If I Could Have Kids I Would Home School Them (Rant)

seriously, what kind of parent denies their child friendship and companionship with other children...that's child abuse in my book.

uuugghhh

I suspect it isn't that far off where they won't "go" to school any more anyway and one teacher will teach hundreds (thousands?) of kids over the internet instead.

I'm glad my kids are older and the last 2 are almost out of high school. Little ones starting out today are seriously getting gypped out of the basics.

ha ha
i never said I couldnt read

I read quite well

staring at bugs...

doing that earned these folks about $62,000 a year

[link to www.degreefinders.com]

i can see that happening.

oh shit...did i break your thread?

There really isn't this illusory "dedication" required to home school your children. This is simple. If kids are provided with the proper tools (books, internet, love, attention) and kept from too much T.V and video games, they will love learning and it will be a natural process that will require very little facilitation on the parent's part. Children learn to walk and talk by being around other people. They will also learn to read and write once adequately shown the benefits of being able to do both (most will develop the desire naturally). But, if rigid home schooling with a curriculum is what makes you and your child comfortable, then great! If you have a child that is happy and well adjusted in school, then that's great too!

My youngest 2 are in school, so I could start college and my oldest (16) is in college with me. We are loving this shift, but we also loved the freedom of her autonomous learning through part of elementary and all of junior high and high school. She scored better on her college entrance exam in math than most high school graduates do. She also entered into to college level English despite her severe dyslexia which was debilitating in elementary school.

Always keep your child's true happiness in mind and everything else will flow beautifully!

P.S. who ever made the comment about a school no longer teaching cursive; it is completely irrelevant and is not a required skill in any workplace. My second daughter pointed this out to me when I was trying to "force" it on her. Our conversation went like this:

Me:You have to know how to do this!
Her: Why?
*I pondered her question, for a minute, realizing she was right; neither my father or husband write in cursive. Then, I said "Well, you have to know how to read it".
Her: "I do know how to read it".
I wrote something in cursive on a piece of paper and asked her to read it to me.....and she did. She won that one.

Home schooling fosters free and critical thinking, public education generally does not.

its just a rant anyways

not like its some ground breaking revelation upon the world...


lol

It's obvious who your kids got their big brains from. :-) Very eloquently written!

Some of these state schools have also quit teaching cursive writing. Something about the age of the internet not needing cursive any longer!

Wow!! Can I ask how you found out the IQ? I have a 2 year old daughter who reads and knows all numbers and puzzles. She gets bored so easy too! Could you let me know some signs you had in the toddler years? Thanks!

I don't blame you for wanting to homeschool. We just got lucky. Our school system is a National School of Excellence, the teachers are so nurturing, encouraging and are willing to let my kids work at their pace. Surprisingly, we live in a lower income area...My little city is well below national average for median income...

I would be doing my kids a great disservice by homeschooling them, and I'm wise enough to recognize that. :-)

And btw, great topic for a thread, Dr. Acula!!!!

I really believe it all depends on where you live and the individual teacher. Public school teachers get paid a ton more than private here on long island new York. And I have taught in a public school for the past 14 years. Excellent and terrible teachers everywhere. And everything in between too.

The school tested him because he was so advanced and such a pain in the ass. Unfortunately we don't have gifted programs in our schools anymore..bleh...The best advice I can give is to keep your child challenged...that was our biggest problem in switching schools this year...although it's been fixed now.

My youngest was the same way when he was a toddler. Knew how to read at 3. Was great at puzzles, always wanted to group everything. I'd say he's a bit OCD as well. Just like his momma. :-)

He's always had a great sense of humor and was telling jokes when he was 2-3...I mean jokes...People would give us the strangest looks, like he was a mutant with two heads or somethin... LOL

My oldest has a higher than average IQ, but she's not extraordinary...more of a perfectionist than anything else. When she was little, she never said momma or dada...she started with broccoli, cauliflour, strawberry and dinosaur...and she used to spell things backwards starting at 3 or 4...She couldn't spell forwards at that age, but she could spell backwards...THAT was weird!

Last Edited by StormeyGoddess on 12/09/2012 06:51 PM

Done the right way it's a good idea. The only thing I ever really had a problem with was how the kids would learn to socialize. I guess if there were friends around that would solve that problem.

Schools are becoming dangerous places in some areas. My youngest son had to quit in his senior year of high school because his school was so dangerous.

I live in an urban area and the schools are horrible. He went to better schools when he was younger but I had to move.

in your case it sounds like your kids are getting the proper education. Thats awesome!

I know a few teachers here that work with the students to great length... but most dont care.

wish that would change...

oh well... ehhh dont gotta worry about it anyways lol

My kids were public school kids. They went to the same school my husband and I attended. Their teachers were our classmates. I volunteered at the school every single day, all day until they were in high school. I tutored reading and science, my husband tutored math. The students we worked with went from D's and F's to A's. It soon became required that each student spend a few minutes each day with me in order to get extra help in reading and science.

It allowed them to have the best of both worlds and worked well for all of us. They loved having me their everyday and so did their friends.

After school their friends would all come and hang out at our house. (We usually had about 12 kids over everyday) Their parents liked that I made them all sit down together to work on homework and the kids liked having me there to lend a helping hand when they were confused. (The parents often wondered why their kids liked to be at my house since I was a great deal more strict then they were.)

When they reached high school, the only volunteering I did was for field trips, choir, cheerleading, SGA, Future educators of America, cross country and track. (The activities my kids were involved with.) I was unanimously elected by the senior class and teachers to be the only parent on the senior trip.

The point to all this is simple, an actively involved parent can even make public school beneficial.

I cant argue with that!

More parents should get involved!

Like I said, my youngest had to switch schools because of a move...we didn't move out of the district, but it involved a change of elementary school for him...I was shocked that I had so many problems when we switched since we were in the same district. Jeesh!

So, not only is there the disparity from city to city and state to state, it's also school to school in each district...

It's a shame what some of the public schools have turned into. Scary world out there!

Why, thank you:-)

How ridiculously absurd.

You haven't a clue.

That's irresponsible and sad that kids are being denied such basics as cursive writing and being able to do basic math without relying on a calculator.


Oh great, just reckless writing with no rules of grammar - well, we see that all over the internet, right?

Kids today have very little intellect or critical thinking skills, and it's not just schools, but also parents who are enabling the paths of misdirection. Such a shame.

You are quite wrong. This statement is made by parents who just don't want that much responsibility.

Homeschooled kids in upper grades can be given more responsibility for taking initiative to work on their own, but absolutely, homeschooling parents MUST be involved AND dedicated, from kindergarten through graduation.



"Faciliation" is different from actual dedication.



There really is no need for "rigid" homeschooling - it's actually better to have a relaxed and informal structure. Kids generally do far better when they are neither pushed nor given too much freedom. Moderation is key. But it still requires a dedication on the part of the homeschooling parent(s).




That's sad.



That's very true.

and neith do you.

i personally know 4 families who homeschool their spawn and each and every one of those kids are as dumb as a box of rocks.

Public schools may be a bit stupid but home schooling isnt any better unless youre giving your kids all the oportunites and facilities of a normal school.
All the science, arts, physical education, going on camps, just the fact of mixing with other people, etc etc.
My brothers and siters are home schooled and i see them missing out on alot.

Their brains might be wired differently and they most likely would not know how to read even if they were in school. My first child couldn't read when she was in the fourth grade and she was in public education. My 7 year old started school for the first time this year. She was reading by two weeks in which tells me not that school is fabulous with education but that my daughter merely was able to link ALL of the reading skills she learned on her own at home for all of these years.

We by no means have a rigid curriculum and our children have always devoured information in any form. Life is a learning process. Practical application of any subject is easy to teach at home with just a little engagement and it will be fun without seeming like school in any way!

Gardening (Math, Science)
Cooking (Reading, Math)

Spelling and grammar skills are naturally developed through loads of reading; making fun rhyming games teaches sequence and pattern skills. Kids literally are sponges and just need their parents to follow their little simple requests like "Can we plant a garden?". These activities teach most basic skills, build lifelong memories, and are fun. Education does not need to be the rigid, sedentary process most people have been brainwashed into thinking it should be.

Except, you do have to know to sign your name.

She's thirteen now; I've seen her signature. Once again, I think she has this covered;)