Homeschooling?

[m.smith]

Yeah, many states have homeschool sports teams, ours (Indiana) has basketball , which I played but I like baseball best and that was only available through a public high school. I have a friend from Texas that played on a home school baseball team but it hasn't reached Indiana....yet =)
I've tried helping to teach my younger siblings but they don't like it and won't listen because they think I'm mean when I ask them to write anything over a paragraph. They listen when my mom tells them to though. =) I just wish I knew about CLEP etc. a long time ago....my younger siblings are way ahead on college because of it. Its a great thing for home schoolers.

[cookderosa]

I've tried helping to teach my younger siblings but they don't like it and won't listen because they think I'm mean when I ask them to write anything over a paragraph. They listen when my mom tells them to though. =) I just wish I knew about CLEP etc. a long time ago....my younger siblings are way ahead on college because of it. Its a great thing for home schoolers.[/QUOTE]
>>

Our area has a couple of homeschool groups. I recently spoke at one monthly meeting about how CLEP can help homeschoolers. I think that CLEP best helps homeschooled teens and adults- I think a public school student doesn't have the ability to use testing as fully, but a homeschool student- from the start- can structure learning for the semester "to the test." (I use US History I and II REA guides as the meat of our US history course) I think it helps with SAT prep too.
Anyway, those of you young people should try and present what you are doing to the parents within your groups. I would even be happy to share my handout that I used. It isn't as relevant, but for an idea it might help. One thing I must emphasize, is that parents don't want their kids to skip learning- so you must underscore that you are not skipping anything, you are simply using the exam to validate the homeschool lessons. A "final exam" if you will.

[MKRainn]

In my opinion, parents teaching their child is better than sending them to a place that tells the kid how to think and learn...of course, it depends on the parent. When it comes to my situation(my local public school, parents ect), it's great! I've been home schooled since kindergarten. For the first five years, my mom taught through Beka books. Then we enrolled in K12, a virtual school, until we graduated from the 8th grade. It's a bit of a long story on how we got from there to here(in college), but all-in-all, it's been very rewarding.

As far as not having a social life or not learning life lessons that being around other kids can teach us, I don't think that's to big of a problem for me...I can't speak for other home schoolers. I meet enough people at our church's youth group(which is open to the public) and I have a couple of good friends. Now when it comes to life lessons...well let's just say I won't leave my stuff out in the open in a crowded and public place anymore.

I mean, it's not like the kids will NEVER learn how to be social. It'll just take a little more time..lighten up! There's more than one way to learn. Take it from someone who has some perspective.* :p

*(I had to go to public schools to take benchmark test at least once a year. Not to brag or anything, but beacause of me and other home schoolers in the area, our district schools looked good....on paper, that is. )

[MKRainn]

This is something I've never understood about the "schools are broken" discussion. Why do so many people seem to think that parents can no longer educate their children if those children are enrolled in public schools?

Public school enrollment does not necessarily preclude parental involvement in education nor should it mean that the kid "becomes someone else's problem." The threat of being sent to the principal's office worked on me not because I thought the principal was scary but because I knew he or she would call my mom and then I'd really be in for it!

Why is it that this debate is always framed as either/or?

Well in my town, alot of parents seem indifferent about their kids. At the youth group that I was talking about, the parents just drop the kid off and leave. They probably don't know(or care) what we do there. Now-a-days it seems like parents just want to send their kids anywhere so their out of the way. That's why I said,"..it depends on the parent."

...but that's just me.

[cookderosa]

This is something I've never understood about the "schools are broken" discussion. Why do so many people seem to think that parents can no longer educate their children if those children are enrolled in public schools?

Public school enrollment does not necessarily preclude parental involvement in education nor should it mean that the kid "becomes someone else's problem." The threat of being sent to the principal's office worked on me not because I thought the principal was scary but because I knew he or she would call my mom and then I'd really be in for it!

Why is it that this debate is always framed as either/or?

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Studies have validated for years that peer groups have more influence over teens than their parents- of course those groups are in group schools. I don't want to debate this issue, because in a nutshell, we are all legally proteced to teach our children in any way we see fit.
If one system worked- we would all be on board.

[cookderosa]

I am genuinely mystified by this sort of One True Wayism on both sides of the educational discussion. It seems like there is a great risk of ignoring valid alternatives any time the debate is framed as between Choice A and Choice B.[/QUOTE]

Let me throw this out and say that if you and I were neighbors we could have coffee and chat for days about this, so understand this is just a little way to hit and run our ideas.
I would take the position that group schools in general are an unstudied experiment (public, private, parochial, magnet, charter, boarding, military, church basement schools, etc). The bottom line is that my research shows that putting large groups of people/children together is not a good idea. (the intent of the activity isn't relevant) Even large groups of mature and reasonable adults can't coexist without strict supervision. So, if we wanted to get technical, I don't send my kids to school because I don't want them in large groups with minimal supervision. In contrast, small groups are excellent (karate, scouts, swimming, track, hockey, art class, music lessons, study groups, parties, basketball teams, etc) at developing appropriate social community behavior and team building skills.
So- for me- it isn't about academics or Christianity- it is SPECIFICALLY about socialization. I don't think schools can be fixed if they continue to try and mass-educate children because of the distraction of being in a large group.
(Note that I am not talking about classroom ratio). So, without writing a book, I just wanted to say that I know what direction you are going- but my reasons for homeschooling are a little different.

[cudawn]

MY husband and I both graduated from public school. I graduated in the top 10 of my class and had no idea how to really study. I went to nursing school and had to learn how to study. Therefore, we made the decision for something different for our children. We have had our kids in private, homeschool, and public education at different times. There really is no perfect schooling situation. Looking back I would have homeschooled right from the beginning. Once a child goes to school they think the teacher knows more than the parent. I am going to encourage my son, who is a senior,to start studying for some of the CLEP tests. This is a great way to earn credit and save money. For those of you who are the experts, which test would you have him start with?

[snazzlefrag]

I am going to encourage my son, who is a senior,to start studying for some of the CLEP tests. This is a great way to earn credit and save money. For those of you who are the experts, which test would you have him start with?

I don't want to hijack this thread, so I will keep this short.

I'm a huge fan of Intro to Sociology for the first exam. Most people can pass it easily with a little bit of effort. It gives newbies a chance to get used to the actual exam software and the testing process, without being too worried about the material itself. Also, Intro to Sociology is a staple amongst general education electives, so the credits are very widely accepted.

Hope that helps,
Snazzlefrag

[QuotableKali1918]

Homeschooling is way better than the public system! Don't even get me started!

[goldpaws]

I don't think all parents are cut out for homeschooling. I did choose that homeschooling is better because regardless of poor parents/poor teachers, any bright student can teach himself/herself, especially in a library. The importance of independent learning is something that is hard to find and usually sprouts itself from a student who isn't being paid attention by the teacher (basically the student is out in the cold and learns to survive).

For this reason I say, public school with parental after school time from preschool until about 2nd or 5th grade is needed in order for the student to master social and basic skills (the social skills are important for proper development). Between 2nd and 5th grade is the optimal period of time to pull your student out of public school because of the spiral method (reteaching the same thing every year plus a few new things).

If you really have bad schools, here's a checklist you can go over with your public school to see whether they are qualified to teach your bright student or if your student is bright enough for the challenge of independent learning: chapter books (20 pages or more/5 chapters or more) should be read well by 2nd grade, multiplication should be mastered by the end of 2nd grade, division should be mastered by the end of 2nd grade, fractions mastered between 3rd-4th grade, writing mastered between 1st and 2nd grade, alphabet and three letter words mastered before kindergarten. After 5th grade a truly bright student is/should be able to master things alone or within a homeschool environment. 4th grade and 5th grade can focus on team effort or groups, so if you aren't willing to join a homeschool club, then you need to wait until after your child has been exposed to classroom cooperation (like sharing, cooperating, pointing out mistakes, comparing notes, having friends over, giving pencil or paper when another student is short by one, anything that you might do in an office situation such as not talking back to the teacher or other students, being polite, holding doors, saying thank you, eating lunch with one another). It really depends on the child's level of development. If he/she has a lot of trouble grasping simple concepts, try to spend extra time at home after school. It is probably the teacher, but not all students pick up the concepts as quick as other children in the classroom. Tutoring may be necessary. I don't recommend putting a lazy, disorganized, or procrastinating child in independent learning, even if it is the teacher at the school. You can get a teacher change; however, these three problems are usually not from one teacher but an ongoing issue with the child.

Signed,
A half public, half independent learning student! I did that, except I was pulled out too late - between 6th and 8th grade - because my parents figured it out too late.