Anyone here Homeschool?

[cooperjd]

if you have the dedication and determination, I'd say go for the home schooling. I know lots of people that were homeschooled back home, and they turned out great. I was sort of home pre-schooled by my babysitter, and was ahead of all the other kids by the time i got to kindergarten, so for the first few years of elem school, i was bored and would always get 'sick' and have to go home.

another huge advantage i can see for homeschooling is the ability to cater to the child's individual mode of learning. not all people learn in the same way. personally, i excelled in a classroom environment, its the way i learn. i can sit still and concentrate and pay attention. some people can't, and they get bored, they learn by doing not sitting and listening. in a public or private institution, thats just tough, there's no other option other than sitting still and listening. so the child is labeled as slow or a problem child, when in reality the child is just as intelligent, he/she just learns in a different way. with a home school setup, you can figure out how your children learn best and cater and develop that 'mind' or style of learning so he/she can excel.

with a home school you can also encourage creativity with the arts and music that we are losing in the public school system. creativity and critical thinking skills are far more important to the real world than memorizing a few dates in history, or a specific math formula. the ability to think is far more important than the ability to memorize imo.

like bprice, i came from a very subpar school system. look up hardeman county and you'll find teen pregnancy, and low test scores! my core group of friends have pretty much all excelled despite the system we came from. i somehow ended up with a masters in engineering, we got an optics engineer, a guy in med school, couple teachers, a few businesspeople all from my core group. but we all had caring parents that kept pushing us to succeed. thats the real key i think. family and friends that care and are right along with you.

my dad teaches welding at a TN technology center, and kids that come over there have to take proficiency tests before they enroll. he had a kid that read on a 2nd grade level! and he had a diploma from my old high school! 2nd grade! that is pathetic, and he was allowed to pass. and its a common problem for the tech. center to have to offer remedial courses until these kids can read and do math at a high school level. the public school system (not all, but in my hometown) are not doing their job, and the private school in my area isn't very much of a step above.

so as long as you can keep your kids socialized with others, i say go for it. sorry for the long post.

 

[Nickajack Angler]

We've done it all, including Mary going to a private christian school (Abeka curricullum) and teaching for two years. We have had MANY friends who home school, and I cannot EVER recall hearing ANYONE say one negative thing about home schooled kids. My point in responding (a very compelling topic of conversation and glad it's on here) is that NO MATTER which type of schooling you chose for your children, get involved. If you are involved with your children's education, participate in same, and demonstrate a good role model for your children - they'll be best off. Just patting them on the head, putting them on the bus, and letting the schools take care of it will most likely result in failure and lackluster results. I volunteer at my children's school, coach basketball, baseball, football, have taught sunday school for K-5 and love being involved in my children's educational activites. Not tooting my horn, but sharing it takes effort on the parent. Just by your post and being this involved shows you are a great parent and above the norm. You can make great strides in your children's education no matter what choice you make. Just make one and BE INVOLVED. All decisions regarding your childrens future are scary and take great effort. My .02 Thanks for the post and kudos to Spur. He's right on from what I have experienced.

 

[flip1up]

Good stuff yall. My son goes to public school and a few things that were mentioned here are the same that bother me. Why do children go to school for 7 hours to learn what should take 1/2 that time? There is no reason for homework IMO. Meals prepared by the school are horrible. Why are there no seat belts on a school bus? Isnt there a law that makes me and you wear them? If you have the ability and dedication to HS, I would do it.

 

[Guest]

I haven't read all of the posts on this subject, but I will put in my opinion. I graduated from Trion High School, which back in the day, meant something to those in GA. These days, the education there is lacking. If you think I am kidding, then how was it possible that I missed so many days in school, some intentional, some for perfectly good reasons, and still came out pretty well in my GPA?

For the most part, I did enjoy my school career, but there are times where I wish that I wouldn't have been exposed to the rendors of a public school system. Not only are the vast majorities of public education facilities falling well short of what we would call par for the course, but they are taking the control of the classrooms away from the teachers and giving them to the students. Back when I was in school, if I got into trouble, I had to pay for what I did. Either ISS, which I was only put in once, or dentention, or Saturday school. These days, if a teacher stands up to their students, it's considered abuse and the kids get away with a vast majority of things that weren't considered tolerable.

I agree, not all public facilities are in such dissaray. Some are on the cutting edge of educational excellence. They are, however, few and far between.

I see that it's a sad day in my life when I told my parents that I would have much rather went to the county high school instead of the once private Trion High. I see that it's a sad day in my life when I would rather go to another team's football game and cheer them on, then to watch the team my alma mater fields.

For those that are wanting or thinking about homeschooling their children, go for it.