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Why I am a HOME SCHOOLING working mom!
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Original Message
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I am a home schooling parent. The recent events concerning the terrorism drill in Denver have reinforced my feeling on continuing the home school, (actually online school situation).
Thread: Terror Drill Terrorizes Children - Denver Video
The truth is, that for most parents, if the government wants to control you, all that they need do is to “detain” your child.
Other problems such as avoidance of bullies, and public schools overreacting and misinterpreting common childhood events have been highlighted on previous GLP threads. Also the schools have become “petri dishes” of infection, and excuses for sometimes unwanted and unwarranted vaccination programs.
I had never considered this as an option, until our now 11-year-old son (6th grade currently) ran into a problem with a teacher two years ago. To make a long story short, the school was never able to resolve the issue to our satisfaction, and my husband and I agreed that this would be our resolution.
We are all am now very happy with our on line school. Our son is enrolled in WYVA (Wyoming Virtual Academy) (Each state has their own “public school” virtual academy which can usually be located on google)
[link to zsem.k12.com]
[link to www.k12.com]
[link to www.k12.com]
Our virtual academy uses a K-12 program; they send all of the books, materials without charge, as it is a State funded school and as such, is still considered a “public school”. Our son takes regular public school achievement tests; he just does them online.
The only real requirement is a reliable Internet connection, but even if the connection fails, he has books and workbooks that we can use, and catch up later if necessary. He has an online teacher, and some virtual classes, as well as optional field trips, but for the most part my son does all of his class work online and he loves it.
We love this program, our son is learning at an advanced rate, and not bored by the busy work, or bothered by the “problem kids” in class.
I am a working mom, but we have arranged my hours so that I can still be his learning coach. Scheduling is more flexible than you might think. If the parents are able to arrange shift work as long as the school work is completed in a 24-hour period it is acceptable. (This seems to work well for many nurses and I am surprised at how many nurses home school their children.)
If one parent is able to stay at home, that is ideal, however if both parents work there are still other options, especially for children who are a bit older. I have taken my son to work, and have an area set up for him to work online when the need arises, after making sure that this will not disturb others in my office. I have been surprised at how receptive and supportive the people I work with have been to this concept. I also have a person to stay at the house with him when I am not able to do this. This can be a trusted friend, relative, or someone that you hire to supervise your child and also do a bit of housework. (Yes, it does cost a bit of money, but it is more than worth it.) When one of us arrives home (my husband or myself), we spend quality time reviewing the lessons, and answering any questions that our son has about the day’s work. (We also have done "school" at Barnes & Noble to have a "fun day" for a good job)
The school provides instruction books for us as well, plus I can always call his teacher if I am not sure of how to present something.
As far as socialization and manners, I believe it is the parent’s job to teach these skills rather than the school system, so my husband and I take the responsibility for this. The school does organize regular field trips for students, and some of the online classes are interactive, so the students can communicate with each other as well as the teacher. He also has friends that he plays with outside of school, but these are children with parents who also supervise them and teach them appropriate social skills.
I wish that we would have done this years ago, and he will probably stay in this program rather than go to a bricks and mortar school for Junior High. We haven’t decided about High School yet, but we have some time. Most importantly, he loves it.
On a final note these quotes:
“The tax-supported "public school" system is in trouble. There are chronic problems with discipline, mounting violence, declining test scores, and administrative costs spiraling out of control. Government schools continue to graduate functional illiterates, and US public school students' math skills are now among the worst in the industrialized world.”
“ How bad is it? The US has 27 million illiterates as well as 40 to 50 million people who can barely read at the fourth-grade level. The US is also among the worst industrialized countries in the areas of math and science. More than half of all 18-year-olds cannot find Britain or France on a map.”
“ The defenders of the government schools claim the problem is a lack of money. However, in real terms, spending on education has actually risen over the last 40 years. The US ranks near the top in the world in per student spending – more than either the Germans or the Japanese. The cost per student in government schools is nearly twice that of a typical private school, yet the results are distinctly inferior. “
[link to www.isil.org]
“Free men and women do not entrust to the state the molding of their children's minds and character. As we wouldn't trust the state to feed our kids, or to clothe them, or to get them to bed on time, neither should we trust the state to teach them.
What 19th-century Democrats understood, 21st-century Americans need to relearn: Education is too important to be left to the government.”
[link to www.boston.com]
I would be happy in this thread to answer questions for other parents who are considering this as an option.
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