homeschoolers: what is your main reason for homeschooling?

[Guest ladidah]

I am just curious what motivates people for doing it. I am neither against it or for it necessarily, just wondering what makes someone pull their child from public school to teach them at home. I have known several friends who have done it, but they were strict christians who were worried about bad associates at school. so if you're not one of those strict christians, why do you do it?

[MamaSheep]

I am just curious what motivates people for doing it. I am neither against it or for it necessarily, just wondering what makes someone pull their child from public school to teach them at home. I have known several friends who have done it, but they were strict christians who were worried about bad associates at school. so if you're not one of those strict christians, why do you do it?

 

Special needs that even a well-meaning dedicated staff at school were unable to cope with adequately.

 

I see this is your first post here. Is this a serious question, or are you just stirring the pot to see what floats?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Individualized classical education without a private school price tag.

[jakesask]

My reasons for homeschooling:

 

1. The schools in my area are not as good as when I went. I see weaker language skills (and even more squandered time), and want something better for my daughter.

 

2. Socialization in schools is frequently unpleasant and definitely unlike anything else I've encountered in the "real world." As teacher and homeschooling advocate John Holt said in Teach Your Own: "If there were no other reason for wanting to keep kids out of school, the social life would be reason enough." In fact, many of the ideas you would find in the books of John Holt and John Taylor Gatto lie at the foundation of my decision to homeschool.

 

3. I want my daughter to learn things that I didn't learn in school: more history, better literature, composers and artists, logic, and the geography and Latin that I love.

 

4. I want more flexibility. I want my daughter to have more time to explore her own interests, rather than sitting in a classroom waiting--waiting for other students to get finished, waiting for the teacher to get on with it, waiting for something she's interested in, waiting for the bell to ring. I want her to be able to speed through things she's great at and work more slowly through things she doesn't understand. And I want to be free to take a day--say, a Wednesday--and do something unrelated to school without my daughter having to worry about what she may have missed.

 

5. Homeschooling can be so much fun! It's creative and productive and a great experience to share with a child. Why would I want to forgo such a fabulous opportunity to interact with my daughter?

 

6. Why NOT homeschool? Why should sending children to public school be the default position? For most of human history, most children haven't gone to school.

[chepyl]

The public school could not offer my son what he needed. I can tailor courses to my son's level and work at a pace appropriate to his capabilities.

 

The focus on passing state testing leads to teaching to the test.

 

I want my children to enjoy learning.

 

It works better with our family schedule.

[9763653]

Individualized classical education without a private school price tag.

 

:iagree:

 

You can even be "one of those strict Christians" and homeschool for academic reasons. :D

[Plink]

Special needs that even a well-meaning dedicated staff at school were unable to cope with adequately.

 

:iagree:

[Pamela H in Texas]

So the first reason it popped into my head as a teenager (because a classmate was being pulled to homeschool while doing gymnastics) was an individualized education. Going further in less time, following interests, etc. I had actually been in a situation that allowed this (I did 7th-10th grades in a year and a half of 3 hour school days). Also, my mom was the ultimate afterschooling mom making sure I could follow my interests as well as helping me find resources, keeping my academics up despite school levels, etc when I was younger.

 

So then I had my daughter who was an extremely advanced preschooler; and I was determined to do what my mom did, just on a full time basis. At this point, my hubby jumped in with socialization reasons. He was Mr. Popular (still is; just look at his Facebook!); but saw real drawbacks to public school socialization. I had my own once I thought of it. So there was reason two :)

 

Then we had our son. His needs were significantly different from our daughter's.

That turned into ANOTHER reason to homeschool though very similar to the first two.

 

In time, we added physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and family reasons also.

 

At this time, I've graduated one (she's a jr in college though she would have graduated this year had she been in school) and will graduate another (late this Spring). We are afterschooling the littles. In time, as it works for each individual child as well as the family as a whole, I hope to pull them from school.

[NanceXToo]

I don't like that the schools don't offer a well rounded education and focus on nothing but standardized testing- to the point that they're cutting "specials" like art and music and gym and not allotting much time to history and science. And to the point where even Kindergarteners get only 15 minutes of recess and do too much deskwork and bring home homework, all in preparation for it, and where third graders get stomach aches from all the stress of the "big test." And the kicker is, around here at least, it isn't even worth it because whatever they are doing isn't working. The test results are dismal and the districts are "on warning" for scoring too low. It's not worth it.

 

I want my kids to have a well-rounded, hands-on, more interest-led education. I want them to have more of a real childhood, more time to do the things that matter (testing isn't high on that list for any of us), more time to get out in the world and do things. Even more time to play. More time for family, themselves, etc. I want them to be able to think more independently.

 

We are enjoying each other, enjoying our freedom, enjoying the ability to go at our own pace and follow our own interests. We're enjoying homeschooling.

 

P.S. We are not Christian, we homeschool secularly. My daughter went to public school from K through most of third before I pulled her out- she's now in 6th. My son is in K and never went to school. We live in a highly regulated state where my daughter still has to take standardized tests in certain years and has to have evaluations each year etc and she's doing VERY well, so I can say without a doubt that what we are doing works, and it works better than what she was doing when she was in public school. And we're all much happier. :)

[Donna]

The public school could not offer my son what he needed. I can tailor courses to my son's level and work at a pace appropriate to his capabilities.

 

The focus on passing state testing leads to teaching to the test.

 

I want my children to enjoy learning.

 

It works better with our family schedule.

 

:iagree: I started homeschooling strictly for academic reasons, being able to teach them more than ps and at the pace they needed, with all three of my children. I grew to love it and the freedom it allowed our family for travel and learning subjects not normally focused on in school.

 

It was always a year by year decision for us.

 

Now I only have one at home with the other two in ps and we continue with her because she needs an adjusted pace, loves to learn broader and deeper than a school could handle in a classroom of kids, and it suits her schedule perfectly allowing her time to be deeply involved in her music while still giving her time to be a kid and play.

 

I never pulled my kids out of public school...just didn't send them after doing all the research. We moved a couple years ago to an area with schools I liked to send my boys to PS. I feel like homeschooling gave them the time to become who they were going to become without so much peer pressure and now they are more solid teens as a result.

Edited November 20, 2011 by Donna

[Carrie12345]

Whether it's a serious first post or not, I like to educate the masses by advertising the fact that I am an athiest who homeschools for academic purposes, AND to limit my kids' exposure to what passes for "normal" socialization.

 

You don't need to be a Christian to realize how negative an environment an institution can be.

[Dmmetler]

My daughter's K teacher told us to. DD was academically advanced, and her teacher was struggling to keep her mind busy even in a fairly play-based, not too worksheety K classroom with DD getting GT pullouts several times a week and a full-time assistant. She told me flat out that DD would be better off at home "at least until the other kids learn how to read and do math".

 

I'd been looking at homeschooling for awhile-it was one of the things that had come up frequently once DD was identified GT and I started reading about GT students, but it took having the teacher tell me, flat out, that in her belief and experience the school could offer my DD less than I could offer her at home that made me actually jump in and do it. We're now mid-way through our 2nd year, and are really starting to see the non-academic benefits, too.

[Barry Goldwater]

1. It's God's will for our family.

2. We can provide the academic rigor and challenge that can't be found in govt. schools.

3. We can customize the curriculum and teaching to each child's learning style.

4. We don't like having their time wasted.

5. We like being around our kids. They're fun.:)

 

e.t.a. To clarify, we didn't pull our kids from P.S. We never, ever gave PS any consideration whatsoever. We planned from day 1 to homeschool all our kids.

Edited November 20, 2011 by Barry Goldwater

[dm379]

The ps schedule just wasn't working for our family. Plus we like it.

[Lisbeth]

1. The curriculum imo at our school (private Catholic, but used the same books as the highly-rated public school) was substandard. Shockingly so. And it seems to be the national standard, which is scary.

 

2. The gift of time. We do more in less time, and that gives my children a lot of freedom. They are ahead in most subjects, and still have more time. As an example: In the time it took to drive to school and wait in the car line, I can have a subject taught.

 

3. Family flexibility. We work school around our family life, not the other way around.

 

4. My daughter's food allergy and my son's profound dyslexia. Our stress over headbutting with the school over these issues has gone to nil. Goodbye useless red tape and ignorant administration!

 

5. Goodbye to time-wasting redundancies. My children would have taken piano and violin ANYWAY, after school, after spending useless time in watered down "music class" AT school. My children would be in sports anyway after school and on weekends after spending time in watered down gym class. Etc.

 

6. The kids have lost their age-related prejudices. "Ick, I can't associate with someone one year younger than me!" That's gone. They are helpful with their siblings, younger or older. We don't age-segregate so they interact with the elderly all the way down to toddlers on a daily basis.

Edited November 20, 2011 by Lisbeth

[MeaganS]

I was always advanced in school and I spent 80% of my time being bored. I don't want my children to waste their childhood waiting for all the other kids. So my primary reason is academics, and the fact that I believe I can do a better scope and sequence in less time.

 

My oldest daughter has special needs and I feel like she will do infinitely better primarily in a home environment.

 

I am fascinated by all the different ways there are to teach and the different theories of education that public schools can't even begin to look at because it wouldn't be practical. I love the idea that I can tailor my childrens' educations to what they need. My oldest daughter will probably need more time and individual attention. My second daughter will be probably be normal or advanced. They are different people and I can help bring up their weaknesses and also play to their strengths much better than a teacher with 20 other students could.

 

Other than the primarily academic reasons, all the other reasons are good too. My husband has an unusual work schedule and probably always will. I love the we have the opportunity to be off when he is off and my children will be able to maximize their time with him. I love that in elementary, school only needs to take a few hours and then my kids can play or follow their own interests.

 

So, I guess for us there are lots of reasons, and although we are religious, it is not our primary reason at all.

[sgo95]

Why wouldn't I want to? :) I'm able to SAHM, we have more flexibility and freedom to live our lives, we can set our own academic standards, I don't have to worry about bullying (from students or teachers), and I really enjoy spending more time with my kids.

[....]

We started homeschooling because I want my kids to get a great education.

 

I also have one kid who is mildly on the spectrum and would not thrive in a school environment.

 

I have one kid who went to ps for a year and basically couldn't read when I pulled him out - so he needs one-on-one help or he blends into the woodwork.

 

I have another kid who scored in the top 1 percentile during testing. She needs individual attention.

 

The schools where we live are not very good, they're overcrowded, they use Everyday Math and their average ACT score is a 21. Sorry, NOT for us.

 

This is our 3rd year and I'd like to add "we like the lifestyle" to our reasons. My kids are very happy.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Whether it's a serious first post or not, I like to educate the masses by advertising the fact that I am an athiest who homeschools for academic purposes, AND to limit my kids' exposure to what passes for "normal" socialization.

 

You don't need to be a Christian to realize how negative an environment an institution can be.

 

:iagree: There are many reasons I homeschool, but religion is not one of them. The soul-sucking nature of my kids' former school, their lack of teaching science and history, their inability to deal with my son's Asperger's Syndrome, and the idiotic way they taught math were a few of the main reasons.

[abbeyej]

Your question makes the assumption that we are all "pulling" our kids from public school, as if we found something wrong with it and then chose to withdraw. I prefer to think that my home schooling has little or nothing to do with the public schools. Yes, I could come up with any number of objections to them, but that's not *why* I home school.

 

I home school for academic rigor and individualized education. I want the best that each of my kids is capable of producing -- and those aren't even the same things at the same ages within my own family. I have high expectations for my very capable kids -- I want them challenged along the way.

 

I home school to give young children lots of free time to explore and be creative on their own terms. Despite having high expectations in the early years, we could complete our schooling in a fairly limited amount of time each day and leave lots of day left over for exploring, digging, building, drawing, creating, imagining, etc individually or together.

 

I home school for family closeness and flexibility. I love that my children are best friends -- that they genuinely enjoy each other's company on a daily basis, and that most of our days are spent interacting in positive and complex ways rather than simply passing each other between activities. I love that we can take off for an unexpected field trip together or to go ice skating during the day or to spend an off-season week traveling and exploring the world together.

 

I home school so that portions of our work can be done snuggled up on the couch together -- from learning-to-read to learning-to-read-Caesar-in-Latin to physics to art history...

 

I home school because it gives my kids freedom to enjoy more focused and intensive outside interests... This is becoming more of an issue as my oldest develops his love for classical ballet and increases the time and energy he spends on that.

 

I home school because we all enjoy it and it enriches our lives.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I'm not deeply philosophical about our homeschooling. My kids could not get a quality education where we live. Avoiding stupid school rules is just an added bonus.

[kathymuggle]

I did not think I would respond to this post, as so many of my reasons have been covered.

 

I do have one to add, though, and it is hard for me to articulate - but it comes down to empowerment. I want my children to know that they have choices in this world, and this is something that is difficult to convey while sending them to school. I find schools to be fairly controlling environments (understandably!) but it is not what I want for my children.

 

I do support older children choosing to go to school, once they are capable of understanding that it is a choice, and weighing the pros and cons, but the schools cant have my kids (lol) when they are young and too moldable.

Edited November 20, 2011 by kathymuggle

[Unscripted]

To give them a better education, period.

[Wabi Sabi]

Initially it was because we couldn't afford private school and after giving our public school a try we felt that the academics didn't live up to our standards. I was reasonably confident that I could provide a better education in less time each day, thereby freeing up more time for ds to pursue art, music, nature classes, and other interests.

 

We're also appreciating the flexibility and many other perks of homeschooling. For example, we're getting ready for a 3-week road trip with the kids. However, those are all secondary and the better academics/more time for other interests is still what primarily motivates us to continue homeschooling.

 

Oh, and we're not "strict Christians." We're actually not religious at all. I'm more atheist, my dh is more agnostic with perhaps some Buddhist leanings.

Edited November 20, 2011 by Wabi Sabi

[EKS]

We are not Christians and are not religious. We started homeschooling because of my older son's dyslexia (though we didn't know that's what it was at the time) and continued for academic reasons.

[FO4UR]

#1 - I've got an undiagnosed 2E kid. He's such a bright kid, LOVES good literature, but manifests so many symptoms of dyslexia. He is thriving at home. I put in the blood, sweat and tears figuring out how to teach him to read, and HE IS!!!!:D (mid-3rd grade, and still has troubles with small print) In a ps setting, he would be labeled in order to get special help that may not actually help, probably never exposed to literature beyond Dr. Suess and Charlotte's Web, and worse...he would feel "less than" in a classroom full of kids who were reading in 1st grade...and would likely decide that he is going to be the greatest class clown the school has ever know b/c that is something he can do well, and he'd probably succeed at that b/c he is a go-getter.:tongue_smilie:

 

Still part of my #1 - The same child excells in math. He has significant trouble with worksheets (This improves with his reading ability.;)). Given what he can show on a worksheet, he would be grade levels behind what he can actually do with his brain. He often works "backwards" in math, applying a concept (working it out mentally), figuring out how to communicate/notate that, and THEN getting it down in worksheet form. I keep 2 threads of math going for him, a worksheet format on his "ps grade-level" and an oral/manipulative format that is 2+ grade levels beyond. Again...blood, sweat and tears involved in figuring out what this child needs to keep moving forward, feeding his strengths and building his weaknesses, without murdering his desire to learn.

 

 

You could say my #1 is sheltering/academics/personalization all wrapped into a single package. As amazing as many ps teachers may be, there is not one as dedicated to *my* child.

 

 

 

#2 - Time. We are selfish with our time. We get enough practice waiting in line at Walmart. During the school day, there are places to go and people to see...legos to build and storylines to play. My dc get a rigorous school day, yet spend only a small portion of their day on academics.

 

 

#3 - Socialization. It's important to me that my dc learn how to manage conflicts, and not just manage *with* them. I want my dc to be unafraid to make new friends and start up conversations with people they don't already know. I want them to be friendly with people of all ages. I don't want the ps-social-strata heirarchy to define their social status (or self-worth!). I do NOT want them to treat their future bosses like children are expected to treat their ps teachers (Do you raise your hand in the office? Ask to use the potty? Patiently wait your turn to speak privately to the boss? - Not if you want to be taken seriously!)....I could go on, but I'll end this point here...

[Jenny in Atl]

The school I want does not exist... and most likely never will.

[*Lulu*]

I am not sure of the motivations for the OP, but if you want the one shining event that drove us to this educational decision you can have it.

 

From university graduation until leaving the workforce to be a SAHM I worked with students who were failing and flailing in the public school system. These were bright and capable students who had fallen through the system's cracks; some had experienced a bad teacher, others a bully, several had some level of LD that the school just could not fully address. Many of these kids had just fallen a little behind the class median and, when the pace didn't/couldn't slow, they preceded to slip away by degrees. I determined that my child was not going to end up in their number.

 

Our reasons for homeschooling are many, and have changed over the years, but the above experience and the emotions attached to watching these students needlessly struggle with academics and self-image is the cornerstone of our continued decision.

Edited November 20, 2011 by BLA5

[FairyMom]

I never pulled my kids out of school. We never planned on them attending the schools in our area. I guess the main reason is I don't want them to be immersed in a culture I don't agree with. Quite frankly, I also don't think children are mature enough to create a sub-society on their own with 25 other classmates. It reminds me of Lord of the Flies.

 

On the fun side, I wanted to be with them, to travel with them, live life together without the constraints of a school calendar and see their lightbulb moments myself.

 

Those are just my opinions, of course.

[AndyJoy]

One of my main (many!) reasons for wanting to homeschool is the inherent limitations of a mixed-ability classroom setting. Neither my husband nor I had our academic needs met by our schools. Having taught in a jr. high classroom myself, I think that much of what was flawed with our education was due simply to the fact that one cannot teach 30 students at an individual level in the same 50 minute period. Thus, someone will have to be lost or learning nothing too much of the time.

[pqr]

I want my children to receive an education, not what passes for such in many schools today.

 

I also intend that they not be the guinea pigs for the latest social experiment or "new fangled" method of teaching.

[arghmatey]

When we made the decision to home school, DH traveled 100% of the time for work and sometimes returned home for a shortened weekend. We planned to travel 100% of the time with him and home school on the road. Once we made that decision, we compiled evidence in favor of home education.

 

Now that our family dynamic has changed, our primary reasons have also changed; however, we are too committed to consider anything else.

[Element]

Individualized classical education

:iagree:

This.

[Mergath]

I was a lit/anthropology major in college, and I shared quite a few low-level lit classes with education majors. No offense to any teachers around here, but there were just too many of them that went into education because they weren't intelligent enough to do anything else, or else they couldn't decide what they wanted to do so they went into education for the heck of it. I'll be ****ed if those are the people I'm going to entrust with my dd's entire education.

 

Also, my dd's develepment is extremely uneven. She's 3.5 and has a genetic disorder that messes up brain development. On one hand, she is starting to sound out CVC words, yet being in a group of kids larger than two or three is quite scary for her. She may have selective mutism. Good luck finding a teacher capable of effectively teaching a child like mine along with thirty other kids.

 

Just for the record, we're Pagans- not Christians- and have planned to homeschool since I was pregnant.

[dangermom]

Classical education. And once we got started, the whole family lifestyle.

[AK_Mom4]

Because one of my kids needed it, one of my kids wanted it, and one of my kids just can't get what she needs from the typical public school.

[Veritaserum]

Individualized classical education without a private school price tag.

 

:iagree: And my kids weren't pulled from public school. They never went. :D We are secular homeschoolers.

[CanaryMelody]

We homeschool for a variety of reasons. We set our reasons down back in 2005 when we began homeschooling. In a nutshell:

 

1. Academics. Individualized and thorough education tailored to each child's learning style.

 

2. Religious. We want our children to grow up with a solid foundation of God. We feel that for our family this can not be done if they are gone to a public school 6-8 hours 5 days a week.

 

3. Safety. From violence, drugs, and bullying. Safety of body and mind.

 

4. Socialization. Our children learn how to relate to others of all age groups and different situations.

 

5. Most importantly, we homeschool because this is what we feel is God's will for our family. We recognize this is a choice not suitable for EVERY family or even EVERY child within a family.

 

We have homeschooled since 1st grade for my oldest DD. My other DC will not attend any public school at all.

[StephanieZ]

I do it primarily to:

 

1) provide my (gifted) children with a more appropriate and challenging education than is available in local public or private schools

2) be able to foster relationships with people (both peers and adults) of high moral and intellectual standards

3) enable my children to develop their musical gifts and other interests while still pursuing strong traditional academic studies (i.e., travel to lessons, time for extensive practicing, time for regular runs, etc.)

4) avoid the ugly peer and teacher interactions often expected in most schools

5) foster strong study habits and good character

6) focus school time on subjects I believe are of value, without wasting time on nonsense, classroom behavior management, stupid sports worshipping (pep rallies, etc. UGH.)

 

Important bonuses:

 

7) being able to schedule vacation and other travel without the complications of a school calendar

8) being able to schedule schooling around my husband's (and my) non-typical work schedules so as to maximize family time

9) being able to simply spend much more time as a family

[Crimson Wife]

We started HS by default when we moved in July before my oldest would've started pre-K. This was the height of the last economic boom, and there were NO pre-K slots available. So I started HS for pre-K and then searching for an elementary school for the following year. Six months later the HS was going very well and the school search was not. So we decided to continue on HS for K.

 

I quickly became a convert to the HS lifestyle, but DH took longer. At this point, we're planning to HS through 8th and then do online or traditional private school.

 

The biggest advantage is the flexibility to meet uneven abilities. Last year, I had a just-turned-5 y.o. who could read at a 4th grade level but who couldn't write his name. What do you do with a kid like that in a traditional classroom? He'd be bored in K where they are learning their alphabet sounds and decoding CVC words. But you couldn't put him with 4th graders because of his age and inability to write. With HS, I can work with him at the appropriate level for each subject and can "tweak" assignments to make up for the fact that his physical writing ability lags his cognitive ability.

[Mrs Mungo]

In addition to many of the reasons already mentioned, such as academic rigor and flexibility? We are military. Homeschooling has allowed educational continuity that they would otherwise lack.

 

My kids have never attended a traditional school.

[kalanamak]

Academics by far, but I don't really want to addict my son to pop culture. He has time enough to learn that once his brain is more fully formed on classics.

I'm one of those old-fashioned values of traditional schooling (three Rs) crossed with secular humanism homeschoolers. We are a lonely bunch.

[LibraryLover]

Freedom. To sspend our time doing what we please, and what we think is important. To not be bound by arbitrary time frames. For family closeness. We're not religious people. altough we participate in our friends' religious celebrations. (Weddings, Bat Mitvahs, Christenings etc)

 

I'm not anti-school. Some of the nicest, brightest folks I know attend school, work in schools, support schools. I've worked on various fundrisers and am very active in the music associate in our disrict, love to see the kids xcountry runners from the high school training on our local roads etc. When I hear the high school drum line practicing when I work in my yard (they are amazing and it carries), I feel happy they are doing something they enjoy.

 

Im kind of all over the map about it. We love hsing, but we have had great experiences with the schools and students in our area. We've hired some local teens to care for our animals when we've travelled and they've been great. I used to use neighborhood schooled children as mother's helpers etc.

[LibraryLover]

Academics by far, but I don't really want to addict my son to pop culture. He has time enough to learn that once his brain is more fully formed on classics.

I'm one of those old-fashioned values of traditional schooling (three Rs) crossed with secular humanism homeschoolers. We are a lonely bunch.

 

 

Interestingly, the humanists hsers we know (and that's quite a few), are raising children who know the classics, have amazing vocabularies, are quite expressive. Most play an instrument as well. But. They also know Phineas and Ferb. Harry Potter, too. Pokemon. Interesting mix, which is rather fun. We live in MA, and I do think it's different here. My dd attends ballet with mostly schooled children, but interestingly enough, this year she and another same-age public schooled girl (religious Catholic) were comparing notes. My dd was so animated when she got back in the car, telling me she and Sarah were both studying Sumerians and reading parts of Gilgamesh. I suppose you don't find that in all schools in the nation.

Edited November 20, 2011 by LibraryLover

[Happy2BaMom]

I home school for academic rigor and individualized education. I want the best that each of my kids is capable of producing -- and those aren't even the same things at the same ages within my own family. I have high expectations for my very capable kids -- I want them challenged along the way.

 

I home school to give young children lots of free time to explore and be creative on their own terms. Despite having high expectations in the early years, we could complete our schooling in a fairly limited amount of time each day and leave lots of day left over for exploring, digging, building, drawing, creating, imagining, etc individually or together.

 

I home school for family closeness and flexibility. I love that my children are best friends -- that they genuinely enjoy each other's company on a daily basis, and that most of our days are spent interacting in positive and complex ways rather than simply passing each other between activities. I love that we can take off for an unexpected field trip together or to go ice skating during the day or to spend an off-season week traveling and exploring the world together.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Also, I ended up with a son with is very advanced intellectually / academically and when I tried to work with the school (in first grade) to better meet his needs (he was extremely bored and miserable), they tried to make HIM wrong ("well, it is important that he learn to fit in with his peers"....which sounds good until you realize what that means - that he give up his natural ambition to learn and grow and hold himself back/down/under to make other people happy). We pulled him at Christmas and have never looked back. My dd, K, is hsed from the start.

 

Finally, I also happen to have a M.S.Ed (K-6), and I find that the homeschool market offers curriculae that are SO much stronger / better / clearer than the local public school.

 

I support the schools with my votes (and taxes) because there are sooooo many children whose parents will NEVER hs them, and because I believe that soooo many teachers are doing the best they can with an impossible situation (not enough resources, tough kids, etc), but it's not something I want for me/us.

 

P.S. - one more thing - the negative peer pressure at school. The sexuality focus that starts in elementary school, the pressure to pull away from the parents, all the kids that have cell phones / computers in their own rooms / access to too much money/drugs/lack of oversight.

[lauranc]

I am just curious what motivates people for doing it. I am neither against it or for it necessarily, just wondering what makes someone pull their child from public school to teach them at home. I have known several friends who have done it, but they were strict christians who were worried about bad associates at school. so if you're not one of those strict christians, why do you do it?

 

 

I have always homeschooled all 3 of my kids because I wanted them to retain their creativity and grow into the people they were meant to be. I wanted them to think for themselves, speak their minds, and also have time to sit and marvel at the world around them.

[kalanamak]

Interestingly, the humanists hsers we know (and that's quite a few), are raising children who know the classics, have amazing vocabularies, are quite expressive. Most play an instrument as well. But. They also know Phineas and Ferb. Harry Potter, too. Pokemon. Interesting mix, and, rather fun.

 

They run towards very relaxed unschooling, here, but I haven't met many hs'ers in general. I've met more people from this board, IRL, than non-board people.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Classical education. And once we got started, the whole family lifestyle.

 

:iagree:

[Embassy]

A individualized education. I didn't pull my kids from a public school though. I used to work in several different public schools and determined before my kids were born that I would homeschool.

[LibraryLover]

They run towards very relaxed unschooling, here, but I haven't met many hs'ers in general. I've met more people from this board, IRL, than non-board people.

 

 

:001_smile: I just want to thank you for not quoting my horrible mispelling /typo. I've fixed it now.

 

Most of my hsing friends are very relaxed hsers, most are highly educated themselves. Some of their children don't learn to read until later, but they do learn. (I don't have that sort of patience to wait it out.)

 

These tend to be very literary types. So even while some basic skills take longer to develop in their children, the children are exposed to a lot, and are having very intellecutual experiences: frequent travel to museums, family discussions, and are being read to daily, and mostly the classics. It's not unusual for these young kids to know the story of Odysseus, fi, years before they can read it on their own. Maps on walls, map play/geography, art, music lessons, Lego robotoics, etc are also part of this 'relaxed' hs culture.

 

I started off very easy-going Wadorfy (not into anthroposophy) and unschooly. Some of my friends with younger kids also have Waldorf tendencies. There was mostly 'play' and exposure to nature happening at the beiginning of our hsing journey. It's interesting to be in a home surrounded by nature and wooden toys and lovely chalk poems/ drawings on the walls...and also see an xbox or wii, or a kid flit from playing with silks to taking up the DS and paying some Pokemon game. :D

Edited November 20, 2011 by LibraryLover