Definition of homeschool

[Lord Vader]

One peculiar common ground between me and Christians. Homeschooling. There are those who homeschool (or unschool) because schools are irreligious and there are those who recognize that schooling isn't learning. There are those who think of homeschooling as "school at home" -- that is, the image of desks and text books and tests just like school only in the living room. There are those who reject coerced instruction altogether on the grounds that that isn't how learning happens (there is no scientific theory of learning; but unschoolers believe it is something that happens naturally, like breathing).

I wonder what you're take is on how kids learn. Many thanks.

To know my own views, read John Holt.

[Knight]

How should kids learn how NOT to stick their finger in a plugged in light socket?

Naturally?

Or by instruction?

P.S. We homeschool our five children. :D

[lucybelle]

I was homeschooled...:)

[Zakath]

Originally posted by lucybelle
I was homeschooled...:)

Ahh, now I understand... ;)

[Calvinist]

Originally posted by Zakath


Ahh, now I understand... ;)

Do you drink human waste too?

[lucybelle]

You love me don't you Zak...

[ibowatjesusfeet]

I was homeschool until fifth grade, then went to public school. When I went into public school, I tested much higher than average in math, reading, and several other subjects. I learned more in homeschool than I did in public. Public school was a waste of my time, for the most part.

[Zakath]

Originally posted by Calvinist


Do you drink human waste too? No.

Do you really think this is appropriate discussion material for a Christian clergyman and a U.S. military officer to be using on an alleged "family web site"?

[Calvinist]

Originally posted by Zakath
No.

Do you really think this is appropriate discussion material for a Christian clergyman and a U.S. military officer to be using on an alleged "family web site"?

It's not. I have actually made myself ill thinking about it having watched the movie "Jackass." You are right.

[lucybelle]

Does that mean I should stop calling him a pee drinker? :(

[Zakath]

Would you want to have your neighbor's child (or your own) to someday read these posts and connect them with you?

It's a free country. What do you think?

[Calvinist]

Originally posted by Zakath
Would you want to have your neighbor's child (or your own) to someday read these posts and connect them with you?

It's a free country. What do you think?

deleted... just realized that the reply from Zakath was for lucyb

[ebenz47037]

I began homeschooling my daughter when she was in second grade. She attended kindergarten and first grade in a private (read Christian) school and I was criticized because she learned to read before her fifth birthday. I didn't teach her this. She saw that I love to read and taught herself. I still remember her saying, "Mommy! B-A-T-H spells bath!" when she was two. :D

She had a teacher who obviously didn't like children in the first grade. I wanted to homeschool then. But, my husband didn't want me to. He said that we didn't know enough about homeschooling to tackle such a project. Looking back, I see that he was right. So, I spent the next ten months talking to other homeschoolers, introducing them to my husband, and learning as much as I possibly could learn about homeschooling.

At the beginning of second grade, the tuition was raised so high that we could no longer afford the private school. So, my husband decided that we'd put her in public school. After all, he had received a fine education from public school about 20 years before. :D

She was in there for exactly one week when I received a phone call from her teacher, wanting to meet with me. At the meeting, she told me that my daughter was too advanced for her age. I told her to put her in the G.A.T.E. Program (Gifted And Talented Education). She told me that they only allow third grade and above into the GATE program. So, I told her to put my daughter into the third grade for half the day and then when the year ended, she could go into the fourth grade. She said that she couldn't do that because they weren't allowed to do anything that would make the others jealous. So, I asked her what she suggested that I do. She said, "For children such as your daughter, homeschooling works better than public education because the public schools are no longer capable of teaching smart children at an early age."

I went home and told my husband what she had said. He said to stick it out. So, we did; for two more weeks. By that time, he had seen the notes from the teacher saying that our "problem" stemmed from my allowing my daughter to teach herself to read at age two and to write in cursive while still in kindergarten. He had seen enough. He pulled her out himself and we didn't look back.

I became my daughter's primary educator, with a little help from field trips to the geologist's office because she was highly interested in rocks and volcanos. :D We did our school work either at the kitchen table or on the couch. And, what the school took seven hours to do, we did in a little under three hours.

In 1999, my daughter was in third/fourth grade. My husband passed away in January. I kind of fell apart. We moved from California to Indiana. At this time, my daughter blamed me for Daddy's death, so she wasn't speaking to me or doing her school work. I figured that we needed a break so we quit school early that year.

In August, she still wasn't speaking to me, so I put her in the local public school. That was the biggest mistake of my life. She went from getting A's and B's doing work at least a year ahead of her age group to getting C's, D's, and F's doing work that was her "grade level." Of course, it took me until the end of the first semester to realize that it was the school and not my daughter. So, I pulled her out.

She now does her school work pretty much on her own and asks for help when she needs it. She does it in the kitchen, on the couch, on her bed, or sitting on the floor. It's her choice. We are a cross between un-schoolers (interest-led learning) and traditional homeschoolers (schedule). Right now, her biggest interests are in weather and animals, especially horses. :D

She gets horse-back riding lessons for PE and we do a lot of educational television. I prefer Bob Jones curriculum to any other I've found, but tend to make my own supplements to it.

I have to say that I've stuck with homeschooling for the same reason I started. If my daughter ever gets "too smart" for me to teach her, we live close enough to a community college that I can enroll her there.

[Knight]

Originally posted by Zakath
No.

Do you really think this is appropriate discussion material for a Christian clergyman and a U.S. military officer to be using on an alleged "family web site"? I have to agree with Zakath on this one.

[ebenz47037]

Originally posted by Knight
I have to agree with Zakath on this one.

Thank you Knight. :thumb: I was trying to figure out how to say the same thing. But, what was coming to my mind was not as polite as what you said. :D

[lucybelle]

well...the way I see it...if someone is a pee drinker...there's no denying it...

[Calvinist]

Originally posted by Knight
I have to agree with Zakath on this one.

I said he was right, what do you want from me?!

[lucybelle]

*sigh* ok...the Princess officially retracts her statements about the pee drinker and promises never to call him that again...
(I'll think of something else...)

[Calvinist]

Originally posted by lucybelle
*sigh* ok...the Princess officially retracts her statements about the pee drinker and promises never to call him that again...
(I'll think of something else...)

I heard you in my head calling him that in the voice of Lisa Simpson... it was quite hillarious to me, anyway.

[lucybelle]

that's what I was goin for...
I have this tendency for taking on the personalities of my avatars.

[Lord Vader]

Originally posted by Knight
How should kids learn how NOT to stick their finger in a plugged in light socket?

Naturally?

Or by instruction?

P.S. We homeschool our five children. :D


If you think unschooling means the answer is "naturally" then I suggest you read John Holt, Grace Llewelyn, or the Home Education Magazine (which is online) where you can read about the lives of unschoolers. Surely you can figure that what you're thinking unschooling is isn't "like that".

More on this later when I'm on a computer that can stay connected.

I'm merely an advocate and researcher. I'm not mature enough to have kids.

[Lord Vader]

Originally posted by Zakath


Ahh, now I understand... ;)


Homeschooled kids are renown for their poise and maturity, the occasional exception not withstanding. Homeschooling is not a "Christian" movement, but it is increasingly a favorite band wagon for them to hop on. Do the research. I guarantee you will be pleasantly astounded. Enjoy your first steps into a whole new world!

[Lord Vader]

I love this post. You could publish that easily in Home Education Magazine! You're a hero in the true classic sense of the word.

Originally posted by ebenz47037
I began homeschooling my daughter when she was in second grade. She attended kindergarten and first grade in a private (read Christian) school and I was criticized because she learned to read before her fifth birthday. I didn't teach her this. She saw that I love to read and taught herself. I still remember her saying, "Mommy! B-A-T-H spells bath!" when she was two. :D

She had a teacher who obviously didn't like children in the first grade. I wanted to homeschool then. But, my husband didn't want me to. He said that we didn't know enough about homeschooling to tackle such a project. Looking back, I see that he was right. So, I spent the next ten months talking to other homeschoolers, introducing them to my husband, and learning as much as I possibly could learn about homeschooling.

At the beginning of second grade, the tuition was raised so high that we could no longer afford the private school. So, my husband decided that we'd put her in public school. After all, he had received a fine education from public school about 20 years before. :D

She was in there for exactly one week when I received a phone call from her teacher, wanting to meet with me. At the meeting, she told me that my daughter was too advanced for her age. I told her to put her in the G.A.T.E. Program (Gifted And Talented Education). She told me that they only allow third grade and above into the GATE program. So, I told her to put my daughter into the third grade for half the day and then when the year ended, she could go into the fourth grade. She said that she couldn't do that because they weren't allowed to do anything that would make the others jealous. So, I asked her what she suggested that I do. She said, "For children such as your daughter, homeschooling works better than public education because the public schools are no longer capable of teaching smart children at an early age."

I went home and told my husband what she had said. He said to stick it out. So, we did; for two more weeks. By that time, he had seen the notes from the teacher saying that our "problem" stemmed from my allowing my daughter to teach herself to read at age two and to write in cursive while still in kindergarten. He had seen enough. He pulled her out himself and we didn't look back.

I became my daughter's primary educator, with a little help from field trips to the geologist's office because she was highly interested in rocks and volcanos. :D We did our school work either at the kitchen table or on the couch. And, what the school took seven hours to do, we did in a little under three hours.

In 1999, my daughter was in third/fourth grade. My husband passed away in January. I kind of fell apart. We moved from California to Indiana. At this time, my daughter blamed me for Daddy's death, so she wasn't speaking to me or doing her school work. I figured that we needed a break so we quit school early that year.

In August, she still wasn't speaking to me, so I put her in the local public school. That was the biggest mistake of my life. She went from getting A's and B's doing work at least a year ahead of her age group to getting C's, D's, and F's doing work that was her "grade level." Of course, it took me until the end of the first semester to realize that it was the school and not my daughter. So, I pulled her out.

She now does her school work pretty much on her own and asks for help when she needs it. She does it in the kitchen, on the couch, on her bed, or sitting on the floor. It's her choice. We are a cross between un-schoolers (interest-led learning) and traditional homeschoolers (schedule). Right now, her biggest interests are in weather and animals, especially horses. :D

She gets horse-back riding lessons for PE and we do a lot of educational television. I prefer Bob Jones curriculum to any other I've found, but tend to make my own supplements to it.

I have to say that I've stuck with homeschooling for the same reason I started. If my daughter ever gets "too smart" for me to teach her, we live close enough to a community college that I can enroll her there.

[ebenz47037]

Originally posted by Lord Vader
I love this post. You could publish that easily in Home Education Magazine! You're a hero in the true classic sense of the word.



Thank you! :D I just do what I think is right. :D

[billwald]

In many cities the govt schools are dangerous. At best, they don't educate. The purpose of the govt school is to supply labor for the local job market. 50 years ago a high school education did just that. Now it takes at least two years in college to get a high school education.

In 1962, Seattle was a great family town of over a half million people and 80,000 kids in the school district. After the Civil Rights Act of '64 100,000 people moved into the county and the school district lost 50,000 kids. This year the population is back over 500,000 and the school district just passed 50,000 kids. Over 20% of the kids in Seattle do not go to the govt schools. Over 30% of Seattle school district teachers send their kids to private schools. The only city with fewer children per capata is San Francisco. The govt schools went from 8% minority to 60% minority (and over 60% on free lunches) but the general population is only 12% minority.

[ebenz47037]

Originally posted by billwald
Over 30% of Seattle school district teachers send their kids to private schools.

This tells us something. Doesn't it? :D

[Pistos Ergon]

I challenge every single person reading this to actually go to a public school (or private, for that matter) and stay all day in a classroom. (Schools will allow visitors. Check with the offices.) You will be amazed at the time that is totally wasted by students. What a waste of resources, too!

[ebenz47037]

Originally posted by Pistos Ergon
I challenge every single person reading this to actually go to a public school (or private, for that matter) and stay all day in a classroom. (Schools will allow visitors. Check with the offices.) You will be amazed at the time that is totally wasted by students. What a waste of resources, too!

I have done this twice. Once when my daughter was in second grade. That was a chaotic day. And, again when she was in fourth grade. I don't know if it was the difference in two years or in two states (California and Indiana), but not only was the class more chaotic, but the teacher seemed to be there to just "do her job."

[Kate]

What a dreadful thread.

[One Eyed Jack]

What sort of things does one have to do to homeschool a child? Is a teaching degree required? Do any fees have to be paid? Does the school board have to be consulted? Or can anybody just go ahead and do it?

One of my nephews will be five next year, and I've been trying to encourage my brother to homeschool him. Both of his kids are very smart.

[Poly]

In Oklahoma we have pretty easy going laws. No fees, degree or school board consulting is needed. Some states are more strict though.

[ebenz47037]

Originally posted by One Eyed Jack
What sort of things does one have to do to homeschool a child? Is a teaching degree required? Do any fees have to be paid? Does the school board have to be consulted? Or can anybody just go ahead and do it?

One of my nephews will be five next year, and I've been trying to encourage my brother to homeschool him. Both of his kids are very smart.

Go to http://www.hslda.org to check out the homeschooling laws in your state. Some states (i.e. Indiana) have very little regulation to homeschooling. Others (i.e. California)have a lot of hoops you have to jump through. By this, I mean, in Indiana, all I have to do for the state is keep attendance for 180 days of school a year in case the superintendant asks for it. In California, I had to register with the state, and (at the time) consult with a teacher to show what my daughter was learning. I've heard that California's getting worse for homeschoolers now, though.

[One Eyed Jack]

Ok, thanks. I'll forward that link to my brother.

[ebenz47037]

No problem, Jack. :D

[Lord Vader]

A good way to understand how we learn so that you feel like your on firm ground as a homeschooler is to read John Holt and Grace Llewelyn. Over and over and over and over again.