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

[HeatherLynn]

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.

[LG Gone Wild]

No, because I didn't get along with my mother. If I did get along with her then possibly YES. I got to go to school in different countries and I went to both private and public. So, I got a lot out of that.

 

The worst was public high school. It was dull. Public elementary was kind of dumb, too.

[Wyndie]

My mom comments often that she wished she had hs'ed me. While there were some hsing families in our church, she did not feel brave enough to try (I don't blame her for it btw).

 

My sister (2 yrs ahead) was a brilliant child. Annoyingly so and all our teachers (I followed her in our small christian school) ALWAYS said "why can't you be like your sister?". Well that was annoying so I went the opposite direction and school was purely social party time. I was the flirty fun girl while she was the smartie. I enjoyed English and science, the rest was a complete joke and my grades showed it. After a few years the teachers just knew the next "pereira" girl coming up was NOT going to be like the first so I didn't have to hear that anymore.

 

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.

 

That's my 2 cents. I'm VERY glad I can hs my kids. My middle specifically would not do well in school; she needs very specialized "emotional" care that would be rare to find in ps. My son is very much like my sister - smart as a whip and throws it in your face, my daughter is very much like me and she would totally follow in my footsteps if she were in ps I'm sure. My third child has yet to show her learning bent so we'll see where she falls but I'm just so grateful that I can give them individual care rather than making them fit into a system.

[Greta]

I can certainly understand feeling that you wish you had been homeschooled given your particular situation. In my particular situation, though, I'm glad I wasn't. The combination of having a father who was a bit of a recluse and never wanted to go out or have people over, plus my parents belonging to a religion which taught them not to befriend people outside of that religion meant that school was the ONLY chance I had to socialize! Even though I was incredibly shy and awkward at school (especially during middle school, what an awful time), I still think it was better than the alternative. In my case.

 

And I did make a couple of lifelong friends. One I met when we were 7 years old, in the second grade, and we are still very close friends to this day. We both happened to have daughters at the same time, and now they are very close friends too! So that's pretty cool. That's probably the best thing that came out of my ps experience. :D

[Cindyg]

No -- not homeschooled, and glad. We went to a lovely Christian school which, at times, I was more bonded to than my family. And in my case, this was a good thing. It's not what I want for my son, but it was right for me.

 

Not every parent-child combination is right for homeschool. My mom and I weren't.

[Carol in Cal.]

My mom was so depressed as a housewife and mother. I think that she would have hated homeschooling. Plus she was good with very young children but hated it when they started to grow up and ask questions.

 

I would have learned well in an unschooling or learning enriched environment, though. I vividly remember the big projects I did in 5th and 9th grades, and how much I learned about researching and writing as well as documentation and subject area stuff from that. I wish that I had had more experiences of that type.

 

But I also know that that is not so for everyone. My DD really doesn't like that kind of work as much, nor does she retain as much material from it. She is really more of a spiral, audio learner.

 

I was lucky to attend a small school with two grades per class through 8th grade. That way I always had teachers who knew how to keep kids occupied while they taught others. Otherwise I would have been horribly bored from finishing early, and probably a behavior problem. I do believe that a small school environment is best for almost anyone, assuming that it includes pulling ahead options. I would have benefitted from having the chance to pull ahead in math, for instance, but there was not any opportunity to do so.

[SLH in ND]

I would love to have been homeschooled.

 

My Mom would have had her challenges, most likely the same challenges I face with my middle dd. DD & I are so much alike that we drive each other nuts, and 30+ years ago, it would have been the same thing, with me being that dd! Unfortunately, since there was no internet during any of my school years, so my dear Mother would have no place like this to come to, saying "advice needed - monster child won't listen to me!" :D

 

I was so painfully shy, I was teased constantly from grades 1-8. I had a few very close friends and teachers that I adored, but that's the extent of the positive memories for me. High School was a little better, but boring. I would have done well with a classical education.

 

Sheri :)

[bettyandbob]

Not by either my mom or dad. I would have liked it with a parent more patient and more sensitive than either. I love my parents, but they were demanding and harsh. And I was afraid of dads in general--until high school I avoided visiting any friend whose dad would be home at the time I visited.

[Jen in PA]

My mother would not have been up to the job, and the schools I attended were not awful. I do wish I had been homeschooled for high school, when I could have really managed my own studies. I learned more outside of school in my teens than I did in school through reading nonstop. I would have loved having more time to read useful things instead of sitting through much of what I took in 11th and 12th grades. As it was, I took some outside classes, accelerated my schedule, and graduated a semester early, so I think I was definitely responsible enough to handle my own education at that point.

[MelanieM]

In theory, perhaps. But based on the reality of growing up with my mother, no. Although, I would have definitely been in charge of my own education in my home, so perhaps it would have been a booming success! If it were this day and age where the Internet opens up the world to the student, then I could see how it might have been wonderful. But I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been 20-30 years ago, without a really engaged parent to facilitate the process.

[LizzyBee]

No. My mom was abusive and being stuck with her 24/7 would have been horrible. I went to good public schools and I loved school and college.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I went to a one-room school house for elementary. I suppose that's sort of like homeschooling - at least the school at home kind where you just use standard workbooks. I instead wished for the kind where we were encouraged to really dig deep. When I was 3rd grade, I told my teacher in all seriousness that I thought I'd rather go to college where I chose what to study!

 

In Jr. High and High school I begged my mom to homeschool me instead of sending me to boarding school but they refused. My brother had done correspondence in high school for two years and it had been a nightmare. Little did they know that much of that was because he was on drugs at the time. So instead, they sent me to the boarding school where he had been introduced to the drugs in the first place.

[athena1277]

Wow, that's a tough question for me. I see all the wonderful benefits of hs'ing and feel it is best for my dc. On the other hand I did not hate school and got a pretty decent education (I was one of the smart ones in the AP classes). When I think of all the good friends and good things I did get from ps, I think "noooo, I would never want to be hs'ed"! But who knows what other good things would have happened if I had been hs'ed? That's the million dollar question.

[Jenny in Atl]

No, but I wish I had. My mother would have been great, and I would have turned out to be a better educated person. None of the wasted time and scars from crappy peer-pressure & cliques.

[Heather in Neverland]

I would have LOVED being homeschooled. I was always bored and most the other kids got on my nerves with their antics.

[Orthodox6]

I'm very glad that I was not homeschooled. Not until I was 46 did I receive dx of my various learning and mental health conditions. Particularly in view of my probable Asperger's, it was a blessing that I had the external social environment. I went through plenty of "life problems" as it is, but I believe that attending an "outside school" helped.

 

As for academics, three things favored a good education for me. First, I'm so old (nearly 54) that the public schools in Houston included some on a quality par with excellent private schools, and that "conventional/traditional morality" was taught and expected. Second, when I was long into adulthood, my parents told me that the reason I spent so many years with the same set of classmates/friends was that, when in kindergarten, the "gifted & talented" (to use today's jargon) children were selected out to remain together through the end of 6th grade, to receive a more rigorous education. (Who knows whether that now would be considered legal or not !)

 

Third factor was that I was, to some extent, what now is called "an afterschooler". My mother -- God bless her for her determination ! ! ! -- read to db and me every day. I still remember hearing Shakespeare's plays during summer lunches while I was in elementary school. Mom quizzed me so thoroughly over school material, it was impossible not to do well on tests. Nor was Mom overbearing or pushy. Not at all ! She just encouraged db and me to work hard.

 

I guess I'm wending toward concluding that I had the best of both worlds !

[caitlinsmom]

I would have done very well being hs'd but not with my mother as the teacher. She was/is a bipolar alcoholic. School was my escape to the "normal" world. I do wish I was hs'd though as I was a very motivated over achiever. If I had been challanged more I think I would have been able to accomplish my earlier goals rather than just getting bored and giving up.

[Kfamily]

I would have loved to have been homeschooled but I know it would not have been something my mom would have done anyway. She and my dad are not even overly keen on our girls being homeschooled. But, she has come around a lot over the years (although pointing out my degree in education in our conversations as if to justify better). We moved a lot (around a dozen or more times before I even finished high school)! I can't even respond to threads like "What was your favorite book in 7th?" because I have to think hard of where I was living and then I can't remember much else. I have little to no memories of my teachers or their names much less what books I read for school. I do remember my high school years since we finally stayed in one place longer than two years. Whew!:001_smile: Yes, I would have loved to have been homeschooled.

[Laurel]

I wasn't homeschooled, and I'm glad I wasn't. I went to a fabulous public school. Before they had children, my parents knew they wanted to buy a house in my hometown because the school system was so great. My mother did her research and pushed for me to get the "better" teachers. (And they were really great teachers.) When I wanted to take classes in middle school and high school outside of the normal scope and sequence, my mother was my biggest advocate. She was very good at pushing and challenging me through the structure of the school system. (The school system was well known for being wonderful with gifted kids. Gifted kids - even exceptionally gifted kids - were not held back, even if that meant a math class all to themselves - essentially a private tutoring session.)

 

I am also an introvert and my mother never would have pushed me outside my comfort zone to socialize. She also gave in to things too easily, and I don't think I would have been adequately challenged. (I was very logical and argumentative and could talk her out of practically anything I didn't want to do.)

[patchfire]

My mom and I have discussed this. We're pretty sure we would have done really well, relationship-wise, if I had stayed home for school. Maybe too well, my mom says. The thing that ultimately deterred her was that I was an only child, and the only support groups around her at that time were much more conservative and fundamentalist than my mom has ever been. :)

[Dirtroad]

I would have LOVED to have been homeschooled. :001_wub: I would have actually graduated with a better education! We never read any books - just the textbooks. We were never asked the THINK... just repeat what the teacher thought & you got the A. Just parrot.

 

I hated the "clicks". Our class was filled with groups & peer pressure was wicked. We had social clubs & you had to be born into a certain family or neighborhood to be included. If you did 4-H, you were very weird. If you liked to wear something that wasn't the MAIN THING of the day (banana clips, leg warmers, Izods)... well, you had serious problems.

 

I never read J. Austen, Brontes, Kipling, Tolkien, Lewis, Dickens, or Margaret Mitchell (a must read in the deep south!). Or anyone else. I was an HONORS STUDENT.

 

As for family, I didn't get along with my brothers or my Dad (no abuse or anything - just annoyances & personality conflicts). However, today, as I watch my children cooperate and interact.... I realize we would have been a better team had we not been divided by school categories!

 

I believe classroom schools drive wedges through the family. They form a social structure of friends & outsiders ahead of the central family. My friends were way cooler than my brothers.... or atleast I thought. My parents were so out of touch with the group think.

 

Oh yeah... to be homeschooled would be a blessing. However, except for a few Jehovah Witness families... I had never heard of homeschooling until I was in my freshman year at Auburn. Thankfully, times have changed!!!

[Carrie12345]

I love my mother dearly, and maybe she could have been a good homeschooler through the grammar stage, but logic and rhetoric? No flipping way!

 

My sisters and I love to sink our teeth into a good debate, whether it be about the best pizza, politics, or parenting styles. Mom refuses to participate because she doesn't feel anyone is required to justify their opinions. They are what they are and they aren't meant to be challenged. I have no idea how my sisters and I turned out the way we did!

 

Of course, I still could have benefited from a good homeschool environment. I wasn't diagnosed with ADD until I was almost 30. The public school set up was not good for me. I never learned how to study. I never learned what it meant to think. I skated through school with A's and B's and then crashed and burned when I hit college.

 

I took ds out of regular school because of his Asperger's diagnosis and all that went with it. I decided to keep the rest of my kids out of school because I want them to learn how to think and to work hard before tossing them out into the college world. Hopefully they won't hit the road block I did.

[joannqn]

I was better off in school. School was an escape for me...it got me away from an alcoholic father, parents who used drugs, and a neighbor/babysitter who sexually abused me...for part of the day, at least.

 

However, I would have preferred to be taught rather than shipped off to the library to shelve books or tutor younger kids while I waited for my class to catch up to me. When I was finally put into the gifted program in 5th grade, it was kind of a shock to go from top of the class to just the average student in the class.

 

In high school, I had a couple of horrible teachers but had even more awesome teachers. I found out after graduation that they held meetings about me and held me up to get me through. I was told they asked me what was going on at home but I refused to tell them but I was too messed up to remember that. I do know that I felt like the teacher's pet in many of my classes and was given many concessions when I finally had a breakdown during finals week. One teacher graded me on a curve without turning in a notebook or final project and offered to shred my final exam and let me take it later. Another final exam was delayed until I was ready. I turned in a computer project two weeks late without penalty. Those kind of things. My science teacher got me the supplies I needed to do my required science fair project since my parents refused and I wasn't allowed to have a job. My ROTC teacher supplied transportation to interviews, medical exams, and fitness tests required for scholarships and pushed/walked me through applying to colleges. My father told me I wouldn't be going to college and refused to provide information for financial aid applications. My aunt paid for my cap and gown because my parents refused. I never got senior pictures, a yearbook, class ring, things like that. My mom produced 6 checks written over the course of four years for school-related purchases to prove that I was a spoiled rotten brat...that was after she punched me in the face.

 

No, school was where I needed to be...and even the time away from home every day didn't prevent all of the damage that they did. I'm still working through it and trying very hard not to pass the legacy on to my kids.

[Karen in CO]

Which is weird. I lived in a very, small town with very sheltering parents. After they took me out of the mind-numbing ps and put me in a private school, I loved going to school so that I could be around people - nice, normal, people. It was the only time, besides when I went to the library that I could be away from my parents.

 

Interesting question.

[Annie G]

In 1973 I found an ad for Calvert in a Yankee magazine and sent away for info. When it came I begged my parents to homeschool me. They refused, as I was 11 and they thought I was nuts. So yeah, I really wanted to be homeschooled.

[Peela]

I think I would have thrived as a homeschooler. I loved to read and to learn...I just didn't like being told what to do, and I had quite different values to my friends in school (private school), and I felt a lot of what we learned was just stupid.

However when I mentioned it to my mum recently- that I would have loved to homeschool- she said no way would she have had the patience to homeschool. She was interested in alternative forms of education- she oferred to send me to the international school when we knew it was time I left the private school- but I was too insecure to have that big a change. In retospect, it might have been good if she didnt give me the choice and just sent me there.

 

The thing is, I would have loved to homeschool- but I wonder how much my kids, given their natural predilection, would choose to, and what they will think of it when they grow up. Does it match their nature? I think for my son, we all recognise it is better than school. But for my daughter, I am not so sure, because I think we are here for different reasons- she is a social butterfly and sometimes feels isolated even though she has many friends. I sometimes think I am denying her the intensity of social experience she craves, by not letting her go to school. However, she hasnt pushed for it so far, and she is fairly compliant, and the reason we dont let her go is precicely because she is so social, and has a strong peer dependency. We would prefer she be more mature, older, befor she is put in an environment where others will pressure her to drink and do drugs.

[mktkcb]

I was homeschooled for 4th grade - 8th, and I have no regrets. I had generally positive school experiences all around, so I feel fortunate. Did k-3 at 2 different public schools, but was privileged to have very good teachers. Second grade teacher was a progressive sort, and we did learning stations in her room. Every week we had to pick a certain number of learning activities from the list to do that week. Every day the kids would rotate through the activity centers on their list, and check them off with the teacher. It was very fun. She was a master teacher. In 3rd we were not at the greatest of schools, but I had a very old fashioned teacher who read us Little house on the Prairie outloud, and made butter with us :o). I liked her. 4th - 8th I did calvert (parents were missionaries to Africa), and had amazing firsthand cross cultural experiences (toured all over Paris while my Mom and Dad were in language study). I went to a small Christian boarding school for MK's in Africa for most of high school, which was a blast. All the teachers were great, and they cared about the students. Did 10th in the states at a public hs, which, although pretty typical culturally (we thought American teenagers were pretty stupid), had very good teachers. I was in honors classes. Came back to the states, went to and graduated from a private Christian college. I am very blessed. I didn't plan to hs my kids, but ended up with a *live wire* for my first child. I knew several homeschoolers who encouraged me to hs her. I've never looked back, and 3 children later I still know I made the right choice. Oldest graduates in 2 weeks *sniff*! Wow! time flies....

Kayleen

[wildflower]

I wanted to homeschool as a kid and mom said no. she's a teacher and doesn't feel parents are fit to teach their kids. this explains so many of our issues. :D

too bad, i would have made an awesome unschooler, which i pretty much was, didn't learn a thing in the school i was in. graduated with 700 kids, still will meet one now and then and introduce ourselves when we realize we went to school together but never met!

[lgm]

I went to rural schools. My high school had no tracking or advanced classes at all, too small. No gifted program, but lots of individualization and expert teachers. I would have enjoyed a satellite class, but that didn't exist back then. I appreciate my teachers for everything they did to keep me challenged with independent study and point me in the right direction for college. I was prepared and did well. My parents did not have the expertise that my teachers did. I think often of my high school math teacher as I afterschool my kids.

[Spy Car]

No. I throughly enjoyed the social aspect of school. And my parents, Mom was a teacher and Dad is a brilliant person, were heavily involved in my education and opening my world to a wide range of experiences.

 

I feel like I had the best of both worlds.

 

Bill

[Tree House Academy]

Absolutely not. LOL My mom would not have been a wonderful homeschooling momma. As a matter of fact, I would have probably been begging to go to public school. My mom never was "good" in school and I asked her once if she would have ever homeschooled me and she said, "no...I was never smart enough to get ME through school...much less you." Now, I don't believe that for a second...but I am also glad she didn't try. Could have been kinda ugly when I was a teenager.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[Blue Hen]

No. My mom was abusive and being stuck with her 24/7 would have been horrible. I went to good public schools and I loved school and college.

 

:iagree: Home w/ mom was awful, school was my escape, babysitting was my escape, anything to be away from there.

[MomLovesClassics]

I will not name the county we moved to but it was horrible. The bully stuff you see on tv is nothing compared to what I went through.

We moved from a school and area I loved to a place far away. Here is some things that happened. keep in mind the school bus took all kids from k-12 on the same bus. The first time on the school bus, I was held down by a big high school kid so another kid could kiss me, and fondle me, this is when I was only 10. On the bus kids would smoke in the back. I was gropped many times on this bus. This went on for years. Once a boy twisted my arm and almost broke it because I could not put a window up. I was threatened with knives and scissors. I was on this bus at 7:15 every morning and home at 4:45 every afternoon. I hated the school bus but there was no alternative. If I spoke up and told what happened on the bus I was threatened and beat when I returned to the bus. School was not so bad, maybe the education was a bit lacking, but I did not have to worry about being abused. That is until I went to high school. In high school I had to worry about boys touching me in the hallways. There was no break only 5 minutes between classes with halls so crowded you could barely walk. The education was very lacking. I did get lucky, and someone who I let copy my paper in algebra kept the boys from grabbing me. It was such a relief. If only he rode the bus to keep those off me.

 

I would have given anything to have not had that experience. I hated that place so much. I was so glad to get away from there.

[Katiebug_1976]

I went to a christian school for K & 1st grade, then my parents pulled me out and homeschooled me through 8th grade. I went back to the same christian school for 9th grade, then to the public highschool for 10th-12th. I am truly grateful for the wisdom and the strength that God gave my parents to pull me out of school and homeschool. I feel very blessed that I was not subjected to some of the AWFUL things that my friends & dh went through when they were in grade school.

 

We also chose to homeschool our kids when we saw that public school was becoming a very BIG negative influence in our childrens lives, educationally and socially.

[coralloyd]

I went to some private and public school, but most of my education was homeschooled (starting in Kindergarten). I LOVED it! One of the times that I went to school, was when I was going to be a freshmen. My mom was overwhelmed and decided to put me in public school. I ended up going to a school that was not my district. I wanted to be at the school most of my friends attended. Well, after 1 year of ps I was completely bored, and asked to come home again. Even my friends were more boring in school than outside of school. My friends talked about the same things day in and day out, I got so sick of all the drama. Don't get me wrong I loved my friends, they were just drones during school hours :tongue_smilie:. So I begged to come home, and my mom let me (l love her):001_wub:.

 

My mom was very alone, since the only people who hsed back then were strange odd balls. I really admire my mom's courage and strength to go against the croud for my benifit.

[LibraryLover]

Not with my particular parents, whom I lurve to bits. They are both very intelligent, imo. That's not the reason. But no. And put 'Hell' before no. lol

[stripe]

Maybe, but maybe not! Ha.

[CalicoKat]

nope. I don't think I would have survived my mother. She was enamored, still is, by my oldest sister and spent alot of time letting the rest of us know how much we didn't measure up.

[SnowWhite]

I went to an Amish school for grades 1-8 and was homeschooled for grades 9-12. I have ALWAYS known I wanted to homeschool my own children.

[keptwoman]

No!

I was very sheltered outside of school and if I hadn't had school, I would have been sheltered more than was healthy... even with school I don't consider the lengths that my parents took to keep me from society to have been in my best interests in the long run.

My Mum would have done a good job of homeschooling me though.

[phathui5]

In 9th grade, I read The Teenage Liberation Handbook, realized it had everything that I already felt about school in it, and begged my parents to let me leave the cage that was high school and design my own education. They refused, because going to school was "just what you do."

 

In 10th grade, I dropped out of school, moved out of their house, took the GED and moved on with my life.

 

School for me was like the crappy job you're dying to quit. I was so happy when I left public school.

[Ginevra]

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.

 

In some ways, I wish I had been homeschooled. I enjoyed the first portion of my education up until half-way through sixth grade. At that point, we abruptly left the small Christian school in which I had done so well. Public school was a catastrophe for me. My parents made it more so, by not helping ease the transition.

 

In theory, I wish when we left the Christian school, I had been homeschooled from that point on. But, in reality, I don't know that the homeschooling that I would have had *then* would have been so outstanding. What would be nice is if the homeschooling resources that are now in place could have been available to me then. But - oh well - spilled milk.

[LibraryLover]

In 9th grade, I read The Teenage Liberation Handbook, realized it had everything that I already felt about school in it, and begged my parents to let me leave the cage that was high school and design my own education. They refused, because going to school was "just what you do."

 

In 10th grade, I dropped out of school, moved out of their house, took the GED and moved on with my life.

 

School for me was like the crappy job you're dying to quit. I was so happy when I left public school.

 

 

I did not know that about you!

 

I have a teen who ha been hs'd since 3rd grade. If you have tips about college apps, we'd appreciate it. We are among the few teen hsers around us who aren't going to public school. Was your college open to hsers? Did you ahve to reinvent the wheel?

[Garga]

I'd have thrived on being homeschooled.

 

My mother says that she wishes she'd known about hsing waaay back then.

 

School was horrible for me. Finally, this past March, I prayed and one-by-one forgave every child (by name) that had tormented me in school. And at the age of 36, those scars were healed. School was awful and for the first time in my life I can think about it and talk about it without terrible sadness and regrets.

 

Homeschool would have been beautiful for me. But thankfully, as of March I'm free of the past, so now I can say that w/o bitterness.

[Rosie_0801]

My dad didn't have enough respect for my mothers intellect to have allowed her to homeschool even if she thought she could. If she had, my education probably wouldn't have been much worse, and I would have been far better off socially. Ideally, given my situation, being homeschooled until year 9 would have been best.

 

Rosie

[Ginevra]

I wish this had been set up as a poll. It's fascinating and surprising...okay, totally shocking that so many of us do not think homeschooling would have been good for us or in our relationship with our parents!

 

 

I hope my kids don't think that....

[Impish]

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 joke, but in all seriousness, my mother, it has been agreed by those who have experienced her machinations, cannot be considered psychologically well. I'm a little weird, sure, but its in the kooky, neat, LIKEABLE way...or so I'm told. By real people even. :tongue_smilie:

 

I shudder to think who or WHAT I might be if I'd been left to her...uh...'tender' mercies 24/7.

 

'scuse me, the very thought has me in need of a shower. With very hot water. And steel wool. And bleach.

[OnTheBrink]

No. My mom was abusive and being stuck with her 24/7 would have been horrible. I went to good public schools and I loved school and college.

 

I used to ask to be put into foster care. So, no; I'm very happy to have had school to escape to. In high school, marching band literally saved my life.

[Kristiana]

It's so interesting to read everyone's experiences.

 

I wasn't hs, but would have loved it! My mom even said a while back, "You would have loved to have been homeschooled, wouldn't you?" when she saw all the things my boys are learning, especially with history and great children's literature.

 

It wouldn't have worked out though, she was extremely tied up with my siblings who were all physically and mentally handicapped and required a lot of care. My dad, was a public school teacher (choir) and hs was not even on his radar, although he is a brilliant man and a gifted teacher. I had an ok ps education though. It was in a small town and everyone knew and respected my parents and I think that helped. I had a few wonderful teachers who went above and beyond trying to challenge me and stimulate me, and looked out for me as I was extremely shy. Of course I had a lot of indifferent teachers too.

 

High school wasn't too bad because I was heavily involved in the music program with my dad. He also taught AP Amer history and got me through the AP test. That was really the only challenging class I had and the only place I got any decent writing instruction.

 

My mother, I suppose, could be called an afterschooler. One of my earliest memories is of her reading The Wizard of Oz to me. She always challenged me to read good literature and seek out good art and music. My dad encouraged my love of history and always found books of brain puzzles and logic problems to keep me mentally stimulated. (Since ps school didn't do the job!)

 

So I can't complain necessarily, but I think I would have done well with a classical education. I'm so glad I have the option to hs my kids and that there are so many wonderful resources out there now.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Kristiana

[laughing lioness]

I, too was an early reader but had a late summer birthday. I was constantly in trouble for "wiggling" and "reading too much."

H.S. was FULL of activities for me, but had little to do with academics. One of my goals was to read all of the classics and I remember thinking that if I'd had "a classical education" I could be as smart as I was expected to be. School was Boring. I begged to be allowed to graduate early but both parents worked f.t. and they thought I was too young to go to college. As it was my mom dual enrolled me in CC. Did I mention how boring I thought school was?? My older sis had back surgery and was in a body cast one year for high school. She had a private tutor and loved it. That's what I was hoping for, or self education, not necessarily being homeschooled by my parents.