O/T: Homeschooling

[sandhills_rabbits]

I started homeschooling my daughter this year.She is in the 4th grade, and I really wish that I had startedhomeschooling sooner. Overall, I think that it's been going a lotbetter then we all expected. The one think I was prepared for was allthe work that's involved in homeschooling. The scheduling ofassignments and tests, the grading of assignments, and everything elsethat is involved in keeping things running smoothly. My daughter justfinished up her Unit 4's right before Christmas, had a two weekChristmas Vacation, and now we are starting her Unit 5's. We have acurriculum that we ordered for her, and it consists of 10 Units foreach subject per year. She is taking the following subjects: Bible,Science, Language Arts, Art (it was offered as an elective and shereally wanted it, and have since found out that it's for high schoolstudents.... but she's doing quite well at it), Math, and lastlyHistory & Geography. We have it planned out that at the rate we aregoing she will finish her Unit 10's in June, so she will get 2 monthsoff during the summer.

I know this post has nothing to do with bunnies, but the Homeschoolingis a huge part of my day, and today especially I've got a lot on mymind with it because I've got to tabulate all of her assignment'sscores, her self test scores, her final exam scores, and her overallgrades. Then I type of a in-depth progress report, so we have recordsof what she's learned and how she's been doing. The whole process lasttime took over 2 hours. (at least i do it for 2 units at a time so it'snot a monthly thing). Grrrrrrrrr....... It's so worth all the timeinvolved, but on days like this it is sooooooooooo tough. Sorry for thelong venting ramble. I promise not to do it again!

 

[bigfloppy]

I will respond by saying that what you do andseveral of my friends as well takes major dedication. Theysay home schooled children do better on tests, have less problems withADHD, eat better, get along better with all ages of children,havemore respect andhigher self esteem.

Right now we live in a superb school district, as we are living with mymother in a high tax/income area. However when we buy a home it willnot be in an area like this, as we can't afford this! ($6,000 in taxesa year is out of control!) We are thinking of moving down to Floridafor my mothers aches and painsand if we can't buy in a gooddistrictI may choose to do this as well.

 

[rabbitgirl]

Kudos to you! Great job!

I've been there--homeschooled start to finish, just graduated college last May. It was the best.

The four of us were largely self-directed (with me as tutor and mom ashead honcho), so we did it a bit differently. Although I learned toread around age 4, we had no formal education until 4th grade or so. Ibelieve I did math and English, and of course read anything andeverything (I remember the books being nearly larger than I was), butwe certainly didn't have a set curriculum until high school.

In high school we all did a correspondence curriculum (ChristianLiberty for me, ACE for the boys) because of the need for transcripts.

If I regret anything about high school, it was the formal curriculum.It was insanely difficult and I was exhausted by the time I graduated(although that could have had something to do with the hours of violinpractice time!). I felt the curriculum materials were poorquality and contained too many unnecessary subjects. Given the chanceto go back, I would have entered college at 15 as was my original goal,submitting a portfolio and SAT/ACT scores in lieu of a transcript. As Idiscovered when I entered college later, it would have been far easierto go that route. On the other hand, I probably would not be aviolinist today had I not waited!

The sheer joy of learning seemed best fostered in less structure (in mycase anyway). If I could offer a bit of advice from a "veteran"--don'tworry too much about "achievement" until high school (thosearethe only grades anyone sees!), and choose a good flexibleprogram heavy on English, math, and science. And read, read, read!!!

We were among the "pioneers" and had to make it up as we went along,fielding lots of "socialization" questions. It's great that you're notalone--there are SO many successful homeschoolers and alumni these days.

You're doing a great job, and keep up the good work!

All the best,

Rose

 

[sandhills_rabbits]

Bigfloppy, I'd be the first person to saydefinately give homeschooling a go.... but I also know that it's notfor everyone. My sister-in-law has homeschooled her children for 7years, and she has 5 children. I couldnt even imagine how tough thatjob would be. As far as school districts go, it sounds like the oneyour in now should have a lot of good opportunities for the children,but if you move like you mentioned in your post, then who knows whatthe new school district would be like.

That's the problem my hubby and i ran into when we moved from thePacific Northwest, down to the midwest. The school district we were inwas amazing. Our daughter was enrolled in a special school with alengthy waiting list. The school was a "discovery school" were the kidslearned their strengths and greatly built on those, especially art andmusic.

When we moved out here our daughter attended the school in our districtright down the street from us. After one year of that school we decidedto pull her out-- the school was just absolutely horrid.


Rabbitgirl, you were homeschooled the whole way through your education?I wasnt homeschooled, so I dont know what a homeschooled person'sperspective is.... Do you feel that you missed out on anything by notgoing to a public school? I want only the best for my daughter (becauseshe's my one and only child) and I think homeschooling is the bestthing i can do for her, but sometimes i worry that im putting her at adisadvantage. If you had it all to do over again, would you stillchoose to be homeschooled, or would you have like to haved tried apublic school?

About the curriculum, I'm not familiar with Christian Liberty, but mysister-in-law was using ACE for a couple years, and went on to anothercurriculum this year because of disatisfaction with ACE. The curriculumi'm using this year is Alpha Omega's Lifepac curriculum. So far we loveit, and havent had many problems with it, but then again i'm a newbieto the whole homeschooling thing.

All the info you've given me from a homeschooled student's perspectivehas been so helpful! Thanks so much! If you or anyone else has anyother insights into homeschooling it would be greatly welcomed.....

 

[pamnock]

The first year can leave you feeling a little overwhelmed and it does take time to get used to the curriculum.

I also get exasperated with those questions concerningsocialization. While my son Ryan is more of a "homebody", mydaughter is very social and involved in many activities outside thehome -- More so since she began homeschooling.Little Matthew is also a very social person and gets to spend time withhis peers through the church kids club and is also involved in4-H. Although my daughter didn't wish to be involved insports this year, she did play JV volleyball and basketball last yearand has also attended school homecoming dances.

As mentioned,homeschooling isnot for everyone, but it's certainly wonderful to have the option.



Pam

 

[kpc]

I also homeschooled my boys, it really helped myoldest calm down so to speak, I had to send them to public school thepast 2 years due to illness in the family and I had to go back to workI homeschooled him for 5 years and I really miss it but now he's 16 andreally enjoys high school he is also in the top 4 of his class (yepmoms proud) I was told by alot of teachers that I couldn't homeschoolhim that he would not get a very good education well when you ask himwho his hardest teacher was he will give a snickie grin and then say mymom she made me do everything over if not done right the first time butat least he knows the workJust keep up the great work with yourkid(s) it will payoff in the long run it does get tough at times butthey are worth it I am closer to my 16 year old now then I was before Ihomeschooled him.
Kim

 

[Elf Mommy]

I'm a teacher.

I have certainly toyed with the idea of homeschooling my children. Iguess the biggest problem is money. It would be extremely rough on usto live on one salary (really not possible at this exact moment even).

Another difficulty I see, is my ex husband. I don't see him agreeing tome homeschooling our son, just to be difficult. I don't think I shouldhomeschool my daughter without my son.

It's good to hear about how it's going for all of you, though.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I applaud anyone who homeschools. I couldn't do it .... I am not organized enough LOL!

Also, my kids need the time in school with other people andkids. My son might benefit some from homeschool, but thebenefits of socializing are far greater.

It's gotta be a very busy pace, but I have heard that you can get a lotof work done in a shorter time and it's nice to have the freedom to dothings when you want

 

[pamnock]

Elf Mommy wrote:

Another difficulty I see, is my ex husband. I don't see him agreeing tome homeschooling our son, just to be difficult. I don't think I shouldhomeschool my daughter without my son.

The first year, I only homeschooled my daughter because she was havingproblems in school after we moved. The next year, I gave myson the option, and he chose to also homeschool. Of course,my youngest didn't want to go off to school with everyone else stayinghome

Pam

 

[rabbitgirl]

sandhills_rabbits wrote:

Rabbitgirl, you were homeschooled the whole way through your education?I wasnt homeschooled, so I dont know what a homeschooled person'sperspective is.... Do you feel that you missed out on anything by notgoing to a public school? I want only the best for my daughter (becauseshe's my one and only child) and I think homeschooling is the bestthing i can do for her, but sometimes i worry that im putting her at adisadvantage. If you had it all to do over again, would you stillchoose to be homeschooled, or would you have like to haved tried apublic school?

About the curriculum, I'm not familiar with Christian Liberty, but mysister-in-law was using ACE for a couple years, and went on to anothercurriculum this year because of disatisfaction with ACE. The curriculumi'm using this year is Alpha Omega's Lifepac curriculum. So far we loveit, and havent had many problems with it, but then again i'm a newbieto the whole homeschooling thing.

All the info you've given me from a homeschooled student's perspectivehas been so helpful! Thanks so much! If you or anyone else has anyother insights into homeschooling it would be greatlywelcomed.....

I was indeed homeschooled from preschool through high school. Would Ido it again? YES!!! Absolutely! It was just right for me.

The biggest issue for my family was a good Christian education that allowed us to learn at our own pace and in our own ways.

As far as socialization--which is a big argument for public school--Ipersonally believe we were actually more well-adjusted as a result ofhomeschooling. We could talk intelligently to adults or peers, andplayed well with younger children. We all led the neighborhood kids incrazy and creative exploits, and were involved in countless activities.I was a very active 4-H member (gee, guess what my favorite projectwas? ) and public speaking (and paper writing!) was my forte incollege. I have been teachingfor about 10 years--and I amonly 24. I've given seminars (and got paid!)and teach andperform for a living.

And no, I'm not a naturally outgoing person. I truly believe Ipersonallywould have been mainstreamed, squashed andintimidated in school. But homeschooling gave me the freedom to pursueso many diverse interests to a depth that most kids can't--because ofschool commitments.

Here's a golden example of why I loved being homeschooled. I could:

Read War and Peace between summer swimming lessons at age 12.

Become a professional sculptor.

Be featured in a magazine!

Practice violin for hours.

Help form a chamber music group....or two or three!

Travel across the US in all directions.

Play violin in Branson, Mo.!

Learn to identify Stradivari instruments.

Lead a neighborhood circus.

Write plays!

Read 1500 words/minute

Study lepidoptery.

Give presentations on just about anything!

Play violin on top of the Appalachians in October.

Raise rabbits.

That's just a sampling of all the opportunities homeschooling providedfor me. I'm so grateful to my parents for allowing me the freedom tolearn at home.

I hope that helps a bit. It's just my perspective anyway!

Rose

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I can see the benefits of certainsituations. However, when you live in the country and therearen't many kids to play with, and you also have socialization issuesdue to ADHD, it's worse to be isolated. It only makes theproblems worse.

I think homeschooling is definitely a situation to situation decisionfor each family. I have friends who homeschool and they loveit. I have had friends who did it and ended up bringing theirkids back to the school.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I wish I was home schooled. The reason behindthat is because I am a bit anti-social, very shy, smart and I'm mockedfor it, and I suffer from some social anxiety. As you can imagine,school is my worst nightmare and walking through the halls with 1200other kids is nerve wracking to me. I do not participate in classdiscussions because I'm afraid to be mocked for being smart.

 

[rabbitgirl]

MyBunnyBoys wrote:

I wish I was home schooled. The reason behind that isbecause I am a bit anti-social, very shy, smart and I'm mocked for it,and I suffer from some social anxiety. As you can imagine, school is myworst nightmare and walking through the halls with 1200 other kids isnerve wracking to me. I do not participate in class discussions becauseI'm afraid to be mocked for being smart.

See, that's me too. I'm an "Aspie girl" (Asperger's syndrome), andhomeschooling allowed me to turn eccentricity into achievement--plusallowing me to socialize on my own terms, where I could pull back if itall became too much. This gave me a lot more confidence!

In college, the mentality is different. Everyone's a bit odd, and thesmart ones are much-sought as tutors to help survive a nasty requiredclass.

Teasing in college is much more good-natured too.

Hang in there--you don't have far to go before you're done!

Rose

 

[Bo B Bunny]

rabbitgirl wrote:

See, that's me too. I'm an "Aspie girl" (Asperger's syndrome), andhomeschooling allowed me to turn eccentricity into achievement--plusallowing me to socialize on my own terms, where I could pull back if itall became too much. This gave me a lot more confidence!

In college, the mentality is different. Everyone's a bit odd, and thesmart ones are much-sought as tutors to help survive a nasty requiredclass.

Teasing in college is much more good-natured too.

Hang in there--you don't have far to go before you're done!

Rose

I can see how homeschooling can benefit children withAsperger's. How old are you now? and when were youdiagnosed? Just curious, I have 2 friends with children thathave asperger's and a son with ADHD which is one of those "similar"disorders.

 

[mygrl2k3]

I really give the moms and dads alot of creditwho homeschool there kids. My oldest son is William and he isten and my youngest is Tyler. Tyler was dianosed with autismat two and half but some proffessinals disagree with that and think hehas apraxia. I dont know what to think. I Have seen kids much worsethan him, but the thing with autism and aspergers is that theyre aredifferent levels of it. no one person is the same.

Tyler is in his final year of prechool. Was in a special ed class butnow in a reguler state pre k class. Next year is kindergartenand the goal is a reg classroom again. He will still get special edservices. He receives speech, occopational therpy and phyicaltherpy. Plus we do speech at a clinc and a phyical therpyplay group. As much as i love my boys. I reallyneed that break without kids.

Just wanted to add my two cents.

Cristy

 

[bluebird]

There are several people i know that homeschoolone does a fine job an the other im sorry to say should put her kids inschool because they are unruly and i cant imagine how they can everlearn anything when they are out of control.I have two aunts that teachat local schools ,i believe in parent participation no matter if youteach them or they go to public school.bluebird

 

[pamnock]

bluebird wrote:

i believe in parent participation no matter if youteach them or they go to public school.bluebird

Thank You Susan!!!!

You said it all right there! No matter how your children areschooled, the most important factor, above all else, is the involvementof the parent.

Pam

 

[sandhills_rabbits]

kpc wrote:

I was told by alot of teachers that I couldn't homeschool himthat he would not get a very good education well when you ask him whohis hardest teacher was he will give a snickie grin and then say my momshe made me do everything over if not done right the first time but atleast he knows the work
Kim

I am the exactly same way, and I had heard the same things from othersthat felt a parent couldnt give an as good (if not better) education totheir child then a teacher. My daughter thinks that I'm a toughteacher, but she also has fun. I think that kids have more fun learningwhen they are challanged. It seems that so often in public schools theyarent challenged enough, and are often bored.

pamnock wrote:

I also get exasperated with those questions concerning socialization.While my son Ryan is more of a "homebody", my daughter is very socialand involved in many activities outside the home -- More so since shebegan homeschooling. Little Matthew is also a very social person andgets to spend time with his peers through the church kids club and isalso involved in 4-H. Although my daughter didn't wish to be involvedin sports this year, she did play JV volleyball and basketball lastyear and has also attended school homecoming dances.

Pam

Pam, that's wonderful that your children are so involved inextracuricular activities! How do you find the time to juggle all thechildrens' schedules with your own? How do you know if you or yourchildren are biting off more than you can chew? We are now running intothis situation with our daughter. She homeschools from 9 to 3 duringthe week, but on mondays she has extracuricular Speech classes at thelocal school, then she is also part of the Choir there and has choirpractice on Monday from 3:40 to 4:30. On Wednesdays she has Speechclasses again. Just last night she started having Performances with theChoir and String and Brass Bands at the school, so now we've got thoseto attend. She is part of "Adventureland" at our church on Sundaymornings, and we are wanting to get her into 4-h. Truthfully, we arehaving a tough time finding the time for so much extracuricularactivities but then again we are brand new to this whole situation.

Elfmommy, since youre a teacher, i'm sure you'd have no problem withhomeschooling. I know that the financial aspect is what keeps manypeople from being able to homeschool. It took me 3 years of "being alltalk" to actually do it. I am very lucky in the fact that I amself-employed and work from my home as my own boss. If I didnt, Idefinatly wouldnt have the time to homeschool my daughter.

Bo B Bunny wrote:

It's gotta be a very busy pace, but I have heard that you can get a lotof work done in a shorter time and it's nice to have the freedom to dothings when you want

Lol.... it often is a very hectic pace! Right now my daughter isworking extra hard because of the long holiday vacation she took (2weeks) for christmas and the new year. It's wonderful that we are ableto schedule around family trips and such, but boy do i hate having toplay catch up so we stay on schedule.

 

[sandhills_rabbits]

rabbitgirl wrote:

I was indeed homeschooled from preschool through high school. Would Ido it again? YES!!! Absolutely! It was just right for me.

The biggest issue for my family was a good Christian education that allowed us to learn at our own pace and in our own ways.

It is wonderfully reassuring to get the perspective of a homeschooledstudent that had such a positive educational experience! Yay!
My family decided to start homeschooling not just for a chance for abetter education for our daughter, but because we are a Christianfamily that wanted the Lord to be the center of all of our daughter'sstudies. We also knew that she had certain incredible strengths andgifts that we wanted to build upon, and we didnt want any weakness thatshe had in school continue to be ignored. We wanted to address both thestrengths and the weakness, while teaching with a Christian-basedcurriculum.

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I think homeschooling is definitely a situation to situation decisionfor each family. I have friends who homeschool and they love it. I havehad friends who did it and ended up bringing their kids back to theschool.

I totally agree with you.... homeschooling is something that peopleneed to really think about. What can be a perfect fit for one familycan spell nothing but trouble for another. My husband actually had morereservations about homeschooling than i did, and he said i couldhomeschool for one year. If it didnt go as well as he thought itshould, than we'd send our daughter back to public school. Thankfully ithink he is impressed with how well it is going!

 

[rabbitgirl]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I can see how homeschooling can benefit children withAsperger's. How old are you now? and when were youdiagnosed? Just curious, I have 2 friends with children thathave asperger's and a son with ADHD which is one of those "similar"disorders.

I'm 24 now. I didn't know about Asperger's until I was about 21 or 22,when I accidentally ran across some information about it that explaineda whole lot of things about myself, especially looking back on myselfas a child. At that time, I had to make a decision on whether or not topursue a formal diagnosis as an adult.

And decided against it. I didn't need services/intervention at thatpoint, didn't want it to get in the way of my employment or insurance,and diagnosis of adults is difficult because the signs are differentfrom Aspie children.

But learning about the disorder taught me so much about myself. I didabout two years of research, and the things I learned definitely helpedme function better and accept myself.

Although my parents didn't know about Asperger's when I was growing up(Asperger's was not commonly dx'd then), they did a lot of things thathelped me, and homeschooling was one of them.

Do I wish I'd known sooner? Probably not. I think I did better as achild without being labeled as "different". (My friends just thought Iwas an oddball, but liked me nonetheless.)

Rose