Anyone here rigorous?

Discussion in 'Homeschooling' started by gizzy, Jul 8, 2010.

  1. gizzy

    gizzy New Member

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    I've been wondering; doe's any one on this board, consider themselves "rigorous" home-schoolers?

    I mean, is "academic excellence" one of your top 3 priorities in HS'ing your kids?

    I imagine that Family Values/God Centered education is usually the #1 or #2 reasons most of the members of this forum homeschool. Maybe joy of teaching is another, but I was wondering how many of the members and readers of this forum strive for academic excellence in their HS?
     
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  3. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    A better education is probably my top reason for homeschooling. Some would consider me rigorous, but my kids do less school than their peers in public school.
     
  4. Actressdancer

    Actressdancer New Member

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    I second what Embassy said. I certainly don't 'push' my kids to extremes, but I do challenge them to excell. I don't make them to mountains of work or hundreds of math problems or anything like that. We have tons of fun. But academics are a BIG deal in my house.
     
  5. mom24boys!

    mom24boys! New Member

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    Academics are big here, too! For at least two reasons, 1. We stress to our boys that they need to use their brains that the Good Lord gave them to the best of their ablities, to honor and glorify Him and 2. I stress it, because I am not book smart and feel stupid in front of peers often, and I don't want them to ever feel that way. May the second reason isn't a real good one, but it is the reason!
     
  6. crazymama

    crazymama Active Member

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    Nope... and I don't do it for values or religion.

    I do it so my kids can work at their pace and learn in ways that fit them each the best.
     
  7. ochumgache

    ochumgache Active Member

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    The child dictates how "rigorous" the curriculum. Academics was an important reason for us to choose homeschooling. We can fit the curriculum to the child rather than the child to the curriculum. Also, we can take the child along at a pace that is right for him or her.

    I will confess that when we first began, I had absurd expectations. Fortunately, my first born enjoyed academics and was not overly scarred by my "college prep" Kindergarten curriculum; she was just a little stressed til I calmed down! My second born would have run away from home had I pushed the same on him!
     
  8. Shelley

    Shelley New Member

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    Yes, academic excellence is something I strive for with my kids. I want them to be able to do their best at their pace in everything. With a one-on-one environment, they have the greatest opportunity to produce their best effort.

    I don't expect them to be above average in every subject. My daughter, for example, is a visual-spatial learner and will, most likely, always struggle with the algebraic side of math. As long as she's doing her best, I'm OK with her being average in math.
     
  9. sloan127

    sloan127 Active Member

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    I think our homeschool goal leans more toward personal best. That is what I ask of them in all that they do. "Always be honest and do your best and I will be proud." That is what I tell them.
     
  10. ColoradoMom

    ColoradoMom New Member

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    Ditto. My son is ahead in several areas, but it's about him learning what he needs to know at the time he is ready to learn it.
     
  11. Actressdancer

    Actressdancer New Member

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    My reasons for homeschooling only recently included "values." And, despite us being very solid Christians, has yet to include "faith."

    Yes, we cover a Bible course and use Christian curriculum, but that isn't at all why I homeschool. Academics were my first reasons. And now I don't want them to be subjected to the "value system" of public school. But it's less to do with religion than being a productive and useful human being (though I'm sure my religion affects how I define productive and useful).
     
  12. 2littleboys

    2littleboys Moderator

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    Ditto
     
  13. eyeofthestorm

    eyeofthestorm Active Member

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    I'd have to say no.

    No to rigorous. Yes to diligent. Like crazymama, I want our children to be able to work at the pace that's best for them. At one point, my oldest was 6, reading at or above 4th grade level, but just could not get basic addition facts - and I mean facts less than 10. Can you imagine how unhappy he would have been in a traditional classroom?

    Yes to excellence, but I tend to avoid the word academic because that often gets associated with "standards" set up by some group I may not agree with. Granted, I have some baggage from teaching school. I spent a decade teaching children and education majors...then I took a job with a regional non-profit. Part of that job was networking with area educational resources (museums, other non-profits, art institutions, science centers). Then...I went back to public school teaching. I sadly came to the conclusion you can get a better education outside the public school system (social issues aside).
     
  14. leissa

    leissa New Member

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    definitely not rigorous! I'm not a big believer in the necessity of a college degree so I don't tailor our education to that end. my 7 yr old refuses to learn to read and I only panic about that every once in a while!LOL. But the amount of knowledge they acquire casually is really amazing!
     
  15. Deena

    Deena New Member

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    It depends on what your definition of "rigorous" is. If you mean pushing Great Books, Algebra in 6th grade, Latin and at least 2 other languages by highschool, etc., then my answer is definitely no.

    I agree with what a lot of the other ladies have said: By homeschooling I can meet my kids where they're at, to help them learn to their best ability at the level they need to be at.

    We've never been caught up in the grade thing. Some parents say, "Oh, I couldn't go back a grade level, my dd (or ds) wouldn't stand for that!" We always called things levels. So, if one of my kids needs extra help with, say, Grammar, we will find the level that they can best learn from and start there. We used Rod & Staff English/Grammar. My ds, now 16, used a level 2 grades below the grade he was in. Neither he nor I had a problem with that. That was the level he needed to use to learn. "Grades" are arbitrary anyway. I just want my kids to keep advancing. When they're done with one thing they'll advance to the next thing. I would rather my child work in something "2 grades behind" and get it, than work "at grade level" and not understand it! By calling things levels, it just sounds better. So this ds was in "8th grade", but doing Level 6 Grammar. He learned it very well, and was so happy to be able to understand and advance! I think calling curriculum by grade, and refusing to use anything below their grade level is a disservice to the child!

    Anyway, I also agree that it depends on the child how "rigorous" it is. When my oldest was in 10th grade, he did the BJU curriculum. It was quite rigorous, but he did very well with it. There is NO WAY my 16yo would do well with that curriculum. The grammar was WAY over his head, but language/grammar is a strong point with the oldest.

    But, we DO strive for excellence! Rigor and excellence are not the same thing!



    ETA: What Simply Sonita said below this post ("Having real, usable knowledge and deep understanding of things/subjects they are interested in to apply in real life is more important to me than a high score on a standardized test") is exactly what I meant when I said we strive for excellence! Excellence to me is truly understanding what they're studying, not practicing to do well on a test!
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2010
  16. JosieB

    JosieB Active Member

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    We chose to homeschool for a better personalized education #1. Moral/religious #2.

    Better education to me doesn't necessarily mean academic excellence. Having real, usable knowledge and deep understanding of things/subjects they are interested in to apply in real life is more important to me than a high score on a standardized test. I'd rather my kids know how to balance a check book and change a tire than get a perfect SAT score.

    If they like academics and are good at them and want to pursue that route then I'll support it, but it's not my #1 goal, not everyone is cut out for an academic life, if they aren't, it doesn't' mean they are stupid, there are many different types of smart besides just academically smart.
     
  17. rennick

    rennick New Member

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    We're just starting (doing a couple things through the summer to get them used to the idea of doing academic stuff that mom tells them to do) this September, so take my comments with a grain of first-timer salt :)

    My kids are 7th/8th graders. The oldest wants to be an engineer. Because of the types of engineering programs he is interested in, he'll need to have marks that will get him into the top schools. A rigorous math program is the only way he'll meet the requirements in time, (based on placement test results) and at the level that is necessary (he'll need high 90s in provincially certified grade 12 courses). This is his goal, and I plan to help him by pushing him to the extent of his abilities, instead of letting him coast like he has been in public school.

    The youngest wants to be a "scientist". I have no idea what that means for him, (teacher, engineer, professor, chemist, doctor) but he'll likely follow a similar content as his brother, at least until his dreams are more focused. My goal for him will be to ensure we don't eliminate any options by the academic choices we make.

    I was academically advanced, and no-one pushed me. I got bored, and under-achieved. I dropped out of community college. I don't want that to happen to them. (I later completed my entire degree through testing in 10 months).

    While academics isn't the reason we began to consider homeschool (nor values, nor religion. More social pressures that were more than my youngest could handle), having put them through the various placement tests, I know they aren't learning to their capabilities. (The oldest was actually embarrassed and frustrated at how much of the math on the 600-level placement test he knew he had learned, but couldn't remember.)

    With that said, I definitely recognize that both boys are unique individuals, and they'll learn different things at different rates. I expect academic excellence and above average performance, based on their capabilities.

    We plan on having alot of fun (weekly co-op outings; learning to program a robot; creating an animated movie with stop-action animation; learning to cook; watching videos about science and history; army cadets; PE classes geared to scoring high on army cadet tests; weekly rock band practice). But our mornings will be geared to rigorous academics.

    Or, at least, that's the plan :)

    Totally agree with the above post, and if my kids a) had interest in careers that didn't require degrees, for example or b) weren't academically minded then I would probably have a different focus on their learning. My goal is not high SATs, per se, but academics/learning that is geared to best serve them in making the career choices they are interested in.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2010
  18. TeacherMom

    TeacherMom New Member

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    I home school to give my kids a better education for the most part. The ps schools around here have usualy rated 50 % in a state that strives for 50 % of what most other states strive for. So we know our kids got a betted.. academic excelling? One did good one did better, working on the third he is going to learn even more than the other two!
    It is not because I push them, they choose to learn because they enjoy it. They have been brought up in a home that says if you don't know how to do something or what it is look it up! If you don't know enough, study some more, research research research!
    Now they know a lot of important and some useless stuff but can they write about it?
    Not as much as I would like. But we are working on it!

    So mine work at their own pace pretty much too and they excelle where they choose to?
    grade level at least though, because the plan is to be ahead.
     
  19. northernmomma

    northernmomma New Member

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    I wouldn't use the term rigorous as that implies being strict or harsh. And I am neither of those things. However academic excellence is definitely a priority as I want both of my kids( one boy and one girl) to acchieve a level of success that can carry them through their lives regardless of whether they are married or not. That said I also chose to homeschool for values and to instill a love of learning something our local PS system does not strive for. Education where I live means making mini office workers not creating a joy of learning. :(
    -Northernmomma
     
  20. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    I think you brought up a good point. What is academic excellence? Personally I view academic excellence as learning a lot and learning it in depth. To me this doesn't necessarily relate to test scores. So many view academics as getting good grades, but that isn't learning. Learning is what sticks. It does my kids no good to study without learning. Sometimes standardized tests or tests in general do a good job ascertaining what a child has learned. Sometimes they don't.

    We go wide and deep in our homeschool. Learning is the focus. It is easier for things to stick, IMO, when you go wide and deep. It takes longer to go through information, but who says we have to speed through things?

    I am preparing my children for a college education and life in the global community. I want them to view college as a wonderful opportunity to learn and expand their horizons and not just a place to get a degree to get a job.
     
  21. cabsmom40

    cabsmom40 Active Member

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    academic excellence--NO. I say that because what a lot of people think of when they hear this statement is a scholarly type of person who spends most of his time in books and can be a great contestant of Jeopardy.

    I don't even think that type of academic excellence is worth as much as some people do. Some VERY highly educated people have a bunch of head knowledge without a lick of people skills. Some VERY highly educated people probably do better. Of course, I don't know the statistics. It just seems that people think that people are better if they can answer random questions at will. This is absurd.

    I DO want my son to be able to function in this world and in many ways he already does very well. He is a little reserved (but not as shy as I was), but he is talking to and meeting people of all ages and relating well. He enjoys people outside of his age range sometimes more than his peers. I think that is one of the beauties of homeschooling. Our children don't have to spend 8 hours or more a day with mostly just their peers.

    My first intention with homeschooling was to just escape the magnitude of peer pressure in junior high (my son was starting 7th). Now, my focus has changed to try to meet him where he is at, and to help us focus on God. Although I still am thankful that there is a lot less peer pressure in his life. It is eradicated, NO--but there is a LOT less.
     

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