[cocotbo]

I'm curious. For those of you who homeschool,

Why did you decide to do it?
How long have you been doing it?
Do you feel your child is getting a quality education that he can build upon?

[WordsAplenty]

I homeschool for many reasons... I want to teach my kids different values than the ones offered in school, I want them to explore subjects they don't learn in school, I want to watch them grow, I want them to learn from real life as opposed to a book, I want to nurture their interests and hopes and dreams... Plus, my oldest is hearing impaired but not deaf. She didn't qualify for deaf ed but her needs were not being met in a regular room-- she was falling thru the cracks. At home I can cater the teaching methods and curriculum to all of my kids' individual needs and learning styles.

[cocotbo]

Those sound like great reasons to me. I admire you for doing what you do. At one point, I studied to be a teacher but I had to step away from the program because I saw how kids were slipping through the cracks because their teachers and parents were too busy to take an interest. I just couldn't buy into that system and fighting it didn't help me or them at that point. I'm so glad to hear that there are parents taking an active interest even if it means giving up some of their television time. Good for you!

[WordsAplenty]

Wow! Thanks! Lots of non-homeschooling families seem to look down on homeschooling-- thanks for giving us some credit. Homeschooling isn't possible for all families and it probably isn't best for all families, but it's great for us.

[mcmama]

The falling through the cracks thing that Wordsaplenty mentioned happens a lot. I have known people who did not home school but might as well have. One lady I know became an expert on Dyslexia and Orton-Gillingham (Spelling?) because she kept having to fight a teacher who gave timed tests hand written in cursive. Her son absolutely could not read the tests, although the writing was legible. She offered to type the tests, at the school! In the end, she had to teach the teacher about teaching a dyslexic youngster. The teacher had the attitude that "she didn't do special ed." Aargh!
Then there was the girl in my preschool that all my teachers had tagged as "clumsy" with "poor motor coordination" and "immaturity" and "inattentiveness". They felt she was not "ready for Kindergarten" The public school recommended "the gift of time" (holding the kid back) but the mom insisted, and she went to Kindergarten. Where she was bored!
With mom's home schooling, she became a gifted violinist, a graceful dancer, and a very sociable young lady who had lots of friends and great experiences.
Some teachers and some administrators just don't take the time to think outside the box. Home schooled children are very lucky to have some of these advantages that they wouldnot be able to develop in a normal school environment.

[cocotbo]

Originally Posted by mcmama

Then there was the girl in my preschool that all my teachers had tagged as "clumsy" with "poor motor coordination" and "immaturity" and "inattentiveness". They felt she was not "ready for Kindergarten" The public school recommended "the gift of time" (holding the kid back) but the mom insisted, and she went to Kindergarten. Where she was bored!
With mom's home schooling, she became a gifted violinist, a graceful dancer, and a very sociable young lady who had lots of friends and great experiences.

That was another problem I had with teaching - Special Education is (legally) meant to cover both sides of "normal" meaning those children who may need longer to adapt AND those children who may be advanced. Somehow, we've forgotten the gifted kids and they are becoming "problem children" in the classroom becasue nobody wants to take the time or energy necessary to challenge them.

I know this for a fact because both my husband and I were those children. At least if my son becomes one of those kids I'll be prepared to challenge him appropriately and see to it that his teachers don't let him fall through the cracks. (If his school doesn't measure up in my eyes, I'll have no qualms at all about homeschooling.)

[markbarnes19]

As a public school teacher, I'm against home schooling. I don't believe parents can measure up to professionals. I may be wrong in some isolated cases. What are they?

[cocotbo]

Here's one for you:
Gifted child. Completes all of his homework in class with time to spare. Spends his spare time joking and playing with other kids, disrupting the class. Continuously asks you questions beyond the scope/depth of where your lesson plan takes you.
What do you do with a kid like that?

[markbarnes19]

Very easy. Put him in gifted classes. Even in heterogeneous classes, I've always had numerous kids on the same level. I simply put together some cooperative activities and place these kids together in a group. In another activity, I'll separate them and tell them that they are to lead the group, and I have high expectations from them. In yet another, I'll have the gifted kid teach the material to the rest of the class.

[cocotbo]

Originally Posted by markbarnes19

Very easy. Put him in gifted classes. Even in heterogeneous classes, I've always had numerous kids on the same level. I simply put together some cooperative activities and place these kids together in a group. In another activity, I'll separate them and tell them that they are to lead the group, and I have high expectations from them. In yet another, I'll have the gifted kid teach the material to the rest of the class.

You know, I spent a good portion of my elementary education being told by the teacher to help so-and-so learn the lesson or being made the leader of a group that simply just didn't get the material. Sadly teachers are still doing this sort of thing today. Rather than identifying a gifted child as such, they keep them as an assistant teacher. I believe that is a disservice to the child.

Also, not all schools/classes are capable of providing the sort of gifted classes you mention. You have to realize that there are still parts of the United States where we have one and two-room schoolhouses. Sounds insane, but we really do have some of those here in Montana.

In a neighborhood where the school has good funding and good teachers, there is absolutely no reason to homeschool. In a remote, rural area where the school is underfunded and simply has the only teacher who would take the job, there may be a real need for homeschooling.

You and I are going to disagree on this one, Mark. Not all schools and teachers are equal. There are going to be situations when homeschooling simply is the best thing for the child.