Well, if you haven't, you are not alone. Until very recently, there was no way I felt I could homeschool. Aside from the obvious conflict with my goal of getting more "me" time, Lucas and I butt heads all the time. I figured there was no way he would ever learn from me.
Although Lucas goes to a good public school, there is an extra layer (of group activity) that would truly motivate him, that is missing. So we've been considering private school. Needless to say the price-tag for private school has made me think more seriously about homeschooling.
I've joined some online groups and I've been getting to know some parents who homeschool. They've assured me that it is not as hard as it looks.....hmmmm..ok.
Even though I'd read a lot, I had no idea of how developed homeschooling is - it is truly a parallel education system. I knew about the curriculum, materials and philosophies, but they do so much more. They arrange entries to science competitions, Math competitions, chess clubs, social dances (like a prom), not to mention tours, playgroups, sports teams, etc. There are also such things as co-ops, where kids go to a specified location maybe once a week for group learning where they are taught by a parent or paid teacher.
Homeschooling parents are very motivated and know everything that is going on in their community. For example, I only learnt that NASA is having a Space Day in Austin March 5th through the email distribution I am on. (That and there are limited tickets for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in San Antonio.) Those are some of the more normal things I see. I have to say that only in the homeschooling world would you see someone asking about bugling lessons or chickens for forage...(and if you aren't sure what that was about, I had to look it up!) I also learnt how truancy laws affect homeschoolers if they are caught without an adult, in public, during school hours. Who knew?
I still don't know if I am up to homeschooling. The argument most used against homeschooling is that the child misses out on the social interaction with his peers and the counterargument for that is that the child doesn't really do much interaction during school anyway. That "gap" is made up for by talking to people in the real world, like the folks in the grocery or bank. I do feel that Lucas will miss out if he is not in a diverse learning environment with children of different abilities and perspectives. What I need is a way to marry that diversity with an education that keeps pace with his interest and learning style. Does anybody want to form a homeschooling group with me?
Regardless, come summer, I will tryout homeschooling for maybe 2 weeks and see if we can do it.
So what does Lucas think about all of this? He was very enthusiastic about the whole idea of staying home. I think he mistakenly thinks it means more video game time.....What am I saying? It does mean more video game time!!
Although Lucas goes to a good public school, there is an extra layer (of group activity) that would truly motivate him, that is missing. So we've been considering private school. Needless to say the price-tag for private school has made me think more seriously about homeschooling.
I've joined some online groups and I've been getting to know some parents who homeschool. They've assured me that it is not as hard as it looks.....hmmmm..ok.
Even though I'd read a lot, I had no idea of how developed homeschooling is - it is truly a parallel education system. I knew about the curriculum, materials and philosophies, but they do so much more. They arrange entries to science competitions, Math competitions, chess clubs, social dances (like a prom), not to mention tours, playgroups, sports teams, etc. There are also such things as co-ops, where kids go to a specified location maybe once a week for group learning where they are taught by a parent or paid teacher.
Homeschooling parents are very motivated and know everything that is going on in their community. For example, I only learnt that NASA is having a Space Day in Austin March 5th through the email distribution I am on. (That and there are limited tickets for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in San Antonio.) Those are some of the more normal things I see. I have to say that only in the homeschooling world would you see someone asking about bugling lessons or chickens for forage...(and if you aren't sure what that was about, I had to look it up!) I also learnt how truancy laws affect homeschoolers if they are caught without an adult, in public, during school hours. Who knew?
I still don't know if I am up to homeschooling. The argument most used against homeschooling is that the child misses out on the social interaction with his peers and the counterargument for that is that the child doesn't really do much interaction during school anyway. That "gap" is made up for by talking to people in the real world, like the folks in the grocery or bank. I do feel that Lucas will miss out if he is not in a diverse learning environment with children of different abilities and perspectives. What I need is a way to marry that diversity with an education that keeps pace with his interest and learning style. Does anybody want to form a homeschooling group with me?
Regardless, come summer, I will tryout homeschooling for maybe 2 weeks and see if we can do it.
So what does Lucas think about all of this? He was very enthusiastic about the whole idea of staying home. I think he mistakenly thinks it means more video game time.....What am I saying? It does mean more video game time!!
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