K&Rs Mom Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 My almost-9yo is asking to try outschool. We're considering it, because this isn't a passing thing but she's been asking for a year. I'm certain one of her biggest reasons is because she reads stories about school by authors like Andrew Clement (Frindle, Extra Credit, The School Story) and it paints a very rosy picture of kids who go against the grain and come out ahead. This is definitely my go-against kid. ;) I'm thinking of having her read something by John Holt or John Taylor Gatto, to show another side of how the outschools deal with kids who don't want to fit their boxes. I know she could read them as far as comprehension & vocab (strong reader: at 6 her favorite book was Little Women), but not sure about processing the big-picture concepts. Has anyone given this kind of educational theory book to a child? How did it go? Any suggestions for which one - title or author? Obviously we'd discuss as she was reading. I own Holt's How Children Learn, our library has a couple by Gatto but no Holt, but our interlibrary loan is pretty good. Or is this just a bad idea? I'm not giving a 4th grader total decision-making power, but do want to take her desires into account - I just want those desires to be based on reality, not a fun novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 So, am I on everybody's ignore list, or is this unanimously considered a bad idea? :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I'm sure you're not on everybody's ignore list, but it is Sunday in the middle of a 3-day weekend, so many people are just not on the boards, or they're flying through... I'm sure you'll get some good responses eventually. ;) Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I don't think a nine year old can comprehend the decision. You need to think about why you choose to home school and go from there. School sounds great in books. :) Once a child is in school it becomes their norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I don't think a nine year old can comprehend the decision. You need to think about why you choose to home school and go from there. School sounds great in books. :) Once a child is in school it becomes their norm. :iagree: When I was about 10, I read Enid Blyton's two series on boarding schools. I really wanted to go to boarding school after that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Okay, Warning -long story. I have a btdt experience to share. :) Of course there is the regular caveat that every kid/situation is different. When my oldest dd was between 1st and 2nd grade we moved from Illinois to Florida. We were in a new neighborhood and new church and we did not know families for her to play with so she asked to go to school. We called it outschool too. We always talked about deciding school plans on a year to year basis so I wasn't surprised by her voicing this choice. She was and is very self aware so I definately wanted to respect her request. We enrolled her in the local school for 2nd grade. All through the year she talked about friends on the playground, she loved her teacher Mr. Hashtak (one of the best elementary teachers I have ever spoken to). He always had great things to say and even recommended testing for the gifted program. She qualified and absolutely LOVED the special one hour 'gifted' class (very project oriented almost unschool). At the end of the year the school sent a form home asking who would be enrolling for the next year. I really thought she was finished homeschooling and I was a little sad, but I had had a bunch of time with her 4 yo sister and that was good. I asked and she said, "No, I'm done with outschool now." and never went back. :confused: I was distressed that something had gone wrong that I did not know about but she just said 'no, it was fine, I'm just done." A few years later, little sis suggested that she would also outschool for 2nd grade, big sis very seriously said 'no don't do that', when little sis asked why she said, you just sit around waiting forever and then when they get to the good parts it's over. :lol: Both of them were very self directed learners and both spent very little time on traditional studies, they would learn it quickly and then get on to the 'fun' stuff. Fun stuff was math, history, building things, exploring the nearby lake, raising pets, writing novels, etc. I don't know how it will work out for your little girl, but I hope your family can reach a decision you all like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 How about something like Surviving the Applewhites or Every Soul a Star or something instead? Gatto seems a little extreme for that age (or for any age...). But Holt might be okay. How about something like just the intro. Or how about a small selection? You could give her several short selections about education from all different perspectives - a little Holt, a little Gatto, maybe a little Dewey, a little Summerhill, a little Montessori... If it was just a few pages of each, that might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smillard00 Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 My kids have gone through phases from time to time where they wanted to go to school. I've always taken the time to sit down with them and really ask why they wanted to go to school. List the reasons and talk about them one by one. Not in a disrespectful way that made them feel like I was "shooting down" their reasons. I laugh because one time it was because of recess on the playground. They knew of a school with a playground that looked really cool. So one day I drove them over to the school in our neighborhood during recess and we parked within view of the playground for a while so they could see the hundreds of kids that swarmed out onto that playground for about 15 minutes. Then we went and played at the (mostly deserted) park and then went to the library. That satisfied them that time. One time my daughter talked it through with me and all she could really come up with in the end was wanting to eat in the cafeteria. :lol: So I got her a cafeteria tray and started putting her lunch on there and that satisfied her. Your daughter probably has more mature reasons than these for wanting to go to school, but I think sitting down and really talking through specifics might help her. Make sure she knows the parts about sitting in a little desk and having to stay in her seat, asking permission to go to the restroom, waiting for everyone else to finish, the textbook curricula, and whatever else happens to be a reality in your school district. You could also share with her some of the reasons you have chosen to homeschool her. Good luck! It certainly doesn't help when they have these "romantic" depictions of school, does it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 Thanks for the input, everyone! She has made a list of good & bad on both sides, so she's really taking this seriously, and also knows it's not ultimately her decision. IF she's going to try outschool, I'd rather it be this fall or next - wait much longer and we're getting into middle school, which (around here at least) is everybody's nightmare. I think I may go with small selections from several authors - that's a really good idea (though more work on my part). It was the intro to WTM that convinced dh, so maybe I'll start there. ;) I do have Surviving the Applewhites - thanks for the reminder! Any other fiction that doesn't glamorize outschool? Has anyone read The Teenage Liberation Handbook? I know she's nowhere near teen, so not sure if it would be appropriate, but it's been recommended by a mom who graduated 5 homeschoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 I read The Teenage Liberation Handbook as a teen. It's certainly not inappropriate for youngers. Much of it is practical, nitty gritty advice that won't really apply to her though. But it's an inspiring book. I read it my senior year in high school and I decided that I would homeschool my kids after finishing it. And now I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 So, am I on everybody's ignore list, or is this unanimously considered a bad idea? :o I saw your post earlier but I can't imagine a 9 year old getting anything out of Gatto or Holt. If you want her to read books that don't "glamorize" school, how about My Side of the Mountain? Or Jean Craighead George's (non-fiction) The Tarantula in My Purse? There must be a few dozen great titles that focus on resourceful kids, whether or not they are actually hsing, but don't talk about going to school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtroad Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 I don't think a nine year old can comprehend the decision. You need to think about why you choose to home school and go from there. School sounds great in books. :) Once a child is in school it becomes their norm. :iagree: Grass is greener on the other side. Things that are different look interesting, etc. But she is too young to know the pros/cons of such a decision. I think it is an entirely adult decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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