Home Schooling?

[mommida]

Some previous posters mentioned socialization and were negative towards home schooling. I am very happy for anyone who has had a positive education experince for their children. Unfortunately many people are not having good experiences with the public school system. (Susan descibed exactly what I did see at the local public school. I was even afraid of one SIX year old.) We chose to send our kids to a private school.

We have the added concern of keeping our children on a gluten free diet. I can see why homeschooling would be a perfect fit for multiple food sensitive children.

L.

[Susan Kelby]

Wow, that is a very interesting description of the children in the public school system. I don't believe my own children behave this way at all and are well socialized in school. Not to mention, I teach in an inner city low income community. I work in the projects. My "kids" don't fit this description either. While every school has there handful of bullys the majority of them are wonderful. The question was not what is better, public school or home schooling. Everyone feels differently on that subject. But in all of my experience with kids (over 9 years now) I have yet to meet a barbarian .What is most important is that each child not only is safe but feels safe in her environment whether it be at home or in a school. And, if the child is working above (or below) grade level, we trained teachers know how to meet those needs as well, it is called differentiated instruction.

Nicole

I'm so glad you this hasn't been your experience, Nicole - I wish it wasn't mine ! But, unfortunately, this is what I have seen. There are very few children who are have been taught to be respectful and kind - the majority have been left to raise themselves while their parents drink and pursue members of the opposite sex.

As far as teachers go, my daughter's teachers were excellent - intelligent, well-trained, caring people. But until we had my daughter tested (against the school's wishes - I had to be VERY persistant, to the extent of calling the county office myself and making the appointment myself), my daughter's teachers had no idea how far ahead she was. They already have far too much on their plates dealing with the barbarians (there's that word again !) who are so far behind. I don't blame them at all - they are absolutely doing the very best anyone could under the circumstances.

Unfortunately, I don't have as good of an opinion of the teachers my daughter would have had the next year. They were both screamers - I could hear them all the way down the hall. I really wasn't looking forward to my daughter being in their classes. So here we are.

Another issue is that what the school offered was that if my daughter finished her work, they would provide more challenging work. I have a problem with that. No child is going to be happy being singled out and given more work. What each child needs is the right work.

I think it would be absolutely wonderful if all public schools were wonderful places that met the needs of all children perfectly, but at least for us, they're not.

Susan

[Susan Kelby]

If you go to www.k12.com and click on K12 Options, you will be able to put in your state to see if there is a charter public school that you can enroll in and receive K12 for free.

Susan

[Nic]

I absolutely agree that no child will want to be singled out with extra work. I actually just heard a mom complaining the other day because her child was in the gifted program but was still expected to do the "regular" work, potentially doubling her work load, you are right, that is not fair. I know that the "barbarians" do exsist but my point was simply that most of the children are not (although all you need is 1 to make someone elses life miserable).

NIcole

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Perhaps an even greater problem than one barbarian is the fact that 10 or 20 basically nice kids will go along with the barbarian.

We only need to look at Western Europe in the 1930's and 1940's to see what can happen--and if you don't think that this doesn't happen in nearly every school, public or private, than I bet the parents of one or two children in every classroom could probably set you straight.

[anerissara]

I don't have time go too far into it right now, but I am homeschooling my kids and we're loving it! My son was like your dd, very bright and went into kindergarten reading and knowing pretty much everything they were teaching that year. He went from being a fun, happy, eager to learn kid...seeking out knowledge and exploring everything around him...to a bored, grouchy little boy who decided that learning wasn't fun within a few months of school. It's taken awhile but I'm finally seeing his love of learning start to return. Not that this happens to everyone, but it sure did for him! His teacher was constantly telling me he had adhd because he wouldn't sit still and listen...he just couldn't stand listening to the same thing over and over. He could already read, but had to sit through 'learning' the alphabet one or two letters per week for an entire year. Not fun! We went through a lot of school situations and have been homeschooling since mid-year last year, and my kids are much happier. No worries about getting glutened at school, no worries about what on earth to pack for lunch every day (hot leftovers for lunch, yea!) and the kids are learning at their own pace. We have lots of homeschooling friends, and my kids are very social and friendly and make new friends quickly. They have sunday school and swimming lessons, dance and homeschool group activities where they can socialize, and I think it's actually working out better socially than regualr school did.

It has been a real stretch for us financially, but we've made it work. I have a family who pays me to watch their homeschooled kids 2 afternoons a week, so I bring in a little income. Our state has a free homeschool curriculum option...an amazingly complete curriculum complete with books, science lab supplies, and more worksheets than you could ever use (or want, but that's another story) so the supplies haven't been expensive this year. Even if your state doesn't offer that option you can homeschool for very little and make good use of the library and other free resources. You can also buy curriculum used on ebay. Let me know if you decide to go the homeschooling route and I'll give you a list of places to start...it's been a good thing for us!

BTW, my son has calmed down and seems more focused since he went gluten-free. I do think it's made a difference, although the different learning setting has also helped tremendiously!

[Nic]

I know this sounds ignorant but the last poster said it has been hard but their making it. Do you have to pay to home school? It would make sense I guess because you have to get the follow the curriculum I just never thought about that before. By the way, I do not think public school is necessarily better than home schooling just because I am a teacher. I only know what is right for my kids as the rest of you know for your own. And your right that the problem with kids is that they follow each other and the bully is a "safe" person to follow. I believe the real problem is that a lot of kids don't have empathy. They can't put themselves in each others shoes (either they can't or they don't stop to do it). My mom was saying the other day how nice she thinks my nephew is because he is very sensitive to my son being on the gluten-free diet. I told her I think it is easy for kids to feel empathy over not being about to eat cake because they know how they would feel if they couldn't. It's the same way when kids generally don't pick on the kid in a wheelchair but they will go after someone who they feel is different for some rediculous and less obvious reason. They feel empathy for the kid in the wheelchair because they can easily understand how it must feel to not be able to run and play. Hopefully, most of them out grow this inability. Just a thought.

Nicole

[anerissara]

To clarify, it's hard financially because I am not working (except for teaching the other kids 2x per week) and because there *are* some costs that we wouldn't have if the kids were in public school, even though for us the curriculum is paid for by the state...things like extra paper, art supplies not included in the curriculum, and we also do a lot of extra things...my kids need extra science, books, project supplies etc. because we are always doing something in addition to the curriculum (for example, my daughter and her 2 friends are making tree stump doll houses...for fairy dolls...out of cardboard, paper and wood, my son and his friend are making a mideval whepons arsonal out of wood and things like bass guitar strings...that sort of thing). They would do some of that if they were in school, but because they have more time now they need to be doing constructive things when their finished with their work. Also we spend money on other learning aids...celiac disease Roms, lessons with other teachers of various sorts (they need to have someone other than mom teach them some of the time, both for their sake and mine!) and we visit museums, exhibits, and parks that sometimes cost money. Also, we will be taking a trip later this school year to see some indian ruins, since my oldest studied that this fall. All these things, in many states, are also tax-deductible because they are education related!

Our state happens to have an umbrella public school which is homeschool based, so we get a curriculum for free ( www.k12.com ) but have to follow state rules as if the kids were in public school. It's sort of a virtual school, I guess. We have a teacher assigned to us who makes contact each week and can answer questions, and we do state testing once or twice (depending on grade) per year. There are group activities and field trips for the kids in the program (over 1000, I think, in our state). I can't believe the stuff they sent us...boxes and boxes of books, workbooks, art and science supplies, math manipulatives, musical instruments...you name it, it was there!

Anyway, I used to be a teacher, too...and I think for most kids public school is great. If we lived somewhere else I would probably send my kids to regular school, but our state has some different situations that make public school not as good of an option. Plus, my kids are both gifted, which is great but can make things difficult school-wise. My son is one of those kids who is gifted plus has slight dyslexia, so it's not easy to have him in a regular classroom or in a gifted program...he needs math and science at a high school level, but his handwriting and spelling are just barely grade level. It was really hard to make a regular school setting work, we even tried private school but so far this is working the best.

Hope that clears it up a bit...

[mamazoocrew]

I too believe that teachers are wonderful (my husbands is just finishing his Master's to teach Math in the public schools!)

For our son who is gifted, the public school system just wasn't able to meet his needs. Teacher's are very busy and don't have the time for one-on-one like we do as parents. They don't have the time to customize a cirriculum that will meet each childs individual needs which is what my husband and I have done for our kids. We are all diffierent and what works for one won't necessarily work for another.

There are plenty of bullies and people with issues in all aspects of life. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, " We need to be the change we wish to see in the world". The same goes for our kids, all we can do is teach and lead by example. It's sad they have to deal with such things at such a young age but unfortunately, even my homeschooled kids are exposed to it on occasion.

[Adelle]

I don't have kids, but I wanted to say... I WISH my mom could have homeschooled me!!

School didn't teach me anything academically, I could read well (college level in middle school), so I was usually stuck in the corner reading cause nobody knew what to do with me.

Socially, it wrecked me. I was not taught to make friends. I was taught to fear people, get defensive, and run! I was hit, spit on, excluded, and viciously teased DAILY. Starting in first grade (never went to kindergarden etc). It stopped when I transferred to an alternative program and graduated early.

If u think bullies aren't everywhere, u aren't there! It only takes 1 bully, 1 overwhelmed teacher, and a class of kids who just "go along" to make a child's life hell.

School isn't always the way to go. Do what's best for YOUR child.

[mommida]

Well if anyone is interested in trying to make a difference in some of the public school childrens lives, Open Original Shared Link is trying to get legislation passed in all states for a bully law.

L.