Why do you homeschool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most "teachers" are pathetic overpaid public employees. They whine about the children's behavior. They while about the parents. They whine about all the extra hours for prep time. They want to be revered as the most important professions in our society, but they hide behind their union to secure benefits for even the worst of their kind.

Our kids are our responsibility to raise into educated adults with the right values, and there is no indication that the teachers we've dealt with are up to that challenge.

Besides, what's the downside? Am I going to teach finger-painting wrong?

The kids get lots of socialization through church and sports, etc. but instead of sitting in a room with 30 kids the same age and marching to the sound of a bell every hour, they get to learn in a much more exciting and fulfilling way, taking lots of trips and having lots of spontaneous interactions with people from all walks of life.

Wow. Spoken like someone who has never set foot inside a classroom. I have a teaching degree from a highly regarded program from a highly regarded school. I spent four years teaching at an inner city public high school and let me tell you, the teachers are not the problem. Problems I ran into:

35 kids per class
Absent/uninvolved parents, which led to truancy, gang affiliation and crime.
Being forced to teach to a standardized test rather than teaching interesting and engaging material in an interesting and engaging way.
Being paid for a 30 hour work week but actually working 50-60 hours
Shabby/broken classroom furniture and equipment
$25/student to spend on supplies and only if the student pays the lab fee. I taught at a school where 83% of the student body were FARMs so yeah, good luck getting that money!

You clearly don't know what you're talking about so STFU.

Also, teachers don't get paid for their summer breaks. Our 9 month salaries get split up into 12 month payments.

You sound like the problem. 35 kids is fine if you are an effective teacher who doesn't just sit at the desk but moves around and engages with the class pretty much all the time. Also you can take a dry curriculum and add to it, but that depends on your own creativity and brain power. But maybe you lack that as well as the effectiveness. I expect so.

Using curse words pretty much indicates a lack thereof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most "teachers" are pathetic overpaid public employees. They whine about the children's behavior. They while about the parents. They whine about all the extra hours for prep time. They want to be revered as the most important professions in our society, but they hide behind their union to secure benefits for even the worst of their kind.

Our kids are our responsibility to raise into educated adults with the right values, and there is no indication that the teachers we've dealt with are up to that challenge.

Besides, what's the downside? Am I going to teach finger-painting wrong?

The kids get lots of socialization through church and sports, etc. but instead of sitting in a room with 30 kids the same age and marching to the sound of a bell every hour, they get to learn in a much more exciting and fulfilling way, taking lots of trips and having lots of spontaneous interactions with people from all walks of life.

Wow. Spoken like someone who has never set foot inside a classroom. I have a teaching degree from a highly regarded program from a highly regarded school. I spent four years teaching at an inner city public high school and let me tell you, the teachers are not the problem. Problems I ran into:

35 kids per class
Absent/uninvolved parents, which led to truancy, gang affiliation and crime.
Being forced to teach to a standardized test rather than teaching interesting and engaging material in an interesting and engaging way.
Being paid for a 30 hour work week but actually working 50-60 hours
Shabby/broken classroom furniture and equipment
$25/student to spend on supplies and only if the student pays the lab fee. I taught at a school where 83% of the student body were FARMs so yeah, good luck getting that money!

You clearly don't know what you're talking about so STFU.

Also, teachers don't get paid for their summer breaks. Our 9 month salaries get split up into 12 month payments.

You sound like the problem. 35 kids is fine if you are an effective teacher who doesn't just sit at the desk but moves around and engages with the class pretty much all the time. Also you can take a dry curriculum and add to it, but that depends on your own creativity and brain power. But maybe you lack that as well as the effectiveness. I expect so.

I'm a guy and I must add that the only time I hear talk like this is between women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most "teachers" are pathetic overpaid public employees. They whine about the children's behavior. They while about the parents. They whine about all the extra hours for prep time. They want to be revered as the most important professions in our society, but they hide behind their union to secure benefits for even the worst of their kind.

Our kids are our responsibility to raise into educated adults with the right values, and there is no indication that the teachers we've dealt with are up to that challenge.

Besides, what's the downside? Am I going to teach finger-painting wrong?

The kids get lots of socialization through church and sports, etc. but instead of sitting in a room with 30 kids the same age and marching to the sound of a bell every hour, they get to learn in a much more exciting and fulfilling way, taking lots of trips and having lots of spontaneous interactions with people from all walks of life.

Wow. Spoken like someone who has never set foot inside a classroom. I have a teaching degree from a highly regarded program from a highly regarded school. I spent four years teaching at an inner city public high school and let me tell you, the teachers are not the problem. Problems I ran into:

35 kids per class
Absent/uninvolved parents, which led to truancy, gang affiliation and crime.
Being forced to teach to a standardized test rather than teaching interesting and engaging material in an interesting and engaging way.
Being paid for a 30 hour work week but actually working 50-60 hours
Shabby/broken classroom furniture and equipment
$25/student to spend on supplies and only if the student pays the lab fee. I taught at a school where 83% of the student body were FARMs so yeah, good luck getting that money!

You clearly don't know what you're talking about so STFU.

Also, teachers don't get paid for their summer breaks. Our 9 month salaries get split up into 12 month payments.

You sound like the problem. 35 kids is fine if you are an effective teacher who doesn't just sit at the desk but moves around and engages with the class pretty much all the time. Also you can take a dry curriculum and add to it, but that depends on your own creativity and brain power. But maybe you lack that as well as the effectiveness. I expect so.

I'm a guy and I must add that the only time I hear talk like this is between women.

Then you obviously need to get out more, buddy.

[Anonymous]

Why all the hate? There are pros and cons to both. There are effective teachers in traditional classrooms and homeschools; and ineffective ones in both environments as well.

If I choose to homeschool, it will be because my child isn't pushed enough at our Title I school. kids who meet grade level benchmarks early in the year are not always challenged enough there, and we can't afford a high faluten private school. So the alternative is homeschool combined with some form of distance learning.

[Anonymous]

I have to say, all the homeschooled kids I know are the politest, most well spoken children I've ever met. That said, i'd never ever do it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I agree there are good reasons to home school and you listed many of them. We moved a lot when I was younger, so my mother would often home school me for the last few months of the year, and it was a wonderful experience. On the other hand, I really don't understand why someone would home school for religious reasons if they are not trying to keep their kids away from the evil world. Can you explain that a little more?

Sure. Here is one specific example that was part of a broader scope of reasons that helped one family I know decide to homeschool.

This particular religious family believes in the scientific theory of evolution, but wanted to be able to explain it to their young child in a way that was compatible to their faith and the Biblical teaching of Creation. In home school science, they talked about how the big bang theory compliments the "Let there be light" passage in the Bible. Out of nothing, came something, so profound and explosive. This compatibility of faith and science could never, in this country, be addressed in a public school setting. As homeschoolers, they could do that. They could study different archeological discoveries like the discovery of ancient twin cities that appear to have been catastrophically destroyed by fire around similar times (I forgot the name but remember seeing the documentary on the History Channel) and compare the discovery to the Biblical tale of Soddom and Gommorah. They were able to research the religious origins of many of our Christmas carols and Rennaisance artwork. They were able to talk about other religions in addition to Christianity, and how faith plays a roll in history. None of these things, important to this religious family, were possible in the public school setting. Homeschooling enabled them to lay a spiritual foundation for their child that a public school would not.

Ok, I get your examples, but couldn't this be supplemental learning outside of school? Maybe there's more than what I can tell, but it seems like this family's religious perspective could compliment public schools, and does not necessarily conflict.

[Anonymous]

I am fascinated that home schooling has become a trend amongst military families given all the positive data on DoDEA schools on the national assessments. I grew up a military child in the 80s and 90s--I went to 4 kindergarten in 2 states and 1 overseas location. We moved a lot! I loved it. I ended up an educator and am finishing my PhD. I think there is a lot to be said about how military kids learn resilience and how the constant moving teaches skills and lends itself to experiences others do not have. That said, I can also see that children with certain temperaments would not thrive switching schools and going through that constant period of re-adjustment. Interestingly enough, my sister lived abroad when her kids were younger and chose to home school largely for religious reasons. She is thinking of find a Christian HS for them to attend as they get older.

I will be curious how this cohort of homeschooled military children turn out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As one of many dedicated and hard-working teachers who is not a public employee and not in a union...I am crushed by the PP's response. You are clearly misinformed and making rash judgements. But now your kid is lucky enough to stay home with you everyday and get brainwashed by your negativity, rather than experiencing the influence of other positive teachers in his life.

+1 another teacher here - couldn't have said it better myself

[Anonymous]

I homeschool because my son needed extra one-on-one time, to focus on things that were being overlooked at public school. I pulled him out at the beginning of 3rd. We have done two years at home, and have two years left. He will go back to public school in 7th. He is like a sponge, absorbing information. He has learned to control his hyperactivity, and has learned to listen. We have a great time at school every day! I'm so thankful that I made this decision, because it was exactly what he needed.

[Anonymous]

I never considered homeschooling until I started subbing at a DoDEA school this year. I *hate* the way teachers so clearly show their preferences for specific students and pigeonhole others.

I know other schools likely aren't as toxic, but it's just depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As one of many dedicated and hard-working teachers who is not a public employee and not in a union...I am crushed by the PP's response. You are clearly misinformed and making rash judgements. But now your kid is lucky enough to stay home with you everyday and get brainwashed by your negativity, rather than experiencing the influence of other positive teachers in his life.

+1 another teacher here - couldn't have said it better myself

Bummer that someone went there and insulted teachers. I've known a million teachers who were simply beautiful and lovely people. Our family homeschools because initially we didn't "win" the lottery and get an acceptable school and my DH was driving 2 hours a day across town to a school that wasn't perfect but we were trying like hell to make work, with a really young kid who wasn't ready for the environment, and we continued homeschooling because we found a coop that made it a choice we would now go out of our way to make rather than it being a last resort. The coop allows for socialization and exposure to other kids / other methods but the homeschool and involvement aspect mean we can really influence how our children are taught. We have a child with ADHD and he's been able to get a lot of one on one attention in this environment that he might not get at school - at school (he was three!) they were suggesting meds - so early for that. We may have to go there at some point, but it hasn't been necessary in this environment. All in all it's been 100 percent better for my son and my daughter, who has never known anything else, is thriving as well. Don't know if we'll do it forever, many homeschooled kids actually ask to go to school as they get older, and we're absolutely open to an informed choice that they participate in.

I will say that we supplement the coop with tutors because the first year, in our particular arrangement, the kids weren't doing enough "academics" from our perspective. But we have a kid at grade level or above with essentially a few hours of these text book academics and the rest of it pretty wild, kid-driven stuff.

So i guess we homeschool because we've truly found (and helped to build) the best situation we can imagine for our kids!

[Anonymous]

There is so much wasted time in public schools. There really isn't much true "instructional time" in the course of a school day (kids are ES aged, can't speak for MS or HS).

FCPS tries to be everything to everybody and that just doesn't work. It doesnt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As one of many dedicated and hard-working teachers who is not a public employee and not in a union...I am crushed by the PP's response. You are clearly misinformed and making rash judgements. But now your kid is lucky enough to stay home with you everyday and get brainwashed by your negativity, rather than experiencing the influence of other positive teachers in his life.

+1 another teacher here - couldn't have said it better myself

Teachers are my heroes. Homeschooling my children has only led me to appreciate them a million times MORE. Teachers deserve our profound gratitude for the service they provide for our country. Sure, there are bad teachers, but there are also parents who should NOT be homeschooling their kids, and there's nothing like meeting them (or encountering them on an anonymous forum) to inspire introspection about whether one might not belong in that category.

I find that when I talk about the issues I have with schools and education, I have a lot more in common with my teacher friends than anyone else. They may not agree 100% with homeschooling, but I agree with most of what they say, both positive and negative, about schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is so much wasted time in public schools. There really isn't much true "instructional time" in the course of a school day (kids are ES aged, can't speak for MS or HS).

FCPS tries to be everything to everybody and that just doesn't work. It doesnt.

I have no idea what that last comment even means. It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much wasted time in public schools. There really isn't much true "instructional time" in the course of a school day (kids are ES aged, can't speak for MS or HS).

FCPS tries to be everything to everybody and that just doesn't work. It doesnt.

I have no idea what that last comment even means. It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't.

Np here. It really isn't that hard to understand what pp meant if you think about what you read. I'm sure you're familiar with "people pleasers". They are the ones who are constantly trying to fix everything based on one person's complaint or discomfort. Imagine the people person invites 30 people over for a party. The people pleaser wants to make the party perfect for each guest, but that's impossible. The vegetarian guests have different tastes than the meat eating guests. Some people prefer an evening party, others like an afternoon party etc. People pleasers have good intentions, but they often annoy people more than they help anyone because they get so caught up in trying to make things perfect. Nothing ever really gets done.

What pp is saying is that FCPS is a very large, very diverse school district and they are trying too hard to please everyone instead of just getting the job done, which is educating the students. I'd say pp made a pretty accurate observation of FCPS and the public school systems in general.