Home Schooling

[JordieC]

I am a teacher and have no intention of home schooling my DD but am very interested in why people do and what sorts of things they do.
Do you have a routine that you keep to each day/week?
Do you do a whole range of subjects of just the core ones .ie maths and english?
Where do you get your resources from?
What are the benfits/disadvanatges that you find?
Have you changed your mind .ie sent child to school and brought them home or vice versa?

Thanks!

[barbie-up]

I saw an article on TV about home schooling and there seems to be a big network of it out there. It's almost like you home school at home for part of it and then get together with other home schoolers for specialist areas.

One of the mums I know from playgroup home schools her daughter and whilst I haven't spoken to her in depth about it, they appear to do a lot of Arts type stuff - drama, music, visual arts. This girl is 6.5 and still goes to playgroup one morning a week, that's not my idea of home schooling.

I often joke that I home schooled for the first five years, now it's someone elses turn ! I am a student teacher (part time, due to finish Oct 2009) and found it a bit hard to go from being my daughters almost sole 'teacher' while we were both at home, to handing her over to a class of 22.

[nickel]

I believe in homeschooling despite both my motherIL and sisterIL(and their grandmother) being teachers in the private and public systems.
I however, have no teaching qualifications and think I would do my daughter and myself a disservice if I homeschooled, so I sent her to a school which is "marketed" as an alternative to homeschooling.
The difference is that the WHOLE school is about 15 kids from K-6 with 1 teacher (and various aides and parent help throughout the week).
the teacher is fully trained and is brilliant. They follow the curriculum but aren't institutionalised at such an early age.

[widdly]

I have read A LOT of info about homeschooling and unschooling and it sounds fantastic to me! My 15 year old sister has a boyfriend who has been homeschooled all his life, he is very polite and very smart, he was doing Uni subjects at age 14 cause he was interested in those subjects. The only negatives i see of homschooling is the negative comments people have about it, the loss of income for the main "teacher". My DS is only 2 years old but i am seriously considering homeschooling him (if i can convince my DH!)

[zoe72]

Well do you know that studies in the US show that even if you don't have a terrific education yourself those HS parents actually do a better job than most schools, whether thats because the parent is re learning at the same time during lesson preparation who knows. Or it could potentially be that one on one.

I used to be dead against homeschooling but I think I was ignorant and unaware of its potential to foster children's individuality and potential. I found myself HSing my special needs girl because the system could not cope with her and we began our journey by default about 4 years ago.

Most homeschoolers do a terrific job and their kids really flourish in the homeschool environment.

homeschooling comes in different forms, from the school at home version, natural learning, unschooling, classical, eclectic and more!

I HS because in short, it works and I have in all three of my daughters seen incredible progress both academically socially and emotionally.

I'm not against schools in fact one of mine goes fulltime at present at a wonderful school. But nothing replaces the opportunities, nurturing and fostering of a child's interests and individuality thats found in Homeschooling. There are so many benefits to Homeschooling and so much available!

[Jesswith6]

I ,too, used to be against homeschooling, but now I am considering it for my nearly high school child.
He has Aspergers and is finding it tough at school. His teacher has no idea on how to treat him and his problems has gone downhill. We came from a school with over 100 students and where he had 2 special aide teachers, to a school of 54 students and no special aide teacher. I honestly believe if he went to the local high school he would literally drown.

[zoe72]

Hi Jess,

I HS my DD's 12 and 13 who have Fragile X syndrome and AS and I have also HSed my 10 year old AS girl who is in school ATM. The important thing is knowing all the options that are available to you as a family and that suit your child's individualistic needs. Also it helps if you find a caring school, schools and teachers that embrace kids like ours are hard to find but they are out there.

In saying that Homeschool caused all three of my girls to excel. It is indeed a very viable option and kids like ours flourish in the home environment. You could also join some ASD yahoo Homeschool groups and get a feel for how hsing works for families like ours.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[halltribe]

Hi there - I am a homeschooling mum and I love it, I am currently teaching 4 of my kids ages 15 (special needs) 8, 7 and 5. My 4 year old is ready to start but I am holding him off until next term. There are many different ways to go about how you school your children and hundreds of different cirriculums. I like a bit of struture and routine so stick to what works best for me and my children. We school in the mornings, starting about 8am and work thru till lunchtime. We have 2 morning tea breaks. This half day is more than enough time to cover all their work. remember I am working 1 to 4 ratio where as teachers are working 1 to 30ish and classrooms have alsorts of interuptions.


My 5 and 7 year old are well ahead of themselves in reading and maths , whereas my 7 year old has dyslexia and is now catching up fast with her reading and excels at maths. My children do attend other activities with other homeschoolers when needed and do a variety of out of school things as well.

The big issue alot of people have with homeschooling in the social aspect but my kids are very socialable and well liked by other children and adults.

I don't think homeschooling is the only way to go but I do love it. I am happy to answer any questions.

[canberramomma]

One of my close friends is a teacher, and she offered to get me copies of studies detailing the social and educational disadvantages to home schooling.

In the end all she could find was the complete opposite. In fact, the only negative she could find was my own mental health in being around the children all day, but I'm actually really looking forward to it!

It will give my life a much more tangible focus.

That can only be healthy for all of us, don't you think???

[paradise lost]

I am considering homeschooling for my very bright daughter, mainly so she doesn't have the school experience i had - "You're smart, sit and do the work and the thicker kids will get the "teaching"" - story of my education up until uni, mainly i feel, looking back, because i was unlucky enough to go to school during the years when it was un-PC to stream by ability or encourage brilliance. If i find an adequate school i feel will nurture her gifts then i will consider sending her there instead because i believe the social experience of school is very important and it's the aspect most of my HSing friends have to work hardest at.

In my city there is an HSing chapter which meets weekly for social time, and most of the homeschoolers skill-swap (i.e. one dad might teach French to 30 kids over a week by calling on various homes and simultaneously another mum will be doing the same with physics). Most of the HSers i know have some structure, but it is generally child-focussed and child-led. For example the reading books are chosen by the children - i know a 9 year old who just did a book report on Brave New World because she'd been DESPERATE to read it. It took her a while, but she really enjoyed it and her reading age jumped about 2 years in the space of those months. Projects are defined by the parent/teacher, but subjects are often chosen by the kids - i know a family doing an extended year long project on the park i live next to - the youngest (5) is learning all the trees by bark and leaf while making a scrap book, the two middle kids (7 and 9) are looking at the annual changes and growth of a group of trees encompassing the commonest breeds, making their own elderflower and elderberry products, and documenting a family of swans which bred this year (cygnets are now fully fledged and independant ), the 9 year old is very into horses so she's also doing a project on the draught horses of glasgow, their history, use and breeding and profiles of the 3 heavy horses owned by the city and kept here in the park, and the oldest (14) is looking at the history of the Park in the context of Glasgow as a city, and in terms of the changes in Scottish law which have been lived out here.

I don't know a single HSed child who is not doing as well or better than a school-schooled child of a similar age.

Bx

[lmbmcb]

Hi
I am a homeschooling mum of two.
To answer the questions you asked
1. Yes we have a routine. I have made up a weekly timetable of subjects that need to be covered and what days and time we will be covering them. (this is also flexible depending on what is going on and if my kids have a particular interest in something they have seen or heard)

2. We cover all of the required topics such as English, Maths, HSIE, PHPD, Science, Arts and we also include extras like Language, Geography and History where appropriate. My kids are still in lower primary so the additional topics are not required by the Board of Studies at this level.

3.We get our resources from a Tutoring centre that keeps a large range of educaitonal texbooks and other supplies. I also purchase quite a few resources online. The Board of Studies has a website with a shop that supplies some of the same cirriculum that is used in NSW schools.

4. The benefits are HUGE. My kids are VERY happy and feel free to express themselves. My oldest daughter has a reading level of a ten year old and she is only 7. I believe this is mainly due to the one on one time that I spend with her. My kids love to learn, they ask if they can do maths in their spare time!
I use slightly different programs for both of my children as they have different learning styles, this helps immensly as they can learn in a way that suits their brain and not just a generic style for everyone.
We also find it great for holidays as we can take holidays whenever we please. Usually accommodation is much cheaper outside of set school holiday times and there are less people around. So far I haven't found a disadvantage to homeschooling.
I have quite a few friends who would love to homeschool there kids but are unable to. They have commented on how unhappy their kids are at school due to bullying, separation from parents, pressures etc.

We were at the Dr.s the other day and my 7 year old was having an in depth conversation with him. He commented on how outgoing and chatty she was and how most children her age just shy away from him and wont even speak. I believe this is a good thing as she is confident to engage in conversation with people of all ages and she is also happy to play with kids of all ages.

Homeschooling is not for everyone, some have tried and then sent their kids back to school. You do need to be organised and commited for it to work, but it is well worth the effort for us to see such happy well adjusted children.

Please excuse the typing, I am very pregnant and having a low blood sugar day!
P.S. I do not have any formal teaching qualifications.
Kind Regards
Lisa B.

[fionas]

I hadn't even thought about homeschooling until a bloke at work explained how his wife homeschools their four children aged between 5 and 10. From what I could gather, they cover off the lessons in the morning and then do other stuff in the afternoon. She's very involved in community organisations too so no doubt the kids get lots of exposure to different environments etc.

I'm a bit torn. I simply cannot imagine sending DD to school where I have no idea what she is doing all day. I'm also a bit of an academic snob and if I don't think the teachers are using very good methods of teaching reading and writing, I'll be all over them like a rash. Woebetide any teacher who makes any spelling mistakes when leaving comments on DD's work.

I have no doubt that I could give DD a better education at home and that she would be further ahead than if I sent her to school.

However, for me, that is not the deciding factor. I do NOT want to nurture a child who is academically brilliant but has no idea how to relate to her peers (not just adults). I was good at school but was terribly, terribly shy and being clever exacerbated that. I don't want that for DD. I would quite happily take a drop in her grades for the trade-off that she is emotionally intelligent and is socially confident.

So, I'd be interested in hearing from people who homeschool about how they make sure that their child can relate to their peers who may not be as advanced as them.

[paradise lost]

However, for me, that is not the deciding factor. I do NOT want to nurture a child who is academically brilliant but has no idea how to relate to her peers (not just adults). I was good at school but was terribly, terribly shy and being clever exacerbated that. I don't want that for DD. I would quite happily take a drop in her grades for the trade-off that she is emotionally intelligent and is socially confident.

But did school do that for you? Drop your grades and make you relate to people better? If anything sticking out like a sore thumb in a class of regular kids made me feel worse about myself! I don't know any answers (except that the homeschoolers i know go to park meet-ups and group lessons a lot with the rest of the chapter, which meets many social needs) i am also wondering about it all...

Bx

[myson]

Another HS'er here. Been at it 2 yrs and my girls are LOVING it! Heres the pros and cons for us...

PRO,
They are thriving in their school work,doing better than school kids their own age.

They LOVE doing it. They never want to set foot in a school again.

They get on better with each other and with me.

They are more socially confident/aware/balanced as they spend time relating to people of all ages, not just kids.

We hang out with other Hs families which means I have a good relationship with the kids who are their friends.

We have alot of fun while learning.

There was no income loss for me as I wasnt working before anyway.

The kids used to have to travel on a bus as we live out of town so now they arent away from me from 7am to 4.30pm 5 days a week.... yes, this was a bad thing. Not to mention the early starts!!!

There are lots of things the school teaches which I dont agree with (teaching evolution as fact, for example) so I get to decide the curriulum! BIG BONUS

There are lots more but we are going to see some baby ducks this morning and the kids are telling me to hurry up...

Cons...

it takes a bit of organising to get some time to myself to go out for lunch or a coffee with a friend(purely selfish reason)

uuummm.... thats it for the down side...

gotta run... quack quack..

[halltribe]

Yippee!! I thought I was the only homeschooler in here and I am glad I am not the only insane one!!! People think I am crazy with 7 kids but to add the homeschool factor in as well in just pure insanity!!!I absolutely love it though.

Keep up the good work girls and remember the Bible does say for Parents to train up their children not to give them away to the system and hope for the best!!

[myson]

Oh Yeah...and there are no bullies at my place....

[MantaRay]

It is something that we are considering for our bright 3yo when the time comes. If a school near us can provide him with an environment where he is challenged and happy, then I'm happy to try that. But he gets bored very quickly, gets along better with kids who are older than him as his communication ability is above those of most other kids his age, and also he is already reading at higher than a grade 1 level (and he still has kindy next year, then prep, before he gets to grade 1!). So I am not convinced that a "normal" school will be the best place for him.

However, as I work (and in fact am the primary income earner atm), it would mean major changes for us.

So there's lots to consider. But this is an option for us now (we used to be dead against due to the perceived "socialisation" issues - but now we know better!)

[lmbmcb]

However, for me, that is not the deciding factor. I do NOT want to nurture a child who is academically brilliant but has no idea how to relate to her peers (not just adults). I was good at school but was terribly, terribly shy and being clever exacerbated that. I don't want that for DD. I would quite happily take a drop in her grades for the trade-off that she is emotionally intelligent and is socially confident.

A child that is shy isn't always going to benefit socially by being in a school environment. Sometimes it can be a terrible problem for them.Then you could have not only a drop in grades but also a socially stunted child who feels they don't fit in anywhere.

I have found with homeschooling that my kids interact very well with everyone. I also take them to Art lessons, Ballet and swimming lessons where they interact with children of their own age. Becasue they are self confident and don't have to put up with constant bullying they are more confident and able to interact with others without the fear of rejection, and because of that confidence, if they do get rejected it's not a big deal.

The argument of socialisation is often used by opponents to homeschooling, when in reality most homeschooled kids are much better at socialising with their peers than those who go to school. School just forces association with those that we normally wouldn't have anything to do with, it does not necessarily teach social skills, and to some children it can be very damaging and crushing for their self esteem. If you involve your kids in after school or weekend activities with their peers you would probably find that they will be better adjusted that their schooled peers.


It's a big decision to make but the argument of stunted socialisaion really doesn't measure up. Maybe you could talk to some in your local area and talk to their kids too. You might get a different perspective on what really happens in the homeschooling world.

In any case you could always try homeschooling and if it doesn't work you can send your kids back to school.

Kind regards
L.B.