Poll: Why does your husband homeschool/entrust you with homeschooling?

[In the Rain]

I research so much he thinks it's impossible for me to muck it up. Plus I care more about their education than anyone, including him.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I selected "both", but building stronger family relationships would also apply.

[Crimson Wife]

My DH has a very "schoolish" mindset. I don't know if it's because both his parents are teachers (now retired) or because he has had what the mainstream culture considers a very successful academic career- valedictorian of his prep school, National Merit finalist, Stanford undergrad, Harvard graduate degree, yadda, yadda, yadda. He only reluctantly agreed to HS because he crunched the numbers and we couldn't afford private school tuition or the housing costs in a neighborhood with "good" government-run schools.

 

Periodically he makes noises about enrolling her in a traditional school :ohmy: He insisted this academic year for her to be enrolled in a virtual charter school. I'm not happy about it, but at least she's still home. Just this past weekend he was grumbling that if she doesn't score at least in the 90th percentile for math on the upcoming STAR tests, she has to attend our neighborhood government-run school next year. I showed him the CA state standards for math and how she already knows everything on them. His reply is that if she actually knows them, why did she "only" score in the 78th percentile on the Scantron the charter gave her at the beginning of the year and why did she score in the 25th percentile of CTY test takers for math on the SCAT? Who cares about her sky-high verbal scores, by God I must be a horrible teacher since she's not equally gifted in math :banghead:

[Dayle in Guatemala]

I would say that for us, it's a far better choice than other schooling options. It's a bonus that we get to teach our beliefs and worldview as well.

[IsabelC]

I believe the original idea came from me, however I can honestly say that we are on the same page with it. We don't think that school would be beneficial for our children at this stage, so we're not sending them.

[Amy loves Bud]

Because he doesn't think anyone can do a better job than their mother who is extremely intelligent and loves them more than life itself. :D

 

See why Amy loves Bud?

[FO4UR]

My DH has a very "schoolish" mindset. I don't know if it's because both his parents are teachers (now retired) or because he has had what the mainstream culture considers a very successful academic career- valedictorian of his prep school, National Merit finalist, Stanford undergrad, Harvard graduate degree, yadda, yadda, yadda. He only reluctantly agreed to HS because he crunched the numbers and we couldn't afford private school tuition or the housing costs in a neighborhood with "good" government-run schools.

 

Periodically he makes noises about enrolling her in a traditional school :ohmy: He insisted this academic year for her to be enrolled in a virtual charter school. I'm not happy about it, but at least she's still home. Just this past weekend he was grumbling that if she doesn't score at least in the 90th percentile for math on the upcoming STAR tests, she has to attend our neighborhood government-run school next year. I showed him the CA state standards for math and how she already knows everything on them. His reply is that if she actually knows them, why did she "only" score in the 78th percentile on the Scantron the charter gave her at the beginning of the year and why did she score in the 25th percentile of CTY test takers for math on the SCAT? Who cares about her sky-high verbal scores, by God I must be a horrible teacher since she's not equally gifted in math :banghead:

 

She's 7yo...right?! :grouphug:

[Night Elf]

Other: everything! My DH and I agree on everything about homeschooling, including, but not limited to:

 

1. It's a better education with less cr*p to deal with.

2. Our children are not subjected to being raised by peers

3. Our family is close because we are not divided into them vs. us with both relationships of parents and children, and siblings.

4. We really love being a significant part of their daily lives, not just evenings.

5. Public schools may be secular in curriculum, but not in people. Peers are not only mean about things like intelligence and appearance, but can also be mean about religious values.

[Harriet Vane]

Dh likes the freedom it provides, both in tailoring what we study to our needs and interests, but also in being able to take vacations or days off whenever we want.

[lllll]

I had to call him at work about something else, so I slipped this question in. Here's the quote:

 

"I have to go to work now. (long pause) You have the patience to do it and I never would have. (another long pause ... means he's thinking up what he thinks he should say ;)) Didn't want to subject them to the ps's and couldn't afford private schools with you staying home ... and it was important for you to stay home ... (here he's about to get himself into trouble so he just stops talking - which is my que to say ... 'OK, bye.' Which I say.) :)

 

As I remember it, however, he didn't really care one way or the other. He was too busy building his career; so anything to keep me out of his hair while he did that was OK by him. Sometimes God just blesses me in the most unexpected ways..... ;):D

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

My DH has a very "schoolish" mindset. I don't know if it's because both his parents are teachers (now retired) or because he has had what the mainstream culture considers a very successful academic career- valedictorian of his prep school, National Merit finalist, Stanford undergrad, Harvard graduate degree, yadda, yadda, yadda. He only reluctantly agreed to HS because he crunched the numbers and we couldn't afford private school tuition or the housing costs in a neighborhood with "good" government-run schools.

 

Periodically he makes noises about enrolling her in a traditional school :ohmy: He insisted this academic year for her to be enrolled in a virtual charter school. I'm not happy about it, but at least she's still home. Just this past weekend he was grumbling that if she doesn't score at least in the 90th percentile for math on the upcoming STAR tests, she has to attend our neighborhood government-run school next year. I showed him the CA state standards for math and how she already knows everything on them. His reply is that if she actually knows them, why did she "only" score in the 78th percentile on the Scantron the charter gave her at the beginning of the year and why did she score in the 25th percentile of CTY test takers for math on the SCAT? Who cares about her sky-high verbal scores, by God I must be a horrible teacher since she's not equally gifted in math :banghead:

:grouphug: He needs to see more articles on how individualized learning really benefits students and all the wonderful opportunities available to homeschoolers;)

[Pamela H in Texas]

My hubby's primary reason was socialization while mine was academics.

 

It's funny. Hubby and I came from opposite ends of the socialization issue. He was popular and a good looking guy. So he was coming from that side. I wasn't popular or good looking (though I looked fine enough, just not in the way that works at school). Neither of us wanted our kids socialized the way we were. Weird. Our kids really aren't like either of us. How much of that is not being schooled? I'm sure we'll never really know. But regardless, we have two great teens so we're happy :)

 

Actually, academics were a similar situation. Hubby was very smart but struggled in school (likely adhd but dyslexia really caused an issue). I didn't find school interesting most of the time and hated doing things I had learned years prior. Our kids are very much like we were. We have two very bright kids, one more academically inclined and another with learning/developmental issues.

 

Of course, in time, we added various other reasons...

[Trixie]

For us, home educating is a lifestyle choice. It's not just about education or socialization or any other specific, listable factors, necessarily.

[jujsky]

DH homeschools for the same reasons I do:

 

1. We can do a better job than government schools

2. We are both against NCLB

3. Our SPD son would NOT do well in a traditional classroom, and we both agree that most aides are just going to give him the answers because it's easier than forcing him to do the work

4. We want to have more time as a family, and we want our kids to have more opportunities outside of the classroom.

[LibraryLover]

I voted other. We are partners. We were interested in our young children having freedom to be with family, read and/ or play all day, and/or pursue passions/ interests as they chose.

Edited January 26, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Crimson Wife]

She's 7yo...right?! :grouphug:

Yes, she's 7 and just about to finish RS C and start Singapore 3A. So in no way, shape, or form is she "behind" in math. Her main problem is that she hasn't yet learned how to take standardized tests. When presented with a problem she doesn't know how to solve, she freaks out and starts randomly answering. This was particularly a problem on the SCAT, which is an above-grade level test, but also was an issue with the harder questions on the Scantron.

[Mommyfaithe]

I have no idea why he trusts me..LOL...I wouldn't trust me If I were him, but maybe because I am doggedly determined to give my children a better childhood and a better education than he or I had. Maybe it is because he doesn't trust the government to have a hand in raising our kids. Maybe he sees all the benefits our older kids received from their homeschool experience....and how stable they are.

 

Sometimes I wonder if he should trust me at all....but then again, I don't give up easy....my kids are happy, well adjusted, quite literate, and thriving...so I must be doing something right.....

 

Faithe

 

ETA: He really trusts me as he has no input whatsoever. I choose curricula, research teaching and learning styles, choose books, projects, field trips. sports, enrichment opportunites etc. He works his tail off to provide the opportunity for us to do this. He always has lap room and he is a great Dad, but he is totally hands off when it comes to school.

Edited January 26, 2010 by Mommyfaithe

[swellmomma]

It's not so much that he entrusts me to homeschool specifically. BUT he entrusts me to raise them right, he has barely seen them in the nearly 9 years we have been separated. My choice to homeschool is in that category so he minds his business about it. Occasionally he asks if I will ever send them back, usually my response is "only if he is prepared to deal with the daily phone calls, and meetings with the school, the meltdowns, tantrums, etc etc" that come with my particular kids being a school setting. That usually makes him shut up and go back to trusting that I know what my kids need more than he does.

[laughing lioness]

I was writing a thesis on "Why Parents Homeschool" 15 years ago and my lit review was on the history of American Ed- at the same time he was writing a dissertation on test differentials among ethnic groups using the Raven Progressive Matrixes. You could say we educated each other about what we were each studying. I shared with him lots of of what I was researching, as he did- both areas about the culture of education and learning. That was that. Once we knew the intent, purpose and vision of government school we also knew it wasn't a vision we could endorse for our family. The research also gave words to our own experience as public school students and endorsed what we already inherently knew. Both of our reasons for homeschooling fall under academics, religious beliefs, acculturation, social role selection, etc. etc.

[WistfulRidge]

When we were dating and during the first thirteen or fourteen months of our marriage he didn't have any reason. He thought I was crazy to want to do it, but I wasn't exactly giving him an option. Homeschooling falls under the "mandatory" category in my eyes. A few months before I had DS he came around really quick when he had to take a Business Writing class and he saw just how much the public school system (all over the country!) had failed the students in his class. About the same time there were advertisements on the radio for a summer program to teach middle school and highschool students how to teach themselves so that they could make it through the public school system (only it phrased it more nicely). Since then he's as enthusiastic and committed to it as I am - but his big motivation is definitely the academics.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Because we have some of the worst schools here in AZ. (I'm sure there are some good ones out there...somewhere.) He knows our kids have a better chance of being stretched to their potential at home with focused attention than hiding in the herd with 25 other squiggly kids.

[rwjx2khsmj]

And I quote, "Because if anyone is going to indoctrinate our children, it should be us."

[eternalknot]

What is the #1 reason your dh/(or male s.o.) homeschools or entrusts you to homeschool?

 

My husband and I have been separated for several years, but through it all he has always trusted me to do right by our children. He hasn't always agreed with me or my choices, but he trusts that I make my decisions with careful evaluation. I don't do things rashly, nor do I jump on random bandwagons. It helps that I usually run stuff by him, not so much for approval but for a second head to bounce concerns and ideas off of. It's not education per se that he entrusts to me, it's his kids and their well-being -- he entrusts me to their total care, whether that is homeschooling or healthcare or _______ (fill in the blank).

 

Why does he homeschool?

 

We have non-traditional living and work situations. Homeschooling allows us to have complete flexibility when it comes to spending time as a family.

[StephanieZ]

I voted 1) better education as that is our primary rationale for hs . . .

 

But, beneficial effects on family relationships and also protection from the uglier aspects of peer culture (not religious so much as moral/ethical differences) are very high on our lists as well.

[Nicole M]

Okay, I asked my husband at dinner, and although he didn't really get the question, he got the right answer: "Because you're brilliant and capable?" [Pause. Chuckle.] "Why wouldn't I?" Good man. :D

 

Like someone else said, it's a lifestyle thing here. It works for us.