Parents delivering quality education

Washington Times ^ | June 26, 2006 | Michael Smith

[JZelle]

Home-schooling is thriving across the country as more parents choose to take personal responsibility for their children's education. The rapid growth of home-schooling caused home-school critic Rob Reich to say in the April 18 issue of Family Circle magazine, that "today everyone knows someone who's home-schooling." As a result of the growth of home-schooling, more people are coming into contact with home-schooled children. Consequently, it is likely that home-schooling will continue to gain acceptance as a viable education alternative.

[JZelle]

This is great! I just hope the courts don't find a way to derail it.

[TightyRighty]

Ping

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Personal responsibility is the bane of socialists.

[netmilsmom]

" The overwhelming majority of home-school parents are forward-looking and desire for their children to be active and make a positive contribution to society. As time goes by, and as home-schooling continues to grow, people will come to a greater understanding of the benefits of this method of education."

As I say to my kiddies, the idea of homeschooling is not about HOME it's about SCHOOL.

We could socialize every day 24/7. We must restrict what we do so we can do lessons.

[spikeytx86]

Well unlike my mother was told when she started home schooling me back in Virginia, I have not become a retarded antisocial hermit. Now admittedly I have my faults most notably grammar, however I have excelled at practically every thing I have done academically and have been doing well in college and managed to get in to Baylor and Texas Tech. Forgive me for tooting my own horn but the kind of things they (Public Skewl Administrators)said I would turn out to be was just barely a step below slander.

[cyclotic]

Continue to gain acceptance?

Outside of one wicked sister-in-law, with 4 kids and 11 years of home education under our belts, we have never had a bit of non-acceptance.

I see a potential for an opposite reaction. Home schooling is so accepted that it becomes just another educational choice and people will jump into it with little regard for the total lifestyle approach that home schooling really engenders. I think we'll see more homeschool failures and bouncing between public, private and homeschools.

[spikeytx86]

"We could socialize every day 24/7. We must restrict what we do so we can do lessons. "

They tried to pull the same socialization line on my mother, however when she pointed out the amount of clubs and groups for home schooled children in our little area or rural tidewater Virginia they backed off that one quite quickly.

[TightyRighty]

Nah, I'm glad to hear it. I'm getting ready to start homeschooling this fall and it always makes me feel better when I come on to these homeschooling threads and see how well homeschooled kids have turned out.

[LadyNavyVet]

My kids are still fairly young, but I have friends who were "homeschooling when homeschooling wasn't cool" as one puts it. Consequently I know several adults who were homeschooled. Without exception, they are mature, well-rounded, high-functioning individuals who are a delight to be around.

Also, I have yet to see a home-schooled teen who's gotten into serious trouble.

[rightthinkingwoman]

I find too, there is an actual danger of OVER programming. I needed the summer to simply take a breath. It ain't your grandma's homeschooling anymore!

[GOPrincess]

This article is by Michael Smith of HSLDA, not Kate Tsubata, if you'd like to correct it --

[JZelle]

"I see a potential for an opposite reaction. Home schooling is so accepted that it becomes just another educational choice and people will jump into it with little regard for the total lifestyle approach that home schooling really engenders. I think we'll see more homeschool failures and bouncing between public, private and homeschools."


I sure hope not because that's just what the lib's are waiting for.

[Tired of Taxes]

Homeschool Ping!

[GSlob]

Well, on purely statistical basis - in a large enough sample there's bound to be a failure or two [or more]- nothing is foolproof. The hope is to be that those failing will fail soon enough before they cause too much damage.

[Graymatter]

We're homeschooling in PA, possibly the most restrictive, homeschool-unfriendly state in the US.
The school district demands more than the law requires, and the law requires a lot. Keep a contemporaneous log, a portfolio, samples from every subject; do standardized exams in certain years; hire an evaluator to examine your records and portfolio at the end of the year; then bring it to the school district office so THEY can pass judgment on it too; and while you're at it you'd better bring your annually updated medical records from the child's physician, showing that the state-required medical exams were done---that is, if you are so ornery that you can't bring the kid to the school nurse and doctor so they can examine, weigh and measure, vaccinate, inoculate, test, etc., etc., etc....

[netmilsmom]

Ya got that right!
During the summer we have only Slovak dance on Mondays and Swimming on Tuesdays.
During the year-
M - Slovak Dance
T - Polish Dance
W - Homeschool Gym am - CCD pm
Th- GS
Two Fridays a month K4J kids club

They will be starting Spanish at another mom's house this fall and my older one will do Violin at the local school.

Geez, it's a pity they are not socialized!!!!!

[after dark]

With the exception of the nuts who claim they are homeschooling in order to cover up child abuse, home schoolers will never rival our public school system in terms of failure.

[rightthinkingwoman]

Here's a sample for us:

M: play group for my youngest, PSR
T: h/s co-op, b-ball
W: miraculously, nothing but dinner with extended family
TH: PT
F: h/s enrichment classes
2 or 3 days as permitted: swim team
2x per month: GS
At least 1 field trip a month.

Luckily, next year PT will go away and T and F will be together on F only!

Hardly solitary confinement!!

[cinives]

What SD do you live in ? I don't do all that much.

I keep a list of books/other resources used - not a daily log

You don't "need" (according to the law) to do every subject every year.

Samples are simple - and we are eclectic homeschoolers so sometimes samples are creative at best

The portfolio is a fun look back at the year - I provide no more than 2 pages per subject, no more than 6 subjects per year, even tho my kid might have done tons more. Her portfolio is 12 samples, one resource/book list, and the evaluator's letter.

Our evaluator is very encouraging and would rather answer questions about resources and methods - she doesn't quiz.

Since I don't believe in standardized tests, my kid skipped the grades in which standardized tests were required.

In my affidavit I state that required medical records were kets at the doctor's office and do not provide the info other than that statement.

In all, I spend about an hour a year on satisfying the law. It takes me far less time to handle the requirements of PA law than it does to do taxes, that's for sure.

All that said, I do wish we could change some of the idiocy in the law.

[cyclotic]

I should have pointed out that the population of "homeschoolers" I pointed out before will be very small as opposed to real home educators and will flash out quickly when they realize that it does actually take some work. The libs would love it but the power of real homeschoolers will quickly drown out the bleating of the libs.