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Has anyone here homeschooled?

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lighter:
What are your thoughts?

Pro's and con's?

Lighter

Twoapenny:
Hi Lighter!

Yes, we do :)

Pros - healthy, natural routine, learning at the child's pace, children learning through their own interests rather than dull old text books that drive them mad with boredom, focus on the process rather than the outcome (ie learning about something because they love it rather than having to memorise stuff because there's a test coming up), no bullying, children learning to think for themselves rather than developing a herd mentality, avoidance of peer pressure, lovely quiet museums and galleries because everyone else is in school or work, opportunity to try activities they might not get a chance to otherwise, cheaper travel (because you can go in term time) - there are so many I could probably just keep going on and on!

Cons - other people's negativity!  Potential hassle from local authorities depending on where you live and what the law is.  May have to pay for exams yourself depending on where in the world you are.  Might spend more on books if you don't have a library near you or if your child has an interest in something pretty obscure that no-one else reads much about.  Endless questions about socialising - a lot of people think home education means you keep your children locked up indoors all day with no other comany and they aren't allowed to have any fun - the opposite is true!

It's made me feel so much closer to my son and his confidence and self esteem have soared - and we all know how important that is!

There are some lovely books written by John Holt which are definitely worth a read.  Alice Miller's views on parenting children kindly tie in very well with home ed as well, I found some of her stuff really helpful when I was starting out.  Of course, there are lots of other books but they're the two authors that spring to mind immediately.

sKePTiKal:
Hi Lighter - I was wondering how you're doing? And then, there's a post!  :D

Hubs' brother home-schooled his kids... well, more accurately, his wife did. Each state has different regs about what's possible, so that's a good starting point. I worked in higher ed - so I was interested to find out how this worked, too. It seems that it's possible for multiple families to share the work of teaching... someone teaches math, someone else english and writing, that kind of thing, depending on where you are. Older kids can also participate in online courses... another way of connecting kids with other kids and collaborating on projects, etc. There are a lot of online resources available... but not all may be accepted by the state.

I came into contact with home-schooled kids coming into college... and noticed they were "different" than the normal students. Usually their study skills and background knowledge in subject matter were what I'd describe as more mature than their public school peers. They did much higher level work... and weren't afraid of independent thought. And sad to say - in some college classrooms this is actually a detrimental characteristic... some professors take this a personal challenge to their authority on a topic... and that creates difficulty for the student - and unfairness.

I've paid attention to the "social" aspect in my nieces/nephew and the other home-schooled kids, too. I was very curious about whether they'd be more mature, more shy and withdrawn, or how the lack of the public school experience would affect them. I can't speak to how they interact with other children, but they're very comfortable with adults. That said - the one weakness that I've noticed is a lack of experience in handling the adverse situations that occur between people; either one on one or in groups. A lot of the home-schooled kids are less mature emotionally about handling the social, peer pressure aspect of teen groups than the kids who are exposed to this daily in public school. They've not had to defend themselves, you know? Or struggle to be included in groups... liked... And that's just a huge blanket generalization. I'm not even sure I've known enough kids to say that - just that I have been aware of it. I've had to dry enough tears from kids who simply didn't understand that these dynamics are part and parcel of daily life - because they never had to deal with it, at home.

Meh:
Not me personally but I have relatives who have home schooled their two daughters, they are achieving intellectually about two or three grade levels ahead for their age and they seem to be very cheerful girls. These particular relatives of mine are religious and have very strong moral values so that was a big motivator for home schooling their children, their father was a minister at church and they didn't want their kids overexposed to sex and drugs etc. by peer groups.

The relatives told me that there is a support network for homeschooling in the area where they are at and the homeschooled children have get-togethers and are involved socially in other ways.

teartracks:



lighter,

I don't have first hand experience.  

I just finished a short biography on Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley.  She birthed 15 children.  I think 9 lived.  It was the 17th century.  She was born, bred, and well educated in London.  She married a pastor.  In modern terms, his work 'landed them in the boonies'.   She taught her children partly because there was no one else to do it in the small villages where they pastored, and partly because she followed a rigorous routine in everything she did and was not about to release her children (especially her daughters) to the uneducated and uncivil outside world.  Problem is, she made no provision for them to be socialized.  The thing that strikes me between her story and comments by others here is that in the end, her daughters in adulthood, all of them I believe,  (the two sons at 12 or so were sent to school in London), were not as prepared as they could have been to navigate life outside the safe haven of home.  The education is better, but the socialization not so good.  But hey, it's like holes in Swiss cheese, if you know they're there, you can fill them with honey!

tt


 

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