|
Users viewing this topic:
none
|
|
Login  | |
|
why? - 10/25/2008 11:27:09 PM
|
|
|
twincities
Posts: 95
Joined: 10/15/2007
Status: offline
|
now this might of been talked about but this is my first time in this section..
why did you choose homeschooling? why do i ask? my oldest is getting to the school age and i am debating on how he should be educated. I have a few opitions. I have a friend, who went to school for teaching, is doing a homeschool school. its cheaper then the private school my church has. or private school or public..
just not sure what direction to go... the teacher becomes like his master
elise
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 12:32:35 PM
|
|
|
cynthia
Posts: 8076
Joined: 3/31/2005
From: Beautiful Puget Sound Region
Status: offline
|
Originally we started homeschooling because we were living in the same school district that I had grown up in and I had not been satisfied with the caliber of education I had received. It was also a very liberal school district. I could not in good conscience send my children to school there. My husband agreed. We wanted to send our first to private school, but I would have had to go back to work to do that and we had two younger children that would have had to go into daycare. That wasn’t an option for us.
When our eldest, TL, was born, the neighbors beside us were homeschooling their three children. I saw that she seemed to be doing a fine job and asked her lots of questions. We moved away from that neighborhood when TL was a year old, but I had purposed in my heart to homeschool. Our neighbors had made more of an impact than they realized.
Over the course of the next few years, the idea of homeschooling was still rooted in my heart, but as we came closer to school age we were a little nervous about homeschooling. Finally when enrollment time came, we could not put our daughter into the public school in the area we lived and we could not afford private school. It seemed that homeschooling was the only viable option that we could afford, so we began our homeschool journey at that time.
Over the years, homeschooling has become our lifestyle. We now know that this is what the Lord has called us to do. We plan to continue on through high school. Our eldest is now 14yo and is doing well. We have many more reasons to homeschool now that we have been doing it for ten years. We are fully committed to this as a family.
At this point, I would say the main reason why we are homeschooling is similar to what you said about the teacher being the master. We are able to lay a foundation built on truth for our children. The foundation of all of their studies lies in serving the Lord and being prepared to function as strong Christians in our society, no matter how perverse it may become. We begin our day with prayer and scripture memorization, then poetry memorization, then move on to Bible study. All of our materials emphasis our world view and what we want our children to learn. We teach them to know the truth so they will know a counterfeit when they see it.
_____________________________
My husband and I have a motto:
We are the leader. We are one.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 1:15:57 PM
|
|
|
Auben
Posts: 1606
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
|
I started HSing when my second son (a very young and silly 5 year old) was sent down to 4K instead of Kindergarten. He had trouble following directions and liked to talk all the time, but he was also bored with the material in a preschool setting. None of the kids 'got' him and they wouldn't reply to his creative/weird comments. His best friend was the 60 year old woman who drove him home. The whole experience made my very friendly little boy doubt himself since everything he did seemed wrong.
Rather then repeat the situation with the same kids I decided to homeschool him at his level, at least until he settled down a bit. Then I found out how fun it was, how much more he learned even without textbooks and workbooks. I did this for two years with my older son in the local public school.
Last year my husband and I noticed that our bright oldest son was starting to slow down. He was very comfortable doing the least amount of work and getting the mediocre grade. He never challenged himself. He started making mistakes on easy multiplication problems. He didn't listen to instructions and often his papers reflected that. He was still getting As and Bs, despite the lower quality of work he was turning out.
I wasn't comfortable with that. I really want learning to be internally motivated. One of the pitfalls of being bright in the average classroom is getting bored and thinking that all learning is easy and that anything that isn't easy you're just not good at. I didn't want that for my son.
Plus we're a family that values flexibility. I like the ability to change things and move them around. We like to pick up at the last minute and go visit family or do long-term care of someone is ill. I like the ability to work on projects and experiments in the long term. I like the ability to add things that we enjoy just for fun.
Homeschool is the only thing I know which can fulfill those values, so we're doing that now for all my sons. Sometimes it's hard and frustrating. Sometimes it's such a joy. It's definitely not for someone who doesn't enjoy being with their children or who is easily frustrated by the confrontations that can result from that time. It is a good option for people who like being involved in their child's education.
_____________________________
Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 2:28:08 PM
|
|
|
misaham
Posts: 757
Joined: 10/27/2007
From: Just west of Cleveland, OH
Status: offline
|
We first considered homeschooling when we lived in GA, and at that time their schools were rated 49th in the country. We ended up moving before the kids were in school, but we did homeschool for a short time once they were school age.
Then, due to circumstances, we ended up putting the kids in public school. This past year we had several issues which lead us to pull them out of school to homeschool again.
There are many reasons, but some of them are bullying and persecution for their faith (esp. daughter), and the school not having the ability to meet their needs (esp. my son). It was not a difficult decision once we started praying about it.
We like being able to teach the kids about our faith in their curriculum, not just "at church", being able to work at their own pace, being able to challenge them in the ways that they learn best, and to be "social" in a variety of settings other than just the classroom. It is a blessing.
_____________________________
<<-------- My Adorable Kiddos!!
My new blog... http://misa-laneous.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 2:57:39 PM
|
|
|
sen10tious
Posts: 360
Joined: 4/11/2005
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: twincities
why did you choose homeschooling?
elise
I began homeschooling in the mid-1980's. Were I to answer your question, I could tell you that it was a calling, and beyond that my reasons would not offer much more than, perhaps, mild amusement. The times have changed.
Yet, if I had young children today, I would still choose to home educate. Public schools are training children for the future that they envision: a world of global markets, a world of assimilation, a world with the same goals as those who were building the Tower in Babel.
Public schools are not training children for the future I read about in scripture. They are not training them to honor a Living God who will someday render final judgment.
The children I'd want to raise to adulthood do not belong to public school because, paraphrasing:
John 17:16, "They [the children] are not of the public school, even as Jesus is not of the public school.
1Co 1:21, … the world-schools through their wisdom did not come to know God.
When I began homeschooling, I wanted my kids to have a stronger faith for a more fulfilling life. In today's economic and political world, I'd want my kids to have a stronger faith for survival.
_____________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 4:47:39 PM
|
|
|
creationtalk
Posts: 703
Joined: 6/9/2005
Status: offline
|
quote:
why did you choose homeschooling?
Around 17 years ago I was teaching math to a few of the nation's then future (presumably now current) public school teachers. Lets just say after that experience I decided that I would homeschool any children I might have. All the research I have done and my child's personality have convinced me that I am making the right choice.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 7:58:52 PM
|
|
|
isamama
Posts: 3
Joined: 6/2/2008
Status: offline
|
The four reasons that 3capaccinosmom gave also summarize my reasons. It all started with my "out of the box" ds23. My other three children are girls. I call my oldest daughter my ps product and I don't like what I see. Oh, don't get me wrong I love her dearly and she is successful despite ps, but she was formed by ps, which brings me to sen10tious's quote "Public schools are training children for the future that they envision" I don't share that same vision as the now very liberal ps system.
Once upon a time the Bible and its teachings were welcome in our schools - McGuffey to name an example. I read recently that it is rare to hear "I'm sorry" what I hear are excuses. I was taught there was always a reason, but rarely an excuse. What happened? Instead of telling me "I'm sorry" when my ds was terrorized on the playground by another teacher on duty; pulverized while trying to get on the school bus to come home while adults/teachers looked on; or deprived of his IEP accomodations they passed the buck and accused us of child neglect/abuse - of which we passed with flying colors; the social worker loved us.
Do to circumstances against our control (homelessness via a wildfire) I enrolled my kids in a new school district and was lulled that year into thinking it can work - not! My older three kids endured another five years of ps misery of all forms before I came to my senses after hearing a high school principal say, during my son's 9th grade IEP meeting, "your son can't learn Algebra and we shouldn't be expected to teach him it" and "He shouldn't go to college instead he should consider menial jobs" - my son had a dream of being a meteorologist. He was brought to choking back tears in his own IEP meeting. At the same time his younger sister, in 4th grade, was being denied accomodations for an obvious LD issue they claimed she didn't have (private testing at our expense showed her ADD was even worse than her brothers!). Instead they claimed she was a normal average IQ girl who fell behind 2 to 3 grade levels because I kept her out of school when she was sick with doctor's blessing for three alternating weeks - go figure; no "I'm sorries" just one excuse after another, so I decided to become a "forever hsers" :o)
My baby just turned 10 she'll NEVER go to ps if I have anything to say about it!! Oh, by the way the boy that couldn't learn Algebra DID, in fact he is a senior meteorology major with a 3.0+ GPA - go figure!
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 8:55:29 PM
|
|
|
Homegrownkids
Posts: 1125
Status: offline
|
When I was around 12, one of my friends from school didn't show up. I was told that he was going to be homeschooled for a while by his mother. It was then that I knew that I wanted to do that for my future children. I never liked school that much and thought how wonderful it would be to do the work at home! A much more comfortable setting! (not to say every home is like that, but mine was)
There are way too many benefits to convince me that any other way is better. I would pretty much be repeating what Shadow said.
We also homeschool because of our faith in Christ Jesus. And... someone just told me, this and I like the way he worded it.... Is that the public schools DO have a religion in it, and it's not ours. So, why would I send them there? You can't seperate a person from their "religion". Because they either serve God or they don't and there is no inbetween.
_____________________________
www.caringbridge.org/visit/pray4noah
God heals!
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 10:35:29 PM
|
|
|
twincities
Posts: 95
Joined: 10/15/2007
Status: offline
|
thanks for all your replies. I know my oldest is only three but school age will come quick. There is a lot to think about. Right now I kind of do schooling of sorts. I teach him colors, shapes, what something is like pennies, nickels, and sorts. He is remembering what i teach him. Homeschooling just kind of scares me a bit. I like structure and homeschooling doens't seem like structure to me. i.e. do x at x time and be done in x time.
Thanks.. A lot of prayer is needed.
elise
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 10:59:39 PM
|
|
|
cynthia
Posts: 8076
Joined: 3/31/2005
From: Beautiful Puget Sound Region
Status: offline
|
There is nothing to be afraid of. Finally what I have learned is that young children need to explore their environment in order to learn. The idea for little kids is to provide a rich learning environment. Much of their learning will come from playing games, singing and memorizing little songs and rhymes, doing hand movements, collecting rocks and leaves and bugs. Talking about all this stuff and enjoying the fun together. Another imporant thing is to read to your son. You can point out certain letter and tell him what sound they represent and what to say when he sees them. (We never discussed letter names, except how they related to penmanship until after they could read.)
I would highly recommend that you read The Three R's, by Dr. Ruth Beechick. You can find it at Mott Media. Follow the link, then go down the page to find it. Dr. Beechick is an amazing woman. I love her writing. She encourages parents to provide a rich learning environment, to read to their children and play games with their children.
When the children are very small this is the way they develop their thinking skills and become good learners. They become interested, smart and enthusiastic.
If you need structure that’s fine. Just make sure that what you are structuring is the time for learning. Take nature walks. Have reading time. Go to the library. Set aside time to do these things and to work with your child and play with him. Know that you are building your child and preparing him for greater learning as he grows.
_____________________________
My husband and I have a motto:
We are the leader. We are one.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/26/2008 11:34:13 PM
|
|
|
shadowspring
Posts: 1551
Joined: 5/27/2006
Status: offline
|
Every family home schools differently and if you want more structure in your life, by all means include it! 
That is one of the great benefits of home schooling is that you are free to choose what works best for your family/child.
Some people would say I am very structured. We have a certain order in which we do our subjects; we keep a contemporaneous log of texts and activities; when core studies are finished there is a list of options to choose from that must be completed before my students can "goof off"- and these have to be checked off by an adult on a daily basis.
On the other hand, I do not have a schedule like the public school- English for 45 minutes, Spelling 15 minutes, etc. We spend as much or as little time as we need on each subject, and we include room for lots of interest-directed changes in our schedule when the opportunity arises. So I suppose it looks pretty casual in that respect.
It is true that some of what we are saying won't make sense until you try it. My daughter learning to read? She was four and crawled up on Daddy's lap while he was working at the computer. He made some giant colored fonts on Microsoft Word, and told her that letters stood for sounds. He went over a few of them, made six short words, and she "read" them. Then he would rearrange them and she "read" them again. She laughed and had so much fun. I thought it was all nonsense.
Until the next day at McDonald's play land when she picked up a little tabletop sign and started sounding out words! 
No I suppose I could have scolded her and her Daddy and told them that it was wrong to learn to read at four, so casually and so much fun involved. I could have told her to wait two more years as each letter or phoneme was introduced by the classroom teacher. After all, he was not a certified teacher! He didn't even have a curriculum! He was just playing around with his little girl. 
We did go on to do a full-blown phonics program when she was 5 years old from BJUPress. It was good to be well-grounded in that. We also used their reading, spelling and handwriting program.
But then we also checked out twenty books a week from the library, and she would usually read those all in one afternoon. It was just her thing.
My son was not an intuitive reader. He started later and we worked more formally at it. But as a ninth grader he reads regularly for school and pleasure, probably more than my daughter did when she was in ninth grade.
So that's what I mean by flexibility. There's no one way/age/time to teach all children. They are unique human beings and they develop at their own rates and have their own learning styles.
That's where we need to relax and be flexible. It's not really about keeping or not keeping a time schedule.
< Message edited by shadowspring -- 10/27/2008 7:37:57 AM >
_____________________________
"Blessed is the man...whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by rivers of water..." from Psalm 1
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/27/2008 10:56:38 AM
|
|
|
sen10tious
Posts: 360
Joined: 4/11/2005
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: twincities
I like structure and homeschooling doens't seem like structure to me.
elise
LOL. I once knew a mom who was so structured that she packed her son's lunch, had him put on his jacket, then sent him out the kitchen door and had him run around to the front door to enter his formal school in their classroom, (a converted extra bedroom.) That lasted an entire semester—then she learned that she did not require that much structure after all.
(To be fair, I think that routine did put her child in a more cooperative mindset until he adjusted.)
I totally second the Beechick materials. They are written with common sense and will alleviate a lot of your fears.
_____________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/27/2008 6:00:06 PM
|
|
|
ShekinahJoy
Posts: 16
Joined: 11/27/2007
From: The Sunshine State
Status: offline
|
So many great replies....I enjoyed reading them!
I think it's great that you have found this forum through Crosswalk. Keep reading and researching, because you will find lots of good advice and resources through those who are further down the road than we are.
I am close to your situation as we have a young one (4 1/2) and I started looking into home school education when he was around 2. Our situation is one that takes us out of the country and we are leaving again soon. So being able to legally educate our child while we travel and live abroad is wonderful.
Even if we did not live abroad though I would still educate at home. I think the Lord gives parents the responsibility and authority to educate our own children and yes, it can be a bit daunting...but you are doing the right thing. Research and learn as much as you can. Don't worry about a schedule because your child(ren) may fit right in with one. Or you may find that you also enjoy a little bit of flexible time during your day. I can understand the whole schedule thing too - -I was in corporate America for 13 years before coming home full-time. My day was planned to the second!
Anyway, my reasons are many and varied but my husband and I strongly and deeply feel that we are given the responsibility to raise a warrior for God...to boldly stand for Christ. We can do this every day and in many different ways as we also teach him academically. We are also members of a local homeschool group that gets together for activities and park days. It's great to be around other moms who share the same desire to home educate. However, having said that....there are also different opinions and view points within the home school community. But that is a plus and not something to be feared.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 10/28/2008 5:13:38 PM
|
|
|
Consecrated2God
Posts: 5146
Joined: 4/4/2005
From: Formerly Jesus Land
Status: offline
|
I homeschool my kids because my husband and I were also homeschooled, and we decided to go that route as well. It worked well for us. As time goes on, we see more reasons why we homeschool. We do use a structured curriculum, and I like it. There are ton of options for homeschoolers, and you can homeschool any way you'd like. :)
_____________________________
Bonky
|
|
|
|
|
RE: why? - 11/5/2008 12:06:27 PM
|
|
|
jeune
Posts: 50
Joined: 11/4/2008
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: twincities
I like structure and homeschooling doens't seem like structure to me.
that's the plus side. homeschooling can be as structured as you need it to be.
_____________________________
It’s a long way down
from here
to the sound.
Watch the faces
go ‘round—
to the stars
then the ground.
|
|
|
|
 New Messages |
 No New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
 Locked w/ New Messages |
 Locked w/o New Messages |
|
 Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts |
|
|
Forum Tools
Printable Version
