Could you/Would you homeschool without these forums?

[Halcyon]

Let's say these forums went kaput; SWB pulled the plug for some reason, or whatever. Would you still be able to homeschool? Would you continue but feel lonelier? Would you be able to provide as good an education for your children?

 

I find I rely so much on these boards, and the experience of others who have gone before me. It is a crucial part of how I homeschool.

 

What about you?

[AvasMom]

Well, we just joined a couple of months ago because when we homeschooled a few years ago WTM had that god-awful forum set-up that I hated (sorry PHP people) and just recently I rediscovered the boards and the lovely bulletin board set-up. Yay!

 

So yes we could and would still homeschool but would be very lonely and not have half the information/support that I have now. :001_wub:

[Melinda]

We would still homeschool, but I doubt I would do as good a job as I am now.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I homeschooled for several years without these forums so I could again. I have local support, too. But, I would miss you all like crazy!

[Vicki]

Yes, we would. I do enjoy the board and others. I know when I read about a product on here, I can trust the recommendation. When I started homeschooling in 1986 there were no boards and we did just fine. I did belong to a homeschool group and later read homeschooling magazines.

God bless,

Vicki

[elegantlion]

I homeschooled for five years before I found these forums. Only during the first two did I have any real life support.

 

I know I *could* homeschool without these forums, but for high school?! I'd be very intimidated to try homeschooling high school without some sort of community.

[Impish]

I was hsing for 2 yrs before I came to the Hive, so I'd continue.

 

It'd be lonelier, but wouldn't change my hsing.

[twoforjoy]

Without these specific forums, yes. Without any online homeschooling community at all, I don't know, honestly. I don't know any homeschoolers in my neighborhood, and I think I probably would have thrown in the towel early on if it weren't for the support of other homeschoolers I know online.

[Mommy22alyns]

Of course I would continue! But it would be a whole lot harder.

[LauraGB]

I wouldn't like not having the forums, but yes, I could and would still homeschool. So many different aspects of our lives are touched by advise or reviews or what not I learn from here, though. It would stink to be without it, to be honest. Things would go on, but they would just be...different.

 

Now, if you asked about the book, well, I might have a different story. I have relied so heavily on that book since before we even started that I think if it wasn't for the book, we might not ever have started homeschooling in the first place.

[Sukale]

I would keep going but I would feel a little lost without all of the great ideas I get from the boards. I don't post a lot but I read every single day.

[Garga]

I know I *could* homeschool without these forums, but for high school?! I'd be very intimidated to try homeschooling high school without some sort of community.

 

 

Hmmm. High school would be tough. I'd do it, but it would be tough.

 

I would greatly miss these boards. HSing would be much harder, but I would plug away at it.

[EJCMom]

I could continue, but it would be lonlier and I would probably waste a lot more money on curriculum that doesn't work for us if I didn't have the reviews and opinions of the hive.

[Perry]

I wavered between "I would continue but"... and "I might not". I chose I might not, because we are entering high school, and I am much less confident of my ability to teach literature or history. I would be fine with math on my own, but that's about it. (I'm not interested in teaching high school science.)

 

Teaching K-8 would be doable without the boards, but high school? Maybe not. I have prepared a plan for next year's Great Book study that I would never have been able to come up with without the fantastic posts by LoriD and Nan.

[Meriwether]

I voted "absolutely", but it isn't true that my homeschool would be unchanged. It would be very similar, but the boards have influenced my homeschool. Usually in expensive ways.:glare:

[PinkInTheBlue]

I voted "I would continue but it would be harder.." but that's not really accurate for what I feel. :) I would definitely continue but I don't know that it would actually be harder. I just enjoy the community because I don't have that locally.

 

I've gotten great ideas and I've been here since 6 months after I started homeschooling kindergarten with our 15 year old. Homeschooling would survive without a hitch but I would be more lonely in the homeschooling arena.

 

Matter fact, if Susan said "Enough!" and shut the doors, I believe I would have to find a way to host a board myself or help others. I just couldn't see it go. :)

 

Love you Susan! :) LOL

[ChristusG]

I would/could definitely continue to homeschool. I planned to homeschool before I found these boards. However, some of my curriculum choices may be different. For example, I had never heard of Story of the World, First Language Lessons, or Dancing Bears before I came here. Now, they are an integral part of our curriculum.

[Parrothead]

I homeschooled for the first few years without frequenting the boards nearly as often. I didn't like the format of the old boards.

[Ellie]

Of course, I could do without them. I started hsing in 1982, before Al Gore had invented the Internet. :D They're helpful but not vital.

[Jennifer]

I would probably get more and better homeschooling accomplished without these boards. I love to hang out here to the detriment of the actual work that needs to be done. I try board breaks, but they never last long.

Jennifer

[Halcyon]

Hmmm. High school would be tough. I'd do it, but it would be tough.

 

I would greatly miss these boards. HSing would be much harder, but I would plug away at it.

 

 

I think I was mostly thinking about high school when I posted this poll. I think high school would be very hard for me to feel like I was doing "right" without the advice and support of people here who have BTDT.

[athomemom]

Absolutely! But it really helps to have all the ladies here with their wisdom though. :D

[WTMCassandra]

Oh, I would still homeschool, but it would be vastly more difficult and lonely. These boards have been a mainstay of support for me for my entire homeschooling journey. I have been around here for over 10 years. It gives me sort of a panic just to think about them going away.

[Mosaicmind]

Definitely!!! These forums don't dictate if, how, or why I home educate my kids. There are other forums I frequent.

[Crimson Wife]

I'd manage, but we'd miss out on all the amazing materials I first heard about here. The HS in my neck of the woods tend to either use PS texts (ugh), Protestant programs (wouldn't use), or the recommendations in WTM (hit or miss for us).

[DarlaS]

I can and did homeschool without these forums.

 

Glad I don't have to though. :001_smile:

[Ester Maria]

The decision to homeschool was independent of these boards and the renewals of that decision have also been independent of these boards.

 

These boards, however, remain a great resource and a place to learn, meet people, get new ideas or just generally discuss things.

[HRAAB]

I didn't even have internet when I first started homeschooling. Come to think of it, I got more housework done back then.

[grace'smom]

I read the Well Trained Mind and found these boards long before my daughter started her kindergarten homeschool year. This board was critical in building myself up with the assurance that this CAN be done and that it might be a better option even in a GOOD school district. I have found homeschoolers in my area but a lot of times they were so different than me in their reasons and desires to homeschool that we didn't fit in... There were few personal connections and no one that I would have felt comfortable calling on for support.

 

I think for the "anxious, newbie, wondering if they are making a big mistake homeschooling families," this board could be critical. This board was my cheerleader when I had to tell all of my friends that Grace wasn't going to school for kindergarten and face their reactions (some good, some not so good, some pretty ugly). It was my reassurance when the special needs preK teachers at Grace's local school were pushing me to put her in kindergarten and warning me that "she would drive me crazy within the first year," LOL. And it was my therapy when the anxiety about whether I was making a mistake got too high. Without the board I would have felt like our home was an island of crazy people in a sea of public school families. This board normalized the thought and process of homeschooling for me, and I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to take that first year baby step on my own... Now that we've gotten through kindergarten I think I could continue to homeschool without the board, but I don't believe I would have been confident enough to begin without it.

[justamouse]

I homeschooled for years without, but I make much better decisions now that I can look everything up.

[Satori]

Yes, of course, I started without them. My pocketbook would thank me though! :)

[hsbaby]

I would definitely still homeschool although I admit our curriculum would likely be more dull. I would probably have forgotten to add in things like logic, critical thinking, vocabulary, art, etc. had I not been convinced how important these supplements were by thus board. So, we would continue but I would miss the boards like crazy:)

[Dobela]

Absolutely was my reply. I homeschooled before this board and will likely leave the board in the future as my needs change. Does that mean I want it to disapear? Absolutely not :001_smile:

[Carpe]

I'm not sure how well I would do in the later years without all the information here. Hypothetically I'd slog through, but more likely DH would have a heart attack (possibly literally) without any BTDT advice and want the kids in PS for high school because that's what most of the HSers here do.

[Aubrey]

Are you kidding? I don't even want to try cooking dinner w/out these boards! :D

 

I'd still hs, hands down, but it wouldn't be *nearly* as much fun. And then I'd have to meet people irl. ;)

 

Honestly, though, hs'ing aside, I've never encountered the level of diversity we've got here, & I find *that* completely invaluable. I'm so grateful to have something in common w/ you guys!

[Crafty Mathy Mom]

I would homeschool no matter what. I would just feel more lonely.

[EthiopianFood]

I definitely wouldn't change my mind, but it would be a lot harder. We're way too early in the game for me to have a definite plan yet. When things I have in mind don't work out, I rely on the board to help me figure out what to use next (based on reviews and opinions). It would be pretty hard to just trust the publisher's word on whether it's a good program or not. LOL

[Mimm]

I would be using different curriculum, that's for sure. I've gotten so many good ideas, found so many resources through these forums that I wouldn't have found or at least not as quickly. These forums are a valuable resource for me.

[Jane Elliot]

Goodness, yes, absolutely, and if it weren't for the boards I'd probably have a lot more time on my hands to do it. :tongue_smilie:

 

The boards have been wonderfully helpful, but really it was the book (WTM) that made our homeschool what it is.