I am considering homeschooling my daughter. I'm interested in hearing from other hsers, and why they chose it.

Question

I would like to start networking. any advice on the subject would be welcomed

Answer 1

The internet can be a great place to begin the networking process. There are Yahoo groups galore for homeschooling--try seeing if you can find a group specific to your area. There are also many websites for homeschool support groups--do a search for them, too.

My dh and I started talking about homeschooling because of the social scene at school--he's a junior high teacher and I used to teach elementary. Academics later added into it because our daughter was advanced--and very sensitive--and we didn't think the schools here would adequately meet her needs. Our son added into the picture after that and he probably benefits from homeschooling more than she does--he's very much a kid who walks to the beat of his own drummer.

What sort of things didn't we like? I didn't like the cliques, already starting in grade 3 (now even younger). I didn't like the focus on clothes and the way certain attitudes spread like wildfire because the leader of certain groups were the ones everybody was trying to emulate. I didn't like that kids were essentially abandoned to social learning when they really needed more coaching and more involvement by an adult. But, with 30 kids in the class, you can't fully pick up on what's actually going on with all the whispers, and you don't know why that child is being ostracized all of a sudden, and more. I also didn't like the fact that some elementary kids were talking about sex and sexual situations, at recess or on the bus, and kids had been caught throwing around condoms. This was not an inner-city school, either. I also saw how limiting the single-age groupings are on a child's development.

My dh, for his part, saw how much worse the social scene was for girls at the junior high level--the cattiness, the desire for boys' attention, the clothes (one hallway had been nicknamed the red light district) and so on. He deals each day with most kids wanting to be socializing with their friends rather than focusing on their work. Now, among the boys, the big craze is to spray Axe on their arms and light it on fire. One boy in his school even ended up lighting someone's hair on fire. It's just not pretty.

So, we chose homeschooling to provide our children with a better environment in which to grow up--since children have an innate desire to adopt what's around them and/or to see it as perfectly normal, no matter how detrimental it is (think of children growing up in abusive or drug-addicted homes)--and to provide an education better tailored to them. When my 9yo dd gives me hugs and kisses in public and today I saw a 13yob be thoroughly pleased to have his mom back from a trip and he wasn't ashamed for everybody around him to see it, when I see a wide range of ages all playing together and with kids they'd never met before... I see how much better homeschooling is than I thought it could be.

Answer 2

Best thing we ever did !!! It was fabulous!!

The school was not doing it's job. How could they, I went there and it was merely a mass babysitting project! Plus doing 3 hours of homework a night after school was basically telling us we WERE HOMESCHOOLING all along. My son, now age 20 is soooooooooo happy that we did it. He knows he was getting nothing from school. Except treated poorly.

Many will complain and whine about the social aspect when in all reality the homeschooled children are far more advanced socially than the the kids sitting in a classroom with only kids their age. The school kids have little or no ability to carry on a conversation with an adult. Something Homeschooled children learn quite young, the social communication with all ages.

We stress financial management in our daily life as part of our ciriculum and now we have a 20 year old that has 3 rental propoerties and his own home all by HIS OWN doing. What a kid!!

Even for people who's children attend public school, I cannot stress the importance of the parent teaching financial planning. Unlike in school, which teaches you to bugdet and get loans rather than pay for thing out right and NOT did a hole.

Homeschooling is not for everyone... I simply needed my son to be alot more intelligent than the people he was spending his days with. It worked for us in shining glory!!

Answer 3

Yes, our two children, now 191/2 and 18, were homeschooled grades 10-12 because the highschool was such a madhouse that the teachers couldn't even control the students that didn't want to be there in the first place, and the ones trying to learn couldn't in peace, was the main reason for us pulling our teens out of highschool to homeschool. I wish I had done so earlier but I didn't realize how easy it was to get a permit from the state and how well it would go.Also I found a music teacher that started her own music school that my daughter could attend once a week so she didn't miss out on the music part. There were a lot of other parents I met at church that had homeschooled their children from First grade, so I had a lot of positive feedback. We went with a program that mailed the books to us and graded the tests that we would send to them and they would send a report card every quarter, and all the required subjects were covered. It was a positive experience and they both received diplomas and my daughter just sent off for her highschool transcripts which they provide. I think you can really be creative with the homeschool experience and your child has one on one everyday and has so much to learn from so many different sources that they don't get in highschool. There's no one to interfere and you set your own schedule. Hope you go for it.

Answer 4

I'm a Junior in Highschool and I've been homeschooling since about the middle of first grade. Homeschooling has really been ideal for me as far as academics. The social side of homeschooling has everything to do with your parents. There are a plentiful amount of homeschooling 'social groups' to get involved with. There are all types of homeschoolers in those, some are really weird. But hey, there are weird people where ever you go. My mom taught me some but for the most part I take classes. Yes, homeschool classes. Not at home. Yet not private school. =) It's absolutely wonderful. I'm taking a lot of dual credit classes at the college, also. I've always had a wonderful amount of friends and a great education. Homeschooling just worked for me because I've always been an independant person. I study on my own and I work on my own. It's not for everyone, but it is for me.

Answer 5

You should search for homeschooler groups/networks/people in your area. It's becoming more common, so I imagine you should be able to find at least one person.

While you consider homeschooling, don't forget the social aspect of your child's development. I have a friend who was homeschooled, and while he can sing, dance, play the violin, speak several languages and is generally more intellectual than most people, some of his social skills needed honing. Be sure your child has ways of interacting with children her age.

Answer 6

a very really effortless application is the A Beka application. Its a ok-12 homeshool/ inner most college. i have been with A Beka considering that kindergarten! the better area is, in case you want you are able to order the DVDs to flow with it, so your extra like a instructor's helper quite than the accepted instructor. That way you do not ought to fret as a lot about being able. A Beka will paintings with you and help you in case you want it. lots of the specialists and Cons about homeschooling: You get to be which include your daughter all day You get to coach her you are able to choose her schedual she will be able to loaf round with older associates who get out of faculty previously, hence helping her grow to be extra mature quite then shy There are alot of homeschool communites she will be able to visit and meet human beings at Its alot swifter then public college, providing you with extra time to do relaxing events with her It helps her be extra responsible with her personal schoolwork No Peer stress in case you needed to, you should connect her into the college area TIME. for under PE, and so on. (itll be a touch dificult in the starting up because its commonly no longer finished interior the decrease grades, yet i imagine itll be wonderful) No little ones to play with durring the day (except different homeschoolers?) Its a touch more durable retaining at the same time as your no longer in a lecture room putting, so that's needed to ascertain she receives her stuff finished

Answer 7

I am 17 years old and have been home-schooled since the third grade. My opinion for home-schooling is a positive one. I'm sure that your daughter has many friends and will continue to have those friends if you do choose to home-school. Your child will most likely have good and bad days in home-school just as I'm sure she does in public school, however , she will get a better one on one education and not have to deal with peer-pressure and things such as that. People will tell you that she needs to be exposed to situations and will "eventually have to deal with the world." This to me is a silly and stupid comment. Your child is not stupid and she knows how people act in the world around her. Keep her in a good environment while its your choice. When she leaves the house , she will be a better person , raised in a good and healthy home. She will have a strong relationship with her family as well. Also colleges appreciate home-schooled children. They are not known as par tiers but dedicated and disciplined young adults. I'm sure you are a very smart parent and will do what YOU think it best for YOUR child. Every child is different and only you know her best. Good luck and God Bless.

Answer 8

i am a former homeschooler. my mother chose to homeschool me and my brothers for various reasons. one reason is that i was in gymnastics and was hardly ever home, also, i wanted to be homeschooled. my brother (the others weren't in school yet) was having a difficult time in school. so she just decided to take us all and homeschool us.
i really enjoyed being homeschooled, and i know my brothers did as well. it allowed me to work at my own pace, taking more time on something if i needed it or speeding through something i understood right away.
i know some people think that homeschoolers suffer socially, but my brothers and i are one of the most social people i know. it depends on the person, not the schooling enviroment on whether someone is social or not.
i think homeschooling is great idea for a variety of reasons, but it really depends on the individual. some people really excel through homeschooling, and others do better in a public or private school. if you want any specific information you can feel free to contact me and i'll answer any questions you have to my best ability. hope this helps some.

Answer 9

It's not necessarily "social suicide". You still have weekends off!

For me, being home schooled gave me an advantage over regular students. I've improved my concentration skills and became closer to my mother. I learned everything that I should in a short period of time. Not like when I was in regular school, I couldn't cope with the school work because of my friends and excessive (yet unnecessary) activities. With homeschooling, you don't have to worry about "peer pressure" so you always give your best. People also say that home schooled children are more polite and expressive than others.

All of these are just my observations. The rest is up to you.

Hope I helped!

Answer 10

It's definitely not "social suicide"! I hate it when people think like that.


Right now I'm thirteen and I have been homeschooled all my life and I've had plenty of friends (over a hundred!) and yes, there are plenty of homeschoolers out there that may be lacking social activity and stay at home all day studying but I'm definitely not one of those. It all depends on whether you've homeschooled your child correctly or not. I, personally, would prefer not to attend any kind of public school as I think it would limit my educational abilities. When you're stuck in a room with over thirty noisy kids disrupting the class you end up learning less than desired (I had to go through it in sixth grade and I don't plan to go back) and, I think, the way my parents chose to homeschool, or rather, UNschool me, has proved out more than satisfactory. ;] Be aware that there are many many different ways and styles of homeschooling and I think that the certain style you choose would depend on your daughter's personality and educational needs. You could choose unschooling, like me, and allow her to become an autodidact, i.e. allow her to self-teach herself and let yourself, the parent, simply be a sort of "guide" to help her discovery all that there is to be learned along the way.

So, if you're asking for my opinion, I'd say that homeschooling is DEFINITELY the way to go and if you choose to enroll her in a public school it would only enable her to mature a lot more slower than she would if she were to be home-educated and btw, that whole thing about homeschoolers being unprepared for the "real world"? Total BS. We have better debating skills, and have the ability to figure out what to do, when we are in a situation where we know not what to do. ;] And I'm not sure if you've heard people say that "someone being trapped in a house for that long will surely be more likely to become pregnant than someone who's attended a public school"? It's laughable. If your intention was to call us naive by telling us that we're easily susceptible to falling in the hands of a less-than-honest man with ill intentions, well, let me tell you, we're not THAT idiotic. But if your intentions were to imply that it would be physically easier for us to get pregnant; well, that's just nonsensical. It would depend on your genetics, as well. And we definitely do not spend all of our time at home. Well, most of us. Again, it depends on whether you've homeschooled your child properly or not. And as a last note, let me just tell you that if you'd homeschool your daughter it'd be likely that she'd end up having even BETTER friends (it may be a fewer amount than the average public schooler, or maybe even more!) as she'd be able to differentiate the fakes from the REAL, life-long friends! Think of this while you try to make the decision. And, even one more thing: I believe that homeschoolers like me have a better grasp of "reality" than some seniors in High School and tend to have a better, more cheerful outlook on life. ^^ But anyway, good luck. :D! You're gonna need it. :P Hope you choose to homeschool her.

Answer 11

I am not a parent. I am a teacher. I have taught at trade schools and college preparatory classes on Saturdays, as well as First Lego League.
I am not convinced HSing has all the benefits the proponents claim. Yes, we can probably agree on a list a mile long what's wrong with public school but I do not feel HS is an adequate substitution.
My strongest point is that the HS students I have had in my classes had lots of trouble fitting into teams and had a very hard time leading teams. Certainly this is not the exclusive fault of HS students, many students have this problem. From my observations, only-childs (sp?) also have more trouble functioning in a team than kids with siblings, purely anecdotal.
2nd There is something intrinsic in learning in the 'mass class room' setting that also teaches social skills, interaction, normal acceptable behavior. Kids learn alot from other kids as well as the teacher. Taking away the 'other kids' diminishes the learning. Again, this is personal conjecture, unless someone has experieinced 'mass class room' I don't think my point can entirely be understood.
3rd This in NOT an either/or choice. Most public elementary schools sincerely want volunteers in the classroom. Better schools have active PTAs. There are lots of additional activities that let you teach your children and spend time with them: Scouts, 4-H (YES its in Cities too!!), church, First Lego League, etc
Its not impossible to present all the information required in standardized testing to a young person in a manner so that they will pass a test, or do exceptional on test like the ACT or SAT.
If that was the sole point of education, childhood would certainly be much more boring. You could probably home school, you daughter could probably do very well by this. But all those 'esoteric' skills, like choosing friends, backing down peer pressure, confronting 'bullies', identifying with a team, learning to lose graciously, learning to win while respecting the adversaries are skills she WILL NEED as an adult, and practicing them in the relative safety of public school will prepare her to use these skills as an adult, as opposed to learning them as an adult
I am certain you are a good parent and want the best for your daughter and you will DO MORE RESEARCH aside from asking on these boards. Please consult your nearby elementary schoolS !!(more than one, if possible), talk to the teachers, talk to the parents of the PTA, talk to the current students, talk to the graduates.
We all know successful people from public/parochial schools and we also know some of their most unsuccessful students. They are many examples of successful HSers on Y! answers, but where are the HS failures? I could not judge a methodology where I am only presented the successful outcomes but the unsuccessful outcomes are hidden from me and all others.

Unless there is a serious medical malady please consider enrolling your child in public/private school. And please continue to be a good and concerned parent, that should keep anyone busy enough