Illnesses, bullying..should I homeschool? Long rant

[Sammysmom]

I swear, things were so much easier when I was a kid! The socialization aspect is what really concerns me. Sam is a very outgoing boy,but we live outside a very small town and I'm concerned that there may not be enough social activities in which he can participate. Although, for the first five years of his life, he was, for the most part, completely surrounded by adults. Even his cousins are all teenagers. And, people often comment on how well he communicates and what a good vocabulary he has.

 

[Sammysmom]

While I was writing my previous post, you guys were giving some great suggestions for social settings!

I hadn't even thought about 4-H and scouting! I think I'm just so upset I really haven't had a chance to process everything. I am definitly talking to his teacher today and hopefully will get some answers.

 

[crait]

I know that at my school some teachers teach multiple classes. My Psychology teacher teaches Economics too.
He doesn't need to specialize in anything- He just needs his teaching degree. Because of that, he doesn't understand what he's teaching. Many teachers are like this and many children don't understand it either.
The point I'm trying to make is will you understand what you are teaching? You will for the first years. But will you be able to throughout highschool too?

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Quote:
Extra vitamins are not the answer for bullying.

My 3rd son begged me, for an entire summer, to homeschool him. We're now in our 2nd year of it. He completed 3rd grade in PS and his sister completed K. There are SO MANY opportunities out there for homeschooled kids. From co-ops, to support groups, to sporting events... Really, you have to be careful NOT to overextend yourself or it's hard to get school work done. I recently enrolled my two in a homeschool ice skating academy. They're taking hour long lessons once a week, and after that there is a homeschool public skate they can stay for (and socialize with other kids their ages) for almost 3 more hours. This is their PE for now. We also have a local roller rink that has monthly homeschool skating. Our public library has homeschool classes. There is a homeschool 4-H group in the area. And the list goes on. Also, my kids play with their neighborhood friends almost daily (unless it's too cold or rainy.) So, unless you actually know of what you speak, please don't talk about the non-socialization of homeschoolers.

Now for the OP, I got a homeschool magazine in the mail yesterday. This was in it -

Homeschooling...
1) will make you feel frightened, threatened, thrilled, overwhelmed and confused, all at the same time.
2) is family togetherness.
3) is hard work.
4) could increase your family size to ten children!
5) is a Kingdom building effort.
6) is Deuteronomy 6 lived out.
7) might give you a strange attraction to denim jumpers.
8) is flexible.
9) is individual.
10) is a great educational alternative.
11) will try your patience.
12) is a complete lifestyle change.
13) is a daily discipline.
14) is an everyday adventure and a lifelong joy.
15) will teach you to bake your own bread.
16) is an investment with grand dividends.
17) is the best thing you can do for your family.
18) will turn your hair gray, at least what you haven't already pulled out!
19) actually, will make you pine for an easier hair style - maybe long and in a bun?
20) is a calling.
21) in our home is a three-ring circus at times.
22) is a triumph.
23) will make you long for adult company.
24) is an experience that may take our children a generation to appreciate.
25) last, but not least, is worth it.

by Nancy Coleman​

 

[crait]

Quote:
No, I meant for getting sick so often.
But, you know what? She should enroll her son into a body building after-school club!
He could get really pumped and no one would mess with him!

And on the note of socialization:
Just because your kids work well socially doesn't mean that the rest of the home schooled children do too. From what I can tell, you take a lot of measures to make sure your children do well! Heck, you read a home schooling magazine. But the generalized home schooled population that I've met doesn't have parents like you. They go into it without knowing what they need to do to be successful and before they know it, or whenever they get bored of it, they send their children to public schools.
We were talking in my Sociology class about this for some time. The children that are home schooled sometimes work well one-on-one or in a small group, but when it comes to working together as a whole, that's where they go wrong because they haven't been accustomed to things like group discussion or 'class participation.' This is especially crucial in the work force and collage.
Remember, I did say that this is a generalization.

 

[Ellie_NY_chick]

Quote:
No, I meant for getting sick so often.
But, you know what? She should enroll her son into a body building after-school club!
He could get really pumped and no one would mess with him!

OMG I hope you're kidding! He's just a little boy!

Besides fighting back is never the answer. Two wrongs don't make a right. Someone needs to correct the bad behavior that's going on before it gets out of hand. These aren't high school kids - these are kindergardeners!

You did make a valid point when you said you have teachers that teach multiple subjects. They just follow a lesson plan. They're not teaching Rocket Ship 101 at NASA. Sammysmom will be required in some fashion to do the same. Homeschooling is not just keeping your kid home and teaching them whatever you want. They have to follow a curriculum also. The benefit is that your child gets one-on-one attention from someone who truly loves him and wants him to succeed in life. I guarantee not every single teacher has the same agenda for every single child, especially when they have to divide their time by 20 or 30 kids at once.

Take a look at who pretty much wins the National Spelling Bee every year - it's usually a homeschooled kid.

PS - I think you meant "college" and not "collage", yes?

 

[ChickenWisperer]

Im a high school student, and I have been a very sick child all my life and have been bullied on very often.


I can say that if my mother had home schooled me, I would NEVER have gotten the social skills I needed. Im still a shy person, and dont have the greatest social skills, but they are at a decent level. I believe good social interactions can be had in homeschool, however.


On the other hand, i have always been a very sick girl. I constantly got the stomach virus, ear infections, the flu, you name it I got it. And now that I have been diagnosed with IBD, it has only been worse. Really, the only way to help this is to teach him tips on how to avoid getting sick - wash your hands, dont have close physical contact, avoid people who are sick, ect.


As for bullying, it hurt me as a child, and it caused many problems, namly my social awkwardness, I think. But it also made me a MUCH better person in the long run, because I perservered. I now know how to be a better person, because of their foolishness and ignorance. However, some people can handle bullying and some can't. Its just a matter of personal difference. Just, WHATEVER you do, stay on to the teachers and the principal about this bullying problem!!! Dont let it slide under the radar, because if you let that happen, it will just continue.



This is just my 2 cents worth. I honestly think the success of homescholing depends on the parent. If you do, make sure the child is given social interactions often with his own age group, and plenty of time outdoors and can participate in things like the arts and sports for enrichment. Expose him to the real world. All in all, it could be both bad and good.

Like I say, nothin is perfect. There will ALWAYS be problems with something.


good luck, I hope you find a solution to the problem.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

You may very well choose homeschooling, and it may work out great for you. I know many people who have successfully homeschooled and are grateful for the opportunities that it has provided them as a family.

My concerns in your post are these. You note that he never experienced illnesses because he had little interaction with peers his age, mostly associating with adults. Now that he's in school, he's having to face some of the illnesses that he missed when he was little. By doing that, he's learning to build his immune system. Well, it works that way with peers as well. He may very well be an outgoing young man and comfortable with adults, but he may still be gaining his "peer immunity" and may need more time to work that out.

That said, there's NO reason for bullying to take place. This should be an ongoing discussion with his teacher and each time he comes home with a scratch or a cut, the teacher should be informed. Not only are you protecting your son, but you're giving the school the information they need to deal with the other child. By working together with the school and with your son, this all may resolve itself and you can then sit down and decide if you still want to do homeschooling.

Good luck in your meeting. I hope it all goes well.

 

[crait]

Quote:
Yeah, I was kidding. I edited my post to have a

in it so people would know. I wasn't trying to say he should beat a bully up, just look too strong to fight and be left along. Hee hee.

And for the spelling bee.... That sickens me. Those parents drill their kids with that kind of stuff. Just like the Little Miss [Insert City Name Here] Pageant. Those parents prep those kids while they're still in the womb and that's what their child's life revolves around.

P.S. Haha, yeah, I meant college.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

My sister "home schools" her children. She has emotional problems, sleeps all day and is depressed and the kids are getting NO schooling at all! NOTHING!~ My older niece is now 19 and has a baby with NO schooling. She is on welfare and getting food stamps to live. My other niece quit school when she was just in fourth grade becasue she just didn't want to go. And it was easier for my sister to just tell the school they are home schooled rather then get the fine every couple months becasue her kids are not in school. This sort of thing is what gives home-schooling a bad name.
What I'm wondering is WHY isn't the state stepping in to make sure the home schooled kids are getting what they need out of this. These kids are now going to be on the street and not be able to get a job. It's not their fault...and I tried calling the authorities and what they told me is there is nothing they can do about it.