Interesting opinion piece on homeschooling

[JoJosMom]

From the Chicago Tribune.

[Azalea]

Thank you for posting. I needed that today.

[JoJosMom]

Thank you for posting. I needed that today.

 

You're welcome.  :001_smile:

[Tsuga]

I always enjoy pieces by people who've changed their minds. They usually have much more balance and insight into both sides. This is one of those articles. Great find.

[Targhee]

I really enjoy hearing about successful homeschoolers and about people (especially teachers) coming around to see the benefits.

 

Articles like this, however, worry me. I feel that articles like this might take an individual and stereotype the group, which sets up certain expectations for all homeschoolers.

 

Although this particular article is a positive stereotype, it burdens other homeschoolers with certain expectations of performance which may actually be a reflection of intrinsic nature of that individual (rather than a reflection of homeschooling alone).

 

The student which opened the author's eyes was punctual, studious, courteous, thoughtful, engaging, and a good writer. My students struggle with ADHD so their perception of time is distorted (compared with the general population) and struggle horribly with punctuality, time management, and handling due dates. They also lose things often, are unorganized, and underprepared. While they are courteous and thoughtful, their minds wander frequently and do not stay engaged for long (unless they're able to hyper focus on something).

 

These three kids are also 2e. They are tremendously creative and out of the box in their thinking, which at times teachers find impudent, as if we're their intention to derail the lesson. One of them is gregarious, energetic, and talks almost non-stop. Another is reserved, introspective, and unconcerned by relationship dynamics - she spends her thinking power in contemplation of the universe, numbers, and creating and solving puzzles. The third is full of vibrato which overlays his anxieties, has little patience for things that move too slowly, and is ready to engage in debate on nearly any subject.

 

They are still young in their writing skills, but this is something we focus on. The first prefers talk over writing; the second prefers thought and descriptive narratives over academic writing, and the third still hates pencils but I anticipate will be very successful in academic writing. Any one of these three might end up in that articale's author's class.

 

My point is that the student in the article, while undoubtedly helped along by the parenting and teaching she received at home, likely arrives early, sits front and center, asks questions, turns papers in on time, and stays engaged mostly because that is in her nature.

 

While I'm happy to have a positive article out there on homeschooling, I don't want my own children to be held to a different, stereotyped standard because they were homeschooled. I would hope they would be judged by their own merits without reference to their background or educational experiences.

[HS Mom in NC]

My older two got this same feedback from their college professors at cc. Each of them has been told by different teachers in different subjects at cc that they were the best educated students they'd ever seen. (Creative Writing, Chemistry, Art History, Geology) and they've always been at the top their classes. Those teachers who didn't tell them they were the best they'd ever seen told them they were outstanding or very impressive or something like that. They were 17 and 15 when they started.

[Arcadia]

I read the article when it came out.  No feelings about it. My kids public school teachers have always been pro homeschooling though. My school district is all too happy for kids to homeschool or go to private schools due to overcrowding issues so we never face negativity from them.

 

While I'm happy to have a positive article out there on homeschooling, I don't want my own children to be held to a different, stereotyped standard because they were homeschooled. I would hope they would be judged by their own merits without reference to their background or educational experiences.

 

So many acquaintances are already telling me that all homeschoolers are advanced in grade levels compared to age peers. The first comment I get when introduced by a friend to a public school parent is that my kids must be accelerated before we even start chatting :P

[nature girl]

My point is that the student in the article, while undoubtedly helped along by the parenting and teaching she received at home, likely arrives early, sits front and center, asks questions, turns papers in on time, and stays engaged mostly because that is in her nature.

 

While I'm happy to have a positive article out there on homeschooling, I don't want my own children to be held to a different, stereotyped standard because they were homeschooled. I would hope they would be judged by their own merits without reference to their background or educational experiences.

 

Yes, my daughter will also never be one of those "ideal" students. But someone could just as easily write a companion piece about kids with LD's, who were able to develop their passions and thrive and become the adults they're meant to be, primarily because of the nurturing and tailoring homeschooling allows. Success comes in many flavors.

 

This was very validating, though. We need more of this information in wide circulation, to make hs'ing seem less of a fringe choice.

[HS Mom in NC]

There's a speech pathologist around here who started homeschooling her 6 kids because of the kids she was treating.  (Is treating the right word?) She was married without kids and well into her career when she started getting homeschooled kids in the mix.  Homeschooled kids did much better as a whole because of the parent and customization factors. Her clients (Is client the right word?) who were public and private schooled had parents with more of a "You fix my kid during these sessions." mindset.  The clients with parents who homeschooled them had more of a "How I continue in the home on a daily basis what you're doing during our sessions?" mindset.  They scheduled speech practice in as part of the school day.  They were more motivated to observe carefully what was working best, they were willing to adjust as necessary and most importantly, they were part of a team.  Were there a few ps parents like that?  Sure!  Were there a few private school parents like that?  Sure!  But those traits were characteristic of almost all the homeschoolers and were the exception among the ps and private school parents.

 

I'm absolutely certain that pattern would apply across the board with homeschooled special needs kids and homeschooled LD kids of all types.  Highly motivated, consistent parents are what get children closest to their potential and homeschoolers as a whole are highly motivated and consistent compared to what ps and private school parents are doing as a whole.
 

Edited February 27, 2016 by Homeschool Mom in AZ

[MerryAtHope]

I really enjoy hearing about successful homeschoolers and about people (especially teachers) coming around to see the benefits.

 

Articles like this, however, worry me. I feel that articles like this might take an individual and stereotype the group, which sets up certain expectations for all homeschoolers.

 

Although this particular article is a positive stereotype, it burdens other homeschoolers with certain expectations of performance which may actually be a reflection of intrinsic nature of that individual (rather than a reflection of homeschooling alone).

 

The student which opened the author's eyes was punctual, studious, courteous, thoughtful, engaging, and a good writer. My students struggle with ADHD so their perception of time is distorted (compared with the general population) and struggle horribly with punctuality, time management, and handling due dates. They also lose things often, are unorganized, and underprepared. While they are courteous and thoughtful, their minds wander frequently and do not stay engaged for long (unless they're able to hyper focus on something).

 

These three kids are also 2e. They are tremendously creative and out of the box in their thinking, which at times teachers find impudent, as if we're their intention to derail the lesson. One of them is gregarious, energetic, and talks almost non-stop. Another is reserved, introspective, and unconcerned by relationship dynamics - she spends her thinking power in contemplation of the universe, numbers, and creating and solving puzzles. The third is full of vibrato which overlays his anxieties, has little patience for things that move too slowly, and is ready to engage in debate on nearly any subject.

 

They are still young in their writing skills, but this is something we focus on. The first prefers talk over writing; the second prefers thought and descriptive narratives over academic writing, and the third still hates pencils but I anticipate will be very successful in academic writing. Any one of these three might end up in that articale's author's class.

 

My point is that the student in the article, while undoubtedly helped along by the parenting and teaching she received at home, likely arrives early, sits front and center, asks questions, turns papers in on time, and stays engaged mostly because that is in her nature.

 

While I'm happy to have a positive article out there on homeschooling, I don't want my own children to be held to a different, stereotyped standard because they were homeschooled. I would hope they would be judged by their own merits without reference to their background or educational experiences.

 

I just wanted to encourage you that your kids are still very young--so much can change between now and college, and while it's harder for kids with ADHD, and they may need some accommodating, they can also learn many of these things that they struggle with now. I don't know if my son's instructors are always "wowed" by him, but I can tell you that seeing how he has grown and what he has overcome, I often am.