individual choice
 

i think that home schooling is a wonderful option for families that have the time, energy and resources to do. i have considered do so for my daughter, but since i am still considering options regarding her education, i am holding off on that.

for those parent who choose to home school, i think it behooves you to ensure that your child/ren receive a well-rounded education. the fact is, at its basic level, public/private education can provide a wealth of information and give kids the ability to learn academic and social skills they may have a hard time receiving at home. kids have to be socialized to deal with other people, learn how to deal with life's ups and downs and not be disillusioned that real world will be like the comforts of home.

if i do homeschool my kids, i will have them involved in extracurricular activities so they can have that peer interaction. to do otherwise will be setting my kids up for problems they didnt ask for.


how to educate your child is an individual/family choice. but it must be done having conducted all of the research and having fully committed to the process.

This month's Ebony magazine has an article on homeschooling kids. Very enlightening

Hi Aopirose,
Per my prior posts a while ago, I have definitely seen some of the educational benefits of Home Schooling. However, I just can't help but wonder if it ever occurred to many parents to ask their *kids* if they'd like to go to school and interact with other kids in an academic setting or if they actually *want* to be schooled by their mom all day. I recall being a high schooler and a junior high schooler and actually *wanting* to go to school b/c going to class with my friends was FUN.

I guess I thought of that when you wrote "We are using Calvert and we like it very much." I thought - well, how do you know that your kid actually likes it very much and doesn't want to go to school with the other kids. What kid wants to spend all day with his/her mom? I guess that at the end of the day, I loved my mom (and dad) but I didn't want my mom as my teacher AND my mom. If your kids didn't like it, how could they ever tell you so? Mom, I love you but I don't want you as my teacher - hard to say for a kid.

Just some thoughts

SC

My thoughts exactly, SC.

*enjoying the dialouge*

Hi SC,

My situation is a little different. HS is something that we are doing for now. My son just turned 5 and because of his late birthday he is Pre-K. I am a SAHM but my son goes to pre-school for a three hours three days a week. On the days that he doesn’t go to pre-school, we do HS or participate in other activities.

Now this is where the FAQs come in and probably WAY MORE info than you wanted:
1. Why HS if you send your child to pre-school? I saw this as an opportunity to be more involved in my child’s education and to have fun.
2. Isn’t what you are doing redundant? No, Calvert compliments the pre-school’s curriculum.
3. Why pay money for Calvert when you could buy the same or similar materials at a local store? I priced it. Calvert was cheaper and I didn’t have to scramble to put things together. I like “school in a box.”
4. Don’t you get bored spending all your time with your kids and vice versa? No. Right now, we enjoy each others company but I am sure that will change come the pre-teen years. Please don’t misunderstand everyone gets their “me” time. Seriously though, with HS, you can set your own pace. Some days the teacher’s guide may allot two hours for the full day’s lessons. Sometimes we are done in an hour and head to the park and other times it may take more than two hours.
5. How do you know that your son likes it? He grabs his workbooks and tells me its time for lessons.
6. What about subjects in which you are weak? That’s not a problem right now. If my son were older, there is assistance. There is a network tutors available consisting of professors, teachers and sometimes parents.
7. What about socializing with other kids? That is not a problem here. First, we live in a neighborhood full of young families. Second, our church and athletic club both offer programs for SAHM/Ds and their kids. Third, our athletic club offers PE classes for HS as well as team sports like swimming, tennis, soccer and basketball. Fourth, we participate in activities like KinderMusik and Gymrompers. Fifth, there are also several HS associations here from Catholic to Fundamental Christian to Secular. There is a HS sports league and even dances for those who are allowed to dance.
8. If you like it so much why not continue through HS? We want our children to have a traditional Catholic education like we did and our parents. However, that wouldn’t stop us from supplementing. There might be a subject that interests them not offered by the school.


Now for my friends with older children who HS, the kids might like to go to a brick and mortar. I don’t know about all of them but for at least three it wouldn’t be possible. One is training for the Olympics, another is a professional dancer and a third got “lost” in the classroom.

thanks!!
 

thank you for posting this. i am having the same dialogue on another forum i belong to. im a bit concerned with this perception that if you home school that your kids will not turn out as well adjusted or will just be lacking more than non home schooled kids.

im considering the home school option and i like that you have incorporated various things to provide a well rounded environment.

:)