Shortly before Eli was born I began to contemplate homeschooling in the future. In those days I blogged on Xanga and asked for opinions from home school students and parents. Now I am asking you! I go back and forth on this issue a lot, so I would love to hear from people who have "been there, done that."
What are some of the pros and cons of homeschooling, in your opinion? What influenced your decision to educate your children at home? What methods and materials do you use? How do you make sure that your children get proper socialization outside of the home? If you were homeschooled, what did you like about it? What did you dislike?
Thank you in advance for your input!
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8 comments:
You know I love home schooling. And you know that we belong to a charter that offers a lot of social opportunities for the kids. There are also extra curricular like karate, baseball, swimming etc. Home schooling can be challenging, espicially when your child is whining about school. But overall we have had a great experience so far :) I would HIGHLY recommend the book The Well Trained Mind. It lays out a classical approach (what we are doing) and suggests material and resources. It is like the bible for home schoolers!! You can adapt as you see fit. For instance I know people who do a "classical" approach but add in a lot of Charlotte Mason too. I have a friend who has a "mini" classroom in her house. And I have friends who take on an unschoolers learning style. That is the BEST part of home schooling...doing what works for your family.
As for why we started home schooling, well there isn't one reason. We feel like we can offer our children a better education than our local public school. We like that we can teach things from a Biblical worldview. We like that we have control over their social interactions. And we love just being together as a family and learning along side eachother. You wouldn't believe the amazing conversations we have had that started from the most simple concept. I would have missed so many opportunities to "train up" my children if they weren't home with me. I know it isn't for everyone but I wouldn't have it any other way :)
We've JUST made the decision to home-school. And finally, I don't feel like I'm going to throw up about Ryan going to Kindergarten in the Fall. He LOVES to learn, and I'm a teacher at heart...so the combination is great! There are still factors that I'm worried about (i.e. having a newborn, getting "too much" mother-son time, etc), but overall, Jason and I have a HUGE peace about it. I plan on doing classic/Charlotte Mason style school, with lots of hands on field trips. We're gonna do school MWF mornings, and also enroll him in Home School Network on Tuesdays (where he'll have his Kindergarten class).
As far as the socialization issue, he learns plenty of social skills with church, MOPS, playdates, etc. And I also wonder why public school is the standard for appropriate socialization. I've been on public school playgrounds and buses, and I'm thinking THAT social standard should not be goal! (That might not make sense, I can't figure out how to verbalize that! OY!)
Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I've talked with LOTS of home school mommas, and received a wealth of knowledge from their experiences. With all of that said, I'm super excited to start teaching again in the Fall! :)
Thanks for stopping by today. I'm on the fencepost on homeschooling as well. We taught our oldest three at home for two years. Best decision we made. Next best decision was putting them back in school. Now they're grown and I'm thinking about teaching my soon to be 6th grader at home next year. I'll check back. Id be interested to see what response you get.
My child goes to public school. I am thankful that God has provided this resource for all families. I think my child can be a light for Jesus at school. I am thankful that I have a job working outside of my home. My child is learning how to function in the world and function well. We love our public school. There are many chances to spread the light of Jesus by our interaction with parents and other teachers.
I think that there are great advantages to both system! You should do whatever works for you and makes you happy! To each his own : )
Nice to meet you via SITS this morning.
I agree that there are advantages to home school and public/private school! It is totally up to each family. I also believe that sometimes things change and one option may be better than the other for each season of life.
I was browsing the comments on the SITS girls blog and came across your link.
I have been hsing for 6 years now. You asked a lot of questions in your post, but I'll just try to answer a few.
We hs b/c it is clearly what the Lord has called us to do. I was an insecure hser to begin with, but once I found a core group of fellow hs moms I found the support I needed. We also hs b/c I couldn't justify giving the best and longest part of my child's day to someone else to enjoy and then getting the tired, cranky leftovers at home after a long day of school.
Pros: Teaching my kids from a biblical worldview; sharing the days with them; flexibility; using a whole-life teaching approach; teaching them at their own pace w/o labeling them; getting to be the person who socialized them rather than them being socialized by peers; having kids that get plenty of rest, home-cooked food, time to pursue their own interests; shorter school days; no homework/busywork; evenings spent as a family with kids who aren't worn out from 8hrs in school and 2hrs of homework.
Cons: It costs more money than pub. school; very little mom-time (lunches with girlfriends only happen if we bring our kids along); having to regularly explain or defend your choice to do something that is out of the mainstream (though, if you are a Christian you are used to that);feeling the entire responsibility of educating your child successfully.
I can't think of more cons at the moment.
If you want more info you can check out my homeschool blog and the great links that are posted there.
Best wishes as you consider the possibilities!
Alison
http://theordinaryhomeschool.blogspot.com/
I'm glad I have while before I have to have my mind made up on this! lol
For us I think that starting off in public school may be the best option. I am a fan of sending kids to a preschool/kindergarted at the 4 or 5 age range. I think they learn about functioning in a group and the reality of having to be under someone else's schedule not our own.
Having worked in both preschools and public elementary schools, I've seen the confidence building experiences that come from being in an environment w/o mom or dad. They learn to find their own voice and have some really great experiences.
I think I would consider it beginng at maybe 2nd or 3rd grade. I was homeschooled for 4th grade only and hated it because I was a really social kid and I felt like I was missing out. But had we had time to fine tune the kinks I may have enjoyed it more.
Anyways, I'm looking forward like you so all of this is just what I think now. I'd say it depends on the quality of schools in your area as well.
Thanks for stopping by my place today. Well, you know we've recently committed to homeschooling. I've enjoyed reading the comments posted here. The only input I can give is that for socialization, there is a Christian homeschooling group in the next town, and I plan on meeting with them once a week. They also take field trips together once a month. Hopefully, they'll make friends that way.
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