School in books/movies/media

[wulfbourne]

With all the books and tv shows for kids often having kids going to school as a large part of them, do your kids ever feel like they should be going to school? Does it ever make them wonder if they are missing out on the fun since most of them portray school as the best thing ever, especially books and shows for preschool aged children? My daughter is only 2, and it seems like a lot of books for her age, and shows on PBS and such talk up going to a classroom based school like its the best thing ever. I worry that she'll feel she's missing out on something since she's too young to really understand. I try and keep shows and books like that out of the house, but 'getting ready for school' seems to be a HUGE theme for preschool books. Grandpa doesn't help either. Last night at dinner he was making comments like 'You're getting to be such a big girl now. Why you seem like you're ready to go to school already and play with lots of other kids and have fun'. He knows we plan on homeschooling....

[Shannon C]

My kids have never said anything, but I often wonder about that too. They are 5 and 6 and most of the shows out there for their age group have characters in school or getting ready for school. Of course, they go to Sunday school and Awana so I think they kind of think of those places as school too. My mom was like your kids' grandpa. My dd is a night owl and has always stayed up a little late. When she was 5, my mom would always comment to her that she needed to start getting to bed earlier for Kindergarten next year. She also knew we'd be homeschooloing. Outside interferences are hard whether it be books, tv or even family members!!! My kids want to be homeschooled so I don't worry too much about them feeling left out of something.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

Yes, my kids have asked. From the time my oldest was old enough to know his friends went to school and pined after the yellow school bus, I told him about school and reasons why I wasn't sending him. It's a natural for the younger two now. My oldest actually comments on how lucky he is and how glad he is to homeschool (although I do have to have him watch his "chained to the desk" comments. I regret using that phrase BIG TIME!).

 

It occasionally irks me to have to deal with constant references to school only because I don't want my kids to feel like what we're doing isn't normal. We have homeschooling friends though and, of course, that helps them see that theyre not the only ones not going off to school. Also, I bought this book to explain one of my biggest reasons for keeping them home.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Through-Cracks-Carolyn-Sollman/dp/0871928779/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238085161&sr=8-1

 

Of course, explanations will be different depending on the reason your keeping your kids home.

[Shannon C]

Now that you mention the bus, the kids have brought that one up. They want to ride on the bus--mostly my son. I think we will probably deal with this as they get older and have more friends in schools. Fortunately, we have tons of friends that homeschool so homeschooling does seem normal to them. I will try to avoid older tween shows that are mostly set in schools. I know that the shows I watched made school look awesome, of course, I was in school and knew the truth! Remember Saved by the Bell?!

[wulfbourne]

Now that you mention the bus, the kids have brought that one up. They want to ride on the bus--mostly my son. I think we will probably deal with this as they get older and have more friends in schools. Fortunately, we have tons of friends that homeschool so homeschooling does seem normal to them. I will try to avoid older tween shows that are mostly set in schools. I know that the shows I watched made school look awesome, of course, I was in school and knew the truth! Remember Saved by the Bell?!

What about the magic schoolbus series. If teachers and classes were anywhere near as cool, I would have no problem sending my kids to a school. (well ok, I might still have a problem because I've read Dumbing us Down)

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

What about the magic schoolbus series. If teachers and classes were anywhere near as cool, I would have no problem sending my kids to a school. (well ok, I might still have a problem because I've read Dumbing us Down)

 

Oh, I have an answer! My kids LOVE this series and were first watching it when they DS6 realized everyone was going off to school. I very truthfully explained to him that in real school, kids did not get to go on very many field trips at all and that there are way more kids in a class than that. I said we have a nice small class of three and we get to go on at least one field trip every week (nature study) and many more than PS kids besides that.

 

So, we started calling our minivan the Magic School Van. DH won't let us paint it yellow though. :lol:

[fivetails]

You know what would be great? There are a ton of books out there for young kids that talk about one's first day in school, etc. What about a book about a child's homeschool?

 

Hmm......

 

Allison's Story - A Book about Homeschooling

 

I saw that at our library recently. It's youngish - written to lower elementary.. and it seemed older than '96 to me, but that's the date given on amazon..

[fivetails]

...and yeah, to the original post... dd12 has been to elementary a few years back, but never to junior high or high school (obviously) - but she watches shows like Hannah Montana, Zoey 101, High School Musical, and such and gets the idea that jh and high would be like that...until I remind her, again, that tv ain't real.

 

(Okay wait - a good, fairly realistic junior high & high school show was the old Degrassi program.. anyone remember that? Not the new version I heard they have now, I don't know what that's like.. but the old version from the 80's. The characters were mostly normal kids - not mega rich Bev Hills 90210 nutjobs or music star by night girl by day goofballs. ;) ...It was still tv, but it was much closer to real life..)

 

(Though I don't know if I'd want dd12 watching *some* of that... yet... like I said, some big issues were dealt with on the show.. but dang it, now *I* want to find some old episodes and watch them! :lol: )

[Tutor]

Yes. It makes my kids feel like they are aliens (or so they have told me :D ). This wasn't the case in the last place we lived where there was a large and active homeschooling community. After 18 months, we have finally connected with a small homeschool community here. On the way home in the car yesterday, dd12 said to me, "It is so fun to go to these meetings. It's nice to know we aren't the only homeschoolers in Mississippi." It doesn't help that all of their friends at church go to the little private school across the street from the church and our church gives them lots of support; the school and its students are prayed for constantly, which is wonderful but makes my children feel left out. Between that, hearing about having to help public schools on the news, and hearing about school in every book or movie involving children, it gets a bit overwhelming.

 

My kids and my dad have encouraged me to write a story about a homeschooling family, and (since I have nothing else to do, right? ;) ) I have started working on a series of adventure books involving a homeschool family. If it ever gets from my mind to an actual book, I'll let you know. :001_smile:

[Chris in VA]

There's also the book I Am a Homeschooler, which is good for K-2.

 

Since my dd went to 3rd grade this year after only homeschooling (well, she did 2 days a week of preschool), her curiosity seems sated. I'm glad she wants to school at home next year.

 

I tend to keep fiction out of the house if it's set in school--but really it's by default. I don't read most contemporary fiction to her (like Cleary) because I don't like it.

Edited March 26, 2009 by Chris in VA