bearisgray

Someone earlier mentioned it -

becoming an educated person seems to depend on three things -

the person him/herself - does he/she want to or is able to learn?
are the parents/guardians interested/encouraging and do they have the means to support this?
are the materials/institutions available to the learner (either/both cost and/or location)?

Onebyone

The mothers that are involved in home schooling here, the kids go to a home school commune type gathering once or twice a week. They have labs and learning centers for the home school kids. It's a job for the parent who is home schooling, it's not here read this book and answer the questions. It's not cheap either. Lots of paperwork involved to keep the kids grade levels tested and recorded. The kids I know now that are homeschooled are more involved in outside activities and community then the public school kids. The parent is the key to successful home school kids and many can't stick with it. I was way not interested in home schooling my kids. They went to public school for elementary and then church private school focused on college prep until 11th grade. Then back to public school for the two years to have prom, sports, band, etc. They had all the credits needed by 11 grade to graduate but wanted the social life of school. They only had to go 1/2 day to get credit of being in school to get the attendance needed to be in graduation.

SusieQOH

NZ you are absolutely right in your assessment. My experience was just that. I know it isn't like that all over. We had some really crabby nuns who didn't like kids, especially boys. And it was most of the nuns, not every single one. I always felt sorry for my brother because they were so hard on the boys and he was very bright but hyper. But he was resilient and ended up fine.

As hard as I am about the education I received I also feel that some good came out of it after all. I like the person I am! At least some of that must have come from school,right? So at the end of the day it is all good.
And thanks for the info I asked about!

sewbizgirl

We had private music lessons. One son is a guitarist who went on to music college and became a worship director. The other son was a gifted violinist.

Also, they danced in the ballet... professional performances. My daughter was a fully trained ballet dancer by the time she was 14 years old. She was also a rehearsal coach for performances such as the Nutcracker, taking the younger students through their numbers every rehearsal. She knew all the choreography for all of the dances in the ballet. My two sons danced and performed too. We never could have given that kind of time to ballet, had they been in school and had the reams of homework and outside assignments every day. But it was a wonderful life for them and our entire family bonded and grew from the ballet.

The question of science: By the time labs were part of the curriculum, we used satellite courses from Bob Jones University. They had the labs we needed to observe. We also ordered our own supplies to do some at home. We erupted the volcano, dissected the worm and frog, etc. And our co-op had science classes available too, for home ed students to take together.

If you miss something in education, your brilliant, resourceful children will pick it up somewhere else. What they are interested in, they will pursue. You can be sure of that.

cathyvv

Home schooling works for some kids. Usually success has more to do with the parents than the child being home schooled.

I have two grands who are home schooled. Their parents rarely involve the kids in outside of the home activities. One of them is, and always was, extremely shy, but did ok in school, had a few friends. Since he has been home schooled he has basically become a hermit. He does not know how to be around people he doesn't know. He is literally frozen if someone he doesn't know says hello. He's learning his lessons, but has learned nothing about surviving in the world.

His brother has Aspergers and is very bright, also sociable. He visited me to help me in November and I had to make sure he did school work. Since he respects me and KNOWS that I do not threaten, I actually do what I say I'm going to do, he got most of the work done relatively quickly. He had a science experiment to do - usually those are skipped by Mom and Dad - and remarked that it was 'kinda fun'. A writing assignment took him a total of about 2.5 hours work with me; with Mom and Dad it would be weeks, sometimes months, of prodding.

He's afraid of school because he feels he won't be accepted by the other kids. Might be true, but he's never had the opportunity to find out, or figure out how to get along.

So, while they are doing their schooling, I don't consider it a successful endeavor. What good is knowing stuff if you are frightened of the world? I think home schooling can work well for some families, though.

carolynjo

I am all for public schools! It is, IMHO, a great "leveler" of society. I like the idea that everyone who graduates has some core of knowledge and shares in the public school experience. I also think that everyone needs to learn to read very well. If you know how to read, you can educate yourself.

nativetexan

I tried so hard to get my son in a Montessori school when he was young. Teachers couldn't keep up with him. He asked questions about everything. everything. He still does. but in class rooms of 30+ kids, he didn't do well. lost interest. so home schooling sounds like a good thing. I applaud any parent who can do this for their child.

zozee

I wrote a response here last night but it vanished. Not sure why, but I'll recap:

-We homeschooled 17 years. I loved choosing curriculum that was challenging and fit both our educational philosophy and my teaching style.
- We were able to engage in many years of homeschool co-ops, in which mothers (and a few fathers with flexible schedules) could teach what they excelled in.
-The socialization argument was laughable. Our kids (and all their peers) were involved in so many activities that we had to say "no" to some in order to get our schoolwork done.

- I was able to spend more time on areas where each child was either struggling or had intense interest. "The way they're wired" was fun to explore.

-We made a lot more progress between Sept and May than their peers did from Aug-June because we didn't have to stop for snow days, federal holidays, religious holidays that weren't ones we observed.

-Homeschool is a natural environment mixed with adults and kids of all ages. Kids learned to interact with all those age groups, as opposed to being in a class with 30 kids their same age and roughly the same maturity.
-We didn't have to always wait for the slowest kid in class. Many times the gifted kids suffer in a public or private school because the struggling students take so much of the teacher's attention. I know because I went to public school and I volunteered in one. I also taught in a private school and realized I was always "teaching to the middle" and felt conflicted that neither the slowest nor the fastest kds were getting my best as a teacher. I gave my best, but did that mean it was their best in a classroom.

-I was able to teach our kids to write, to think critically, to integrate daily chores such as cooking and laundry with algebra and geography. I was able to help them deal with conflict by dealing with root issues, and to make consequences fit the infractions.

- We gave them the choice to attend high school when they wanted. One chose senior year, one chose jr/sr years, one finished at home. The three who graduated went on to graduate college, move out, get married, and no one moved back home, nor has been remotely tempted. LOL.

-Our youngest is 17. He homeschooled for two years, but clearly as "an only child" needed more friends around to suit his personality. The first school he went to was boring (he had learned almost all of it at home before entering ) but he loved the classroom. The next school (where he has been from 4th grade to the present) is outstanding--challenging intellectually, safe and friendly with a family feel to it, and a place where he's encouraged to be a strong servant-leader.

janiebakes

In America, any school can call themselves a Montessori School. If you want the method developed by Maria Montessori, you need to look for a school accredited by Association Montessori Internationale. (AMI) There is also American Montessori Society (AMS) which is the Montessori method adapted to American Culture. Then there are the schools that say they are Montessori but do whatever they feel like.
The AMI method teaches respect for the child, that the hand teaches the mind, and that learning is child lead. The teachers must have a four year degree in a subject, then go for additional training as Montessori instructors. The children are not given answers to their questions but are led to the answer by the Socratic method, often using manipulatives. One day I dropped in at my child's school and found the upper elementary (grades 4-6) out on the grounds. They told me that they didn't have to study today, they were just going to draw a map of the campus. There they were, with pads of paper and surveying tools becoming mapmakers.

cathyvv

"-The socialization argument was laughable. Our kids (and all their peers) were involved in so many activities that we had to say "no" to some in order to get our schoolwork done. "

That is because you made the effort to keep your kids involved with the world. Many parents don't.

I do volunteer work for a local organization that provides, clothes, shoes, school supplies, personal products, etc. to children in foster care. One family of children who came in were 'home schooled'. The youngest, 6 years old, watched TV all day and ate snacks. He was 'large' for his age. The older kids - one (about 12 years old) said she thought she could count to 100.

That is an extreme example, but it is not unique. If the school systems do Not monitor the progress of children being home schooled, well, the kids suffer.

Parents are the key to home schooling success.