growing and learning

thoughts on homeschooling

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05:23 PM, Monday, October 6, 2008 .. Posted by srusnowangel

Thanks for stopping by my blog. The only reason I am weaning is because of my energy and wanting to make sure that there is enough calcium going around between me the baby and my little man. I would love to let him self wean but the rate he is going it would probably not be until he was 5! LOL. See from your blog that you are expecting a little blessing also. Good Luck and God Bless!

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06:17 AM, Tuesday, October 7, 2008 .. Posted by Nana5

I think you are 100% right here.I truly believe the public school system is a failure and I have proof of that daily because my daughter still sends hers to them.Everyday it is another mess there.We bought school supplies for the kids and don't you know they took it all and made it community property.My daughter threw a fit of course and got the stuff returned to the child but still the thought of them taking away things we work hard to provide for them only to give to children with deadbeat parents.I would donate and so would my daughter to any needy child in a minute but to supply the whole class?

A bit of a rant, sorry! :-p

04:09 AM, Thursday, October 9, 2008 .. Posted by mesarah011

Honestly, I don't know what I think of homeschooling. I really don't! The public school system definitely failed me academically, there's no denying that; I spent most of high school barely passing my classes because I was too busy studying in my own time all of the interesting things my school didn't offer. Can you blame me? Who wants to learn what a verb is as a HIGH SCHOOLER (!) when one not only already KNOWS that but would rather spend one's time studying linguistics or something. A couple of my friends and I were taking a college-sophomore English class online because we weren't being challenged in our senior AP English then, and even the online class was mind-numbingly boring and pointless (the reading was excellent, but the lack of interesting, thought-provoking discussion and the abundance of demeaning questions shadowed that for sure). Public schools seem to think that if someone is under the age of 22 they need to babied, talked down to, and not entrusted with any sort of responsibility unless it involves pages and pages of repetitious homework requiring time, not thought, that will get you a failing grade if you don't complete it. Bah.

However - the part of homeschooling that scares me is the lack of socialization. My mom tried to homeschool me when I entered the seventh grade, and it was a total failure - I loved learning, but as an only child I lost interest when I had no competition or fellow students with whom I could have a sense of teamwork or camaraderie. On top of that, I became *incredibly* lonely, even though I had plenty of neighbor kids to play with when they got home from school. Lastly, when I went back to public school the following year, I found I'd really missed something: the last time I'd gone to school, in 6th grade, my classmates and I were children. Now, in 8th grade, I found that everyone around me was much older, not nearly as innocent, and entering full-blown adolescence, a world I knew nothing about. It was an almost traumatizing experience; I felt so out of place and confused! I tried homeschooling again the first semester of ninth grade, this time with a small co-op of ten kids in a class taught by the moms. It was a little better, but I still had a hard time, and because of the 'class' setting I still couldn't really go at my own pace. Even if I'd stayed at home and *gone* at my own pace, my mother would never have been able to keep up with me, and I didn't have the discipline to teach myself (what kind of kid does without some kind of influence, like a parent?).

Not to mention, of course, all of the homeschooled kids I've known over the years who don't know how to chat with people, who are painfully shy and can't make friends, who don't know how to brush their hair or dress nicely, who are just plain awkward to be around, who are afraid of anyone outside of their family and church group. How are these kids going to make it when they go to college, or try to travel, or get a career? I am NOT trying to make an attack on homeschooled families, please hear me; I've met a few well-adapted homeschoolers whose schooling has been magnificent for them, as well. It's just that those kids seem to be in the minority, and I know my own experiences with homeschooling were painful at best.

Sorry for the long rant - I got carried away! This should have been a blog post, but it's also directly tied to yours, and I'm anxious to hear what others have to say about it. I really, really want to believe in homeschooling, but I've seen it fail so many times that it's really hard. :-( But I don't think public school is the answer, either.

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01:31 PM, Thursday, October 9, 2008 .. Posted by megroocam

Amen Sister! Great Post!
Tan

:-D

04:07 PM, Thursday, October 9, 2008 .. Posted by mesarah011

Thanks! I'm still learning the ropes of this whole blogging thing. ;-) I'll run over and make a post right now! I really am eager to learn more about homeschooling and, hopefully, hear some success stories, which I have no doubt are out there!

And maybe *my* feeling of kinship with *you* is based on the fact that you're a good old-fashioned Westerner (in the U.S. continental sense, not the international sense, haha) - I love living on the East Coast, but I miss the culture and people of the West!! You don't really realize what friendliness and equality exists there until you leave it behind. ^_^

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05:42 AM, Friday, October 10, 2008 .. Posted by gokings13

The history they teach the kids is made up, so no one is 'offended'.
The science they teach the kids, is based upon Darwin's theory, which is made up.
The literature they teach the kids is perverted, at best.
Every aspect of the cirriculum is tainted with lies, manipulations and godlessness.

Adolf Hitler did the same thing.
Hmmmmmmmmm

Laura

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08:04 AM, Friday, October 10, 2008 .. Posted by Nurseforlife

My daughter went to public school, but she has told me time and again she leaned more at home than she is in school. I would have loved to have been at home with her when she was growing up so that I could have home schooled her. My grandson, will be home schooled by his parents and by my husband and myself. I applaud your efforts and from the kids I have known that have been home schooled, they make better students when it is time to move on to college.

I couldn't agree with you more :)

08:51 AM, Friday, October 10, 2008 .. Posted by MtAiryMom

You hit spot on with this entry. I've posted as well, simply because I'm trying to keep comments landing on my blog in their appropriate place.

I remember the day I took my kids out of public schools. The teachers looked at me like I was destroying the future of my children. Thank God, I made that choice because now I see soon to be adults who will be active in their beliefs as you described :) Thanks!

(I blogged in response to your question)

Edited by MtAiryMom on Friday, October 10, 2008 at 10:31 AM

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08:07 AM, Saturday, October 11, 2008 .. Posted by Schatzi

Thank you for stopping by for a visit....Yes, our Thanksgiving is on Monday but we always celebrate the entire weekend:-)...lots of business's are closed on the saturday and sunday as well as Monday....this weekend we are picking grapes...but hopefully will be done before Monday as I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year:-)

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend.

Connie