Could one truly homeschool with just a Bible, math book and a library card?

[Mergath]

Okay, I'll do that.  I'm not sure what I have to contribute to the discussion, but I'd love to hear others thoughts. 

 

:thumbup:

 

I'll probably have to wait until I come down off my benadryl to make a coherent addition to the thread, though. ;) The first dose of spring is always... interesting.

[LucyStoner]

Actually, a lot of programming languages build on each other, and learning one makes it much easier to learn others, sort of like how learning Latin makes it easier to learn Spanish. I taught myself html when I was a kid so I could design my own fandom website, and it made it much easier to learn CSS as an adult because CSS is built upon html. C# evolved from C and C++. I learned Visual Basic in high school and while that's pretty useless now, the underlying programming concepts I took away from that are extremely useful. Programming languages don't live in a vacuum.

 

Totally.  Not only do they build on each other, it's a lot like how it is easier to learn a new spoken language the more languages you already know.  This is an area in which I am not that strong.  

 

It's not just those in STEM fields that need tech skills in this multitasking world.  These skills are often desired by employers in non-tech fields.  I know that what got me my first promotion at my first FT job was that I was able to update their website, redo their newsletter, set them up with online marketing tools, create a new automated system for data collection/reporting and help them transition from several isolated client/donor/volunteer/foundation databases/spreadsheets/scraps of data jotted onto the back of brown paper bags to one consolidated, relational database.  They didn't hire me for those skills- they hired me to answer the phones, register clients, edit materials and to provide miscellaneous admin support.  That promotion led to my next job elsewhere as a manager in charge of an entire organization.  I don't want to reduce education to job skills but being able to excel in an occupation once one's formal education is complete has always been a factor in education for all but the leisure class (and to some degree, including the leisure class).  My bosses and co-workers were all older than me and seemed to think mail merge was wizardry.  There's nothing bad about exceeding expectations.  

[ScoutTN]

 

 

If I had to narrow down my must have list to effectively homeschool through high school, it would have to include this board, hands down, even over my well-worn, coffee and wine-stained third edition of TWTM.

 

:iagree:  :iagree:  :iagree:

 

 

 

 

Here my review of CJS's approach.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/560018-homeschool-made-simple/?hl=%2Bcarole+%2Bjoy+%2Bseid&do=findComment&comment=6852345

 

Edited March 11, 2016 by ScoutTN

[ktgrok]

I think a lot of people are saying "oh, what about latin? What about hands on labs? What about foreign language?" But the question isn't could you do the homeschool version of choice, it is could you homeschool. You can homeschool without foreign language or hands on labs. Many do. It might not be ideal, but ti absolutely can be done. 

[LucyStoner]

I think a lot of people are saying "oh, what about latin? What about hands on labs? What about foreign language?" But the question isn't could you do the homeschool version of choice, it is could you homeschool. You can homeschool without foreign language or hands on labs. Many do. It might not be ideal, but ti absolutely can be done. 

 

Maybe I'm a crazy reforming perfectionist (um, guilty) but I see no reason to plan for anything less than what is as close to an attainable ideal for my children as possible.  That varies from child to child and is hardly an objective standard.  

 

You can homeschool with a slate, chalk, a bible and an abacus and with a teacher who doesn't know math past fractions and decimals.  That is a right parents have in most states.  Screw the math book and library. :P   But why the heck would you in a world that demands a much higher level education to get by and thrive?  Why limit, rather than expand, the options open to your child later on?  So yeah, I strive for ideal.  

[Barb_]

I agree. I think I interpreted the question to mean, "could you give your kids the same education with etc." when maybe it was asking, "Could you provide an adequate/passable education with..." No to the former, yes to the latter, particularly with more than one or possibly two students.

[Bluegoat]

I think a lot of people are saying "oh, what about latin? What about hands on labs? What about foreign language?" But the question isn't could you do the homeschool version of choice, it is could you homeschool. You can homeschool without foreign language or hands on labs. Many do. It might not be ideal, but ti absolutely can be done. 

 

I agree, and I also think that its worthwhile to remember that these are things that can be difficult for homeschools as it is.  Labs until high school can be done without much specialized equipment, but it can be hard to replicate some high school level labs at home.  And forign languages are hard to teach for many without outsourcing, and many don't have that option.  There are plenty of homeschooled kids who are not becoming fluent in their language studies even with purchased curricula.

[Luckymama]

Yeah, I could homeschool dd with a math book and our excellent library system. I could handle almost all of her current classes without much of a problem. I already spend summers planning her coursework. Would I? No, because it would not serve the student I have in front of me, who craves foreign language learning at a high level.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Luckymama

[Soror]

I guess I'm confused on the purpose of this exercise too. If the point is to just save money then for elementary I think yes, no big deal. If the point is just that one wants to hs without pre-made curriculum- what makes using the library for curriculum any better than buying it yourself if it isn't for money, why is this some virtue? If the point is that we often overcomplicate things, then yes I'd agree although I don't think going to the opposite end of the spectrum and forbidding curriculum is any better. The reality is most people on here do use curriculum because it serves a purpose for them- to make life easier- teach something they don't know well- give them ideas on a new approach- learning a specialized teaching for their child with challenges- etc- I don't see any of those as bad things- saying one doesn't "need" curriculum sounds like another guilt trip for people. "Well, if you really knew what you were doing you wouldn't need to buy it" Pfft. Use curriculum or don't, if it meets your needs (whatever those needs) great, there shouldn't be any shame in using curriculum, just as there shouldn't be in not using the "right" curriculum. We all have to decide for ourselves the best way to educate our own.

[Bluegoat]

Totally.  Not only do they build on each other, it's a lot like how it is easier to learn a new spoken language the more languages you already know.  This is an area in which I am not that strong.  

 

It's not just those in STEM fields that need tech skills in this multitasking world.  These skills are often desired by employers in non-tech fields.  I know that what got me my first promotion at my first FT job was that I was able to update their website, redo their newsletter, set them up with online marketing tools, create a new automated system for data collection/reporting and help them transition from several isolated client/donor/volunteer/foundation databases/spreadsheets/scraps of data jotted onto the back of brown paper bags to one consolidated, relational database.  They didn't hire me for those skills- they hired me to answer the phones, register clients, edit materials and to provide miscellaneous admin support.  That promotion led to my next job elsewhere as a manager in charge of an entire organization.  I don't want to reduce education to job skills but being able to excel in an occupation once one's formal education is complete has always been a factor in education for all but the leisure class (and to some degree, including the leisure class).  My bosses and co-workers were all older than me and seemed to think mail merge was wizardry.  There's nothing bad about exceeding expectations.  

 

But do you really see this as an elementary school kind of thing?  Or one where all students should be graduating knowing a variety of programming languages?  It's a rather specific skill to be considered "basic" and honestly I think many people would only ever be ok programmers.

 

I don't have a problem with it as a sort of elective, or a hobby - I did computer science as a high school elective and found it fun, and my teacher encouraged me to consider it as an option for university, but I also came to the conclusion it wasn't something I'd want to do as a career. I'd have been bored to death to need to learn it for years and wouldn't have done anything with it.

 

I'd really rather see elementary school kids spending their time on human languages than computer languages.

[ScoutTN]

I do not think the author of the original quote had finances as her primary focus, though she acknowledged that this approach would save money. Having heard her speak (only once), I would say her focus and purpose was simplicity and using literature to teach as much as possible. 

[catz]

Actually, a lot of programming languages build on each other, and learning one makes it much easier to learn others, sort of like how learning Latin makes it easier to learn Spanish. I taught myself html when I was a kid so I could design my own fandom website, and it made it much easier to learn CSS as an adult because CSS is built upon html. C# evolved from C and C++. I learned Visual Basic in high school and while that's pretty useless now, the underlying programming concepts I took away from that are extremely useful. Programming languages don't live in a vacuum.

This is absolutely true.  I am teaching a C# game programming class to teens right now.  The kids that have done other programming are WAY ahead of the game in this class. 

 

I learned Basic as a kid.  I graduated from a Comp Sci program in 93.  Believe me when I tell you I never used C# and Java in college but I've had zero problem just running with those languages or digging into new software and OS stuff when it shows up.  Heck, I've never used C# or the Unity game engine I'm teaching from until I taught my  current class. 

 

I'm definitely not saying everyone needs to be a hard core techie.  But most jobs these days do require comfort with a computer.    Learning to type, navigate the internet to search for info, compiling data for presentation, etc are all important things for most people to learn.  I've taught enough tech classes to kids to know this isn't easy or intuitive for every kid.  I'd personally be uncomfortable not covering these skills with my own kids.

[AK_Mom4]

I had to think about this one a bit.  My answer (to the original question about homeschooling with few resources) would be Yes - I Could.

 

And I am coming from a view of rigorous education standards, college prep and accelerated students.  I'm fairly well-educated and capable of teaching any subject.  My kids' foreign language accents would be atrocious as  I am a terrible speaker (though I read two languages well besides English).  I'm capable of understanding biology and physics and pulling together applicable labs for learning.

 

We outsource DD's music these days, but I teach the academic stuff for high school.  If I was limited to checking out text books from the library instead of buying them used from Amazon for $5, I don't think it would make a significant difference in the quality of education.  It would take more of my time (researching at the library and pulling together materials instead of buying a lab kit), but definitely do-able.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I do not think the author of the original quote had finances as her primary focus, though she acknowledged that this approach would save money. Having heard her speak (only once), I would say her focus and purpose was simplicity and using literature to teach as much as possible. 

 

I haven't heard her speak, but my reasoning for using the library was that these books were the same ones that I would have bought anyway.  I did buy the curriculum guides. 

[LucyStoner]

But do you really see this as an elementary school kind of thing? Or one where all students should be graduating knowing a variety of programming languages? It's a rather specific skill to be considered "basic" and honestly I think many people would only ever be ok programmers.

 

I don't have a problem with it as a sort of elective, or a hobby - I did computer science as a high school elective and found it fun, and my teacher encouraged me to consider it as an option for university, but I also came to the conclusion it wasn't something I'd want to do as a career. I'd have been bored to death to need to learn it for years and wouldn't have done anything with it.

 

I'd really rather see elementary school kids spending their time on human languages than computer languages.

I was responding to the idea that it was not necessary to use the Internet at all for a K-12 education. That said, I do think there is a role for Internet and general computer skills in the education of many elementary school students.

 

Some examples:

 

-my older son used to spend considerable time on making stop motion videos. From taking the pictures to editing and adding in sound, he was using an iPod and a desktop. He would often make them to dramatize something he had learned about in a book. He started when he was about 8.

 

-my son has something called dysgraphia. For him this means he has a lot of trouble putting his ideas down on paper with a pen or pencil. Like writing three sentences was next to impossible. We thought he couldn't write (as in an story). We worked on handwriting a lot. Handwriting wasn't really the problem, it was putting his own ideas to paper in that way. In the 4th grade he was supposed to write a speech for a homeschool class in the voice of a historical character. He put his two little thumbs to the iPod notes app and tapped out a page and a half (once put on regular 8.5x11 paper) in a very short time. The speech was raved about by the program he attended and absolutely stood out at the event. After that he started using a tablet for most all writing assignments. So I have access to them, he uses Drive and he emails them where they need to go (he has taken writing classes two places and we write at home.)

 

-he's taken a robotics class or club for years now in one way or the other. He uses programming for that and has figured out how to add features with raspberri pi as an add on. Just a hobby? I don't think so. It's taught him many things, including and most helpfully been a means for him to learn how to work positively and productively with a partner or larger group. Every month his teacher sends me progress reports he's mentioned something programming wise that my son has helped another student on. Do you know how challenging it was to get him to a place where he could help others like that? I have no doubt that it was through robotics and programming that he picked up on these fairly complex and for him challenging social skills. He even made a big art project have motion with his technical skills.

 

There are many other specific examples I can offer but I will leave it at three. He's only in the seventh grade and all of these things are examples from about 2-6th grade.

 

Doing this stuff has not detracted from his other educational endeavors and is often weaved into other aspects of his educational endeavors. You'd be hard pressed to find a young child who read significantly more than him or a child with a stronger interest in languages. On his own initiative he's so far asked to study Latin, a little Greek, Spanish and Mandarin and on his own he has dabbled into other languages and trying to write his own language. He has one code he created that he can write in fairly fast. He's spent hours studying English in depth as a fairly motivated spelling bee kid. All while making his first foray into programming with JavaScript when he was about 7. I don't see it as just a hobby but as a motivation for him to learn and expand his own communication skills.

 

Looking around me I don't seem to see a shortage of kids his age and younger, neurotypical or not, who seem super enthusiastic to learn about, erm, ROBOTS. And it's not just about "cool, robots!" but also about all of the related skills.

 

Are the things my son has done with technology necessary for an elementary education ? No. Do they add value to a 21st century education? Heck yeah they do. We've started looking at high school options for him (home, magnet, private or early college) and all the programs besides home that we have seen assume a fairly high base of core technology savvy that's not just about word processing or PowerPoint. These are kids he will go to college with, why would I want being homeschooled to put him at a comparative disadvantage to his peers? To limit that stuff from his education would be foolhardy. We do not live in 1825.

 

ETA- for what it is worth, I doubt he's headed for a career in writing code or as a software engineer either. This is about his education not his potential future career path.

Edited March 11, 2016 by LucyStoner

[J-rap]

To answer the OP:  You could, but I think it would put your child at a disadvantage in this day and age in our society.

[Jenny in Florida]

 

That said, other things crucial to me those years were hands on things. Snap circuits, legos, art supplies, some science kits, cooking, nature hikes. Museum membership and one off tours and classes and were important too. My kids started music lessons early as well which I thought was good for working on perfectionism in my particular kids. So it would have been simplistic just to say math and a library card.

For what it's worth, our local library offers free classes and camps for kids using SnapCircuits and a nearly dizzying array of similar items. They also have a FabLab, audio studios, video studios and so on that are free for residents.