Husband doesn't want to homeschool?

[tamlynn]

Back to the original question...

Here is something else I love about homeschooling- the freedom to travel!

I can pack up my kids and take them to the beach any darn day I feel like it! We can go to Disneyland on a Wednesday in May if we feel like it. When my parent's goats are kidding 2 states away, I can take my kids there for a whole week if I want to.

Next September we are planning a trip to Yellowstone!

We can go to the library, the store, the museum, the art gallery when its not crowded. Many people imagine homeschooling to be people stuck at home all day. Very far from the truth.

I think I'll plan a camping trip for next Tuesday.

 

[MsPony]

Good point Tamlynn!!

 

[chickenone]

But how do you cover curriculum while you are at the beach, etc.? Do you bring books, etc? How does this work? Clearly I know nothing about homeschooling. I have always had to work and so did my parents so homeschooling would never have been an option. Never gave it a thought.

 

[FarmerChick]

You may find that upsetting but from my experiences in life what I said stands.

oh I did say do what is best for the particular child when deciding homeschool. I threw in that 'using ones personal boo hoo stories' to decide for that child, without keeping that actual child in mind is wrong.
No different than, I can't swim. My kid can swim great. I will never allow my kid in water ever! Because I am uncomfortable.


absolutely everyone do what they think best for homeschooling their kids. I never said any different.

 

[tamlynn]

But how do you cover curriculum while you are at the beach, etc.? Do you bring books, etc? How does this work? Clearly I know nothing about homeschooling. I have always had to work and so did my parents so homeschooling would never have been an option. Never gave it a thought.

lol, ever heard of a field trip? Vacation days?

We do our fair share of book/computer work, but in my opinion there is a whole world out there that you can never fully understand just by reading about it in a book and then filling out a worksheet. Some families like to create lesson plans based on their "field trips" -tracking the tide, exploring and cataloging animals found in tide pools, engineering of sand castle structures at the beach for example. Others just like to go and see what the child learns and observes.

A turning point for me in my decision to homeschool is when my dd was studying pond ecosystems in first grade. They listened to the teacher tell about ponds, they colored pictures of pond animals, they even made a pond life diorama. You know what they didn't do? Go to a pond! There is a lovely marsh nature preserve right in our town, so I took dd there and let her actually see, smell and touch a pond. We sat at the pond and drew pictures of the plants and animals we saw. We listened to the birds and felt the breeze. We saw what the ducks eat and where the turtles sun themselves. A little light bulb went off in my head that day that maybe experiencing life could be better than sitting in a classroom for 13 years.

As for parents having to work, I guess that depends on what kind of work it is. Many homeschooling parents do some type of work that allows them to homeschool their kids also.

 

[chickenone]

Oh I see- it's more hands on in some ways. Do these kids have to take the same standardized tests as public school kids do? I wonder because I would be very concerned about how they are going to do on SATs, etc. It's very important to get into the right college, and you have to have the scores to do it. I would guess some of these kids might actually test as well or better than traditionally educated kids.

I am a professional, and I am out of the house most of the day. I could never have homeschooled around my schedule. I am also a single parent, so I was the sole support of my family. Part time jobs, etc, were never an option for me.

 

[Wifezilla]

Do these kids have to take the same standardized tests as public school kids do?

Most areas require some kind of standard testing. In Colorado, it is the CSAP test.

 

[tamlynn]

It is funny to me that people in general seem to be so concerned about how homeschooled kids will do on standardized tests. Here are some numbers for you.

There are 4.7 million public school kids in CA. In 2010, 43% of all 11th graders scored proficient or above on English Language Arts in the state tests. Proficient is the lowest "acceptable" level and more than half of them couldn't make it. A whopping 9% of 11th graders scored proficient or above in Algebra 1.

Who is scared for these kids, or worried how they are going to get into good colleges?

Here is the whole sorry report for all grades last year:

http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2010/Vie...District=&lstSchool=&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1

To answer the question though, laws vary by state about standardized testing for homeschoolers.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

My 2 oldest went public all the way. Oldest is about to graduate from university and then is going for her masters. They both did very well as far as bullies were concerned.
I didn't do so well personally growing up in the 70's. Unfortunately my parents moved me to the next town and I wasn't very popular. It was always my fear that my kids would get beat up.
3rd child went half thru public but she was a daydreamer. The teachers didn't tell me what I needed to know until it was near impossible to catch her up, so I gave up on public and went Catholic. Well she simply couldn't keep up. They were serious there.....not saying anything bad, but its true. She would have needed to be demoted.
At that time I was already teaching #4 Kindergarden @ home, so I said,"Whats the difference if she fails at school or @ home? Might as well try." And we did.
Then came the horrible day when we knew something horrible had happened @ the public school she would have been at if I had sent her back. Police there and lockdown and all. We knew gunshots were fired. We knew a child had shot himself in the head and was in critical condition.
Our phone rang 3 times from people asking if I was glad my children were with me. My answer was,"Most diffinetely." Then we found out that my godchild had been asked by the shooter to leave the class and he didn't and then they heard the last gunshot...the one that injured the child, which eventually lead to his death.
My children which are homeschooled now, are learning things that public schooled children aren't allowed to learn. And its all the truth. The history our kids and even some of us have learned has been chopped up in pieces.
The time I spend with my kids teaching them now, I also spent helping with homework previously when they were going to either public and esp. Catholic school.
I have way less students to teach than the teachers so I can devote more time. Plus my kids need to hurry and help me get the house in order so I can do for them. Then we all have chores to do that most families don't have; such as animal care, gardening, beekeeping, wine making, sewing. They are all done on small scales, but they teach the kids skills that they otherwise wouldn't have.
In my experience, public schools are inferior to homeschooling. But, its only going to be what you put into it.
I understand what your husband is saying and he has some points, but I can't agree with him. The kids would be getting a poorer education in public.

 

[lorihadams]

One thing that I think is good about homeschooling is that you get the opportunity to teach your children to question things and figure out the "why" of things. In public schools a lot of the times you don't get to ask questions you just get fed the information and are required to spit it back out.

It always seems to me that people are either strongly for or strongly against homeschooling and there's nothing wrong with that. FC is lucky to be in a good school system that her DD enjoys and they have both had positive experiences with. I think that is great and I wish I was in that situation. The sad reality is that I'm not.

I have one child that would be a bully if put in an environment where that would flourish and one that would be picked on mercilessly. I want to have the opportunity to nip it in the bud when I see that behavior occuring. It goes on too long at school before it gets recognized nowadays. Some children have the ability to speak up for themselves and some just don't have it in them. Some get in trouble for speaking up for themselves. Teachers are so overwhelmed in certain school systems that they just can't deal with it all. My friend has to bribe her 7th graders with candy and pizza parties to get them to turn in their homework. Are you kidding me?

Anyway, it is easier to let your kids experience things when you homeschool cause you can take breaks or go somewhere when you need to. Don't know the answer to something, pack up and go to the library or a museum or aquarium or whatever and learn about it firsthand. Go to a historic site and learn about life in a different era. Participate in reinactments, do volunteer work, help teach others and help children learn about things they are interested in. You have the flexibility to do that when you aren't required to be in a classroom all day.

Like I said, try it and if it doesn't work out then send them to public schools. You have the option.