Home Schooling Information for the Parent
Home schooling can be a difficult decision. Many believe that home schooling can not prepare a child to deal with real life situations. By attending a public school, the child is more likely to be involved in school team sports, drama clubs, band activities, after school clubs, and be more socially interactive with others. Many of these activities are fundamental for the growth and emotional well being of a child.
Alternatively, an argument can be made that there is just as much social stimulation at home as there is in public school. For a large number of home schooled children, many have friends that live within their neighborhood that they can play and interact with. After school sports programs are available for in many areas, typically at community centers. These programs can prove to be a great source for social interaction.
A good way to obtain additional home schooling information is to ask parents of other home school children. More than likely they can share what activities they do, as well as inform you what type of approach they use; a facilitated self study approach or lecture oriented approach.
This information will help lead you to a better idea of whether or not you are able to handle a teaching job. Contrary to some beliefs, teaching is not an easy task. It takes great dedication and determination to ensure that the children are always excited about learning, moving at a steady pace, and keeping them interested in what is next. If you are interested in home schooling, teaching classes are available through some schools.
There are many resources available online regarding home schooling. Blogs and websites can provide you with relevant home school information. Many of these sites are maintained by parents who home school and provide information on what problems may be encountered in home schooling and the solutions they have.
Although teaching can be difficult, many find the end result rewarding. Home schooling can provide parents and children a nice balance and learning environment to exceed in.
Home Schooling for Your Child – Worthy?
This can be a difficult decision for the parent to make. But, so many parents have not done this so far for nothing. Home Schooling is one of the new concepts that has caught on in the west of late. It actually is a fun for the mother to see her child learn in front of her eyes.
But there is still some hesistation in making this decision because parents feel that attending a school gives a real life experience to the child and co-curricular activities like debates and games help the child grow holistically and home schooling will deprive their child of that.
But the exponents of home schooling also have equally valid points. Home Schooling can impart values to the child in a secure environment, an environment where the child is much more ready to learn new things. Home Schooling does not necessarily mean that the child would miss out on social behavior. In fact, with less time to finish off with studies, a home schooled child will be able to dedicate much more time to play in the neighborhood. Unlike the real school, in home schooling, the class moves at the pace that the child requires it to. The home schooled child no longer needs to constantly skip over what he has missed to keep in pace with the rest of the class.
A home schooled child can be showered with much more personal care, which is so essential at the early years of childhood. But, all said and done, this is not an experiment that can be done to see if it works or not as this is about the life of the child which as a parent, you would want to make very sure that this is the best.
In order to achieve this, the parent must talk to the parents of other home schooled children. They will be able to give a good review of how the child progress is. There are today a lot of message boards and blogs in the internet that caters to the needs of the parent looking for a good home school for his child. Make the best use of it. Plan and execute. You will then relish every moment of your child’s learning curve thanks to Home Schooling!
Is Home Schooling Right For You?
Many parents believe that it is necessary to have a teaching credential to be qualified for teaching their child what they need to learn to become productive and successful adults. Although it is a tremendous responsibility to teach your own child the rewards can be priceless.
The pros and cons of homeschooling are many, but do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? With total control over your child’s homeschooling needs you have the flexibility to teach your child values that cannot be taught in a public classroom. On the other hand your time will not be as free as it used to be.
The education a child can gain from a loving and concerned parent will be much greater than is possible to receive in a public school system. You don’t need a teaching credential or even a college degree, just the desire to give your child a quality education. If there are subjects that you don’t feel comfortable teaching it is possible to hire a tutor for those classes. And on the positive side your home school curriculum can incorporate other things such as your own religious and moral beliefs, something that will not be taught in a public school system. By taking control of a child’s education a parent can shape that child’s value system better than anyone else.
There are two main requirements necessary to achieve a rewarding home schooling experience for both you and your child. Obviously you must have a desire to teach your children, that is number one. If you are doing it out of duty or obligation you may soon find yourself in way over your head and wanting to get out. The second requirement is determination. You must truly want your child to succeed and be willing to put forth the time and effort it takes for your child to reach his or her potential. With these two ingredients your child may be able to realize an education that could not be achieved in a public classroom.
You, more than anyone else, want your child to reach their full potential. This is usually not possible in a crowded classroom environment. A child, to learn at their best, must have one-on-one instruction from someone who truly cares for them. And who better than you can give that to them? Public school teachers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of students they must control every day. With the many different learning styles, discipline problems, regulations that need to be followed and other factors a public school teacher cannot spend the individual time with each child that is necessary to bring out that child’s best. Home schooling can help children to blossom and bring out a child’s full potential like nothing else can.
Do you have doubts about your ability to teach? All you have to do to overcome your fear is to visit a public classroom for a day. Visit a kindergarten class or a first grade class and you will see that much of the time spent is merely controlling the children’s behavioral problems. And the lessons that are taught are usually very simple. In a one-on-one home atmosphere you will be able to progress at your own pace.
With a few home school books and lesson plans you will be able to get started very easily. Remember, you are starting your teaching experience with a very young child. And you will actually be able to learn as you go. With a little preparation it is possible to grow with your child. And the first time you see some of your instruction sink into your child’s brain you will feel satisfied that you are performing a very important task. You will surely be surprised at how effective you can be as your child’s homeschool instructor.
Public school teachers have their curriculum all laid out for them. They must follow programs and use materials that others have already approved for them. They must also move at a predetermined pace so that they can get through their study programs even if it means going forward at the expense of a child understanding what has been taught. You, on the other hand, can come up with your own homeschooling curriculum which can include religious or moral beliefs. You can take a field trip anytime you desire. You can make sure your child fully grasps a specific subject before moving forward. This will allow your child the opportunity to learn as they should be learning and at a pace they can keep up with. In a public system the slower children are often left behind.
There are negatives as well as positives however. The biggest negative to home schooling is your time. Your child will most likely receive a more rewarding education at home, but you will be devoting lots of your time to this cause. This could be a big sacrifice, especially if you are struggling financially and need to work. However, with a real desire you may be able to live without luxuries that will give you the time you need to offer your child the education they deserve. Search the internet for lesson plans, other pros and cons, christian home schooling information, home schooling requirements, home schooling books, eclectic homeschooling and other topics of interest. After researching this subject you may find that teaching your child will be even more rewarding for you than it is for your child. If you would like to develop a special bond with your child homeschooling may be the way.
Academic Co-Ops in Home Schooling
So often I hear home schooling parents speak of the hardships they encounter when they do not possess the knowledge needed to teach their own children in a given subject. Of course the public school systems is not an option for these parents because they consider it an out of control baby-sitting effort where; No Child is Allowed to Advance. This would include their children who they feel deserve more and by god they intend to see that their children get a real education.
The Public School System argues that with multiple classrooms for Middle School and High School that there are teachers who specialize in the subject matter and can answer all the questions the inquisitive minds will have. You can see the rift as the parents point to the drug abuse, newspaper articles and sexual abuse going on. What is the answer to the best way for the home schooling parents to move their children forward with a good education considering these factors?
Well one answer is for networks of home schooling parents to get together and work in teams as the children get older one parent may be an expert in something and they can teach this to the kids, while another specializes in a different line of endeavor you see. But this also takes teamwork, challenges the home schooling groups and although in the end makes more sense it is a huge burden on the groups.
Home Schooling or Not?
Much of what I thought about home schooling was wrong. The conventional wisdom about this rapidly growing dimension of American education is too simple, too stereotyped and too stale.
For instance, the Home School Legal Defense Association, despite its energetic lawyers and many admirers, is not the leader of home schooling in this country. There is no leader, and no reigning ideology. There are instead at least a million American children – the real figure is probably twice that number – whose families want them to learn at home for many reasons, often having little to do with religion or politics.
The common image of home-schoolers as lockstep religious conservatives falls apart when you discover that some of these parents have been shunned by their fundamentalist churches for teaching their kids at home rather than sending them to the church’s school. Some home-schoolers love the new for-profit online teaching programs like K12. Some think they are a corporate plot. Some parents are home-schooling because their kids were learning more quickly than their teachers could keep up with. Some are home-schooling because their kids were learning more slowly than their public school teachers had patience for. Some home-school because their children were unhappy at school. Some home-school because they could not meet their needs any other way.
Public school educators often worry that the children of such people will not learn necessary social skills. But home-schooling parents said their children learned how to deal with other people just fine, particularly with the many adults they encountered when they visited the library or went to church or did chores around the neighborhood. With their parents so often at their side, they were able to see what good manners and self-confidence looked like, rather than be forced to adopt the jungle code of the average high school corridor. In many families one parent stays at home to supervise the home schooling, although they often do some work there to pay the bills, or trade off with other home-schooling parents when they have to be away.
Home schooling involves a tremendous commitment from the parents. At least one parent must be willing to work closely with the child, plan lessons, keep abreast of requirements, and perhaps negotiate issues with the school district. The most common home school arrangement is for the mother to teach while the father works out of the home. There are a variety of educational materials geared for the home school, published by dozens of suppliers. Some are correspondence courses, which grade students’ work, some are full curricula, and some are single topic workbooks or drill materials in areas such as math or phonics.
Many of the curriculum providers are indentifiably Christian, including several major home school publishers such as Bob Jones University Press, Alpha Omega Publications, and Home Study International. A major non-religious provider of home school materials is the Calvert School in Baltimore. Figures vary as to how many home schools use published curricula or correspondence courses, but the Department of Education estimates that it is from 25 to 50%; the rest use a curriculum the parents and/or child have devised. Education writer John Holt, a champion of home schooling, suggested that no particular area of study was essential. He advised parents to use real life activities such as work in a family business, writing letters, bookkeeping, observing nature, and talking with old people as meaningful academic lessons. Home schools might fall anywhere on this spectrum, between the tightly planned study of a formal curriculum to Holt’s free-form, experiential learning.
But first, all the parents interested in teaching their children at home need to find out what laws apply to their state and school district.
Home Schooling Online – Is It Right For Your Family?
Home schooling online requires a lot of dedication and strict scheduling to ensure that the required work gets done. Internet classes, which are often scheduled at specific times during the day, must be attended regularly. In addition, tests are generally taken online and grades posted or delivered via e-mail.
Some of the most popular reasons to enroll in home schooling online is scheduling, childhood development or simply the desire to learn at home. For adults who enroll in home schooling online, they often do so in order to be able to earn their degree while working full time. In this scenario, it would be very difficult to attend regular classes. For children, the decision to enroll in home schooling online is much different. If you feel that your child needs to learn at his/her own pace and you want to make sure that he/she receives personal attention to their education, home schooling online may be the answer. If your child has a difficult time socializing with other children and a physician feels that home schooling online would be better for your child’s well-being, then you may want to consider online enrollment.
It’s important to realize that home schooling online will not permit your child with the same socializing skills that are acquired while attending regular classes. Therefore, your child must find other ways to meet new people and adopt good social skills. This may include being a part of theatrical productions, field trips, library readings and other gatherings. One of the many benefits to home schooling, on the other hand, is being active in who your child socializes with and ensuring that the influences are acceptable.
Before making the final decision to enroll your child in home schooling online, make sure that he/she is in agreement. Many parents forget to include the child in such an important decision, but his/her opinion cannot be overlooked. In order for a child to learn well, the environment must be one that is desired. Many children want to attend regular school because, with home schooling online, they may feel that they are missing an important aspect of their childhood. This is why developing social activities is so important and is critical to your child’s growth and development.
As a final thought, home schooling online is not expensive in and of itself. However, if your child enrolls in home schooling online, one parent will have to stay at home while the other works. If your home can handle one income, home schooling online may work perfectly. If not, you will have to work out a strict schedule so that someone is always at home to ensure the child’s learning is not compromised while adjusting your work schedule around his/her education.
Budget Home Schooling
Home schooling can be a rewarding experience for the entire family. However, it can also be hard on your pocketbook. Frugal home schooling is becoming a popular term among most families living on limited income or for those wanting to cut back on expenses.
The internet is a valuable source that most families can’t live without. From researching essay papers to curriculum, anything you need to search for is available online for free and right in the convenience of your own home. Online auctions are a great way to purchase used curriculum programs and books. A trip to your local library will probably fit most of your needs. Not only do you get to borrow books for free but it makes a fun family outing. Before heading off, make a list of the books and topics you need to borrow so you don’t forget what’s needed.
If you are a member of a home school group, suggest starting a swap meet or book sale of used curriculum and other teaching aids. This is a great way to buy good material for reasonable prices as well as selling some material you no longer use. Do you know someone that has a book or program you would like to use? If they’re not using it, then ask them if they wouldn’t mind you borrowing it. If you have a book or program that they could use, consider either trading or just borrowing from each other for a short time.
Look in your local paper for garage sales and yard sales that have books and craft supplies. Be creative while looking around, something you may not normally think about using could be perfect for a certain craft or science project.
Field trips can be a great change of pace when home school gets repetitive. Often museums are free or cost a minimal amount to tour. Some of your local businesses may be willing for a small group to tour their premises. This is a great way for children to see first hand how certain businesses are operated. Be sure to call them first to make arrangements.
Curriculum will be your most expensive part of home schooling and one of the most important. Before purchasing your curriculum consider the following: Does it fit your religious beliefs and your family’s moral standards? Does it fit your teaching style as well as your children’s learning style? Is the program designed to be used with multiple children or upcoming children? Will additional material need to be purchased for it to work with more then one child? Will it be become outdated in a year or two or will it last numerous years? Could you buy it used or substitute it with a similar but less expensive program? Is the program truly needed or could you get by without it? Check out curriculum review websites to see what works for other home school families. By finding out why or why not certain programs work for other families, it may help you decide if the program is right for your family. Home schooling can be budget friendly by taking the time to research programs and by buying only what programs your family actually needs.
Educating Your Children: The Home Schooling Option
Quick Tips for Getting Started in Home Schooling
If have decided that home schooling really is right for you and your kids, you will likely want to know what to do next. Here are some quick points for getting started with home schooling:
· Locate your state’s home school group. You can do this online easily by typing in your state and the keyword “home schooling” at your favorite search engine. Then go to your state listing.
· Locate your local support group for parents of home schooled kids. These groups will help you to get good tips from other parents and is a great place to find like-minded people to share your troubles etc.
· Know the laws in your state about home schooling. If you have questions, arrange for an evaluation with your local school board so that you can verify that your child is approved for home schooling. They will also check for a proposal from you about home schooling your child
· Get any magazines, books and/or other supplies that you will need in order for you to have steady resources on hand to offer tips etc.
What Happens next?
When it comes to the home schooling of your children, quite a few factors play into not just what you will do about it, but also how you will make sure that you are approved to do it. Like everything else, this is a process. Many people have questions that they need to answer about home schooling. As the parent/teacher of your child, you must do the following to get started with home schooling:
· Develop your home schooling curriculum that is both approved by the school board or state, as well as meeting your ability to teach.
· Schedule a meeting with the school board or state education officials so that they can offer you any help with tutors etc. that are approved. You will also be presenting your proposal at this meeting.
· Get information about and register for evaluations with your school board or state to ensure that your child is meeting with the approved standards in your area.
· Get yourself certified to teach your child
· Create a home schooling proposal for what you are planning to teach your child and how you plan to go about it.
The court says clearly that school officials and parents must agree on a method of evaluation that may include one of the following approaches: standardized testing, periodic progress report, or dated work samples. Home visits may not be necessary as a condition of this approval.
Dated work samples mean just what they sound like in that, they are a few samples of work with dates on them. You do not have to compile an extensive portfolio in order to submit it to the school although you might like to keep these kinds of records for your own use.
Progress reports can also serve as your plan for the coming year if you include information about how current learning will be extended into the next year, and what new areas will be added. While the law does not specify that a home schooling plan needs to be submitted annually, many towns have come to expect them.
It is important for you to include in your education plan what form of evaluation you are planning to use. That way if the school later asks you for a form of evaluation that you’d prefer not to use, you can refer them to your approved education plan in which you already said that you would submit your preferred evaluation.
Adding a line in your annual report such as, an annual progress report/dated work sample/standardized test results will be submitted upon request; is a good idea if you aren’t sure whether or not they’ll ask you for anything. Of course, if they don’t ask, you don’t need to submit anything.
As with anything else, getting everything organized is the first step to getting off to a great start. Deciding to home school is a big decision, getting the paper work in order will keep everything flowing.
Home Schooling – A Quiet Revolution
In the last 30 years or so, a quiet revolution has begun, and it’s changing the way people look at the compulsory nature of school forever. What started out in the 60′s as a radical choice made mostly by parents concerned about the lack of religious teaching in public schools has evolved into something spectacular…something so perfect that it seems intimidating. And it’s available to any family willing to make the change.
So often, when people find out that my kids do not go to school, I get responses like ” Oh, I could NEVER do that. I’m not smart enough.” or “I don’t think I could stand being with my kids all day every day.” and “You must be really disciplined.” Truth is, I don’t have a college degree, but I am absolutely ‘smart enough’ to be a home schooling parent, and I have every right to do so. I don’t necessarily consider myself a disciplined person, either, and that is just one of the multitude or reasons why home schooling is a perfect match for our family.
There are many reasons why a family might choose home schooling over public or private school. A child may have an illness or disability for which public school cannot provide proper care. Of course, public schools try hard to be politically correct, and will do what they can to assist any children with difficulties, but it’s hard enough for one adult teacher to watch over and effectively control a class of 25 ‘normally functioning’ students, much less having one or two kids thrown in who have very special medical and physical needs.
I can think of no environment more nurturing, more secure and loving, especially for a physically ill or disabled child, than the comfort and familiarity of their own home and attentive parents. After all, who understands a child’s needs better than an attentive parent?
Home schooling is perfect for Moms like me who work from home. It gives flexibility and plenty of time to spend with the amazing individual minds that society calls my children.
Perhaps the child has been labeled ADHD and put on medication. These narcotics subdue the active child, effectively enabling him to sit still longer and to ‘pay attention‘ to what the teacher deems important…a necessary requirement in school. Home schooling, however, imposes no such limitations. If your child needs to bounce, to talk, to run or even to roll, these things can be allowed and even encouraged in a home schooling environment.
The negative and long lasting effects of the commonly prescribed drugs are now coming to light. Concerned parents are becoming more skeptical of physicians quick fix diagnoses and the schools insistence that such things are required to keep the classroom ‘functioning‘….especially when it involves their own children.
Perhaps the child just doesn’t excel in school, has discipline problems or just plain ‘hates’ it. Why make them do something they hate every day? Why not give them the joy that comes along with being free to learn on their own time and focus on what interests them?
No matter what the reason a home schooling parent gives for taking their child out of school, one thing is certain. Home schooling is growing in popularity to the point where almost everyone knows someone who is or was home schooled. It may be a quiet revolution, but it’s voice is growing louder year by year.
Home Schooling Can Be Fun Too!
Spelling Bees are great to have once a week or every other week. It is fun for the kids and challenging. They really try their hardest to spell the word correctly. My daughter who was never the greatest speller, has now changed significantly. She actually reads the dictionary so that she can do well on the spelling bee.
I also love Professor Noggin educational games. They have them for each subject. We play one everyday. They learn everything from science and nature to social studies and geography. I also found that Scrabble or any word game is fun and educational at the same time.
We recently did a project which was for science. My children took pictures and it had to be about nature or the environment. My daughter took pictures of animals, insects, trees, flowers, and rocks. Then she characterized them. My son took pictures of different types of pollution and energy. Then he characterized them. It turned out great and it was fun doing.
One thing I found out is that children do not know their state capitals. We do them once a week. We also do the presidents. This is hard, but I don’t test them on it. We just do it for fun
There is so much you can do at home school. Be creative. It can be fun and educational.
Is EFL or ESL English Teaching Practical for Home Schooling?
Home Schooling is Popular
Home schooling is becoming increasingly popular. Why? Because in some areas schools are too dangerous to consider. Parents want to have more control over their children’s learning environment. Schools in some districts lack essential quality in resources and staff to effectively educate children for the challenges of today’s global society. With home schooling, parents are able to expand the learning platform of their children to an almost infinite degree. School districts provide the required curriculum for children so that parents don’t go off on a non-productive tangent. This also helps to ensure that home-schooled children are on track with their peers of the same age and grade level.
What about those cases in which children have a first language other than English? Though not yet in supremely large numbers, the growing discovery of alarming numbers of children with illegal immigrant status raises the question of English as a Second Language (ESL) home-schooling and literacy. The task of developing fluency in English stretches from the children through the parents and even the grandparents in many cases. Immigrant families are cash-strapped. Often due to low levels of educational achievement, lack of marketable skills or even illiteracy, parents feel they are “trapped”. To earn more they must learn more, but how can this be accomplished without English language fluency?
Using A TBL Approach
One of many possible scenarios is home schooling using a TBL (Tasked-Based Learning) approach. In this approach, learners are taught useable, marketable skills using English as the language of instruction. In-demand skills such as Nursing Aids, Home Health Care Aides, Auto Mechanics, Electrician Helpers, Carpentry and construction trade workers, Cooks and even Teacher Aides could be brought up to marketable standards rather quickly. Certainly most would require less than a year of preparation to begin “giving back” to the economy that many now only abuse to the detriment of tax-payers and home owners who currently carry an over-burdened share of the economy.
Using a TBL approach, several problems would be addressed at the same time.
• Immigrants would learn a marketable skill
• Immigrants would learn English
• Immigrants would regain their personal pride and dignity
• Parents could set a valuable example for their children
• Children could be eased more into mainstream American society
• Children could more easily acquire useable English language skills
There are already quantities of online and low-residency English language and other programs available for both adults and children.
Certainly English taught as a second or foreign language is practical for home schooling. Teachers and tutors must make classes interesting, lively and on occasion even fun if they are to maintain the interest and attendance of these LEP (Limited English Proficiency) learners. In so doing, the problem of non-English speaking or LEP learners of all ages can begin to be addressed in earnest. Over-crowded, cash and resource-strapped schools need our help. Here’s one way we, as concerned TEFL professionals, can give it to them.
The Benefits of Home Schooling
One among the famous way of gaining enough knowledge is through home schooling. Most parents prefer this type of schooling because of the incomparable convenience it can give. If you want to finish a degree without tiring yourself of the everyday transportation you experience in conventional schools, try enrolling yourself to home schooling.
Home schooling is as good as sitting at home while learning. You can do all your home activities that need not be forgotten. You can mingle with your family and still learn at the end of the day. You can spend the rest of your day doing all the things you need to do and still learn something on home schooling. It is in fact the most convenient way of educating yourself.
In home schooling, you are the boss of your schedule. No one will tell you the time you need to wake up and learn something. All the things are managed by who else but you. You will be the one to choose which curriculum is best for you. You do not have to worry about it because these curriculums are flexible. Convenience is proved to be one among the best tool in learning.
You can also enroll your kids in home schooling. Most of the parents in the United States prefer their kids to go home schooling because of certain factors. Aside from the divided attention the kids can have if they are enrolled in the conventional schools, parents will not be secure of the quality of education the kids can get in most classroom based education. In addition, kids are very playful, with the availability of classmates, parents are unsure whether their kids are going to school because they need education. Most of the kids in classroom based schools usually play with their classmates during lessons and lectures. This is the very reason why parents prefer home schooling.
In home schooling, you will not only get to see the improvement of your kids academically, but you will also see how your kids deal with the learning process. In fact, no other people in this world know about how your kids can learn but only you. You can minimize the playfulness of your kids while on the desk studying their lessons. This will give your kids enough knowledge they need to have.
Home Schooling and the Technology Future
Fortunately thanks to technology home schooling is becoming easier and easier for those parents in United States of America who have chosen to take their children out of public schools and to start teaching them at home. Additionally home schooling associations and groups are getting better and better and bigger and bigger and this provides them with economies of scale in order to secure the technological assets they will need to teach their children better.
If you consider high-speed Internet, videoconferencing, online video and all the online encyclopedias, white papers and research available you can see you just how great it is and how much easier it is to teach a child at home now than it was 10 years ago. Have you consider home schooling your child? If you have been you might be glad to learn of all the technological advances and all the different programs available online, as well as all the consultants and advisers who can help you all via the Internet.
Additionally with more and more shows on the Discovery Channel, the animal channel, the science channel and the history channel kids can learn by watching TV and they have a much better chance of learning history this way then studying it in a book and then taking a multiple-choice test. It is great their government has been working hard to pass such legislation as The No Child Left Behind Act, however this does not seem to be good enough considering that most schools have now turned into a babysitting activity for behavior challenged hard to deal with children. Perhaps these are some of the reasons you have or are choosing the home schooling option.
Home Schooling and Teaching Kids to Think
It often seems in the public school system that we are teaching children memorization rather than teaching them to think. Although a lot has been done to upgrade the public school system an insure that every kid gets the proper education, unfortunately the No Child Left Behind Act does not help teach kids to think all the time.
In fact it may do just the opposite. It may be teaching kids to answer a specific question to a specific problem and that would be memorization and not actually thinking. Although each kid would benefit from getting information and learning; there is a big difference between figuring out a problem and thinking and simply knowing the answer because you had memorized it.
Many parents are concerned that the public school system has become more of a babysitting endeavor rather than a place were kids can learn and learn to think. This has prompted associations of home schooling across our nation as an option to placing children in the public schools.
It is imperative that we teach every little human brain to learn how to think, solve problems and adapt. Unfortunately if we are bombarding children with tests all the time and then docking the child who gets the answer wrong we are teaching their brains to memorize and that is a little scary considering that in the higher level education that the children and young adults are becoming indoctrinated into social engineering programs and liberalism.
Even if you are a liberal yourself you would have to agree that is better to teach the kids how to think them to tell them what to say and do. Perhaps this is the best reason for home schooling?
The Curious Mind and Home Schooling
Are you a home schooling parent and you find you have curious genius on your hands and you just smile, because those are an expression of your genes aren’t they? Indeed and such a super star child probably does need a better education so perhaps home schooling was an excellent choice as the new; No Child Allowed to Advance rules might night be the best thing for them.
Now you have another problem and that is your little creative brainchild needs perhaps more than you can give them? They just ask too many very good questions that, well that you really cannot answer without looking it up.
Now you spend all this time learning together and you cannot look up all the questions fast enough? Imagine if your child was in regular school the teacher would have no choice but to ask them not to ask questions or raise their hand unless they are spoken too?
Nothing worse to do to a super child than to put up speed bumps and barriers to their learning and this is what happens often in public schools to these kids. Sometimes they are put into better gifted programs, but often the best way to deal with the curious mind of a super star child is to do home schooling.
Home Schooling the Preschool Children
Each child has unique interests and learning needs, not to mention attention spans. Therefore, for parents who are pondering whether homeschooling is for them, it is best to do an initial evaluation of what the preschool child’s needs are.
Several online resources provide lesson suggestions for preschoolers. Parents and tutors will most definitely find these materials very helpful. However, consider them only as a guide to give the children’s learning some direction. It is highly advised on most of the popular homeschooling websites to be aware of the learners’ interests, be it an inclination to writing, sports, arts and crafts, or any other subject. You can then incorporate these interests into the learner’s list of “things that a home schooled child should know.”
For different age groups of children, parents and tutors may need to employ different methods and techniques for homeschooling. And in order to know which methods and activities best suits the child under a specific age group, this short list may be of help.
Children of age 2 are found to be the most difficult. The child often gets bored and at times frustrated when being taught. Stimuli are needed in order to catch their interests. Children of this age group are most eager to learn, often walking around, and climbing steps. Common behaviors of this age include self-centeredness and possessiveness. Their sense of humor also develops. Do activities relating to these capabilities of the child.
Homeschooling three-year olds is even more trying. At this point, the child is more physical in affection and in play. They don’t mind change, love having friends to play with, and they take verbal instructions very well. Use these to stimulate them to participate in learning activities. At this age, they are already capable of communicating their needs.
Four-year olds are usually capable of working with scissors, hopping around on one foot or skipping. They start to learn to draw and possess a lot of physical energy. Let them try new things, as this will be their number one interest. They are very imaginative so give them an opportunity to develop and express this creativity.
Remember that all children grow at their own rate, and in their own ways. To achieve maximum benefits for the home schooled preschooler, parents and tutors should trust them and give them sufficient freedom to explore, inquire, and ultimately learn.
Why You Need a Home Schooling Coach or Association
If you are considering home schooling your child or children it is essential that you either get some training or hire a coach, consultant or join a local association to make sure you are doing it right and efficiently. As parents it is imperative that we properly educate our kids and make sure they are well rounded in every way.
This can become a challenge for a new home schooling parent. Additionally it gets tougher and tougher as the kids grow up and grow smart, as the questions they ask get more and more complicated.
Home Schooling is really growing and some say this is because the schools seem to have turned into a giant baby-sitting endeavor. Even in High School there are more and more kids in each class who are misbehaving more than ever. Others say that they are tired of the incessant testing and brainwashing, while even others are concerned with political and social liberal engineering.
No matter why you have chosen home schooling, get involved with local groups and associations. Pay attention and perhaps even contact a coach, consultant or veteran home schooler; Why? Why do you need a Home Schooling Coach or Association? Simple you want your children to have the best education possible.
Public School Baby Sitting or Home Schooling
The behavior of our children in the public school system in United States of America is getting out of hand. Many parents have decided to take their kids out of school and do home schooling. In fact many groups have formed home schooling associations, which charge modest fees and also have consultants, advisers and veteran home schoolers who help the parents and assist the group in doing it correctly and educating the children efficiently. Many people believe that we have a falling down in our school system and this is probably why the United States government passed; The No Child Left Behind Act.
Some people feel that the “No Child Left Behind Act” should be called the no child allowed to advance act, because if they are teaching towards the middle of the average of all the students and different children learn at different speeds at different times in their development then they are always teaching at a slow speed all the time even when their child may be wanting to and capable of learning at a faster speed. Therefore the child is not getting the benefit of their ability to learn at that speed of their brain development.
When looking at the public school system and considering the home schooling option more and more homes chooling is looking like the way to go. And there must be a reason why more parents are deciding to go for it into home schooling.
Home Schooling in Southern Idaho
My son and his bride had four natural children but they wanted to help other children. To their four, they added nine for a total of thirteen. Four are of mixed race born of unwed teenagers. The other five are black Haitian children.
I am a product of the public school system as are my five children. I was surprised to learn that thirteen of our 32 grandchildren were being home schooled. It seemed strange to me. For one, a young mother needs some time to herself. Teaching all day does not fulfill that idea. My son’s wife can not boot the kids out the door and sit back and watch television.
Moving to Idaho and being much closer to our son and his family I soon learned that my son and his wife do not trust the school system. The other day I heard my son say, to my surprise, that the current system was not designed to develop every child to his or her highest capabilities. Rather there is to be an elite class and workers.
My son and his wife also do not appreciate the negative influences in the public school system. My wife and I think that children should face those influences, being corrected if they error by teachers and parents. Be that as it may, home schooling is the best situation for my son and his wife here in Idaho.
My Haitian grandchildren cover ages from under eight to eighteen. They have had to overcome both physical and cultural problems. Raised on the streets of the Haitian capital, the older ones are street-smart and they can be secretive or self-protective.
Most of the children learn at a normal rate. Some don’t. I don’t think that all of the children would be successful in the public school system. The children adopted at a younger age would adjust rapidly to the public system.
All of the children, except the four youngest, play the piano, the violin, and some play the guitar and other instruments. The two oldest girls of natural birth are in the adult symphony. Three play in the youth symphony (two adopted). One granddaughter plays in both. Our oldest granddaughter here in Idaho is on a full scholarship in music at the local college.
The family together has formed a musical group that sings and plays here in Southern Idaho. They take donations for baby formula for an orphanage in Haiti. If you want to contribute to that cause please email me.
All of the older children (over eight) are good cooks, know how to clean house, and perform outdoor chores. Most all of them are doing well in home school as tested by the State of Idaho.
Our other grandchildren are all in public school systems. We have one autistic teenage son who was brought up in the public school system. Fortunately for him, his school system has an effective program for autistic children. It is not a segregated program. Autistic children attend the same classes as the other children, but special assistants keep things in order and educational.
My son and his wife are effective in educating their very gifted (adopted and natural) and not as gifted children. To do that, they use home schooling.
Enrolling In Online Home Schooling The Easiest Way
The number of parents that choose to enroll their child online for home schooling is expanding. Its popularity among other parents and parents-to-be is vastly increasing. Some parents want it because it is more convenient when it comes to the financial aspects. Some parents do not have enough money to be able to send their children to private schools.
With each passing year, tuition fees are soaring. No wonder many parents insist on not bringing their child to school but there are more reasons. There are some advantages as well as disadvantages to home schooling. But it is still up to you which school to choose. One reason why many people enroll their children to this kind of schooling is that they have more control. Control on what? It is control on the subjects and lessons to learn and the control on whom you want to influence your children.
Quality education is every parent’s desire for their kids. Some people think that they will be able to teach their child more when he’s taught at home rather than in the school itself. Moreover, some say that they could choose the subjects to focus on and properly incorporate them in their children’s minds.
After all, some schools have that lack of input and other factors as well that could hinder their learning needs. In addition, some parents point out that they can be in charge of the curriculum, as well as go to the easy lessons and focus on harder subjects. Furthermore, some schools do not have very efficient teachers with appropriate teaching methods.
Aside from the control over the educational process, some parents who have chosen to home school their child believe that they are actually getting a far more enhanced course of education. In this way, they are given assurance that they are properly and effectively taught and educated. Moreover, they believe that the parent-children bond is strengthened and the family ties are kept intact. They believe that it enriches their relationship with one another.
On the other hand, some people say that home schooling may harm or endanger a child’s social interaction as well as their emotional relationship with other people. They believe that there are opportunities that may cause certain social problems. With those mentioned above, there are many schools that are computer-aided. Various associations and organizations have created home schooling that provides computer-aided instruction. You can visits some sites online and to find these organizations. It is good that you canvass first and be aware of their rules, policies, and regulations.
Look for their accreditations. See also if they have activities and events that may give you more information on their curriculum and with this, you can make your decision. It is predicted that home schooling will be become more popular and will be utilized more towards achieving quality education that every child needs and wants.
Home Schooling, A Personal Choice
I have been writing blogs about my home schooling experience. I also have been searching the web for other home schooling experiences. There are many ways to home school. The most important thing to remember is that it is your personal choice. Whether you home school from an online source, video classroom, workbooks or oral teaching from a book, is totally up to you.
Remember that there is a lot of help in your community. People who also home school, usually have a group, where the children can interact together at functions. If you do not like that idea, then you can go for help on a home school website. There are many places to go.
I have found that your ideas for your own children are the best. You know your children better than anyone else. You know their limits, what subjects they like the best, and their individual personalities.
When you start home schooling try different ways of teaching. Let your children, if they are older like mine, add some of their ideas. It really gets them interested in what they are doing.
Remember to keep it organized. This is important. If it is unstructured then it will not work. Children need structure. Teaching them organization will help them in their own adult lives.
Try to add classes, other than the norm, to the schedule. I mean like, photography, band, cooking, etc. This gives the kids something different to look forward to. Have fun and enjoy the day.
Discovering The Benefits Of Home Schooling
Home schooling is in demand nowadays. You might be thinking of home school for your child. There are a lot of reasons why you should educate your child at home. Although this decision may not be an easy one, it may be something to consider. There are questions that need to be discussed and there are also some already answered for you. Before you can make this very important decision for your child’s education, you should think long and hard and get all the answers to your questions.
What are the benefits of home schooling? Here are a few:
First, your child will get all the attention and that attention will come from you. Although this depends on the child’s level of studying, he or she should be comfortable at home. You can have all his time and control his studies. Sometimes, children in school don’t pay enough attention to their teachers because they want their mommies to guide them. Some don’t trust their teachers and will not take their word. Friends and playmates may distract his learning process. All the issues your child experiences in a large class will vanish forever with home schooling.
Of course you know your child better than others do. You will be given the chance to tailor all the lessons that suit your child’s interest of learning. You can keep him comfortable the way he wants it which can never be experienced in the conventional classrooms.
If your child is among those kids who are prone to peer-pressure, then home schooling is the answer. Learning is acquired in school but if the child cannot learn the right way, it would be better that he stay home and be taught.
Your child may want a different type of approach to learning which he cannot get in school. The teacher in school will not of course treat every student differently with their different standards of learning. Your child is not the only student in school so if he wants to be treated differently, you may have to teach him at home so that the learning process will be easy.
You will be able to watch your child’s improvement. You can set a time frame or a limit which he needs to accomplish say, for example, a chapter in a book. Allow him time to absorb and finish the chapter in a week so you can finish all the lessons in a timely manner.
Your child may not be socially capable of mingling with the other students. This may be due to phobia or fear. If your child is like this, would you still expose him in a crowd to which you know that he will never feel comfortable no matter what happens? Of course you wouldn’t.
These are just some of the benefits of home schooling. The best way is still to ask your child what he really wants.
Home Schooling – Institutions At War
Home Schooling. Let’s start off by saying that home schooling is not just for the rich and powerful. Anyone can be home schooled. How do we know that? Because today in the United States there are over 1.2 million students being home schooled. It is doubtful that all of them are very rich.
Yes, home schooling does cost money but a child can be home schooled for as little as $1000 a year. Unless a family is truly poor this is not a large sum considering that comes out to about $3 a day. We spend more than that on our lunches at work.
So what about home schooling as far as it’s benefits? Is it worth it? Do kids learn better? Are they smarter when they finish? Is there anything about home schooling that is bad?
Statistics show that students who are home schooled have better grades and actually learn more than students who go to public or private schools. Of course many people argue these statistics saying they are skewed and inaccurate and some say they are outright lies.
Why the battle?
Because the one truth that can’t be argued is that home schooling is eating into public and private schools’ pocket books. The growth rate for home schooling has been rising about 15 to 25% per year of late. This is about 20% of the students outside the government school system when you look at the raw numbers mentioned above. Another 250,000 children are expected to enter home schooling in the coming year.
The number of home schooling students do present a threat to government schooling, as they are finding that you don’t have to hire super qualified teachers to get a good education for your child. And the truth is, an average family only spends about 10% of the per pupil cost that public schools spend on each child, which refutes the theory that you need to spend a lot of money to educate a child.
This does pose a significant economic threat to public schools since their school budgets depend on attendance. It is estimated that over $7 billion has been lost to public schools because of the number of children who are being home schooled.
Home schooling families are also a very powerful force in government. When a bill was introduced that all home school instructors be certified the home school community made such a loud noise that the bill was defeated by a vote of 424-1 when it came up in the house.
In an attempt to battle back, defenders of the public school system are fighting with every legal resource at their disposal. One of their tactics is the undermining and co-opting of the home schooling movement by establishing government home schooling programs which try to lure families by offering them free resources. Yes, the battle goes on and it won’t be ending any time soon.
Home Schooling – How Exactly Does It Work?
In this second article about Home Schooling we’re going to discuss exactly how home schooling works.
The most logical question about home schooling would have to be, “How can a student learn when there is not a trained professional teacher there to teach the student?” The truth is, most people are so convinced that the traditional method of teaching is the only way that works, that they can’t possibly imagine home schooling being successful.
In truth, home schooling is different for every family. Because there is no traditional classroom each family is free to educate it’s child the way they feel is best, within reason of course as you want to make sure the child is properly prepared to be able to go out in the world and handle whatever job or profession he or she is interested in pursuing.
One method that families use is where they take the child’s interest and curiosity in a subject and help the child explore the subject. The idea is that there are opportunities to explore many subjects like math, science, history, geography, English and many others. By encouraging a child’s normal curiosity eventually all the subjects that would be taught in a conventional classroom get covered.
Another method that families use is that they buy all the books and supplies that a school would buy and follow a normal school curriculum. The material is simply taught at home in a small setting instead of in a large classroom. The theory behind this is that the child is not distracted by his surroundings, feels more comfortable at home and therefore can concentrate better on his studies.
The question many people ask is, “Do children really learn anything in a home schooling setting?” Statistics show that, at least at the college level, students do very well. Obviously this depends on the student and the family. Some children work very well on their own and can actually accelerate beyond a normal work load. Others don’t have as easy a time and must take things at a slower pace. That’s one of the great advantages of home schooling as each child can go at his own pace.
The majority of critics feel that a home schooled child will be at a disadvantage when applying for college admission or a job because they don’t have an official diploma to fall back on. The actual truth is that most colleges and employers are willing to look past that if the child can demonstrate a skill in a more personalized way. Many colleges encourage applications from home schooled children because they feel the child will be more well rounded and therefore help to form a more dynamic and diverse student body.
When all is said and done it basically comes down to the student. One student who would be a straight A student in a traditional classroom could totally bomb out trying to learn at home because they don’t have the structure that they need. Another student who would be lost in a traditional classroom because he can’t keep up with the mandatory pace would be a great home schooled student because he would be able to take things at his own pace and might even, in the long run, become better educated than his traditionally schooled peers.
The debate will surely go on.
Information About Home Schooling: Is It Suitable For Your Child?
There are a lot of parents who would like home schooling for their child. But they are afraid because they don’t exactly know if they can be their children’s teacher. They also need to find out if home schooling is suitable for their child and if there really is a need to home school their child. Of course most parents would like to have their children educated in school. The school is such a good place for learning practical skills and application.
Home schooling is efficient and helpful if you want it to be. You will be responsible for your child’s education so you will surely be the one to blame if they don’t learn. If your child prefers to be alone or isolated, you should not force him to go to school and mingle with the other kids. For sure, he will not feel comfortable and the learning process might be slow. If your child wants to learn at home with you, it will be to your advantage to teach him the basics.
Now that the education process is in demand, your child has a lot of options to choose from. First is to learn from the books just like the way they do it in school. Another way is by learning online through the use of e-books. E-books are the easy way to learn if your child does not feel comfortable with the teacher due to traumatic experiences or other reasons.
If going to school is geographically too far, you can educate your child at home. Traveling might be costly, stressful, and tiring. If your child has some physical disabilities, he might encounter difficulties in the public school system therefore home schooling might be the way to go. If your child has low self-esteem, and lacks confidence, he might not be able to deal with the pressures in public school, and could experience a lot of difficulties that may hinder his learning and social awareness. If your child has signs of autism or abnormalities, being home schooled would be the best way to go to ensure comfort and effective learning.
If your child’s interest is learning at home, home schooling will be the ultimate option. There are kids who go to school just to play and never study. If this is the case, bringing him to school will be useless and ineffective.
There is a fine balance with home schooling to ensure that your child has a relevant education alongside socializing and playing sports with other children. Home schooling allows you to impart values and teachings that you hold dear while adhering to the basic curriculum.
As long as your child has plenty of opportunity to mix with other children their age and you feel that you are adequately equipped to teach then home schooling can provide an effective alternative to sending your child to school.
The Benefit of Home Schooling – 8 Reasons to Educate Your Child at Home
Making the decision to home school is, on the face of it, not an easy one. There are many questions that need to be asked, and answered, before you can take this very significant step in your child’s education. What can influence the decision is an idea of some of the benefit of home schooling.
So here are some things to think of.
1. Your child will get one to one attention with you. The issues associated with large class sizes will be gone forever.
2. Noone knows your child better than you, so you can tailor the lessons to suit your child. That will be something that could never happen in a conventional class room.
3. If your child is someone who is particularly susceptible to peer pressure, then home schooling can alleviate the problem. With your child completely under your control, you not only dictate the curricular activities, but the friends and social elements of their day.
4. Family life can return to how it should be. No more strangers passing at the breakfast table.
5. Many children get wrongly labeled with ‘learning difficulties’ when all that they needed was a different approach. If your child falls into this category, you will be best placed to evaluate your child’s needs and requirements.
6. Scientific studies indicate that home schooled children can come out ahead in every measurement. Other factors may affect this of course, but the indications are that home schooled children achieve more academic success than their traditionally schooled counterparts.
7. Research also indicates that home schooled children actually have better social skills than traditionally schooled children. This rather flies in the face of most people’s beliefs.
8. Although not a statistic that should affect your decision making, every child taken out of the state controlled education system actually saves the tax payer around $9000 per pupil per year.
Whilst it is not a task to be undertaken lightly, there are compelling reasons for educating your child at home. It can be argued of course that the benefit of home schooling will not be so strong for all children, but equally, there are many who could benefit significantly from home tutoring.
The 10 Be’s of Home Schooling
1. BE AVAILABLE! Homeschooling is not hard, nor do the
actual classes need to take much time, but it is important
that your children find you available 24/7.
2. BE INTERESTED! Keep your child’s heart, and their
hunger for learning, by being interested in all the do and
bring to you, even the worms!
3. BE A PARTNER IN LEARNING! Teach researching skills
when they are young, creating a habit to serve them when
older.
4. BE FLEXIBLE! Do not be so set in schedules and classes
that you miss the real learning, bonding and loving
experiences.
5. BE THRIFTY! Homeschooling does not have to cost an
arm and a leg. God can direct you into terrific opportunities
and resources for learning.
6. BE ORGANIZED! This is so important for our peace of
mind! Our schools and our homes will run much smoother
when we conquer this area.
7. BE DILIGENT! Consistency and schedules are important!
Habit and hard work at God’s priorities, teach more than we
realize!
8. BE THE EXAMPLE! When our children see that we are
under an Authority, and obedient to Him, they will likewise
subject themselves to God’s and parents’ authority.
9. BE LOVING AND KIND! Maintain your peace and don’t
chase away the Holy Spirit by “blowing up.” We can do all
things through Christ! It helps to make sure you have a quiet
time every morning, no matter how early you must get up!
10. BE BLESSED! Homeschooling is a wonderful
opportunity and lifestyle that we would not trade for any
other! Enjoy your children. Before you know it, they will be
stepping out of your arms into life!
Home Schooling Outside The Box
My 12 year old son is creative and intelligent. He can compose artistic and written works at a level beyond that of many his age. So why can he be so difficult to teach? When using standard curriculum, it can be like pulling teeth to get him to do anything more than the absolute minimum. He races through the lessons, obtaining grades far lower than he is capable of getting, or he easily gets distracted and drags his feet, taking hours to complete what should take minutes. Read on to see how I confronted these problems.
When I took over home schooling my then 10 year old son, I used the traditional curriculum that he had been using previously with his mother. Some of the curriculum worked fine (we still use the Saxon math series) but other traditional home school curriculum just seemed to bring out the worst in my child. He would easily get bored. He would lose focus and often get distracted. After half a year, I started searching for alternatives. When I found new materials, I included my son on the decision making process. He seemed to take a lot more ownership as a result, even though I still had the final say in what what curriculum we finally used. Some of the things we do are listed below.
We use a science encyclopedia purchased at Sam’s Club for science. Why? Of all the books we looked at it was the best text in terms of explaining concepts and relating them to real world phenomena (even though it wasn’t meant to be a school text). We sit down together and read several pages of this science encyclopedia on a concept. Then, I have my son write a 100 word report. He then edits the report and we work on sentence composition. At the end of the term, we print out all the articles to make a 15 page report. In addition to the reports, we do related science experiments together and some of the younger siblings join in. My son loves science!
My son and his younger brother are taught history by my retired father-in-law (who happens to have a major in history). My father-in-law makes use of his library of books and tapes and records
history specials for the boys to watch. Now, my boys and I sit down together at night to watch the evening news – this I believe, is a result of their grandfather discussing current events with them. There is no comparing either of my sons’ current enthusiasm for history with the drudgery of plowing through a traditional school history text the way we used to do.
In addition to completing lessons in english and grammar from a traditional school text, I encourage my son to do some creative writing. He started writing his own kids novel which he has now nearly finished. He is writing some pretty silly stuff which would not be standard fare for any of the english curricula I have seen. But he is writing. In fact he is writing a lot! In 3 months from the time he started writing this novel I have noticed a marked improvement in his writing. When my son’s book is completed, I will publish it online and also have a friend that owns book binding equipment bind up some copies for our family and friends.
In summary, don’t let yourself become boxed in with traditional home school curriculum. There are educational resources all around us if we look hard enough. You don’t have to use a “school” text. Look on your book shelves or go to a local second-hand book store to find books that might serve as good texts. Involve your child in the decision making process. Borrow some materials from your home schooling friends and review the books with your child. Use what will work for both you and your child. Utilize any and all available resources and above all, have fun as you and your child learn!
Home Schooling Researched
Educators, Parents, Students lend me your ears, my name is Katie Criss and I am going to discuss home schooling with you. Currently there is a very heated debate over the issue of Home schooling in America. Today I am going to present you with my views on this critical subject. When I say “my views” I’m not going to stick my finger in the air to see what way the wind is blowing with this issue of home schooling. I know there are two sides, and supporters of both.. Rather I am going to present to you my viewpoints with opinion and research on why I am a critic of home schooling.
When I asked myself the question, How do you feel about home schooling? I first thought “Why would anyone do that” So I researched exactly that, What are the reasons that people give of why they choose to homeschool and how valid are they.
One reason that I frequently found through research was that parents home schooled their children because of the violence found in public schools. My response to this is Yes, there is violence in public schools, However, there are many preventive measures that are taken to avert this violence and most schools have incorporated a Zero-tolerance policy. Parents justify themselves by reciting isolated incidents to help build their case for home schooling. My message to parents who use this excuse to validate themselves is, first ask yourself the question, Is their violence in my neighborhood. I am sure if you are living in Harlem, New York compared to South Park, Pennsylvania there is going to be an immense difference in the crime of the area. My next question is, how do you expect to protect your child from all the dangers of society? Home schooling your child is a parents attempt to isolate their child from the real world scary stories. If you are afraid of your child being bullied, what will happen when your child becomes an adult and meets a bullying boss? This is a real-world story; children need the exposure to different people. Why? Simple, because nobody in this world is the same.
After doing much research and learning that parents question the safety of their children in public schools, I myself questioned the safety of home schooled children. From this research I concluded that current home schooling laws allow people who mistreat children to keep them in social isolation in order for the abuse and neglect to go undetected. To back this statement up I will cite a few of many incidents.
Smithfield North Carolina October 13, 2003. A sign hangs on the wall that reads so this is not home sweet home, adjust. In the bedroom, 14-year-old Brandon had committed suicide after killing his brother and sister. Yes, these children were home schooled, but the real point of this story is that the Warrens had home schooled their children before, in Arizona, where they were convicted of Child Abuse. An investigator in Arizona recorded that the children were tortured physically and emotionally. However, that is information that North Carolina school officials are not required to collect. In fact, since home schooling became legal in North Carolina in 1985, the number of home schooled students jumped from just a few hundred to more than 50,000. BUT there has been no change in the number of state employees that oversee the program- there is just three for the ENTIRE state.
In Iowa, a father is serving life, and a mother will go on trial this month, for killing their 10-year-old adopted son and burying him at their house in the backyard. Because they were home schooling no one noticed that he was missing for one entire year.
In Texas, Deanna Laney, home schooling mother of three, told investigators that she beat her children with rocks because she was saving them from Satan.
Another notorious and similar case is that of Andrea Yates, Texas home schooling mother of five who drowned all five children in her home bathtub. Many claim that Yates had been overwhelmed by the demands of constantly spending time with her children due to the fact that she was a home schooling parent.
To compare, Yates and Laney, Both of these mothers were religious. Both were subservient wives handling childcare pressures. Interestingly, both utilized Christian home schooling for their doomed children. Both “talked to God.” Both fundamentalist Christian mothers say they sacrificed their own children “for God.” Each of Andrea Yates children, like Mrs. Laney’s, were home-schooled and had Biblical names. These are Two examples that are very similar to each other, both mentally ill mothers trusted to be at home with their children and give them their education. Which leads me to my next finding, Parents claim to home school their children to provide them with a better education then public schooling can give. My question is, How is a parent qualified to provide their child with an education?
Home schooling parents have no set curriculum to go by, but not to worry they simply can purchase books of the internet entitled “Home schooling for Dummies” if they are having trouble, that should fix any problems. I would like to address educators and prospective educators, and ask them the question, Could you replace your studies with one do-it-yourself dummies book?
I am sure that if you could then that would be the route of study pursued, rather then long hours of tedious work provided by a college institution. In order to even pursue a career in education in the state of Pennsylvania, one must provide clearances that show a clear background check, take Praxis Tests to show knowledge, complete at the minimum a 4 year education program with at least a 3.0 average, a speech and hearing test, observation hours, supervised student teaching, and lifelong learning credits in order to keep their certification in the field. Yet, to homeschool in California the only requirement is that parents provide notification that they will be home schooling their child. The only qualifications to teach listed are that the parents are “capable of teaching”. Even more shocking is the state of Texas, home to both Andrea Yates and Deanna Laney, has no requirements for home schooling, in fact parents do not even have to notify the state that they will be home schooling. They must possess no qualifications in order to teach. That’s it, if they want to be a teacher, they are!
Please note that every state is different. In South Carolina, colored moderate regulation a parent must have at least a GED or high school diploma to teach. However in New York, which is considered high regulation, no qualifications are necessary. Therefore if a parent did not even get a high school diploma in New York they are still qualified to teach their child high school material. I have concluded from this information that a child can only go as far as their parents have, and in some instances that may not be very far. Therefore these children are being cheated out of a valuable education.
Also I have questioned, having a parent as a teacher… are they teaching their children their bias’s? In an institution goals are made to make sure that the material being taught is bias free. However in a home, a parent is free to choose, and some knowingly, others unknowingly are teaching their child their own biases. In a world that is culturally diverse, one must be exposed to different people and situations in order to appreciate our differences. However if a student had already formed biases then they are virtually closed minded to accepting these differences. Similar to this subject, being that both lead me to a valuable question is how home schooling parents can justify teaching their children for a child’s entire childhood. When a student is in a public school they have many different teachers, who use many different teaching methods. However in a home a parent, especially with no education on how to educate, would use only one teaching method. Of course if they are teaching at all, and not just using books and videos. Through different teachers you learn virtually how to learn in different ways. You also learn how to understand people better. My valuable question that ties all these subjects together is how will a child develop his or her socialization skills if they are not exposed to different people? The school environment is much like one’s work environment. If a child has never been exposed to such an environment how will they know how to adapt? How will they react to all the different people, different opinions, and different viewpoints? How will they work with groups of co-workers? All these questions address the issue of socialization of children who are home schooled.
Closely related is one of my biggest questions, that is How can a parent make such a crucial decision without their child’s consent to remove them from a world that is considered to be the “norm” and place them in a world in which they in effect are isolated? These children will develop low self esteems and forever question why it was their parents did not want to send them to school, to show them off to the world, instead they will wonder why are they hiding me? Most importantly, These children will not have the experience that public school provides, they will not have the experience that unites us citizens and provides us with a common background. They will not get to experience the simple things like go to prom’s, participate in sports in which an entire school is benefited, have a school lunch, a lock on their locker, a ride on a school bus, recess, watching for their school to be cancelled on TV from snow days, and all the other little but character building events that take place in a public school students life.
In closing, American citizens, together let’s promote our very prestigious and notorious public school system and crusade against the leniency of home schooling that consequently will benefit our country by providing a solid education for all.
Home schooling can be a difficult decision. Many believe that home schooling can not prepare a child to deal with real life situations. By attending a public school, the child is more likely to be involved in school team sports, drama clubs, band activities, after school clubs, and be more socially interactive with others. Many of these activities are fundamental for the growth and emotional well being of a child.
Alternatively, an argument can be made that there is just as much social stimulation at home as there is in public school. For a large number of home schooled children, many have friends that live within their neighborhood that they can play and interact with. After school sports programs are available for in many areas, typically at community centers. These programs can prove to be a great source for social interaction.
A good way to obtain additional home schooling information is to ask parents of other home school children. More than likely they can share what activities they do, as well as inform you what type of approach they use; a facilitated self study approach or lecture oriented approach.
This information will help lead you to a better idea of whether or not you are able to handle a teaching job. Contrary to some beliefs, teaching is not an easy task. It takes great dedication and determination to ensure that the children are always excited about learning, moving at a steady pace, and keeping them interested in what is next. If you are interested in home schooling, teaching classes are available through some schools.
There are many resources available online regarding home schooling. Blogs and websites can provide you with relevant home school information. Many of these sites are maintained by parents who home school and provide information on what problems may be encountered in home schooling and the solutions they have.
Although teaching can be difficult, many find the end result rewarding. Home schooling can provide parents and children a nice balance and learning environment to exceed in.
Home Schooling for Your Child – Worthy?
This can be a difficult decision for the parent to make. But, so many parents have not done this so far for nothing. Home Schooling is one of the new concepts that has caught on in the west of late. It actually is a fun for the mother to see her child learn in front of her eyes.
But there is still some hesistation in making this decision because parents feel that attending a school gives a real life experience to the child and co-curricular activities like debates and games help the child grow holistically and home schooling will deprive their child of that.
But the exponents of home schooling also have equally valid points. Home Schooling can impart values to the child in a secure environment, an environment where the child is much more ready to learn new things. Home Schooling does not necessarily mean that the child would miss out on social behavior. In fact, with less time to finish off with studies, a home schooled child will be able to dedicate much more time to play in the neighborhood. Unlike the real school, in home schooling, the class moves at the pace that the child requires it to. The home schooled child no longer needs to constantly skip over what he has missed to keep in pace with the rest of the class.
A home schooled child can be showered with much more personal care, which is so essential at the early years of childhood. But, all said and done, this is not an experiment that can be done to see if it works or not as this is about the life of the child which as a parent, you would want to make very sure that this is the best.
In order to achieve this, the parent must talk to the parents of other home schooled children. They will be able to give a good review of how the child progress is. There are today a lot of message boards and blogs in the internet that caters to the needs of the parent looking for a good home school for his child. Make the best use of it. Plan and execute. You will then relish every moment of your child’s learning curve thanks to Home Schooling!
Is Home Schooling Right For You?
Many parents believe that it is necessary to have a teaching credential to be qualified for teaching their child what they need to learn to become productive and successful adults. Although it is a tremendous responsibility to teach your own child the rewards can be priceless.
The pros and cons of homeschooling are many, but do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? With total control over your child’s homeschooling needs you have the flexibility to teach your child values that cannot be taught in a public classroom. On the other hand your time will not be as free as it used to be.
The education a child can gain from a loving and concerned parent will be much greater than is possible to receive in a public school system. You don’t need a teaching credential or even a college degree, just the desire to give your child a quality education. If there are subjects that you don’t feel comfortable teaching it is possible to hire a tutor for those classes. And on the positive side your home school curriculum can incorporate other things such as your own religious and moral beliefs, something that will not be taught in a public school system. By taking control of a child’s education a parent can shape that child’s value system better than anyone else.
There are two main requirements necessary to achieve a rewarding home schooling experience for both you and your child. Obviously you must have a desire to teach your children, that is number one. If you are doing it out of duty or obligation you may soon find yourself in way over your head and wanting to get out. The second requirement is determination. You must truly want your child to succeed and be willing to put forth the time and effort it takes for your child to reach his or her potential. With these two ingredients your child may be able to realize an education that could not be achieved in a public classroom.
You, more than anyone else, want your child to reach their full potential. This is usually not possible in a crowded classroom environment. A child, to learn at their best, must have one-on-one instruction from someone who truly cares for them. And who better than you can give that to them? Public school teachers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of students they must control every day. With the many different learning styles, discipline problems, regulations that need to be followed and other factors a public school teacher cannot spend the individual time with each child that is necessary to bring out that child’s best. Home schooling can help children to blossom and bring out a child’s full potential like nothing else can.
Do you have doubts about your ability to teach? All you have to do to overcome your fear is to visit a public classroom for a day. Visit a kindergarten class or a first grade class and you will see that much of the time spent is merely controlling the children’s behavioral problems. And the lessons that are taught are usually very simple. In a one-on-one home atmosphere you will be able to progress at your own pace.
With a few home school books and lesson plans you will be able to get started very easily. Remember, you are starting your teaching experience with a very young child. And you will actually be able to learn as you go. With a little preparation it is possible to grow with your child. And the first time you see some of your instruction sink into your child’s brain you will feel satisfied that you are performing a very important task. You will surely be surprised at how effective you can be as your child’s homeschool instructor.
Public school teachers have their curriculum all laid out for them. They must follow programs and use materials that others have already approved for them. They must also move at a predetermined pace so that they can get through their study programs even if it means going forward at the expense of a child understanding what has been taught. You, on the other hand, can come up with your own homeschooling curriculum which can include religious or moral beliefs. You can take a field trip anytime you desire. You can make sure your child fully grasps a specific subject before moving forward. This will allow your child the opportunity to learn as they should be learning and at a pace they can keep up with. In a public system the slower children are often left behind.
There are negatives as well as positives however. The biggest negative to home schooling is your time. Your child will most likely receive a more rewarding education at home, but you will be devoting lots of your time to this cause. This could be a big sacrifice, especially if you are struggling financially and need to work. However, with a real desire you may be able to live without luxuries that will give you the time you need to offer your child the education they deserve. Search the internet for lesson plans, other pros and cons, christian home schooling information, home schooling requirements, home schooling books, eclectic homeschooling and other topics of interest. After researching this subject you may find that teaching your child will be even more rewarding for you than it is for your child. If you would like to develop a special bond with your child homeschooling may be the way.
Academic Co-Ops in Home Schooling
So often I hear home schooling parents speak of the hardships they encounter when they do not possess the knowledge needed to teach their own children in a given subject. Of course the public school systems is not an option for these parents because they consider it an out of control baby-sitting effort where; No Child is Allowed to Advance. This would include their children who they feel deserve more and by god they intend to see that their children get a real education.
The Public School System argues that with multiple classrooms for Middle School and High School that there are teachers who specialize in the subject matter and can answer all the questions the inquisitive minds will have. You can see the rift as the parents point to the drug abuse, newspaper articles and sexual abuse going on. What is the answer to the best way for the home schooling parents to move their children forward with a good education considering these factors?
Well one answer is for networks of home schooling parents to get together and work in teams as the children get older one parent may be an expert in something and they can teach this to the kids, while another specializes in a different line of endeavor you see. But this also takes teamwork, challenges the home schooling groups and although in the end makes more sense it is a huge burden on the groups.
Home Schooling or Not?
Much of what I thought about home schooling was wrong. The conventional wisdom about this rapidly growing dimension of American education is too simple, too stereotyped and too stale.
For instance, the Home School Legal Defense Association, despite its energetic lawyers and many admirers, is not the leader of home schooling in this country. There is no leader, and no reigning ideology. There are instead at least a million American children – the real figure is probably twice that number – whose families want them to learn at home for many reasons, often having little to do with religion or politics.
The common image of home-schoolers as lockstep religious conservatives falls apart when you discover that some of these parents have been shunned by their fundamentalist churches for teaching their kids at home rather than sending them to the church’s school. Some home-schoolers love the new for-profit online teaching programs like K12. Some think they are a corporate plot. Some parents are home-schooling because their kids were learning more quickly than their teachers could keep up with. Some are home-schooling because their kids were learning more slowly than their public school teachers had patience for. Some home-school because their children were unhappy at school. Some home-school because they could not meet their needs any other way.
Public school educators often worry that the children of such people will not learn necessary social skills. But home-schooling parents said their children learned how to deal with other people just fine, particularly with the many adults they encountered when they visited the library or went to church or did chores around the neighborhood. With their parents so often at their side, they were able to see what good manners and self-confidence looked like, rather than be forced to adopt the jungle code of the average high school corridor. In many families one parent stays at home to supervise the home schooling, although they often do some work there to pay the bills, or trade off with other home-schooling parents when they have to be away.
Home schooling involves a tremendous commitment from the parents. At least one parent must be willing to work closely with the child, plan lessons, keep abreast of requirements, and perhaps negotiate issues with the school district. The most common home school arrangement is for the mother to teach while the father works out of the home. There are a variety of educational materials geared for the home school, published by dozens of suppliers. Some are correspondence courses, which grade students’ work, some are full curricula, and some are single topic workbooks or drill materials in areas such as math or phonics.
Many of the curriculum providers are indentifiably Christian, including several major home school publishers such as Bob Jones University Press, Alpha Omega Publications, and Home Study International. A major non-religious provider of home school materials is the Calvert School in Baltimore. Figures vary as to how many home schools use published curricula or correspondence courses, but the Department of Education estimates that it is from 25 to 50%; the rest use a curriculum the parents and/or child have devised. Education writer John Holt, a champion of home schooling, suggested that no particular area of study was essential. He advised parents to use real life activities such as work in a family business, writing letters, bookkeeping, observing nature, and talking with old people as meaningful academic lessons. Home schools might fall anywhere on this spectrum, between the tightly planned study of a formal curriculum to Holt’s free-form, experiential learning.
But first, all the parents interested in teaching their children at home need to find out what laws apply to their state and school district.
Home Schooling Online – Is It Right For Your Family?
Home schooling online requires a lot of dedication and strict scheduling to ensure that the required work gets done. Internet classes, which are often scheduled at specific times during the day, must be attended regularly. In addition, tests are generally taken online and grades posted or delivered via e-mail.
Some of the most popular reasons to enroll in home schooling online is scheduling, childhood development or simply the desire to learn at home. For adults who enroll in home schooling online, they often do so in order to be able to earn their degree while working full time. In this scenario, it would be very difficult to attend regular classes. For children, the decision to enroll in home schooling online is much different. If you feel that your child needs to learn at his/her own pace and you want to make sure that he/she receives personal attention to their education, home schooling online may be the answer. If your child has a difficult time socializing with other children and a physician feels that home schooling online would be better for your child’s well-being, then you may want to consider online enrollment.
It’s important to realize that home schooling online will not permit your child with the same socializing skills that are acquired while attending regular classes. Therefore, your child must find other ways to meet new people and adopt good social skills. This may include being a part of theatrical productions, field trips, library readings and other gatherings. One of the many benefits to home schooling, on the other hand, is being active in who your child socializes with and ensuring that the influences are acceptable.
Before making the final decision to enroll your child in home schooling online, make sure that he/she is in agreement. Many parents forget to include the child in such an important decision, but his/her opinion cannot be overlooked. In order for a child to learn well, the environment must be one that is desired. Many children want to attend regular school because, with home schooling online, they may feel that they are missing an important aspect of their childhood. This is why developing social activities is so important and is critical to your child’s growth and development.
As a final thought, home schooling online is not expensive in and of itself. However, if your child enrolls in home schooling online, one parent will have to stay at home while the other works. If your home can handle one income, home schooling online may work perfectly. If not, you will have to work out a strict schedule so that someone is always at home to ensure the child’s learning is not compromised while adjusting your work schedule around his/her education.
Budget Home Schooling
Home schooling can be a rewarding experience for the entire family. However, it can also be hard on your pocketbook. Frugal home schooling is becoming a popular term among most families living on limited income or for those wanting to cut back on expenses.
The internet is a valuable source that most families can’t live without. From researching essay papers to curriculum, anything you need to search for is available online for free and right in the convenience of your own home. Online auctions are a great way to purchase used curriculum programs and books. A trip to your local library will probably fit most of your needs. Not only do you get to borrow books for free but it makes a fun family outing. Before heading off, make a list of the books and topics you need to borrow so you don’t forget what’s needed.
If you are a member of a home school group, suggest starting a swap meet or book sale of used curriculum and other teaching aids. This is a great way to buy good material for reasonable prices as well as selling some material you no longer use. Do you know someone that has a book or program you would like to use? If they’re not using it, then ask them if they wouldn’t mind you borrowing it. If you have a book or program that they could use, consider either trading or just borrowing from each other for a short time.
Look in your local paper for garage sales and yard sales that have books and craft supplies. Be creative while looking around, something you may not normally think about using could be perfect for a certain craft or science project.
Field trips can be a great change of pace when home school gets repetitive. Often museums are free or cost a minimal amount to tour. Some of your local businesses may be willing for a small group to tour their premises. This is a great way for children to see first hand how certain businesses are operated. Be sure to call them first to make arrangements.
Curriculum will be your most expensive part of home schooling and one of the most important. Before purchasing your curriculum consider the following: Does it fit your religious beliefs and your family’s moral standards? Does it fit your teaching style as well as your children’s learning style? Is the program designed to be used with multiple children or upcoming children? Will additional material need to be purchased for it to work with more then one child? Will it be become outdated in a year or two or will it last numerous years? Could you buy it used or substitute it with a similar but less expensive program? Is the program truly needed or could you get by without it? Check out curriculum review websites to see what works for other home school families. By finding out why or why not certain programs work for other families, it may help you decide if the program is right for your family. Home schooling can be budget friendly by taking the time to research programs and by buying only what programs your family actually needs.
Educating Your Children: The Home Schooling Option
An ever growing number of thoughtful parents are concerned about the status of public schools in many cites across North America. At the same time, a good number of families are struggling to make ends meet. They simply do not have excess funds available to send their children to private schools. One solution that many families are embracing is home schooling. With each passing school year, more and more families in North America — indeed, in many countries around the world — are electing the home schooling for their children.
There are some definite benefits and specific drawbacks to choosing home schooling for your children. Turning to the positive elements of home schooling first, chief amongst them is the fact that parents have greater control over the education of their children.
One of the more significant complaints frequently expressed about both public and private schools is the lack of input and control a parent has over the education of his or her child or children. While there are certain educational standards that must be met when it comes to home schooling, a parent has a significant degree of discretion over how his or her child or children will be taught.
In addition to more control over the educational process, most parents who are involved in the home schooling of their children believe that their children are obtaining a far better course of education. Many of these parents simply believe that public schools are not up to muster and that home schooling ensures that their children will be properly educated.
Of course, when contrasting home schooling with the private school alternative, educating your children at home is significantly less expensive. The tuition costs and other fees associated with most private schools continue to increase each and every year. As a result, many families simply have been priced out of the private school market all together.
People who are involved in home schooling believe that education children at home works to develop a stronger bond between parents and children. The very fact that children will be spending more time with their parents because of being schooled in the home enriches the relationship between the generations.
There are some drawbacks to home schooling as well. The primary complaint that some education experts have in regard to home schooling is based on the need for children to interact socially with other children. These experts maintain that one of the most important components of attending school — be it in a public or private setting — are the opportunities for children to interact with each other. These opportunities are more limited when a child is home schooled.
With that said, there are now different organizations and associations that have been formed that bring children who are home schooled together for different activities and events. Home schooling advocates assert that these activities and events allow children who are home schooled ample opportunity to interact with other children their own ages.
Most education analysts believe that the trend towards home schooling will continue onward into the immediate future. These experts believe that an ever growing number of parents are going to elect to educate their children at home as an alternative to problematic public schools and expensive private schools.
If have decided that home schooling really is right for you and your kids, you will likely want to know what to do next. Here are some quick points for getting started with home schooling:
· Locate your state’s home school group. You can do this online easily by typing in your state and the keyword “home schooling” at your favorite search engine. Then go to your state listing.
· Locate your local support group for parents of home schooled kids. These groups will help you to get good tips from other parents and is a great place to find like-minded people to share your troubles etc.
· Know the laws in your state about home schooling. If you have questions, arrange for an evaluation with your local school board so that you can verify that your child is approved for home schooling. They will also check for a proposal from you about home schooling your child
· Get any magazines, books and/or other supplies that you will need in order for you to have steady resources on hand to offer tips etc.
What Happens next?
When it comes to the home schooling of your children, quite a few factors play into not just what you will do about it, but also how you will make sure that you are approved to do it. Like everything else, this is a process. Many people have questions that they need to answer about home schooling. As the parent/teacher of your child, you must do the following to get started with home schooling:
· Develop your home schooling curriculum that is both approved by the school board or state, as well as meeting your ability to teach.
· Schedule a meeting with the school board or state education officials so that they can offer you any help with tutors etc. that are approved. You will also be presenting your proposal at this meeting.
· Get information about and register for evaluations with your school board or state to ensure that your child is meeting with the approved standards in your area.
· Get yourself certified to teach your child
· Create a home schooling proposal for what you are planning to teach your child and how you plan to go about it.
The court says clearly that school officials and parents must agree on a method of evaluation that may include one of the following approaches: standardized testing, periodic progress report, or dated work samples. Home visits may not be necessary as a condition of this approval.
Dated work samples mean just what they sound like in that, they are a few samples of work with dates on them. You do not have to compile an extensive portfolio in order to submit it to the school although you might like to keep these kinds of records for your own use.
Progress reports can also serve as your plan for the coming year if you include information about how current learning will be extended into the next year, and what new areas will be added. While the law does not specify that a home schooling plan needs to be submitted annually, many towns have come to expect them.
It is important for you to include in your education plan what form of evaluation you are planning to use. That way if the school later asks you for a form of evaluation that you’d prefer not to use, you can refer them to your approved education plan in which you already said that you would submit your preferred evaluation.
Adding a line in your annual report such as, an annual progress report/dated work sample/standardized test results will be submitted upon request; is a good idea if you aren’t sure whether or not they’ll ask you for anything. Of course, if they don’t ask, you don’t need to submit anything.
As with anything else, getting everything organized is the first step to getting off to a great start. Deciding to home school is a big decision, getting the paper work in order will keep everything flowing.
Home Schooling – A Quiet Revolution
In the last 30 years or so, a quiet revolution has begun, and it’s changing the way people look at the compulsory nature of school forever. What started out in the 60′s as a radical choice made mostly by parents concerned about the lack of religious teaching in public schools has evolved into something spectacular…something so perfect that it seems intimidating. And it’s available to any family willing to make the change.
So often, when people find out that my kids do not go to school, I get responses like ” Oh, I could NEVER do that. I’m not smart enough.” or “I don’t think I could stand being with my kids all day every day.” and “You must be really disciplined.” Truth is, I don’t have a college degree, but I am absolutely ‘smart enough’ to be a home schooling parent, and I have every right to do so. I don’t necessarily consider myself a disciplined person, either, and that is just one of the multitude or reasons why home schooling is a perfect match for our family.
There are many reasons why a family might choose home schooling over public or private school. A child may have an illness or disability for which public school cannot provide proper care. Of course, public schools try hard to be politically correct, and will do what they can to assist any children with difficulties, but it’s hard enough for one adult teacher to watch over and effectively control a class of 25 ‘normally functioning’ students, much less having one or two kids thrown in who have very special medical and physical needs.
I can think of no environment more nurturing, more secure and loving, especially for a physically ill or disabled child, than the comfort and familiarity of their own home and attentive parents. After all, who understands a child’s needs better than an attentive parent?
Home schooling is perfect for Moms like me who work from home. It gives flexibility and plenty of time to spend with the amazing individual minds that society calls my children.
Perhaps the child has been labeled ADHD and put on medication. These narcotics subdue the active child, effectively enabling him to sit still longer and to ‘pay attention‘ to what the teacher deems important…a necessary requirement in school. Home schooling, however, imposes no such limitations. If your child needs to bounce, to talk, to run or even to roll, these things can be allowed and even encouraged in a home schooling environment.
The negative and long lasting effects of the commonly prescribed drugs are now coming to light. Concerned parents are becoming more skeptical of physicians quick fix diagnoses and the schools insistence that such things are required to keep the classroom ‘functioning‘….especially when it involves their own children.
Perhaps the child just doesn’t excel in school, has discipline problems or just plain ‘hates’ it. Why make them do something they hate every day? Why not give them the joy that comes along with being free to learn on their own time and focus on what interests them?
No matter what the reason a home schooling parent gives for taking their child out of school, one thing is certain. Home schooling is growing in popularity to the point where almost everyone knows someone who is or was home schooled. It may be a quiet revolution, but it’s voice is growing louder year by year.
Home Schooling Can Be Fun Too!
Spelling Bees are great to have once a week or every other week. It is fun for the kids and challenging. They really try their hardest to spell the word correctly. My daughter who was never the greatest speller, has now changed significantly. She actually reads the dictionary so that she can do well on the spelling bee.
I also love Professor Noggin educational games. They have them for each subject. We play one everyday. They learn everything from science and nature to social studies and geography. I also found that Scrabble or any word game is fun and educational at the same time.
We recently did a project which was for science. My children took pictures and it had to be about nature or the environment. My daughter took pictures of animals, insects, trees, flowers, and rocks. Then she characterized them. My son took pictures of different types of pollution and energy. Then he characterized them. It turned out great and it was fun doing.
One thing I found out is that children do not know their state capitals. We do them once a week. We also do the presidents. This is hard, but I don’t test them on it. We just do it for fun
There is so much you can do at home school. Be creative. It can be fun and educational.
Is EFL or ESL English Teaching Practical for Home Schooling?
Home Schooling is Popular
Home schooling is becoming increasingly popular. Why? Because in some areas schools are too dangerous to consider. Parents want to have more control over their children’s learning environment. Schools in some districts lack essential quality in resources and staff to effectively educate children for the challenges of today’s global society. With home schooling, parents are able to expand the learning platform of their children to an almost infinite degree. School districts provide the required curriculum for children so that parents don’t go off on a non-productive tangent. This also helps to ensure that home-schooled children are on track with their peers of the same age and grade level.
What about those cases in which children have a first language other than English? Though not yet in supremely large numbers, the growing discovery of alarming numbers of children with illegal immigrant status raises the question of English as a Second Language (ESL) home-schooling and literacy. The task of developing fluency in English stretches from the children through the parents and even the grandparents in many cases. Immigrant families are cash-strapped. Often due to low levels of educational achievement, lack of marketable skills or even illiteracy, parents feel they are “trapped”. To earn more they must learn more, but how can this be accomplished without English language fluency?
Using A TBL Approach
One of many possible scenarios is home schooling using a TBL (Tasked-Based Learning) approach. In this approach, learners are taught useable, marketable skills using English as the language of instruction. In-demand skills such as Nursing Aids, Home Health Care Aides, Auto Mechanics, Electrician Helpers, Carpentry and construction trade workers, Cooks and even Teacher Aides could be brought up to marketable standards rather quickly. Certainly most would require less than a year of preparation to begin “giving back” to the economy that many now only abuse to the detriment of tax-payers and home owners who currently carry an over-burdened share of the economy.
Using a TBL approach, several problems would be addressed at the same time.
• Immigrants would learn a marketable skill
• Immigrants would learn English
• Immigrants would regain their personal pride and dignity
• Parents could set a valuable example for their children
• Children could be eased more into mainstream American society
• Children could more easily acquire useable English language skills
There are already quantities of online and low-residency English language and other programs available for both adults and children.
Certainly English taught as a second or foreign language is practical for home schooling. Teachers and tutors must make classes interesting, lively and on occasion even fun if they are to maintain the interest and attendance of these LEP (Limited English Proficiency) learners. In so doing, the problem of non-English speaking or LEP learners of all ages can begin to be addressed in earnest. Over-crowded, cash and resource-strapped schools need our help. Here’s one way we, as concerned TEFL professionals, can give it to them.
The Benefits of Home Schooling
One among the famous way of gaining enough knowledge is through home schooling. Most parents prefer this type of schooling because of the incomparable convenience it can give. If you want to finish a degree without tiring yourself of the everyday transportation you experience in conventional schools, try enrolling yourself to home schooling.
Home schooling is as good as sitting at home while learning. You can do all your home activities that need not be forgotten. You can mingle with your family and still learn at the end of the day. You can spend the rest of your day doing all the things you need to do and still learn something on home schooling. It is in fact the most convenient way of educating yourself.
In home schooling, you are the boss of your schedule. No one will tell you the time you need to wake up and learn something. All the things are managed by who else but you. You will be the one to choose which curriculum is best for you. You do not have to worry about it because these curriculums are flexible. Convenience is proved to be one among the best tool in learning.
You can also enroll your kids in home schooling. Most of the parents in the United States prefer their kids to go home schooling because of certain factors. Aside from the divided attention the kids can have if they are enrolled in the conventional schools, parents will not be secure of the quality of education the kids can get in most classroom based education. In addition, kids are very playful, with the availability of classmates, parents are unsure whether their kids are going to school because they need education. Most of the kids in classroom based schools usually play with their classmates during lessons and lectures. This is the very reason why parents prefer home schooling.
In home schooling, you will not only get to see the improvement of your kids academically, but you will also see how your kids deal with the learning process. In fact, no other people in this world know about how your kids can learn but only you. You can minimize the playfulness of your kids while on the desk studying their lessons. This will give your kids enough knowledge they need to have.
Home Schooling and the Technology Future
Fortunately thanks to technology home schooling is becoming easier and easier for those parents in United States of America who have chosen to take their children out of public schools and to start teaching them at home. Additionally home schooling associations and groups are getting better and better and bigger and bigger and this provides them with economies of scale in order to secure the technological assets they will need to teach their children better.
If you consider high-speed Internet, videoconferencing, online video and all the online encyclopedias, white papers and research available you can see you just how great it is and how much easier it is to teach a child at home now than it was 10 years ago. Have you consider home schooling your child? If you have been you might be glad to learn of all the technological advances and all the different programs available online, as well as all the consultants and advisers who can help you all via the Internet.
Additionally with more and more shows on the Discovery Channel, the animal channel, the science channel and the history channel kids can learn by watching TV and they have a much better chance of learning history this way then studying it in a book and then taking a multiple-choice test. It is great their government has been working hard to pass such legislation as The No Child Left Behind Act, however this does not seem to be good enough considering that most schools have now turned into a babysitting activity for behavior challenged hard to deal with children. Perhaps these are some of the reasons you have or are choosing the home schooling option.
Home Schooling and Teaching Kids to Think
It often seems in the public school system that we are teaching children memorization rather than teaching them to think. Although a lot has been done to upgrade the public school system an insure that every kid gets the proper education, unfortunately the No Child Left Behind Act does not help teach kids to think all the time.
In fact it may do just the opposite. It may be teaching kids to answer a specific question to a specific problem and that would be memorization and not actually thinking. Although each kid would benefit from getting information and learning; there is a big difference between figuring out a problem and thinking and simply knowing the answer because you had memorized it.
Many parents are concerned that the public school system has become more of a babysitting endeavor rather than a place were kids can learn and learn to think. This has prompted associations of home schooling across our nation as an option to placing children in the public schools.
It is imperative that we teach every little human brain to learn how to think, solve problems and adapt. Unfortunately if we are bombarding children with tests all the time and then docking the child who gets the answer wrong we are teaching their brains to memorize and that is a little scary considering that in the higher level education that the children and young adults are becoming indoctrinated into social engineering programs and liberalism.
Even if you are a liberal yourself you would have to agree that is better to teach the kids how to think them to tell them what to say and do. Perhaps this is the best reason for home schooling?
The Curious Mind and Home Schooling
Are you a home schooling parent and you find you have curious genius on your hands and you just smile, because those are an expression of your genes aren’t they? Indeed and such a super star child probably does need a better education so perhaps home schooling was an excellent choice as the new; No Child Allowed to Advance rules might night be the best thing for them.
Now you have another problem and that is your little creative brainchild needs perhaps more than you can give them? They just ask too many very good questions that, well that you really cannot answer without looking it up.
Now you spend all this time learning together and you cannot look up all the questions fast enough? Imagine if your child was in regular school the teacher would have no choice but to ask them not to ask questions or raise their hand unless they are spoken too?
Nothing worse to do to a super child than to put up speed bumps and barriers to their learning and this is what happens often in public schools to these kids. Sometimes they are put into better gifted programs, but often the best way to deal with the curious mind of a super star child is to do home schooling.
Home Schooling the Preschool Children
Each child has unique interests and learning needs, not to mention attention spans. Therefore, for parents who are pondering whether homeschooling is for them, it is best to do an initial evaluation of what the preschool child’s needs are.
Several online resources provide lesson suggestions for preschoolers. Parents and tutors will most definitely find these materials very helpful. However, consider them only as a guide to give the children’s learning some direction. It is highly advised on most of the popular homeschooling websites to be aware of the learners’ interests, be it an inclination to writing, sports, arts and crafts, or any other subject. You can then incorporate these interests into the learner’s list of “things that a home schooled child should know.”
For different age groups of children, parents and tutors may need to employ different methods and techniques for homeschooling. And in order to know which methods and activities best suits the child under a specific age group, this short list may be of help.
Children of age 2 are found to be the most difficult. The child often gets bored and at times frustrated when being taught. Stimuli are needed in order to catch their interests. Children of this age group are most eager to learn, often walking around, and climbing steps. Common behaviors of this age include self-centeredness and possessiveness. Their sense of humor also develops. Do activities relating to these capabilities of the child.
Homeschooling three-year olds is even more trying. At this point, the child is more physical in affection and in play. They don’t mind change, love having friends to play with, and they take verbal instructions very well. Use these to stimulate them to participate in learning activities. At this age, they are already capable of communicating their needs.
Four-year olds are usually capable of working with scissors, hopping around on one foot or skipping. They start to learn to draw and possess a lot of physical energy. Let them try new things, as this will be their number one interest. They are very imaginative so give them an opportunity to develop and express this creativity.
Remember that all children grow at their own rate, and in their own ways. To achieve maximum benefits for the home schooled preschooler, parents and tutors should trust them and give them sufficient freedom to explore, inquire, and ultimately learn.
Why You Need a Home Schooling Coach or Association
If you are considering home schooling your child or children it is essential that you either get some training or hire a coach, consultant or join a local association to make sure you are doing it right and efficiently. As parents it is imperative that we properly educate our kids and make sure they are well rounded in every way.
This can become a challenge for a new home schooling parent. Additionally it gets tougher and tougher as the kids grow up and grow smart, as the questions they ask get more and more complicated.
Home Schooling is really growing and some say this is because the schools seem to have turned into a giant baby-sitting endeavor. Even in High School there are more and more kids in each class who are misbehaving more than ever. Others say that they are tired of the incessant testing and brainwashing, while even others are concerned with political and social liberal engineering.
No matter why you have chosen home schooling, get involved with local groups and associations. Pay attention and perhaps even contact a coach, consultant or veteran home schooler; Why? Why do you need a Home Schooling Coach or Association? Simple you want your children to have the best education possible.
Public School Baby Sitting or Home Schooling
The behavior of our children in the public school system in United States of America is getting out of hand. Many parents have decided to take their kids out of school and do home schooling. In fact many groups have formed home schooling associations, which charge modest fees and also have consultants, advisers and veteran home schoolers who help the parents and assist the group in doing it correctly and educating the children efficiently. Many people believe that we have a falling down in our school system and this is probably why the United States government passed; The No Child Left Behind Act.
Some people feel that the “No Child Left Behind Act” should be called the no child allowed to advance act, because if they are teaching towards the middle of the average of all the students and different children learn at different speeds at different times in their development then they are always teaching at a slow speed all the time even when their child may be wanting to and capable of learning at a faster speed. Therefore the child is not getting the benefit of their ability to learn at that speed of their brain development.
When looking at the public school system and considering the home schooling option more and more homes chooling is looking like the way to go. And there must be a reason why more parents are deciding to go for it into home schooling.
Home Schooling in Southern Idaho
My son and his bride had four natural children but they wanted to help other children. To their four, they added nine for a total of thirteen. Four are of mixed race born of unwed teenagers. The other five are black Haitian children.
I am a product of the public school system as are my five children. I was surprised to learn that thirteen of our 32 grandchildren were being home schooled. It seemed strange to me. For one, a young mother needs some time to herself. Teaching all day does not fulfill that idea. My son’s wife can not boot the kids out the door and sit back and watch television.
Moving to Idaho and being much closer to our son and his family I soon learned that my son and his wife do not trust the school system. The other day I heard my son say, to my surprise, that the current system was not designed to develop every child to his or her highest capabilities. Rather there is to be an elite class and workers.
My son and his wife also do not appreciate the negative influences in the public school system. My wife and I think that children should face those influences, being corrected if they error by teachers and parents. Be that as it may, home schooling is the best situation for my son and his wife here in Idaho.
My Haitian grandchildren cover ages from under eight to eighteen. They have had to overcome both physical and cultural problems. Raised on the streets of the Haitian capital, the older ones are street-smart and they can be secretive or self-protective.
Most of the children learn at a normal rate. Some don’t. I don’t think that all of the children would be successful in the public school system. The children adopted at a younger age would adjust rapidly to the public system.
All of the children, except the four youngest, play the piano, the violin, and some play the guitar and other instruments. The two oldest girls of natural birth are in the adult symphony. Three play in the youth symphony (two adopted). One granddaughter plays in both. Our oldest granddaughter here in Idaho is on a full scholarship in music at the local college.
The family together has formed a musical group that sings and plays here in Southern Idaho. They take donations for baby formula for an orphanage in Haiti. If you want to contribute to that cause please email me.
All of the older children (over eight) are good cooks, know how to clean house, and perform outdoor chores. Most all of them are doing well in home school as tested by the State of Idaho.
Our other grandchildren are all in public school systems. We have one autistic teenage son who was brought up in the public school system. Fortunately for him, his school system has an effective program for autistic children. It is not a segregated program. Autistic children attend the same classes as the other children, but special assistants keep things in order and educational.
My son and his wife are effective in educating their very gifted (adopted and natural) and not as gifted children. To do that, they use home schooling.
Enrolling In Online Home Schooling The Easiest Way
The number of parents that choose to enroll their child online for home schooling is expanding. Its popularity among other parents and parents-to-be is vastly increasing. Some parents want it because it is more convenient when it comes to the financial aspects. Some parents do not have enough money to be able to send their children to private schools.
With each passing year, tuition fees are soaring. No wonder many parents insist on not bringing their child to school but there are more reasons. There are some advantages as well as disadvantages to home schooling. But it is still up to you which school to choose. One reason why many people enroll their children to this kind of schooling is that they have more control. Control on what? It is control on the subjects and lessons to learn and the control on whom you want to influence your children.
Quality education is every parent’s desire for their kids. Some people think that they will be able to teach their child more when he’s taught at home rather than in the school itself. Moreover, some say that they could choose the subjects to focus on and properly incorporate them in their children’s minds.
After all, some schools have that lack of input and other factors as well that could hinder their learning needs. In addition, some parents point out that they can be in charge of the curriculum, as well as go to the easy lessons and focus on harder subjects. Furthermore, some schools do not have very efficient teachers with appropriate teaching methods.
Aside from the control over the educational process, some parents who have chosen to home school their child believe that they are actually getting a far more enhanced course of education. In this way, they are given assurance that they are properly and effectively taught and educated. Moreover, they believe that the parent-children bond is strengthened and the family ties are kept intact. They believe that it enriches their relationship with one another.
On the other hand, some people say that home schooling may harm or endanger a child’s social interaction as well as their emotional relationship with other people. They believe that there are opportunities that may cause certain social problems. With those mentioned above, there are many schools that are computer-aided. Various associations and organizations have created home schooling that provides computer-aided instruction. You can visits some sites online and to find these organizations. It is good that you canvass first and be aware of their rules, policies, and regulations.
Look for their accreditations. See also if they have activities and events that may give you more information on their curriculum and with this, you can make your decision. It is predicted that home schooling will be become more popular and will be utilized more towards achieving quality education that every child needs and wants.
Home Schooling, A Personal Choice
I have been writing blogs about my home schooling experience. I also have been searching the web for other home schooling experiences. There are many ways to home school. The most important thing to remember is that it is your personal choice. Whether you home school from an online source, video classroom, workbooks or oral teaching from a book, is totally up to you.
Remember that there is a lot of help in your community. People who also home school, usually have a group, where the children can interact together at functions. If you do not like that idea, then you can go for help on a home school website. There are many places to go.
I have found that your ideas for your own children are the best. You know your children better than anyone else. You know their limits, what subjects they like the best, and their individual personalities.
When you start home schooling try different ways of teaching. Let your children, if they are older like mine, add some of their ideas. It really gets them interested in what they are doing.
Remember to keep it organized. This is important. If it is unstructured then it will not work. Children need structure. Teaching them organization will help them in their own adult lives.
Try to add classes, other than the norm, to the schedule. I mean like, photography, band, cooking, etc. This gives the kids something different to look forward to. Have fun and enjoy the day.
Discovering The Benefits Of Home Schooling
Home schooling is in demand nowadays. You might be thinking of home school for your child. There are a lot of reasons why you should educate your child at home. Although this decision may not be an easy one, it may be something to consider. There are questions that need to be discussed and there are also some already answered for you. Before you can make this very important decision for your child’s education, you should think long and hard and get all the answers to your questions.
What are the benefits of home schooling? Here are a few:
First, your child will get all the attention and that attention will come from you. Although this depends on the child’s level of studying, he or she should be comfortable at home. You can have all his time and control his studies. Sometimes, children in school don’t pay enough attention to their teachers because they want their mommies to guide them. Some don’t trust their teachers and will not take their word. Friends and playmates may distract his learning process. All the issues your child experiences in a large class will vanish forever with home schooling.
Of course you know your child better than others do. You will be given the chance to tailor all the lessons that suit your child’s interest of learning. You can keep him comfortable the way he wants it which can never be experienced in the conventional classrooms.
If your child is among those kids who are prone to peer-pressure, then home schooling is the answer. Learning is acquired in school but if the child cannot learn the right way, it would be better that he stay home and be taught.
Your child may want a different type of approach to learning which he cannot get in school. The teacher in school will not of course treat every student differently with their different standards of learning. Your child is not the only student in school so if he wants to be treated differently, you may have to teach him at home so that the learning process will be easy.
You will be able to watch your child’s improvement. You can set a time frame or a limit which he needs to accomplish say, for example, a chapter in a book. Allow him time to absorb and finish the chapter in a week so you can finish all the lessons in a timely manner.
Your child may not be socially capable of mingling with the other students. This may be due to phobia or fear. If your child is like this, would you still expose him in a crowd to which you know that he will never feel comfortable no matter what happens? Of course you wouldn’t.
These are just some of the benefits of home schooling. The best way is still to ask your child what he really wants.
Home Schooling – Institutions At War
Home Schooling. Let’s start off by saying that home schooling is not just for the rich and powerful. Anyone can be home schooled. How do we know that? Because today in the United States there are over 1.2 million students being home schooled. It is doubtful that all of them are very rich.
Yes, home schooling does cost money but a child can be home schooled for as little as $1000 a year. Unless a family is truly poor this is not a large sum considering that comes out to about $3 a day. We spend more than that on our lunches at work.
So what about home schooling as far as it’s benefits? Is it worth it? Do kids learn better? Are they smarter when they finish? Is there anything about home schooling that is bad?
Statistics show that students who are home schooled have better grades and actually learn more than students who go to public or private schools. Of course many people argue these statistics saying they are skewed and inaccurate and some say they are outright lies.
Why the battle?
Because the one truth that can’t be argued is that home schooling is eating into public and private schools’ pocket books. The growth rate for home schooling has been rising about 15 to 25% per year of late. This is about 20% of the students outside the government school system when you look at the raw numbers mentioned above. Another 250,000 children are expected to enter home schooling in the coming year.
The number of home schooling students do present a threat to government schooling, as they are finding that you don’t have to hire super qualified teachers to get a good education for your child. And the truth is, an average family only spends about 10% of the per pupil cost that public schools spend on each child, which refutes the theory that you need to spend a lot of money to educate a child.
This does pose a significant economic threat to public schools since their school budgets depend on attendance. It is estimated that over $7 billion has been lost to public schools because of the number of children who are being home schooled.
Home schooling families are also a very powerful force in government. When a bill was introduced that all home school instructors be certified the home school community made such a loud noise that the bill was defeated by a vote of 424-1 when it came up in the house.
In an attempt to battle back, defenders of the public school system are fighting with every legal resource at their disposal. One of their tactics is the undermining and co-opting of the home schooling movement by establishing government home schooling programs which try to lure families by offering them free resources. Yes, the battle goes on and it won’t be ending any time soon.
Home Schooling – How Exactly Does It Work?
In this second article about Home Schooling we’re going to discuss exactly how home schooling works.
The most logical question about home schooling would have to be, “How can a student learn when there is not a trained professional teacher there to teach the student?” The truth is, most people are so convinced that the traditional method of teaching is the only way that works, that they can’t possibly imagine home schooling being successful.
In truth, home schooling is different for every family. Because there is no traditional classroom each family is free to educate it’s child the way they feel is best, within reason of course as you want to make sure the child is properly prepared to be able to go out in the world and handle whatever job or profession he or she is interested in pursuing.
One method that families use is where they take the child’s interest and curiosity in a subject and help the child explore the subject. The idea is that there are opportunities to explore many subjects like math, science, history, geography, English and many others. By encouraging a child’s normal curiosity eventually all the subjects that would be taught in a conventional classroom get covered.
Another method that families use is that they buy all the books and supplies that a school would buy and follow a normal school curriculum. The material is simply taught at home in a small setting instead of in a large classroom. The theory behind this is that the child is not distracted by his surroundings, feels more comfortable at home and therefore can concentrate better on his studies.
The question many people ask is, “Do children really learn anything in a home schooling setting?” Statistics show that, at least at the college level, students do very well. Obviously this depends on the student and the family. Some children work very well on their own and can actually accelerate beyond a normal work load. Others don’t have as easy a time and must take things at a slower pace. That’s one of the great advantages of home schooling as each child can go at his own pace.
The majority of critics feel that a home schooled child will be at a disadvantage when applying for college admission or a job because they don’t have an official diploma to fall back on. The actual truth is that most colleges and employers are willing to look past that if the child can demonstrate a skill in a more personalized way. Many colleges encourage applications from home schooled children because they feel the child will be more well rounded and therefore help to form a more dynamic and diverse student body.
When all is said and done it basically comes down to the student. One student who would be a straight A student in a traditional classroom could totally bomb out trying to learn at home because they don’t have the structure that they need. Another student who would be lost in a traditional classroom because he can’t keep up with the mandatory pace would be a great home schooled student because he would be able to take things at his own pace and might even, in the long run, become better educated than his traditionally schooled peers.
The debate will surely go on.
Information About Home Schooling: Is It Suitable For Your Child?
There are a lot of parents who would like home schooling for their child. But they are afraid because they don’t exactly know if they can be their children’s teacher. They also need to find out if home schooling is suitable for their child and if there really is a need to home school their child. Of course most parents would like to have their children educated in school. The school is such a good place for learning practical skills and application.
Home schooling is efficient and helpful if you want it to be. You will be responsible for your child’s education so you will surely be the one to blame if they don’t learn. If your child prefers to be alone or isolated, you should not force him to go to school and mingle with the other kids. For sure, he will not feel comfortable and the learning process might be slow. If your child wants to learn at home with you, it will be to your advantage to teach him the basics.
Now that the education process is in demand, your child has a lot of options to choose from. First is to learn from the books just like the way they do it in school. Another way is by learning online through the use of e-books. E-books are the easy way to learn if your child does not feel comfortable with the teacher due to traumatic experiences or other reasons.
If going to school is geographically too far, you can educate your child at home. Traveling might be costly, stressful, and tiring. If your child has some physical disabilities, he might encounter difficulties in the public school system therefore home schooling might be the way to go. If your child has low self-esteem, and lacks confidence, he might not be able to deal with the pressures in public school, and could experience a lot of difficulties that may hinder his learning and social awareness. If your child has signs of autism or abnormalities, being home schooled would be the best way to go to ensure comfort and effective learning.
If your child’s interest is learning at home, home schooling will be the ultimate option. There are kids who go to school just to play and never study. If this is the case, bringing him to school will be useless and ineffective.
There is a fine balance with home schooling to ensure that your child has a relevant education alongside socializing and playing sports with other children. Home schooling allows you to impart values and teachings that you hold dear while adhering to the basic curriculum.
As long as your child has plenty of opportunity to mix with other children their age and you feel that you are adequately equipped to teach then home schooling can provide an effective alternative to sending your child to school.
The Benefit of Home Schooling – 8 Reasons to Educate Your Child at Home
Making the decision to home school is, on the face of it, not an easy one. There are many questions that need to be asked, and answered, before you can take this very significant step in your child’s education. What can influence the decision is an idea of some of the benefit of home schooling.
So here are some things to think of.
1. Your child will get one to one attention with you. The issues associated with large class sizes will be gone forever.
2. Noone knows your child better than you, so you can tailor the lessons to suit your child. That will be something that could never happen in a conventional class room.
3. If your child is someone who is particularly susceptible to peer pressure, then home schooling can alleviate the problem. With your child completely under your control, you not only dictate the curricular activities, but the friends and social elements of their day.
4. Family life can return to how it should be. No more strangers passing at the breakfast table.
5. Many children get wrongly labeled with ‘learning difficulties’ when all that they needed was a different approach. If your child falls into this category, you will be best placed to evaluate your child’s needs and requirements.
6. Scientific studies indicate that home schooled children can come out ahead in every measurement. Other factors may affect this of course, but the indications are that home schooled children achieve more academic success than their traditionally schooled counterparts.
7. Research also indicates that home schooled children actually have better social skills than traditionally schooled children. This rather flies in the face of most people’s beliefs.
8. Although not a statistic that should affect your decision making, every child taken out of the state controlled education system actually saves the tax payer around $9000 per pupil per year.
Whilst it is not a task to be undertaken lightly, there are compelling reasons for educating your child at home. It can be argued of course that the benefit of home schooling will not be so strong for all children, but equally, there are many who could benefit significantly from home tutoring.
The 10 Be’s of Home Schooling
1. BE AVAILABLE! Homeschooling is not hard, nor do the
actual classes need to take much time, but it is important
that your children find you available 24/7.
2. BE INTERESTED! Keep your child’s heart, and their
hunger for learning, by being interested in all the do and
bring to you, even the worms!
3. BE A PARTNER IN LEARNING! Teach researching skills
when they are young, creating a habit to serve them when
older.
4. BE FLEXIBLE! Do not be so set in schedules and classes
that you miss the real learning, bonding and loving
experiences.
5. BE THRIFTY! Homeschooling does not have to cost an
arm and a leg. God can direct you into terrific opportunities
and resources for learning.
6. BE ORGANIZED! This is so important for our peace of
mind! Our schools and our homes will run much smoother
when we conquer this area.
7. BE DILIGENT! Consistency and schedules are important!
Habit and hard work at God’s priorities, teach more than we
realize!
8. BE THE EXAMPLE! When our children see that we are
under an Authority, and obedient to Him, they will likewise
subject themselves to God’s and parents’ authority.
9. BE LOVING AND KIND! Maintain your peace and don’t
chase away the Holy Spirit by “blowing up.” We can do all
things through Christ! It helps to make sure you have a quiet
time every morning, no matter how early you must get up!
10. BE BLESSED! Homeschooling is a wonderful
opportunity and lifestyle that we would not trade for any
other! Enjoy your children. Before you know it, they will be
stepping out of your arms into life!
Home Schooling Outside The Box
My 12 year old son is creative and intelligent. He can compose artistic and written works at a level beyond that of many his age. So why can he be so difficult to teach? When using standard curriculum, it can be like pulling teeth to get him to do anything more than the absolute minimum. He races through the lessons, obtaining grades far lower than he is capable of getting, or he easily gets distracted and drags his feet, taking hours to complete what should take minutes. Read on to see how I confronted these problems.
When I took over home schooling my then 10 year old son, I used the traditional curriculum that he had been using previously with his mother. Some of the curriculum worked fine (we still use the Saxon math series) but other traditional home school curriculum just seemed to bring out the worst in my child. He would easily get bored. He would lose focus and often get distracted. After half a year, I started searching for alternatives. When I found new materials, I included my son on the decision making process. He seemed to take a lot more ownership as a result, even though I still had the final say in what what curriculum we finally used. Some of the things we do are listed below.
We use a science encyclopedia purchased at Sam’s Club for science. Why? Of all the books we looked at it was the best text in terms of explaining concepts and relating them to real world phenomena (even though it wasn’t meant to be a school text). We sit down together and read several pages of this science encyclopedia on a concept. Then, I have my son write a 100 word report. He then edits the report and we work on sentence composition. At the end of the term, we print out all the articles to make a 15 page report. In addition to the reports, we do related science experiments together and some of the younger siblings join in. My son loves science!
My son and his younger brother are taught history by my retired father-in-law (who happens to have a major in history). My father-in-law makes use of his library of books and tapes and records
history specials for the boys to watch. Now, my boys and I sit down together at night to watch the evening news – this I believe, is a result of their grandfather discussing current events with them. There is no comparing either of my sons’ current enthusiasm for history with the drudgery of plowing through a traditional school history text the way we used to do.
In addition to completing lessons in english and grammar from a traditional school text, I encourage my son to do some creative writing. He started writing his own kids novel which he has now nearly finished. He is writing some pretty silly stuff which would not be standard fare for any of the english curricula I have seen. But he is writing. In fact he is writing a lot! In 3 months from the time he started writing this novel I have noticed a marked improvement in his writing. When my son’s book is completed, I will publish it online and also have a friend that owns book binding equipment bind up some copies for our family and friends.
In summary, don’t let yourself become boxed in with traditional home school curriculum. There are educational resources all around us if we look hard enough. You don’t have to use a “school” text. Look on your book shelves or go to a local second-hand book store to find books that might serve as good texts. Involve your child in the decision making process. Borrow some materials from your home schooling friends and review the books with your child. Use what will work for both you and your child. Utilize any and all available resources and above all, have fun as you and your child learn!
Home Schooling Researched
Educators, Parents, Students lend me your ears, my name is Katie Criss and I am going to discuss home schooling with you. Currently there is a very heated debate over the issue of Home schooling in America. Today I am going to present you with my views on this critical subject. When I say “my views” I’m not going to stick my finger in the air to see what way the wind is blowing with this issue of home schooling. I know there are two sides, and supporters of both.. Rather I am going to present to you my viewpoints with opinion and research on why I am a critic of home schooling.
When I asked myself the question, How do you feel about home schooling? I first thought “Why would anyone do that” So I researched exactly that, What are the reasons that people give of why they choose to homeschool and how valid are they.
One reason that I frequently found through research was that parents home schooled their children because of the violence found in public schools. My response to this is Yes, there is violence in public schools, However, there are many preventive measures that are taken to avert this violence and most schools have incorporated a Zero-tolerance policy. Parents justify themselves by reciting isolated incidents to help build their case for home schooling. My message to parents who use this excuse to validate themselves is, first ask yourself the question, Is their violence in my neighborhood. I am sure if you are living in Harlem, New York compared to South Park, Pennsylvania there is going to be an immense difference in the crime of the area. My next question is, how do you expect to protect your child from all the dangers of society? Home schooling your child is a parents attempt to isolate their child from the real world scary stories. If you are afraid of your child being bullied, what will happen when your child becomes an adult and meets a bullying boss? This is a real-world story; children need the exposure to different people. Why? Simple, because nobody in this world is the same.
After doing much research and learning that parents question the safety of their children in public schools, I myself questioned the safety of home schooled children. From this research I concluded that current home schooling laws allow people who mistreat children to keep them in social isolation in order for the abuse and neglect to go undetected. To back this statement up I will cite a few of many incidents.
Smithfield North Carolina October 13, 2003. A sign hangs on the wall that reads so this is not home sweet home, adjust. In the bedroom, 14-year-old Brandon had committed suicide after killing his brother and sister. Yes, these children were home schooled, but the real point of this story is that the Warrens had home schooled their children before, in Arizona, where they were convicted of Child Abuse. An investigator in Arizona recorded that the children were tortured physically and emotionally. However, that is information that North Carolina school officials are not required to collect. In fact, since home schooling became legal in North Carolina in 1985, the number of home schooled students jumped from just a few hundred to more than 50,000. BUT there has been no change in the number of state employees that oversee the program- there is just three for the ENTIRE state.
In Iowa, a father is serving life, and a mother will go on trial this month, for killing their 10-year-old adopted son and burying him at their house in the backyard. Because they were home schooling no one noticed that he was missing for one entire year.
In Texas, Deanna Laney, home schooling mother of three, told investigators that she beat her children with rocks because she was saving them from Satan.
Another notorious and similar case is that of Andrea Yates, Texas home schooling mother of five who drowned all five children in her home bathtub. Many claim that Yates had been overwhelmed by the demands of constantly spending time with her children due to the fact that she was a home schooling parent.
To compare, Yates and Laney, Both of these mothers were religious. Both were subservient wives handling childcare pressures. Interestingly, both utilized Christian home schooling for their doomed children. Both “talked to God.” Both fundamentalist Christian mothers say they sacrificed their own children “for God.” Each of Andrea Yates children, like Mrs. Laney’s, were home-schooled and had Biblical names. These are Two examples that are very similar to each other, both mentally ill mothers trusted to be at home with their children and give them their education. Which leads me to my next finding, Parents claim to home school their children to provide them with a better education then public schooling can give. My question is, How is a parent qualified to provide their child with an education?
Home schooling parents have no set curriculum to go by, but not to worry they simply can purchase books of the internet entitled “Home schooling for Dummies” if they are having trouble, that should fix any problems. I would like to address educators and prospective educators, and ask them the question, Could you replace your studies with one do-it-yourself dummies book?
I am sure that if you could then that would be the route of study pursued, rather then long hours of tedious work provided by a college institution. In order to even pursue a career in education in the state of Pennsylvania, one must provide clearances that show a clear background check, take Praxis Tests to show knowledge, complete at the minimum a 4 year education program with at least a 3.0 average, a speech and hearing test, observation hours, supervised student teaching, and lifelong learning credits in order to keep their certification in the field. Yet, to homeschool in California the only requirement is that parents provide notification that they will be home schooling their child. The only qualifications to teach listed are that the parents are “capable of teaching”. Even more shocking is the state of Texas, home to both Andrea Yates and Deanna Laney, has no requirements for home schooling, in fact parents do not even have to notify the state that they will be home schooling. They must possess no qualifications in order to teach. That’s it, if they want to be a teacher, they are!
Please note that every state is different. In South Carolina, colored moderate regulation a parent must have at least a GED or high school diploma to teach. However in New York, which is considered high regulation, no qualifications are necessary. Therefore if a parent did not even get a high school diploma in New York they are still qualified to teach their child high school material. I have concluded from this information that a child can only go as far as their parents have, and in some instances that may not be very far. Therefore these children are being cheated out of a valuable education.
Also I have questioned, having a parent as a teacher… are they teaching their children their bias’s? In an institution goals are made to make sure that the material being taught is bias free. However in a home, a parent is free to choose, and some knowingly, others unknowingly are teaching their child their own biases. In a world that is culturally diverse, one must be exposed to different people and situations in order to appreciate our differences. However if a student had already formed biases then they are virtually closed minded to accepting these differences. Similar to this subject, being that both lead me to a valuable question is how home schooling parents can justify teaching their children for a child’s entire childhood. When a student is in a public school they have many different teachers, who use many different teaching methods. However in a home a parent, especially with no education on how to educate, would use only one teaching method. Of course if they are teaching at all, and not just using books and videos. Through different teachers you learn virtually how to learn in different ways. You also learn how to understand people better. My valuable question that ties all these subjects together is how will a child develop his or her socialization skills if they are not exposed to different people? The school environment is much like one’s work environment. If a child has never been exposed to such an environment how will they know how to adapt? How will they react to all the different people, different opinions, and different viewpoints? How will they work with groups of co-workers? All these questions address the issue of socialization of children who are home schooled.
Closely related is one of my biggest questions, that is How can a parent make such a crucial decision without their child’s consent to remove them from a world that is considered to be the “norm” and place them in a world in which they in effect are isolated? These children will develop low self esteems and forever question why it was their parents did not want to send them to school, to show them off to the world, instead they will wonder why are they hiding me? Most importantly, These children will not have the experience that public school provides, they will not have the experience that unites us citizens and provides us with a common background. They will not get to experience the simple things like go to prom’s, participate in sports in which an entire school is benefited, have a school lunch, a lock on their locker, a ride on a school bus, recess, watching for their school to be cancelled on TV from snow days, and all the other little but character building events that take place in a public school students life.
In closing, American citizens, together let’s promote our very prestigious and notorious public school system and crusade against the leniency of home schooling that consequently will benefit our country by providing a solid education for all.