Home School Curious
Damon and I went to the Home School Expo here in town this weekend. We were there to see what homeschooling is all about and to get some ideas for pre-K for Liam. We aren’t sure if we want to home school. We are both interested in it and the public schools in this area seem to have a bad reputation. I do not want to pay for private school. Around here, the private schools are equal to college tuition. I would rather home school than pay that much. There are magnet schools available but their system of getting kids enrolled, i.e. camping out for days, seems aggravating.
We have a lot of friends that are planning to home school and we also have some neighbors who’ve recently pulled their children from the public schools because of poor instruction. So, for those of you considering home school, what are your reasons? How do you plan to home school? Do you have some websites, books, etc. that you can recommend to us? For those of you that think the public schools around Chatt-town are okay or even great. What are your reasons for sending them to public school? For those of you that are teachers, can you guide us on how to find a good school and good teachers?
I had a very good public education but I like the idea of home school and really delving into a subject as I do now when I’m interested in something. Damon was often bored and un-stimulated in the public school environment.
Any and all comments will be appreciated.
Confessions of a Misplaced Alaskan 
July 25, 2010 at 9:45 pm
We have this thing here in GA called Georgia Cyber Academy. It is run by the state public school system, so it is completely free, but it’s all on line and they send you all the materials you need for the school year. The only catch is that you have to send in attendance every day and if the state has any rules about vaccines, you have to jump through those hoops, too. Anyway, I wonder if TN has anything similar? http://www.k12.com/gca/
July 26, 2010 at 12:38 am
I started making a spreadsheet months ago to try to compare all the private schools and reputable magnet schools in the area in the categories most important to us… And wouldn’t you know, I haven’t touched it in a while. I guess I just wanted to believe we had plenty of time to decide, but she’s almost 3 now. I really don’t feel comfortable with our public schools either, and very few magnet schools. But like you, I don’t know if we can afford or would pay the kind of money for private schools in Chattanooga. Some are more reasonable than others. I need to finish my spreadsheet soon. When I do, I’ll send it to you. I would consider home schooling for a while, but I do want our kids to get the social experience…and since I didn’t go to school for teaching, I don’t know how long I would trust myself to provide a good education to my children. I know there are a lot of resources, and I know of several parents who do it. I just don’t know if it’s for our family.
July 26, 2010 at 2:53 pm
I have been reading a series when it is posted called “How We Do School” that takes a look into all types of educational settings, as you have mentioned, and discusses them on the following site: http://lifeasmom.com/ It would not tell you anything about your local area, but it would help you do just think on the issues.
I do have an education degree, and I love to teach, but I am not sure if teaching my own kids full-time is want. Yes, I do that now as they are not go to school age, but when they do hit that mark is what I am expressing. I have been hearing the term “After Schooling” being thrown around, which is where I feel like I fit in the mix now. That is a big portion of public education issues–parents think it is not their job to teach the child, which is why they send them to school, so they never follow through or add to what has been given to their kids while at school. And even though I have an education degree and teach, I am not trained nor any where near qualified to teach my child some subjects (like math as the child ages–trust me on that one). My husband could do it, but being that I am the one at home for the day time and majority of hours, it would be hard to make him find time to teach these things to our children.
There are home school co-ops that can hep with the issue I mentioned about on math, and they even would tackle your social experience complaint. My friend taught at one in your town and taught all types of math. She enjoyed it and gave me much insight into how they function. We have some in my area but Chatty seems to be spilling over with those types of opportunities.
As a child, had I been home schooled, I would have gone bonkers and I would have literally hated my mom. Social butterfly was something I enjoyed being in school, and I definitely think, even in a co-op that would have been hindered to a point of detriment. I also flourished in sports and found myself meeting my closest friends through those activities. i would not have been given that opportunity at home.
That was a lot of info, but I have been tossing these things in my mind too. I have another resource that I will find and give later that helps with pre-k and k schooling materials and ideas ( some of which you might have seen at your conference).
July 26, 2010 at 7:05 pm
Thanks for the link called lifeasamom.com. I think that will provide ample reading for a while. I guess I don’t worry about teaching topics that I’m not an expert in. I have a lot of work to do on grammar, but most other topics I feel that Damon and I would be competent enough to teach. If we did home school, I don’t think that it would fall on just one of us. I would want to be involved and I think that Damon would too.
I agree on the afterschooling aspect. I think that a lot of kids need that extra interaction. I felt my parents supplied that need for me. I really like the idea of really delving into a topic though. I know that if I’m interested in something, I have more of a desire to learn. I want my kids to want to learn and I also want to help teach them how to learn on their own. I think that you can do that whether you home school or not, but the freedom of home school sounds very appealing. I may be thinking of only the positive aspects of home schooling and none of the negatives.
I don’t worry about the socialization part of my kids. They will be participants in whatever sports they choose, music, or any other activity. Of course, I do not want to constantly be in the car trekking them around town. I have a friend from high school that was still in all the same sport activities with us and was very well “socialized.”
Anyway, keep the input coming. Any resources are welcome.
July 26, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Yeah, i would never imagine homeschooling to be a one parent burden, but it would generally be mainly the responsibility of one over the other, with that being the one with the majority of the time around the child.
Here is the resource from Money Saving Mom, who homeschools her young children and just recently described some resources that would be beneficial for Liam: http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/07/15-favorite-preschool-and-kindergarten-resources-part-1.html
I did not know a single solitary home schooled child until I went to college and discovered a few. The whole idea was new to me then and I have enjoyed gleaning information and resources on the subject, especially that I now have kids. I am glad to see your post, for it shows me others are just like me: thinking but not certain; seeking what is best for each time and season and child.
September 17, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I know this is an older post, but I wanted to reply and am just now getting around to it. I homeschool all 5 of our children. No, they are not all school age, but homeschooling becomes a lifestyle, not just a 4 hours a day requirement. My oldest is now high school age. She has been homeschooled from the beginning. We chose homeschooling for a wide variety of reasons. Social aspect (yes, this is one of the reasons TO homeschool), religious reasons, and education. I wanted my children to be free to follow their own interests, not have the fun of learning killed at an early age, and be able to slow down on subjects that need extra work. As a parent, I constantly worry about having made the right choices for my girls, but we are really seeing the benefits now that we have a teenager. She is not your typical teenage girl. She loves learning and reading. She works pretty independently. She also really loves her family. And her and I have a very close relationship. This year she has started a program two days a week that involves philosophy, literature, history, and Biblical studies. She writes essays, speeches, symposiums, has around 200 pages of reading a week, and her exam is done orally. It is very rigorous and she is doing great! She is doing great because she loves the challenge and works independently. She is in 9th grade and this is her first experience with being in a class outside the home. The social aspect is great with homeschooling. Most homeschoolers I know have no problem interacting with people of all ages. They are not intimidated by grown ups, nor do they feel superior to younger children. It is typical to see a homeschool get together that involves teens playing with younger children or visiting with parents. I have a child that would probably be considered ADHD if she was in a school setting. I realize that she has issues, so I deal with her differently than her sisters (teaching-wise). She learns differently. And since I do not believe in drugging my children to make them fit the mold, she would have major issues in school. Who needs that kind of stigma? And who else is better suited to have the patience and understanding to work with her than her mom? Not to mention, it would be unfair for a teacher with a class full of children to try and deal with this one child with problems. She would either be left behind, barely scrape through and constantly struggle, or diagnosed and drugged. None of those are an option to me! I am very passionate about homeschooling (almost as passionate as I am about home birthing). I know it is not for everyone, but it has been such a wonderful thing for our family. If you have any more questions, feel free to email me! 🙂
September 17, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Thank you for sharing your experience. I appreciate you taking the time. I know that you are a very busy person. 🙂