Why do you/want to Home-school

[Avrham]

My wife and I discussed why she wants to Home-school
she stated(reason's) to me
1 (Unschooling)So they can learn what they want to learn(at their own pace)concentrate on their strenghs and weakness

2 More qaulity learning time(no time wasting)more time dedicated to learning/experiances oppartunities (one to one)

3 Does not agree with the school mainstream ideas (herd mentality vs individual mentality)

I could elaborate more but these are just some of my wife"s verystreamlined views i would like to hear anyone elses

[Connie]

You should probably read this thread: Why do you homeschool?

[Avrham]

gee thanks Connie yep miss that one

[BenRaines]

We homeschooled our last two for high school. We were living outside the US and were not happy with the available schools and needed to prepare them for college. One was admitted to Utah State and the other BYU as starting freshmen.

Home schooling allows for a better education if you are prepared to be a teacher. If you are disciplined. Our kids would do a days work in a couple of hours. No wasted time with kids that use up teacher's time in non productive activities.

Ben Raines

[prospectmom]

herd mentality

I think you offend many a teacher with that phrase. I for one would for sure homeschool for the following reasons.

1. If I lived in a larger area where the schools are over crowded and understaffed.

2. If I ever thought the teachers wern't meeting the needs of my children.

The thing that really bugs me about this and was on the other thread is people seen to think that homeschooling is superior to regular school. I know that is not true for me. I have a wonderful school for my children and their needs are being met on a daily basis. Our school challenges each individual to succeed and works to support each child in their efforts. We have one of the highest benckmark scores in the state with most children reading and math grades far above the average school. They are getting a superior education. I am so proud of all who work so hard to ensure the retention and success of each student.. Parents who homeschool seem to have a superior attitude saying they are doing more and a better job than our poor children who are public schooled and that is where I disagree.
If you think about it homeschooling begins way before school age. I started with my children at a very early age. As babies when I put on socks or shoes I would say and here is your right foot and here is your left foot .... this simple game ensured them to know with out any real effort. Before they even went to kindergarden they could read , do simple math, in fact I had to push and recieved extra and appropriate work for their achievement level. They were not herded . Part of the public School problem is parents do not get involved , think it is all up to the school and it is a partnership to assure success for each child. My children continue to get extra learning experiences at home , being in public school does not negate my responsibility to their success.

As I said in a previous thread Home schooling and public schooling have their positives and negatives. There are wonderful dedicated parents as well as many wonderful dedicated teachers who see each childs success important. To say one is superior to the other is wrong . It is a choice . We are lucky to have a wonderful, school I can not brag enough about. Our music teacher won a Holland Opis award he has expanded the music program to be one of the best for a small school. Our family is blessed to be here, but we researched the area looking for a smaller school and moved here. If the situation ever changed I for sure would home school.

Both have their individual pro's and con's and neither is superior to the other. I have 7 children who at times were homeschooled. My oldest is getting her MBA and graduated top of her class. All of my children so far graduated and went on to college or careers with much success . So their schooling both at home and in the public school was key to their success.

I support both but cah say I have seen parents who home school drop the ball too many times , it does take dedication and dicipline. I have also seen before i got to this school the ball being dropped on the schools side. It also takes teamwork and dedication some parents do not choose to be a part of but luckily our staff won't dropp the ball and in some cases their efforts are doubled for those individual who need it.

I guess it is a case of agree to disagree I see and appreciate and support the the homeschooling side, I wish that the same could be said for them.

[richlittell]

I have an educational doctorate and am a professor who has in the past taught all ages from junior high to high school to college to government and corporate training.

I do not take offence to anyone using terms like "herd" or saying anything else critical about public or private schools--because these negatives do exist and are a fact that we as educators have to deal with, and often do research on.

One of the greatest concerns of all educators is the student to teacher ratio, and the best ratio of all is not 50 to 1 or even 20 to 1, but one to one--special scenarios might require group/team work, but that is for older students and also easily adjusted for to the serious home-schooler.

So long as the parents are truly capable of holding up their end of the deal in home-schooling, I feel it is in fact superior to either a public or pivate education. --the key is the parents ability to commit to and direct the educational process.

I have schooled four of my children in the public schools, and so long as the parent stays involved, it is a great education. Two of my children are home-schooling now, I have a three and a half year old who can read at the first grade level and a five and half year old who can read beyond the second grade level.. and we're just getting started (they enjoy it, they come to me and mother to get started and often want to double up on lessons, they sit down and read even when we're not around). We have a commitment to teach them till the fourth grade. However, if we discover later that we really aren't, or can't, hold up our end of the bargain, we'll place them in public/private school.

Advantages.
--Moslty economy of time. You can teach at home in a few hours what takes all day at school. My 3 and 5 year old got to their reading level with only 20-40 minutes three or four times a week. The more advanced the subject, the more time is involved but it will ALWAYS be a more economical use of educational time when appropriately home-schooled.
--Flexible schedule. Taking a break/vacation when either the children or the parents start to get a burnout.
--capitalizing off your children's real interests, pushing them in directions of interest they may not get at school (having more free time to venture into all kinds of personal projects or service).
--understanding exactly their weakness and attacking them head on, while capitalizing off their strengths.
There are plenty more, but these are my top.

One of the reasons I didn't do home-schooling with my other children (though I mentally flirted with the issue all the time) was that I had become somewhat conditioned into believing that the only ones who can give an education are professional teachers and schools. That is a false concept, at least up through elementary and possibly middle school (after all, most kids don't even hit algebra till middle school--so exactly what are the schools teaching up to that point that can't be taught at home?).

If you can't do high school algebra, I wouldn't be home-schooling my children, unless you have definite way to supplement that weakness. At some point your child, if you have done your job right, should start to be getting smarter than you (book-wise, that is), and you'll need to be prepared for how to go forward at that time.

But I could be wrong-- it's been known to happen (frequently, but that's a big secret --shhh).

[Seanette]

Originally Posted by richlittell

If you can't do high school algebra, I wouldn't be home-schooling my children, unless you have definite way to supplement that weakness. At some point your child, if you have done your job right, should start to be getting smarter than you (book-wise, that is), and you'll need to be prepared for how to go forward at that time.

As mentioned in the other thread about this, my husband and I figured if it came to us home-schooling, we could very likely hire a college student as a tutor for subjects one of us couldn't handle (in my case, math above the basics of algebra), since we've normally lived near colleges and students can always use some extra money. That way, as long as we could find someone who did know that material to handle teaching it, our own limitations wouldn't be passed on.

[pam]

As a single mom who could not have ever homeschooled, I had to rely on the public school system. But one thing I did learn..if you disagree with the system..get involved. I was a PTA President one year and a Community Group Chairman for a school for the following 2 years.

I found it was the parents who did absolutely nothing to get involved (even with their own child) that were the biggest whiners.

[rameumptom]

Unless you have a very quality level school in your area, home schooling can be a very good thing. Using some of the standard programs now available, home schoolers usually lead the nation in testing. By a lot.
Recently several home schoolers have won or placed high in national spelling bees and other contests.

[Jenamarie]

Originally Posted by pam

As a single mom who could not have ever homeschooled, I had to rely on the public school system. But one thing I did learn..if you disagree with the system..get involved. I was a PTA President one year and a Community Group Chairman for a school for the following 2 years.

I found it was the parents who did absolutely nothing to get involved (even with their own child) that were the biggest whiners.

And get to know the teacher. Volunteer in the classroom, or, if you work, ask him or her what school supplies s/he's in need of that you can send to school with your child (tissues, printer paper, crayons, glue sticks, etc.) My parents are both elementary teachers, and readily admit to giving more attention to those students whose parents are as involved as they can in the classroom. They know the parents are more likely to "check up" on the child's progress, and will likely complain and/or ask for a different teacher if they feel their child isn't doing well in the class, and that can effect promotions and such.