Ok, so I am venturing out into the wide wide world of non-adoption related blogging.
Homeschooling can be a hot topic. I have spoken with some parents who feel that it is absolutely wrong to keep your children at home and not allow them the opportunity to attend "regular" school. I have also known families who believe homeschooling is the absolute best choice, and they would never send their kids to the "system". My family is somewhere in the middle. I will speak candidly about my experience, and hopefully not offend anyone or hurt any feelings.
There are 5 kids in my family
Becky - now 29 was homeschooled from 7th grade until graduation. She is a Registered Nurse.
Me - now 27. Homeschooled from 5th grade until 9th grade. Then public high school Now an OB/GYN resident physician
Tommy - now 24. Homeschooled from 3rd grade until graduation. Now a police officer.
Betsy - now 19 -Homeschooled from kindergarten until graduation, with 1 or 2 years of public school during the elementary years. Now dancing with a professional dance company, and coming to Hawaii next year to study dance.
Drew - now 17 - Also homeschooled from kindergarten until 9th grade. Now in Public. Wants to be a youth pastor.
So, as you can see we have some who were homeschooled since the beginning, and some who chose to attend public school. One of the things that has a huge impact on me about homeschooling is the sacrifice my parents made to give us what they believed was the absolute best. My mom went back to nursing school when i was in high school, and my dad worked full time. It was a huge strain on the family to homeschool 5 children, but it was important enough to them to make it work. Now, that being said, we were never "forced" to homeschool. The option to attend a public school was always there.
So the pros:
1. Amazing opportunities. One particular project we had was to pick a painting that was displayed at the Chicago Art Museum, and research the artist. We each wrote a creative writing story about the piece, and even drew our own interpretation of the piece. Then we took a "field trip" to Chicago and got to see the art in person. Awesome experiences like this would be hard to do in public school
2. Family bonding. My homeschool years hold some of the best memories. I am so close to my parents and my siblings, and I believe a lot of this is because of the teamwork and close contact with my sibs. We had some really really fun times of all being home together during the day.
3. Thinking "outside the box". Homeschooling allowed my parents to teach each of us in the way we learned best. My sister and I are very independant. We liked having a set schedule and setting about our work. My brothers learned very differently, and my parents were able to adjust to that, and teach them in the ways they learned best. Students who learn by different mechanisms often get "overlooked" in the public school system
Cons (and these might be a little touchy...please don't get offended, these are just my own observations)
1. Sense of entiltement - I have been around a LOT of homeschoolers. Sometimes these kids grow up thinking that they are better than the other kids. That they are smarter because they finished their "5th grade math" in 3rd grade. There is somtimes a tendancy towards "know it all" type behavior. Homeschoolers get basically one-on-one attention with their number 1 fan - their mom (or dad), and this can sometimes lead to overinflated little kid egos. that may sound silly, but sometimes this is hard to see in your own kid.
2. Weak spots - It is hard to teach something you are not interested in, or not good at. Sometimes these things get swept under the rug. I have known homeschooled kids who are awesome in math, but have no idea about history or geography. Or are very avid readers, but have never advanced in math. The curiculum teaching seems to really address this problem, and help ensure a well rounded education.
3. Socialization - i know this is kind of the touchy one. There are some homeschooled kids who are rarely around other kids except their families. I know this is true, because I know some of these kids. This is a fairly easy one to fix though - YMCA sports, music lessons, church...etc. We were really involved in our church, and were there several times a week with the youth group, we also played sports and all took piano lessons.
4. lack of independance - this is one I have come to realize recently. Some of the lifelong homeschoolers don't feel comfortable doing things on their own. They have never had to navigate the halls of a high school. Never had to find their own locker, or ask their teacher for an extension on their homework. Heading off to college can be a really, really scary experience if you always had your mom, or your brother or sister to help with the normal tasks.
Anyway, I haven't really done any research on homeschooling, so these are purely my own experiences and opinions.
To this day i still get teased about being homeschooled. If i do something dorky, or don't know something pop-cultureish my friends will say "that is so homeschool". That might offend people. I don't really care. I am proud of the fact that my parents chose to homeschool us. I have had some awesome memories and experiences that those friends will never know. So it doesn't bother me at all if people tease me.
Will i homeschool my own children? Probably not. Aside from the fact that i don't think i ever could because of my job, I don't know if it is necessarily the best choice for my family. It takes a really special type of person to be a successful home school parent (and i have the utmost respect for those of you that are attempting this big job!). I will try to incorporate many of the things I learned from homeschooling into my children's lives, but i don't think i will be a full-time homeschool mom.
Anyway, i don't know if anyone was able to stick it out to the end of this long post...
but if you did, I'd love to hear your thoughts on homeschooling!
Juneau
11 comments:
I stuck it out! you have some great insight... you have given me somthing to think about!
I really appreciate your perspective on this since we homeschool. It is interesting that you mentioned the independence issue, because that isn't one that comes up often but it is the one that I probably worry about the most for my kids. I do plan to send them to school outside the home by 9th grade at the latest. I think it is important for them to learn that independence, plus I know I don't remember enough of the higher math and sciences to help them learn it well, even though we use a set curriculum. I really think homeschooling is the best choice for us right now, but I totally agree that it is not the best choice for every family. I would never want anyone to think that we all think we're better because we homeschool. Actually, it is a very humbling experience for me as it showcases my weaknesses, so I hope my kids never get the idea that they are better by virtue of their schooling. I also give the kids the option of going to school. Actually, there are days I threaten to send them to school! See what I mean? Showcasing my bad parenting moments. Our kids also take piano lessons, martial arts classes, and are involved with church. Plus, we have neighborhood kids they play with. So they do get "socialization" opportunities all of the time, but I've always felt socialization is one of the weakest arguments against homeschooling anyway.
The #1 reason we homeschool? Because I can disciple my children in Christ 24/7. Our children's relationship with God is the.most.important.thing.period.
Why would I entrust the shepherding of my children to strangers who may not even believe in Jesus Christ? It would tint everything they teach.
My children are MY responsibility. God entrusted them to me.
Yeah, there are challenges with homeschooling, but perseverence and the grace of God is sufficient for us.
In the end, their relationship with their Creator is the only thing that will endure. That's my priority. Not "fiting in" with an ungodly world to get a better "education".
Besides - it's fun :)
Personally I am not a big supporter of home schooling, simply because I feel like (just my opinion, of course) a lot of the very religious people who home school do not teach their children tolerance. There are many types of people in the world, and if a parent is involved in the school their child attends, it should not be an issue. Most of the time any situation can be used as a teaching experience, to educate your child why certain things are good and bad and why you believe what you believe. I have NEVER seen a teacher taint what they are teaching because of religion (and I work in a school system). It wouldn't be tolerated in any way.
Also, teachers are highly trained professionals- of course there are exceptions but for the most part, even though I have an advanced degree, I couldn't teach as well as someone who is actually trained to do it.
of course there are exceptions, but I really feel that kids miss out when they don't attend school.
I always find it intriguing when people are intolerant of other's religious motivations on the grounds that the religious aren't tolerant.
Having been one of those highly trained teachers myself, and having gotten my training at a well respected university known for producing good teachers, I have to tell you about my teacher training: mostly crap. Don't get me wrong, I had three or four very good, very helpful, very insightful classes on how to teach my subject matter, but the general teacher certification requirements could have been aced by any fourth grader with a little gumption. That was for secondary ed. Elementary ed. was an even bigger joke. This is a nationwide problem and this is why most teachers (not all) are actually the dregs of the academic barrel. Everyone should read Consipiracy of Ignorance by Martin L. Gross. I could go on for so long here, but I'll stop now.
Oh, I love the discussion! As a homeschooling (for now) family, I was very glad to read your post as we have taken into account every one of the topics you discussed! It is always encouraging to know that you are on top of things. I don't say this to say "we've got it all together, figured it all out" but rather that I am glad to hear from a homeschooler about homeschooling that we are addressing valid concerns. I don't fool myself though, I know there is much more out there to consider.
Before children, I worked as a teacher's aid at my local high school. I DID see teacher's taint things not because of their religion, but AGAINST religion in general. And I saw it often. I also saw teachers coming to me for help in teaching algebra, science, and other topics (Here my teachers were coming to me for help, me the straight A student turned college drop-out who wanted a family instead of a career (that is taboo in this town!), that is an entire other topic though.) Needless to say, I am concerned about our local public schools. I saw the end products of the lower grades for a couple years, and needless to say I was NOT impressed. I want more for my child.
Now while religion is one of the reasons we homeschool, it is not THE reason. I honestly believe I can teach my child our faith with or without homeschooling, however homeschooling will make that a bit easier for me in the earlier years.
The main reason we started homeschool was because of behavior issues with our oldest. At age four she was reading and ready to learn, however at 5 she still was not ready for school. I love that homeschool enables you to adress each child at their speed/level as at that age children vary so much!
That is why we started, the reason we continue is quite simply the reason for schooling...LEARNING. I honestly believe my children will learn more facts with me and our trusty k12 curriculum than they possibly could in the local schools.
Will we homeschool all the way through? I highly doubt it. My main goal now is to teach my children how to learn, how to teach themselves, and a solid base in not only our faith but also in facts. We make homeschooling an annual decision. So far we are good to go for next year with the older two girls. Beyond that? Ask me in another year.
Thank you Emilie for the great post. Thank you for showing that homeschooled isn't an all or nothing deal for most families. Thank you for demonstrating that homeschoolers can turn out to have carrers and not just be barefoot and pregnant. And I would caution people that the biggest movement in homeschooling right now is not amongst those who are Christians, but amongst those that specify no no specific faith...that is right, you don't have to be a conservative Jesus freak like me to homeschool, anymore. In fact the current movement was started by very liberal leaning parents in the 60's I think.
Sorry for the long response, I certainly don't mean to take over your blog, Emilie...thanks again!
Wow, I admire your Mom for homeschooling all five of her children. You're right, it does take a special kid of person to homeschool. I would love to homeschool, but I just don't think I could do it well and I'd hate for my children to suffer because of my weaknesses.
First, I am inspired that your mom went to nursing school with that many kids, it gives me hope for the future...when I grow up I really want to be an L&D nurse.
Second, it sounds like you and your siblings have benefitted from the time you were homeschooled.
I know many people who are great at homeschooling, and others who are really truly failing their children. Of course the same can be said about traditional schools.
As a former teacher, I sadly have to agree with E. about the lack of rigor in university education departments. I was very fortunate to attend incredible public schools with some amazing teachers, but I am all too aware that is the exception.
I have great respect for those who homeschool and do it well. I know I would not be one of them! My kids love the Montessori school they currently attend, and I am a huge believer in the Montessori philosophy. As much as I believe in theory that it is important to support public schools, I am also not willing to sacrifice my kid's education in the meantime. My ideal would be a Christian Montessori school, but those are few and far between.
First off...Come on Referrals! This wait is getting rediculous! I keep checking in to see if you have any news.
Secondly, I'm interested in this bit on homeschooling too. I am a Speech Language Pathologist (Speech Therapist in normal terms)in a major urban public school district. In the past three years, I have worked in five different schools...with a wide array of diversity and life situations, to say the least!
I was brought up in the burbs where I attended an incredible public school. I know that I would NEVER be able to homeschool my kids, but I commend those who feel that is their mission. I personally feel that I learned many of life's most valuable lessons from my peers and teachers and not my parents, who, by the way, are fantastic!
Because I work in special education, I feel that I have become pro-public schools. Private and homeschooling does not offer the same resources of a special education system, which for many families, is an invaluable asset to their child's education and future success.
In addition to the special education benefit, I think the socialization is HUGE! I know that kids can still get involved in clubs and sports, but in my opinion, it's not the same. Children in those situations tend to be more homogeneous (i.e. they tend to come from homes that can provide financial support, transportation etc.) Think about all of the other kids that could make a difference in your (not really "your"...I am speaking in general) child's life that aren't a part of those groups due to a variety of reasons.
One more note about the field trips. Our city has amazing Art, General Public, and Children's Museums that students get to visit it at least once/year, usually more. In fact, our second graders had a special curriculum with the Art museum this year and got to there 4 times this year. They are also taken to the farm, pumpkin patch, ecology center, health centers etc. The middle school I work in has students on a Florida trip and a D.C. trip right now too. So even though we don't have as much for financial support in the schools, we find ways to make our children have the same experiences as others.
Ok, now I'm done :) I hope I didn't offend anyone, but I'm sure just like those who homeschool, we tend to feel territorial and the need to support what we believe in.
sorry for the typos...I hate that that but I was typing too fast!
I'll admit first that I am ignorant to homeschooling, so I speak from a non-homeschooled perspective. I have had the opportunity to be educated in several different environments, from Catholic elementary school where God was part of every lesson but academics suffered greatly, to an expensive prep school for junior high, where a good number of my classmates had parents who were white collar criminals, to a 3,000 student public high school that was diverse, phenomenal, and prepared me well for an Ivy League education.
I'd agree with the last comment that one of the most critical aspects of my young education was the learning I did through my peers. The reality is that 90% of homeschoolers are fundamentalist Christian, probably more than 90% of them being white. That is an extremely homogenous population. Our values are teaching tolerance, a strong appreciation of diversity, education for the service of others, the importance of family and friendship. I think these values are best met by a public school education.
That said, Travis and I plan on living abroad at some point, practicing medicine in the developing world. We talk about how we would resolve doing that and still giving our kids a good education (from an academic standpoint). It's a very tough thing, and that is the only time we've discussed homeschooling as a real option for us. Still an international school would be preferable, but in the absence of one...
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