Home Schooling

[JohnP]

Anybody here home school their kids? Our daughter just gave up a very high paying job and put her Doctorate program on the back burner. She decided that the public school system is going to hell in a hand basket and wants no part of it, plus between her job and her Doctorate program she had very little time for the boys. Made the comment that the money and education is secondary to her boys, I agree.

If you have home schooled I would like some input as to time spent, results, etc. I have recently read that home schooled kids score higher on national testing than public school children.

I volunteered to be in charge of the field trips, rifle range, dove hunting, fishing, camping, the really hard stuff.  She can do the easy stuff like Algebra, English Composition, World History, etc.

Jerry if I remember correctly you were a school administrator, what say you? 

[Okanagan]

John, Code and his siblings are home schooled.  His Dad was homeschooled for his last year of high school, and is the only one of our kids with a master’s degree.  If we were raising our kids now, it would be home school all the way.  More than the down side of public school is the positive side of how much more kids can get via personalized education mentored by someone who cares and is fully engaged.  Without the distractions and added stuff of public school, kids learn the same subjects in less time.

It sounds to me like your daughter has an unusually strong and clear perception of life’s biggest priorities, and I believe that raising children is one of the highest priorities on the planet.  Bravo.

As you noted, stats and studies favor home school results.  Leaving aside the minority of nut cases (which every group has) who are trying to shelter their kids from life, home schooled kids tend to do well.  They appear to be better socially adjusted in spite of theoretical concerns to the contrary I've heard.  My experience with many home schooled kids is that they interact with people of all ages better than kids isolated with their age peers most of the time in regular classrooms.

It is not for everybody nor every family.  I think we should allow each set of parents to make the call and stay off of their case whether they public school, private school or home school.

Good to hear that you will teach some.  Home school runs a wide spectrum of options and many now mix in group classes from an expert in math, writing, etc.  The parent does not need to know all of the subjects but simply be able to direct the self learning student to the right resources.  There is likely a home school resource group or co-op in her area.

As your daughter goes ahead with this, I recommend that she check out Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).  I’d encourage her to join.  They advise home school parents on how to stay legal in their state, provide wide resource info and will represent the home school parent if trouble with law or local school arises.  Many public school administrators and social workers don’t know the pertinent laws themselves.  If that mixes with someone who wants control over all students in his area it leads to trouble.  The debate used to be quality of education but home school wins that decisively overall.  The real issues are control and money.  HSLDA has worked with state legislatures for years to improve laws for home schoolers and improve relationships with public schools.

Three anecdotes which prove nothing in themselves:

A home school group of girls ages 14-16 near my home here entered a NASA contest to build and operate a remote controlled underwater vehicle.  They did not realize that their competition was MIT, Cal Tech, Penn State…  At the national final they missed second place by a fraction and won the award for most creative solution.  A retired scientist agreed to be their advisor but I listened to some of the design phase and the girls did the work and the deciding.

One of the most creative schools I’ve ever seen was a home school co-op in inner Phoenix that did a marvellous job with single mother kids who were failing in public school.  Classes together several mornings each week plus home school and the older kids all had to get a job and help their Mom with family support.  Kids who left and went back to public school continued to do well. 

A Native Indian friend who got gravely ill this past year put his kids in public school for the first time.  They had been homeschooled in a tough remote northern Canadian community.  His grade 12 son was the only honor student in his public school class…

[Hawks Feather]

John,

There isn't much that I can add to the post above.  When home schooling is done properly by someone who is willing to work it is highly effective.  When it is done by someone who is just mad at a school and doesn't want to work it is highly ineffective.  The way it sounds your daughter is in the first section and I would not hesitate to have one of my grandkids follow her instruction. 

Jerry

[JohnP]

Thanks for the replies.  This is going to be a big challenge for her and we are praying for her and the boys. 

[FinsnFur]

I know I wouldnt want to take it on. She sounds just like your daughter John and I dont doubt for a second that she'll succeed.