My child is 6 months old. I am a certified elementary school teacher in Pennsylvania. My exposure to the education system has made me realize that there are too many flaws in it to guarantee my gifted son the education he deserves. I have mixed feelings about this (naturally, since I am a certified school teacher.) My son is very social, and I fear that he will not have the required social interaction to form a full social life. Also, although my educational background is diverse and, in fact, I am certified to teach six areas of instruction (including English, Social Studies, Music, and French), I fear that my expertise in the areas of math and science is lacking. Don't forget...I have an adorable little genius on my hands!!! With regard to enrichment, the advantage is that I am a musician and my husband is a chess master, so we would have additional time to share our beloved pastimes with our son. However, we are not athletes, and he may miss out on organized sports, for example. There are pros and cons.... Honestly, my reluctance to vaccinate has helped me land in this situation. Of late, my discovery of all the carcinogenic chemicals and metals in vaccines, the frequency of horrible side effects, and the uncertainty about their efficacy (i.e. pertussis) has made me distrustful of authority in general. When I think of my son sitting in school, being pressured by a school nurse or goaded by his peers about why he is not vaccinated, I get very upset. To me, this issue is just a symbol of why I find the idea of public school distasteful when it comes to developing my son's true potential (and not having his intelligence and sweet personality destroyed!), but then again, it is also a very real concern. Has anyone found themselves in a similar boat...distrustful of authority and wanting the best for their child(ren)? How did you homeschool? Did you almost homeschool and decide against it, in the end? Why? If you did homeschool, how did you keep your child connected to the outside world? Actually, I live in a major metropolitan area (Delaware Valley- Philadelphia), so there are lots of children's events. I am just wondering about people's individual experiences. Thanks!
Home Schooling - 6 Answers
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1
There are many certified teachers who homeschool their own children, in large part because they know what education should be and how far public schools are from that. So, you are not alone.... I was homeschooled for part of my elementary years due to family travel. I loved it and decided that it was the best form of education and wanted it for my own children long before I had any. While my oldest was a baby, I researched homeschooling laws in my state, researched different methods of homeschooling, curriculum options, etc. I joined homeschooling support groups online and then ones that met locally, to find out more about how others homeschooled. And I made a list of our reasons for homeschooling--I wanted to be sure that I was sure of our reasons for homeschooling so that if I ever got burned out and started to doubt, I'd have something to look back on and remind me of our reasons for doing this. (So far, I've not needed the list. Having a spouse who's still in the classroom has done wonders to keep us motivated to not want our children there.) As for not being sure of yourself in certain subjects, you'll learn a lot along the way. As you teach basic math ideas to your young child, you'll get a better foundation in math and may surprise yourself when it comes time to teach higher level topics. Or you can always hire a tutor, or find a co-op class, or trade some teaching duties with another parent--there are ways to still make it work. As for keeping children connected with the outside world, you may find the problem is rather knowing when to draw the line and stay home. At least that's the problem that a lot of homeschoolers we know have. We've belonged to a few homeschool support groups, meet with them regularly at a local park, gone on a variety of fieldtrips and outings and events with them. The kids have been heavily involved in programs at the local public library. They've taken martial arts in a program devised for homeschoolers and piano lessons with another homeschooling family. Others are heavily involved in religious activities, or scouts, or 4-H, or organized sports, or chess clubs, or whatever interests their family. There are lots of options out there, especially for those in major metropolitan areas. Given your family's interests, you might eventually even start a chess club for homeschoolers. Or offer music lessons and get other children in the home that way, as well as supplement the family income. Good luck.
2
I'm homeschooled and I hate it... =/
3
You asked for experiences so I'll give you our experience. My husband and I also work for the school system in combination jobs of custodian, cafeteria worker and school bus driver. We see how different school is from what it was when we were students. That was one of the reasons we decided to home school. The other reason is that our son is gifted, but not in academics. It was a waste of time for him to be in a schoolroom for 6 hours a day. It wasted his time and the teacher's time. We debated the home school question from the time he was in 3rd grade until he was in the 8th grade. One thing that helped us make up our minds was the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results. We began homeschooling at the first of the 8th grade after 4 weeks of public school. . I am glad we chose to homeschool and wish we had made the choice earlier in his education. There are many styles of homeschooling. Relaxed-eclectic works well for our family. We are all learning and it is all free with our internet connection. There are so many free resources. There is no reason for anyone to be uneducated in this modern day of technology.
4
Well I unschool, but my parents are really supportive of my choices. Regular high school just didn't work for me. Most of the teachers just don't listen to the students and if your opinion is different you're told you're wrong. I've never had to study for anything in my life but my school didn't put new kids in honors classes because they would be "too hard". So I left. I've played sports (fencing!), joined clubs, hung out with schooled friends. It's not hard to "socialize" since most kids want to hang out with other kids. I am completely against compulsory schooling and I think a lot of kids could benefit from some kind of homeschool. I'm 16 and I'm applying to college, I know that wouldn't be happening if I had stayed in school. http://lowryhousepublishers.com/TeenageLiberationHandbook.htm (this one is mainly for teenagers, but I think everyone should read it) http://sandradodd.com/howto/precisely
5
The first thing you'll need to do is unlearn all that teacher training (you'll hear this repeatedly from ex-teachers who home educate) because it just doesn't apply. Second, try not to 'hot-house' your son just because you've decided at only 6 months old that he's a genius. If he is, or even if he isn't, pushing isn't effective. You really don't need to worry about how good you are at maths and science, that's the school model speaking, where the teacher has to know and present their knowledge to the student. Instead think of yourself as a facilitator, providing resources and helping your child follow his own learning journey. The analogy has been made, and it's a good one, that educating a child is like growing a plant. You can't make a plant grow, all you can ever do is provide the best possible conditions for it to do that which is in it's nature to do. Children learn, it's what they're 'programmed' for, it's a major part of being human. Keeping your child connected to the 'outside world' is actually a lot easier when you don't send them to school. My daughter has music, French and Yoga lessons, regular socials with the local home ed group as well as one-off outtings and play dates. She is out and about in the community, chatting to adults as often as other children most days. All this makes for a much more varied and IMO healthy socialization than she would get at school.
6
I also went the teaching route in college (double major in art and ed, minor in comp sci) and live in a major metro area (Chicago), so perhaps I can help you here! :D First off, take everything you were taught in college and toss it. Seriously. I know it sounds crazy, especially after spending all those years at the university and racking up all that tuition, but the bulk of it just doesn't apply to homeschooling. Let me explain: - You're a teacher to one student instead of dozens, and you know every little thing about said student "walking in the door". As a homeschool teacher, year after year, grade after grade, you will /still/ know every minute detail about your student: -- what is going on at home -- to whom your student prefers to work and play with -- what your student's allergies are (and other medical history facts!) -- where your student excels (and needs assistance) -- and a million other points!! - You know the smell of your student's sweet head when he was born (and will never forget it!); you have so many connections any outside teacher will ever possess. Those maternal connections will be your inner guidance and strength, and on the most stressful days, believe me, you will really be happy to have them! Public school teachers could only hope for a sliver of that ;) - Even at just six months old, you already have a gist of his preferences and learning styles (watcher, listener, doer- or a combination of such!). Very, very few traditionally schooled children are fortunate enough to have teachers who can swing all the differences without dumbing down to the least common denominator. - You may have also discovered when your student's most receptive time of the day is. Now, even on the rare chance that time will remain consistent once he reaches two, five, nine, twelve, sixteen and beyond, it may or may not be what meshes with a traditional school. A sick day is never going to interrupt the homeschooled student, because there really is no "catching up"; study time can be anytime! Now as far as whether or not your son is "gifted" is not important, because even Albert Einstein had his weak points. I'm not being condescending here, just neutral. What's important is you (as your son's teacher) allow your student to blossom, explore and excel in whatever it is your student is truly passionate about, even if that "it" is not what you had in mind. Of course, I don't see anything wrong with having kids "take two bites to make Mom happy". If he doesn't like something now, maybe reintroduce whatever it is at a later time. Maybe your hopes of your student becoming a neurosurgeon won't happen, but what teacher (or mother!) wouldn't be proud of their pupil (son) growing up to be an executive architect or high level politician? ;) We all have our own places in the world. Regarding the distrust of authority, I have always taught my son to question everything and have never EVER used the phrase "Because I said so!" I feel it is degrading to say that to anyone, be it a child or an employee, because I know I personally do not like it. If my former boss told me that, and I thought he was doing something illegal (say cooking the books), you're damn right I'm going to question what he asked of me. If I don't, I just might go to jail along with him as an accessory! It is therefore my belief I should not expect my son to blindly follow my rules. After all, I want him to be an independent thinker, and not a sheeple ;) HOWEVER, there's not a thing wrong with a firm "NO!", but I have always backed it up with a reason, with pre-determined consequences for disobeying. "NO! Gennn-tle..." really does sink in, especially if a toddler has seen what happens when something falls down and breaks. Even a "NO! HOT!!!" is a better deterrent from touching a hot oven than just a plain old "No!" Down the road, you'll be glad you went this route when that "Why do I have to learn this?" question comes along, if you do not go the unschooling route, of course. It'll already be a given to your student that you'll have a reason to back it up, and not just a "Because I said so!" Now as far as hanging out with other kids goes, you're very fortunate to live where you do, because you have so many options available to you. At six months old, your son may already be familiar with some of the other babies he sees from his stroller down at the playground. Summer is right around the corner, and that's just in time to start crawling around on a blanket with another while you exchange phone numbers/email addresses with the other parents while hammering out some play dates. Even if all the other babies end up going to traditional schools in a few years, your son can still play with the neighborhood kids when they get home. During the day, your son can be spending time with a homeschool group, many of which are readily available online! Then there's always a field trip as just you two. Make the local library your f
