Deena I think we should write out memoirs by then, tell other moms how to do it and all that about homeschooling... we will by then know how to get them into the job or college of choice and all that and we can start our own books on the subjects!
Very simply? Because my oldest son, who was in ps for three years through first grade (including prek), simply was not getting what he needed - academically OR socially. Period. I believe, after all of the research and reading I've done, that it is closer in line with God's will, as others have mentioned. I have the confidence of KNOWING what my children are taught, and having the CHOICE of what and how to teach them. And :lol: it really fits our schedule better!!! Absolutely. We just finished our very first year, and I have learned alot about methodology etc, so I'd probably start DIFFERENTLY but I'd still do it no questions. I'm able to teach my children from the Bible, both for faith learning and for wordly view learning. I get to teach them what we believe FIRST, instead of trying to change their minds after they've already been told something else. And I mentioned our schedule already. That's a big one here. Socially, especially for my oldest, he simply does better in a one-on-one environment. Plus, I've come to believe it's more in line with God's will for a parent to raise their own children, as mentioned already. The best education for THEM that anyone, anywhere ca provide, based on faith, one-on-one instruction, personalized curriculum, access to the teacher 24 hours a day 365 days a year, freedom of activity and schedule... I get the patience I desperately need, the pride of knowing I'm providing the best education for them that they can get. I get to read books!!! I get to sleep late. I get to see all the "firsts" as mentioned, and be available at any time for comfort, reassurance, faith and character building, and know that they are getting those as God-led from ME and not some stranger. College is still a long way off for us. (My oldest is doing third grade work.) I plan on letting my children pick a few colleges which they might like to attend and finding out those schools' requirements and going from there. I don't expect it to be a big issue at all, and in fact look forward to it because I'm quite certain they'll be well advanced of their ps peers....
Why did you choose to homeschool? After I read the requirements that the Kindergartens had to have before beginning school ( ie: write 1st and last name perfect , know numbers up to 100, simple addition problems) I thought "Isn't that what you are to LEARN in school not at home?". We were already doing these "requirements" ,so my dh and I thought we will homeschool then because apparently school doesn't "teach" anymore. Why do you still homeschool? I love watching my children learn!! I love seeing their faces when they "get it". Plus my children (ages 9 and 11) wake up in the morning wanting to do school work. After chores and breakfast they run and get their books or project to work on. Would you begin and do it again today? How many years and what is your most important reason(s) to continue homeschooling? HECK YA!!! It is has been great so far. I have been homeschooling from the beginning ( my dd's are 9 and 11 years old). The the most important reason we have continued homeschooling is because when we moved to Las Vegas the schools are just outright dangerous here! Guns, knives , bats brought to school and that is just in the elementary school level. Don't get me started on school bus drive by shootings either!! Plus we continue homeschooling because are family enjoys it!! What benefit does your child(ren) get? Learning at their own pace , learning until they get it (just not to get a passing grade and move on) , selecting what they want to learn (we are unschoolers to a point) and the benefit of being around loving and caring parents and sibilings! What benefit(s) do parents get? The benefit is seeing my dd's learning!! We have a closer and more loving relationship then most parents have with their children ( in my eyes and in my own personal observations with friends , family, co-workers ,etc.). Plus I get to re-learn/learn new things along with my children ( which is great for a book worm like me!). How do you find a way to get them to college? I just hope they a have the knowledge to pass/ get a great score on the SAT or ACT test ( required for homeschoolers at most colleges) , see if they want to go to a traditional or trade school. Then we will pay for it for them or get a few schloarships/grants to pay for it. They will not get student loans though ,we know that for sure!!
Why did you choose to home school? Well I'm not a seasoned homeschooler though I could have called myself a seasoned afterschooler. Anyhow our reasons for homeschool are quite simple. 1. the public school system wasn't educating her 2. she wasn't happy in public school and we couldn't afford private Why do you still home school? We've only been hsing since Dec and we are done of this school year. We will continue to homeschool because it's what's best for her at this time. At this point I think we will probably homeschool till she graduates. But really I don't know that for sure. Would you begin and do it again today? ( state how many years you have been teaching your children at home We've only been homeschooling since Dec like I said, but I've been teaching dd all along. We did some pretty extensive afterschooling while she was in preschool even and I was working full time. If we had it to do over again we probably would have still sent her to preschool, it was an experience that she loved and she had wonderful teachers. However, we would never put her in public school if we had it to do over. What are your most important reasons to continue home schooling? She can learn at her pace and she's learning soooooo much more then she would ever learn in a regular classroom. We not only get to study what she's interested in, but we get to study it in a way that is most beneficial to her learning style. She gets to do more extracurricular activities then she did in school because we can do things during the day. Her behavior has greatly improved not to mention the children she is around now are very respectful and kind. They set good examples for dd and she needed that. I don't have to deal with a school district who wants all the kids at the same level regardless of where that child is actually at. This was the most frustrating for us. What benifit does your child get? Basically what I listed above. She is learning at her own pace and I teach to her learning style, not how the schools say she should be taught. She's able to excell in areas where she is strongest and we can focus more on the areas where she is weaker without and pressure. What benifit do parents get? No stress dealing with the school! Seriously though, I have created a relationship with my daughter that I wouldn't have otherwise. While we do butt heads, we have so much fun and do so many things that she would have missed out on and I love that for her and me. And really I have satisfaction knowing exactly what she is learning and where she is at. I know she's safe, I know she's not being bullied. All around it is a very positive experience. How do you find a way to get them to college? She just finished kindergarten lol, haven't even looked that far ahead yet!
Public school was not going to be a good fit for our profoundly gifted daughter, and not many private school alternatives. We always kind of liked the idea of home schooling but that was the push that got us to try it. Also we didn't like the anti-intellectual atmosphere of school, and we thought we could do a better job of giving her a solid foundation in math and science. Because we are having a blast! We've been going for 3 years and yes, I'd do it again. Watching dd grow up to be a confident happy girl, secure in being herself, not needing to change to fit in and be 'cool'. Freedom to move at her own pace, time to explore her interests, time to hang out and imagine, time to play with friends. Time with her! I think she will be more prepared academically, and we're hoping for some scholarships!
TeacherMom, most of what I would say in response to the first questions has already been said; so I'll just respond to the college question, since we're more in that age bracket. Our older dd graduated from our homeschool highschool on her 16th birthday and entered college the next fall with full scholarships. She took the SAT test at the college a few weeks before enrolling. Now, this is a young person who didn't consider herself terribly smart (despite her parents' reassurances). Her scores on the test were good, but not fantastic. The college was favorable to homeschoolers. She got all A's in college, except for algebra, which never had been her favorite. Now our sophomores are being courted by colleges, including the local community college. Why? One representative said that homeschoolers know how to study and have good attitudes. It seems that what courses our students have studied and what was covered in the courses isn't nearly as important to them as the fact that our students have learned to learn! One community college no longer offers certain non-traditional courses to public school highschoolers, because they are so disruptive; but they encouraged our homeschoolers to enroll. At our state homeschool conference last week, colleges from around the state & beyond had booths set up with reps trying to woo the homeschool students their direction--including a Bible school in Italy! So the name "homeschool" no longer carries the stigma in our area that it did 15 or so years ago. Now, it's more likely to be a ticket to a scholarship! (Disclaimer: all this being said, we are not huge proponents of college. Entrepreneuring is our first choice, and we have tried to provide opportunities for each of our children in that direction. However, for those parents who are tempted to yield to the pressure of government schools just to provide a wider acceptance into college--you may actually be sabotaging your goal!)
We haven't started homeschooling yet and my kids sill have a week and a half of PS left. I have been researching, reading, etc. for 4 months to prepare and pretty much every single post on this thread has hit on reason's we are doing this. It's nice to see my reason's are valid and common
Prairie, how do you get full schollarships? Are there forms we can send for ? Where does one go to get this information? Should I just look up the site and see what the colleges of choice have for scholarship information?
Yes, we contacted the college, itself, and asked for a list of scholarships and every type of financial help they could offer. They sent that and also included info. for grants, scholarships, and loans beyond that which they, themselves, offered, including student government loans. Interestingly, they had some "children or friends of alumni" scholarships still available the day we went to enroll. As we were standing in the registration line, we saw some homeschool friends from our early days of homeschooling and chatted. During the chat, they asked us if our dd expenses were all covered, and we said, "No." Since both of them were grads of this particular college, they could refer two incoming freshmen for the scholarships. They had used only one of their references. So we were--how can I describe this?---more than thrilled when they offered to speak to the financial aid director on our behalf. By the time we got to the registrar to enroll, the process was in place to award dd with that scholarship! Each college has their own list of grants & scholarships, and dd happened to qualify for several. At our homeschool convention, I like to ask the college reps if there are scholarships specifically for homeschoolers, and sometimes there are--just for the fact of homeschooling. This is so refreshing for me, because I remember when colleges didn't know how to handle the enrollment of homeschoolers--and now a number of them are soliciting us!
I don't think I can add to much of what was said. Vantage's first few reasons pretty much sum up my own also. I love homeschooling...I love my kids...I love seeing them learn. I love being able to infuse them with love and faith. There are far too many things to mention! However, I think you all summed it up pretty well. Looks like we all have a lot in common as far as our decisions to homeschool.
Prairie Home - thank you so much for the college info. We are still years away from college here but it is always nice to get the inside info earlier on. I just thought I figure it out when we got closer. I would like my girls to take college courses at 16 as well. My dh and I both own our own businesses so we'd be happy with that too! Thanks for sharing with us.
You're very welcome, Tiffany! The very word "college" seems to impart insecurity into so many people who might otherwise consider homeschooling more seriously or who might otherwise continue homeschooling through high school. I hope our experience can diffuse some of those fears.
Thank you Prairie mom I so appreciate it as I am already seeking a college for my oldest he graduates in two years and wishes to go into Biblical and Computer studies and become a Youth Pastor by ministry computer something by trade. He is looking for a University or College that will take care of both near to family.
You really are very encouraging PH. Please continue to give us the benefit of your experiences with older children (young adults). I thank you too.
You're welcome! 'Happy to share! Our beloved dd at this time has her heart set on missions; so she's already thinking ahead about marriage and the probability that she would meet a like-minded young man at a Bible College instead of at a liberal arts college. My beloved husband and I are thrilled that she is willing to share her dreams with us. The semester in San Lorenzo, Italy, with Saints Bible Institute sounded wonderful to me, even though our children aren't ready to consider it. It's normally available for high school grads, but the rep also invited homeschool seniors to take it for one semester's work and earn 18 hours of college credit in archeology, intro to Italian, cross cultural communications, church history, Intro to fine arts, philosophy, etc. A list is available of American colleges and institutions which have already accepted these credits, including the highly esteemed Bryan College. (The college of your choice might accept them, even if no one has yet requested that.) If the student enrolls in a college first & takes this opportunity as part of the college offering (as some have), he or she will likely pay the regular tuition of the college, like $15,000 a semester, whereas tuition for enrolling directly in the institute is only $6,000. Someone from Moody Bible Institute is on the board of directors, if that gives it prestige in your opinion. TMom, in addition to visiting with reps at our convention, we've spent hours researching on the internet. You can narrow your search by typing in key words to check criteria you'd be interested in about the institution, like "Creationist college" etc. Then, when we have that list of colleges, we start checking the doctrinal statements. It's very instructive. Alas! We have found few, if any, that meet all of our desires in a college; but Hooray! God has already designed a plan for our children, and it is our wonderful & daunting task to help them find it day-by-day! Once again, I'd like to underscore the fact that God will guide as well as provide. We do not have to look to the public school to offer the guidance and provision.
This is a really good topic TM! I know I got lots of inspiration as well as information from our seasoned Mom teachers! :love:
I totally agree! I am so glad I started it hahah! Have you started teh Horizon math yet? Just curious I knwo you have done the SOs, (grin)
I saw this post the other day when I was thinking about joining, and really joined because I wanted to answer .. no not really, but it was definately on the list of post I wanted to respond to..lol. Why did you choose to home school? We felt very let down by the public school system, and really by other parents of the children in the school system. We worked really hard to make sure our oldest was ready for school when it came time for kindergarten registration. He knew his colors, numbers, letters, shapes you name it, he also was a great reader. By the time he finished 1st grade many of the children in his class still could not read simple Dick and Jane type stories! The law is now "No Child Left Behind" which we soon learned really meant "No child can be smarter than the slowest kid in class". By the end of 1st grade, Garrett could read Harry Potter and get the basic idea of it, where were these other kids parents that their kids still couldn't read? Didn't they take a few minutes a day to help them??? Why do you still home school? This will be our second year. We love it. Yes my son makes me want to rip my hair out many days, but he has made such great strides. I will homeschool all my kids because they will be able to work on their own levels, not the level set forth by the slow kid. Would you begin and do it again today? ( state how many years you have been teaching your children at home Most definately! I actually would have homeschooled from day one. Well technically I did, we taught all of Garrett's preschool stuff. I feel I have been teaching Garrett at home from the day he was born at home. Even when he went to public school I had to teach him the things I felt he should be learning at night because he wasn't learning them at school. So I will say for 8 1/2 years. What are your most important reasons to continue home schooling? I know it is best for my children and for my family in general. It fits into our lifestyle perfectly. Also I can make sure my children learn the morals that my husband and I feel are so important that most of society has left behind.
Why did you choose to home school? Basically it was because of my work schedule and suitable childcare. Madison loves going to my sister's house and if she went to ps she wouldnt be able to anymore. I love knowing that she is safe, LOVED, and cared for. NOW, I see the changes going on in our PS system and it just makes me mad. Teacher cuts, rising classroom count, there is NO way 1 teacher can teach 38!! students properly. And I love seeing Madison learn!!! Why do you still home school? Because its right for us, Seeing Madison learn inspires me to teach her more. Would you begin and do it again today? ( state how many years you have been teaching your children at home) Yes! I would do it again. This will be our 2nd year and I know Im looking forward to all the cool things we will do this year. What are your most important reasons to continue home schooling? I love being with Madison(ok on most days lol), sending her to PS would limit us and some days I wouldnt even see her..that is NOT acceptable for me. What benifit does your child get? She has my undivided attention, we can explore anything for any length of time. what a great thing! What benifit do parents get? I get to witness all the wonderful things about her everyday! How do you find a way to get them to college? I dont know ask me in a few years LOL
