s/o At what age does homeschooling "count"?

[Catwoman]

But there are probably folks who homeschool K before they are allowed to register for K.

I'm sorry, but I don't think those people are really "homeschooling."

 

I think they are "preparing their child for school," which is what I assume most parents do, at least to some extent.

 

I guess I don't understand why a parent who is planning to send their child to school starting in kindergarten feels the need to call herself a homeschooler when all she is really doing is parenting her child and trying to ensure that her kid is prepared to start school.

 

Why does everyone seem to need an Official Job Title these days? Is it for some sort of weird bragging rights? Do they want everyone they know to think they are doing something super-duper-amazing for their special little snowflake, as opposed to being "just a mom?" Because I have to tell you, I have been homeschooling my ds all the way along, and I still refer to myself as my ds's mom, not as his "homeschool teacher," and when I meet new people and they ask what I do, it never occurs to me to trot out my "homeschooling mom" title.

 

Whenever I hear a mom say that she is homeschooling until her child is ready for kindergarten, I just do this: :rolleyes:

[SKL]

I'm sorry, but I don't think those people are really "homeschooling."

 

I think they are "preparing their child for school," which is what I assume most parents do, at least to some extent.

 

I guess I don't understand why a parent who is planning to send their child to school starting in kindergarten feels the need to call herself a homeschooler when all she is really doing is parenting her child and trying to ensure that her kid is prepared to start school.

 

Why does everyone seem to need an Official Job Title these days? Is it for some sort of weird bragging rights? Do they want everyone they know to think they are doing something super-duper-amazing for their special little snowflake, as opposed to being "just a mom?" Because I have to tell you, I have been homeschooling my ds all the way along, and I still refer to myself as my ds's mom, not as his "homeschool teacher," and when I meet new people and they ask what I do, it never occurs to me to trot out my "homeschooling mom" title.

 

Whenever I hear a mom say that she is homeschooling until her child is ready for kindergarten, I just do this: :rolleyes:

 

You misunderstood.  I was talking about people who homeschool K the year before their kids do 1st grade.  K is required in my state.  PS, I didn't go around telling anyone I was homeschooling K unless it was really necessary.  Bragging rights?  In many places saying "homeschool" puts you immediately on the defensive.

 

My kid was reading 2nd grade science books and biographies, studying maps and globes, counting money and telling time, and doing mental multiplication and division when I was homeschooling K.  We sat for hours daily doing these and other activities.  I have no skin in this game, but if another mom is out there doing what I was doing *instead of* sending her kid to b&m KG, then why should it matter whether the kid is registered with the state yet?

 

What exactly do you lose by this??

[Catwoman]

You misunderstood. I was talking about people who homeschool K the year before their kids do 1st grade. K is required in my state. PS, I didn't go around telling anyone I was homeschooling K unless it was really necessary. Bragging rights? In many places saying "homeschool" puts you immediately on the defensive.

 

My kid was reading 2nd grade science books and biographies, studying maps and globes, counting money and telling time, and doing mental multiplication and division when I was homeschooling K. We sat for hours daily doing these and other activities. I have no skin in this game, but if another mom is out there doing what I was doing *instead of* sending her kid to b&m KG, then why should it matter whether the kid is registered with the state yet?

 

What exactly do you lose by this??

Wow.

 

You seem awfully defensive about this.

 

It sounds like the Official Job Title may have been more important to you than you're admitting. ;)

[Catwoman]

In my state, I could not legally register Miss E as a homeschooled KG student until 2012-13, because of her birthday. However, she was doing KG in 2011-12. She went on to B&M 1st in 2012-13. I read up on the state requirements for homeschool KG to count, and I did all that and more, even though I wasn't actually sure how old she'd be before she could be officially accelerated.

 

I didn't attempt to join any homeschooler organizations and didn't end up needing to prove K was done, so it turned out to be irrelevant. But there are probably folks who homeschool K before they are allowed to register for K. So I think limiting it to only people who are registered might be unfair in some cases. I assume exceptions would be made in a case like that.

 

I understand the need for a cutoff, but it seems homeschoolers of all people would want to avoid arbitrariness.

Sorry to post twice in a row, but my iPad seems to be in a mood today.

 

The bolded sentence above is why I assumed you meant that moms were preparing their children for kindergarten, not for first grade.

[SKL]

Sorry to post twice in a row, but my iPad seems to be in a mood today.

 

The bolded sentence above is why I assumed you meant that moms were preparing their children for kindergarten, not for first grade.

 

As I explained, in my state (and perhaps other states) it is not legal to register your kid for K before the regular school cutoff date.  So any child who begins homeschool a little early (and does not repeat) would be excluded from being called homeschooled in states like mine.  But socially, why should they be excluded if they are part of the homeschool community?

 

I never said *I* was or should have been part of the homeschool community.  I work full-time and never had time to even think about attending homeschool stuff.  However, I did want my kid's K year to count so she would not have to be academically held back.

 

Your previous post reminds me why I have you on ignore.  Look back at the post I quoted previously and tell me it isn't full of snark.  For what reason I do not know.

[Catwoman]

As I explained, in my state (and perhaps other states) it is not legal to register your kid for K before the regular school cutoff date. So any child who begins homeschool a little early (and does not repeat) would be excluded from being called homeschooled in states like mine. But socially, why should they be excluded if they are part of the homeschool community?

 

I never said *I* was or should have been part of the homeschool community. I work full-time and never had time to even think about attending homeschool stuff. However, I did want my kid's K year to count so she would not have to be academically held back.

 

Your previous post reminds me why I have you on ignore. Look back at the post I quoted previously and tell me it isn't full of snark. For what reason I do not know.

I'm sorry, SKL, but all I did was respond to your post about people who say they "homeschool" their children to prepare them for kindergarten, and for some reason, you chose to get offended.

 

I'm not going to take the bait and argue with you on this thread. It's an interesting thread with several different perspectives, and I just happen to disagree with yours.

 

Please put me back on your ignore list so this thread can continue along as nicely as it was before you decided that I was picking on you. It will be better for everyone.

[SKL]

I'm sorry, SKL, but all I did was respond to your post about people who say they "homeschool" their children to prepare them for kindergarten, and for some reason, you chose to get offended.

 

I'm not going to take the bait and argue with you on this thread. It's an interesting thread with several different perspectives, and I just happen to disagree with yours.

 

Please put me back on your ignore list so this thread can continue along as nicely as it was before you decided that I was picking on you. It will be better for everyone.

 

Again, you misunderstood, and I feel this is relevant since others in this thread have a similar situation.

 

A homeschooled child who has begun k-12 school before it is legal to register is still a homeschooled child.

 

I was not talking about people whose kids go on to do K the next year in a brick-and-mortar school.  Sorry to others if I was unclear.

 

I never did take you off ignore, so no worries there.

 

[Catwoman]

Again, you misunderstood, and I feel this is relevant since others in this thread have a similar situation.

 

A homeschooled child who has begun k-12 school before it is legal to register is still a homeschooled child.

 

I was not talking about people whose kids go on to do K the next year in a brick-and-mortar school. Sorry to others if I was unclear.

I did misunderstand what you meant. If you go back and read your post, you didn't say that parents were homeschooling their kids for kindergarten and then registering them for first grade. You said that they were homeschooling their children before they were allowed to register them for Kindergarten, which is apparently not what you really meant. Now that you have clarified, your post makes more sense to me.

 

I never did take you off ignore, so no worries there.

 

If you didn't take me off of your Ignore list, how are you seeing my posts?

 

I'm not trying to be snarky -- I'm really wondering about it. I thought when you put someone on Ignore, you would see that the person posted something, but not see her actual posts, so you could ignore them and continue reading the rest of the thread.

 

I don't have anyone on Ignore, so I may be misunderstanding the way it works.

[MotherOfBoys]

I think it depends if you are doing a formal curriculum or not. I was doing a formal (Saxon) curriculum at 4 with my son and the homeschool group wouldn't let us in. I needed the conversation with other moms to know what's normal and not. Support. I knew no hsers and had no experience in hsing. Turning possible hsers away doesn't help the homeschooling community. Be helpful.

 

To top it off my son's friends were able to start prek because they were poor enough. We couldn't. No friends, no help, and no internet at the time.  If it wasn't for my husband and moms support I would have quit. They didn't know the answers but they supported me so I could research to find out.

 

I shouldn't have had to reinvent the wheel.

[MotherOfBoys]

I have to add that teaching reading is very intimidating at first. There are so many ways to do it and so much advice. A supportive hs group could see the child and parent and help with the decision about how to get started. What is learning styles and which one are we. what's my teaching style. Young moms can think "if I mess up the building blocks he's screwed for life!"

 

We were all beginners once. We all had fears. You might not think of it as a big deal because your further along but to a new mom it's important to start right with her first born.

[SKL]

I did misunderstand what you meant. If you go back and read your post, you didn't say that parents were homeschooling their kids for kindergarten and then registering them for first grade. You said that they were homeschooling their children before they were allowed to register them for Kindergarten, which is apparently not what you really meant. Now that you have clarified, your post makes more sense to me.

 

 

No, I meant what I said.

 

In Summer 2011, Miss E was 4.5 and more than ready for K.  No nearby school would take her because of her birthday, so I attempted to register her with the state as a homeschooled kindergartener.  This was not possible.  She could not be legally registered as a homeschooled kid until she was 5.5.

 

I proceeded with homeschooling until I found a school situation that would accept her as an accelerated student.  She finished K in that year and went on to 1st in 2012-13.

 

At least one other parent in this thread has homeschooled her 4.5yo as an early K entrant and then moved on to 1st grade the next year.  That parent is a traditional homeschooler (unlike me) and I'm saying it would be reasonable to treat her as such from grade K, regardless of whether the child was registered.  There may be many others in the same situation.

[Catwoman]

I have to add that teaching reading is very intimidating at first. There are so many ways to do it and so much advice. A supportive hs group could see the child and parent and help with the decision about how to get started. What is learning styles and which one are we. what's my teaching style. Young moms can think "if I mess up the building blocks he's screwed for life!"

 

We were all beginners once. We all had fears. You might not think of it as a big deal because your further along but to a new mom it's important to start right with her first born.

I hate to say this, but I think you may be over-estimating the amount of support you'll get from a homeschooling group. And realistically, you can get 20 highly experienced homeschool moms into the same room and ask them the exact same question, and you may find that you get 20 different answers. There truly is no "one right way" to homeschool your children.

 

There are educational co-ops that have classes for kids of all ages, and something like that might work for you, as long as you agree with their basic educational philosophy, because those groups are academic in nature, so you might find experienced moms who could give you some advice.

 

If you are really concerned with making sure your child gets a solid education but you don't know where to begin, you may want to try a "school in a box" approach, at least for a while, to help you build your confidence. You can buy boxed grade level curriculum from Calvert School, or you could even get a DVD program like those offered by BJU Press or Abeka. If you want a more free-flowing Waldorf-type experience, you could consider Oak Meadow. You could even keep it super-simple and inexpensive and buy a few all-in-one grade level workbooks at BJs, Sam's Club or Costco, and maybe add in something like "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons."

 

Your kids have years and years to learn everything they need to know for college, yet many of us get caught up in wanting them to learn everything, right now, because we're so afraid we will miss something crucial and our kids will be ruined for life, and it will be all our fault. If I have one piece of advice for you that I wish I had listened to when my ds was little, it would be to slow down, relax, enjoy your children, and remember to try to look at the big picture rather than stressing over the details of your kindergarten or first grade program, because in the long run, it's not going to matter a bit.

[Crimson Wife]

No, I meant what I said.

 

In Summer 2011, Miss E was 4.5 and more than ready for K.  No nearby school would take her because of her birthday, so I attempted to register her with the state as a homeschooled kindergartener.  This was not possible.  She could not be legally registered as a homeschooled kid until she was 5.5.

 

I proceeded with homeschooling until I found a school situation that would accept her as an accelerated student.  She finished K in that year and went on to 1st in 2012-13.

 

At least one other parent in this thread has homeschooled her 4.5yo as an early K entrant and then moved on to 1st grade the next year.  That parent is a traditional homeschooler (unlike me) and I'm saying it would be reasonable to treat her as such from grade K, regardless of whether the child was registered.  There may be many others in the same situation.

You did not "homeschool kindergarten". You homeschooled pre-k (age rather than the grade level of the material is what counts) and then your daughter did early entrance into 1st, skipping kindergarten entirely.

 

I've got a 6th grader who is using a mix of 8th grade & up materials. She is not an 8th grader because she will not be 13 by December 2nd of this year. If I wanted to put her into a B&M high school next year as a freshman, I could petition for a double grade-skip but that wouldn't make this her 8th grade year.

[SKL]

You did not "homeschool kindergarten". You homeschooled pre-k (age rather than the grade level of the material is what counts) and then your daughter did early entrance into 1st, skipping kindergarten entirely.

 

I've got a 6th grader who is using a mix of 8th grade & up materials. She is not an 8th grader because she will not be 13 by December 2nd of this year. If I wanted to put her into a B&M high school next year as a freshman, I could petition for a double grade-skip but that wouldn't make this her 8th grade year.

 

Well, I guess that's a matter of opinion too.  Had I continued homeschooling her for 13 years, would it be argued that she never did K?  Or that she never did 12th?  Or does someone outside my family get to decide which year my kid "skipped"?  Or does she need to have 14 years of school to get a diploma?  That doesn't seem right, considering I graduated from brick-and-mortar at 16.

 

So how about kids who enter brick-and-mortar K early (and then continue on to 1st grade the next year)?  Are they not really in K either?

 

(FTR, I would not say I homeschooled pre-K because a. I don't consider pre-K to be official school, and b. my kid attended brick-and-mortar pre-K.)

 

[bluemongoose]

I voted other.

 

If you go by my states compulsory age that would be 7yo on Sep 1st. My children have late birthdays, so to some we would not have been homeschooling until they were nearly 8yo.

 

If you go by kindergarten, that works for some, but what about children who are ahead and have completed kindergarten well before the kindergarten age...if they are actually doing the work (not unschooling) but actually sitting down to work are they not homeschooling?

 

My DD did kindergarten at age 3.5, by 5yo on Sep 1st (when they would allow her into public school for K) she was starting 2nd grade level work, by the year she was the compulsory age of 7 on Sep 1st we had been doing actual school for 4 years, but for some we were just now to be considered homeschoolers.

 

Frankly it sounds stuck up...like we are not good enough to be part of a club yet. We dont fit in to PS situations, we plan on homeschooling, we are actually doing the work as homeschoolers, but many of the homeschoolers dont want us yet. Also, how are people who are just getting started with young kids supposed to get help if this is the attitude that they run into by the very people that should be welcoming and helpful?

 

Now that I finally have a child that is old enough for us to call ourselves homeschoolers, I try to help other people with little kids and remember how it felt to be in their position.

[KarenNC]

There are so many different aspects to this and the homeschooling community has changed so much over even the last 5-10 years, much less the decades before, that it's very complicated. It appears to me that there's been a huge increase in the numbers of people who see homeschooling as a viable temporary option (at whatever age) rather than a lifestyle commitment, which I think is an indication of how far into the mainstream it has come. As some others have said, it has to do with context.

 

Legal---for legal purposes, I can only technically say that I was a registered homeschooler from the year in which my child turned 7, because that's the absolute earliest one can establish a homeschool in my state. For us, this was second grade. My friend with multiple children can just fold her youngers into her homeschool as she desires at whatever age. Was her second child as a kindergartner or first grader "more" of a homeschooler than mine (or her oldest) because she was legally registered and I couldn't?

 

Socially---we started with a homeschool group the spring before she entered kindergarten (age 4) and we are still there. She was concurrently enrolled in a preschool and we did more formal work at home on reading and math. There were children of all ages in the group and I'm grateful that I was welcomed. It made all the difference in the world as to whether we stuck with homeschooling, because, at the time, I was only committed to that one year. We have just added a new member whose oldest child is 4. She currently plans to homeschool through elementary, but that could change---maybe it won't because of the support she will get in the group. I think it's perfectly reasonable for a group to say that members are welcome with children of any age, but that formal classes will only be provided for a certain age and up due to resources. Perhaps those groups could encourage the parents of preschoolers to form a subset of a park day, field trips, etc for that age rather than formal classes. It would benefit the parents who have multiple children as well. Also, not all co-ops, etc have to be open to all ages. We've recently joined one that is middle and high school only, no tag-alongs allowed for classes, period.

 

Curricular---we started a formal curriculum at age 4, but some families who are legally registered homeschoolers through high school don't ever use what most would consider a "formal" curriculum, so I don't know that that works terribly well as a definition.

 

Outside classes---We use a mix of options. This year, my daughter is in 3 in-person classes with professional teachers that I pay for with outside grading and scheduling, 2 free classes that are done via an online co-op with volunteer professional teachers and outside grading and scheduling, 2 free classes that are done via an in-person co-op with volunteer parent teachers and outside scheduling but no grading, one class where we work at home with me doing the grading but following the printed schedule, and two others where we work at home with me doing all the scheduling and grading. We are legally registered homeschoolers. She is simultaneously a homeschooler, a student of two different co-ops, of a particular English teacher, of our dojo, and of the rec center (and thus the art teacher).

 

In our state, there is no public virtual charter (yet). Literally this week, the option has become available for high schoolers in our county to access 2 online courses a semester through one of the public schools, becoming a part-time student of the school system but still remaining a legal homeschooler. This question of how it will affect homeschool status is being hotly debated, since the Dept of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education (which oversees the public schools) sees this as legal. The question is whether our Dept of Non-Public Education and the Dept of Administration (to whom the DNPE reports) sees it as legal. Personally, I hope it works out, because I would rather have the choice to access to the classes I've already paid for through taxes than have to pay for them again from a different provider. I am okay with her being a part-time public school student, just as I am okay with her being a part-time student of the English teacher, dojo, or co-op.

[Crimson Wife]

Well, I guess that's a matter of opinion too.  Had I continued homeschooling her for 13 years, would it be argued that she never did K?  Or that she never did 12th?

She would've done K at 5.5 (using whatever grade level materials), 1st at 6.5, etc. If you wanted to graduate her from high school early, that would be your prerogative. Plenty of HS kids in my neck of the woods do early entrance to college at 16 after their sophomore year of high school (my state allows sophomores to take the high school exit exam and those that pass can enroll in CC as freshman).

[swellmomma]

What she said...

 

Before the state's compulsory age, you're just being a parent. You're home schooling if the child is of school age. I used to be a part of a group that encouraged anyone to attend including those with intentions of homeschooling and the children's ages started skewing towards pre-K and younger. I'm fine with tag alongs as I have them myself. There's just a different social need when kids are older.

 

ETA: to clarify terms. I think homeschooling is a way of life for the families I know IRL regardless of the children's ages. Home schooling is something done as an alternative to public or private school

 

I disagree with you on this point.  The comulsory age here is 6 by sept 1.  dd5 turns 6 sept 19th, meaning by law she would not have to be enrolled in school until next year...in 2nd grade.  No one can tell me I am not homeschooling her this year, or last for that matter.

[Crimson Wife]

And can you "homeschool" yourself? If you were a high school dropout, can you self-educate, issue your own diploma and transcript, and have this recognized as valid by... someone (like admissions officers)?

High school dropouts can self-educate, pass the GED test, and then enroll in community college. With high enough SAT and/or ACT scores, they could try for admission by examination to the state university here without first attending CC, but they'd probably need to have a pretty darn good explanation for why they dropped out of H.S. in the first place.

[SKL]

She would've done K at 5.5 (using whatever grade level materials), 1st at 6.5, etc. If you wanted to graduate her from high school early, that would be your prerogative. Plenty of HS kids in my neck of the woods do early entrance to college at 16 after their sophomore year of high school (my state allows sophomores to take the high school exit exam and those that pass can enroll in CC as freshman).

 

We'll have to agree to disagree.  Accelerating an advanced student is not particularly unusual in brick & mortar, so I think it ought to be an option and recognized in homeschooling as well.  My other kid is young for her grade, too, but nobody is questioning whether she finished KG, because she has the school certificate.  Seems wrong to allow less grade level flexibility to homeschooled kids.

 

Though legally, in my state, it might be as you say.  Not sure what the process is to grade-skip or graduate early as a homeschooler.  Given that state laws address outer limits rather than the whole range of experience, I wouldn't go by legal definitions in determining eligibility for a homeschool activity.

[lea_lpz]

I have to add that teaching reading is very intimidating at first. There are so many ways to do it and so much advice. A supportive hs group could see the child and parent and help with the decision about how to get started. What is learning styles and which one are we. what's my teaching style. Young moms can think "if I mess up the building blocks he's screwed for life!"

 

We were all beginners once. We all had fears. You might not think of it as a big deal because your further along but to a new mom it's important to start right with her first born.

Yeah, but you still really don't need to teach a pre-k'er to read and a k'er does not need to be reading beyond cvc words. That's a whole other can of worms, but if I have to read one more post about handwriting programs and phonics for my advanced 3 year old (always the 1st kid) I might shove a fork in my eye.....

 

Seriously what is the rush!?! In preschool, we basically cut, colored, did circle time and played. I learned my alphabet, letter names and sounds in k and near the end of the year started to read cvc words. It was half day and we still had play stations. We reviewed that same stuff in 1st grade for about a month before we learned to read. This was at a private school, so we were actually ahead of the public k & 1st programs. I graduated from Berkeley with Honors and entered a masters program fresh out of my undergrad. Without reading in preschool.

[ErinE]

I disagree with you on this point.  The comulsory age here is 6 by sept 1.  dd5 turns 6 sept 19th, meaning by law she would not have to be enrolled in school until next year...in 2nd grade.  No one can tell me I am not homeschooling her this year, or last for that matter.

 

I think my initial post came out harsher than I intended. Homeschooling to me is schooling at home (as opposed to public or private schooling). I know that homeschooling is a way of life for many people, and I guess I'm considering homeschooling in the context of the mom's expertise rather than the children's age. I based my response on my experience out in the world rather than my experience with people on this board. Next time, I'll give proper consideration to my words before making a response. I have a few points:

 

* Homeschoolers I've met in real life are very different from the people on this board. Many posters on this board have academically accelerated children and in my experience, this is not the norm. With the understanding that anecdote doesn't make data, I've participated in homeschool groups located in two of the largest cities in the United States plus a smaller city and rural region. The homeschoolers I've met through various activities purchase grade-level curriculum (based on age) and just work through it. IRL, I haven't met any five year olds doing across-the-board second grade work. On this board, that's not unusual.

* In a group situation, if the overwhelming majority of children are preschool age (doing pre-K activities) with the oldest being a very young elementary, I would consider it a pre-K group. I have experienced these groups that labeled themselves homeschooling, and there just wasn't enough critical mass of experienced families for me to consider it academically or socially helpful to me with my grammar stage (at the time) children.

* When I'm with parents who state that they've been homeschooling for 3 years and the child is 3, I wouldn't say, "Your child is not homeschooled!" But in my head, I would think, "I consider that parenting." However, in real life, I very rarely lead with asking duration of homeschooling. Usually, I ask the kids ages and we discuss from there.

* In a coop, so long as the child can keep up with the academic and class requirements, I don't care what age he or she is. Keep in mind though, I've met IRL very few academically accelerated children and I've yet to meet young children "age-skipping" in coop classes. The few coops I explored were either age and grade level matched or purely social outlets. 

[Dmmetler]

We'll have to agree to disagree.  Accelerating an advanced student is not particularly unusual in brick & mortar, so I think it ought to be an option and recognized in homeschooling as well.  My other kid is young for her grade, too, but nobody is questioning whether she finished KG, because she has the school certificate.  Seems wrong to allow less grade level flexibility to homeschooled kids.

 

Though legally, in my state, it might be as you say.  Not sure what the process is to grade-skip or graduate early as a homeschooler.  Given that state laws address outer limits rather than the whole range of experience, I wouldn't go by legal definitions in determining eligibility for a homeschool activity.

 

FWIW, in my state early entry is not allowed to K or 1st even as a homeschooler unless there is an IEP and waiver on file. So my DD would be legally a 3rd grader had we homeschooled K at 4.5 instead of her having a waiver and IEP to allow early entry to K in a traditional school. We could have grade skipped her after the end of 1st, but not done K at age 4.5. And even though DD is LEGALLY a 4th grader, most homeschool classes and groups have been unwilling to place her over her age-grade. The first year we homeschooled, she was stuck in the Pre-K/K co-op class because she was 5, for example, even though we had paperwork from a formal school as well as state registration to show that she was a 1st grader.

[SKL]

And even though DD is LEGALLY a 4th grader, most homeschool classes and groups have been unwilling to place her over her age-grade. The first year we homeschooled, she was stuck in the Pre-K/K co-op class because she was 5, for example, even though we had paperwork from a formal school as well as state registration to show that she was a 1st grader.

 

Hm, that is interesting.  Around here, most activities such as day camps go by grade level.  A few go by ability level.  The only ones that my kids have been in where age was a factor were Little Gym (had to be 5.9 to join the "school-age" classes) and the zoo's summer camp (unlike all their other camps, this one grouped the kids by age - so my second-graders were with the 5-6yos).  Because they are used to being with their grade peers in school all year, their grade level is socially more appropriate for them.  (Of course I wouldn't know about the local trends in homeschool co-ops.)

 

[PachiSusan]

I did misunderstand what you meant. If you go back and read your post, you didn't say that parents were homeschooling their kids for kindergarten and then registering them for first grade. You said that they were homeschooling their children before they were allowed to register them for Kindergarten, which is apparently not what you really meant. Now that you have clarified, your post makes more sense to me.

 

 

If you didn't take me off of your Ignore list, how are you seeing my posts?

 

I'm not trying to be snarky -- I'm really wondering about it. I thought when you put someone on Ignore, you would see that the person posted something, but not see her actual posts, so you could ignore them and continue reading the rest of the thread.

 

I don't have anyone on Ignore, so I may be misunderstanding the way it works.

 

The posts show up in the thread, but the comments are actually hidden. There is a link to click and it will open up the post and allow you to read it if you so choose. Ignore only gives you that one second of "Do I want to read it or not" to decide to click or not. 

[5LittleMonkeys]

Turning possible hsers away doesn't help the homeschooling community. Be helpful.

 

 

 

This is true and my case (needing a co-op to function as an academic supplement to those educating K-12) it did make me feel bad to turn away those that really were sincere about homeschooling for the long run...or at least making a concerted effort to spend time educating themselves on homeschooling so that they could decide by the time their dc was 5 whether or not they would walk that path. I spent the summer meeting one on one with 8 ladies who I'd had to turn away from the co-op.  I could tell talking to them that they were desperate to make homeschooling work for them and wanted to be with homeschoolers to glean information and to ask questions. I made time for each one...walking them through getting started, offering suggestions for curricula, giving them a broad idea of different methods and putting them in touch with different support groups in the area.  After-all in a year or two those people would be eligible to join the co-op if they still wanted to - I didn't want to burn any of those bridges because part of my (the co-op) mission is to contribute to the huge amount of support and help homeschoolers can get in this area. 

 

It's the stay at home moms of toddlers and PreK kids that aren't content to be called stay at home moms that I have no time for. 

[ErinE]

This is true and my case (needing a co-op to function as an academic supplement to those educating K-12) it did make me feel bad to turn away those that really were sincere about homeschooling for the long run...or at least making a concerted effort to spend time educating themselves on homeschooling so that they could decide by the time their dc was 5 whether or not they would walk that path. I spent the summer meeting one on one with 8 ladies who I'd had to turn away from the co-op.  I could tell talking to them that they were desperate to make homeschooling work for them and wanted to be with homeschoolers to glean information and to ask questions. I made time for each one...walking them through getting started, offering suggestions for curricula, giving them a broad idea of different methods and putting them in touch with different support groups in the area.  After-all in a year or two those people would be eligible to join the co-op if they still wanted to - I didn't want to burn any of those bridges because part of my (the co-op) mission is to contribute to the huge amount of support and help homeschoolers can get in this area. 

 

It's the stay at home moms of toddlers and PreK kids that aren't content to be called stay at home moms that I have no time for. 

 

The group I've recently joined as a gathering once a month for the moms and kids as well as offering academic classes for school age children. For the social get-togethers, I think anyone is welcome to join so long as the children are properly supervised. A few weeks ago, they also had an open house with a seminar explaining homeschooling and several tables where parents could browse curriculum. It was a fantastic setup for experienced and inexperienced homeschoolers alike.

[Catwoman]

The posts show up in the thread, but the comments are actually hidden. There is a link to click and it will open up the post and allow you to read it if you so choose. Ignore only gives you that one second of "Do I want to read it or not" to decide to click or not.

 

Thanks, Susan!

 

That's basically how I thought it worked.

 

So now I'm left wondering why someone who wanted to ignore me and didn't want to interact with me any more, would bother to click on my posts when it would have been easier to just keep ignoring them.

 

Oh well. Whatever.

 

Thanks again for the clarification! :)

[PachiSusan]

I feel so sad for all the people who were turned away! I am just now in a support group and it's really awesome. I don't know what kind of vetting they did, but it took a few days for me to be approved, but we have Art classes in other parent's homes, LIttle Flowers Scouting Group, lots of field trips, and church functions (It's Catholic). I am so pleased to finally have this outlet after 5 years on my own! 

[PachiSusan]

Thanks, Susan!

 

That's basically how I thought it worked.

 

So now I'm left wondering why someone who wanted to ignore me and didn't want to interact with me any more, would bother to click on my posts when it would have been easier to just keep ignoring them.

 

Oh well. Whatever.

 

Thanks again for the clarification! :)

 

At another forum, I had a stalker that would follow me and post nasty grams just long enough to get her point across, then the threads would get closed. I put her on ignore because I didn't want to be blindsided by what she said, but I wanted to be aware of what she said in case it was about me. 

[Catwoman]

At another forum, I had a stalker that would follow me and post nasty grams just long enough to get her point across, then the threads would get closed. I put her on ignore because I didn't want to be blindsided by what she said, but I wanted to be aware of what she said in case it was about me.

Wow, that must have been creepy. :eek:

 

Did she end up leaving the forum, or did she finally just give up?

[PachiSusan]

Wow, that must have been creepy. :eek:

 

Did she end up leaving the forum, or did she finally just give up?

 

I wound up leaving. I'm sure she thinks she "won". I won, by taking myself away from a situation where the Mods wouldn't do anything and she wasn't going to change. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

This is one issue that with the exception of homeschool groups that might have a waiting list and so might have to decide where to draw the boundary lines age-wise, I don't think it really matters.  I tend to be a "the more the merrier" kind of person and a "how can I help you?" sort of person.  I was doing a lot of research about  homeschooling long before I ordered my first official homeschool materials and am very grateful to the homeschooling moms who indulged my questions before my kids were school-aged.  This isn't a legal matter since each state has their own rules on compulsory education and when you have to follow any homeschool (or education in general) laws.  

[Catwoman]

I wound up leaving. I'm sure she thinks she "won". I won, by taking myself away from a situation where the Mods wouldn't do anything and she wasn't going to change.

You did the right thing. It wasn't worth the aggravation. It's a shame the moderators wouldn't help you, though.

[PachiSusan]

You did the right thing. It wasn't worth the aggravation. It's a shame the moderators wouldn't help you, though.

 

I was told the "owner" didn't want her censured because of what she might do in other forums to trash it. I honored the forum too much to fight back because I saw what happened when anyone did: they stayed and the ones who fought back against the injustice were banned. I wasn't willing to get banned or cause drama to get the last word in. 

 

<shrugs shoulders> It was hard to walk away, but I'm a stronger person for doing so. 

[Crimson Wife]

A homeschooled child who has begun k-12 school before it is legal to register is still a homeschooled child.

Sure, but they haven't started homeschooling K if their child is not kindergarten age. They are instead homeschooling pre-k using above-grade materials. Just like I'm homeschooling a 2nd grader and a 6th grader using above-grade materials. Simply using materials marked grade X does not make that child a Xth grader.

[Desert Strawberry]

Thanks, Susan!

 

That's basically how I thought it worked.

 

So now I'm left wondering why someone who wanted to ignore me and didn't want to interact with me any more, would bother to click on my posts when it would have been easier to just keep ignoring them.

 

Oh well. Whatever.

 

Thanks again for the clarification! :)

I have someone on ignore in another forum because she starts a lot of whiney, sarcastic posts complaining about her kids. Those posts upset me. She's also a ps teacher and has a lot of tales of woe over that. I'm not interested in reading those. 

If she posts in a thread I am participating in, I might click if I think her comment may be relevant. I can guess pretty well when it's just going to be griping or when she might have something useful to say.

She can still see all my posts, so in my own threads I always click, so as not to leave questions unanswered, or support unrecognized .

there's no bad blood between us. I just don't appreciate her humor. 

[Catwoman]

Thanks, strawberrymama! I never bother to put anyone on ignore, because I'd probably be too nosey to actually ignore them, anyway. :D

 

Maybe SKL and I are more alike than she thinks we are! ;)

[PachiSusan]

Thanks, strawberrymama! I never bother to put anyone on ignore, because I'd probably be too nosey to actually ignore them, anyway. :D

 

Maybe SKL and I are more alike than she thinks we are! ;)

 

Ha ha ha - that's another reason. Ignore is fruitless when I keep peeking anyway! LOL 

[ErinE]

Thanks, strawberrymama! I never bother to put anyone on ignore, because I'd probably be too nosey to actually ignore them, anyway. :D

 

Maybe SKL and I are more alike than she thinks we are! ;)

You know what they say about curiosity and cats...

[MommaOfalotta]

We decided to homeschool dd when she was four. But we didn't actually start using curriculum and having "school" until she was in K. Even though I used curriculum and we schooled every day, I still felt that first grade and notifying = "Officially homeschooling."

 

I mean, I have friends in co-op who are just starting by homeschooling a K'er and I consider them homeschoolers, but I still feel like its official when they are school-age and you have opted out of PS.

[Guest]

I would consider a child homeschooled at an age where a parent buys a curriculum (or put one together) that is actually taught on a regular basis.  This could be preschool or kindergarten.

[LMD]

I really, really wish more people felt this way.

 

 

Okay, I answered, but after reading this thread, I would change my reply. I chose the compulsory age option, but I didn't realize that age varied so greatly in different states. When we decided we would homeschool, when ds was 3/4, I said we were going to homeschool and were doing prek at home. When people ask how long I've been homeschooling today, I answer that this is our 4th year (K5, 1st, 2nd, and now 3rd). I agree with the people who said that it's hard once your kids get to preschool age and people are sending their kids to B&M prek and talking about which elementary school they'll be going to, and you aren't part of that crowd, and yet the homeschoolers shun you because you're not part of that crowd, either. As I see brand new homeschoolers come around now, I do see why many of you rolled your eyes at me when we were in that prek stage, but I also know how hurt and alone I felt at that stage, so I do try and be as excited as I can for them.

 

 

See, we have a really good group around here.  It's actually morphed into two groups, one for the olders and one for the littles.  We go to both generally because I have kids in both age groups.  Some parents in the 'littles' group are actively doing stuff with 3/4 year olds because they are ready and champing at the bit to learn - just like my DD was when she was a little, some of them don't do anything schooly yet because the children aren't ready - just like my current 3 year old.  I don't regret the work I did with DD at that age, though I can now also see the wisdom in all the 'there's no rush, don't push or stress' comments.  I think it's great that in the littles group these parents can be encouraged to trust their own instincts about what/when to do things.  And those pre-k years can be so much fun - especially with a keen oldest/only, I remember it well and am slightly jealous of the newbies!

 

It's also a welcoming group for wannabe homeschoolers, we have a couple of people who are still not sure which way they'll go, but again I love that the group can encourage them to be thoughtful about their children's education - wherever it ends up happening.

[KarenNC]

Yeah, but you still really don't need to teach a pre-k'er to read and a k'er does not need to be reading beyond cvc words. That's a whole other can of worms, but if I have to read one more post about handwriting programs and phonics for my advanced 3 year old (always the 1st kid) I might shove a fork in my eye.....

 

Seriously what is the rush!?! In preschool, we basically cut, colored, did circle time and played. I learned my alphabet, letter names and sounds in k and near the end of the year started to read cvc words. It was half day and we still had play stations. We reviewed that same stuff in 1st grade for about a month before we learned to read. This was at a private school, so we were actually ahead of the public k & 1st programs. I graduated from Berkeley with Honors and entered a masters program fresh out of my undergrad. Without reading in preschool.

 

And I might have to borrow your fork for all the people who looked at me like I had three heads because I did exactly that (and seem to need to continue to comment these many years later on that choice). ;)

 

"Need" is relative. We did put my daughter in a non-academic preschool (ages 2.5-4) so that she and I could have some space and she could have more interaction with kids. It was a fabulous thing for all concerned. It was half day, they had play stations, explored nature, cut, colored, and did circle time. She started begging me to teach her to read about her 4th birthday. Yes, she is a first (and only child), but also her grandfather and father taught themselves to read at about that age, so it wasn't surprising to me. We did things at her pace, often with her begging for "just one more lesson.". Did I "need" her to read at 4, and at a 2nd grade level or more by 5 as some sort of stroking of my ego? No. Evidently *she* felt she needed to learn to read. Was I supposed to deny it to her based on her age? Hide all the books? That need was in large part what pushed me to homeschooling.

[Rosie_0801]

I hate to say this, but I think you may be over-estimating the amount of support you'll get from a homeschooling group. 

 

For sure. Most people prefer to get advice from strangers online than people they actually know. 

 

 

I don't know why people around here have such trouble understanding that we all live in different subgroups and words have different connotations in different places.

 

"Stay at home mum" and all that entails may be a category where you live, but it is not a category where other people live, therefore their language choices must be different to yours. If I lived in the land of stay at home mums, that's what I would have called myself until this year. If you lived where I did where "stay at home mum" meant "lousy skank who doesn't care about her kids" I expect you'd also have called yourself a homeschooler when your kids were preK, when talking to the locals at least, because it is the most correct term out of the available options. In *that place,* with preK kids, the term "homeschooler" meant "stay at home mum who does preK stuff with her kids and wow, don't you work hard? *You* are a respectable person and definitely not a lazy skank like my neighbour who doesn't send her kids to preK and lets her kids run around like ferals."

[KarenNC]

Also, this question seems to revolve around what one calls the *first* child in a family or the parent. The wording was "at what point do you consider a child to be homeschooled." So, by many responses, the vast majority of children in homeschooling households are not actually being "homeschooled" until each individual one hits the age of compulsory attendance for their area (in our case, 2nd grade) and therefore should not be allowed to attend homeschool group activities? Why should it be that different for the first or only child?

[Korrale]

Sure, but they haven't started homeschooling K if their child is not kindergarten age. They are instead homeschooling pre-k using above-grade materials. Just like I'm homeschooling a 2nd grader and a 6th grader using above-grade materials. Simply using materials marked grade X does not make that child a Xth grader.

I did get to thinking about this and that depends on the district I think. I did "homeschool" a child who didn't meet the cut off for Kindergarten. She did Kindergarten work for a semester. I don't really consider it homeschooling, but by the district's terms she was accepted into K as a transferred homeschooled student. Same district that denies her early entry at the beginning of the year.

[quark]

Post #160 reported. Trolls seem to be multiplying like Orcs these days.

[SKL]

So now I'm left wondering why someone who wanted to ignore me and didn't want to interact with me any more, would bother to click on my posts when it would have been easier to just keep ignoring them.

 

Oh well. Whatever.

 

I only responded when you quoted my post, misinterpreted it, and snarked about it.  Not because I care what you think, but because I didn't want other readers to be influenced by your interpretation of my post.

[PachiSusan]

I only responded when you quoted my post, misinterpreted it, and snarked about it.  Not because I care what you think, but because I didn't want other readers to be influenced by your interpretation of my post.

 

Oh, I forgot that part too. When someone quotes someone you have on ignore, you see those posts.