popular in GA because farmers use their children as free/slave labor.

Unbelievable!!!!

It would be to simple to assume that most people who choose to homeschool do so because they are motivated by a sincere desire to do what is best for their child or children.

 

[MrsKreamer]

NEA... I'm sure the lecture or article is still out there somewhere but I'm too lazy to search LOL.
Yrs ago their position was that some of the problems with homeschooling were:
There was no guarantee the student(s) weren't being abused in the home-school
there was no guarantee the student(s) were being fed a balanced lunch.

Which of course reminds me of some politician in GA that said HS'ing was popular in GA because farmers use their children as free/slave labor.

Have you seen the crap they serve in most schools...it doesn't pass for nutritious either!

 

[graygables]

NEA... I'm sure the lecture or article is still out there somewhere but I'm too lazy to search LOL.
Yrs ago their position was that some of the problems with homeschooling were:
There was no guarantee the student(s) weren't being abused in the home-school
there was no guarantee the student(s) were being fed a balanced lunch.

Couldn't these very same arguments be used AGAINST the public school??? I can honestly say in all my years of PS, I rarely had a "balanced lunch"...

 

[sha_lyn]

Unbelievable!!!!

It would be to simple to assume that most people who choose to homeschool do so because they are motivated by a sincere desire to do what is best for their child or children.

Oh there's been a couple right here on the DIS that said that HS'ing was a child molester's dream come true,and that anyone HS'ing should have their children taken away. Luckily that was a few yrs ago and those posters are long gone, or they are behaving themselves under new IDs.

 

[MrsKreamer]

Oh there's been a couple right here on the DIS that said that HS'ing was a child molester's dream come true,and that anyone HS'ing should have their children taken away. Luckily that was a few yrs ago and those posters are long gone, or they are behaving themselves under new IDs.

My MIL suggested that co op HSing was a molester's dream.

 

[Leader of the Club]

I was wondering how you work and homeschool. I have worked two part-time jobs for years, but have been blessed by being able to take the kids with me whenever I need to.

When I worked for the Y, my son came along and played and hung out with the other kids.

I also work for a small retail store and when he comes with me there I have him work the store. He assists customers and rings them out and such. What a great learning experience and life skill!

I no longer work for the Y. I am working part-time for a University. I have not asked about taking him to work with me there yet. There would not be much for him to do and I think he would be bored just sitting there reading or something.

 

[Helpmate]

Oh there's been a couple right here on the DIS that said that HS'ing was a child molester's dream come true,and that anyone HS'ing should have their children taken away. Luckily that was a few yrs ago and those posters are long gone, or they are behaving themselves under new IDs.

I get the need to protect children from true danger if and when it does exist, but is the PS system supposed to be the poster child for a child's safe haven?

I even have a great deal of respect for all of those teachers out there who truly want to work with families to help teach their children. But just consider all of the teachers who seem to be having a problem telling the difference btw their Friday night dates and their students! I won't go on listing the undesireables present in the PS system. Afterall, for some children, school may be better than home.

But to be silly enough to believe that the PS system is more invested in the future of our kids than most of us are is laughable!