The hot topic - home schooling

[tristan]

School is something that I feel quite strongly about, but I have not yet sure about what I want for my own children.

I didn't go to school, at least not primary school. I spent a total of about 1 year in school, and hated every minute of it with a passion. I was dragged (literally) kicking and screaming to grade one after my initially experiences with it. There was nothing wrong with my teacher, and I did not have a problem with being away from my mum. It was just soo boring, and having to sit down, or play or line up in two lines was so dumb (for want of a better word). I learned to read when I was about 3 and was reading books a lot on my own before I started school. I remember the first week of school. The teacher basically saying, right now kids, this is the letter A. The teacher did make an effort to accommodate my different interests and needs, but it was not possible with 25 other kids to attend to.

As a result of this I refused to read and had to re-learn when I was about 9 (quite painfully). It had a huge impact on my life and it is really hard to know what would have happened had I not gone to school or if I had gone to a different school.

So, my thoughts on school - glorified babysitting, waste of time, institutionalization, and perhaps 10mins of learning per day. Each to their own; I don't expect to find people that agree with me.

What I intend to do: make school completely optional and regardless of my kids choice on school, I will actively facilitate leaning.

[kokonutmama]

I'm kind of an education "buff" because I too had horrid experiences with school up until 10th grade when I got to go to a magnet school and things changed dramatically.  One of the things I can see myself doing in the future is running a "school" that's not really school.  Let me try to explain by way of example:

I lived for a few weeks in the Nelson area on a commune that was pretty much on its way out, people being greedy and lazy and all that, but the "school" (for lack of a better word) was still functional and I got to see it in action because I was working in their garden some days.  Aaaaanyway... Here's the deal.  the kids went in everyday in time for the morning meeting, at which they discussed whatever was on their minds community-wise as well as figured out what the activities for the day would be.  Sometimes they planned to work in the garden, or build something, or play soccer in the morning and draw pictures in the afternoon.  Whatever they felt like.  it was up to the kids to decide for themselves.  Now, here's where I think it gets interesting.  When they get to be old enough for secondary school, they go.  So once a kid got to be maybe 10 years old, he'd start to feel like it's time to learn the school stuff so they're ready when the time comes.  And they learn it.  And the high school teachers _love_ these kids because they've taught themselves to learn and they make an effort to learn what they're genuinely interested in.  Of course, some of these kids turned out lazy.  i lived with one of those.  But you have to figure, some kids in the regular school system turn out lazy too, so what's the diff? 
What really bugs me about school is how little acknowledgment is given to the intrinsic value of childhood years.  Not as a good time to prepare for the future, but as a good time to _be_ like any other time of life, KWIM?  That's what I liked most about this school in New Zealand.
At very least, I want to home school Kody, and as a single parent that'll be hard to swing.  I think that if I could some way run a homeschooling association or alternative school I could "feed two birds with one birdfeeder" so to speak and support us and live the lifestyle I believe in.

[kiskar]

I loved going to school growing up, and I appreciate the structure, consistency and socialization that a regular school provides. I'm all for introducing creative ways of teaching, and am sad about the dearth of music and art programs in our schools. I would be willing to explore alternative schools, but wouldn't forgo a school setting altogether.

Kerry

[moogie]

don't have much time, but wanted to write something brief on this.

Kids naturally love to learn, help out etc.  Its when they're told they have to learn something or do something at a set time that it may become not so enjoyable.  We(as  far as i know) plan to just fascilitate Charlies learning by taking her places, showing her things, being interested in what she wants to do etc.  When it comes time for "school"(age 5/6) then it should be her choice whether she goes to ordinary school or not.  We'd like to homeschool but not with a strict curriculum or times etc.

Adrienne I agree with what you said about

Now, here's where I think it gets interesting.  When they get to be old enough for secondary school, they go.  So once a kid got to be maybe 10 years old, he'd start to feel like it's time to learn the school stuff so they're ready when the time comes.  And they learn it.  And the high school teachers _love_ these kids because they've taught themselves to learn and they make an effort to learn what they're genuinely interested in.

I want that enthusiasm for learning in my kids.  I don't want my kids to look forward to the weekend because they don't have to learn anything.

In the back of my mind i worry that if i left c to learn what she is interested in then stuff would fall through the cracks.  like maths, but i also think maths is something that is easily incorporated into every day life like cup measurements for cooking or sharing a number of toys(division).

[ShannonandDel]

Scott actually brought this subject up, which suprised me since I usually bring up the parenting stuff, but our plan now is to homeschool, with Delaney involved in other activities. I have been looking into it alot, and if there isn't one in my area when the time comes, we are thinking of starting a homeschool co-op. So I can teach arts and sciences and another parent can teach math, or writing, all in an informal setting. I am actually looking forward to it!

[jnezmama02]

Wow, Tristan, sorry to hear you had such a bad experience in school. Some of what makes a particular school situation work is 1. the student's age, personality and learning style, 2. the teacher's personality and teaching style, 3. the school's philosophy of education (traditional, montessori, etc), and 4. whether the curriculum is appropriate for the child's abilities.  Unfortunately, the public schools have to pick a style that works for the majority of kids' abilities and personalities. It sounds like your school was unable to meet your needs, but for probably 20 out of the 25 students there, they did.

Some kids do better at home with structured programs/packets; some better at home with an "unschooling" situation.  Some kids do better in a private school. Some kids do better in a public school. I think our job as parents is to weigh the personality, learning style and abilities for each of our children, and pick the school environment that best meets their needs. No one solution will work for all of them. Unfortunately, the job of the public school system is to teach as many kids as possible...so, like you said, it's hard for them to cater to anyone that has either above or below average skills or attention span. Also, something that a lot of people don't realize is that the job of education is to not only to teach students academic information, but how to function in society. This means following rules, sitting still when asked, etc. 

Here's 2 examples of how different school situations worked for different students:
My DH hated public school (it was boring and he didn't deal well with "authority"), so his mom even though she was poor, figured out a way to put him into a very small private school (his high school graduating class had 7 students in it).  This self-paced instructional packets they used were similar to what many homeschoolers use. He thrived in this environment; he did well and learned to get his work done without having much structure. He's someone who is very internally motivated to learn about subjects that interest him; he has an amazing ability to read through new information and assimilate that into working knowledge very quickly. He has great analytical skills. 

On the other hand, I attended a traditional catholic school for 2yrs (the public schools were horrible where I lived at the time) and then good traditional public school (once we moved) for the rest of the time. Both were positive learning experiences for me. I exceled in school and thrived learning in a structured, yet interactive learning environment. The one time I didn't do so well (and actually lost ground) was when I was in an experimental gifted & talented reading class in 5th grade in which we had individual learning packets. We just worked our way thru all the packets w/ very little teacher guidance (he just checked our answers to the quiz at the end of our packet); there was also no peer-interaction. It was a nightmare for me. I never felt so lost and learned so little in a class before. For the next year, I was moved down into the regular reading classes (out of g & t), b/c I had done so poorly in that class. Actually, apparently, my reading comprehension skills had gone DOWN in that year. Weird! Anyway, any school situation similar to this, like homeschool, would have been an absolute disaster for me! And, I'm someone who is internally movtivated to learn about subjects that interest me (aren't we all though, if we find the subject interesting); I'm constantly doing research on this or that and love read/learn about new things. I feel I have great analytical skills.

So, again, I don't think one solution is right for everyone and we have to figure out what's best for our kids. However, I don't think school should ever be a "choice". It is our job as parents to see that our kids are educated and which method is best; I really feel strongly that a 6yr old or a 12yr old or even a 15yr old is to immature to make that decision for themselves. Maybe at 16 or 17yrs I might give them a "choice", but not really before then.

As far as homeschooling, it can be a solution that works well for a child, if the parents also provide enough outside interests and social interaction to be a well-rounded person who can function to society's rules. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case as Jessica.