What Do You Think About Home-schooling?

I've been a homeschooler for 10 years and I've loved every minute. Our family is extremely close, my children are way above grade level, and the fun we have had and the things we have learned together are extraordinary. It's hard work as they get older but it's worth every second. I have a five year old now and last year I put my exclusively homeschooled older son into his freshman year of high school. He was the top student in his class of 2012, getting honors in all his classes and straight A's, he's a 3 sport athlete, student body president and I've had numerous teachers and administrators stop me to tell me what a great kid he is. Homeschooling allows you to instill all of your families values and beliefs in your child. They can take classes at the local colleges, play youth sports, do volunteer work etc. My kids always have had a ton of friends and we worry about scheduling too many activities with peers, not being too secluded! If you have further questions please feel free to email me. I teach co-op preK and K classes and have helped numerous homeschoolers begin their journey! C. ____@____.com

All of the responses have been positive so far, and I agree that homeschooling can be good and even amazing for kids, but I say don't count out public school or private school without giving them a chance. Depending on the area you live in, public school can offer your kids great ways to meet other kids their age and find wonderful mentors among great teachers. After-school activities like theater, band, sports, etc. are especially wonderful, and absolutely free! Private school may seem expensive, but if it means that you can go back to work, it might be a LOT cheaper than homeschooling, because then you have a salary coming in. My half-sister is homeschooled and I do think it is good for her in many ways, but in other ways I think she would benefit from interacting on a daily basis with adults OTHER than her mother. For one thing, it is other adults that we meet who help us choose career choices, or who help us formulate ideas outside of our parents' biases in general (it might be scary, but our kids shouldn't be exactly ourselves!). I've decided to go with public school. When I was in public school, I developed great friendships that still exist today, with teachers and peers alike. I think after-school activities were especially beneficial to me. I look forward to seeing my daughters grow in their relationships with teachers and peers in a school setting. I hope to guide their learning in an independent way from school while they are here at home, after school, on weekends, summer, etc. I was a public school teacher for two years, but it's funny - I see school's primary purpose as a social one, and home's primary purpose as an educational one!

there are loads of programs and groups for homeschooling. i would do it myself if my child actually listened to me without crying. my church has a meetup once a month. kempsville presbeterian church has a thing called oaktree that has classes your child can take that you dont feel you could teach. there are yahoogroups with homeschool parents and then there are homeschool activities that are run just for them like sports and such.

I plan on homeschooling and, at first,I was overwhelmed but I found a wonderful group of homeschoolers to get information and reassurance.
There is a group on yahoo groups for the hampton roads area and they have so many resources and support there. Try starting there and see what you can find out for your area. I don't know where you are located but wherever you are there should be some sort of group either on yahoo or craigslist. It doesn't have to be really difficult.
I also went to the library and checked out homeschooling books to familiarize myself with what would be best for me and my son. You can do it.

my kids are both in college now (and both made dean's list last semester) so i'm finished, but it was the single best decision we ever made as a family. there are tons and tons of resources and groups these days (i thought i was alone in the world when i started!) and if one group or homeschooling style or method doesn't work for you, don't give up! you can be as structured or as relaxed as you want. as you move through the adventure you will become intimately familiar with your children's individual learning styles and move easily to accommodate them. you will make incredible friends, have amazing adventures, and get a pass on most of the ugliness, trendiness and danger that passes for 'culture' in public schools. here's a partial list of groups in the WV area. http://www.leapingfromthebox.com/hs/elists/westvirginia.html
i belong to the arc group and highly recommend it.
khairete
S.

While home-schooling can be wonderful, please remember that there are drawbacks. I have friends who home-schooled and when both children entered high school, both were missing big chunks of background subjects - like huge chunks of math and science. One went back to home-schooling for the rest of her high schooling (and has decided to skip on college), but the other stuck it out in the public school. She did not do well, had to attend summer school every year, and is now floundering in college.
Even if you have a well rounded curriculum, something will be missing - there are subjects we don't like and would prefer not to ever deal with again - for me it's physics and chemistry. Alas, they need those subjects to get into college... So even if you home-school, you'll end up taking them to different classes - and end up spending far more time effort and energy - and are you really getting a decent education?
The public schools require the teachers to have a master's degree or be working on one. They go to classes and take in-service workshopt to keep up with "what's out there" and with what can be beneficial in the classroom. I'm not saying that parents can't do it, but...
Do your research...
YMMV
LBC

It works for us much better than the local public school did. My daughter had 7 years of public school and while most of them were good, the last one was horrid, so after 4th grade we began homeschooling. It is the best decision that we ever made.
How old are your children? Have they ever been to school? Why do you want to home school? The answers will all help you decide if homeschooling is right for your family. Public/Private/Charter schools do work for a lot of people, and are well worth considering. Homeschooling is just another educational option, but it doesn't work for everyone.
A lot of people like to purchase the programs available for homeschooling, but I never did find one that would work for us and be worth the money. I have always put together my own program. Not only is it cheaper to do that (public library and internet make it almost free), but it allows her to study things that matter to her in a way that makes sense.
There are many homeschooling support groups available online and in real life if you know where to look. If you want to home school your children, you need to find one and check your state's laws about what is required - it varies by state, but homeschooling is legal in all states. There are now an estimated 2 million plus homeschooling families who find that for a variety of reasons this is the best method for educating their children. And, there is no one right way to home school, nor is there really a typical home school family. We are not all godless hippies or right wing Christian conservatives even though they make up the extreme ends of the homeschooling community. The one thing that does unite that community is that we all believe that we are doing the right thing for our children by educating them at home.

I homeschool my kids (ages 7 and 2, yes even my 2yo because for me homeschooling is more about creating a learning environment that it is about formal lessoning.) I love it and my older son loves it as well. He even stood up to my ex (his dad) and told him that he does NOT want to go to public school because he loves homeschooling.

Generally, there are two types of homeschoolers. I say "generally" because the only thing the same about all homeschooling families is that they all blaze their own trail so to speak and usually end up doing some type of combination of styles. The main two types are "school-at-home" and "unschoolers". Personally, we're much more "unschool" than "school-at-home". In "school-at-home" the teaching parent recreates a classroom atmoshpere at home usually with a structured schedule and also usually with some sort of curriculum (either developed themselves, or purchased). With "unschooling" the parent is more of a facilitator. What that means is that there is no pre-set learning requirements. The parent fosters an attitude of curiosity about the world and exposes the child to rich educational environments as well as allowing them to learn from daily life in the real world. "Unschooled" children generally tend to follow their own interests and in the process, pick up all of the "regular education" they need on the side. For example, a child that is very interested in dinosaurs can pick up a lot about biology, geology, math (talking about eras, supposed numbers of dinosaurs on Earth at time of extinction, typical birth rates - multiplication - etc..), astrophysics (was it a meteor that caused extinction, what evidence is there?) and of course will be driven to learn to read well so they can read the books that interest them etc.. The benefit of this is that it generally produces children that have a strong interest or two that they can focus on for higher education and careers. They also usually carry this learning method (unbounded curiosity) with them into adult life where it will no doubt serve them well.

As for programs, most states have coalitions, and there are usually support groups, learning co-ops and other such business to be found. Personally, we don't do too much of that kind of stuff. I focus more on showing my kids the world and letting them choose what to check out next.

Anyways, there's a ton more information to be had about homeschooling out there. Let me know if you want a good place to start at when you're trying to wade through all of it. Homeschooling is very rewarding and very good for families. With that being said, I hope you make the decision that's right for you.

We are in our sixth year and I love it! More time with my kids. One on one attention. Freedom to move at our own pace, time to pursue things as lightly or as in depth as we desire. Time to do most things in the off time when less crowded no weekend long lines at the aquarium for us we can go on a Tuesday when it's eerie quiet. I have my moments where I think how much I could get do e if they were in school but that's really only once n a blue moon when the baby has been up all night and the loudest most energetic child wakes up with the sun.

Homeschooling is one of the best gifts my husband and I could give to our children. We have no regrets except wishing we had done this from the very beginning. This is our sixth year. Our oldest child is 11. There are so many great programs in the area, and this is one of the best places in the U.S. to homeschool. There are a ton of resources, support groups, classes, workshops, libraries and museums that make the education opportunities rich for any family. The first year was the hardest. It's never a smooth ride. Most parents, regardless their years as a home educator, dream about sending their children somewhere else for a "good" education because teaching daily while managing life is exhausting. But, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Several of our friends home school or were home schooled. Done right, it can be an excellent option for educating your child. I think that people need to be honest about their reasons and their abilities. There are programs you can follow to help your child stay on grade level and you can do things like join forces with other parents so (especially in the later years) you teach one subject and someone else who knows more teaches another. I think also one of our friends sends his daughters to the local school or community college for one or two classes when they are in high school, but they do the rest at home.

I would start with contacting your school district's main office and find out what programs are available and what the regulations are in your area. Some states are pretty lax (which I think is wrong) but I believe in MD you have to be registered as a home schooler and have your child tested annually.

Hi D.,

We started homeschooling last year and LOVE it! We are in the Tidewater VA area and there are LOTS of co-ops and resources available here. Some good places to look for info are: www.vahomeschoolers.org, www.heav.org, www.seecoop.org, www.hsobx.org. Also, on Yahoo Groups there are many homeschooling groups listed.

If you want further info feel free to contact me at ____@____.com care and good luck deciding, S.

Just wanted to add that I'm 35 and was home educated in the 70s and 80s before it was well known/accepted. The socialization aspect was met by playing with kids in my neighborhood, scouts, sports, drama, etc through the community. My mom was a teacher and said the WORST socialization occurs at school. I've read several books to support that. I'm home educating my three year old and plan to through high school as long as it works for both of us. Good luck making a difficult choice! D.

I homeschool my 12 year old and 6 year old daughters. I love it and firmly believe that it is the best choice for our family. That being said, it is important to get plugged into a homeschool group and equally important to have the support of your spouse. Don't get caught up in all of the buy this dont buy that nonsense. I would recommend going to www.cathyduffyreviews.com and also talking to the owners of Moore Expressions. They can steer you in the right direction. If you would like to talk off post, please feel free to email me.