Anyone homeschool for non religious reasons?

Our primary reason was how poor the PS was acedemically and how overworked, stressed out, and apathetic the entire school staff seemed to be with the children in their system. This school is a diaster waiting to happen. In my other post, there was already one diaster this year. I am truely surprised there hasn't been more.

My preK daughter was completely unsupervised when she got off the bus at school. My oldest was reprimanded when he tried to walk her to her classroom, because older kids weren't supposed to be in that part of the school????

Unsupervised preschoolers walking all the way across campus is a diaster in the making and not one in which my child would take part.

They informed me my DD didn't qualify based on their 'standards' for an IEP. My oldest son who IS still behind in his reading was placed in their advanced reading class EVEN after I spoke with the teachers/principal and stated he needed a reading tutor to catch up.

Well, I think that starts to make the point. It is only the tip of the iceburg. I could continue on for a few more pages That was all experienced in two weeks of school.

 

I'm beginning homeschooling next year not only for religious reasons but because of the way the schools are run here. How quick they are to label a child ADHD or dyslexic. Also for the reason that I feel they don't have enough one on one time at school. And I want to see them more. By the time they get home from school,it's almost time to start supper and after getting their homework done there's not much time left for them to be "kids". Talking is not allowed at all in the lunchroom and the lights get turned off it it continues. They are expected to eat and go wait quietly in the hall until the rest of their classmates are done. The days are just too long for my kids.. They need to be allowed to move around more. sitting for 7 hours a day is not working for them.

angela

 

I never even thought of homeschooling until my oldest was in 1st grade. His teacher had some problems, and would NOT let my ds advance as he needed to, and byt April , at age 6, he hated school! This was the same boy who LOVED reading from a very young age and would bounce out of bed every morning for Kindergarten! He LOVED it! He now hated school and was so frustrated after she'd been making him read beginner books cuz he finished the 1st grade stuff in October, that he refused to read ANYTHING, not even one word! Oh, I wish I would've caught this earlier! Anyway, it was a small Christian school that had multi-grade classrooms, so he would've been in the same classroom the next year. We knew we couldn't do that! Eventually we decided to homeschool. So in a way, I am thankful to her, because I am so happy to have my kids home with me to homeschool, in another way I am frustrated that my ds lost his love of reading---it took a long time for him to pick up a book to read for pleasure! And he still reads slowly!

Anyway, we were shoved into it, cuz it wasn't on our radar at all! Once we started thinking about it, we felt God led us the homeschooling direction, and we are strong Christians that include Bible and religious studies. But it wasn't THE reason we began to homeschool! The state of the schools and education system is one thing that keep us going! And I KNOW God is still leading in what we do, so it IS a big part of our daily lives ans homeschool.

 

My critters were in PS kindergarten for a little over half a school year only because I was weak, when school started.

I have personal PS experiences that would make your head spin. (But, the world was different for single moms, in the 1970s...)

My husband has similar stories...

WHile helping to raise my late cousin's daughter, we became fretfully aware of the current state of PS schools and their "Dumbing Down" and lowering of standards, while going to her "Open House" in the fifth grade. Let's just say that if she was mine, we would have walked out, right then and there. But she was not mine, legally.

That was 1999. And DH and I began exploring our options when I became pregnant in December of 1999.

We have been constantly changing our definition of why we homeschool. But our main reason is intelligence. I want to foster the Einstien in my kids. I do not want some PS to beat out the Bill Gates mentality out of my kids.

I am not raising cubical dwellers. I'm trying to raise movers and shakers. Explorers and discoverers. I want my daughter to be the first homeschooled Navy Jet Fighter Pilot. I want Connor to be the first homeschooled Astronaut. I want Zack to be the first Homeschooler to be President!

After just two months in PS my boys were convienced that being smart was stupid, which is the current "Hip Hop" thing. Such as the gang names of "Be Stupid" and so on..... sigh... I'm sorry, but Martin Luther King Jr did not become the famous leader by "Being Stupid"... I just don't get it.

But this one kid terrorized my kids so much that they spoe of him again TODAY. I hate that kid.

ALso, my twins were in the same school district in the same school but different classes. One child was taught to read by looking at the photo for clues.... sigh..... The other, the stonger reader was tought how to sound out the words and listen to what he hears....

Once we had them home, we took a mental break and did not really get started shcooling until the fall of 06.

Right now, the twins ar 6 years old. They read chapter books, like "Captain Underpants!" The can do multiple digit addition, and fractions. They can tell you where the Noun, Verb, Adjective and Pronoun are, in a sentence. They know the life cycles of plants, water, a frog and a butterfly. They know the stories of the Bible and what a "Virgin" means (General idea).

Now, my twins were born 2 months early and were 12-13 inches long and 3 pounds.... Yet we have no learning disabilities and no physical or emotional disablities. WE are very lucky/blessed.

Get this.....
If my twins were born when due, or even a week early, they would still only be considered KINDERGARTENERS by Public schools... yet they read chapterbooks.... shesh!

My 4 year old who has read 4 HOP books is not elligible for PS kindergarten for 2 more years....

ANd when they get into the schools, they are taught how to be thugs.....

Sorry, not for us.......

 

So I'm gathering most of the public schools in the US are less than adequate lol.
VA rated number 7 in the US 2 years ago for public schools- as far as states with the best schools. I remember seeing that and thinking how great that we live in this state. Didn't even dawn on me that it was because their SOL's were high. Thing is SOL standards are SO low here lol, no wonder the scores are high. They're standards are low.
Now you go north in the state closer to DC the schools really are stellar. And you go the the Northeats- MA, CT, ect, and supposedly their schools are excellent and have high standards.

 

The school down the street also has a no talking rule during lunch. My daughter's friends mom told me that her son was always getting a note sent home because he would talk at lunch time. HELLO! IT"S LUNCH TIME! I always talked at lunch from elementry school to jr. high to high school. Stupid rule. Glad I am not there because I be bringing that one up to the principle. My DD is a talker.

As for standards, ME is more laid back than VA and even some FL schools. I think I upsetted a local Mainer when I made this comment. Didn't mean to. I was telling her one of the reason I homeschool. I want to follow the state we are going to be moving to guidelines. Theirs are higher. If things change and my children end up going to PS school, they will be behind.

 

Religion is one of many reasons why I homeschool, but probably not the main one. I want my dc to enjoy learning. I don't really care if they are advanced for their age, but I want them to never lose their curiosity. So many teens I see today have an empty/dead look in their eyes, and I don't want that for my boys.

Of course the fact that one of the p.s. pre-k teachers was arrested last year for doing/having crystal meth in class factored in some.

And I don't want my boys spending most of their time with people that most likely don't share our values, especially during these early, formative years.

I could go on and on. My reasons change all the time, but I've never found one good reason to put them in p.s.

Lisa

 

Religion is not the reason for me. We had to be able to educate our children while we live on the road.

Also, my DS was in sp. ed. in ps and we had nothing but trouble with the school system from K on. I could go on and on with the stories, but when we decided to RV and everything fell into place so easily, I knew it was the right move for us.

 

I don't hs for religious reasons.

 

We homeschool for non christian reasons, hehe, we homeschool because our local schools stink. they are the lowest on the county schools list. So to better teach our children the three RS WE STARTED since then we have enjoyed the fact we can also teach BIBLE and not have to teach iSLAM to our children. they do taht in public schools here btw,

 

We started homeschooling because of DS food allergies. We do not feel safe at all sending him to PS. It works out well for us, and even my 3 yo loves "doing homeschool!"

 

We are homeschooling because we are traveling around North America on bikes, and I don't think many schools would be able to wander around with us!! Plus we just really wanted time with our kids. They did go to a good school, and will most likely go back to school when we get home, but for now we are enjoying this special time iwth them.

 

How completely awesome! Where do I sign up for that? I am so in!

 

It really has been an incredible experience. We are loving this time with our boys, and we are all learning so much. JOin us!!

 

me too once I can get my self back on a bike! Its sitting in the garage collecting dust since last summer with shoudler thing, amazing how a few oopses can ruin your riding!
We are not as well seasoned at it as your family but we like to ride around on 'hiking' style days. Our plan before my first injury that ruined our summer was to ride to our local regional park and back, it has a pool so that was our break and cool and lunch break too.
So this year, I should be better by then, we will do it!

 

Oh Nancy, I would love to join you! My son would love it also...his favorite thing is his bike. He was riding without training wheels by 3. I, on the other hand, have not been on a bike in some time. However, it think it is an awesome thing for a family to do together. I know I used to look forward to bike rides with my family when I was a kid. Think we will start this spring. My dh and I have talked about family bike rides for some time. Not to the extent that you are doing it....but you never know!

 

Oh teacher mom - I know all too well how easily it is for one moment to mess up the most wel-laid plan. I do hope you can get up and go out together as a family this summer - you won't regret it!

And Ava - Your son would be in heaven if you went out with him!!

 

We started homeschooling because our older son couldn't sit still. When we discovered he had extensive food sensitivities, we talked with the kindergarten teacher who recommended we wait a year until we got his diet stabalized. In the meantime, he learned to read well, and we were introduced to a lively home-school group. The rest, as they say, "is history." In the intervening 18 years since he was five, homeschooling has become a vital part of our "philosophy" of parenting, and now our reasons for hs certainly include Christian issues.

 

Oh wow that is so neat!

I used to be big into my biking. Was before I met my husband. He's never been to keen on cycling but he loves hiking-which I also love. I miss cycling though. We all have bikes but nowhere to ride- safely around here and since dd can only turn right lol, well we're a little limited right now! She's getting there though!

 

Our reasons started out last year as a many, but not mainly religious. Being able to tie in a religious lesson or bring it up during a lesson though is a bonus. We are only here until April and we have a military move--this is his first year of school (K) and he just lost his best friend already last year.........we got to finish K this WEEK due to homeschooling so it works out great.......he gets to be finished, we move stress free......he will get to homeschool at our new base in Georgia for either 18 months if hubby decides to retire on target and then we move AGAIN........or we stick around there longer..........so again..........how fair is that..........move him out of a school again midway thru second grade? That is why we planned homeschool for 'first few years' as something that would be easier on him.

Now that we are doing it and that he is at 2nd grade level easily already and is FLYING along...........we probably will do this forever! What a great decision it has been and the FREEDOM......when hubby changes shifts he does not have to go to bed and miss precious DADDY time like other kids do, he can stay up and enjoy his father until midnight. We can go on vacation when we want to. He and I already have some day trips planned for our new home when we move to Georgia! These years are going to surely be the most exciting years of our lives. Why didn't my parents do this for me?

Boy, I promise I will teach DS better punctuation and grammar than what is demonstrated in my posts, hehe...........