How's homeschooling going?

[Poly]

I was just wondering how school is going for the homeschoolers?
It's been a pretty good year for us thus far. This is our 10th year and my first with 4 kids in school. My oldest is in the 10th grade and my youngest is in Kindergarten. I have enjoyed getting into creative writing with my kids recently. Any inputs or suggestions on how you've been successful in this area would be appreciated.

[ebenz47037]

This year hasn't gone too well for us, Poly. Because Jess asked for workbooks (as opposed to textbooks), I went with Alpha & Omega curriculum. She didn't like it and found ways to "lose" her books. So, the biggest part of this year, I've been making my own curriculum. Next year, we're going back to Bob Jones curriculum. And, Jess is going to repeat the eighth grade.

[Poly]

Sorry to hear that Ebenz. I have no doubt though that things can still work out successful for you. I really like B.J. Always have.

[ebenz47037]

I've always liked BJ curriculum too. I was stupid to switch. I won't make that mistake again. :D

[irish_dragon]

can i ask why you guys chose to home-school your children?

[Poly]

Originally posted by irish_dragon
can i ask why you guys chose to home-school your children?

We chose not to put them in public schools because they are run by the government.

We don't think anybody is more qualified to teach our children in the most effective manner for them personally than we are.

[ebenz47037]

My late husband and I decided to put my daughter in private school. By the time she was in there for two years, the tuition was raised too much for us to continue. So, we put her in public school at the beginning of second grade. By the time she was there a month, her teacher told me that public schools in California (I now live in Indiana and the schools are no better) were not equipped to handle intelligent children anymore. She suggested that I homeschool. I was scared to death. But, my husband supported me 100% and I managed to get over my fright. My daughter's now in the seventh/eighth grade.

[irish_dragon]

Wow cool! Over hear in the UK home-schooling is virtually unheard of! I guess it must be an american thing. It is really uncommon. So is private schools. The majority of people go to public schools (me included). But i think home-schooling is fine, if not in some cases better than school.

I think as a teenager though I'd miss all the interaction with the other pupils.

[Sting]

I don't like the thought of homeschooling. But I my aunt has homeschooled her three kids and her sisters kids also, and she is just wonderful, and they are pretty well adjusted. Now, she also puts them in rec leagues with other kids and they play a lot of sports and do a lot of community exercises with other kids. But I have met some kids that are just hopeless when it comes to hygiene and social interaction. I learned so much about people, myself, determination, etc.. in public sports and all through high school and now into college, I am so glad that I had to make my own decisions and be sort of "thrown" into the real world. My parents both work for the school system so I had a good handle on rules and regulations when I was in school, but I just don't agree with the thought that the kids could be better suited if homeschooled. A parent can rear a child, but ultimately it comes down to the kid on how they will act, live, etc.. I'm still a bit iffy on homeschooling I guess.

[Poly]

Originally posted by irish_dragon
Wow cool! Over hear in the UK home-schooling is virtually unheard of! I guess it must be an american thing. It is really uncommon. So is private schools. The majority of people go to public schools (me included). But i think home-schooling is fine, if not in some cases better than school.

I think as a teenager though I'd miss all the interaction with the other pupils.
Glad to hear you feel that way about homeschooling. Many people do feel that they might miss interaction with other kids. We belong to a home educators fellowship group. This is a great way for my kids to stay involved with others that are homeschooled as well.

[ebenz47037]

Originally posted by irish_dragon
I think as a teenager though I'd miss all the interaction with the other pupils.

Only thing that's going to save us there is church and youth functions. We are very active in our church. And, my daughter loves the youth group and all that they do.

At the end of every school year, I ask my daughter if she still wants to homeschool and she says yes.

[ebenz47037]

Originally posted by Sting
I don't like the thought of homeschooling. But I my aunt has homeschooled her three kids and her sisters kids also, and she is just wonderful, and they are pretty well adjusted. Now, she also puts them in rec leagues with other kids and they play a lot of sports and do a lot of community exercises with other kids. But I have met some kids that are just hopeless when it comes to hygiene and social interaction. I learned so much about people, myself, determination, etc.. in public sports and all through high school and now into college, I am so glad that I had to make my own decisions and be sort of "thrown" into the real world. My parents both work for the school system so I had a good handle on rules and regulations when I was in school, but I just don't agree with the thought that the kids could be better suited if homeschooled. A parent can rear a child, but ultimately it comes down to the kid on how they will act, live, etc.. I'm still a bit iffy on homeschooling I guess.

After my own experience with public school, I am glad I decided to homeschool my daughter. I was a good student, made good grades, was the softball pitching coach, played volleyball, etc. But, because I was smart, it seemed that a lot of teachers resented me. They took the time to egg the kids on who would tease me. I saw the same thing happening to my own daughter, just a lot earlier than it happened to me. That was one of several reasons I pulled her out and began homeschooling. Now, she gets to socialize with kids from our church and from other homeschooling families. She gets along well with all age groups. She's very active. She loves to ride her bike, sled down my neighbor's hill, swim, and ice skate. Next year, for physical education, I'm going to pay for horse back riding lessons (English, not western).

[Prisca]

Hi Poly,

We’ve had a pretty good year, except for a few illnesses. My 11 year-old-son is recovering from pneumonia which kept him down for a few days. Earlier this year, he had a terrible case of strep throat. He will probably have to do some makeup work at the end of this year to catch up.

My girls, on the other hand, are doing great. My 18 year-old is about to graduate this year (my oldest graduated in 2000), and my 14 year-old is cruising right along. All in all, I’m pleased with our progress this year.

How are things going for you? Sounds like you've got your hands full!

Becky

[Prisca]

Now here’s a story that demonstrates how silly public school systems can be! I have a 14 year-old neighbor who attends a local public school. I occasionally tutor her when she gets stuck, but all in all, she is a very intelligent girl and a dedicated student. She is a straight A student and is on the honor roll. Yesterday, her science teacher began threatening to hold her back because she has missed eight days of school this year. These were excused absences due to severe migraine headaches.

I began to see this trend when my own kids were in public school. Attendance began to have more importance than performance. It seems that when public schools adopt certain policies, they throw common sense out the window. It’s ludicrous that this teacher would threaten one of her best students due to a few missed days, while other students, who don’t do as well, will skate on through just because they were there everyday. It made me so sad to hear the frustration in my neighbor’s voice as she told me what had happened. Now she must bring a note from her doctor every time she misses due to a headache. CRAZY!

[Zakath]

Originally posted by Becky
....Attendance began to have more importance than performance. It seems that when public schools adopt certain policies, they throw common sense out the window. It’s ludicrous that this teacher would threaten one of her best students due to a few missed days, while other students, who don’t do as well, will skate on through just because they were there everyday. It made me so sad to hear the frustration in my neighbor’s voice as she told me what had happened. Now she must bring a note from her doctor every time she misses due to a headache. CRAZY!
Understanding things from the school's point of view might put this in perspective.

Public schools are usually funded by local, state, and federal tax dollars. In some jurisdictions resources are allocated by "student population". This is frequently translated into "student days" (i.e., the number of days a student actually attends during the year). Too many missing student days lowers the total student day count for a school and they may not get their fair share at the distribution of funds next year since a school with higher student days may get more resources.

Do the children sometimes get lost in such a system? Certainly. But generally the system is not arbitrary, merely twisted.

Does it violate common sense? Certainly. But no one ever claimed that bureaucracies were based on common sense. They are based on survival and growth of the bureaucracy.

Sounds like another great reason to homeschool, to me.

[Prisca]

Thanks for the info, Zak. I guess this was a bit off topic. Sorry Poly. I've been away for a while, lol. But yes, this is another great reason to homeschool. If I were allowed to homeschool my neighbor, I would. She’s almost like one of my own.

[calvinistkid]

I just want to say keep up the good work to all of you who are homeschooling your kids. Sending your children to a public school is probably the most dangerous thing you can do for them, spiritualy speaking. Not only do they recieve constant anti-christian indoctrination in their classes, but they are being withheld the training they need to be able to remain strong in the faith once they graduate. I was fortunate to have parents who cared enough about my spiritual wellbeing to homeschool me through the 9th grade, and then place me in a christian school after that. I now attend a secular university, and were it not for the training I recieved when I was younger, I shudder to think about how much of the liberal pluralistic trash I am surrounded with would affect me.
So to all you parents out there- yes, providing your children with Christian education is hard. Yes, you may have to go without some things as a result of it. However, it pays off in more ways than you can possibly imagine.

[Poly]

Originally posted by Becky
Now here’s a story that demonstrates how silly public school systems can be! I have a 14 year-old neighbor who attends a local public school. I occasionally tutor her when she gets stuck, but all in all, she is a very intelligent girl and a dedicated student. She is a straight A student and is on the honor roll. Yesterday, her science teacher began threatening to hold her back because she has missed eight days of school this year. These were excused absences due to severe migraine headaches.

I began to see this trend when my own kids were in public school. Attendance began to have more importance than performance. It seems that when public schools adopt certain policies, they throw common sense out the window. It’s ludicrous that this teacher would threaten one of her best students due to a few missed days, while other students, who don’t do as well, will skate on through just because they were there everyday. It made me so sad to hear the frustration in my neighbor’s voice as she told me what had happened. Now she must bring a note from her doctor every time she misses due to a headache. CRAZY!
Yes this is a pretty pathetic story. Schools love to worship laws. Even if it means throwing common sense out the window. Dumbing down America at it's finest. If you actually have a few brain cells anymore then public schools are not the place for you. You must be willing to accept we came from apes, listen to countless students and teachers encourage you to sleep around and make sure you have plenty of dope to keep you from being so hyper (disobedient).

[Stratnerd]

Poly et al.,
You must be willing to accept we came from apes,
Just out of curiousity: what do or what would you tell your child why they don't learn about evolution?

Also, I've never heard of a teacher that said a student "must be willing to accept [evolution]". There was a professor that wouldn't write a recommendation unless a student professed such a belief but everyone (including evolutionary biologists) came down on him. I've even discussed this with several other biology teachers and we all agree that we don't really care what a person believes - it only matters that you learn what we teach. In other words, it doesn't matter if you think punctuated equilibrium is a fairy tale (or gospel) - you just have to know what it is.

[Zakath]

Originally posted by Becky
Thanks for the info, Zak. I guess this was a bit off topic. Sorry Poly. I've been away for a while, lol. But yes, this is another great reason to homeschool. If I were allowed to homeschool my neighbor, I would. She’s almost like one of my own. In some states it is legal to homeschool someone else's children. (It used to be so in WV where we lived for 8 years). Check your local laws...

[Poly]

Originally posted by Stratnerd
Poly et al.,

Just out of curiousity: what do or what would you tell your child why they don't learn about evolution?


What makes you think I don't teach my children about evolution? We get a great deal of enjoyment out of it, actually. It's fun to study it and then discuss how absolutely desperate one has to be to believe it.

[Stratnerd]

how absolutely desperate one has to be to believe it

that's funny. thanks for giving a serious answer

[Poly]

You think I'm not serious? I'm dead serious.

[Stratnerd]

how are nearly all scientists, including many Christian scientists, desparate?

[Poly]

Originally posted by Stratnerd
how are nearly all scientists, including many Christian scientists, desparate?
You asked a question that was still in reference to homeschooling so I answered. I'm not interested in going on this tangent with you. Maybe another time, another place (another thread).

[Stratnerd]

But what you are telling your children is that scientists are desparate? That's your whole discussion on it?

[Poly]

Originally posted by Stratnerd
But what you are telling your children is that scientists are desparate? That's your whole discussion on it?
No, I said we study it THEN we discuss how desperate one has to be to believe it. This comes as a result of studying it.

[Prisca]

The books we’ve used always present what I consider to be a fair representation of evolutionary theory (I was an evolutionist for most of my life.) Homeschool parents want their children to understand what the various theories entail, but they also want them to realize the limitations of those theories. That goes for creationism as well. In the words of Ken Ham, “Where you there?” We try to show our children that the creation model does a better job of explaining what we see in both the fossil record and the animal kingdom today.

[Poly]

I agree Becky. We've always thought it important to fairly explain ToE and the Creation Model. Most parents who homeschool make it a goal to teach their children to actually think for themselves rather than be told how and what to think. It is way more important to me that my children come to their own conclusion based on the evidence for both sides rather than me telling them to accept it because I say so.

[Stratnerd]

creation model does a better job of explaining what we see in both the fossil record and the animal kingdom today.

Becky and PC,

Please go to the science forums and discuss this....

I'd also like to hear why I and most scientists are desparate....

[Flipper]

I'm sure Polycarpadvo has a keen understanding of evolutionary biology, physics, and geology (not to mention the scientific method) and so would be happy to discuss these topics with you.

After all, she's a teacher.

[Poly]

Stratnerd,
I've started a new thread "Stratnerd's request" to respond to this.

[Poly]

Originally posted by Flipper
After all, she's a teacher.
Ok there's no need for evil, ugly, wicked and nasty name calling!!:D