Compared to your IRL HS friends, are you MORE or LESS rigorous?

[Plucky]

Maybe it's just me, but this whole thread seems like some giant homeschooling competition. If I get flamed for this, just know I'll be gone all day.

[Crimson Wife]

when so many around us are going on constant field trips and park days and are done by noon.

 

Shorter days and frequent field trips can co-exist with rigorous curriculum.I'd personally rather my kids do 10 really challenging math word problems than 5 pages' worth of rote equations...

[nmoira]

Shorter days and frequent field trips can co-exist with rigorous curriculum.I'd personally rather my kids do 10 really challenging math word problems than 5 pages' worth of rote equations...

:iagree:

[Researcher]

Depends on the person.

 

I can think of a couple of friends who might be more rigorous than I am. Most of the other homeschoolers I know are less rigorous.

 

But in the end, I just do what is best for my kids and give them the opportunities to work to a level I know they are capable of. That might be more or less than another child.

[Hebrews3:13]

I have a mix of friends here I guess. Because of the Armed Forces we have a LOT of homeschoolers here. I don't exactly hang with too many.

 

I know some unschoolers and well their children are woefully behind. I know that cannot be the case with all unschoolers. I guess the ones I know seem to have chosen unschooling to justify their wanting to do nothing with their children. One goes to a co-op once a week and that is school-including her high school aged children. The other has an 18 year old doing Algebra 1. I cringe about both situations.

 

A few others are eclectic, doing a mix, but little or no foreign language and still lots of co-op activities.

 

The rest use an entire boxed curriculum- mostly BJU with few add-ons.

 

I think we are OK. We could certainly stand to add some things. In my defense I LONG to be more rigorous. I would love to add a host of things, but with the learning issues my children have it would be difficult. I hope in the near future to add more.

 

I am envious that many of you are able to accomplish so much with your children, when my son struggles through Math for an hour or more each day and my oldest is in tears as well. I refuse to add so much that we are spending an entire day doing third grade. I still want him to love learning, which somehow he does.

 

~Laurie

[Murphy101]

I put "much more" because other people comment on what I do as though it is really hard and I am really some kind if incredible for doing "it all".

 

It seems to me that what defines me as "rigorous" to most people irl tends to be less about the curriculum I use and more about:

 

My insistence that we devote time to it every day and get up early enough to have time to do it.

 

My insistence on writing and editing of said writings.

 

My insistence on doing "many" math problems.

 

My insistence on having a schedule, plans, and taking the time to grade their work several times a week, if not daily.

 

Personally, I don't think the actual curriculum is particuliarly rigorous, though I do think it of good quality or I wouldn't use it.;)

[Veritaserum]

Hmm.... I'd say I'm more structured than most of the homeschoolers in my area. TJEd, a flavor of unschooling, is extremely popular in my area. It's taboo to "force" your child to do school work you choose. If you do make your child read this book, do these math pages, write this paragraph, etc., you will make your child hate learning. There is a big emphasis on child-led exploration and the idea that your child will catch up later. TJEd is big on classics, but light on skills. TWTM gives us skills AND classics. I suppose that makes us more rigorous. :)

 

So, I feel like the odd man out for doing "school at home" with math and grammar, etc. every day. :tongue_smilie: Thankfully I have a few structured homeschooling buddies. :)

[Nestof3]

Maybe it's just me, but this whole thread seems like some giant homeschooling competition. If I get flamed for this, just know I'll be gone all day.

 

No flames, Elaine. But, I have found that I am spurred on more by people on this board and in the WTM local group than I am from any other homeschoolers I know.

 

I spent years with people who thought their children were good at math as long as they could do farm math. These people have no intentions of their children ever going to college. One mom honestly had no time to teach her 11 year old how to read. This WAS my reality for years. This was the only homeschooling experience I had in real life.

 

All I ever heard when people talked of not doing school for days was, "You're never behind."

 

This board helped me when I wanted more.

[Murphy101]

No flames, Elaine. But, I have found that I am spurred on more by people on this board and in the WTM local group than I am from any other homeschoolers I know.

 

I spent years with people who thought their children were good at math as long as they could do farm math. These people have no intentions of their children ever going to college. One mom honestly had no time to teach her 11 year old how to read. This WAS my reality for years. This was the only homeschooling experience I had in real life.

 

All I ever heard when people talked of not doing school for days was, "You're never behind."

 

This board helped me when I wanted more.

 

:iagree:

 

When I want to know about curriculum and methods, I hit the net.

Almost no one IRL ever says anything other than not to worry and pray about it. Not very helpful at all.

[angela in ohio]

I think the opposite. I see a lot of posts about relaxing and doing less on these boards lately.

 

I chose the first option. I have been called formidable, intense, and rigorous, and those were people who like me. :D I can only imagine what the people who don't like me say. ;)

 

And I don't consider rigor to be more time spent. I know a lot of people who spend hours and hours slogging through busywork and cutesy projects, but they aren't doing anything substantial, just producing a lot. My dc have a lot of free time (though they spend it all in what most would consider academic pursuits,) but our work is very rigorous.

[Halcyon]

No flames, Elaine. But, I have found that I am spurred on more by people on this board and in the WTM local group than I am from any other homeschoolers I know.

 

I spent years with people who thought their children were good at math as long as they could do farm math. These people have no intentions of their children ever going to college. One mom honestly had no time to teach her 11 year old how to read. This WAS my reality for years. This was the only homeschooling experience I had in real life.

 

All I ever heard when people talked of not doing school for days was, "You're never behind."

 

This board helped me when I wanted more.

 

I agree. Most people in my area don't really have a structure to their day, don't' do daily, or even semi-daily, math/writing/reading, and I often hear "oh, we didn't get to school today" :confused:

 

I sometimes feel as though I am the only one places a very, very high priority on doing our schoolwork daily, for a pretty set amount of time, with the intention of covering particular subjects/information. I rarely allow myself to use the excuse "life got in the way" of our doing schoolwork. My closest friend is an unschooler and she respects my choices but approaches her children's education very, very differently.

 

ETA: I too consider "rigor" to be more about working hard, being consistent, applying oneself every day to the work at hand, and constantly striving to master and move beyond.

Edited April 23, 2011 by Halcyon

[lauracolumbus]

I have a couple of unschooling friends whose dc are doing quite well. One's dd is travelling the world as a model (I know, not my goal, but still...) and her other was accepted into a demanding engineering school. She and her kids had a lot of fun when they were younger and didn't get 'serious' until midway through high school. The other friend also has two dds accepted into good schools. It often gives me pause...

 

Laura

[SailorMom]

I don't have a wide circle of HS friends IRL - but of the ones I do, I am far more rigorous. I'm not saying their kids aren't learning - they are - we just do it differently. They'll be the first to admit that I am more "rigorous".

[missmoe]

I answered, but in reality I don't have any real life homeschooling friends. I have some acquintances, but nobody I'm close to. I think I'm a bit more riqorous simply because of a few conversations and the many different activities I see other homeschoolers that I know are involved in, but of course I don't know for sure.

[stripe]

Putting my reservations about the word "rigorous" aside and making allowance for ability vs age, I'd say that I'm much more rigorous than most of my friends. However, we still do manage short days, no more than 3 hours (less for my 6yo).

Personally I hate the word "rigorous."

 

I have no idea what other people do, including those whose children are in school. I don't know many homeschoolers, although my husband was hoping I'd "discuss curriculum" with other mothers. Hasn't happened yet. I don't really ask, but one lady I know uses Calvert. Have I mentioned I have a HSing relative? Don't discuss anything with her either. Anyway I don't seem to either use as many workbooks or have an unschooling approach, so I don't feel like I fit in with most other people.

[justamouse]

I think the opposite. I see a lot of posts about relaxing and doing less on these boards lately.

 

I chose the first option. I have been called formidable, intense, and rigorous, and those were people who like me. :D I can only imagine what the people who don't like me say. ;)

 

And I don't consider rigor to be more time spent. I know a lot of people who spend hours and hours slogging through busywork and cutesy projects, but they aren't doing anything substantial, just producing a lot. My dc have a lot of free time (though they spend it all in what most would consider academic pursuits,) but our work is very rigorous.

 

I agree. And I'm one of those who is always saying to relax. :001_smile: And I'm still considered rigorous around here.

[melissel]

I am the only person in my IRL circle who homeschools for academic reasons.

 

I am surrounded by unschoolers, people who object to the institution school, people who have kids with behavioral issues... a conversation about educational content or curricula is impossible. It is a taboo topic never mentioned at homeschool group which was not what I had expected.

 

This is my experience as well. It has never been a problem, but now that we're getting nearer to 4th grade and I'm getting less relaxed, it's starting to become an issue in that we're now missing out on a lot of extras (classes, field trips, park days, general get-togethers) because I'm wanting to focus on schoolwork but no one else is! And I'm finally starting to received my first "Why bother with that?!" comments :glare:

[MissKNG]

I think we are somewhat more rigorous but that's, in part, because my big girl is such an aggressive learner.

[Tarreymere]

What IRL homeschooling friends? I'm supposed to have IRL homeschooling friends? :001_huh:

[FaithManor]

I'm considered the tough, evil homeschool mom. My closest and dearest friend IRL homeschools her children and they get a solid, basic education t with few electives and not very difficult in terms of writing. Plus, she is very "scared' of classical literature and it's themes so her children do not read anything very challenging (she went to the same legalistic/fundamentalist/control freak high school I went to and hasn't been able to entirely shake off that influence). Her kids will be excellent mathemeticians (her husband is a high school algebra 2/trig teacher and very talented) and their English skills are excellent. She is beginning to branch out a little in science but isn't nearly has rigorous as I and though her children do a tremendous amout of reading about history, mapwork, and some timelines, they do no writing about history. She is open about the fact that I have higher expectations and that my children do more and harder work than hers. That said, she isn't lazy or haphazard (very organized/well-planned) and her children will have a good, general education.

 

The other homeschoolers I know don't even get in the ball park. They are very worried about having fun, to point of letting curriculum and educational milestones slide, and do not actually have a plan of where they want their children to be by the end of high school, so much is left to fall by the wayside and they have openly criticized us for not promoting more "fun-fun". So I don't spent much time with other homeschoolers anymore. That said, I doubt that they are any worse off than at the local public school which is abyssmal and that's according to several teachers in that district. As a matter of fact, only about 25% of the faculty and staff of the district actually send their children to the schools they teach in....so, I cannot possibly imagine that the haphazardly taught homeschool children I know are actually going to be less educated.

 

Mostly, we are fanatical weirdos because we do something called "classical education". Our kids will not stop high school math at geometry, take business math for 11th grade, and no math as seniors - they go through pre-calc or even calc 1, they read classical books and several of them each year, they will write research papers in science and history and while most homeschoolers are graduating their kids with 20 credits, ours will have 26-30.

 

So, yeah, we are the ridiculous, slave driving parents. It doesn't bother us. DD finished this term's pre-med classes with her lowest final grade as a 95% and her highest a 114%. She's earned awards as a paramedic student and is perfectly happy and well-adjusted. Let the naysayers yap away!

 

Faith

[Homemama2]

I didn't vote b/c it's hard to tell...I know tons of hser's and they all teach so differently, and use such a variety of stuff...

Although I don't know many classical or WTM hser's, I think we are all about equally rigorous, just in different areas (if that makes sense). One family won state for the spelling bee, in another family the kids are science whizzes, other ones are really advanced in math and the rest of us are just working our hardest to give our kids a great education. Most of the hser's I know are either eclectic or traditional hser's...and a few CMer's who also have 'rigorous' schedules. I haven't met anyone in my area that "unschools".

Edited April 23, 2011 by Homemama2

[The Girls' Mom]

Probably more rigorous than most. A good portion of our friends are unschoolers or close to it. Many are VERY relaxed. We are semi-relaxed...lol.

[EKS]

I would say that we are much more academically intense than homeschoolers I know IRL, though many of these folks are far from being slackers. The biggest difference that I see between us and them is that I don't allow life to get in the way. Most of the homeschoolers I know IRL are way over scheduled and then wonder why they can't get their homeschooling done.

[Jenny in Atl]

I honestly don't see any IRL homeschoolers anymore, except for one, and they un-school. Since were no longer active in any local groups (older daughter's schedule just doesn't mesh) I haven't a clue what others near me do. At this stage of my hs'ing journey, I no longer care.

[JennyD]

I only know a few other homeschooling families, and I have no idea what they do day-to-day. I would assume that they are serious about it, if only because pretty much *everyone* I know is deadly serious about their children's education.

[PentecostalMom]

I've found IRL that most homeschoolers don't talk about homeschooling?!?!? What's up with that? :confused: I guess maybe so we're not constantly comparing, but I really couldn't even tell you what curricula my homeschooling friends use, because they never say.

 

 

Same here, except I would call most acquaintances instead of friends.

[caitlinsmom]

I am more rigorous, but then I only know my sister who hs IRL and she is a closeted unschooler. :)