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Help me overcome my prejudice against home schooling
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Anonymous
How can you or any teacher possibly tailor instruction to meet each of your 120+ students' individual learning needs while also satisfying all the bureaucratic regulations imposed upon you by administrators and government officials? It's simply impossible for a teacher in a traditional classroom to maximize each individual student's potential the way a home educator working with the child 1 on 1 can. In my homeschool, I can go through the material as fast or as slowly as is appropriate for my child's needs rather than aiming at the mid-level ability of the class. I don't have to stick to a set of arbitrary standards that some committee of bureaucrats deemed ought to be studied in a particular grade. I don't have to waste lots of valuable class time prepping for standardized tests (the school my DD is zoned for spends a FULL MONTH every year doing nothing but intensive test prep). It's like comparing home-cooked meals with ones from some institutional kitchen. While there's no guarantee that the amateur chef will always do a better job, there's also no way that the institutional chef can do as good a job as the home chef has the potential to do. |
Anonymous
| I couldn't do it. I invest a lot in educational toys, reading, developmentally challenging activities, etc. for my 2 and 4 year olds, but to home school you would have to be on your A game all the time, right? And keep up with everything else, house, friends, in-laws, church, and have a life with your husband (if married)? Look at what I'm doing right now. It's 8:30 and I probably should be doing alphabet flash cards with my kids before going to camp but I'm on DCUM and checking email. Oops. Guess I wouldn't be a good fit. |
Anonymous
| Here is a great article I would like to share with you about how to Get Your Unmotivated Child on Track before School Starts. I think around this time of year we all need some help. |
Anonymous
OP - I applaud your desire to overcome your personal reaction to this issue and wish more people were as open-minded as you. If you really want the answer to your question, find a local homeschool support group and talk to the parents and kids there. Any parents who have been at it for a few years can probably put you in touch with successful homeschoolers who have graduated and moved on (either to college, the military, or working). Here's our experience. My older son, who started in public school, had wonderful teachers for K and 1st (both heartily supported our decision to homeschool). His 2nd grade teacher was awful and that's when we started homeschooling (he'd be in 9th this year, so I've been at this a while). I have given him annual standardized tests (where he scored almost exclusively in the 90th %-ile) and, beginning in 7th grade, he has taken the ACT (7th grade cum. - 19, 8th grade - 23). I'm pretty sure he could qualify for at least a few colleges with last year's scores, even though he was only in 8th grade.  My boys are not all that interested in school (learning, I mean) and yet, I have been able to get some amount of information into them and they have been able to retain it.
One time saver - I don't make out lesson plans. For math and English, we do the next lesson in the book (if the material has been mastered) or we find another way to go over it (if it hasn't). I do not know how to teach writing (as in, expository, not handwriting), so a friend (a fellow homeschool mom) covers that. If I didn't have her, there are lots of curriculum choices, or we could do a co-op class. The big concern people usually have is physics and calculus. I'm not sure, but I think the percentage of public school students who take/pass these courses is small compared to the general student population. If my son WANTS to take these, we will use dual-enrollment at the local community college. For other subjects (history, science, arts, etc.), we do lots of hands-on learning, take field trips, visit museums, go to the opera (dress rehearsals are open to the public for a small fee), read. The library is a great source of free educational materials (as I'm sure you know), and I generally have my boys read many books on a single topic, to make sure they doesn't obtain any bias, as one might with a (politically-correct) textbook.
A far as teaching only one-side (indoctrination, it's sometimes called), my kids have probably read more about opposing viewpoints than they have on the ones I personally hold. Socialization is a non-issue. Over the years, my two children have been involved in a wide variety of activities (everything from swim and soccer teams to Cub Scouts, to church, to ...). And that's just the tip of the iceberg for what's available here. Are all homeschoolers doing as well as we seem to be? No. Just as there are parents of public school children who don't care about their education, they are in the homeschool ranks, too. However, the homeschool parents I know are doing so because they are truly invested in their children's success. It takes time and effort to pull this off, just as it takes a lot of time and effort to be a public school teacher (probably more so on your part, as I only have to teach two students as opposed to your 120+). And if I have difficulty with either of my students, I can send them elsewhere (tutors, co-ops, etc.) whereas you are kind of stuck with yours. I don't know any teacher who would tell you that one-on-one tutoring (or two-on-one, or even five-on-one in co-op classes) is WORSE than teaching a classroom of 20 or more students. One of the benefits of homeschooling is that if a particular text doesn't fit my child's learning style, I can use a different one (with my younger son, we tried at least 5 different math programs before we found one that really taught in a way he could learn). And I am learning so much about subjects I had NO interest in when I was in school (history is just one example). Contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to be wealthy to homeschool (I know single moms who do it). The number one factor is really a desire to give your kids the best education. That may be private school, it may be public school, or it may be homeschool. I'm certainly not saying that homeschool is for everyone, but it is a great option for a family that is committed to the best educational opportunities for their child. **I apologize if this message seems rather "stream of consciousness" (and LONG). It is 12:30am here and I'm waiting for my son to get home from a movie-outing with friends, so I'm a bit tired. If you'd like more info from me, please feel free to post again and I'll try to respond.** |
Anonymous
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Outcomes for homeschoolers are best in elementary school. In high school, scores normalize, and kids can miss out academically.
Also OP, it only takes half the time to get through the material that takes all day in traditional schools. |
Anonymous
| I'm a single mom and I'd be interested in finding out how other single moms homeschool as one of the PP mentioned. |
Anonymous
In my experience (I'm not a single mom, but know some who homeschool), this is best accomplished in the upper grades (when the kids can work independently), or when the mom works from home. As another PP mentioned, homeschooling takes MUCH less time than traditional school because you can get right to work (no need for roll call, waiting for everyone to settle down, lining up to go to recess/lunch/music/art/library/PE class, ...). My younger son (9yo, 3rd grade) only does about 4 hours of work per day (and that's mainly because of his ADHD, so it's not 4 focused hours, probably closer to 2.5 hours). My older son (9th grade), does about 4-5 focused hours.
This has not been my experience, nor have I seen any data to back that up (if you have hard data, I'd be interested). In general, homeschoolers score several points higher on the SAT & ACT than other students. Because this population is self-selected, I am not saying that this holds true for ALL homeschoolers. I do know that many homeschoolers take college-level classes while still in high school (same as or similar to public school students who use dual-enrollment). There is no reason that homeschoolers necessarily need to lose the gains they made in the lower grades. Even if the parents have never gone beyond high school classes, because they want the best education for their children, they will seek out opportunities for their kids at the point where their own abilities fail. |
Anonymous
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About the discussion above on exposure to chemicals:
I'm a PhD chemist. Five or six members of my extended family have been trained in chemistry. Those that really stay in it and are exposed to chemicals each have a kid with a birth defect. Those that leave it or teach it have healthy kids. A nearby pharmacist is a cancer survivor, and what he told me about people he went to school with who died... Chemical exposure is no joke, although soaps and disinfectants are not the problem. The neutotoxins to which I was exposed during graduate school are. This probably does not answer the questions posed above, but I have decided not to go into the chemical industry. My kids are too important to me. |
Anonymous
So sad. . . |
Anonymous
Well, you are a pretty poor excuse for a teacher. I have a relative in California (where schools are terrible) and she home schooled all four of her children. Every year they had to take an exam to show they were on a par with those taught in public school. They always scored in the top 2 percent. One was admitted to Stanford; another had a full scholarship to Cal Tech. the third just graduated and has a scholarship to a school in the East coast (Ivy League); fourth child is still being home schooled. You missed the boat because I bet you never had three students taught by you who were even comparable to these three. You shouldn't even be allowed to teach because you don't know what you are talking about. |
Anonymous
| sorry. can't help you. i have many prejudices against it. |
Anonymous
sounds like your kid is going to the wrong school. |
Anonymous
I'd worry that you had hurt someone's feelings with a comment like that--except you're replying to something posted 11 months ago. |
Anonymous
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For some families, homeschooling is the best means of educating kids.
I have a good friend who homeschooled her daughters from grade 4 on up, and they now students are highly-ranked liberal arts colleges in New England. They are charming, social, well-read, great students, very mature. I would homeschool in a heartbeat if I had the temperament and time. |
Anonymous
Wait, what? She is admitting that she could be more informed, and is asking questions, and for that she's a poor excuse for a teacher? Shouldn't a teacher be open to new ideas, and admit when she doesn't have knowledge about something? She shouldn't be allowed to teach because she is looking for information on a subject that she's not familiar with? OP sounds exactly like the kind of open-minded person I would want teaching my kids. I truly hope that *you* don't home-school your kids if you slam them for admitting they don't know a lot about something and asking questions to broaden their perspectives. Sheesh. |