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I have recently decided to be a stay at home mom and am now considering homeschooling my three children (3rd - 6th grade). I homeschooled last semester, but I was also attending college full time. As you could imagine, things didn't go quite well. I was struggling between home, school, and homeschool and didn't accomplish much school work with the children. In January, I put the children in a private christian school, which we all love, but we can't really afford the cost of a full school year next year. I refuse to put my children in the local public school, tried it and it was BAD!
So now, I am reconsidering homeschooling my children again. I feel that I would have the time and dedication to do a better job, but I want to make sure I do it right!
I am looking for helpful opinions and suggestions to possibly homeschool my children. Such as schedules, curriculi, websites, books, videos, games, etc.
Plus, I would like to hear from homeschoolers to know how they make it all work.
Any opposing homeschooling.......tell me your opinion too.
I used to be a high dollar tutor in graduate school. Many of our clients were home schooled. We identified very specific skill gaps and taught them the gaps.
I have a graduate degree in psych, so here is a bunch of babble.....
Before you begin, make sure vision and hearing are tested.
I will not touch on the topic of learning disabilities. I studied learning, memory, and decision making. The MDs have the monopoly on learning disabilities.
You might want to look up a guy name Paiget. His research shows that children don't develop a formal way of thinking until about age 12.
This corresponds with other research that children's brains have "plasticity". They can learn better at these times than at any other time in their lives. Girls brains will be less plastic after they "mature" into young women. The horomonal changes cause the brain "lateralize". For boys, you guesed it, they don't mature as early as girls.
Christians home school at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. Topics like creationsim are barred from being taught due to church and state issues.
You are doing the sensible thing. Instead of fighting the system, a lot of people exit the system and get on with their lives.
Type in "home school" in Wikipedia and you will have links galore.
You will have to monitor their performance always. But...
Around 6th grade, have your children comprehensively tested for skill gaps in Math and reading. If you do a rock solid job during the ages of 0-12, you might be able to get your kids a GED by age 16.
Every child is different. Some just won't complete high school until 18. So what? You will rest assured that your value system will be more intact for your children.
First I do agree, the last place I would want my children is in most public schools today. When we lived in Atlatna, we even had teachers and administators tell us if we could at all, not to send the kids to the public school.
You did not metion your husband, home schooling is a family event, field trips and the such, and normally husband also being very supportive.
Also there are various levels of home schooling, for example for our child now, we use a established program that has a set program, they grade exams, keep school records, and even have a school number you use when applying for colleges. There are many like this, where you are actually in thier course, But others develop thier own program, and the such.
also each state has its own laws about it, and you have to be sure to follwo those laws ( but also be careful it is very commom in the US for the local school boards to lie about required registering, and to ask for information not required by state law. ** there are dozens of law suits each week where home school parents hare having to sue the local school boards.
But you have to be ready for this to be a full time situation. And you will never get a break from the kids, so Dad has to be ready to watch kids while you go away for a break some evenings or weekends.
If you wanted to work part time to send your kids to the private school that could be a option also.
but in general home schooling is a great thing if you are ready for it, and can also provide other activities to allow socialization of the kids, ball teams, music classes, sport activities. Most areas have home school groups that meet and do joint activities.
I want to add routine is important. If your going to have school at home. Make sure that everyday, the same times. For example from 9 to 12. Then lunch, after that say 1 to 3. Do not let them take advantage of home time because there may be lots of distractions if not done properly. Home schooling is fine, but then on the other side of the coin. What about learning social skills if they are not in school with others.
What is so wrong with public school? I know that children at times are not treated right, but that is where parents and children learn problem solving and how to deal with pressures of life.
Jesus helper, go into a McDonalds and ask one of the clerks to give you change without the cash register telling them the change,
do this about 10 times and I will bet you wil figure out what is wrong with most public schools ( assuming larger cities)
But yes schedule, schedule adn schedule, We do lessons on a 5 hour day, but then have sports activities 3 nights a week, and music and art twice a week, and we do field trips at least twice a month, farms, historic places, factories , radio stations and the such.
But with that, social skills of knowing which kids are the drug dealers, which ones nromally carry weapons, which ones will be naked on the school bus. If you can ever be allowed to, go watch the video from a average school bus ride, It is terrifing, in two hours I saw 3 itmes get grabed from another kid and be thrown off the bus, one boy change his pants on the bus, two kids get hit and another couple get things stolen.
And all of this was considered average and not enough for them to be concerned. ** that was a when one of my older boys was riding a bus, last day he ever rode a bus.
and I was a sub teacher a about 8 years ago, in elementry school, and say a big difference in the better school distict, around the finer homes with more tax money, and the ones in the lower school districts also,
the same problems we had with the racial inequality, is there today in the ecommonic inequality of the school systems.
I guess I am kind of ignorant, because I went to a public school growing up. Public schools here in canada are not really that bad. I guess, it all depends on where you live and what city your in. Not saying they are all good, but not all of them are as bad you state.
That is my view point from up here in Canada anyway.
I am homeschooled, I was in public school and it does no good,Homeschool the kids, and teach them about christ in your own house. Homeschool would let you spend more quality time with your children
Hi Whiteladabug2002: I've raised two children, now young adults, and put them through Christian Schooling. Let me tell you a it is a bank buster. If I could do it all over again and had the opportunity to, I would home school. Anything but our public school system. Not only is our public education system failing but why put kids through that kind of peer pressure? I wanted my kids to be surrounded by other children whose families had the same values as ours.
Since I didn't homeschool, I don't have much to offer about that but check your local newspaper, most cities have mom support groups that homeschool.
In the city I live in there is a wonder support group, I have been told, but I haven't checked into it yet. That is my next step. I have talked to a few local homeschooling parents in the area and all seem to be happy with it.
I do plan to get my children in extracurricular activites and be involved with the community, but I don't want to limit my children to just their age group. How is socializing with your own age group really helping you to become "socalized?" As an adult, I rarely deal with people my own age, in fact, they are usually older than me. I want my children to learn to be respectful of older people, but also know how to communicate with them and not feel intiminated.
Jesushelper, alot of public American schools are very scary!! Just recently I heard of a class (5th grade) in a school in California, I think, that the teacher left alone for just a short period of time and 4 or 5 students had sex. In class, while other students were there and I guess watching!!! I have a 5th grader and I don't want this is happen!!! Kids bring beer, drugs, condoms, and guns to school somewhere everyday. Most of the time, we never know it!! It is just ugly!
Plus I have learned that my children tend to be followers and follow their friends, even if they know it is not right. That scares me!! I feel like they need alittle more guidance before I let them out in the world to fend for themselves in a wicked public school.
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