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Public Middle School
Today, I'm thinking about whether I should comply with my daughter's wishes to go back to public
school so she doesn't miss the "middle school experience." She saw a DVD from the school yearbook about the school year
she just missed and it showed all these fun, happy times (and none of the long hours of classroom time). She wants to
have the experience of going from one class to another to another. I took her out in 5th grade when they were still
in elementary mode. There are a number of other things she's mentioned as well, BUT...
she hasn't mentioned anything that doesn't have a homeschool alternative, and I don't think I've
ever talked to anyone who really thought the "middle school experience" was a positive and useful part of their lives.
We are thinking of letting her go back in 9th grade to be able to have the "high school experience"
which was, for some of us, a very positive and enriching time.
I think we are going to keep homeschooling her for 7th and 8th grades because of the negative social
environment, because she's having some trouble with math, and because we can offer her as an individual so much more at home
than the school can offer her.
What is NaNoWriMo?
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing.
Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.
Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's
write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting
art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels
at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: Sign-ups begin October 1, 2007. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the
official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified
by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Still confused? Just visit the How NaNoWriMo Works page!
And for Young Writes (or Writers for the Young), check out http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/.
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The Old Schoolhouse: The Magazine for Homeschooling Families
Homeschooling Today: Learning from the Past with a Vision for the Future
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on a broad range of cutting-edge topics for today's homeschooling families. Our columnists and regularly featured writers
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much, much more!
Homeschool Digest: The Quarterly Journal for Family Discipleship
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In the Home School Digest, you'll find practical tips, simple suggestions and bold Biblical
challenges that make up an open forum for wrestling through the complex issues that affect homeschooling families. We pray
that the broad, yet uncompromising approach you'll find in Home School Digest will strengthen, encourage and equip you in
your journey of homeschooling, raising Godly children, and walking closer with Jesus Christ.
Homeschooling Horizons Magazine
http://www.homeschoolinghorizons.com/
At Homeschooling Horizons Magazine, our goal is very simple: to provide you with
the encouragement and tips needed to provide your child with a superior education.
Whether you are new to home education or a veteran of many years, Homeschooling
Horizons Magazine has what you need.
If you are using a traditional curriculum or unschooling your child, the articles,
tips, activities and stories are sure to have you nodding in agreement and learning from our varied columnists.
We would invite you to request your complimentary copy today!
Life Learning: Inspiring Families Around the World Who Learn Without Schooling
Life Learning magazine is an intelligent, high quality, professionally edited and produced
magazine written by and for unschooling families who trust themselves and their children to learn freely and naturally what
they need to know to live successful, happy lives. It is published by a business that my husband and I launched in our
home in 1976 in order to unschool our two daughters. We hope you enjoy exploring this website and and learning about Life
Learning magazine...and I invite you to order a sample copy or a subscription. ~ Wendy
Priesnitz, Editor
Practical Homeschooling
Join
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The Teaching Home
For 27 years, The Teaching Home has provided support
to home
educators from a distinctly Christian perspective
Home Educator's Family Times
Home schooling improves academic performance and
reduces impact of socio-economic factors
Release
Date: October 04, 2007
-
TORONTO, ON—Home schooling appears to improve the academic performance of children from families
with low levels of education, according to a report on home schooling released today by independent research organization
The Fraser Institute.
“The evidence is particularly interesting for students who traditionally fall through
the cracks in the public system,” said Claudia Hepburn, co-author of Home Schooling: From the Extreme to the
Mainstream, 2nd edition and Director of Education Policy with The Fraser Institute.
“Poorly
educated parents who choose to teach their children at home produce better academic results for their children than public
schools do. One study we reviewed found that students taught at home by mothers who never finished high school scored a full
55 percentage points higher than public school students from families with comparable education levels.”
The peer-reviewed report, co-written with Patrick Basham and John Merrifield, builds on a 2001 study
with new research and data. It examines the educational phenomenon of home schooling in Canada and the United States, its
regulation, history, growth, and the characteristics of practitioners, before reviewing the findings on the academic and social
effects of home schooling.
Hepburn said evidence clearly demonstrates that home education may help reduce the negative effects
of some background factors that many educators believe affects a child’s ability to learn, such as low family income,
low parental educational attainment, parents not having formal training as teachers, race or ethnicity of the student, gender
of the student, not having a computer in the home, and infrequent usage of public libraries.
“The research
shows that the level of education of a child’s parents, gender of the child, and income of family has less to do with
a child’s academic achievement than it does in public schools.”
The study also reports that students educated at home outperform their peers on most academic tests
and are involved in a broad mix of social activities outside the home.
Research shows that almost 25 per cent
of home schooled students in the United States perform one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private
schools. Grades 1 to 4 home school students perform one grade level higher than their public- and private-school peers. By
Grade 8, the average home schooled student performs four grade levels above the national average.
Hepburn said a growing body of new research also calls into question the belief that home schooled
children are not adequately socialized.
“The average Canadian home schooled student is regularly involved in eight social activities
outside the home. Canadian home schooled children watch less television than other children, and they show significantly fewer
problems than public school children when observed in free play,” she said.
The report concludes that home schooling is not only a viable educational choice for parents, but can
also be provided at a much lower cost than public schooling. The report notes that in the U.S., home schooling families spend
less than $4,000 per year on home schooling while public schooling in the U.S. costs about $9,600 per child.
“Canadian and American policymakers should recognize the ability of parents to meet the educational
needs of their children at home, without government involvement,” Hepburn said.
“While home schooling
may be impractical for many families, it has proven to be a successful and relatively inexpensive educational alternative.
It merits the respect of policy makers, the attention of researchers, and the consideration of parents.”
The Fraser Institute
is an independent research and educational organization based in Canada. Its mission is to measure, study, and communicate
the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals. To protect the Institute’s
independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research.
|
Contact: Claudia R. Hepburn
Email: claudiah@fraserinstitute.ca
Telephone: (416) 363-6575, ext. 227 |
"B-75. The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental
choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled
must meet all state curriucular requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academinc
progress. Home schooling should should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne
by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure
agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.
"The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular
activities in the public schools.
"The Association further believes that local public school systems should have the authority to determine
grade placement and/or credits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering the public school setting from
a home school setting. (1988, 2006)"
Now, let's look at this position piece by piece:
"B-75. The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice
cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. [So what do they say about
all the homeschool children who graduate every year meeting and exceeding all standards they are compared to? Why are
colleges and universities beginning to look for homeschool students to enroll? It's not because they want to pick up
the slack from an inadequate education.] When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curriucular
requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academinc progress. [And
what recourse do we, as parents, have when the public school system fails to educate our children? My own son, when
removed from school in 7th grade, could not work problems in long division, decimals, fractions, or mixed numerals.
He was very weak on standard and metric measurements. Despite having such a lousy foundation, he was expected to
go on with the class. He wasn't aequately educated. The standardized tests proved it, but the school kept advancing
him to the next level in that subject.] Home schooling should should be limited to the children of the immediate
family, [no problem, for me personally] with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians
[Wait a minute! You mean the state is to determine what and how the child is taught, requiring
testing that isn't even looked at for placement in the schools, still collect taxes from homeschoolers for education
because they are built into sales taxes, etc. You mean that state can tell us what to do, but we should have no access to
the financial part of their budget that we are not using, or have directly paid in?]. Instruction should be by
persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency [I'll just say 'finances'
and you can refer to the previous comment. Unfortunately a full 25% of the teachers (not all in one school system) my
son had in kindergarten through 7th grade we about as worthless as my dog at educating children. That license means
they passed a test, it doesn't mean they can teach worth squat], and a curriculum approved
by the state department of education should be used [The curriculum many homeschoolers use have higher
standards for successful completion than the public school curriculum; yet we might be told we can't use it because it talks
about God, doesn't include the method of the day for teaching something, or because it's approach is too different? And,
again, finances, please read above.]
"The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular
activities in the public schools [but we should still pay taxes into the education system and teach them
according to approved curriculum?].
"The Association further believes that local public school systems should have the authority to determine
grade placement and/or credits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering the public school setting from
a home school setting. [That seems appropriate as long as the child is allowed to rise to the level
of his or her competence as proved by the testing instead of being made to do exactly the same things as their age-mates.]
1988, 2006)"
The NEA's overly broad statement does not take into account the individual child and that child's
best interest. I could have left my child in public school because "the department of education started a new program
last year and things are getting better all the time, but it may take a while to see improvement throughout the state."
But how irresponsible would I be to leave my child in an environment where he was not learning and was bullied every single
day without exception. I felt it was ultimately MY responsibility as a parent to see that he was educated and socializaed
properly. It is my responsibility. If he ended up having to take remedial classes in college, no one's
going to lay the blame at the foot of the dozens of trained, experienced, licensed professionals who had him 13 years for
6+ hours a day to educate him and didn't. No, if anything it's the parents that "should have known something was wrong."
So if it is my responsibility to see that my child is not neglected educationally, then I must have some I idea what he needs,
and ability to fulfill it.
For this next article, please scroll down to read the section marked in green.
Home Schools Run By Well-Meaning Amateurs
Schools With Good Teachers Are Best-Suited to Shape Young Minds
By Dave Arnold
There's nothing like having the right person with the right experience, skills and tools to accomplish a specific task.
Certain jobs are best left to the pros, such as, formal education.
There are few homeowners who can tackle every aspect of home repair. A few of us might know carpentry, plumbing and, let’s
say, cementing. Others may know about electrical work, tiling and roofing. But hardly anyone can do it all.
Same goes for cars. Not many people have the skills and knowledge to perform all repairs on the family car. Even if they
do, they probably don’t own the proper tools. Heck, some people have their hands full just knowing how to drive.
So, why would some parents assume they know enough about every academic subject to home-school their children? [If
the public school had done their job properly with the parents, then they should know enough to get their kids through the
8th grade, at least.] You would think that they might leave this -- the shaping of their children’s minds,
careers, and futures -- to trained professionals. That is, to those who have worked steadily at their profession for 10, 20,
30 years! Teachers! [The same teachers who pass them on to the next level
of a subject, knowing the child can't successfully perform the level they just finished? The same teachers and principals
who put off and put off dealing with a special needs situation because it's such a mess to go through the testing, paperwork,
and decisions? The same teachers who verbally abuse children - not just this year, but for the last thirty years (this
child's parent had the teacher years earlier)? The same teachers who start out young, and dewy-eyed and idealistic,
who end up in 10, 20,30 years being so jaded and cynical they don't believe they can teach children anymore and aren't so
sure they like them anyway? The same teachers who end up taking so much time out of the classroom throughout the year
that a child in their 2nd grade class keeps forgetting their name? The same teachers who will lie to your face to save
their own rears, even when confronted with another adult who saw/heard what happened? You mean those teachers*?]
Experienced Pros
There’s nothing like having the right person with the right experience, skills and tools to accomplish a specific
task. Whether it is window-washing, bricklaying or designing a space station. Certain jobs are best left to the pros. Formal
education is one of those jobs. [Educating a child is something
is something that comes intuitively to most parents and is quickly learnable for those who don't get it to
begin with. After all, we managed to teach that child to walk, and talk, to name colors, to tie shoes, to work the toilet,
counting, sometimes alphabet and reading and a thousand other things before they ever reached school. If the first 3-5
years are the most important, why aren't our children mandated away from us then, so we don't mess them up? If
we can manage to get our children to age 4 or 5 and meet all of their educational and developmental needs, why can't
parents tackle the tasks of addition to algebra, grammer, history, earth science, life science, physical science, music, art
appreciation, artistic creativity, etc. We've already been doing it for 5 years, it's not like we are going into it
cold.]
Of course there are circumstances that might make it necessary for parents to teach their children at home. For example,
if the child is severely handicapped and cannot be transported safely to a school, or is bedridden with a serious disease,
or lives in such a remote area that attending a public school is near impossible. [Or not learning at
school, being bullied, being abused, being held back from their potential, being forced to move forward before they are ready,
experiencing lots extremely negative social interactions, only learning at public school level and capable of more.
A severely handicapped child requires much more professional intervention than an average child. If average children
cannot receive the "professional" input they need; what makes you think it's going to happen for a low-income special needs
child who is not allowed to use public school services because he is homeschooled?]
Well-Meaning Amateurs
The number of parents who could easily send their children to public school but opt for home-schooling instead is on the
increase. Several organizations have popped up on the Web to serve these wannabe teachers. These organizations are even running
ads on prime time television. After viewing one advertisement, I searched a home school Web site. This site contains some statements that REALLY irritate me!
- “It’s not as difficult as it looks.”
The “it” is meant to be “teaching.” Let’s face it, teaching children is difficult even for
experienced professionals. Wannabes have no idea. [There are hundreds of licensed, trained, experienced
teachers who are home educating their children and encouraging others, who are not teachers, to do so.]
- “What about socialization? Forget about it!”
Forget about interacting with others? Are they nuts? Socialization is an important component of getting along in life.
You cannot teach it. Children should have the opportunity to interact with others their own age. Without allowing their children
to mingle, trade ideas and thoughts with others, these parents are creating social misfits. [And the point
usually is, "forget about it," don't worry about it because socialization is not something that has to be arranged and
taught. It happens naturally and for the vast majority of homeschooling families, not only do their children have opportunities
to be with their age-mates, but they also have more numerous opportunities than public school students to associate
with the entire range of ages: babies through the elderly. We don't keep our children at home all day everyday to make
sure they don't have contact with other kids and community members. League sports, gymnastics and dance classes, Girl
Scouts and Boy Scouts, church children's/youth group activities, the community pool, library reading programs, local school
athletic games and meets, sleep-overs, birthday parties, family getogethers, neighborhood cookouts, etc And
about socialization opportunities in the schools, the teachers are always telling the kids in school, "Don't talk," "You are
not here to socialize." Don't talk, face straight, you can't go to the bathroom until class is over, don't pass notes,
don't use sign language, be quiet, sit still, don't tap, don't rock - okay, I got a little excited there, but give me
a break! You call what they do in school appropriate socialization? Most of the day they can only interact
with each other when the teacher is out of the room, or they have to do it against the rules and risk getting caught.
At lunchtime and recess the kids are left to their own devices. Oh, there are teachers present, but they aren't interacting
with the kids. They don't even know that Michael is telling Jarrod he's going to beat him up after school; or that Amy
and Ashley are discussing what was on the R-rated movie Amy's mom let her watch last night; or Billy and Kyle are passing
a bill and a joint; and Katie, Rachel, and Rochelle are seeing who can be the biggest drama queen, and learning clever put-downs
from each other.]
If this Web site encouraged home-schooled children to join after-school clubs at the local school, or participate in sports
or other community activities, then I might feel different. Maine state laws, for example, require local school districts
to allow home-schooled students to participate in their athletic programs. For this Web site to declare, “forget about
it,” is bad advice. [Too bad you didn't include everything that was said; you've misled your
audience into thinking the website said something in entirety that it did not say.]
When I worked for Wal-Mart more than 20 years ago, Sam Walton once told me: “I can teach Wal-Mart associates how
to use a computer, calculator, and how to operate like retailers. But I can’t teach them how to be a teammate when they
have never been part of any team.” [What's a family? A bunch of individuals who all go their
own way and do their own thing. Other team-skill building are mentioned a little ways up with socialization.]
- “Visit our online bookstore.”
Buying a history, science or math book does not mean an adult can automatically instruct others about the book’s
content. [Nor does working in a school as support personnel mean that you can effectivelly critique home
education as an alternative to public education. I'm not licensed to be a teacher or even trained to be a teacher, but
I've managed, with the help of a book, to teach my child 5th grade math, which he didn't know when I took him out in 7th grade.
So obviously, being a trained, and licensed teacher doesn't mean you can teach anyone anything, book or not.]
Gullible Parents
Another Web site asks for donations and posts newspaper articles pertaining to problems occurring in public schools.
It’s obvious to me that these organizations are in it for the money. They are involved in the education of children
mostly in the hope of profiting at the hands of well-meaning but gullible parents. [If my husband
and I were gullible, we would have believed the administration telling us, again, for the third year, that "he'll mature next
year and things will be better," I'd have continued to believe them when they said they would do something about the
bullying and threats when they wouldn't even check up on it when my son complained. If I were gullible, I wouldn't be
searching the internet for information so I could make informed decisions, rather than just doing what someone else said to
do.]
This includes parents who home-school their children for reasons that may be linked to religious convictions. One Web site
that I visited stated that the best way to combat our nation’s “ungodly” public schools was to remove
students from them and teach them at home or at a Christian school.
I’m certainly not opposed to religious schools, or to anyone standing up for what they believe in. I admire anyone
who has the strength to stand up against the majority. But in this case, pulling children out of a school is not the best
way to fight the laws that govern our education system. No battle has ever been won by retreating!
[I'm not fighting any laws that govern the education system; I'm making sure my son learns - something that wasn't happening
in school. The battle I took on was for my son's benefit, and not one public school person from superintendent on down
to the support staff have mentioned that I was doing my son a disservice.]
No Training
Don’t most parents have a tough enough job teaching their children social, disciplinary and behavioral skills? [What? By and large, no, teaching social, disciplinary, and behavioral skills isn't hard at all! By the
way, if we are covering social at home, them the schools can just not worry about it and do THEIR job of academic teaching.]
They would be wise to help their children and themselves by leaving the responsibility of teaching math, science, art, writing,
history, geography and other subjects to those who are knowledgeable, trained and motivated to do the best job possible.
[No one teacher is knowledgeable about all subjects, unfortunately training has little to do with ability
to teach. Remember, parents teach for 3-5 years before the school gets the little darlings. And who is going to
be more motivated for the success of a child: a teacher with 20 - 120 other children to think about, or a parent who has borne
that child, raised them to the age they are now, and has a vested interest in seeing them do well?]
(Dave Arnold, a member of the Illinois Education Association, is head custodian at Brownstown Elementary
School in Southern Illinois.)
[Head custodian? Give me a break! You have no more business writing about homeschooling,
esp. on the basis of only one website that you misleadingly quoted, than you think parents have teaching their own children.]
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NEA or its
affiliates.
*Granted, not all teachers are losers and many care a great deal about what they do and the children
they do it for. But if my child has one abusive teacher, I'm not going to leave him in school to deal with her just
because the other 8 teachers in the grade are no problem.
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Being Creative with Children with Challenges
On Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, I was waiting for my friend to get online so I could IM with her about
our children and some thoughts I'd ha. Since I was afraid I'd forget what I wanted to say I emailed her - and later
in the day she sent this response to the Homeschooling Parents group on raisingthem.com:
"As an "unmedicated" AD/HD child and teen, I remember how hard it was to pay attention in class,
much less have the ability to concentrate on my work or have a desire to learn. I made up all kinds of excuses as to why I
didn't get this assignment done or that project finished. But somehow, I did scathe by with a C average (just think what my
GPA could've been had I been on some type of medicaiton). Then I entered a junior college in my early twenties with the deepest
desire to learn...something I had never experienced before!!!
Now, I have my own AD/HD son (15) and a troubled nephew
(16) who I am homeschooling. They both have a desire to learn in areas they are interested in, and in other areas we have
the age old problem..."That is soooo boring! I don't want to do that!!" And I feel at a loss as to how to encourage either
one of them!
BUT!!! My BFF Kelly has been sending me articles and links to help me be more creative with my approach
to teaching these "boring" subjects. With all that said, I think being creative, invovling the student in decisions,
being open to trying different approaches, and not getting hung up on "we have to follow the book" "we HAVE to do it like
this", would help. At least that's the attitude I'm going to try to take. Kelly has given me a tremendous amount of insight,
which I appreciate so much! I really think she needs to post the e-mail she sent to me this morning to everyone on our site!!!
Thanks
Kelly, you're the bestest BFF ever!!!"
So I did post it and this is what my reply to her post said:
"As written to Crystal, my BFF. This was written as I thought through the situation in this topic,
and some other challenges I am facing. Like they say in Al-Anon, "Take what you like, and leave the rest."
*******
"You're
not on the internet so I'm going say my part of eveything I wanted to talk about in this email!
Did I make sure that
you know that you can set up your grading scale any way you like? You don't have to stick to the regular 90-100 A, 80-89 B,
etc. You could call your grades Bob, Harry and Leroy as long as you are consistent in how you evaluate. Think about elementary
school: "needs work," "progressing," "competent," and "mastered." And I'm using pass/fail for golf and participation in Enrichment
Day.
From this point forward, nothing less than a C will be considered passing, for my kids. Some parents/schools
have made this adjustment by make the percentages tougher for each letter grade (93-100 A, 85-92 B, 77-84 C, 70-77, D) so
they don't have to mess with explaining how the kid can get a D, and still not pass.
I'm just going to tell mine that
grades below 70% do not pass, and will have to be re-done until they know it well enough to do right. Just that alone will
save a lot of redo's because most of my kids' redo's are for carelessness. If they know they are going to have to redo it
until I'm satisfied they know it well enough, then they'll start being more careful.
I'm also going to try to say
things like, "We'll go over it until you have had the time to learn it" instead of "You're going to do it until you do it
right." (Boy, that early childhood training just kicks in without me knowing sometime. The old "State what you want from the
child in a positive manner" rule - it's just ingrained I think!)
I know you are depending a lot on curriculum with
standard quizzes and tests; but if you wanted to you could set-up evaluations differently. We have done oral reports complete
with questions and answer time, traditional papers, graphic projects, collections, teach-the-teacher, and could do singing,
acting out scenes, creating a website, and I can take an idea of theirs and figure out how to evaluate their learning based
on it.
I'm liking using HomeSchoolTracker even more than I was. When I make their assignments I have some idea of
what needs to be done and how it might go. But I'm going back in AFTER we've done the class/assignment, to keep notes on what
was actually covered, how their attitudes were, and anything else that occurs to me as helpful to document. Then I'm printing
out the assignment sheet for the day - with all my notes - and keeping a file."
Kelly Answers Questions About Homeschooling - 9-6-07
These questions came to me in a group-list message & here is how I responded.
Hi Liz (and everyone) - This is Kelly Lee - I deleted one yahoo id
(bequiet65) and created another
(kal2448) due some problems I was having
with yahoo email. I don't know if this will get to Home Blessings or not
and
I don't know who it will say it's from. I've applied to rejoin the
group.
Anyway, to answer your questions:
>>OKay,
the subjects you are discussing are for the simester [sic] or for the
year?
We do math, lang arts, Bible,
science, and history in some form or another
all year long. Specific units like Modern Military Technology,
Understanding
Alcohol, How Do I Know There is a God are just the names of
what we are studying in tose broader areas. Arts are
added in as interest and time allows.
>>At the end of the High shcool years and they want to go to college, do
they
take a special test or are there special tests all along to make sure
they are learning their requirements?
In Oklahoma,
homeschooled children are not required to take any tests along
the way. All the colleges require SAT/ACT or other national
test scores.
Homeschoolers can take those tests at nearly any community college in our
area for less than $100. I'm
also keeping transcript and course description
records for my kids so the colleges will be able to really see what they've
done.
>>Are
all the ages learning the same subjects at the same time or are you
juggling between one age and then another?
In
our family (Rachel 6th grade and Daniel 10th grade), I teach both grades
at the same time and have slightly different criteria
for grading each
child. Math, I do teach separately, because Daniel is in Algebra and Rachel
is not that far yet
>>How
does one become a homeschool teacher? Is there a certificate or
something for it?
In Oklahoma there are no requirements
for education that a parent-teacher
must meet. I've never heard of formal education for homeschoolers - and
many would
balk at that anyway because they don't believe formal education
is the best way to learn and that's why they are homeschooling
in the first
place.
>>What are the benefits of being homeschooled? Do they have graduations and
proms (I
didnt attend mine I thought it was bogus and spent the night with
friends) and field trips?
Some homeschool associations have graduation ceremonies, proms, or other key events. They also
offer classes taught for difficult subjects that the parent might not feel adequate to cover, and there are sports, choir,
and band opportunities available as well.
First and foremost, my children are no longer exposed to the negative social
atmospheres that were greatly affecting
their lives. Daniel was constantly
threatened and bullied, and he couldn't even keep his mind on school for
worrying
about what would happen in the halls and after school. Rachel took
on the persona of a Diva/Drama Queen/Master of the Universe
and treated
others, including our family, like dirt. Now, she is much more
sweet-tempered, and spends her school-time
learning instead of thinking
about clever put downs or ways to get even with Rochelle, Keely, etc.
Flexibility
is another plus. We don't have to get up and get ready to go to
school - they had to get up at 6:30am when they were in
public school. Not
that getting up early is a problem, but with my disability I'm not very
consistent in the times I
am able to get up and around.
Parent-child relationships have improved SO much. Daniel started
homeschooling 3/4
of the way through 7th grade; and Rachel started in 5th
grade. I felt like I had lost touch with them because they were
away from
me so many hours a day. I didn't know their favorites anymore: fav. color,
fav. friend. I didn't know what
they detested anymore: doing dishes, Mrs.
Newman. Now, their father and I have much more time with them to share the
Bible,
get to know who they are and model the kind of people WE want them to be.
Being able to go at the child's
pace while learning is important, too. My
kids were raised on TV and video games, and they learn quite well when we
have
classes 30 min. or shorter - and cover little bites of information at a
time. They process these little bites throughout
the rest of the day, and
we are able to discuss their questions or thoughts about them at any time.
If one or both are
having trouble with something, we can stay on it or look
for alternate ways to teach it as long as we need to. If we come
across
material that they already know well, we can just hit the highlights, and
get on with something they aren't as
familiar with.
Ability to select who child will spend time with: Daniel and Rachel were
relatively new to this small
community and not welcomed by all. They had conflicts with at least half of the other students they encountered. There were
also
some teachers who were very negative, or in other ways were not good role
models. Now they have teachers (their
dad and I) who are concerned about them learning, not just wanting to draw a paycheck. And if Rachel & Daniel don't
want to be around a certain group of people, they are not not forced to be with them every single day. I'd hate to be in that
situation and, as an adult, I have made
decisions and changes in my life avoid that. It's good that I can make that
choice now for my children.
Field trips! Field trips are definately a benefit. We get to go on so many
field trips
that the public schools can't take them on because of time and
money. The kids really get into seeing authentic artifacts
and interacting
wih experts who will answer their questions.
Socialization: This is the big debate! But my kids
have been exposed to a
greater variety of socialization opportunities since they've been
homeschooling. They are comfortable
being around and talking with all ages,
from infants to the elderly, not just their peers. They can communicate with people
of all levels of intelligence, from the severely retarded people at the community help center to high IQ health professionals
and lawmakers; and they are learning to think about wider arena of interests as well. They are very good at
determining
what another person's viewpoint might be, and they can also hold
their own in an arguement or debate.
Homeschooling
is the best thing I ever did for our family. The stress level
of the entire family has been reduced immensely, not just
for the children.
We get along better and enjoy our time with each other. I don't begrudge
the kids' wanting to spend
time with their friends, because I know they
already have plenty of time with me. I know what they are learning and how
well
they are learning it. I can make sure that Bible is included in their
education. They don't spend six hours of their day
forced to be still and
doing a lot of waiting because it doesn't take six hours to teach a day's
worth of stuff. I teach
the same amount as, or more than, the public school
teaches in a day in 2-4 hours. The kids aren't occupied with endless
busy
work that doesn't really teach or reinforce anything, but has to be done and
turned in for a grade.
I do
NOT believe, however, that homeschooling is the best option for every
family - so we are really blessed in these modern
times to be able to have
education option including public & private schools for our children if we don't feel
up to the job for some reason.
>>I really want to know, we don't home school around here. There are
students
that are, I imagine, but most are at the public, catholic or ivy
leage around here. I don't really know how it works,..
please tell me! I
want to understand!!
I'm glad you asked questions! The more people who know what homeschooling
is
really about the better. We don't keep our kids at home and unable to
learn how to function in society. We don't just let
the kids do whatever
they want and make up grades for a report card. We are not religious
*freaks* indoctrinating children
with unusual beliefs that run against the
norms of American culture.
What we are is loving parents, who recognize
their innate abilities to teach
their own children, who have a lifestyle and financial resources that can
accommodate
homeschool, who explore the many forms of homeschooling to
determine what works best, who have a genuine and vested interest
in seeing
their children learn.
The Usual Chaos and Confusion - 9-5-07
You wouldn’t think, with just two kids, that there would be very much chaos in our
everyday life, but we have weird things happen a few times every week.
Today, we went to return a game to Movie Gallery and buy some pop at Wal-Mart. While we
were at Wal-Mart, my son, with a sprained ankle, decided he wanted to apply to work there. The application is on a computer
and there was someone already at the computer, so we had to wait.
We walked around electronics and the guy was still there. We walked around the shoe department
and he was still there. We went to look at scrapbooking stuff and he was still there. We went to housewares and he was still
there. Remember, we are doing all this walking and Daniel has a sprained ankle.
I had taken some migraine medication earlier in the day and it started making my mouth dry.
I tried to ignore it but it kept getting worse, so I gave Rachel three quarters (they have 25 cent Sam’s choice canned
pop machines at our Wal-Mart) and I asked her to get each of us a drink. She took orders then ran off to do her errand.
Daniel and I stood near the magazines at the back of the store where we had a good view
of the entrance. We kept checking on the other applicant, and he was still working at the computer. Pretty soon Rachel comes
back, with one can. She said the machine took the other two quarters and wouldn’t give her the diet pop I had requested.
I moved to the customer service desk to get our two quarters back, and Daniel, after talking
more to Rachel about it, decided to go check out the machine himself. I gave him a quarter to use. He came back with another
can and two quarters. He said that when he first put the quarter in, it drop straight to the return coin thingy, and when
he reached in to retrieve it, he found another quarter! So, now Rachel’s got a pop (1 quarter), Daniel tries pushing
a drink button and gets a pop! (So that’s 1 quarter that was stuck in the machine). He puts a quarter in to get my pop,
but it kept going to the return coin thingy and he couldn’t get another pop.
So I go to the machine with two quarters in my hand. I put one in, it slides straight down
(by this time my mouth is SO dry that my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth!). Out of frustration I went to slam down
the coin return lever and found it was stuck in the down position – that’s why the quarters kept falling. I was
able to get it unstuck, put a quarter in and get a root beer! So I went back to join the kids with a root beer and the fourth
quarter. We didn’t lose any money after all! I tried to explain it to the kids but I couldn’t get what was in
my head to come out, so I just said, "Trust me. We didn’t lose anything."
Mr. Taking A Long Time To Fill Out The Application was still working away, Daniel’s
ankle was really bothering him, I was tired of walking around, so Daniel suggested we just go on home and come back another
time.
Just as I’m paying for our stuff, here comes the other applicant to the front of the
store, and Daniel wants to go back there and do his thing. So, back we go the application computer.
It took Daniel about 45 minutes to complete the entire process. There was a pre-employment
assessment: 65 items to answer about how you would handle certain situations. Unfortunately, he did not pass the assessment
so he can’t turn in the application! He can reapply in 60 days and in that time I’m going to do some career training
with him, so he’ll know what to answer on those questions.
All that took place in the space of about 2 hours – I just can’t believe it.
And stuff like this happens to us frequently. We’re just a 4 person family who wants to lead a quiet life, but life
has other ideas!
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