So do you think you child is doing

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

more or less than what would be considered A or B work in public school?

 

Is your curriculum more/ less rigorous than a public school, perhaps equal to a private school, or far ahead of the bunch?:)

 

(My children have a great public system- so I am always quizzing their friends on what they are doing)

[kim in ks]

For starters! We complete all of our subjects! ( which we never seen in our PS) Definitely ahead of the game!

kim

[Alenee]

When it comes to mastery of subjects, I think my kiddos are way ahead but if you were to line them up with other kids their grade, they might appear to be behind...once you quiz them though, you see the differences. I really don't care because what we have is priceless! Most ps'ers I personally know have horrible relationships with not only their peers but also with their parents. That is my first and foremost concern. I want my kids to know w/o a doubt that they can trust me to tell them the truth and to protect them from things that are totally unnecessary for becoming a well-adjusted adult.

[Nestof3]

I would say we are average in terms of math and language arts, with the exception of their reading and my read alouds. They are exposed to much more literature.

 

I know they are learning FAR more in science and history.

 

I would say that even with average math and grammar/writing/spelling, it ends up being above average because it's done one-on-one -- tutor-style.

 

Add to that the fact that they really enjoy learning AND we get to spend half of our time snuggling on a couch.

 

They also pursue so many interests that would be considered "academic" with all of their free time.

 

There's really no comparison. :D Homeschooling is wonderful!

[Carol in Cal.]

This is odd because she is doing RS a year behind grade level. However, her writing is outstanding and she usually knows more grammar in any situation where it comes up than her other public schooled or homeschooled friends. Her vocabulary is great, and her reading comprehension and literature background are outstanding.

 

She is also way ahead in history.

 

I would say that she is behind in math, but the math she knows she knows very solidly, which would have not been the case if she were in a public school or if we had stuck with the PS curriculum.

 

She is ahead in choral music, and in drawing. Probably behind in music and art appreciation.

 

She is behind in science, for sure. Hard to believe that I have a chemical engineering background. (Actually, she does know quite a bit of chemistry, but I think that she is deficient in the macro part of earth science, in anatomy and evolutionary biology, and in mechanics.)

 

I would say that she's on par with Word and Power Point, but has had no exposure to Excel or to blogging/wikis. She is decent at internet searches, but we haven't done much with evaluating information sources.

 

Definately ahead with Bible and hymn knowledge. She is behind in cattiness and 'mean girls' behavior. She is behind in bullying. She is behind in discomfort around people of other ages and backgrounds. Hopefully those deficiencies will never be corrected!

[8filltheheart]

I educate in a completely different way than ps, especially during the younger yrs. It is really like comparing apples and oranges. By middle school the 2 paths start to approach eachother and overlap in places, but otherwise you would have no idea that the "maps" were even leading to the same place.

 

My kids work where they are. We focus on skill vs output. I know what I am doing and have a vision of how to get there. Schools focus on output over skill. They have to produce paper trails.

 

By high school, my kids are ahead. Where they are at the end of 12th......that is the only thing that really matters. ;)

 

I guess what it boils down to is I just don't compare until high school.

[Mesa]

My son is ahead in math, science, history, spelling and grammar. He is behind in handwriting and language. He does have SID and ADD so I think if he were in public school he'd fall through the cracks and be behind his peers.

I'm not a very strict hs mom either. We dont work on our math facts like we should but all in all Noah is doing great. He likes being home and I dont mind teaching him so I guess its a win win situation.

[Cindyg]

I can't make a fair comparison because what we are doing, I'm pretty sure, is quite different from what they're doing in school.

 

For example: I often don't require my son to fill in the entire worksheet. Writing is hard for him, and I understand this. In school, I'm pretty sure this would be an F. Then it would be an issue. He would be forced to do the writing, then he'd be frustrated and discouraged and he'd perform poorly, then the teacher would consider him a bad student, and I would soon be an interfering parent....you get the picture.

 

So at home, we didn't fill in the entire worksheet, but we read three books on the topic and watched several related programs on United Streaming. Later DS might have heard a reference to this same topic on the news or in the newspaper, which sparked a deep conversation with Dad, who expressed how impressed he is at DS's indepth knowledge on a subject he knew nothing about at this age. So, I give that an A.

 

But, honestly, it's hard to say how well he'd perform in a public school classroom or whether we're ahead or behind. We're just doing something totally different.

[Bee]

My oldest child would be going into 7th grade and would do well in all subjects except math which she loathes and music because she doesn't like to sing.If she wanted to go to school I think she would do okay.She would be bored though.

My youngest would be seven.They might try to hold her back to first grade because of her handwriting alone.She still hasn't quite learned that words have to have a space between them.She knows how to do it when she types but not when she writes manually.

 

I think my oldest dd's curriculums in science,LA,and history were at least as rigorous as any local public or private schools'.She has a good,strong background in the natural sciences thanks to attending a number of hs classes lead by people who went deeply into subjects like biology and earth science.The main science curriculum that I've used over the years goes deeper in depth in science than most textbooks for elementary aged students.She loves LA and thinks she might like to be an editor when she grows up.

I didn't push my youngest dd to learn anything beyond the alphabet,the sounds of letters and numbers in kindergarden.For first grade this year we focused on basic addition and subtraction and learning to read.We do copywork only;I don't worry about creative writing or spelling yet.We do history and science but no formal art or music.Her learning style is different than her sister's.She wants to go more in depth with subjects like history and math and science.She loves to socialize and move about and would have difficulty sitting still and not moving about or speaking.

[Laura Corin]

Well, they both aced the UK standardised tests this year. It's not a full measure of achievement, but something. I'd say they were ahead in a lot of things, average in a lot of things, behind in a few. That balance seems fine to me.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Another Lynn]

Well my oldest did standardized testing for the first time a month ago, so I'm curious what the results look like.

 

If I had to guess, I'd say we might be behind on skills, but ahead on content. But I would say that's a direct reflection on my ideas and methods and that I would expect skills to catch up and surpass (I hope) during the logic stage.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Trivium Academy]

I know dd is ahead in math only because of comparing the curriculums, what our ps uses vs. Horizons but only in a few concepts.

 

Reading, I think she's either average or above-average depending on whose standard she's being assessed, average ps student vs. her or reading level testing.

 

History and science- way more than ps, there's not really a great way to assess whether she's ahead. I'm not throwing nuggets at her like the ps does and we finish what we start..

 

I know without a doubt that in terms of possessing a love of learning, she's way ahead! ;)

 

In writing and possibly spelling, the ps kids may be ahead but there's a sacrifice there I'm not willing to make.

[Plaid Dad]

Our curriculum is so different from what is going on in the ps around here that I don't think I could compare the two in any meaningful way. My dd is working beyond grade level in every subject we teach, so I'm assuming that, were she in the ps, she would be capable of getting A's.

 

Whether she would care enough about what they're doing to work for those A's is another question entirely. She is, temperamentally, one of those children who could easily "not work up to her potential" because she sees no point in busy work or doing things that are not challenging to her. Which is one of the many reasons we homeschool. :)

[Catherine]

My eldest was only homeschooled for 7th and 8th grade, and now is a ninth grader in a math-science magnet.

 

I do know we read LOTS more than he is reading in high school. They read chunks of things, like two pages out of the middle of the Oddessey, or short stories or poems. ONE novel for all of ninth grade. This is a huge disappointment for me because I know we would be doing better at home. For science, he is getting very good lab courses, this year especially his biology teacher is excellent. Math, we could equal (with online courses, as we did last year) but maybe not surpass.

 

Attitude is what is so different, and the reason I will try as hard as I can to keep my two youngers home for the duration. They just are so much more free, they have more time, to play, they are much more relaxed, and much nicer people. It breaks my heart to remember how my oldest would ignore or excuse the cruel behavior of his peers-my youngers are outraged as they should be. I'm very regretful that my oldest didn't get the gentleness of a home education when he was younger.

 

Academically, I feel sure that what they are getting is better, at least, more thorough.

[Rhondabee]

My kids were B+ students in school, and are B+ students in homeschool.

 

But, they are actually learning the material in homeschool; whereas, in public school they somehow were managing a B+ average with grades ranging from A's to F's.

 

Someone else mentioned her kids getting overlooked by public school, and that is *exactly* what we experienced. My kids weren't learning to their potential, but they weren't causing trouble for the teacher, so their problems weren't important enough to ever be addressed.

 

Also, I really think my kids are learning how to think, because we have so many discussions about so many things. They aren't smarter than their peers at church (my only comparison group), but they are more mature.

 

=)

Rhonda

[Mamabyrd]

Well, after only being home schooled, three of my kids are in school this year - two in public school and one in private. Only my youngest is at home this year. Next year my high schooler will remain in private school; the rest are returning home to join the youngest in home schooling.

 

Both of my kids in public school have made terrific grades. My 2nd grader has had only high As on her report card. One nine week period she made a 100 on her report card in Language Arts. For that nine weeks, she never made below a 100 on any assignment. In math, everything she did this year was a repeat of last year; she learned not one new thing.

 

My 4th grade has made all As except for one nine week report card where she had a 89 in math.

 

Forgive my bragfest; I only share this because it gave me (and my husband) confidence that we could do as well, if not better, than our local school when it comes to academics. I think our local school has the edge on me in science, computers, art, music and P.E. But I feel I have the edge on them in the subjects of history, reading, literature, math, grammar, writing, etc.

[Lisawa]

 

My kids work where they are. We focus on skill vs output. I know what I am doing and have a vision of how to get there. Schools focus on output over skill. They have to produce paper trails.

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

 

This is how I feel as well and approach my kids education.

[Tammyla]

Great question.

 

We have our standardized test results in hand, and had our last visit with our Supervising Teacher. I'd say they are ahead in literature/language arts, science and history and about even in math. My score card would be A is ahead and B is even, but that may be strange rating system. Their tests results showed them to be way ahead in all areas, but I don't rely on that like a public or private school would.

[Wee Pip]

Dd is 7 with a Fall bday, she could be ending 1st gr or 2nd gr this year (we have a choice). I started her in K early (4 turning 5). Even so, she would be quite a bit behind if she were ending 2nd gr this year. Her reading skills would probably be behind for 2nd gr, but good for 1st gr. Her writing skills would be behind for 2nd or 1st - I am repeating 2nd gr level material with her this coming year in order to build up her writing skills. Her math is behind, but that's because I made a poor choice...we really liked our math, but at the end of this year discovered that she hadn't really learned many concepts, and the concepts she did learn could've been learned much faster (it was a mastery program with a very slow progression). I don't really care about how science & history compare in the early years. I probably shouldn't care about her level in math, writing, or reading either - I'm sure she's doing fine for HER - but I can't help but worry. She's made some big improvements in reading and writing this year, so I should be satisfied with that. My 2nd is also a fall bday and we started K early - so far she is doing great, but probably not where the public school would expect for end of K (they seem to have really high standards & 50% of the class tends to fall behind). I don't know why I worry. It seems ridiculous to compare, since half the class can't keep up!!

[Mommy22alyns]

For the earliest years, it would be really hard to compare in history ("social studies") and science. The classical approach is so different from anything she'd get in public school, or any private school in the local area.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

we are doing more than we would do in PS. But, I haven't had experience enough with public schools to know, I only know that we are far ahead of the scope and sequence for each grade level (except my ds in LA where he's struggled a little, in that case, we are on level).

 

It's hard to tell because my goals have been a little different and we've hit things at different times than what they would have done in ps. I think we are little more rigorous in some areas, but, because I don't personally emphasize formal writing until middle school, we may be a little less rigorous in writing until then. Once my dc hit middle school, though, they do a LOT of formal writing.

[KAR120C]

DS is working ahead of agemates generally, so I imagine he'd get As, but we're not doing what they do in school, so it's hard to say exactly.

 

I know from other moms here that we do a BUNCH more history and science than our local schools do (to hear them tell it there's hardly any until at least middle school). And we do more essays and writing, but less spelling and handwriting. Our language arts in general is just different. Math he's way ahead, but might not pass all the timed fact tests (he can consistently do 20 problems in 1 minute but not always 30)... so it would depend on how much that counts and what their standard is.

 

There's also very little foreign language (or Latin) at our local schools unless you're in one of the immersion programs... so just the fact that we're juggling three languages should count for something... and any art and music that we do is also a bonus.

 

I think it comes down to the general idea that those things that I think are important we spend time on and work hard at, and in those areas he does extremely well. The things that we don't spend the time on right now are things that either I don't think amount to much or that I think will be better addressed at a different time or in a different manner. So I don't think the PS way is better, even if it's harder, for those particular things.

 

Clear as mud? LOL