Does a parents school level reflect on how far they can HS their children??

[awisha.]

I am going to be honest and say that I did not finish high school.

 

Does it mean I am not "qualified" (possibly wrong word) enough to HS my children through primary school (K-6)??

 

My sister said something to me a couple of months ago that has left me thinking about whether I can HS my children. Basically she said, in so many words, that because I never graduated high school (and she did!!)then I can't be smart enough to teach my children.

 

I am intending to HS through Primary school. DH wants the kids to go to high school (NOT because of my education, but because he thinks they won't be able to do science and maths etc at home because schools have the proper equipment and rooms).

 

I need opinions/thoughts/experiences please, good and bad :bigear:

[chepyl]

According to most studies, education of parents and income do not significantly effect the success of homeschooling. The effect is actually seen much more in public schooled students. If their parents did not finish high school, the different in performance is much greater in ps than HS (less than 1% difference from kids whose parents have college and beyond, I believe.) Both groups (low income and lower level of school completed by parents) far out perform ps students (including those whose parents have higher degrees and higher incomes.)

 

There are multiple studies showing these results.

[abbeyej]

I think a parent's level of *education* does indeed matter. ... That does not always correlate to that parent's level of *schooling*, however. I wouldn't suggest that merely because a parent hadn't reached X level of schooling, that he or she was unqualified to teach his or her own children. (Though in many cases the law does require that home schooling parents have a certain level of education. I'll assume that in your area, that's not an issue.)

 

But I do think it's important for home schooling parents to be committed to their own educations as well as their children's. Regardless of level of schooling, parents need to be willing to study and learn along with and ahead of their children. If your own education was lacking, you'll have to work especially hard at that. You'll have to be willing to be humble about what you do know and what you don't know, and to spend time working...

 

But it's a great opportunity for you as well as your kids.

 

I absolutely don't think that lacking a high school diploma automatically means you're unqualified. Depending on the reasons why you didn't graduate, there may be particular concerns to consider... But without knowing what the story was, I can't know. If you're committed to doing a good job, I think you absolutely *can*.

[PeterPan]

Totally depends on you, your vision, how much you're willing to learn, and the resources you find to cover up where you're weak. I've been to college and grad school, and it's not like I'm hot at every single subject or magically qualified or going to be the best teacher. Everyone has weaknesses, everyone. And for the record, I've seen the test scores for the kids of a woman who hadn't completed high school herself but who home schooled her 8+ kids, not only through elementary but all the way through high school. They were FINE. She even did calculus! The key was, she stayed one step ahead of them and studied the material herself. If that's not your reality or your interest, then make some plans to outsource. Like I said, I think very few people on the boards find themselves qualified to do every single subject, all the way through. The key is to be humble about that and either learn, keeping ahead of them, or outsource.

 

The thing I actually think is a bigger problem is when people don't have a VISION. And that's really not limited to one particular educational level. The boards are really good for giving you a vision of where your kids can go, what other kids are doing, etc., so I really don't think that will be an issue for you. So hop to it. You can do this! :)

[Night Elf]

Homeschooling can be easy with all the help available. I've used programs that have teacher's manuals that even give you a script to say to your child. High school is daunting, I will admit. I am very lucky that my DH knows all of this stuff and is a big part of our school day. But even before he started helping, I just used teacher's manuals to help me teach material I wasn't able to teach on my own.

 

The only equipment I can think of that might be needed for high school is for biology and chemistry and those can be easily found. We're not doing lab work with Biology but I hope to do some Chemistry labs. We use an accredited online high school program so my children do have teachers they can contact for help, but mostly it's to clarify assignments. DH and I do the actual work with the kids.

 

But I think you'll be fine teaching them through 6th grade. Many people here do not have families supportive of homeschooling. I would hazard a guess that that is actually your problem, and not whether you are educated enough to homeschool through 6th grade.

[Anne]

If you love learning and are committed to doing a good job, your children are likely to prosper. I did have a high school education, but barely... I managed to guide my dc through their high school educations at home, and they did well. They were accepted into the colleges of their choice and graduated with honors.

 

As Abbey said, it takes willingness to work hard - I played a lot of catch-up! Also, I wound up outsourcing math & science in the high school years, b/c the math was just flat beyond me, and I was too insecure about the science.

 

If I were to offer any advice, I would say to work as hard as you can NOW while your dc are small, to broaden your education and prepare for your dc's older years. Even if you do not wind up homeschooling then, the effort will still pay off in terms of your preparation for dealing with your dc's education.

 

Have fun - it's a great journey!! :auto:

 

Anne:auto:

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Based on your introductory post, my assessment is that you can do a wonderful job homeschooling through sixth grade. You can obviously read, write, and spell above that level, and those are some of the tools you'll use to learn how to homeschool your own children. I don't think an illiterate person could do this, but you are literate.

 

I advise scripted programs or materials with excellent teacher's manuals, and work all the student lessons yourself ahead of time. I always tried to keep at least one week ahead. Preparation is spelled t-i-m-e. Many of us have gone before you, working our way through elementary arithmetic books and grammar lessons, and you can do it, too.

 

If you really want to get down to the nitty-gritty, here's something to think about:

 

Talk to us about your math education. How did you do in school, and what kind of math did you learn? (If you share your general age and the country you live in, we might be able to help you figure out that second part.) By asking this, I'm trying to help you discern whether you can use good materials and teach math on your own or whether you should let Steve Demme (Math-U-See) teach you and your children together.

 

If you would like to discuss math, and then to continue this conversation concerning other elementary subjects, I'm sure we'd love to talk with you about curriculum, materials, and methodology.

 

I think your sister is wrong. I think if you are brave and devoted you can teach yourself how to teach your children.

[Rosie_0801]

I graduated in '97 and I can tell you, VCE wasn't worth much. :glare: So the lack of it won't hamper you, in my opinion.

 

Do you know other homeschoolers? You could ask them to show you their paraphernalia and such. That'll give you an idea on what the options are.

 

You could sign up to the Rockpool if you haven't already. It's much smaller than here, but sometimes you need that local touch. :)

 

Rosie

[Annabel Lee]

You've already received replies identical to what I was going to post, so I'll just share my own experience. My own education is only a smidgen beyond yours, but I see that homeschooling however long I choose is possible. I have to select materials for certain subjects with very clear, direct, step-by-step teacher's manuals. Sometimes I have to learn the material myself, first. Going a little deeper & further on any given topic than what you're currently teaching your kids helps you see the bigger picture. Realistically, most people don't have time to educate themselves in all subjects while homeschooling. Pick your weakest area, and if you want, your area of greatest interest. That way you shore up the weak spots while feeding a love for learning that will be contagious to your kids (or that's the hope, anyway). The Well-Educated Mind is a good place to start. I've got a few courses from The Teaching Co. to catch myself up, and Khan Academy is great!

 

If none of that is within your reach/interest/ability/etc... then don't fret, there are materials that can guide you, online or DVD courses that can do it for you, or you can totally outsource things. It doesn't require a formal degree either way you go about it.

 

Best wishes!

[NanceXToo]

Your sister sounds lovely. Is she this supportive in all areas of your life?

 

You can homeschool your children successfully as far as you want to homeschool them! Really. You can.

 

You don't have to know everything.

 

What you have to be willing and able to do is a combination of the following.

 

Learn with them.

 

Learn a step ahead of them.

 

Show them where and how to find the information they need- be that library, internet, books, local resources.

 

Outsource if and when needed. (This may mean getting a tutor, letting them take a class, using a DVD course, talking to someone more knowledgeable, or whatever the case may be- and, really, I don't even mean this for elementary school because I doubt it would be necessary then. This is probably more relevant if you decide to go past that).

 

Use teacher's manuals.

 

Care about them.

 

I think you'll be fine. Don't let her put doubt in your head. Especially now with children as young as yours. Have fun with them and enjoy the process of watching them learn and enjoy life. Some people are just anti-homeschooling in general (often with zero knowledge of homeschooling) and will jump on any excuse, real or imagined, to tell you what a horrible idea it is. You don't have to accept that, however. Next time she opens her mouth, inform her that you have made a personal choice for your family which is not up for discussion and that if she doesn't have anything nice to say about it, she shouldn't say anything at all.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

My step mother said the same to me, that I wasn't smart enough to teach my kids. It goes in one ear and out the other. This came from a woman who had "scarfs" written on a storage bag.

 

Graduating doesn't always mean much, either. I never showed up to the 10th grade English Regents exam, but received a grade of 84%! My senior US History teacher said I did not pass. I earned a 63%, someone changed that to 65%. I didn't even know I had graduated until I received my report card in the mail.

 

I currently study ahead of my son in science, history, geography, latin, and ASL. I can handle 1st grade math. :)

 

I read 1 month ahead of my daughter's lessons.

[nono]

Both my dh and I have advanced degrees. All degrees do is verify for some outside party that you've done the work and understand the material to some current standard. That doesn't mean that anyone without the degree doesn't possess the knowledge or smarts. It just means that some other body didn't independently verify it. We've often met folks without degrees who have as much or more knowledge about our specialties. :) Your sis is a degree snob. ;)

[Serenade]

I think you should be fine teaching primary school. And if you have a homeschooler's attitude of learning alongside your children, you could probably teach well beyond that.

 

I double-majored in college and have a master's degree, but there is so much I'm learning alongside my children -- stuff I never learned in all of those years of education. Seriously. And I was a good student and made high grades. So I think it all depends on your attitude. And if you come to a rough patch in a certain topic, find a tutor or co-op to help you out.

[Serenade]

Both my dh and I have advanced degrees. All degrees do is verify for some outside party that you've done the work and understand the material to some current standard. That doesn't mean that anyone without the degree doesn't possess the knowledge or smarts. It just means that some other body didn't independently verify it. We've often met folks without degrees who have as much or more knowledge about our specialties. :) Your sis is a degree snob. ;)

 

I like this.

[Annie G]

Your sister sounds lovely. Is she this supportive in all areas of your life?

 

 

Great post with lots of encouragement. But this line still made me shoot Pepsi Max out my nose.

[MeghanL]

I agree with what others have said, but would also encourage you to check out the laws in your state. My state requires the primary teacher to have a high school diploma or GED or it's not legal homeschooling. But if you state doesn't have that requirement, I see no problems with you teaching your children.

[elegantlion]

I have a high school diploma and no college for a plethora of reasons. I agree with what has been posted, and I have an opinionated sister too. :glare: She was so sure I couldn't homeschool. We've been homeschooling for 8 years now and she's sort of coming around. the key for me has been that I never really listen to her opinion. :D

 

 

Your dc are young, you have time to learn/re-learn as necessary. It will take hard work, dedicated effort, and an investment of time and money. Create a game plan. donnayoung.org has a big selection of forms I use to outline books I need, the course of study, and to track my progress.

 

Get a game plan, using something like The Well-Trained Mind as your guide. If you have to start with elementary materials for your own learning, so be it. I would suggest starting with the basics of English, grammar, spelling, etc, and a math program. For history get something like Story of the World for yourself. Then progress at a steady rate.

 

You could use something like Khan Academy, which has science and math videos.

 

I don't think I'd worry about high school right now. Those decisions can be made down the road. There are so many sources to use as helps.

 

My self-education is a part of our schooling. I consider myself a student and budget for my own materials. At this point many of them are things I will use to teach ds down the road. I'm finding school much more fun this time around.

[Catherine]

I think you should be aware that evan people like me with graduate degrees learned new material teaching grammar stage kids. NO ONE has cornered the market on knowledge or wisdom.

 

I DO think that educating yourself and being honest with yourself is important. I continued to try to teach my ds trig and algebra 2, relying heavily on the textbook, until finally he asked me to just let him teach himself out of the book, as I did not have a good familiarity with the material. He was absolutely right. Be realistic about what you can do effectively, and if you can't do it, and they are not going to school, hire it out. There are many ways to do that.

 

Learn ahead of them. Learn with them. Find ways of assessing their reading and writing outside of your own assessment (I do this too, even for grammar stage kids), because none of us can teach in a total vacuum.

 

Have you considered a box curriculum like Calvert? It's easier than coming up with everything yourself, and the teacher's portion is clearly laid out for you.