Home Schooling

[toocute]

Originally posted by stardusttwin
I don't think you can ever learn too much, when a child is curious and has intrests the worst thing one can do is hold them back. I think people get concerned when a child becomes so knowledgeable bookwise but then has no ability to interact with others there own age.

I started reading at a very young age (my mom is now a retired teacher), at the time I was also small for my age so when they wanted to skip me she refused (from pre K to 1 grade and then later again from 5th gr to 7th). How that affected me? I have mixed feelings about this. When I was 4 I was tutoring other 1st grade students teaching them how to read (when my mother found that out she hit the roof and then moved me to private school).

I don't really remember this but my mom told me that at the first "audition" (I don't know what they call it for schools), we were in a room with other parents and kids. All of the white children were given the "See Dick Run" books to read, each took their turn and could read but i her opinion did nothing all that special. When it was my turn the lady in charge handed me the "Life in the City" reader (I'm showing my age but if you are of a certain age group we had these series of books throughout elementary school). Well they were shocked when I opened the book and started to read. The woman thought I had memorized it and asked me to read from another book, which I did. Although they finally offered me admission my mother decided from their attitude she wouldn't put me there as the token black and instead put me in a Christian school. While my religious instruction was fine, the teachers I had didn't know how to deal with me academically. In hindsight, they should have given me additional assignments since my mom wouldn't let me be skipped. Instead, they put so much an effort to keep the slower kids up to par I just coasted by with barely any effort (again with me as a tutor). You know in elementary school its never "cool" to be the smart kid so instead of embracing my abilities I was constantly trying to pretend I didn't know as much as I did. If I had other interaction with kids outside of school who were "like me" I wouldn't have felt like such an outsider and would have kept my love of learning fresh. And frankly although I consistently scored outside of my age range I don't believe I ever scored "genius" (my math/quantitative skills sucked then and now). I just needed to be moved up because I was ahead of others in my age range.

In hindsight (and in discussions with my mom), she finally acknowledges that things could have been handled differently. She was so concerned with me being overwhelmed socially but didn't see how it hampered my education at the time.

My suggestion, you can teach your child additional things to keep his brain occupied but let him go to school. If there is something that your son has an aptitude for seek other avenues for him to study that outside of school (for me it was piano) and be with others that are on his level. You can also engage his mind by teaching him another language - if you start now, he'll be fluent by the time he finishes elementary school and can still start a 3rd one in JHS. There is so much in this world, one can never learn too much. In other parts of the world its normal for children to be fluent in many languages and its easier to learn as a child. There is so much that is NOT being taught in school (especially about black history and dare I even go into carribean history) you can't run out of material. I think if you give your son additional / supplemental educational support at home he will turn out well rounded.

[The following is from my mom]
To ease your mind, there are tests that you can have administered to test his IQ and levels. I'm not sure where you live but if you really believe he is above average there are other programs for kids that are better than being home schooled especially if you are not a trained educator. Everyone focused on the success stories, but home schooling is not neccesarily the best choice for a child who may be gifted. What ever school you place him in you have to be prepared to supplement it. Do your homework and get him in a good school and you can always add to it.

stardusttwin - this was a wonderful post and you and your mom gave 96sweet great advice.

[SummerChild]

Originally posted by 96sweet
Is anyone home schooling their kids?
Has anyone been home schooled?
Can someone tell me the benefits and drawbacks? Not what you they MIGHT be if you haven't experienced it, just what they
ACTUALLY were if you taught from home or if you were a home school student.

I plan you home school my little one this fall...

My cousins were home schooled and they are some of the smartest young men that I know - they speak multiple languages and all. The 13 year old just finished an exchange program in Japan.
EDITED TO ADD: the homeschool teacher, their mother, has degrees in teaching, nursing, education administration, etc. so I agree that if the parent is not a skilled teacher (or at least have the ability to truly teach) this may not be a good idea.


Everyone that I know that has been homeschooled has really excelled academically.

SC

[GeekyPenguin]

I know lots of people who were homeschooled for various reasons - most of them are above the average in intelligence, but are ridiculous with social interaction. Say what you will, but that's going to affect them when they get to college...

ETA: I decided to put it all out there and tell y'all a little story. There's a girl who went to one of the colleges I attended, I won't name which one so that I don't completely out her. When she got to said college and moved into the dorms, somebody's dad dropped a few 4-letter bombs because he dropped a futon on his foot. She absolutely freaked out that he swore and her parents told him that she wasn't used to hearing that type of language, and then told her RA the same thing. All through the semester, she constantly was correcting us for being sloppy and ill-mannered - and she didn't do any better in class than the rest of us. She moved home.

[SummerChild]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
I know lots of people who were homeschooled for various reasons - most of them are above the average in intelligence, but are ridiculous with social interaction. Say what you will, but that's going to affect them when they get to college...

ETA: I decided to put it all out there and tell y'all a little story. There's a girl who went to one of the colleges I attended, I won't name which one so that I don't completely out her. When she got to said college and moved into the dorms, somebody's dad dropped a few 4-letter bombs because he dropped a futon on his foot. She absolutely freaked out that he swore and her parents told him that she wasn't used to hearing that type of language, and then told her RA the same thing. All through the semester, she constantly was correcting us for being sloppy and ill-mannered - and she didn't do any better in class than the rest of us. She moved home.

What does "ETA" stand for?
SC

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by SummerChild
What does "ETA" stand for?
SC

ETA = Edited To Add

[SummerChild]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
ETA = Edited To Add

Oh! Thanks!
SC

[96sweet]

Wow ladies!

Thank you very much. I forgot to add something though. My youngun has a developmental stutter. It comes and goes about every 2 months. When he comes out of what I call an "episode" he has lots of big new words to share. lol
When he has to tell me something he is thinking about on his own, he does it. Not really in response to questions when the answer is in the front of his mind.

The doctors (and my mom, a pediatrician) says that his mouth is catching up with his brain. I don't think he really notices it much, but sometimes if he is having a hard time he stops and says, "I gotta breathe, and think." My fiance was watching him in Sunday School class (they teach it like a kindergarten class), and told me that he is like a classical student by nature. You know how they say that some kids aren't meant for the classroom? He's not that kid. He is the one who sits still, and listens, and the teachers say what a joy he is. We know it isn't because he contributes so much, but because he doesn't say much and does what he is told.

Anyway, some people say that if he is around other kids, it will stop. Not his doctor, not teachers, just people. Since it comes and goes and he is so young, his doctor doesn't want him to do speech therapy.

I am not a trained teacher. The only thing I am trained to teach is manicuring. lol

But it is said that some kids benefit from that extra year or two at home to build their confidence in themselves for when it is time for them to go to school. I think that if he ran into an impatient teacher, or worse, a teacher who babied him, it could set him back. I mean, he is a cutie, and always tends to end up in some old ladies lap.

I did skip a grade, and I didn't like it at all. It took me a while to make friends, and I just didn't know the stuff the other kids knew. A chick blackmailed me for half the school year for reading "f--k" out loud when it was written in the bathroom. I didn't know what the word meant, and she said she'd tell on me if I didn't let her play with me and my friends. A year makes a difference in your reasoning. It really does. Shoot, I couldn't even legally drink until a few months before graduation! I went to a private black pre-school for a year where they had the old style of teaching. Little house in the south, all ages. We had a 3 year old who could read in my class. 22 years later that lady is still alive and kicking and turning out little baby geniuses, and I want my little one to go there, but the 10 hour drive would be a little hectic.

Anyhew... I thank all of you all for the feedback and advice (oh, and my youngun won't be shocked by cussing. I've forgotten to save a file or two for a client, and he's heard some choice phrases. he knows it's wrong, but he knows that when grown ups get mad, they do some stupid things.). I think I'll do it until first grade at least. Then if he still stutters, and it doesn't come and go, at least he'll have a good year to build his confidence in what he knows, and he'll be old enough for speech therapy if he needs it.

Again, thanks so much... ya'll are the best! Imma copy and paste this thread and email it to my fiance...

[Dionysus]

I don't think it's true that homeschooling will stunt social skills. Being around other people does help to develop social skills, however that is only if the child has had a mixture of both positive and negative interactions. What about the children who have mostly negative social interaction in school? Especially at a young age. How will THOSE kids learn social skills in regular schools?

Children who are homeschooled can learn how to interact with others by participating in sports, scouting, dance school, church, etc.

I've known socially retarded people who recieved regular schooling from k-12 and socially competent people who has been homeschooled.

[96sweet]

I do agree.

Some kids just ain't right. I think if your parents are socially out of line, you have a higher chance of being that way too. My son is naturally outgoing, but he learned to be reserved from me. He would definitely have to be in rec league or something...

[Bella Pearl 08]

I want to thank all who contributed to this forum. I am going through the same thing, debating if I stay home and homeschool my child. Every time I drop him off to school, my heart breaks because the school is:
inept
discipline issues
poor classroom mangement skills
good concept school but poor execution-foreign language immersion school
Lack of patience and concern for student welfare exhibited by the principal and teachers
And the list goes on and on.

Currently, I am seeking another school for him but I am feeling very squeamish about making another choice, public or private.
My question is enlight of watching Marva Collins on CSPAN last weekend. Where are all the good teachers have gone?
Is it all about the paycheck, 6-7 hour work days, strong union and summers off attracting poor teachers?

[NinjaPoodle]

African American Homeschoolers Network
http://www.aahnet.org


National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance
http://www.naaha.com/


http://www.affinityforlearning.com
{From the website}
Homeschoolers are a creative lot; we have to be to meet the challenges we face every day. I'm always looking for new curriculum ideas to challenge my child, keep him interested, and meet his educational needs. I figured other homeschoolers are, too, so I set up this web site where we can all share our best ideas and favorite curriculum, books, and websites to help each other out.
I hope these help you get started.
NP.

[96sweet]

Thankya... thankya...THANKYA!!!

[Honeykiss1974]

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 11, 2005

RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 10 (AP) - When Denise Armstrong decided to teach her daughter and two sons at home instead of sending them to public school, she said she did so thinking she would do a better job than the school of instilling her values in her children.

At the time, Ms. Armstrong was the only black parent at gatherings of home-education groups. But she said that has been changing.

"I've been delighted to be running into people in the African-American home-schooling community," said Ms. Armstrong, who lives in Chesterfield County.

The move toward home schooling, advocates say, reflects a wider desire among families of all races to guide their children's religious upbringing, but it also reflects concerns about other issues like substandard schools and the preservation of cultural heritage.

"About 10 years ago, we started seeing more and more black families showing up at conferences, and it's been steadily increasing since then," said Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/ed...omeschool.html


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is appealing more and more to me, especially if there isn't a good Christian school in the area. One this for sure, I am appalled at my city's public school so Lord willing, they won't be attending.

[AKA2D '91]

I thought about this thread while watching Trading Spouses. The kids were home schooled, but were required to go to school per the new mommy.While in the traditional setting, the kids realized they were soooo far behind (academically) the non-home schoolers.

[aopirose]

Originally posted by AKA2D '91
I thought about this thread while watching Trading Spouses. The kids were home schooled, but were required to go to school per the new mommy.While in the traditional setting, the kids realized they were soooo far behind (academically) the non-home schoolers.

I thought about that too. The HS family struck me as the type that creates their own cirriculum. If that is the case then I can see why they may be behind. If daddy doesn't think that Earth Science is necessary, it doesn't get taught.

I have been HS my oldest for a few months now. We are using Calvert and we like it very much.