Posted on 11/16/2005 7:57:09 AM PST by Puddleglum
I am the father of a four-year-old boy and want to ask some other parents out there this question: why do you home school your kids instead of sending them to a private school?
I assume you do not send them to public school (aka government schools) because they are too secular or too opposed to your family's values. But why not send them to a private school?
The reason I ask is this: I feel there is an opportunity out there to establish high-quality, low-cost private schools if home school families could only join forces. Also, this might help the strength-in-numbers necessary to convince politicans into building more financial choice into the mandated school system.
Any responses or other opinions?
A. We homeschool them because we love them.
We are considering private schooling only for enrichment or special fun group classes, ie. quilting, skits, model building.
Regards,
Lurking'
Government school was never an option for us, especially since we live in an area that is a testing ground for alternative eduation. We're beginning our 10th year home education. Before that was private education. Due to tuition fees we chose to home educate and do not regret it. Upwards of 10% of the student population is home educated where we reside.
I'm an area administrator for a private school devoted to homeschoolers. We have academic/enrichment classes available, especially for high school students. High school students can (and do) also enroll at the junior college (2 class max per semester).
I am against a voucher system for home education or private education. Nothing is ever free and where the govt 'gives', the govt controls.
Hope that helps.
www.hslda.org
How do you rectify this when you pay taxes to support the public education that you oppose?
You can't get away from paying taxes..that's a given.
Nothing is ever free and where the govt 'gives', the govt controls.
They do join forces. There are many, many, many co-ops that combine and share the resources of the constituent families. They're in it for their kids, not to establish an 'institution' or make profit.
Do homeschool support groups in Illinois not have academic/enrichment opportunities?
I homeschool because I love being such a integral part of my children's lives and they seem to enjoy being a part of mine! If all things were perfect with the public school system, I would still homeschool. The joy I get from teaching and seeing them learn is boundless.
It's an absolute joy.
I don't think my wife and I will ever home school just because my son is so shy as it is, we feel he benefits from his various social activities, pre-school among them. Also, if either of us had a more patient nature, that probably would help.
I am not an advocate of all private schools by any means. As a parent I often wish there were more of them to choose among, however, and that more were affordable. Here in North Dallas area, many are expensive; they could stand some competition. Personally, I grew up going to a small, low-cost but high-quality parochial school.
Why feed your children at home instead of sending them to private feeding centers?
Also, how do some of you feel about being forced to pay into a school system monopoly that is contrary to your ideas of both education and society? Would you rather be allowed to claim an exemption from the school tax if you educate your own kids? Remember, it's only the government's money once you give it to them.
I think all education is preparatory for entry into society in some way, even if it's learning how to resist the world when it's hostile to your beliefs. To use your metaphor, even our homes import their "food" from one or another source in the culture. I guess home schooling just lets you shop more selectively - decide what to bring into the house and what to keep out.
I offered the web address for HSLDA. Did you happen to peruse it for answers to questions you may have?
I was homeschooled from day one, and I will homeschool my own kids when I have some. Reasons why I feel homeschooling is better than private schools:
1. Nobody cares about kids more than their parents (all my reasons take place in a theoretical best situation). Certainly I'm more motivated to see them succeed than some teacher. The teacher may feel that as long as she does well enough this year that they leave her class, that's all that matters. The parents have to do well enough that the kids get real jobs and move out someday :-)
2. I can customize the program to each child. Does one learn best by reading and another learns best with hands-on projects? Does one need to work harder on math but his english skills are pretty much ok? Homeschooling lets you tailor the education to suit the child, not the child to suit the education.
3. I know where the kids are, what they're doing, and who they're with, most of the day. If I have kids, I'm not going to let someone else do my job of raising them.
4. Spontaneity! It's a beautiful day. Let's make this morning's lesson a trip to the zoo. Or, we want to take Friday off to go to a friend's house, let's get that work done ahead of time.
5. It lets kids be kids more than anything else. Before high school, I almost never took more than three hours to do my work. Then after lunch it was outside to play with my siblings all afternoon, building forts and making mud and exploring.
There are plenty of other reasons but those are the big ones.
Haven't perused the site yet. I will soon. But I am also interested in fellow Freepers' opinions and experiences.
It didn't take up a lot of my time, because they already knew how to read and write, and they taught themselves for the most part; it was my job to get the resources for them to do that. Starting out homeschooling would be a lot more work because you're doing the job of teaching them to read and write. It is not that demanding, though. For reading, you can do phonics so that they can learn how letters and sounds go together, but the most important thing is to read TO them, even when they can read on their own. Reading to them in books that are slightly beyond their level introduces new vocabulary and speech patterns which will help them as they learn to read those more difficult books, but it will also help them in their creative writing. They will have heard the way words are put together, and will try to emulate it.
There are many different handwriting curricula, you'll just have to try some. Most of the curriculum companies let you try their products for 30 days, so you can try before you commit. Just remember, the 'work' part of the day needn't last too long for younger ones. There are many ways to teach in addition to textbooks. Math and reading can be reinforced at the grocery store letting them read the prices of items, and adding them together. You can have family reading time, where each family member gets a book and sits down with it. The older kids can read to the younger ones, helping them both learn! Natural science can be taught in walks around the neighborhood. There are LOTS of field trip opportunities, both formal and informal. You can look for a homeschooling group that plans them, or you can create your own.
Best of luck. The greatest benefit we've seen from homeschooling is that our family is much closer without the hassles and bickering that many families have. Our son and daughter are friends with interests in common, but respect for the interests they don't share. It is fun to see them interact with the older boys as well, since they've gotten older and share some of the interests our older sons have. They have a lot of fun when the guys come home on vacation from Graduate school and Law school.
Something to consider. Maybe that's just your son's nature. Not everyone is an outgoing person, and it doesn't necessarily make them more self-confident to push them into situations for which they may not be ready or even willing. Why not let him develop his strengths and interests in the one place that he knows he is always loved and accepted; his own home among those who love him?
As for being patient, what are your expectations? Are you expecting him to 'grow out of' his shyness, and are impatient if he isn't doing that? I know I used to get annoyed that our daughter wasn't more outgoing, but then I realized that she is not like me, she's more like her Dad. He's a quiet sort, but will talk your ear off if you get into conversation about something in which he is interested. He doesn't chat, just to chat, like me. ;o)
Maybe your son just needs time and space to find someone with whom he shares his interests and can explore them. I think it more likely he'll do that through homeschooling groups than school. Lots of shyer kids are homeschooling because it was just uncomfortable for them in a classroom situation. Through gatherings with other homeschoolers, they discover friends who share their interests, and are not hassled by other kids who do not share them, as they might be in school.
Our daughter was considered shy, mainly because she didn't 'chat up' the girls in her class. She knew that she didn't have anything in common with them. She wasn't into the latest tv sit coms because we didn't let them watch them because they were crap. She didn't like the Top 40 music; she thought it was crap. She liked to read and learn things that way, but wasn't into most of the childrens books of the day. She definitely wasn't into the hair, clothes or flirting with the boys, like the other girls.
She liked learning, but was dead bored most of the time in class. All her teachers commented that she was very smart, but just didn't pay attention in class. When she began teaching herself, she began to pay more attention to it, and we'd discuss what she was learning in history, literature, etc. She would get together with a group of other homeschooled teens who she had discovered shared her interest in Japanese language, Anime and Manga. She also began attending the Anime club at the local high school. She's still shy, but once she meets someone, she has no trouble holding a conversation, whether they be teens or adults. I believe that, had we kept her in school, she would have continued to be shy and sad, and would not have developed into the interesting young woman she is today.
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