Jun
13

Let’s Talk About This Homeschooling Thing

Categories:

Random Ramblings

My son is two years old.

One part of me says I have time, don’t worry about it now, but the other part of me says I need to start my research.

The thought of homeschooling him brings about mixed feelings so I’m looking for your input.

On one hand I am a big supporter of keeping him in an environment where I can nurture his love of learning and allow him to be free to learn in the manner that suits him best.

On the other hand I have a fear of not being able to teach him everything he needs to know. What happens when he gets to a grade level where I don’t know the material. Do you think I remember anything about high school physics?? Yuck, heck no. Am I supposed to relearn that material with him?

And what does a homeschooler graduate with anyway? A GED?? A high school diploma? Does he take some sort of test??? Should I consider alternative schools such as Waldorf and the like rather than homeshcooling?

HELP!

This is one area where I am compelled to educate myself and do what is best for him but I am completely clueless about the subject.

What do you think?

13 comments

1 ping

Martha from Women's Health Questions says:

July 6, 2010 at 6:59 am (UTC -5 )

Every person I have ever known who was homeschooled lacked some aspects socially. I don’t mean they were socially retarded, but many of them (most were under 12 years old) didn’t know how to be a kid. Some of you may think that your homeschooled child needs to grow up and learn about ‘grown-up’ things. I have to disagree with this. People are forced to grow up too fast in my opinion. Let them be kids. They will grow up soon enough. I hate to see a 6 year old acting like a 16 year old and a 16 year old acting like a 40 year old.
.-= Martha@Women’s Health Questions´s last blog ..Allergy Symptoms =-.
babieshealthnaturally says:

July 6, 2010 at 9:25 am (UTC -5 )

Hi Martha,
That’s interesting that you perceive that home schooled kids are made to “grow-up” and learn about grown up things too quickly. That is exactly the opposite of my intentions.
One of my favorite quotes is “We all start out knowing magic… but then we get the magic educated right out of our souls.”
Do you suppose you are seeing that because those kids are not exposed to enough activities with other children?
I have seen that it is absolutely imperative that a homeshcooled child have activities outside of the home – with other children.
Bedazzled says:

July 17, 2010 at 5:50 am (UTC -5 )

I am not in with this homeschooling thing as-
# Homeschooling can take up a lot of time of the parent. Leading to an acute time restraint for the parents. Picture a kitchen table filled with books and no food cooked.
# Homeschooling requires one parent to be at home full-time. This could lead to a financial restraint on the family. The income would reduce, while the expenditure would, almost, remain the same.
# Team sports for the kid can be forgotten if you opt for homeschooling. Being that in the home school there is, but one student, teams would be hard to make and competitions would be kind of one sided, don’t you think.
Jennifer Kyte from fence Melbourne says:

July 17, 2010 at 6:55 am (UTC -5 )

I would go for homeschooling.

# Homeschooling gives the child more educational freedom. The kid studies and learns what he wants.
# Physical freedom is another pro for homeschooling. Life does not revolve around car pools, school timings and exams.
# For the child, homeschooling provides emotional freedom. The child does not need to deliver to the evil effects of peer pressure, competition and bullies. They can study at peace.
# Closer family relationships are made possible with homeschooling. The child will enjoy spending time at home with the family, than outside. Adolescent fears for the parents are also reduced considerably.
Larry from Cheap Hosting says:

July 20, 2010 at 4:48 am (UTC -5 )

Regarding Homeschooling, that is a lovely option! Just make sure there are lots of extracurricular activities planned. I personally want my kids to go out into the world, because it is very hard. There are so many life skills which they need. They need to learn at a young age how to be Jesus for others. I am not saying that Homeschool would limit that, but if you are always around, they will not make mistakes as much, and mistakes are essential in our growth and knowledge and wisdom (I know alot about making mistakes–smile)
Todd from Hockey Online Live Free says:

July 21, 2010 at 2:44 am (UTC -5 )

My Husband and I are expecting our first child. We are also asking ourselves similar questions. I have decided that Homeschool is better for me. As a mother, a parent I don’t want someone else teaching my child. I want to be there every step of the way. I myself went to public school. I noticed very early on cursing from kids, sex driven talks, and drugs later on in my school years. I think that educating our kids about the filth of the world is okay, and not isolating them from normal kid activities is okay. I will have a better peace of mind knowing that I was involved in raising and teaching my child all he knows. Teachers today are on the news for taking advantage of there students, and all sorts of craziness. It is unsettling to know that a stranger is with my child around 7 hours a day. But like I said, that is just my reasons and preference.
Larry from Cheap Web Hosting says:

July 27, 2010 at 5:46 am (UTC -5 )

My mother took me out of public school and began homeschooling me at age 10. I am now 21 and regret ever being homeschooled. My homeschooling experience was very good until I was about 14 or 15 and my mother went back to work, leaving me at home alone 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. My education then took the backseat. I was never put back into public school but enrolled in a correspondence high school course. I was never made to study and never did. By the time I was 17-18 I finally realized how important my education was to me and worked hard to graduate on my own. I blame being homeschooled for my lack of confidence in my intelligence and my lack of quality friends. I met many more “bad” kids in homeschool groups than I ever did in public school.
Scott from UK Link Building Services says:

July 28, 2010 at 11:46 pm (UTC -5 )

I am kind of home schooled. I do an online high school program so my parents don’t teach me. I am 16. My dad owns a shop so I go to work with him and do school work and after I’m done I have to work. I like it but then I don’t. I do because I am getting better grades but I don’t because I miss all my friends and all the boys lol. So idk its hard cuz I miss my old school, teachers, and friends. but i keep my social part up with talking to myself (lmao) and at work helping customers.
Matthew Robbins from dedicated server hosting says:

August 2, 2010 at 5:24 am (UTC -5 )

Well there is another term too which you should have mentioned. Yeah you’re right its unschooling. Unschooling is an option that not everyone may know about. We homeschooled until my oldest was in 7th grade. It was the most wonderful experience we could have had. I encourage everyone to homeschool.
Chintan Ranchhod from Financial Freedom says:

August 3, 2010 at 12:00 am (UTC -5 )

I had to move in with my father when I was 14. I had just went through a really traumatic time in my life and my stepmother and father both felt that normal school wouldn’t be right for me and my brother right away. (I had went to grade school and middle school, but not high school.)

My stepmother home schooled me and my brother, we have the same exact hours as the normal high school did (7:30 – 2:11). She didn’t play around with us, she made sure we did our school work.

Me and my brother went to a high school for the first time when we were 16 years old. We started as juniors. And we both did really great in high school and graduated two years ago with honors.

I didn’t mind being home schooled. I liked it alot.

But I did miss being around kids my own age, I was with my brother everyday. And that wasn’t much fun. Haha.

I can’t say that I would want to home school a child of mine, but if it was necessary for me to do so, I would.
Todd from Hockey Online Live says:

August 3, 2010 at 2:35 am (UTC -5 )

I don’t know if I’m a good person to respond because I had an absolutely horrific experience of home-schooling. So this is just from my experience and opinions:

1. You may start off with a good routine, but it can soon slip into little or no routine, until one day you find yourself and your children watching countdown all day every day.

2. The child has little or no contact with other children, and can grow to feel unliked and abnormal, which will of course affect it as an adult.

3. The child has no one other them it’s parent to compare ideas and opinions with.

4. The parent will end up alienated from other people and may become dependent on its child for companionship.
Kim Arquette from carpet restoration NY says:

August 10, 2010 at 1:36 am (UTC -5 )

Hey,
We are also a homeschooling family. I am happy to hear of the success of one of my friends. What really resounds in your blog post is the affection that you have for your family. For this alone, I am happy to homeschool my kids. Good job!
Cathy from Office Cleaning Melbourne says:

December 15, 2010 at 1:04 pm (UTC -5 )

That’s a lovely option.Just make sure that you’ll orgize the things that sould be organized.

This is quite informative.Thanks for posting this.
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