How would your homeschooling be different if money was wasn't a concern?

[AmandaVT]

I'd build us a new house or buy an existing one that has enough room so we don't have homeschool stuff on the shelf below the crackers and sunflower seeds.....Our house is quite small and we homeschool in our kitchen basically. So a bedroom that we could turn into a homeschool room would be great. 

 

Also, travel! So much travel. 

[Reefgazer]

Travel to Europe, Asia, and Africa.

 

[Murphy101]

We have our kids around us wherever we go all the time and always have too; DH and I both work from home in the main room, so we are *really* all together all the time.

 

Travelling for me with littles with a lot different from living with them in our own environment, though. Travelling for me means the kids have to be restrained (strapped into car seats or airplane seats), don't get to run around much, have to be quieter than they are used to being in hotel rooms, we only eat humanely raised food (excluding all dairy and eggs) so eating on the go is complicated and expensive (although I guess for this thought experiment the expense is irrelevant).

 

I hate travelling with kids.

I meant literally taking my kids everywhere. If we need to travel, we have always had to take them with us. It was an adjustment but now it's just all we know. Granted it's usually just a short flight to a nearby state or a <10 hour drive. It's not like we are jet setters. Lol

[Janeway]

Definitely. I would send them to art all the way through. As it is, I sent them one semester or one school year. All children would have music lessons. I would outsource science to this place that I guess makes it quite enjoyable. We would travel some.

 

I guess though, if I had that much money, I just might private school instead of home school.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Janeway

[Donna]

I would not work the two days a week I work so would have more time with dd to travel. She could do more camps and festivals if we were able to travel more. As it is now, because I need to work a bit to pay for things, she has to make choices on which ones to do. I would take the extra time to learn more about things I am interested in rather than feeling stressed because I am juggling three things at once...work, homeschooling, and managing dd's music so I am exhausted and just want to veg when I have a moment to stop.

 

More classes online for dd or have her spend more time with her current tutors. 

 

Hire someone to clean the house and pet sit while we travel.

 

Pay for ds to live in another state and apprentice with the guitar builder he admires most rather than taking courses he can afford at a community college while working. He is happy with what he is doing and loves it but I would make it a little easier for him so he's not juggling so much at one time.

[Katy]

If we had endless money we probably wouldn't home school, we'd probably send the kids to expensive boarding schools. Apparently this is how the wealthy (not the working upper middle class) socialize their kids to understand living with wealth.  We've been blessed, and while I went to college with some of the upper class, I've never been so wealthy that DH not working is an option, and I would certainly not know what to teach children about that.

 

Edited:  How did an entire line of my statement disappear when I hit Submit?

Edited March 27, 2017 by Katy

[Guest]

If money was no object, I wouldn't have to work and go to school full-time.  I could be fully present and not distracted during our homeschool days.  That alone would make things 100% better.

[Seasider]

Adding, gym memberships for the physical fitness component. And as several of you have mentioned, quality instruments and musical instruction.

 

To be honest, we don't need or want a posh experience. I just want to provide a full education without having to squeak so much when we move beyond the book work.

[IfIOnly]

Have you done The Well Trained Mind Academy at all?

 

Will your charter pay for it?

 

Were you able to do any of your wish list this year due to the charter?

No, we haven't participated in any of the courses yet.

 

I dropped the Charter late fall. I'm not sure if you remember how I basically had to pursue contact with them after late spring registration? It only got worse from there. Ugh. The mom who told me about the Charter also sold me on how "relaxed" It was. Well, her child was below third grade, so in her experience that was true because not a lot is required until grade 3. My youngest school age kid is on third, and they had me jumping through so many hoops. I was having to go to the office for writing, reading, math, and science evals on top of testing. Emails sent to all the parents to call and schedule times for each eval. Except for the testing, none or the other evals were mentioned to me before joining. Not when I spoke with soneone at length before registration, not anywhere on there web site, not at the beginning of the year orientation. Plus, I'm already so busy with homeschooling, and all of this running to the office was eating up my time and adding stress. Also, the vibe was homeschool tolerant, not exactly supportive, iykwim? Yuck. I don't need or want that. The last straw was when my kid's teacher sent out an email asking for the parents to brainstorm fundraising ideas for the charted. She mentioned several of the public school fundraisers her son had been involved before. I doubt she got much, if any response. Lol.

Edited March 27, 2017 by ifIonlyhadabrain

[rocassie]

If money wasn't an issue, travel more.  Nothing like seeing the world to expand your culture but also to experience history - world and us history by visiting all the sights and places.  

[mommyoffive]

No, we haven't participated in any of the courses yet.

 

I dropped the Charter late fall. I'm not sure if you remember how I basically had to pursue contact with them after late spring registration? It only got worse from there. Ugh. The mom who told me about the Charter also sold me on how "relaxed" It was. Well, her child was below third grade, so in her experience that was true because not a lot is required until grade 3. My youngest school age kid is on third, and they had me jumping through so many hoops. I was having to go to the office for writing, reading, math, and science evals on top of testing. Emails sent to all the parents to call and schedule times for each eval. Except for the testing, none or the other evals were mentioned to me before joining. Not when I spoke with soneone at length before registration, not anywhere on there web site, not at the beginning of the year orientation. Plus, I'm already so busy with homeschooling, and all of this running to the office was eating up my time and adding stress. Also, the vibe was homeschool tolerant, not exactly supportive, iykwim? Yuck. I don't need or want that. The last straw was when my kid's teacher sent out an email asking for the parents to brainstorm fundraising ideas for the charted. She mentioned several of the public school fundraisers her son had been involved before. I doubt she got much, if any response. Lol.

 

Oh I didn't know you dropped the Charter.  I am sorry it didn't work out.   

[IfIOnly]

Oh I didn't know you dropped the Charter. I am sorry it didn't work out.

I hope you've had a better experience!

[regentrude]

I honestly don't think it would be much different for us.

I would still work, which means DH and I would still have the same scheduling constraints.

We would still live in the same town because that's where work is. Which also means that more money could not buy us  more than the available educational opportunities. It would still be two hours drive to the city for theatre, concert, museum etc. There would still be no good private schools, no matter how much money we'd be willing to throw at the problem. Boarding school? Not an option for us, even with unlimited funds.

 

Edited March 27, 2017 by regentrude

[Guest]

I would travel EVERYWHERE. And I would buy a piano that costs more than my car.

[LucyStoner]

We would road trip for a year.

 

I've managed art and music lessons on a small budget but I suppose we'd hire out more foreign language tutoring.

Edited March 27, 2017 by LucyStoner

[ktgrok]

I'd hire a mothers helper to play with the kids I wasn't teaching at the moment. And a regular housekeeper. We'd travel several times a year and add in art and music lessons. And do some of the pricey summer programs at the science center

[EmseB]

If money were not an issue, I would not have homeschooling for high school. There is an amazing Lutheran high school commuting distance from where we used to live, and we would have stayed put just for that. They offered a plethora plethora of AP's, fine arts, and everything they did they did well including math and foreign language instruction. But at $7400 a year for four years times four children, it was a LOT of college money spent on high school, and when three boys would have all been in at once, $1900 a month plus books, and the cost of commuting.

I know everything is relative, but $7400 for private high school sounds like a dream. Anywhere I've lived the high school tuition has been $15k minimum.

 

And I came to answer this thread to say that if money were no object I'd move to an area with a good private school. But my requirements for a "good" school are rather specific, so maybe I'd just have to start one. Or hire someone else to start one, ha ha.

[Closeacademy]

1. Math tutor for high school

2. Japanese tutor

3. Violin lessons 3 years earlier and with a Suzuki method teacher

4. Private art lessons with the teacher she clicks with in all sorts of mediums

5. Summer language academy for older daughter in country of her choosing

6. More travel and more museums

7. Since I wouldn't have to work part-time we would have more time for extra activities especially social ones like traveling to various anime conventions & such

8. Computer programming classes for older daughter 

 

We would have had the money & time to pursue interests as they popped up rather than just fit things in. The year I was burned out I could have hired a tutor to take over most subjects until I was refreshed and ready to teach again.

[Seasider]

I would travel EVERYWHERE. And I would buy a piano that costs more than my car.

Ditto, dd would insist on the second.

[caedmyn]

Someone to play with the 4 YO while I do school with the others.  Oh wait, we did try to hire someone to do that, and couldn't find anybody.  Sigh.

 

An ADHD coach to teach DD executive function skills.  Some sort of coach/super nanny/someone to teach DS1 to live civilly with his siblings.

 

A part-time cook.  I hate cooking, and even more, hate dealing with everybody's special diets and having to constantly think of something non-problematic to feed endless appetitites.  I would love to outsource some of the daily grind of trying to keep everybody fed.

 

A home expansion, with a nice big room with padded walls for the boys to run wild in, and a bigger dining area so it would be a little more practical to do school there (and to eat there too lol).

 

 

[HomeMum]

So many people have said "Math tutor" or "Foreign language tutor." I realize no matter what, you still have to pay the person, but are you all opposed to online or Skype tutoring? I don't use one personally, but I know people who have bi-weekly 30 minute Skype sessions with an online tutor overseas for Spanish. And for math, there are so many free online math videos I don't really see the need for a tutor.

[eternalsummer]

I meant literally taking my kids everywhere. If we need to travel, we have always had to take them with us. It was an adjustment but now it's just all we know. Granted it's usually just a short flight to a nearby state or a <10 hour drive. It's not like we are jet setters. Lol

 

 

Yes, I meant that too.  We take them with us everywhere we go. We just don't go very many places very often, because again, I hate travelling with kids.

[marbel]

So many people have said "Math tutor" or "Foreign language tutor." I realize no matter what, you still have to pay the person, but are you all opposed to online or Skype tutoring? I don't use one personally, but I know people who have bi-weekly 30 minute Skype sessions with an online tutor overseas for Spanish. And for math, there are so many free online math videos I don't really see the need for a tutor.

 

Videos don't help everyone.  For some people, personal, one-on-one instruction is needed.  Not just a video they can rewind and watch again.

 

(In some ways I think Khan Academy has done more harm - to some students - than good.  Because now if a kid doesn't get a math concept, the advice is "go watch a Khan video and do some practice" and that's not a good solution for everyone. And I am a huge fan of KA.  It's just not going to work for everyone.)  

Edited March 28, 2017 by marbel

[MyLife]

I would hire a chef who does the grocery shopping.

[Murphy101]

So many people have said "Math tutor" or "Foreign language tutor." I realize no matter what, you still have to pay the person, but are you all opposed to online or Skype tutoring? I don't use one personally, but I know people who have bi-weekly 30 minute Skype sessions with an online tutor overseas for Spanish. And for math, there are so many free online math videos I don't really see the need for a tutor.

I am. I have been there and done that and the majority of the online programs are subpar in mnsho. And the conversation is so limited in such a setting that it's my view they are unlikely to develop a love of the language and or genuine fluency. Due to that experience, I will never willingly pay for a foreign language outside a classroom setting. And outside a home school coop/classes setting for that matter bc my experience is low quality there too.

[Ravin]

I would road school. We'd get an RV and go and see all the interesting things. Then when we'd gotten our fill of North America, we'd go travel in other parts of the world. My kids would be globetrotters with me!

[regentrude]

 And for math, there are so many free online math videos I don't really see the need for a tutor.

 

An online video and a live person who can answer the student's specific questions and work with him through a problem are two completely different things.

I teach physics for a living and see the difference every single day. Sometimes, even the  best video does not help the student, because it cannot address what precisely this student's issue is; often the student himself does not know why he does not understand. This is where a skilled tutor is far superior to canned videos. 

Also, very often the crucial aspect is that the student is forced to articulate his question to the tutor. Talking through the difficult concept and explaining where he does not understand very often clears up the issue in the student's mind; they begin formulating their question (because I make them) and then the light bulb goes on and it's "Oh, never mind, I just figured it out."  With a passive online video, the student does not get to the point where he has to precisely identify his own problem. For this to work, it does not even require the tutor; a study group can serve this purpose almost as well (the advantage of a tutor is that she can verify that the student's thinking is actually correct and that he did not fall victim to common misconceptions.)

 

If online videos provided the same level of teaching, students would easily learn math and physics from free online videos and test out of college classes, saving thousands of dollars in tuition. But they don't.

Edited March 28, 2017 by regentrude

[Desert Strawberry]

It wouldn't be different in any appreciable way. 

We have had a $0 budget, and we have had a $500 budget. I couldn't spend half of it when we had it. 

I just prefer simple, lower cost, usually free resources. We're mostly CM, homespun, snuggle on the sofa, see what the library has, free online type of homeschoolers. I have offered all manner of online, B&M, free, paid, parttime, fulltime options to my upcoming freshman. He wants to continue doing what we are doing. Free ranging, independent, low cost studies at home. 

 

We have far more free-flowing cash than ever before. I would venture that we are spending less than maybe ever before. We have both a nicely stocked home library ( not a lot, but extremely useful for us), multiple fantastic public libraries, and enough computers/devices to take advantage of the glories of the internet. We could use a new tablet. I think we'll get one in the next few months. 

If we had a ton of cash, I think the only things we would spend on would be a piano (a small one. Little house), and lessons. I would like my kids to take riding lessons. Which are not off the table. I haven't looked into them at all yet. And new bikes for more freedom and mobility ( we are fixing some up, and need to upgrade two kids to bigger ones). But even then, these are all within our budget , if we prioritize them. So, yeah, again, nothing different. 

[marbel]

An online video and a live person who can answer the student's specific questions and work with him through a problem are two completely different things.

I teach physics for a living and see the difference every single day. Sometimes, even the  best video does not help the student, because it cannot address what precisely this student's issue is; often the student himself does not know why he does not understand. This is where a skilled tutor is far superior to canned videos. 

Also, very often the crucial aspect is that the student is forced to articulate his question to the tutor. Talking through the difficult concept and explaining where he does not understand very often clears up the issue in the student's mind; they begin formulating their question (because I make them) and then the light bulb goes on and it's "Oh, never mind, I just figured it out."  With a passive online video, the student does not get to the point where he has to precisely identify his own problem. For this to work, it does not even require the tutor; a study group can serve this purpose almost as well (the advantage of a tutor is that she can verify that the student's thinking is actually correct and that he did not fall victim to common misconceptions.)

 

If online videos provided the same level of teaching, students would easily learn math and physics from free online videos and test out of college classes, saving thousands of dollars in tuition. But they don't.

 

:iagree:  :hurray:   Regentrude nails it. 

 

This is exactly how it played out for my daughter. She hates math and finds it very difficult, though she has no discernible learning disability.  She can take no delight in discovery, in application.  I've said before that my biggest homeschool regret is not getting her tutoring earlier on.  We tried all the stuff that people told us to do.  Khan Academy just made her cry.  We didn't see how we could pay $50 an hour for a tutor, so we muddled through.

 

Finally she ended up taking high school algebra via a pre-college remedial class at community college.  This was after testing into high school algebra with arithmetic review, spending almost a year following their online tutorials, and retesting just one level up, to take the algebra without the arithmetic.

 

The instructor was kind and patient.  He made himself available for an hour before the 8am class every day.  She was one of the people there early, every day.  She got a D on her first test, then slowly worked her way to an A on the final.  The instructor had a curriculum and standards to follow, so he wasn't easy on the students.  But he shepherded her through it.

 

She still hates math, and she will take the minimum to get through college.  Obviously she is not headed for a math-heavy degree.  But she has fond memories of that teacher and if I had found someone like him earlier on, our homeschooling lives would have been very different.  

 

I've come to the conclusion that people who promote online math learning  as a viable alternative to (not addition to) classes or tutors are people whose kids have little to no difficulty understanding mathematical concepts.  Of course that's a sweeping generalization but that's what I observe.

[wintermom]

Travel to see and experience historical sites

Travel to immerse in another language and culture

Travel to immerse in music and art

Travel to have more opportunities for outdoor activities

Travel to learn about nature, wildlife, geology

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2017 by wintermom

[SamanthaCarter]

A governess. 

[Jaybee]

My oldest still at home would probably do pretty much the same as he's doing. We'd add in some film camps so he could feed and develop that interest. Youngest I would seriously consider sending to the local private school for kids with learning differences. (All teachers are trained with O-G methods, for example. But it costs about the same per year as college tuition.) Another change would be to buy a house with a yard big enough to put in a small outdoor basketball court. They (and their older siblings when home) would greatly enjoy that.