Looking for Home-schooling Input

Research. Get comfortable. Relax. Play. Don't spend a ton of money, especially the first year you decide to go for it. Remember that everything that children learn gets relearned at least 1 more time in more depth 5 years on, and typically several times. (Even something as basic as the alphabet; orally, visually, writitng, cursive, & typing... but definitely things like Ancient Greek History). Look into philosophies. Realize that philosophies can change. Have a "stock" (but heartfelt) answer to the common questions / people trying to ask an intelligent question (but it's the same ones everyone asks... two of mine, just for example, is nothing more than the honest truth when people say "I could never _____" which is "Homeschooling is easy, it's parenting that's hard." &/or "What matters is that a child is in school and learning, I don't care whether that's public, private, boarding, or homeschool... every family with caring parents knows what best for themselves and their own kids, ya know?"). Ignore the extremists (extremists exist in every subculture... in HS'ing it tends to be the radical unschoolers on one side and the extreme & or fundamentalist christians on the other side... BOTH are very different from the kick butt unschoolers and christian HS'ers... and both are the minority, but they're loud minorities). Have fun. ENJOY childhood... it's so very very brief. Get connected IRL or online (or preferably both) to other HS'ers. Realize that some will drive you insane. Just because you choose the same schooling method doesn't mean you're actually going to like each other. Imagine a standard PTA, does everyone like each other? Nope. So don't feel obligated to school like anyone else or like the individuals you meet in one specific place. Don't close the door on awayschoolers, or you can miss out on some amazing friends and parents.

My hands down top 5 favorite "starting out" / continuing resources are

http://groups.yahoo.com/ type _______ homeschool and watch the sheer number of boards pop up... from Iowa to Preschool to college bound to gifted to adhd to christian to secular to whatever
http://www.homeschooldiner.com/
http://simplycharlottemason.com/basics/started/charlotte-...
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/
http://www.homeedmag.com/

I've been homeschooling for 12 years. I have 5 children ages 6 months to 17. Join a homeschool group with other homeschoolers so you can share in field trips, activities, park days, parties and PE. Join the homeschool group in your state (statewide homeschool group.)

Check out these sites:
http://www.homeschoolinginiowa.com/gettingstarted/whyhome...

www.hslda.org

www.homeschoolinginiowa.com

Good luck!!

I am in my third year of homeschooling. I NEVER thought I would homeschool because, growing up, the only homeschool experiences I witnessed were not good and I thought kids needed school to be social. Well, homeschooling can be done well and there are tons of opportunities for homeschoolers to "be social." (My homeschoolers are more social than I ever was in public school.) My advice would be to find the homeschool organization in your state to start with. (In MN it's MACHE, but I am sure your area has it's own.) Find a co-op. They are a great resource for social activities, field trips, group classes, and advice from both veteran and newbie homeschooling mamas. Homeschooling is becoming a widely accepted option and there is A LOT out there. Try not to be overwhelmed. I found talking to other homeschoolers to be more beneficial than searching the internet, though I would do that too, just to see what all is out there. Finally, remember, whatever you decide to do, no decision needs to be final. Whatever you decide to do that first year does not have to be what you do forever. Best of luck to you!

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Well, personally I think you shouldn't borrow trouble just yet, mama! Enjoy your baby and don't worry about bullying at school before you need to.

But- that said, my son is almost 11 and has always attended public school. There has always been a mix of races, incomes, etc. in our schools. I am sure that there is some bullying that goes on- but I know for a fact that private school or even homeschooling is no guarantee that your child will not be bullied!

Even if you chose to homeschool- does that mean your son will never come into contact with another group of kids? Never go to a playground or play on a sports team or just be playing with other kids in the neighborhood? Of course not- and all those situations are places where bullying can occur!

The only thing you can do, is prepare your child as well as you possibly can for interacting with others. Let him explore, allow him to develop into a confident little person. Let him make friends- a lonely kid with few friends is a better target for a bully than a kid with a lot of friends to surround him and back him up!

Even then- you can have the most outgoing, confident, smartest, most popular kid in the neighborhood and a bigger kid can still try and push him into the sandbox or steal his cookie. You teach your son to stand up for himself and say " Don't push me like that. That's bullying!" It's very likely that a teacher or parent will hear him and bail him out. Or his friends will agree with him.

One really good thing about schools now is that they are totally AWARE of bullying and take steps to teach kids not to tolerate it and how to deal with it- whether they are the intended victim or a 'bystander'.

And- even if your child were to be bullied- if you have good communication with him, he will tell you about it and you can decide together how to proceed. A few discreet calls to other moms on the block can do wonders to make sure your son isn't alone at the bus stop to be a target. Or go to the principal if it happens at school. Or call a no-tolerance meeting in your playgroup or homeschooling group. There are lots of ways to deal with this if you just KNOW about it.

Life is not perfect. Your child will constantly be challenged and have to face situations you might want to shelter him from. But- within reason- you need to let him face some things and get through them. You have to judge when to protect and when to let him work it out.

Homeschooling is something that you should do for your own reasons, of course. I have know adults who were homeschooled who were completely socially inept. I am not trying to be mean, but in their particular case, homeschooling completely did NOT prepare them for a grown-up world.

I also know homeschooled kids who attend my son's aikido class. The main mom who teaches in their group is a retired science teacher and the kids are all HIGHLY socialized outside of homeschooling and follow a curriculum that seems to be broad and totally preparing them for junior high, where they will go to public school.

So basically, I think a lot depends on what YOUR focus in homeschooling would be. I see below that one poster says people like to 'pick on' homeschoolers- I am not trying to do that! Just say that I have met one group of people where the focus was not so much on 'school' and more on their families' home philosophy with negative results. And then another group where the parents seem VERY aware that their kids need outside opportunities to learn to socialize AND to be really prepared academically for the real world out there. I honestly think that how successful homeschooling is totally depends on the parents and the individual kid.

My husband was sent to a very expensive, academically elite Catholic all-boys prep school for high school. He got good grades but was very shy and not really athletic and has only bad memories of that time.

So- it all depends on your reasons and how you decide to do it! But I would wait to worry about it- enjoy your little one! This time will fly by!

homeschooling was a wonderful option for us, and i was one who always exclaimed 'i could NEVER do that!' i pulled my kids out because i felt i could do a better job of keeping learning exciting and challenging for my kids, not because they had any problems in school. they liked it for the most part. but they loved homeschooling too once we found our niche in the local communities (there are generally a few of them) and we got into the swing of balancing solitary study projects, group efforts, and social opportunities. we never did find one group in which we totally fit......we didn't unschool, we weren't religious homeschoolers, we weren't totally waldorf.....but we did find a great cross-section of friends from all across the spectrum.
check out your local homeschool groups, go on some field trips with them, go visit the co-ops, attend a local park day. start getting some ideas for how homeschooling can fit with your overall parenting philosophy. but also understand that whatever you start off doing, it WILL change. be flexible. and creative. and have fun!
:) khairete
S.

My advice is not to let the recent spate of stories about bullying make you afraid. There is no need for you to stress about this, or to think that if you send your son to public school (five whole years from now) he WILL be bullied.

I am a public school teacher -- a very good one, I might add -- and feel that schools have been getting a certain amount of bad press that is unwarranted. Yes, there are bullies in some schools, and the recent suicides caused by bullying are just horrifying. Yes, some teachers are incompetent. However, there are many more schools with happy, secure, unbullied kids and caring, skilled, successful teachers than the media coverage might lead you to believe.

Have you been to your neighborhood schools? Why do you want to homeschool, exactly? I wouldn't do it out of fear. If you WANT to homeschool, and it would be best for your family, then by all means do it. I support homeschooling, just as I support public schools. But if you are considering out of fear that maybe something bad will happen to your son....that might not be a good enough reason, because odds are, your child will have a great time (and get a great education) in school.

My sons attend public school. They have each experienced being teased a few times, or being the recipient of mean comments. Those incidents happen to everyone, although not often, and are not the same as bullying. Both boys have lots of friends, excellent teachers, are learning a ton, and feel safe at school.

Your son is a baby. Relax and enjoy this wonderful time. As he gets older, start visiting the schools in your area and talking to teachers and principals, and you'll have enough information to make your decision when the time comes.

i dont homeschool yet (my son is not quite 4) but im sure thinking about it too, if we cant get moved to an area that i could put him in a private school.

i would homeschool for religious reasons, so obviously i would make sure i approve of the homeschooling material. heart of dakota is the one i would probably use at first. so if you are interested in that, thats my only bit of info to help you out right now. :)

you are making a hard decision; everyone likes to critisize homeschooling parents and kids. just remember, YOU are responsible for your child, and even though some kids (like me) end up alright in public school, it might not be worth it with the torture some kinds end up with. it could have been worse, but i still have a lot of scars from the teasing and rejection i felt in school. its probably going to affect me my entire life. and though you cant shelter your child from every hurt, and you shouldnt, you can choose to homeschool if for no other reason than the teasing and horrible teenage behavior.

anyway, good luck with your future decision. the good thing about making the decision now is that you can start early, say, when hes 3, with homeschooling him with preschool material. :) gives you a head start. :)

anyway,
like i said, good luck

im not a big fan of home schooling-i think kids need to go to school to learn social skills-but man-schools are just horrible now-glad my kids are grown-if your able to stay home and do it-id go for it-but it takes a huge commitment-and the school district is pretty demanding-i had a couple friends go this route-their frustrations ended them sending kids to public school.you have a long time before school starts for your lil man...so my advice dont borrow trouble or uneeded worries right now..enjoy this time....