Illnesses, bullying..should I homeschool? Long rant

[Chirpy]

how does having a GED look or a homeschool environment? I have no idea so hopefully some of you that have homeschooled and have college attending kids maybe you can chime in. Nowadays colleges want to know what clubs, community events, grades, etc you participated in... I'm sure there are homeschooled kids that can put that together but again how does it match up? I'm not talking about community college but universities you have to apply for with an essay, etc..

That's a good question for the OP to find out now. In our state we have actual graduation ceremonies each spring put on by the State Home School Association. Any graduating student that has met (by any number of different routes) the requirements get an actual diploma. I know that most people and schools do look down on GED's. So, finding out what her son would graduate with (if she Home Schooled him all the way through) is important for his future. But, people also need to realize that in the next ten years there will probably be even more Home Schoolers so many states will start to address these issues.

I've told this before but I'll blow my boys horns again just to answer the above question. My oldest son applied to a top University to be in their Aerospace Engineering Program. They had over 26,000 students apply to be an incoming Freshman last fall. Of those, they accepted about 5600 into the University. Of those, only 113 were accepted into the Aerospace program. My son (homeschooled from first grade on) is one of those 113! His SAT/ACT scores were very good and he wrote a great essay. Plus, we've always had our children involved in local/community activities/programs so they do have a 'resume' (so to speak) to show they just didn't sit at home for years.

Our second oldest son was just accepted to the same University for the upcoming fall semester in their Engineering and Applied Sciences School for Computer Science.

We, my husband and I, have worked hard to make sure our children have been given a great education and are exposed to lots of outside activities and people to help them develop into the wonderful young people they are.

I also totally agree with the poster who said that Home Schooling is not for everybody. Just as public or private school isn't for everybody. Each family needs to seriously think through what is best for their child(ren).​

 

[PotterWatch]

I haven't read this whole thread but I've read enough to know that I would probably get into trouble if I said everything I wanted to in response to some posts. So all I am going to say is that I have a child who dealt with bullying at a very young age and I would be happy to talk with the OP (or anyone else) about it and about our decision to homeschool.

For anyone who is considering homeschooling, please don't let the negative stories people tell about "most homeschoolers I know..." deter you. Frankly, most of those people have either met very few homeschoolers, or they are only focusing on the ones who left a negative impression (or they have met some great kids and didn't even realize they are homeschooled). If you are looking into homeschooling, search the internet for support groups in your state and local area. Find a playgroup or other meeting and go to it, take time to actually talk to the homeschoolers your child might be interacting with, let the kids and their parents show you how great homeschooling can be!

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Sammysmom- Try upping his Vit D. Not so much the C
I have upped my vit D and feel 100 times better than I did health wise.
There has been a ton of research on how it's D not C that helps ones body recover and stay healthy.

I had decided to try it on myself before offering it to my dd.
I am starting her on it this weekend. Last night she was up coughing and throwing up. She went to school this morning because the principal told all the kids, at a school assembly they "had to be in school until it lets out(june 20 something) or they wont graduate to the next grade level" So now she is hysterical about not being able to get to 1st grade because she is sick.

I HATE the school and really loathe her principal. MCAS here doesnt begin til the 3rd grade

 

[abanjaf]

Hi,
I sympathize with you!!! As Mom to 5 children, I know how kids can be absolutely brutal and that is a fact. However, I wouldn't home school just because of that. You mentioned that your son hadn't gone to preschool. Has he had many social playdates? How about finding out who the "bullies" are and inviting them over individually for playdates and watching the interaction between them? That way you could find out what the problem actually is. This is such an unfortunate and unpleasant "wake-up" call to growing up, finding out that meanness exists in the world. However, I think it's important for children to learn how to cope and survive in this world. We can not shelter them forever and I think it's better for them to learn the nasty lessons of the world in a supportive, nurturing environment than to find them out later. Let us know how things work out. My heart goes out to you!
Jessi

 

[NancyDz]

Quote:
That's a good question for the OP to find out now. In our state we have actual graduation ceremonies each spring put on by the State Home School Association. Any graduating student that has met (by any number of different routes) the requirements get an actual diploma. I know that most people and schools do look down on GED's. So, finding out what her son would graduate with (if she Home Schooled him all the way through) is important for his future. But, people also need to realize that in the next ten years there will probably be even more Home Schoolers so many states will start to address these issues.

I've told this before but I'll blow my boys horns again just to answer the above question. My oldest son applied to a top University to be in their Aerospace Engineering Program. They had over 26,000 students apply to be an incoming Freshman last fall. Of those, they accepted about 5600 into the University. Of those, only 113 were accepted into the Aerospace program. My son (homeschooled from first grade on) is one of those 113! His SAT/ACT scores were very good and he wrote a great essay. Plus, we've always had our children involved in local/community activities/programs so they do have a 'resume' (so to speak) to show they just didn't sit at home for years.

Our second oldest son was just accepted to the same University for the upcoming fall semester in their Engineering and Applied Sciences School for Computer Science.

We, my husband and I, have worked hard to make sure our children have been given a great education and are exposed to lots of outside activities and people to help them develop into the wonderful young people they are.

I also totally agree with the poster who said that Home Schooling is not for everybody. Just as public or private school isn't for everybody. Each family needs to seriously think through what is best for their child(ren).

That is awesome Chirpy! Congrats to your son and you and your husband for the excellent job you do with homeschooling! Glad to hear about such positive homeschool experiences!

Nancy

 

[Sammysmom]

Rhett&SarahsMom :

Sammysmom- Try upping his Vit D. Not so much the C
I have upped my vit D and feel 100 times better than I did health wise.
There has been a ton of research on how it's D not C that helps ones body recover and stay healthy.

I had decided to try it on myself before offering it to my dd.
I am starting her on it this weekend. Last night she was up coughing and throwing up. She went to school this morning because the principal told all the kids, at a school assembly they "had to be in school until it lets out(june 20 something) or they wont graduate to the next grade level" So now she is hysterical about not being able to get to 1st grade because she is sick.

I HATE the school and really loathe her principal. MCAS here doesnt begin til the 3rd grade

So sorry to hear that your DD is sick. That is horrible pressure that the school is putting on such small children.

Poor thing should not have to be worrying about getting to first grade. Not to mention, putting the other children at risk of illness if she is contagious. Thanks for the tip on Vit. D. I'll look into it. My son is sick again as well.

Horrible cough and congestion. I am soooo ready for this to be over!

P.S. Hope your DD feels better soon and

to her.​

 

[Chickenmaven]

NancyDz wrote:

Also with the colleges being SO competitive now days how does having a GED look or a homeschool environment? I have no idea so hopefully some of you that have homeschooled and have college attending kids maybe you can chime in. Nowadays colleges want to know what clubs, community events, grades, etc you participated in... I'm sure there are homeschooled kids that can put that together but again how does it match up? I'm not talking about community college but universities you have to apply for with an essay, etc..

I have taught college (as an adjunct) in the past. I can attest that there were some issues in the past about higher ed's attitude toward homeschoolers. No longer! The parents that are on the ball make sure their kids are prepared in regard to entrance requirements. They do alot of community service, too. (Often this is in the form of church trips to troubled regions/countries). Since many homeschooled kids are AMAZING, colleges are welcoming them with open arms. I know one family that just sent their oldest to U of M. Another thing: Schools spend so much time wrangling kids, I question how much instruction they get. My BFF's kid goes to an advanced academy & does most of the actual WORK at the kitchen table at night - on his own for the most part. Public schools spend alot of time lining up the kids for lunch & recess, passing in the halls, etc. You will find uneducated people emerging from both systems of education. A fact.

Finally: Are homeschool groups cliquey and fundamentalist? Oh, yeah!

Many parents are super dogmatic. They do not want their kids exposed to anything that's counter to what they are preaching. It has been a lesson in tolerance & understanding - for my DD - to interact with children (little kids!) who say things like "Democrats murder babies."

But for the most part, we have found the kids and parents to be kind and decent. My DD has been bullied in the past & needed a break from the AGGRESSIVELY negative hazing that is a part of the public school scene. Having some Amish-looking girl not talk to my daughter is a really mild reproach compared to being surrounded & shoved by girls making explicit sexual references/comments. To me, this is the kind of crud that is par for the course in the schools. And it does not make people stronger to go through hateful experiences! It makes them distrustful. THEY can become bullies as a result of being bullied.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Quote:
So sorry to hear that your DD is sick. That is horrible pressure that the school is putting on such small children.

Poor thing should not have to be worrying about getting to first grade. Not to mention, putting the other children at risk of illness if she is contagious. Thanks for the tip on Vit. D. I'll look into it. My son is sick again as well.

Horrible cough and congestion. I am soooo ready for this to be over!

P.S. Hope your DD feels better soon and

to her.

Thanks

It's been a brutal winter. All of us are just waiting for the warmer weather to arrive. My mom is currently on some heavy duty antibiotics as well. She kept telling herself she would get "over the cold" but she didnt. So now she has bronchitis. Thats what she gets for not listening to me

 

[kitchwitch]

The biggest problem with bullying is you can no longer fight back. There is no taking the steam off the pressure cooker here. Telling the teacher will only get you picked on more and if you fight back it's you with the problem, you're the one who needs counciled, medicated, special treatment, etc.
We've created environments just right for extremely aggressive bullying.

I was bullied so badly in school, I was constantly called names, had stuff put in my hair, thrown at me and I never fought back. Instead I snapped; threatened a couple girls when I was in 5th grade and then got sent to a meeting with the principal and all the parents of these girls and my own. Of course the bullies weren't there, just me.
Had I followed my mother's very good advice to fight back, it probably would have been a suspension and I never would have been picked on again. Instead I let it fester until I snapped, was put back into the school system with these girls who continued to pick on me. I'm now a rather mal-adjusted 23 year old with poor social skills, trust issues and one friend. I also am very lucky to have met the love of my life, but he's a very decent, patient person which helps me immensely.

On the other hand my little brother who was also picked on all the time; he fought back. He was tired of being the nice kid who got taken advantage of and he beat up his bully. Not badly mind you, but he was no longer picked on and is now a very well adjusted young man in college and on the dean's list.

I'm not trying to say that fighting is always the answer, but obviously talking it out and medications aren't working.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Quote:
The environment has ALWAYS been like this. It is not a recent development in any way.
And I went to a Catholic grade school!
I am 39 now and had rocks thrown at me ON school grounds. Was pushed to the ground during gym and recess so badly that you could see the bones. I had bandages on my knees most of the time I was in school. I wore shorts under my uniform from 2nd grade to 8th because the kids were so brutal and I never knew when I was going to get my skirt lifted and held over my head.
The nuns did nothing. My mom just told me to ignore them.
And that was just what happened during school. I stopped playing town league soccer after two years because then they had cleats and had more excuses to use. Never did the Brownies or GS either. Same group of kids. Why bother?

I know that if I had stood up to them it would have made it worse. but that doing nothing didnt help either. I wish my mom had just listened to me more and moved me from that school. I think I would have been much happier in the public school system than dealing with the "good kids" in the Catholic school.

Now when the kids "fight back" it involves guns. Sad to say, but if the parents had listened and cared. Most of those incidents probably wouldnt have happened. There is only so much a kid is going to take before they either disappear into their own world, take their own life because of the abuse or take it to the point of violence.
I love the schools that have a 0 tolerance on bullying policy. And then ACTUALLY FOLLOW THROUGH with it.
Cause I can tell you. My daughter wont be the one to start something. But if someone starts with her she has me as back up and my permission to finish it. I wont let her live with what I did and all the year after of not feeling worthy of a friendship.

Then again. Nearly all my friends are men now a days. I am just happy my dh is cool with that.