homeschool ? Please help.

[LadyShiva]

I absolutely LOVE this statement. It succinctly sums up so much of what I see going on these days. Parents try so much to bend the world to accommodate their child, but really what needs to be done is to teach the child how to deal with things like disappointment, rejection, and challenges. A parent's one and only job is to prepare a child to be a productive, responsible adult. How can that happen if you hold your child's hand all along the way?

I'm not making a comment on homeschooling in particular, I see many of the same issues (probably even at a higher degree) in public schools as well. This was more of a commentary on society and life in general.

*nod* *sigh* It's such an expressive statement. It kept coming to mind when people in this thread kept expressing how typos don't matter; in the real world, yes, they do matter, very much so!

Anyone tried to put together a piece of furniture with instructions written by someone who doesn't write English fluently?

Who here accepts a resume with spelling mistakes? Speaking for my organization and any previous organizations I've been a part of, the resume goes straight in the trash!

Even engineers with typos make me nervous. The bridge collapse in Minneapolis is on my mind today, so I wonder how it was designed architecturally and stress-tested. Was it a combination of the traffic and the jackhammers that made it fail so dramatically? Or were numbers transposed on the drawings and no one caught it?

Standardized tests now include essays. The AP exam has always had essays.

You're fooling yourself if you think grammar is not a problem for high school students. It is a basic life tool that they need to master.

Brandie

 

[JunieJay]

I absolutely LOVE this statement. It succinctly sums up so much of what I see going on these days. Parents try so much to bend the world to accommodate their child, but really what needs to be done is to teach the child how to deal with things like disappointment, rejection, and challenges. A parent's one and only job is to prepare a child to be a productive, responsible adult. How can that happen if you hold your child's hand all along the way?

Truer words have never been spoken. Bravo.

 

[sha_lyn]

The OP has MULTIPLE typos in her first post, and has not edited them out yet. She is looking for information on teaching high school at home for her child. Last year, they used correspondence courses and her son didn't like the format.

She has 1 typo in her title and 2 in her post. She did not use a correspondence course(s) for her son. She used Lifepacs.
I've noticed a few misspellings/typos in your posts. I guess that MS PS education isn't as good as you would like for us to believe.

 

[sha_lyn]

I'm not buying homeschooling being a requirement for a good education for those of you in better states!

Who said it is a requirement? It is a CHOICE.

Don't prepare the path for your child; prepare your child for the path.

Public school is not the only option to prepare a child for "the path".

 

[LadyShiva]

She has 1 typo in her title and 2 in her post. She did not use a correspondence course(s) for her son. She used Lifepacs.
I've noticed a few misspellings/typos in your posts. I guess that MS PS education isn't as good as you would like for us to believe.

Actually, I correct my errors. So good luck with that train of thought.

Brandie

 

[LadyShiva]

Who said it is a requirement? It is a CHOICE.



Public school is not the only option to prepare a child for "the path".

What grades do you homeschool? Is it possible to safely homeschool AP-level Chemistry?

Brandie

 

[Crankyshank]

I absolutely LOVE this statement. It succinctly sums up so much of what I see going on these days. Parents try so much to bend the world to accommodate their child, but really what needs to be done is to teach the child how to deal with things like disappointment, rejection, and challenges. A parent's one and only job is to prepare a child to be a productive, responsible adult. How can that happen if you hold your child's hand all along the way?

I'm not making a comment on homeschooling in particular, I see many of the same issues (probably even at a higher degree) in public schools as well. This was more of a commentary on society and life in general.

I wonder what the relationship between the rise in helpless helicoptered children are and the increase in homeschooling.
NOTE: I am not saying people only homeschool to shelter their child - I acknowledge that their are perfectly ok reasons to homeschool, but let's be honest, there are people who can't let their child grow up. We've seen it on the DIS. And it's with ps students too.

I know it's done out of love, but I personally think the best way to love your child is to give him/her the tools to handle himself and push him out of the nest to test those wings out before it's too late.

 

[Mary2e]

Thank you for those who responded to my why-do-it question. I have a better understanding.

Another question... as someone mentioned, there are those parents who, for religious reasons, are homeschooling their children for traditional roles.

Are there any tests these children are taking to ensure they are getting the same level of education as their peers in public schools?

 

[allison443]

It is listed on the Worcester Polytechnic Institue website (www.wpi.edu) and it was mentioned at the admissions talk DD attended. At that talk it was said that many schools will be adopting this idea, starting with 2008/2009 enrollments. I do not have more specific information as to what schools are taking this path but perhaps you could do a web-search.

Hope that helps.

Some schools have already made SATs optional for their applicants (Drew University in NJ did so a few years ago, for example, and I know there are others). I don't know what you mean by "many schools" but there are some out there. Most colleges will have their application info for 2008/2009 enrollments on their websites soon, if they don't already. You can check the individual school's website.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Don't prepare the path for your child; prepare your child for the path.

Brandie

I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. For our family, and those we know personally, HSing is all about real life as opposed to the same-age peer driven lives many traditionally educated students lead.

Rather than sitting in classrooms, my kids will be traveling to Honduras, Mexico and Africa this year. They are involved in our homeless shelter, food kitchen and women's shelter on a weekly basis. They also spend time at my grandma's nursing home, because the residents enjoyed them so much before she passed away. They are constantly involved with people of all ages, and races. They participate in 4-H (we currently have a Japanese 4-H exchange), Boy Scouts, youth group, co-op, toastmasters, and debate. My son has had the opportunity to work with a local chef, and a local carpenter to see whether these two interests are career worthy or just great hobbies.

Real life is about diversity. It is about responsibility, joy, and being of good character. HSing isn't the perfect environment. HSers aren't guarded from every pain. Best frends still act like jerks, pets still die, as do grandmas, and no one is harder on my kids assignments than I. Our lives are not conflict free, nor do we hide from life's harsh realities. They see mom's come into the shelter with broken noses, and have given their toys to residents at both of the shelters. Not as a nice object lesson, but because they have met and spent time with the children. They see their pain, and want to make a difference.

My kids might not come out in the end as adults who would work in cubicles 40 hours a week, but I couldn't live that life either. Maybe that is depriving them in some manner, but we will risk it. No one lifestyle is perfect for everyone, because our differences are what make the world interesting.

 

[sha_lyn]

What grades do you homeschool? Is it possible to safely homeschool AP-level Chemistry?

Brandie

Home schooling does not happen just in the home. It can happen through a science center/museum, co-op, community college etc

Actually, I correct my errors. So good luck with that train of thought.

So making it back to the computer to correct the errors makes you a better person? BTW.... nope not all of your spelling errors have been fixed
it is responsibilities, not responsibilties.

I also played soccer and volleyball, served on Hall Council, and was part of a Physics Demonstration team, among other extracurricular responsibilties. And I did all of this in the PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IN MISSISSIPPI. If I could do all of these accomplishments in the absolute worst school system in the US, I'm not buying homeschooling being a requirement for a good education for those of you in better states!

 

[Laura]

*nod* *sigh* It's such an expressive statement. It kept coming to mind when people in this thread kept expressing how typos don't matter; in the real world, yes, they do matter, very much so!

Anyone tried to put together a piece of furniture with instructions written by someone who doesn't write English fluently?

Who here accepts a resume with spelling mistakes? Speaking for my organization and any previous organizations I've been a part of, the resume goes straight in the trash!

Even engineers with typos make me nervous. The bridge collapse in Minneapolis is on my mind today, so I wonder how it was designed architecturally and stress-tested. Was it a combination of the traffic and the jackhammers that made it fail so dramatically? Or were numbers transposed on the drawings and no one caught it?

Standardized tests now include essays. The AP exam has always had essays.

You're fooling yourself if you think grammar is not a problem for high school students. It is a basic life tool that they need to master.

Brandie

I fully agree that it's important. It isn't the end-all be-all indicator of intelligence, however. My DH is dyslexic, and while he can put words and sentences together well, putting letters together to form a word is difficult for him.

If you didn't know he had dyslexia, though, you'd think he was a complete idiot. It's a good thing for him, though, that I'm a very good speller. I have to proofread his resumes and cover letters, because spellcheck will suggest the wrong word and he won't notice. He happens to be extremely smart and good at his IT job, but he won't win any spelling bees.

I've noticed a few misspellings/typos in your posts. I guess that MS PS education isn't as good as you would like for us to believe.

I only noticed one. She misspelled/mistyped "responsibilities", which isn't hard to screw up.



I can understand why some parents would want to home school their children, but it isn't always the best thing in every situation. It isn't something I would ever seriously consider unless I had a very extreme circumstance. For example, I don't have the confidence to be able to teach my child anything beyond very elementary science. (Literature, no problem!) But if, say, I had a young child with an extremely severe peanut allergy I would do it to keep him/her away from a potentially life-threatening peanut. Still, I'd do it hoping eventually the allergy would become less severe. The OP hasn't given any reasons beyond headaches and not bringing things home from school, which don't sound like particularly compelling reasons to me. Just my own opinion.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Bravo to you Meandtheguys....I mean that. It sounds GREAT!

My nieces and nephews are homeschooled because their parents are religious control freaks.

The oldest nephew ran away from home to NYC just short of his 17th b-day. He was disowned by his parents for being gay.

He was abused by the step-dad...ridiculed and hit. They told him they were not going to help him with college period and not fill out the FAFSA either.
He was a prisoner, just like my other nieces and nephews are.

So why stay? He was taking care of the other kids as "Cinderfella"...4 of them.

My dh's new found dd, was homeschooled by an bipolar mother. 2 of her children did not "graduate".
Thankfully they are divorcing and the youngest is in public HS right now and is saved, because he is living with his dad.

I love your story..I wish I had the same great stories to share too.

 

[Laura]

I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. For our family, and those we know personally, HSing is all about real life as opposed to the same-age peer driven lives many traditionally educated students lead.

Rather than sitting in classrooms, my kids will be traveling to Honduras, Mexico and Africa this year. They are involved in our homeless shelter, food kitchen and women's shelter on a weekly basis. They also spend time at my grandma's nursing home, because the residents enjoyed them so much before she passed away. They are constantly involved with people of all ages, and races. They participate in 4-H (we currently have a Japanese 4-H exchange), Boy Scouts, youth group, co-op, toastmasters, and debate. My son has had the opportunity to work with a local chef, and a local carpenter to see whether these two interests are career worthy or just great hobbies.

Real life is about diversity. It is about responsibility, joy, and being of good character. HSing isn't the perfect environment. HSers aren't guarded from every pain. Best frends still act like jerks, pets still die, as do grandmas, and no one is harder on my kids assignments than I. Our lives are not conflict free, nor do we hide from life's harsh realities. They see mom's come into the shelter with broken noses, and have given their toys to residents at both of the shelters. Not as a nice object lesson, but because they have met and spent time with the children. They see their pain, and want to make a difference.

My kids might not come out in the end as adults who would work in cubicles 40 hours a week, but I couldn't live that life either. Maybe that is depriving them in some manner, but we will risk it. No one lifestyle is perfect for everyone, because our differences are what make the world interesting.

These are all things that can happen within a structured school year, too. Home schooling doesn't automatically breed individualism, by the way.

 

[LadyShiva]

Home schooling does not happen just in the home. It can happen through a science center/museum, co-op, community college etc

So making it back to the computer to correct the errors makes you a better person? BTW.... nope not all of your spelling errors have been fixed
it is responsibilities, not responsibilties.

Thanks, I'll go fix that now. And yes, fixing your typographical errors is a Good Thing. No one could understand Stephen Hawking if he didn't have an editor. He might be brilliant, but without the ability to understand him, what could he teach?

So you're saying you don't teach homeschool and you don't teach AP-level Chemistry, either? Wouldn't that qualify under "partially" homeschooling, as I said above?

Brandie

 

[LadyShiva]

I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. For our family, and those we know personally, HSing is all about real life as opposed to the same-age peer driven lives many traditionally educated students lead.

Rather than sitting in classrooms, my kids will be traveling to Honduras, Mexico and Africa this year. They are involved in our homeless shelter, food kitchen and women's shelter on a weekly basis. They also spend time at my grandma's nursing home, because the residents enjoyed them so much before she passed away. They are constantly involved with people of all ages, and races. They participate in 4-H (we currently have a Japanese 4-H exchange), Boy Scouts, youth group, co-op, toastmasters, and debate. My son has had the opportunity to work with a local chef, and a local carpenter to see whether these two interests are career worthy or just great hobbies.

Real life is about diversity. It is about responsibility, joy, and being of good character. HSing isn't the perfect environment. HSers aren't guarded from every pain. Best frends still act like jerks, pets still die, as do grandmas, and no one is harder on my kids assignments than I. Our lives are not conflict free, nor do we hide from life's harsh realities. They see mom's come into the shelter with broken noses, and have given their toys to residents at both of the shelters. Not as a nice object lesson, but because they have met and spent time with the children. They see their pain, and want to make a difference.

My kids might not come out in the end as adults who would work in cubicles 40 hours a week, but I couldn't live that life either. Maybe that is depriving them in some manner, but we will risk it. No one lifestyle is perfect for everyone, because our differences are what make the world interesting.

I'm sorry, I have to run to a meeting, but I just wanted to respond. To me, it seems like personality development is more important than academic development with the curriculum you are describing. Do you mind elaborating on what academic opportunities you take advantage of in your homeschooling environment? I can see Biology (and all the subsets) tied into your descriptions quite easily; what about Physics? Chemistry? Advanced mathematics?

Thanks in advance! I agree character development is very important.

*chuckle* And for the record, I don't work in a cubicle, either.

Brandie

 

[CraftyMouse]

Regarding the statement that you must prepare your child for the path and not the path for your child...I completely agree. Shielding your child from disappointment, rejection, failure, etc. only creates other issues. Please remember, however, that there are many, many paths from which to choose and lots of things off of the path that are worth exploring.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. For our family, and those we know personally, HSing is all about real life as opposed to the same-age peer driven lives many traditionally educated students lead.

Rather than sitting in classrooms, my kids will be traveling to Honduras, Mexico and Africa this year. They are involved in our homeless shelter, food kitchen and women's shelter on a weekly basis. They also spend time at my grandma's nursing home, because the residents enjoyed them so much before she passed away. They are constantly involved with people of all ages, and races. They participate in 4-H (we currently have a Japanese 4-H exchange), Boy Scouts, youth group, co-op, toastmasters, and debate. My son has had the opportunity to work with a local chef, and a local carpenter to see whether these two interests are career worthy or just great hobbies.

Real life is about diversity. It is about responsibility, joy, and being of good character. HSing isn't the perfect environment. HSers aren't guarded from every pain. Best frends still act like jerks, pets still die, as do grandmas, and no one is harder on my kids assignments than I. Our lives are not conflict free, nor do we hide from life's harsh realities. They see mom's come into the shelter with broken noses, and have given their toys to residents at both of the shelters. Not as a nice object lesson, but because they have met and spent time with the children. They see their pain, and want to make a difference.

My kids might not come out in the end as adults who would work in cubicles 40 hours a week, but I couldn't live that life either. Maybe that is depriving them in some manner, but we will risk it. No one lifestyle is perfect for everyone, because our differences are what make the world interesting.

Beautiful post!

 

[sha_lyn]

So you're saying you don't teach homeschool and you don't teach AP-level Chemistry, either? Wouldn't that qualify under "partially" homeschooling, as I said above?

Don't teach home school? Wasn't aware that is was a subject.... LOL
As for "partially homeschooling". Well if you mean HS as only schooling within the home, then yes. In general the term homeschooling means not sending your child to public or private school. It does not mean that all learning opportunities take place within the home with only the parents as teachers.

Thanks, I'll go fix that now. And yes, fixing your typographical errors is a Good Thing. No one could understand Stephen Hawking if he didn't have an editor. He might be brilliant, but without the ability to understand him, what could he teach?

Never said it was a bad thing. If you notice the OP hasn't even posted for several pages. She might not have the opportunity to correct those errors yet. Perhaps she has been scared away from the criticism.

 

[sha_lyn]

I really should be mopping the kitchen but I just keep getting drawn in.

I don't believe that many realize the resources available to home schoolers. I realize not all are available or are legal options in every area.
There are too many to name them all but to give a few examples.

Some curriculum come from religious publishers who material is also used in religious school. Alpha Omega and Bob Jones come to mind. Each have developed guides/resources etc to help the HS parent. BJ even offers classes via satellite.

There are main stream textbook publishers who also have developed home-study guides either for the parent or student. Saxon Math and Shurley English come to mind. Both offer very detailed step by step instruction

Calvert private school sells their curriculum in boxed grade sets (some items available individually) with very detailed lesson plans. They even provide scripts for the lessons.

There are private correspondence schools that provide teacher support,phone or online tutoring and/or grading to the parent/student. American School, E-tap, K-12 all come to mind

There are 2 or 3 day a week programs that offer some instruction in a classroom with a teacher while the bulk of the work is done at home. Timothy Ministries, Home school U are 2 in my area that come to mind.
This only brushes the surface of what is out there.