Homeschooled? how come there are so many on here?

[farmerlor]

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I agree. My biggest grump about Disney channel now is that all the programming for the 'Tweens is about some loser kid who has a secret life as some kind of rock star or they become special because of their dancing, sport, singing or secret agent talent. Why can't kids be special just because they're smart and respectful and good friends and not bullies? Why do you have to be a superstar to have a good life?

 

[SophieLain127]

I'm a good example of how happy a "normal" life can make you. I'm 24, I'm married, I own my own house and I have a beautiful smart daughter. Oh and lots not forget except for one doctor bill I'm debt free!!!!!!

I didn't need to be a rock star or a model or a super star to be happy.

I try to keep it real for my daughter (only she's two so she thinks being curious george is a real career choice, and maybe it is I don't know...lol) If she wants to be a model then I will encorage her but she will always need to have a back up plan. Everyone needs to have a back up plan....lol.

 

[sugarbush]

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Thats the key!
If my son wanted to be a pro golfer I would support him until his senior year in highschool...then we would have a father son talk for a reality check......

 

[Scoop]

I forgot who said about sports and the prom. Well, when I was in school the gym teachers made it clear that to be a cheerleader or on a sports team you had to be part of the in crowd. I didn't even try out. The prom? Who the heck would invite a poor girl that wasn't part of the "in crowd"? I wanted to take carpentry in the tech school and was told that because I was a girl I couldn't take that class, because I would "get teased". I couldn't take cosmotology because the teacher wanted only the "in crowd" students. I never spoke to a guidance counselor in all of high school about college. (I should say they never spoke to me - I was too poor) Turns out I missed a 4 year totally paid education that I didn't know about at the time. What losers they all turned out to be!

 

[Kesta]

i go to public school. my mom works all day and i dont wanna be taught by my step dad! XD

 

[jonathansenn]

As a 14 year veteran teacher, I'd like to weigh in on this one. I agree with those who have said that their is a problem with the educational system. We at the school have to work on the assumption that all students are created equal. This is completely untrue! Not everyone learns the same way, at the same speed! Not everyone is college material, yet we have to force these ideologies onto every student. No Child Left Behind means that every child must pass. Well, not every child is going to pass the first time. Some with special needs cannot function well enough to pass. This is unfair to them and our educational system.

Please understand, I am not saying everyone doesn't deserve the same chances. What I'm saying is everyone deserves to be happy, and have the opportunity to pursue their own path. A professor at my college had a cartoon on her door that formed my educational philosophy. It was a picture of a pig in the mud and it read, "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It frustrates you and annoys the pig." There is something to be said for a basic education; however, if someone refuses to learn you cannot teach them. You get frustrated and they get annoyed. This is why so many kids drop out of college before getting a degree.

BTW, the majority of problems in public education today are a result of poor parental involvement. I have kids that I teach for five years and never see their parents once. I take these kids out of the county and state... never see their parents. This is why homeschooling is so great... for the most part.

I have family members that home school their children. They have problems with social situations. This is the only problem I see with homeschooling. Their social maladjustment is probably based on the style of teaching instead of homeschooling itself.

There are some good qualities about public education. IMHO I think the system needs to be fixed to really be effective.

Now I will get off the soap box.

 

[jonathansenn]

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I have in the past had a group of homeschooling parents ask me to give their children music lessons. I did so in my band room after school. I also had them perform in our Christmas and spring concerts as an interlude between set changes for my school bands. They loved it and were a big hit.

As far as sports, I have coached a many of quality soccer players in the travel leagues (as we call them here) who were home schooled. One of them actually got a spot on a junior college team.

The prom is over rated anyway. Most of our students stay long enough for pictures and for their parents to see them walk the "senior walk" then they leave. Not missing much there. Just dress up and go eat somewhere fancy, like McDonalds

 

[DuckyBoys]

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I kinda thought you were a homeschooler but I forgot to ask when you were here...we're homeschoolers too!

We should totally do something homeschooly together. LOL!

I run a homeschool website and I just got this message about 3 days ago - it pretty much sums up how I - and a lot of other homeschool moms- feel about this topic:

I am 40 yrs old and brand new to homeschooling. My girlfriends think I'm crazy, now I finally have time to myself with both kids in school. My oldest child, boy-9, is bored in a top notch secular private school here in town. So my son and I made the decision together to homeschool. ....(lots of stuff about my site here)...Through my research (staying up late until 2 am for three months straight), I am a firm believer that it is my girlfriends who are crazy, not me. How can they not be more involved in their childrens' lives? After all, why did we have kids in the first place? I can't imagine not being a huge part of their lives in every way. What was I thinking before? Anyway, thanks again for caring enough to produce such fun and interesting materials. Your words are encouraging and uplifting. Continue on your mission . . . we love you for it!!!​

 

[AngieChick]

We homeschooled until my eldest was in 4th grade, then they asked to attend school. My youngest is now homeschooling (7th grade) with no notion of going back to institutional learning until college. What used to take and hour for the teacher to explain, and then us to explain at home later, is now taking 15 minutes to do. As he is on the spectrum, he has large peaks and valleys in his abilities. Homeschooling has allowed us to tailor his education to his learning style. Now that he is not stressed, he is actually much more socially adept, stress causes his Aspergers social "quirks" to be magnified. We are in an active homeschool group that meets weekly. There are small splinter groups who get together and work on projects together (such as drama). When I first joined the group I was amazed at the strong social skills those kids had, comfortable with adults as well as children of all ages. However, many of the children are homeschooling because they did not fit in in the formal school setting. Someone who did not know my son might assume that his social awkwardness is due to the fact that he is homeschooling, not realizing that he is actually doing much better now than he was before, while in school.

What I have seen in my years in the public school system (as student, teacher, and parent) is that they do a woefully inadequate job with creative, intellectually gifted students. My eldest son is struggling with that right now. For example: though he is in the honors English class, the state mandates that they read the same material as all other students. This is a child who read "100 Years of Solitude" last year, and would much prefer having a discussion about it than "To Kill a Mockingbird". So, he is not engaged. Gifted students need hands on learning and creativity. They actually drop out at the same rate as the lowest achieving students. I have to stress that we actually have very strong schools here, but even here the system has to work within the confines of what they are told to teach and how they are told to teach it. My eldest may end up homeschooling for some things and attending public school or Community College for others.

School can be wonderful for many students, but not for all. As is homeschooling. I feel fortunate to have the financial ability to homeschool my son.

 

[AngieChick]

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While throwing the chair was totally the wrong reaction, that teacher is ignorant. Without the wolves to pick of the slow/weak/ and sick the other species will suffer. Just as many here cull the weak from their flocks to breed stronger birds, the wolves do that in nature. That is basic bio, it's shocking that the teacher was so uneducated in his own field to not know this.

It sounds like you are extremely bright and easily frustrated by others lack of sense. Homeschooling is probably the perfect solution for you. Over time you will find it easier to emotionally detach from other's stupidity and let their actions roll off your back. School is the wrong setting to develop this skill in. It's a crazy place at times, and many times chock full of some very silly people.