Homeschool Thread---you can debate, but BE NICE!!

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Okay--I have been guilty of turning a nondebate thread into one...

now I can continue the conversation....please be nice so that we don't have the thread police on us None of these --as they don't help the debate. Bring the evidence, bring the opinions, bring it on!!!


Now my questions:
What path and why did you choose your desired path of education for your child?

Do you consider yourself against the other options? If yes, then why?

Do you support the choice to pick an option?

Let me preface this by saying how you choose to have your children educated be it public, private or home is your choice. I have researched all options.

We are choosing to homeschool:
We live in an excellent district and also have excellent parochial schools, so that obviously isn't the reason. Parochial is too expensive for us and the public school doesn't have the religion aspect that I would like my daughter to have integrated into her education. We can plan our vacations when we want as we can plan our school breaks. We can take field trips as we deem appropriate. We can accomplish more in less time than in a typical school day. And my child isn't exposed to unnecessary child antics--she can be a child for as long as she wants and not have to grow up too fast. She participates in Sunday School, Children's Church, dance, tumbling, field trips, and homeschool group activities. Her social skills are FAR from lacking.

I support the choice to pick an option and am glad that homeschooling is an option in all 50 states...the Board of Education in each state sets the requirements of homeschoolers (that align with state law of course).

In Florida, children do not legally have to attend school until age 6. Technically, K is not a requirement, but the child must demonstrate a mastering of K skills to enroll in first grade (not necessary if you homeschool first grade and then choose to send them to 2nd grade). We must submit letter of intent to the county (each year I believe), have our records available for inspection with proper notification from the Superintendent, and have our child tested in a proctored setting (someone other than the parent) or files reviewed and child interviewed by an accredited teacher.

I do not think a college education is necessary, though it could be helpful. Homeschooling is flexible and mom can relearn or learn for the first time as she teaches her child.

And yes dad's homeschool, too--I just use "she" and "her" because I'm a girl and that's what I do.

 

[JennyMominRI]

.

I support the choice to pick an option and am glad that homeschooling is an option in all 50 states...the Board of Education in each state sets the requirements of homeschoolers (that align with state law of course​

).



In California the BOE has nothing to do with Homeschooling except to get pissy every few years and send out nasty letters to homeschooler..They were finally ordered to cease and desist by the state

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

.

I support the choice to pick an option and am glad that homeschooling is an option in all 50 states...the Board of Education in each state sets the requirements of homeschoolers (that align with state law of course​

).



In California the BOE has nothing to do with Homeschooling except to get pissy every few years and send out nasty letters to homeschooler..They were finally ordered to cease and desist by the state

that's why thy must align with state law--they can't do stuff that is not in line with the law or they get bit in the butt like that. Thank GOD for the HSLDA!

 

[LMC]

I decided to hs my ds(9) because of extreme anxieties and many many learning disabilities. This is our second year and although it is hard and we do not progress as quickly as others (I only make sure he masters the bare requirements to be able to promote) I finally feel justified in my decision when our latest eval with a developmental neuropsych indicated that hs'ing was the BEST for my ds. Unless he will be one/one with a teacher at school (not an aide) then school will not work for him. We did private school for 2 years but he couldn't read after 1st grade so I decided to bring him home. Not to mention he is in two therapies and we are trying to line up 3 additional therapies. That's 6 hours per week just for therapies! He would miss so much in regular school.

It is really easy to hs in my state; our compulsory attendance age is 7yrs. I do send my dd so the public school for now as she really enjoys being with other children (her friends) and is learning quite well (will probably catch her brother). I will more than likely send ds(4yo) to public school as well at least for a while. I'll probably have to pull him for behavior issues but we will give it a try.

So I have chosen both paths
I am not against other options (see above)
AND, I do feel people should be able to choose

 

[jgmklmhem]

This is just a question and not meant to inflame anyone ok.....

Now from what I have seen in this thread most of you have young kids. If you plan to HS all the way to say college (or if others are in the process). Do you think you have the expertise in all of these subjects to really give your child a good foundation in all of the subjects out there. I understand at the elementary school level it may be easier....but as you get higher up can a home school mom/dad provide the depth needed at the say high-school level. I myself am a PHD chemist and could most definately do a great job on science and maybe even math but I would seriously be lacking in my ability to teach literature really well or European History. Again I understand some of the reasons for home schooling especially at young ages but there is a reason most teachers (hopefully) teach a certain subject and are "experts" in said field as I am in Chemistry. How can you as a parent be an "expert" at everything? I am not trying to be snide just honestly asking. Again at the younger levels it isn't as important but in high-school and even middle school having more expertise I would think is definately important.

 

[grinningghost]

If someone has the time, energy and is smart enough to do it, I say "have at it". I lack the patience and I'm also quite sure I don't have the skills (especially in math) to properly educate my DD to the state's tough standards.

But hey, this is America - people need to do what's best for them.

 

[disneymom3]

jgmklmhem--first off, that is a tough username!! Second, I think you have a very valid question that a lot of people wonder about and is incredibly important to have a solution for when you are planning to homeschool long term. What is really great is that there are approx 3 million homeschooled kids nationwide. In my district alone there are over 400 homeschooling families. What this means is that you are not totally on your own if you do not choose to be. For instance, in the Mpls area in MN we have an organization called YEAH for teens. They meet, I think it is twice a week, for sessions in which a teacher comes in and teaches a class--say Chemistry The kids take it as a group which is obviously an easier way to work on experiments and projects etc and have a trained teacher or expert in the field to teach them. This organization is one of many and there are many choices offerred. Another option we have here in MN is called Post Secondary Enrollment. Through this program, jrs and srs in high school can take college courses for college credit for no charge (the state pays for it.) So, lots of high school homeschoolers use that option.

Another thing to consider is that you also learn with your child and end up doing a lot of research as well. For instance, American lit you can do together--reading and discussions etc. You would of course want to prepare ahead to have some ideas of what the "accepted" views are as far as foreshadowing, symbolism, etc. And there are more packaged curriculums on the market than you can shake a stick at!

Aaah, Lisa you sucked me into a new one!!

 

[jenfur]

I chose PS at first until my DS was about to start K and DD go into 4th and finally decided enough was enough. I feel that in PS, my child has to compete with 20+ other kids per class to get their educational needs met. If DD already knows her vocabulary, she may have to wait for the rest of the class to catch up. If she needs more help with division, the rest of class may move on and she may never really understand enough to build on the basics. HS can be perfectly tailored to every child. I am not against other options and I support school choice completely.


jgmklmhem- You don't have to be an expert at everything, just one lesson ahead If a High School student is able to learn, isn't a parent capable as well? I intend to home school through graduation and expect my children to go on to college.

 

[poohandwendy]

I homeschooled all of my children until they were approximately 5 and then enrolled them in public school. I feel it was the right choice for me and my family.

 

[sap1227]

Although my oldest is only 3, I think we have decided to homeschool. At this point, our plan (which of course may change over time) is to homeschool through 5th grade and then probably send them to public middle school.

I see middle school as a good transition point. In middle school, they will be grouped with other students that are at a similar ability level they are. If we decide to continue homeschooling into middle school, there are 2 different "schools" like disneymom talks about above. They would attend "traditional school" for things like math and science.

I love the idea of being able to include topics my kids are interested in to their daily lessons. I think homeschooling will be a great learning experience for both me and my kids.

Lisa~Thanks for the overview of homeschooling in Florida.

Christy

 

[momof2inPA]

Playing devil's advocate: Why shouldn't homeschooling parents be required to have at least a bachelor's degree and take continuing education courses if teachers are required to do so? It couldn't hurt.

Shouldn't homeschooling kids be subjected to social worker visits to ensure that they are meeting school requirements, instead of waiting until the end of the school year to submit work samples? If the work is not being done, a whole year could be lost.

 

[momof2inPA]

And why is everyone up at this hour? I drank a latte at Staarbucks and can't get to sleep.

 

[poohandwendy]

I just woke up, had a bad dream and couldn't get back to sleep...

edited to add...my dream was that I was PREGNANT!!!! It was a doozy....

 

[sap1227]

Playing devil's advocate: Why shouldn't homeschooling parents be required to have at least a bachelor's degree and take continuing education courses if teachers are required to do so? It couldn't hurt.

Shouldn't homeschooling kids be subjected to social worker visits to ensure that they are meeting school requirements, instead of waiting until the end of the school year to submit work samples? If the work is not being done, a whole year could be lost.

First things first, I am up right now, because both my kids feel asleep at 5:30 last night and I was right behind them. Now, here it is almost 3 and we are all awake I am hoping for good naps for all today.

Are private school teachers required to have a degree? I was thinking they are not. I don't think it is a terrible idea to have homeschooling teachers furher their education, but I don't think that continuing eduation courses are the only way. I have my batchelors and I am working on my masters (in education), but I am not sure how I feel about it being required.

Christy

 

[momof2inPA]

I just woke up, had a bad dream and couldn't get back to sleep...

edited to add...my dream was that I was PREGNANT!!!! It was a doozy....

That would be a bad dream.

We got back from Disney last week, and I keep dreaming that it's time to use my fastpass on Splash Mountain. Then I wake up- darn it.

 

[momof2inPA]

First things first, I am up right now, because both my kids feel asleep at 5:30 last night and I was right behind them. Now, here it is almost 3 and we are all awake I am hoping for good naps for all today.

Are private school teachers required to have a degree? I was thinking they are not. I don't think it is a terrible idea to have homeschooling teachers furher their education, but I don't think that continuing eduation courses are the only way. I have my batchelors and I am working on my masters (in education), but I am not sure how I feel about it being required.

Christy

Uh oh. Now your sleep schedules are all screwed up.

I don't know if the private school requirements vary state to state, but I believe most private school teachers have degrees, just not necessarily in Education. If the State offered free continuing education classes and required homeschooling parents to take them, it might be beneficial to homeschoolers, but probably not for you because of your background.

 

[poohandwendy]

We got back from Disney last week, and I keep dreaming that it's time to use my fastpass on Splash Mountain. Then I wake up- darn it.

LOL, that would be frustrating...

Yes, my dream was bad. It was one of those paranoia dreams where everyone around you acts like you are crazy. In the dream I was really far along and all of my family members acted like it was fine that I just found out I was pregnant. They were all excited and I am like "OMG, my tubes are TIED, they have been tied for 11 years!!!! I want a refund! I can't have a baby!!!!"

I was so glad to wake up!

 

[disneymom3]

As far as needing to have a degree--I do have one, but I wouldn't support requiring it. I know two homeschooling moms without degrees who blow me away with what they are teaching their kids. And the whole social worker thing would be an invasion of privacy as they need a valid reason to come into your home. Yes, I know there are parents out there who need more checks and balances, but it is still over the top in my opinion.

And I know plenty of college grads who aren't too bright--LOL!

 

[Christine]

My children (ages 13 and 10) have been part of both the public and parochial schools. I have personally known three women who homeschool their children. In one case, I feel the mother did this because she did not want her children to leave her during the day. She was a very nice (and smart) woman but I don't believe she spent much time educating her children. But, she must have done okay because they were able to pass their requirements and the older child did assimilate into the public high school well enough. It was just my impression of her, that's all.

When I last checked homeschooling in the state of Virginia, one of the parent had to have a college degree. Since neither my husband or I have such a thing, it is really not an option for us (and we both work).

But, if it were an option, I would probably not do it. Especially for my son. He has a "touch" of social anxiety disorder and definite performance disorder issues. I find that the more I isolate him from these types of interactions, the worse off he becomes. While throwing him into school and activities does not "cure" his anxiety, staying home makes him worse. And enrolling him in soccer, tumbling, and all the other outside extras that homeschoolers do would not help him socialize. He would be so fear struck with having to "perform" at these activities it just wouldn't fly. It has taken us many painstaking months/years to get him comfortable at his piano lessons. We've been cautiously doing Tae Kwon Do now for a month or so and he gradually getting better. But these are not social activities for him as he is doing his lesson at each one of them.

I find that having him at a structured school all day is the best for him. His teacher partners him up with other class members for projects, there is lunch time, recess time, and learning the social "norms" of interacting in a large group setting.

I'm saying that this is required or necessary, but I feel that for my son it is.

 

[Queenie]

Hi,
I'm reading these threads for future reference as I've always thought about homeschooling my kids in the future. One quick question, would one of you please explain what "tumbling" is when you refer to it as a socialisation activity? I've never heard of it before, maybe we call it something different in the UK? Thanks!