Homeschooling

[Lilhowie83]

We homeschool our kids from pre-k through 5th grade and have sent the oldest two to middle school starting in 6th grade and it has worked out great for us. My wife works hard with the kids everyday and has done a very good job with building a strong educational foundation when they start school and both have actually tested well above a lot of their peers when they started school.

As far as the social aspect goes my kids have not had a problem once they started attending school. My wife participated in weekly co-ops with other homeschool families on a weekly basis so they got a lot of interaction with other kids. In addition my kids are heavily involved with church youth groups and community sports, so they know all the kids from school once they start public school and then they have no problem integrating themselves socially when they start public school.

When my wife first approached me with the idea of homeschooling I couldn't have been more against it, I had seen too many other homeschoolers not do anything when it came to school, they just let their kids roam and they got so far behind. After much persuasion I gave in and agreed to let her start homeschooling and it has been great. I help out when I can and everyday I have her and the kids tell me what they learned and it helps everyone having that accountability.

I would highly recommend homeschooling, especially with younger kids, dont get discouraged, try different things and find what works for you and your family. Good luck.

 

[ShortAction]

All four of my daughters were home schooled from day one. All four attended good universities and entered good careers. Thank you, LORD. It was a financial sacrifice, but well worth it.

 

[VikingsGuy]

“Socialization“ is a double edged sword. There are a bunch of kids at your local schools (Public and private, religious affiliated or not) that are best observed from a distance. Getting to choose with whom your kids are around to influence and be influenced by is a major reason some choose to homeschool.

Not for or against homeschooling and respect different parents make different choices for there own reason, but think socialization, including socialization not totally scripted by the parents, is important. Part of the socialization is to build the skills to determine who is good for them and who is bad for them. How to say no and when to walk away. They will be released into the wild eventually and these are skills that just get harder as they get older - and the cost of failure goes up.

 

[geetar]

Not for or against homeschooling and respect different parents make different choices for there own reason, but think socialization, including socialization not totally scripted by the parents, is important. Part of the socialization is to build the skills to determine who is good for them and who is bad for them. How to say no and when to walk away. They will be released into the wild eventually and these are skills that just get harder as they get older - and the cost of failure goes up.

Being homeschooled and having to adjust to reality once I graduated and went out into reality I totally agree.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Not for or against homeschooling and respect different parents make different choices for there own reason, but think socialization, including socialization not totally scripted by the parents, is important. Part of the socialization is to build the skills to determine who is good for them and who is bad for them. How to say no and when to walk away. They will be released into the wild eventually and these are skills that just get harder as they get older - and the cost of failure goes up.

I agree, and I’ll add that I believe it’s important for parents to be actively involved in providing guidance to their kids who are in public/private school in regards to navigating the social landscape. You don’t need to be a helicopter parent - it goes a long way to know what your kids’ friends are about, and who in their social circles is being bullied and perpetrating bullying.

Personally, I was more or less tossed out there in public school and it was sink or swim. I took my lumps and survived, and I undoubtedly learned some hard lessons on how to relate to people. On the flip side I was also bullied age 4-11, and the friends I chose from age 7-16 were involved in self-harm, substance use, and petty crime. Many of their parents lived pretty dysfunctional lives. At the end of high school I had finally started to hang around with kids with career aspirations. I was well into my 20s before I had my mind programmed right about career, finance, relationships, and other adult skills. I don’t blame my parents or have any resentment. With my own kids I just plan to be a bit more actively involved.

 

[Randi]

In a world that at times seems to be in constant turmoil, all of the above posts - Elkfever2, Geetar, Vilkingsguy, Short Action, Lilhowie83, and other posts from page 1, are so refreshing and encouraging to read. In speaking to Fullquiver I told him I was very fortunate to have very active and hands on parents and grandparents, but I dot remember ever feeling smothered, just loved. The sacrifices you gentlemen and your wives have made will make a difference not only in your children's lives but your grandchildren as well.

The social aspect is VERY important, but as all of you have mentioned, home schooling and/or private schooling does not automatically eliminate the socializing lessons children do need to learn. There are many, many ways to involve children in the social aspect of life, and it is important to do so. Going back to the first post by Northwoods, as you can see many have been home schooled, even before the Corona Virus and whether they agree with home schooling or not, everyone agrees that it is important to keep the child involved "socially" Church, 4-H, Boys and Girls Club, Scouts, etc. Personally I recommend you buy them a horse and take them to horse shows and Rodeo's

This subject is one I have a keen interest in obviously and I hope that after I am married, to have children, but I will also adopt at least one, so as to remove him or her from the child welfare system.

 

[VikingsGuy]

but I will also adopt at least one, so as to remove him or her from the child welfare system.

As an adoptee myself, I thank you for considering this. It takes a special kind of love to be a parent for a kid you did not have yourself. I was blessed by a totally loving mom and dad who took me into their lives fully.

 

[SO7mm]

I have a 2nd and 5th grader that are now in distance learning through the public school system. I'm able to spend the semester with the kids. They will be doing Zoom meetings from the boat, duck blind and the mountains. We considered the homeschool option but It would have been for the full year even if they go back to class. Being in school (public or private) is important for us in terms of socialization and also connection to the community. Our middle school is not great and we are considering switching to private school but will most likely stay in public unless something goes wrong.

 

[Zach]

Not for or against homeschooling and respect different parents make different choices for there own reason, but think socialization, including socialization not totally scripted by the parents, is important. Part of the socialization is to build the skills to determine who is good for them and who is bad for them. How to say no and when to walk away. They will be released into the wild eventually and these are skills that just get harder as they get older - and the cost of failure goes up.

Just my experience, based on 4 home schooled children, 2 of which have graduated from HS(1 is a college grad-with honors) and 2 more to go(1 jr high 1 high school) I'm afraid this statement lacks an understanding of today's homeschool environment. Maybe it's just the network we are in, maybe it's just my wife and I, maybe it's my kids but they all are very well adjusted socially. They are in activities sans parents often. A parents job is a to build the skills children need to have discernment about good and bad. The kids can then apply those skills in a socialization scenario.
Long gone are the days of the homeschool families that hide their kids in the basement till they leave the roost.

Once you've homeschooled you'll be asking yourself what do they do all day in a traditional classroom setting.

.02

 

[VikingsGuy]

Just my experience, based on 4 home schooled children, 2 of which have graduated from HS(1 is a college grad-with honors) and 2 more to go(1 jr high 1 high school) I'm afraid this statement lacks an understanding of today's homeschool environment. Maybe it's just the network we are in, maybe it's just my wife and I, maybe it's my kids but they all are very well adjusted socially. They are in activities sans parents often. A parents job is a to build the skills children need to have discernment about good and bad. The kids can then apply those skills in a socialization scenario.
Long gone are the days of the homeschool families that hide their kids in the basement till they leave the roost.

Once you've homeschooled you'll be asking yourself what do they do all day in a traditional classroom setting.

.02

If you read my response in the context of the message it was responding to you will see I communicated no such misunderstanding. I was pointing out that if one of the reasons for homeschooling is to limit bad influences and the socialization that is then provided also is done in a way to control the risk of influences, then the kids risk not being fully socialized in an important manner. That in no way suggests most parents fail to do it right or that it is difficult to do. But there are kids (both homeschooled and not) whose parents hellicopter behavior limits the kids' full development to deal with difficult situations and difficult people.

 

[220yotekiller]

Really hoping we don’t have to, but my wife and I have been discussing how we will handle this if necessary. I think academically we could pull it off (along with the school districts virtual curriculum of course), but how do we recreate the social aspect?

My brothers and I were home schooled all the way through, my parents got us involved in 4-H when we were in school and it was great!

 

[Zach]

If you read my response in the context of the message it was responding to you will see I communicated no such misunderstanding. I was pointing out that if one of the reasons for homeschooling is to limit bad influences and the socialization that is then provided also is done in a way to control the risk of influences, then the kids risk not being fully socialized in an important manner. That in no way suggests most parents fail to do it right or that it is difficult to do. But there are kids (both homeschooled and not) whose parents hellicopter behavior limits the kids' full development to deal with difficult situations and difficult people.

I'll again refer back to my own experience. I didn't "helicopter" my kids, but I did protect them from unneeded experiences at a young age. My college grad has done quite well with both difficult situations and people, in my opinion better than the average exposed child. Why? She was given a better base of what is right and wrong. You don't need to experience everything to know it's wrong.

.02

 

[Pucky Freak]

It begins

 

[mdeerjunkie]

It begins
View attachment 152833

That’s awesome!

 

[Hammsolo]

I am a Science and Math teacher. I will be teaching kids on-line, while trying to monitor my 13 and 9 year old. We hope to return to a part-time schedule by no later than Thanksgiving and then full-time after Christmas. I (and our whole staff) have put in countless hours this summer to prepare to teach in new and improved ways. Each state has an overseeing structure, like THE OFFICE OF SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, in Washington. They set guidelines. Then school districts set guidelines, and then finally a school needs to work within those.

This is a very challenging time for all. I’m not as concerned about children’s health, but families and staff. However, there is interesting research coming out about effects on children (neurological and cardiac especially). Not all damage is visual or quickly observed. My school is tiny and only 8 teachers. Two of them have severe preexisting conditions. The flu, pink eye, and lice fly through schools. Shit, I’ve watched STD’s fly through high schools.

Last year I worked my ass off and felt ineffective, with my students and my own kids. I am a National Board Certified Teacher, so I was really feeling for families. I heard from parents during this time. They struggled. I mostly heard words of appreciation and support. Some others heard anger and criticism.

This is a global pandemic. 1,016 people died yesterday in the US from Covid. I couldn’t find any flu numbers for yesterday, but my calculations using CDC data produced an average of about 100 deaths per day in the US. That’s ten times as few. In comparison India diagnosed over 70,000 cases yesterday... Only the Lord knows how many died.

I tried to stick to facts. We must stick together and trust that we are all giving it our best. We can’t give in to division and we must force ourselves to look through others binoculars. It’s easy to think we have it the worst. I hope and pray for the best for everyone.

 

[Hammsolo]

By socialization, do you mean learning to march to the cafeteria, the decompression time on the playground, or is it the bullying and teasing you fear they will miss? Homeschool kids aren't isolated from society, and they often have more normal day-to-day interactions. Social interactions in school teach kids how to behave in school not the wild. It can be argued that homeschool kids actually develop useful social skills earlier than traditionally schooled kids.

As a parent and teacher I support each persons choice. I believe in the idea of schools, but don’t believe in all schools. I grew up in a pretty terrifying school district in Anaconda, MT. Some of the staff was great, but others... Oh, I have my own and other stories I directly observed; sex, physical assault, abuse of every sort... I have seen both with homeschooling also. Amazing parents doing amazing things and crazy parents doing crazy things. I became a teacher to do it different, and now teach in an amazingly progressive choice school in Spokane. We must be careful of absolutism and superlatives.

 

[Hammsolo]

I'll again refer back to my own experience. I didn't "helicopter" my kids, but I did protect them from unneeded experiences at a young age. My college grad has done quite well with both difficult situations and people, in my opinion better than the average exposed child. Why? She was given a better base of what is right and wrong. You don't need to experience everything to know it's wrong.

.02

It’s all dependent on the situation. It also has a great deal to do with values, and belief systems. In my experience, which is quite broad in this situation, the average homeschool kid is sheltered. This is from some bad and good experiences. They tend to not get as broad or deep of an education, but do tend to have a safer experience emotionally and physically. Most of the home school systems I know use only web based education. That limits possibilities for group life skills and application of learning. They don’t have to deal with as much bullying and such either. In the end, it all comes down to the teacher/parent and the system they work within. It sounds like you provided a quality experience for your child! Let’s all make sure to get our kids outside chasing critters!!!