Homeschooling

[disneymom3]

Math - I use Singapore. I was also using Miquon with it, but due to time and $ constraints I stopped. It does work well as a combo.

I plan on using Teaching Text books next year for dd once she gets through Singapore 6B. That's what Sonlight recommends.
I would love to hear more about why it works so well for your families!

I have been intrigued since reading on here about the Teaching Textbooks and had DD do a lesson on there today. She REALLY liked it--even said it was fun. She was able to follow along on the lesson we did (Lesson 20 from Math 7) and I know she would pass most of the placement test, but she is only in Singapore 4A(almost done.) I have been trying to figure out where the two would join up and am surprised to hear it is not until after 6. It is hard to tell for sure if you would have missed any blocks. I could not find on their website where it talked about Math 6. Anyone know when that is coming out?

As for Grammar, we too use Easy Grammar. It truly is Easy. I don't have DD go completely in order though. Too much time spent on one concept, so we do skip around a bit. Then review previous stuff if she is forgetting.

For other language arts, we are just starting Wordly Wise which I am really happy with and are also back to using Writing Strands. My sister who is a 5th grade teacher evaluated DDs writing for me this weekend and gave me some really good pointers. Did you know that kids who take the SAT and use cursive score significantly higher than those who print. The theory behind it is that using cursive allows their thoughts to flow more directly onto the paper. They have better sentence structure and much more advanced vocabulary. I found that fascinating. She says that cursive has also been shown to be an aid in comitting information to long term memory. Needless to say, DD is going to be required to write her papers etc in cursive from now on!

We have stopped using a spelling program which I know I mentioned.

For history we do overall Story of the World, but in this, out third year, I am adding in much more US history than she has and we are using many resources that I pulled together on my own and the Story of US books (by Joy Hakim) which are excellent! I tried WinterPromise this year but was extremely disappointed in it. Their claim to hands on projects is a joke IMO. Unless your kids consider maps and paper models of real stuff hands on projects, you are out of luck! Not anything like what I expected. They have some good literature suggestions but those can be found SO many places. It was not worth the $450 it cost me that is for sure!! In future years, I have heard good things about Mystery of History. The boys could do Story of the World again but DD needs something deeper. She will be in 7th grade by the time we get back to the Ancients.

 

[Ellester]

I am 90% there-just a little sorrow about leaving the school and a bit of self doubt about being able to do it all!
This thread has helped me greatly! to all!

I totally understand. I think you can expect to feel some "grief" as you adjust to homeschooling. The first year we homeschooled I did get a little depressed when all the neighborhood kids were so excited about their new backpacks, lunch boxes, teachers etc. But then I remembered how quickly that first blush wears off. By the end of September I was so happy that my kids weren't slogging off to the school bus and selling cookie dough door to door. I'm glad this thread has helped, homeschoolers seem to be a very supportive bunch. It's great you are excited, but do prepare for the inevitable ups and downs. I've read that you need to give your child one to two weeks per year of public/private school to decompress and adjust to homeschooling. So for a child who has been in school for 7 years might need up to 14 weeks of adjustment time. I would try to look at the entire first year as a ramping up/learning period. Good luck! All us DIS homeschoolers will surely be cheering you on!

 

[paper1225]

Ellster-I have been saying the first year is going to be a learning experience for all of us-not just me trying to figure it all out, but DH and the kids too!

 

[Tink561]

Ellster-I have been saying the first year is going to be a learning experience for all of us-not just me trying to figure it all out, but DH and the kids too!

We're in year 7 and *every* year is a learning experience!

 

[jaycns]

I have been in the same situation as you and spent several years searching for the "right" spelling program. In the mean time we kept a spelling notebook, and logged any misspelled words under the spelling rule they follow. Those words were used to form the weekly spelling lists.

This year I switched to Sequential Spelling, and it has worked wonderfully! It isn't a bear to teach, and my children enjoy the patterns (and being able to use a white board and different color markers). http://www.sonlight.com/spelling.html I have seen major leaps in spelling ability.

Thanks for sharing! We just received our Sequential Spelling in the mail today. Ds10 has done one lesson. Hopefully this will finally be the key to unlocking his spelling door!!

THANKS GUYS FOR THE GREAT SPELLING SUGGESTIONS!!!

 

[DisneyMom5]

History -- we use Sonlight so the history is already planned for us.
They use Story of the World for Core 6 and 7 (Middle school level World History), and they use The Story of US for Core 100 (Middle school/High school level American History).
So both of those are good options by themselves even.

They also use a lot of Usborne books, which my kids love.

 

[dfarner]

Well, bookgirl, don't feel bad...I believe I was insulted as well.

To answer the op's "respectful?" question, I actually went to Catholic school, private high school, private college for my BA and public college for my Masters.

Math hasn't ever been my strong suit, but I'm pretty good at reading, writing, analytical thinking and recognizing an insult when I see one.

I certainly don't believe I have nothing left to teach my kids...and neither do their teachers at school, as far as I can tell.

I think this poster demonstrated one of my points, though. What if a parent doesn't realize that they are not qualified to cover a subject?

The lady with the daycare loved her kids and worked VERY HARD to teach them, but she lacked the knowledge to teach them many of the simple basics of spelling and grammar. No doubt she did a great job teaching them how to walk and tie shoes and sip from a cup, and even how to treat other people, but as far as I know there are no advanced degrees in those subjects.


It is true that no one teacher is strong in every subject, but one of the strengths in public education is that students are able to learn from a variety of people with diverse gifts and many areas of expertise. If they get a bad teacher one year, with a little luck and some help at home (from my husband and I) next year another qualified person will pick up the slack.

I am more than qualified to teach my children important life lessons, basic life skills, and because of my education and my love of writing and literature, I am also uniquely qualified in that area. They would benefit from my gifts in this area if I homeschooled...and they benefit from it now. I also have some background in history, philosophy and religion.

For math and science, I bring little to the table. Could I learn more?...sure I could...but I know there are far more qualified people than I who are ready and willing to do it for free just two blocks from my house.

I know I can read answers out of a teacher's guide. I also would never teach my kids out of a teacher's guide, and I know that the most gifted teachers at their school do not do that either.

They don't love my kids like I do - I know that - but the good ones love teaching and they have the added benefit of years of training and subject knowledge that I may not have...and no teacher's guide can give my kids that.

BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT!!

And by the way, Bookgirl, I too was extremely insulted by that remark.

To know a good teacher is to know that they do not teach "by the book". They expand on not only what they have learned in college, but also what they have learned from their students, collegues, and administrators. They learn from their mistakes as well. There is so much more to teaching than "subject area" and "core concepts", and from reading about 3 pages of this thread, it seems that some homeschool parents may not realize that. Teachers are REQUIRED to know what they will be teaching. By law. There's a little thing called NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (I'm sure you've all heard of it) that makes sure of it. A teacher cannot even become a teacher without taking HOURS of tests to obtain certification. Now...I'm not sure...is that a requirement of homeschool mommies?

 

[Tink561]

A teacher cannot even become a teacher without taking HOURS of tests to obtain certification. Now...I'm not sure...is that a requirement of homeschool mommies?

No, it's not a requirement for us. We're not teaching other people's children. Did you mean for that last line to sound as condescending as it does?

 

[jaycns]

BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT!!

And by the way, Bookgirl, I too was extremely insulted by that remark.

To know a good teacher is to know that they do not teach "by the book". They expand on not only what they have learned in college, but also what they have learned from their students, collegues, and administrators. They learn from their mistakes as well. There is so much more to teaching than "subject area" and "core concepts", and from reading about 3 pages of this thread, it seems that some homeschool parents may not realize that. Teachers are REQUIRED to know what they will be teaching. By law. There's a little thing called NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (I'm sure you've all heard of it) that makes sure of it. A teacher cannot even become a teacher without taking HOURS of tests to obtain certification. Now...I'm not sure...is that a requirement of homeschool mommies?

If you would take the time to read (really read) this thread you would see your comments are unwarranted. I as a "home school mommy" do beg to differ that I don't know what teaching is really about. However, I am going to refrain from entering into a debate about the qualifications needed for homeschooling your own children. I think those points were well stated earlier in this thread. Hopefully you will be able to read the thread if you have an interest in homeschooling and/or post helpful educational insights.

Otherwise, please understand, that those of us frequenting this thread are not here to debate the right to teach our children (sorry if I am presuming something that is not true...but at least for myself, that is the case). We are here to offer our support to someone (the OP) thinking of embarking on this educational path with her family and in the process we are exchanging helpful information that many of us find benefit in. If you are interested in doing any of that, please stay and discuss the wonders of education (as they pertain to homeschooling) with us. If not, maybe start another thread? I am sure you could and would find many who agree with you about "home school mommies". However, I personally don't feel this thread is the most "on topic" place to do it.

Hopefully we can just agree to disagree and keep this thread on track. Just my two cents....for what they are worth.

 

[sahwifeandmommy]

Teachers are REQUIRED to know what they will be teaching. By law. There's a little thing called NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (I'm sure you've all heard of it) that makes sure of it. A teacher cannot even become a teacher without taking HOURS of tests to obtain certification.

I am sorry I know that this is ot and I really don't know how to do the quotes but wanted to respond. While the above is the ideal it is not the reality. Yes there are supposed to be certified teachers in the classrooms but the sad truth is that is not the case everywhere. There are places that cannot find enough certified teachers and so they hope to find the next best thing-a long term sub. I know of a middle school where it is possible that a student could go all day long and only half of their teachers are certified and the other half are subs. (I quite frankly don't know how a parent would know the difference.) NCLB is a nice idea but in parts of the country there are a lack of teachers especially in the math and sciences. NCLB can make a law but they can't create certified teachers that don't exist and as they put more blame on the teachers and less responsibilty on the students and parents I fear that finding certified teachers will get worse before it gets better.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Can I just remind everyone that the allmighty Praxis is written on a 10th grade level. My 12 year old son passed the practice test in his aunt's book. So much for the many testing housrs...

NCLB wouldn't need to exist if teachers had been teaching instead of following pretty fads, like whole language, and educational psychology.

That said, I have friends without any degree (one has a GED) that have their kids in Harvard, and MIT.

 

[dfarner]

Can I just remind everyone that the allmighty Praxis is written on a 10th grade level. My 12 year old son passed the practice test in his aunt's book. So much for the many testing housrs...

NCLB wouldn't need to exist if teachers had been teaching instead of following pretty fads, like whole language, and educational psychology.

That said, I have friends without any degree (one has a GED) that have their kids in Harvard, and MIT.

Well, your 12 year old "passed" the Praxis, is he also in Harvard? Or are you holding out for something better?

 

[Ellester]

If you would take the time to read (really read) this thread you would see your comments are unwarranted. I as a "home school mommy" do beg to differ that I don't know what teaching is really about. However, I am going to refrain from entering into a debate about the qualifications needed for homeschooling your own children. I think those points were well stated earlier in this thread. Hopefully you will be able to read the thread if you have an interest in homeschooling and/or post helpful educational insights.

Otherwise, please understand, that those of us frequenting this thread are not here to debate the right to teach our children (sorry if I am presuming something that is not true...but at least for myself, that is the case). We are here to offer our support to someone (the OP) thinking of embarking on this educational path with her family and in the process we are exchanging helpful information that many of us find benefit in. If you are interested in doing any of that, please stay and discuss the wonders of education (as they pertain to homeschooling) with us. If not, maybe start another thread? I am sure you could and would find many who agree with you about "home school mommies". However, I personally don't feel this thread is the most "on topic" place to do it.

Hopefully we can just agree to disagree and keep this thread on track. Just my two cents....for what they are worth.

Well said, Jacyns. I wish we could have a homeschooling thread that didn't become a heated debate.

Mods: why can't we have our own board?

Well, your 12 year old "passed" the Praxis, is he also in Harvard? Or are you holding out for something better?

Whoo, that was so totally uncalled for.

 

[paper1225]

For anyone on the line like me reading this thread to get knowledge-I want to share a few things I have learned on my own over the last month or so......
My 3 children go to a catholic school with a student body of about 400 or so. In my state(missouri) private school teachers do not need a degree! Our school actually requires them to have a degree or be working towards one(doesn't have to be a teaching degree either!!!!)......that said-there are two teachers in our school without a degree ( but are currently enrolled in college). So technically-I could be a teacher at my childs school! Also, my husband was taken aside when we were touring the local Catholic high school to learn that not all the teachers are Catholic! They do require all the religon teachers be catholic though........so now I know why some of my DD's have gone to the other teacher of that grade for their religon class.
Another thought, and I know this DOES NOT refer to all teachers, but my sil is a kindergarten teacher at a school with 13 kindergarten classes(25-30 in each class-yeah, pretty high). SIL is only 34, just recieved her masters(law here to get it within 10 years I think-not sure if it is a law in all states).......anyway, she HATES her job. She wants out, but has spent too much time and $$ for her to get out. So my thought on that is why send them to teachers who do not want to teach vs. me-I have the education, just not for teaching and WANT to teach them.......NO debates, just current thoughts running through my head.
Now, to stick up for those teachers that do want to teach-there are a ton of them, and at our school, I think out of 18 teachers, maybe 4 of them seem to hate their job......but what to do when my children get those teachers? I know at our school I could request the other, but it does not mean I will get the other-and what about the one grade (4th), that NEITHER teacher is worth the tuition? Our public schools are just too large around here. They are building every year, but the buildings are not keeping up with the growth..........

 

[bless7ings]

I will just quickly mention we use Adam to Messiah for our history. I love it, love it love it. It is what I have been looking for for a long time! It accomplishes what I have wanted in the way I wanted and is pretty much planned out for me, but leaves me room to be creative and add. It is systematic, but if I want to rearrange it I can. The children could do it easily on their own, but we can do it together. I opt to do it together so I can discuss and analyze the information with them and then I know exactly what they are assimulating and getting. I am also being challenged and learning!

The study starts with the beginning of time and goes through history, but it is all viewed through the jewish peoples eyes. How the world impacted them and the choices they made and how we can understand history and learn from it for ourselves. I love it and am learning a lot! I could go on and on all that it is.

 

[disneymom3]

Well said, Jacyns. I wish we could have a homeschooling thread that didn't become a heated debate.

Mods: why can't we have our own board?

I would STRONGLY suggest that you PM the mods and ask for it. If enough of us ask and explain WHY we want it, they may agree with us. As for why I would like one, it is simply because then we could have separate threads about all of these issues. I for one, think it is great when people without the info question the hows and whys of homeschooling. I think as long as the discussion remains friendly then it can be done and beneficial to everyone. Sadly, when imbedded in a thread like this one, if it turns nasty, it takes so much away from the wonderful discussion we have been having. I am not saying people don't have the right to discuss their own thoughts, but it is hard to have discussion about curriculum when you have to defend your right to homeschool.

Here is my big question that I would love to have a homeschooling board for: How do you instill a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge in your kids? I feel like I have lost that with my oldest and all we are doing is the same old same old. Don't get me wrong, I do feel that she needs to be working on vocabulary and math, but there is no fire there. I feel like I am not meeting my basic goal of why I am doing this. DD would rather watch TV or play Gameboy all day. (Which obviously she is not allowed to do.) So, what do you do to get your kids really fired up?

 

[disneymom3]

To know a good teacher is to know that they do not teach "by the book". They expand on not only what they have learned in college, but also what they have learned from their students, collegues, and administrators. They learn from their mistakes as well. There is so much more to teaching than "subject area" and "core concepts", and from reading about 3 pages of this thread, it seems that some homeschool parents may not realize that. Teachers are REQUIRED to know what they will be teaching. By law. There's a little thing called NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (I'm sure you've all heard of it) that makes sure of it. A teacher cannot even become a teacher without taking HOURS of tests to obtain certification. Now...I'm not sure...is that a requirement of homeschool mommies?

I spend more time studying than any teacher I know. I realized at Christmas that I have no interests other than educational theory and curriculum. rotfl: Not quite but I had a heck of a time coming up with a list for the ILs that wasn't just books!) Considering I have 5 sisters who teach and a mom who retired from 25 years of teaching, I know quite a few teachers really really well. Which brings me to NCLB. Do you know any teachers who like it? Cause of all the ones I know--more than my sisters btw--they all hate it with a passion because of the fact that yes, it takes away from being able to BE that good teacher they have the potential to be. They are constrained by all the info that has to be taught for testing as opposed to going beyond the bounds of the book and taking it so much further.

I also wanted to state, that being a homeschooler does not make you anti-school, it simply makes you pro-homeschooling. Doesn't have to be an either or. I am very happy that the public schools exist. There are plenty of people who are served well by them, just as there are people for whom Montessori or Catholic or Christian schools are the best choice. Homeschooling is the best choice for us.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Nah. Just a reasonably smart motivated kid. Not a genius or even a prodigy and might not even be called gifted, except, perhaps in math, and Lord knows I have no need for them to go to Harvard. ...hmmm...MIT, maybe!

I think I keep them motivated by mixing things up. When we are at the point of killing one another, it usually means they are not getting enough excercise, or mental challenge.

At that point, we go after a small, week-long unit study. Often science based, sometimes history and, on occasion, just a theme (aka. the history of armor.) We pick up everything on the unit, from K-adult, and pile in. We order out pizza, and all get involved including my poor DH! He never knows what sort of project we will grab him for.

Per history, we are currently using Diana Waring's Ancient History. They've all done Abeka's American history, and have been read all of the classical myths etc. since they were little, thanks to Susan and Jesse! I love Diana's CD's that tell the story of the discovery of Troy, the rosetta stone, Captain Cook (not Hook! ), etc. I highly recommend them.

We also bring food into all lessons, whether science, history, math, geography, or Literature. With 3 constantly starving boys...it is a great motivator.

eta: I apologize contributing to the negative. I get tired of the whole "gotta have teacher training" BS. All facts are thrown aside. Probably not the place to bring them out...

 

[bless7ings]

Michelle,
We have used Diana Warings material also. I loved the Ancient Civilizations and her tapes. I bought the new updated ones too. Which ones are you using? I also loved the World Empires, World Missions, World Wars. That one was awesome also! But that one was different all around because we did it in a homeschool coop setting. I co-taught it with another teacher. We kept switching off and therefore only had to come up with plans for and teach half the material. It was neat co teaching because I love getting other peoples ideas. She had some great ones and great projects that she came up with to go with them. We are both so different, so it made a nice well balanced study on the wars and missions. We started with Napoleon and the English Industrialization. She did an awesome job! Which was great because I did't have much English or European history. She did and she had an interest in it.(which makes it better!) I brought in the Industrial Revolution of America and we showed how they were alike and not alike. It was neat, maybe I learned more than the kids!!! But we made them do hands on projects to make sure they were all learning it. We had some real creative kids who made up their own board games with the information we learned in class. The students loved playing them in our class and we were so proud that they were remembering the information we had taught, but not only that but the worldviews behind all that was happening in the world!!! Whew, we did alot of teaching on everyones soapbox and their worldview! It was fun! I put this al together because one of my sons was into wars and missions, so this curriculum was perfect!

We also did the food thing. We had each child study a country that was in the wars and we had food along with it. Each child had to do a presentation of their country and bring in food from that country. The kids loved it, especially the food. Some moms helped and we had whole meals from the countries!

 

[meandtheguys2]

I also loved the World Empires, World Missions, World Wars.

We haven't done this one yet. We had done 4 years of classical history, and I didn't want to re-do the same. This way, my 1st grader (and all) will do DW's Ancient History, and then cycle thru the other next. I do have to say, it is too much information for 1 month. I figure we will be finishing in the summer.

I've always loved a good story, and she is a great story-teller! We've loaned the CD's out to friends for road trips, they are so good!

I love co-oping too! It is nice to make a mess at someone else's house on occasion!