I wish I had been homeschooled, do you? Or were you?

[tex-mex]

NO... my mother was not that great of a parent. The idea of being in her house homeschooling would have been horrible. I would have preferred living with relatives and public schooling. I don't think HS would have worked for me. Just my 2 cents.

[tex-mex]

Dear heavens. A million times, NO. School was my escape from my family. I loathed weekends, and longed for Mondays. I hated the holidays, especially Christmas, because it meant my dad was home too. I can't imagine who I'd be NOW if I'd been more at the mercy of the narcissistic sociopath that birthed me. <<~~ Meant in the most loving, clinically detached way possible, of course.

 

 

I agree with you... I wrote earlier how horrible it would have been to have been homeschooled by my mother. No way. I loved school (even tho' it wasn't perfect... LOL) and looked for all reasons not to be home. Left home at the age of 17 and never looked back. (Loooong story... but ends well with much healing via Jesus and years of therapy to forgive my Mom. LOL)

[Jean in Newcastle]

I think that it is really interesting that those who would not have wanted to be homeschooled mostly had parent(s) who were probably mentally ill and were untreated or were abusive. The one homeschool family that I thought should not be homeschooling had untreated mental illness and abuse in the home.

[melopher]

I begged for years to be hs'ed. My mom said no; she knew she wouldn't be able to do it. Finally in 11th grade I did independent study w/classes @ the cc and electives at the hs.

[Pamela H in Texas]

My mother and I have discussed it, but....

 

She just didn't know. She knew one homeschooling family and they were more religious and the kids were hyperfocused in one direction and a bit weird. Maybe if she had had different exposure.

 

She did afterschool us, more me than my brother because I was much more willing than he (and though he's smarter and has a higher IQ, he was also a later bloomer). I started school way ahead of the group and finished Kindergarten on a 6th grade level. I caused all SORTS of problems trying to express myself inappropriately despite being extremely shy. School was so long and took away from my learning and other pursuits. I absolutely LOVED school breaks where I could follow interests, write papers, swim, etc.

 

I did have an alternative schooling situation for 7th and 8th grades. I SOARED. and then crashed when I went to public school for high school. What a waste of time, mostly. I just hated all the extra work which seemed meaningless to me. ANd I was disheartened to find out that AP courses were just more of the same, just MORE busywork.

 

And then my parents decided no when I was offered the opportunity to go into a program to do my first two years of college getting high school credit also. I assume they didn't really think a 16yo should be living in a dorm, even one specially for kids "like me." But I really think THAT was the turning point.

 

So my kids are homeschooled and my daughter went to college at 15 (not in a dorm though). My late bloomer wasn't pushed. They had plenty of opportunity to "just be kids" (something else I think school steals). They followed interests and took responsibility for their own learning. They had everything I was denied.

 

My parents tried. But yes, I wish I had the opportunity my kids have had.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I'm in the "not with my mother" camp. My school experience was educationally mediocre and socially confusing. I would have loved the homeschool environment...if I had a different mother.

[Orthodox6]

[deleted]

Edited May 29, 2009 by Orthodox6

[mitraces]

No, not many homeschoolers in the 60's and 70's, but my dad did teach Bible classes and I liked him as a teacher except he never called on me and sometimes belittled my questions so he wouldn't look like he favored his kids. I would have thrived being homeschooled at least through middle school. I was so shy through 8th grade it hindered my learning.

 

Even now, I wonder if homeschooling is best for high schoolers if they do not have a good circle of friends their age. I think they need and like to share their writing for example together and have good discussions. My 10th grader keeps to herself at home and does her own work, I can't encourage her to have discussions very often. Co-ops or small classes with friends, or online classes could solve this.

[Liza Q]

Orthodox6, I also had a wonderful childhood- pretty great parents, normal love/hate sibling stuff. I would say we were a healthy family.

 

But I don't at all think that homeschooling would have been better for me. We were food stamp/free lunch poor and that was with both of my parents working. We moved to the edge of a a good, safe neighborhood with an excellent elementary school when my brothers and I were 4th/3rd/1st/baby because my parents wanted us in a better school. If my Mom had stayed home we would have ended up in the projects and that was not where any of us wanted to be! My parents raised us English-only so we would fit in and not deal with any more discrimination than our last name would bring.

 

Yes, I was bored in Kindergarten (I can remember reading my teacher's magazine and her leaving me alone to do it!) and super bored in the 5th grade (I would read books under my desk and ignore most of the classwork and my teacher ignored me, except for math!). I went to an amazing High School (7th-12th) for the intellectually gifted (probably a bad choice as I became completely independent at the age of 11) and just coasted through, spending all my time doing extracurriculars and socializing....but the alternative? Life in NYC in the 1970s was bad enough without adding a rough neighborhood to the mix!

 

Sorry to get so hot under the collar here. It's just that....even though I see the excellence of homeschooling I totally appreciate everything my parents did for us when we were children!

 

Just wanted to add - my parents were fluent in English and my Mom could certainly have homeschooled us. And I doubt that they would have, as even today they think it is just weird! But I don't wish that they would have as I understand that my Mom was not just working to get away from us - kwim?

Edited May 29, 2009 by Liza Q

[HeatherLynn]

I should have clarified in my post. There is no WAY I could have been homeschooled as I was in foster care, with different relatives, or a children's home for most of my childhood. What I meant was I wish *someone* could see and would have rescued me from PS. I wish I could have been homeschooled by someone who cared. Wouldn't have mattered who.

[AuntPol]

I would have loved to homeschooled.

 

No one had ever heard of it where we lived and our situation wouldn't have allowed for it (single mom working two jobs, one of the kids with leukemia).

 

My schooling was horrid. I was a honor student and didn't learn anything except how to manipulate the system.

[Mommy2BeautifulGirls]

I wish I had been homeschooled b/c my parents NEVER compared us. I would have been encouraged to learn in my own "mode" and not made to feel inadequate b/c my super smart sister was ahead of me blazing the trail.

 

 

 

I would love to spend an afternoon with your mother. My oldest is very advanced already, and her sister is more "average," while still being slightly ahead of the curve. I have to really make sure not to compare them to each other, but sometimes it's hard not to use the first one as an "example," so to speak. I'm sure if I were to have a third, I would use both of my girls as the example. However, I never compare them out loud. It's more just in my head or when hubby and I are talking about them. We're very conscious not to point out their faults to one another.

 

As far as the original question: Yes, I think I could have really benefited from being homeschooled. :D

[Orthodox6]

Please note that I deleted my post within five minutes of writing it. I'm sorry that you read it. I had just turned on the computer, and was not yet exercising sound judgment.

 

Orthodox6, I also had a wonderful childhood- pretty great parents, normal love/hate sibling stuff. I would say we were a healthy family.

 

But I don't at all think that homeschooling would have been better for me. We were food stamp/free lunch poor and that was with both of my parents working. We moved to the edge of a a good, safe neighborhood with an excellent elementary school when my brothers and I were 4th/3rd/1st/baby because my parents wanted us in a better school. If my Mom had stayed home we would have ended up in the projects and that was not where any of us wanted to be! My parents raised us English-only so we would fit in and not deal with any more discrimination than our last name would bring.

 

Yes, I was bored in Kindergarten (I can remember reading my teacher's magazine and her leaving me alone to do it!) and super bored in the 5th grade (I would read books under my desk and ignore most of the classwork and my teacher ignored me, except for math!). I went to an amazing High School (7th-12th) for the intellectually gifted (probably a bad choice as I became completely independent at the age of 11) and just coasted through, spending all my time doing extracurriculars and socializing....but the alternative? Life in NYC in the 1970s was bad enough without adding a rough neighborhood to the mix!

 

Sorry to get so hot under the collar here. It's just that....even though I see the excellence of homeschooling I totally appreciate everything my parents did for us when we were children!

 

Just wanted to add - my parents were fluent in English and my Mom could certainly have homeschooled us. And I doubt that they would have, as even today they think it is just weird! But I don't wish that they would have as I understand that my Mom was not just working to get away from us - kwim?

[Tess in the Burbs]

I walked to elementary school. It was a wonderful experience with caring teachers that I wouldn't trade for anything.

 

Middle and High school were hard for me but there is no way I would have wanted to be home with my mother. we can talk 10 min on the phone but no more. We even vacation together at times but she and I could not have made it through homeschooling. We will have killed each other in a fight to the death, lol. Seriously.

 

I ended up moving around in high school....3 school total. I found the social aspect of high school to be a hindrance to my ability in school. So I hope my children and I will be able to hs all the way through.

 

but no, I wouldn't have wanted to be home with my mom.

[Dirtroad]

I have to wonder if some of you who post problems with your mother/father (not illnesses or physical abuse or extreme poverty) involving clashes of personality, will, or tempermant..... would have had better relationships with your mother/father/siblings if you HAD BEEN homeschooled.

 

I see huge differences in the kids & parents of most homeschoolers in my area. They are much better mannered, more patient, and seem to be much closer than my friends with kids in schools (public or private).

 

In my friends with children in the schools , I see more friction between so many of the siblings & with their parents.... I wish they could see that MUCH of it comes from the choice to DIVIDE the family all day & come together in brief chaos in the evenings.... it is stressful & puts them all on edge & at odds.

 

Our schools & our churches (sadly) divide our families constantly. They put them in categories based on age & if you watch in public, they are very difficult categories from which to break. We put ourselves in groups (based primarily on age) for class, worship, activities..... almost everything. I think we lose our ability to relate to others and blend in our families better. Just 2 cents.

[Bee]

I started school in the late 60's, went through the 70's. Hsing was not a safe or popular thing to do then in NY. If it had been allowed I suspect my grandmother would have hsed my brother. She tried to get the local ps to accept him but they insisted he needed to go to a "special school" (that's what they called it back then). She hated it and even worked with lawyers to try to get him mainstreamed but she never succeeded. She brought home many educational books and toys and materials for all of us children. She attempted to use Montessori methods to teach my brother. So maybe she would have hsed all of us. If she had, I suspect she would have unschooled. After I had to go live with my dad I know he wouldn't have hs'ed us, ever. I don't think he'd have ever felt that he could or should. For him, school was what everyone did and there wasn't another option. He did let both my sister and I take voc-ed courses though. My sister got to pick what she got to study but he insisted I learn something that would be useful and practical. By the time I reached high school I was desperately bored and unhappy at school so voc-ed was something I don't regret at all.

[freeindeed]

Oh, I definitely wish that I'd been homeschooled. My school years were traumatic at best, and tragic would more accurately describe it.:sad:

[DawnM]

Oh heavens NO! I loved school.

 

This is why sometimes I feel I am doing a disservice to my own kids by keeping them home. There is a lot I feel they miss out on.

 

Dawn

[DawnM]

Maybe some, but not for me. There are a number of reasons I don't wish to fully go into here. I also grew up in the middle of nowhere in Africa and would have been alone all the time. I had no siblings and all the rest of the kids went to boarding school. That is where I went too.

 

Dawn

 

I have to wonder if some of you who post problems with your mother/father (not illnesses or physical abuse or extreme poverty) involving clashes of personality, will, or tempermant..... would have had better relationships with your mother/father/siblings if you HAD BEEN homeschooled.

 

I see huge differences in the kids & parents of most homeschoolers in my area. They are much better mannered, more patient, and seem to be much closer than my friends with kids in schools (public or private).

 

In my friends with children in the schools , I see more friction between so many of the siblings & with their parents.... I wish they could see that MUCH of it comes from the choice to DIVIDE the family all day & come together in brief chaos in the evenings.... it is stressful & puts them all on edge & at odds.

 

Our schools & our churches (sadly) divide our families constantly. They put them in categories based on age & if you watch in public, they are very difficult categories from which to break. We put ourselves in groups (based primarily on age) for class, worship, activities..... almost everything. I think we lose our ability to relate to others and blend in our families better. Just 2 cents.

[Mom-ninja.]

I am happy I was not homeschooled. There is no way I would have been schooled well at home. Well, my dad would have been a great homeschool parent. My mom, though, would not have been.

 

My mom was seriously abused as a child by her father, and she continued the pattern. She did some not so nice things throughout my childhood. School for me was a safe haven. It was a chance to escape.

 

In theory, I would have loved to have been homeschooled. There were many many aspects of school that I hated. Yet, my mom was not in a place in her life that she could (or should) have homeschooled me.

[Desert Rat]

No-I wasn't homeschooled but I don't regret that fact at all. I love my mom but I don't think she could have given me the direction I needed because she just didn't have it in her. I filled the void in other ways in PS. I hung with the theater kids/musicians/writers. We were a great bunch, always encouraging each other and finding comfort in each other. Those of us who were writers held our own book club, before there was such a thing, at a used bookstore in town. We chose heady, angst-filled novels that spoke to us. We discussed them for hours and the owner of the store would grab his tea and join us. It was a wonderful time in my life and I was one of the few kids who in my group who had a stable enough home life to enjoy it.

[kewb]

I would have loved not to have gone to the school I was in. I can't say homeschooling would have been the way to go because way back then there were not the resources we have today. My mother, who suffered from depression my entire childhood, would not have made a good teacher.

[DawnL]

I would have loved to have been homeschooled. My parents have always been good parents, despite my father's bipolar and alcholic issues. My mom is awesome. I think if she had known she could homeschool, and had the resources, she would have been great at it. (Even though she hates messes. LOL)

 

As it was, by the time I hit high school, I felt school was a big social time, with a lot of annoying, pointless regulations. It could not end quick enough.

[SilverMoon]

I did public, private and home schooling as a child. My childhood was rocky and bouncy. By fifth grade my grandparents decided they could do a better job of educating me and kept me home. I absolutely hated the ACE curriculum they kept buying. I don't fault them for it, as there were like three companies that would sell to homeschoolers then. I remember being handed yet another package of ACE paces and seething, "If I ever have kids I'm *never* doing this curriculum to them. Ever." The actual choice to homeschool was a smart decision on their part. I'm sure they knew the potential I had to turn out horrible after a traditional jr and sr high public school experience. (This is not a PS bash. My childhood didn't resemble ideal in any way.) Socially it was for the best.

 

When my oldest was born we intended on using the smaller schools in a neighboring town and even considered moving there. As he grew into preschool age we just knew he was going to be kept home. He's still home, and I can't imagine it any other way. And I *still* have a very strong aversion to any boxed curriculum! None of my children have had one yet. :tongue_smilie:

 

I feel like I'm getting homeschooled the second time around by teaching my own. I've learned so much more than I left school with. They have better grasps on some topics than I finished school with, and none of them are to high school yet!

Edited May 30, 2009 by SilverMoon

[kalanamak]

Yes, I wish I was, by my father, who was a teacher by profession. He taught me many things anyway, like decent reading and the names of trees, etc. He was a lovely, patient man, and very, very widely educated. My mother was part Percheron, and if she wasn't cooking and cleaning and baking and gardening or hiking, she was knitting and needlepointing. She would have had trouble sitting still for it.

 

School was full of mean kids who didn't teach me to cope with people who are "different", but to withdraw, to be timid. I did not participate in a single extra curricular activity, but ran home as fast as possible and got on with the business of reading, piano-playing, and horseback riding.

Edited May 31, 2009 by kalanamak

[amiechoke]

Heh heh,

 

No, I don't think homeschooling would have worked for me only because my Mom could never have handled it - she just had too much on her plate, that was clear. An independent study program, though - that would have been awesome. Some of my best friends are people I met in school, but overall I was basically treading water until I could get my diplima and get out of there.

 

What's hilarious right now, though, is that my mom is making less than supportive comments about homeschooling (which doesn't bother me, fortunately)

 

...but she herself was basically homeschooled until she was about 12.

Edited June 15, 2009 by amiechoke

[kiana]

I was homeschooled from the middle of second-grade on. At first, my mother was very much against homeschooling, because in her opinion only crazy people who wanted to shelter their children from the world did that. Can you tell she was uninformed? :)

 

It took emotional abuse (such as being forced to sit in accidentally soiled pants all day, in first grade) before she gave up on 'the system' and took us out.

 

I'm very glad she did. I was unschooled and I don't think that was the 'best' environment for me, but it was better than the school could possibly have been.

 

I will homeschool my children -- it is not an issue yet, but I am gathering information and plenty of bean dip for when school-age comes around. I actually found this board when I was looking for information to convince the only other person whose opinion really matters. I was successful. :)

[Kathy in MD]

No, traditional school fit me to a T. Especially since the kids in grade school and the classes I was in in Jr High and HS had very competitive students. And I had plenty of time to supplement school with my interests, which varied from science to sewing and gardening.

 

Yes, I did have the occasional weak teacher and the 6th grade was a waste academically, though it did open my eyes to many things many people assume is the norm. Such as girls ranking boys over academics. Paddling kids because the homework isn't done. And a few other things that would create a MAJOR debate here and distract from your question.

 

But school was a great educational and growing opportunity for me. What would I change? Very little. Do I see sending my ds to traditional school? No, he's a very different type of student.

 

ETA My mother would have been great at it. She loved the summers when whe could spend time with use, taught us a lot and was a good, inovative public school teacher.

Edited June 14, 2009 by Kathy in MD

[Starr]

I wonder how well we can look back and decide it home schooling would have worked for us. We only see it through the lens of our remembered childhood. Maybe it would have worked well for most of us if that is what our parents wanted for us.

[IATeachingMom]

I wanted to be hs'ed. I was in a private Christian school until 5th grade. Then I went to ps. I didn't learn a thing in math from 5th grade until 11th grade...go figure. I hated the "politics" of school. Popularity, who had the cool clothes, who got a car for their 16th b-day...who was dating who...and so on. I loved learning then, and love it more now. I'm thrilled to be in a position to hs my ds, he's smart, and school to cramp his style. Often times when he plays with other kids, the others are fighting over who has the most and largest (legos for example) and who stole who's toys...my ds is generally building something like a catapult and is so excited when he's done. I can just see the look on his excited face, and then the other boys who just don't get it and think he's weird. :) I love hs'ing!

[Quiver0f10]

I hated my PS years and sadly, I got into a lot of trouble in the high school years. I did not recieve a good education due to my own mistakes. I wish I had gotten the education and the experience my kids are getting. However, my mother would have never been a good homeschool mom and I was better off in school.

[Krista in LA]

I have no doubt that I would have been happier if I had been homeschooled. Instead, I had to endure a public school education. I do think I learned more at home than I did at school just because of the type of people my parents are. I did a lot of self-educating as well.

[Renee in NC]

I wish I had been homeschooled. I could have homeschooled myself. What I did in school was do the work assigned as quickly as possible so I could spend the rest of my time reading and learning about other things. None of my parents would have been good homeschool parents, but I didn't really need a teacher - I can learn anything from written material.

 

I dropped out after 10th grade and got a GED. I did really well on the SAT, went to cc for one semester, and got a full tuition scholarship to a private college. Oh yeah, I had a baby in the middle of all that. I tell him it was his fault I did less than perfect on the math GED because I worked all day, was 8.5 months pregnant, and had to drive an hour to take the math subtest.

 

One of the biggest reasons I homeschool is so my dc don't have to deal with all the boredom and tediousness of school.

[Janet in WA]

 

I have to wonder if some of you who post problems with your mother/father (not illnesses or physical abuse or extreme poverty) involving clashes of personality, will, or tempermant..... would have had better relationships with your mother/father/siblings if you HAD BEEN homeschooled.

I can't speak for everyone, but there is no doubt that homeschooling our two younger sons made us better parents. That's one of many reasons I wish we had homeschooled our oldest son too.

[cathmom]

If I had been allowed to stay home from school and just read, at least for high school, I would have been a lot better off!

[mom4him]

THrough reading and researching, I have discovered what a disservice was done by me being allowed to move through the public school system. I was reading at age three and by Kindergarten was on a 3rd grade level. However, I got "held back" because I did not interact socially appropriate with the other kids. I went on to stay in trouble in school. When I got to 5th grade I was so uber bored, I would write "I refuse to do this" on my schoolwork and turn it in. Got held back again. Only then did my second 5th grade teacher realize "Hey, this kid is super smart". He put me in gifted classes and *surprise* I did better. By that time though, I was so soured on school that I hated it. My focus became purely social and even though I did well in school, taking all AP classes I ended up doing a lot of things (socially) that I would probably have never even thought of had I been brought home and socialized more appropriately.

 

So, my reasons for homeschooling did not stem from any of my experiences as a child. The choice came for two reasons: I saw my children being labeled and boxed in and couldn't stand it and 2) I felt God was laying it on my heart to homeschool.

 

Now, my decision has been confirmed because my eyes are opened about my childhood. I have went down the line and remember distinct turning points in my life that probably would have differed had I been in a different environment. WILD!

 

Anyhow...I am glad I am able to do this for my children. I will not be saddened by my childhood. Just *wish* someone would have seen the light then and saved my education.

Well, as far as me being home schooled, when I went to school hsing wasn't even a topic so can't fault my mom for that one.

I do wish I had totally home school my older 3 though. I did know about it by then but simply didn't have the self confidence that I could possibly do as good as a college educated teacher could:001_huh: Boy was I mistaken. I finally got tired of ps when my middle son was in the 7th grade and pulled him. Soon after my dd, who was going to graduate that spring asked to come home also. At that point she couldn't even construct a sentence say nothing about a paragraph! I have sure never regretted either of those moves.

I am not sure what it would take for me to put one of my younger two into ps.

[Janet in WA]

 

If I had been allowed to stay home from school and just read, at least for high school, I would have been a lot better off!

Me too. But I would have also spent a lot of time improving my drawing and sewing and guitar skills too. I was a very happy self-teacher.

[cin]

Homeschooling, under the right conditions, would have been superb for me. I was soooo bored during high school, and the teachers were sooo frustrated with me. I was MORE than capable. Homeschooling with MY mom would have been a disaster. Imagine ADD vs OCD. Yup. Not Pretty. She would have homeschooled me just like the public schools schooled me.

[TracyR]

I would of loved to have been homeschooled. Actually I did a lot of self educating growing up. I was bounced around from public and private schools, 10 to be exact. No, we weren't in the military. Just I was teased by children so badly that my mom thought the only solution was to take me out and put me in a different school. I was the quiet kid that everyone picked on. I didn't learn much of anything in school but how to protect myself.

I would of thrived having been homeschooled. I hated school with a passion and actually have blocked out most of my childhood memories because of that and the fact that my step father was abusive.

I wasn't able to escape from my abuse as a child. I was either abused by children or sometimes teachers and then would go home to a very unstable home. My mother was my best friend though. She just couldn't get things straight when it came to men and relationships.

I don't think my mom knew anything about homeschooling and we never knew anyone that was. I didn't know what homeschooling even was until my oldest daughter was 4yrs old.

I think if our life was better she would have and I would of done well. I would of been a homeschooling moms dream. I loved reading, doing school work and I can only ever remember one time in my teenaged years that I got mad at my mom and yelled at her. I loved being with my 2nd sister( I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers). She and I were born 1 year apart and were liked twins and I spent most of my days waiting for school to be done with so I could go and play with my sister.

I chose not to put my daughters in our school system. Its awful here and I would not subject them to the children they would have to go to school with. Many of the families here don't care about what their children do and very few are actually involved. Homeschooling is the best choice for us.

[JustGin]

Hmmm...good question. I'd have to say yes and no. I taught myself to read at age 4 and I clearly remember being bored out of my mind in 1st or 2nd grade because I was forced to read along with dear old Dick and Jane, even though I was reading chapter books on my own. I was always bully bait and we moved so very often that I seldom had more than one friend if that.

Then there was the stupid-ness that stuck me in speech therapy in the 4th grade so that while all the other kids were learning the multiplication tables I was saying "She sells see shells by the sea shore"...with two missing front teeth! Yeah, smart move that. I spent the next 4 years dragging along in math and getting farther behind and being convinced I was a total dummy at math.

Let's see, there was the bully in the 4th grade who made my every day a living h**L and the teacher in 7th who humiliated me in front of 6 periods of classes.

 

But on the other hand, in many ways school was a sanctuary for me. Home was so chaotic and sometimes downright dangerous. At school I was assured of a free lunch, a predictable routine and aside from math neat things to learn. Once I got out of the grades where learning to read was focus, I had subjects like social studies and writing which I adored.

 

So I guess I have to say that if my Mom had been stable and available, not having to work, I would have loved to have been taught by her. She was smart and funny and despite her illness she did managed to instill a love of learning in me so I think she would have been a good teacher.

[orangearrow]

I wasn't homeschooled, but wish I had been...

 

My dh was homeschooled, and wishes he hadn't been...

 

:lol: Go figure!

[Vida Winter]

I would have loved to have been homeschooled. In a sense, I was. I read almost every book that I could get my hands on, including about 10 or so each week from the library.

 

School was an abysmal bore for me. I learned most from my parents and books (I was an only child). School was also demeaning and at times, dangerous. I had been advanced a grade and was noticably smaller than other children. I was also bussed 2 hrs per day to a horrid school in a terrible neighborhood for middle school (riots and all that).

[sleepymommy]

I wish I was homeschooled.

 

Public school and I didn't mesh at all, I was often reprimanded and felt very dumb. I was on the verge of dropping out of high school, b/c I just could not stand being in school one day longer, when my guidance counselor suggested dual enrollment at the local community college. I was in 11 th grade and I only needed two more English classes to graduate. So I took them at community college. Wow, what a difference! I began to LOVE learning. I had the freedom to pick my schedule and my classes, I could work pretty much at my own pace. And most importantly, I felt smart for the first time in my life.

I did 2 years at the comm college, graduated summa cum laude, and went on to a wonderful 4 year university. From there I graduated with a 4.0.

 

And to this day, I love reading and learning. I just never fit the typical sit-at-your-desk and do what I tell you learning that is/was so prominent in the school system.

[Dobela]

I would have loved being homeschooled just because I was bored at school and would have preferred to read my own and study on my own (which I did lots anyway). But my mother couldn't have handled it. She was (and is) very isolated and I would have never had any opportunities outside of the home. I was barely allowed out to play with neighbor kids. I was another reading by 3, and was essentially very bored in schools as well. However, it was only thru school that I was exposed to music and other outside activities. I eventually became the editor of my high school year book and was involved in many activities.

 

My son though loves beign homeschooled now but I also have him out in many different activities. While my mom thinks they are great and that he needs them, she has admitted that if she became responsible for his education she would stop those and just stay home all the time.

[lynn]

I loved my elementary and middle schools in Massachusetts so no. Now the schools in S Florida were really, really bad I just went to 2 years of ps there and that was enough for me, like everything else in S FL it was an all around bad experience. I went to 2 great private schools in high school and really enjoyed my highschool years.

[DebonLI]

I know just the person I wish could have done the job, too. Her children do not appreciate her efforts.