Are you currently homeschooling?

[Not_a_Number]

Since I know lots of people on here aren't active homeschoolers anymore, I'm curious what the distribution looks like! 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[Catwoman]

My ds is 21 now, but I have been here since before we started homeschooling and I stayed here after we finished. 🙂 

 

[Not_a_Number]

2 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

My ds is 21 now, but I have been here since before we started homeschooling and I stayed here after we finished. 🙂 

Yeah, I think there are a lot of people who stayed on these forums for a long time 🙂. It's a neat community. 

[bluemongoose]

One kid is under 10....the other 3 are older. I'm homeschooling all 4 still. 

[mommyoffive]

Ummm sort of?

My kids attend a public online school.  However in the younger grades parents are supposed to be teaching the students curriculum somewhat.  They have to do online work to weekly time limits but then you are supposed to be doing outside work on top of that.  By the time they are in junior high it is online all of it if you choose that way.  However you can choose project based learning too and not do all the online classes. 

So officially my kids are public school students.

Edited April 25, 2021 by mommyoffive

[Not_a_Number]

I wonder if I need an option for someone ALL of whose kids are young. Let me add that. 

ETA: don't think I can add that in an intuitive way, so I'll leave it. 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[Not_a_Number]

For the record, I'm homeschooling and my oldest is 8 (will be 9 this summer.) 😄 

[VickiMNE]

I've finished my homeschooling journey (youngest is 25, oldest is 33) and I was HSing long before WTM boards (the first!) were a thing.  Actually, I when I first bought some Sonlight Curriculum (1994-5) for my 2nd grader, I talked to John himself on the phone. We had a nice chat.  Man, that was a long time ago, though! 

[Drama Llama]

.

Edited May 8, 2021 by BaseballandHockey

[Not_a_Number]

12 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

I am committing some sort of educational neglect, involving a 10 year old and 13 year old who don't go to school.  They get some outsourced stuff but shockingly little education from me.  

I picked yes because you forgot the "ummmm sort of, at least that's what I tell the government" option. 

I think you need to work on your marketing here! Just tell people you're unschooling 😉 . 

[Miss Tick]

I'm curious why you drew a line at 10. Just to distinguish between elementary and everything after?

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, SusanC said:

I'm curious why you drew a line at 10. Just to distinguish between elementary and everything after?

It's a nice round number? 😄 

No real reason. I just wanted to distinguish people who were close-ish to done and people who were still in the thick of it. I should have really added an option for someone ALL of whose kids are under 10, though. 

[Lady Florida.]

No, ds is 23. He homeschooled from the beginning and we only tapered off when he started dual enrollment his last two years of high school. He graduated homeschool high school in 2016.

I've been here since he was a toddler but only started posting in the mid-2000s, and didn't become a regular active poster until 10 or 12 years ago.

I like it here too much to leave.

Also, @Not_a_Number you threw me off in a few threads recently with your new avatar. 😄 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Lady Florida.

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Lady Florida. said:

Also, @Not_a_Number you threw me off in a few threads recently with your new avatar. 😄 

Sorry! Did you see the avatar thread? 😄 We all got shiny new avatars. 

[Lady Florida.]

Just now, Not_a_Number said:

Sorry! Did you see the avatar thread? 😄 We all got shiny new avatars. 

No! I'm going to have to look for it. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Lady Florida. said:

No! I'm going to have to look for it. 

Ah yes, it's the "Bill is the avatar Oprah" thread. Here it is: 

 

 

As you can see, it experienced some thread drift 😉 . 

 

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Also, @Not_a_Number you threw me off in a few threads recently with your new avatar. 😄 

By the way, am I confusable with anyone else? I know I've had this experience with some avatars.

[Lady Florida.]

Just now, Not_a_Number said:

Ah yes, it's the "Bill is the avatar Oprah" thread. Here it is: 

 

 

As you can see, it experienced some thread drift 😉 . 

 

Thanks. I was trying to find it but all I found was the new user names thread. I noticed @Quill has a new avatar and of course it's perfect for her.

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, Lady Florida. said:

Thanks. I was trying to find it but all I found was the new user names thread. I noticed @Quill has a new avatar and of course it's perfect for her.

It is! 😄 

[MEmama]

I homeschooled from grade 1- end of middle school and happily relinquished my duties for high school.

I was never a philosophical homeschooler but having a precocious & quirky kid and mismatched public school opportunities for him, it seemed like the only alternative. I kinda regret not sending him to the local middle school, where he would have found the same tribe he did in high school (and been able to form tighter bonds) and would have excellent educational opportunities (that I didn’t know about at the time). 
 

 

[Wilma]

I said yes, but I meant 'sort of.' My kids go to a University Model School, so they're half here and half there for grammar school. And we do a couple subjects at home that aren't at school at all.

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I homeschooled from grade 1- end of middle school and happily relinquished my duties for high school.

I was never a philosophical homeschooler but having a precocious & quirky kid and mismatched public school opportunities for him, it seemed like the only alternative. I kinda regret not sending him to the local middle school, where he would have found the same tribe he did in high school (and been able to form tighter bonds) and would have excellent educational opportunities (that I didn’t know about at the time). 

Oooh, interesting. We've been thinking about if/when to send DD8 to school. What opportunities were there in middle school? 

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

I will say that though we no longer homeschool, I am actively involved in my student’s course selections and college prep. I think it’s hard to let go of making sure the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed, even when the B&M school staff supposedly have it covered. 

Yeah, I imagine we'll always do this, too. And I think it's wise, frankly. 

We have a few friends who are not homeschoolers but who are very philosophically aligned with us. And they spend a lot of time picking good schools, helping their kids, and otherwise staying on top of things. It seems to result in much better outcomes than just letting school handle it, frankly. 

[MrsMommy]

I only have one left in the under-10 category, which is almost unbelievable to me. My oldest two are finishing up 12th grade, and my middle daughter will be starting high school in the fall. My younger son (9th grade) isn't homeschooled, but he has been doing school at home this year...it's been quite an experience having all five of them here all the time for the first time!

[Hilltopmom]

Currently homeschooling my 2 youngest due to Covid. 
My college kid I homeschooled all the way through. My senior I homeschooled until 8th grade. 
Also teaching 4th grade special Ed in person full time this year.

[Ethel Mertz]

I homeschooled DS from preschool through 1st semester of 10th grade. He is 18 now and graduating from high school next month. And then on to college...

[MEmama]

Just now, Not_a_Number said:

Oooh, interesting. We've been thinking about if/when to send DD8 to school. What opportunities were there in middle school? 

I think I fell into the trap of everyone saying oh, middle school is so horrible, kids don’t learn anything, it’s all rote memorisation, the socialisation is terrible, the kids are awful and so on. But judging from the teachers, coaches and kids we know that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I think, too, I didn’t realize at the time that it would have been okay to talk with the school to find out how they could accommodate my kid, who wasn’t on the traditional learning path especially in math. It turns out plenty of middle school kids (his friends) took math at the high school, and then in high school at the LAC (which he is doing also). But at the time I didn’t know there were alternatives, and because he liked learning at home I just didn’t pursue it. 
 

Because he was at home, I think we missed a few things that likely would have been picked up at public school. We missed the fact he needed glasses, and now we are pursuing a possible ADD diagnosis (that because of COVID we probably can’t get before he leaves for university). It’s not that I feel I failed on those things, just that accommodating becomes second nature while homeschooling to the point it possibly became enabling. 
 

Idk. I don’t really regret it, but he might have learned some skills sooner (and without me in the equation) if he’d been in a traditional setting with a different set of expectations. I’m not sure there were major benefits to keeping him home other than we got to have a lot of fun together.

[WildflowerMom]

I homeschooled k-12.  Now he is almost 20. 😱 

[HS Mom in NC]

I've been homeschooling my 3 daughters K-12 for 21 years now.  The oldest two are graduated and married. My youngest is 15, so I've got another couple of years then I'm done.

[Spryte]

4th and 11th graders.  Neither has ever gone to a brick and mortar school. We started from scratch, still going strong.  The plan for dual enrollment was derailed due to Covid, so we just keep doing what we do.

I rarely go to the education boards these days because doing so inevitably leads to my over-buying materials and curriculum.  Curriculum junkie here.  Now we use BYL, and I stick to it, plus our other subjects.  
 

I’ve been around since 2008, reading.  Joined in 2010, I think.

[Catwoman]

1 hour ago, VickiMNE said:

I've finished my homeschooling journey (youngest is 25, oldest is 33) and I was HSing long before WTM boards (the first!) were a thing.  Actually, I when I first bought some Sonlight Curriculum (1994-5) for my 2nd grader, I talked to John himself on the phone. We had a nice chat.  Man, that was a long time ago, though! 

Remember the old Sonlight forums? 

[Not_a_Number]

2 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I think I fell into the trap of everyone saying oh, middle school is so horrible, kids don’t learn anything, it’s all rote memorisation, the socialisation is terrible, the kids are awful and so on. But judging from the teachers, coaches and kids we know that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I think, too, I didn’t realize at the time that it would have been okay to talk with the school to find out how they could accommodate my kid, who wasn’t on the traditional learning path especially in math. It turns out plenty of middle school kids (his friends) took math at the high school, and then in high school at the LAC (which he is doing also). But at the time I didn’t know there were alternatives, and because he liked learning at home I just didn’t pursue it. 

Hmmmm, interesting. We've thought about the fact that a high school would certainly have to accommodate DD8 (who's also not on in any way on a traditional learning path, especially in math), but I haven't thought much about what they'd do in middle school. 

 

2 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Because he was at home, I think we missed a few things that likely would have been picked up at public school. We missed the fact he needed glasses, and now we are pursuing a possible ADD diagnosis (that because of COVID we probably can’t get before he leaves for university). It’s not that I feel I failed on those things, just that accommodating becomes second nature while homeschooling to the point it possibly became enabling. 

Yes, I've noticed that, both with DD8 and with the kids in my homeschooled classes. Some of the kids in those classes have really never had to adjust to taking turns, for example, or to any kind of structured schedule, and I think that's going to be eventually hard on them. Not that they CAN'T learn, but sometimes a more structured environment can be beneficial. 

 

2 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Idk. I don’t really regret it, but he might have learned some skills sooner (and without me in the equation) if he’d been in a traditional setting with a different set of expectations. I’m not sure there were major benefits to keeping him home other than we got to have a lot of fun together.

I feel like there are simultaneously big positives and big negatives about staying home! It's a hard balance. 

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, Spryte said:

I rarely go to the education boards these days because doing so inevitably leads to my over-buying materials and curriculum.  Curriculum junkie here.  Now we use BYL, and I stick to it, plus our other subjects.  
 

What's BYL?

Before COVID, I basically only hung out on the education boards. But COVID has led me to the dark side 😉 . 

[Catwoman]

36 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

By the way, am I confusable with anyone else? I know I've had this experience with some avatars.

It’s kind of hard to see the symbols on your avatar. I mostly see the background color and pattern. 🙂 

[Drama Llama]

.

Edited May 8, 2021 by BaseballandHockey

[kokotg]

4 kids, all homeschooled all the way through (so far at least)--oldest is finishing his second year of college and youngest is 8. 

Edited April 25, 2021 by kokotg

[Danae]

Homeschooling two middleschoolers.  Not sure yet what our plan is for next year with oldest starting high school.  Probably need to make a call on that pretty soon.

[Amy Gen]

I have been homeschooling for 21 years now, and I still have a 14 year old and an 11 year old. I’m committed to homeschooling until these last 2 go off to college and even then, my dream life is to have grandchildren to homeschool. 
 

I may go back to work (teaching) in a couple of years to make sure these last 2 kids can go to good schools and not take on debt. Dh will continue working from home, so he can pick up some of the slack if I go back to work. 

[barnwife]

5 kids...all currently 10 and under (I voted for the first option, even though it says "some"). Also, the baby is just along for the ride at this point. I am slowly starting more formal phonics with the 4 yo.  

[MEmama]

8 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Hmmmm, interesting. We've thought about the fact that a high school would certainly have to accommodate DD8 (who's also not on in any way on a traditional learning path, especially in math), but I haven't thought much about what they'd do in middle school. 

 

Yes, I've noticed that, both with DD8 and with the kids in my homeschooled classes. Some of the kids in those classes have really never had to adjust to taking turns, for example, or to any kind of structured schedule, and I think that's going to be eventually hard on them. Not that they CAN'T learn, but sometimes a more structured environment can be beneficial. 

 

I feel like there are simultaneously big positives and big negatives about staying home! It's a hard balance. 

Whether you are in NYC or Boston, there is bound to be resources available to her.

Many times during our homeschooling years I lamented living here and that we couldn’t live in Boston, where I would read about endless academic opportunities for advanced kids that he would have loved. The best we could offer in that department were the spring programs at MIT (spark?), but for the everyday stuff most all we had available here was nature based stuff that bored him to no end. Terrific learning stuff for some kids, but he wanted and needed academic challenges, not learning about plants or building twig shelters or whatever.

[Not_a_Number]

15 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

It’s kind of hard to see the symbols on your avatar. I mostly see the background color and pattern. 🙂 

Yeah, I think I'm OK with that 😄 . But thank you for pointing that out! 

What does the pattern make you think of? 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[barnwife]

8 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

As the parent of a 10 year old, I definitely feel more “in the thick” than “almost done”.  

 

ITA.  

[Not_a_Number]

2 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Whether you are in NYC or Boston, there is bound to be resources available to her.

Many times during our homeschooling years I lamented living here and that we couldn’t live in Boston, where I would read about endless academic opportunities for advanced kids that he would have loved. The best we could offer in that department were the spring programs at MIT (spark?), but for the everyday stuff most all we had available here was nature based stuff that bored him to no end. Terrific learning stuff for some kids, but he wanted and needed academic challenges, not learning about plants or building twig shelters or whatever.

There are definitely resources, although I also worry about surrounding DD8 by kids with pressure-cooker parents. Like, I'd like her to hang out with kids who actually like the academics, not feel like they HAVE to do them, you know? Not that academics are optional in this house, but I do try to design things around her. 

We'll see, anyway. Obviously this year we haven't had the chance to explore anything at all. 

Oh, and DD8 actually loves building twig shelters, lol! She was taught this in a Central Park nature class and apparently still enjoys doing such things. 

[Hadley]

I answered yes, but it only applies for the next two weeks.  I have homeschooled my senior since first grade.  He’s headed to Cornell in the fall😊.  
 

I will no longer have a homeschooled student of my own, but I will continue to be active as a teacher in the homeschool community.  My students bring me so much joy!  Nothing has ever led to greater blessings.

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, barnwife said:

ITA.  

OK, maybe "mostly done" isn't right, but I wanted to see how many people were still homeschooling "young kids" by some definition of "young." 

[barnwife]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

OK, maybe "mostly done" isn't right, but I wanted to see how many people were still homeschooling "young kids" by some definition of "young." 

Oh, no worries, DS would be thrilled to know he's almost done being raised/almost a grown-up!

[Garga]

I homeschooled the oldest through 11th grade. At that point, there was only 1 subject I could still teach him, and I’d have to outsource the remaining 5. 

So, we found a cyber school that I liked and he went there. It worked out really well for us.

We liked the cyber school so much, that my 10th grader is in it now. 

I spend the day sitting by him for a number of his classes, learning alongside him. We have lots of discussions over his government and English classes. I make sure he pays attention in Biology and I do all the Geometry problems alongside him and we compare answers and redo them if we get different answers.

However, I have applied for a job (have an interview tomorrow) and if I get that, he’ll be working mostly on his own from here out and then I’ll feel like I’ve totally stepped away from being a homeschooler. 

[Spryte]

14 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

What's BYL?

Before COVID, I basically only hung out on the education boards. But COVID has led me to the dark side 😉 . 

https://buildyourlibrary.com/
 

We use the grade levels and some extra unit studies as interests lead us.  And, errrr, years and years of over buying stuff means we have a basement full of supplemental extras and curriculum to round out pretty much anything.  
 

No math or languages in BYL, so you do your own thing for that. I tend to add in a lot of extra subjects, but this works as our basic guide.

 

[Not_a_Number]

5 minutes ago, barnwife said:

Oh, no worries, DS would be thrilled to know he's almost done being raised/almost a grown-up!

I'm sure the fact that my oldest is 8 makes him seem very old to ME 😛 

[mlktwins]

Homeschooled K - 10th grade so far.  2 more years to go and I will have twin 👨‍🎓👨‍🎓!!!