What is your opinion on siblings homeschooling siblings?

I think that if the older sibling can do it and it does not interfere with that siblings studies...and the parent is still the one in charge...than it's fine. Helping is fine. For a sibling to do it all alone??? Well...only if there is a very good reason. My friend and her husband homeschooled their kids...well..they went through a financial disaster and had their oldest who was 18 taught their two younger children while they worked. this was temporary and the parents were still in charge...but the responsibility was the oldest daughter's. It worked out just fine. The two younger kids were not too little and already had a routine in place.

I think it all depends...lol...that is such a cop out. However, for the most part...I would say that if the sibling is taking it on 100%, then no..that's too much.

 

Good point, Ava! It cannot interfere with the older child's studies!

 

I have not read all the responses.
I have to disagree that the parents have all the responsability. We expect the children to have relationships with each other, this includes mentoring and the older ones are definitely responsible for taking care of and teaching the younger ones.
Of course, at the moment, they are out of the house so really, in a hs environment it has not been an issue. But I depend on the driving ones to help sometimes.
They may not have asked for it, and it may not be fair, but there it is. This is your life.
This is your role in our family...

That of course completely belies the actual nitty gritty of the way our home seems to work. The girls are gone and have thier own work and lives and I do the homeschooling. I have a friend and her daughters do quite a bit of the hs, but she pays them. (sometimes money sometimes it is rent) But she seems a bit more relaxed than my dh would be comfortable with.
BUT, I do call my daughter and ask her opinion on things. (she is a teacher) and she wishes I had hs her, and then she could have done the boys when they were younger. (although I sent her to college the same year my youngest went to kinder) She thinks she might hs her own kids, depending on you know, all the things it depends on. (like having some, lol.)
I think it hinges on respect and clear expectations. I wouldn't want anyone, even a sibling teaching my kids if they really didn't want to be doing it.

 

ok, one more point on choosing curriculum and appropriate ages for the "teacher" and stuff.
My dd was asked to teach sunday school at church. This involved researching and choosing a curriculum, making sure she had the supplies, handling between 6 and 10 children between the ages of 2ish-11. She did this, on her own (she would ask me to look at stuff on occasion) for 7 years. From age 11 to age 18. When I told the pastor how old she was when he first asked, he shrugged. "let her try it. if she wants to" and so she did. Some are born teachers.

 

The parent should be the one responsible. Older siblings should not take on parental roles, IMHO. Babysitting, teaching or other responsibilities should be minimal unless the teen is getting paid and wants to do it. There are plenty of other responsibilities teens can take over that aren't involved with caring for siblings.

I know what it is like to be a teen "mom" and while it was a bit exciting to have that responsibility fall to me, I missed out on many things.

 

EXACTLY!!!!

I know of a family that their daughter decided she wanted to teach her 9yr old brother during her senior year. Long story short, she went on to become a wonderful missionary/teacher!

My son decided last year (Sr. year) he wanted to teach his younger siblings a class on Astronomy. HE had to plan the classes and the cirriculum. I dont really care how much they learned about astronomy... because the things they did learn are invaluable...

*My son learned about patience, planning, directing and the thrill of the "Ah-ha" moment! He learned that he has value and worth he can share with others. And, dont kid yourself, he also gained a little more respect and understand for me and what all is needed to teach. I still smile when I think of the day he said "Gee Mom, I never gave you enough credit for doing this with ALL of us!"

*My younger children learned a different side of their older brother, built a stronger relationship with him, admire, respect and now look up to him more than before.

As a homeschool mom, I try to help my children in all the ways I can... If my child would want to be an engineer, wouldn't I try to help with choosing the cirriculum that would help them on their path? Maybe I would let them design and build a garage? How different is this?

Maybe the child the OP is speaking of wishes to be a teacher or a career in management? Maybe they are VERY mature and responsible; we just dont know.

As for our house, our motto is that we are all spokes in a wheel that have to work together. With Hubbie's injury, we had to learn to shift and change. I dont see anything wrong with older children having more responsibility. Because, along with more responsibility comes more benefits and freedoms. It's a balance.

Just my opinion.

 

I agree that if something works for someone else we have no room to judge. I am sure I do things that work for my family that would not work for others. Having my daughter "teach" my five year old would be a disaster given the dynamics of their relationship. My friend who allowed her oldest to teach her younger two for a short time worked out fine. My daughter would do a stellar job teaching Kara preschool or even potty training...yeah...maybe I could use her for that..lol...seriously. lol. My son often asks my dd for help in school. I think it's important for the entire family to work as one unit. Who is to say what will work in all houses?

Now...seeing as how the question was asked as an opinion...we all can give our opinions. My opinion is that if a child wants to or if it becomes necessary to...it's fine. I don't think a child should be forced into it...but on the other hand...a child should feel an obligation to be a working part of the family in certain events. If I had to get a job (which I do..lol) and could not longer homeschool full time...and my dd was older (she is only 12) I would give her a large portion of responsibility. Why? Because the schools where I live are failing. I have reasons for homeschooling and those reasons remain even if I had to get a job. So, IF my dd could help out in that capacity and it did not interfere with her studies..I'd have her do it.

However, I think we ALL agree that older kids make fine tutors and should be given responsibility. I think the question was more of having a sibling completely take over the weight of educating another sibling. We all see how the adult gets overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted, and needs a break. We all see how the adult has trouble with attitudes, personality conflicts, learning styles and choosing a curriculum...do we want to see a 15-18 year old dealing with all of that? Or maybe that sibling would do a better job! LOL. I can see that...really. My dd, given her personality, would just make a decision and stick to it...it would not be as complicated. So who knows...maybe we all need to raise teachers!

Every family is different. If having a child teach other siblings is not a detriment but a benefit to all involved, I cannot see how it is wrong.

 

I don't agree, I know you all are rolling your eyes and saying of course Kris would take the other side. But, let me explain first before you all throw tomatoes at me.
I came from a large family and we had to do alot of stuff, chores, help each other, but my parents never I will say never made us charge of any other sibling. I ask my mom one time why and she said she had the kids they are hers and we need to be kids, we will have time to do our thing with our kids and she is so right. By having a older one do the school how do they get there done? Good question right. Yes, they can do it, I understand but by the time they are done teaching the younger ones they wouldn't want to do there's.. I don't agree at all. Yes, chores and things like that are great but teaching no, even if they are capable. Yes, anyone can teach a young one to read, any age, but the parent should be the main one, they were the one that lay down had a good time and made the baby not the older child. Yes, there are times that older ones need to step in to help and I sure did and I will say I never raise anyone...
Wow, the more I type the more I get up set about this. I will leave at this you made the baby now take care of it. (Isn't that what everyone is telling teens when they pg)

 

I didn't read all the responses so perhaps this thought has already been expressed. If the older sibling is 'made' to teach the younger sibling, the older sibling may feel resentful. An older child should be expected to help with the younger if needed. But for it to be expected of the older sibling to take on the full role of teaching, that is not good.

My daughter wanted to teach worms to a co-op class that I had at my house. I saw what she had in mind to teach and helped her figure some of the details out. She taught three classes. The kids all enjoyed it. It was a good experience for all. If I told my daughter that she had to teach this co-op class all year long, that would not be good IMHO.

I am ten years older than my youngest brother. When I was a young teenager, I had to watch my brother all the time while my parents went to dances and dinner. Also my mom went back to college and then to work. All that time I had to watch my brother. I hated it. I resented it. I lost several years of my childhood. It was not right that I was forsed into taking over the training and raising of my brother.

To sum it up--having an older child help is good. To expect the older child to take over the role of a parent is not good.

 

This may be an issue for me later, just because of my daughter. I'll agree delegating complete responsibility to someone else is not ideal; that's why I homeschool. But, just like some parents may hire an "adult" to teach calculus to their children, or I'll farm out chemistry, there's nothing particularly wrong with having a capable older sibling teach.

My daughter learned how to read early. She taught her brother to read before he was 5. The two of them taught their brother to read, also before he was 5. I helped but we never sat down with either boy and had formalized lessons. My first two didn't either, but they would call whichever brother over and say, "It's time to learn to read!" and give "lessons". My daughter really took the lead on this, but my son helped a great deal with his little brother. For both of my boys, I did nothing, really, other than the occasional assist, because they were getting what they needed from their sister. And you know what? I think that's one reason both my boys are big readers, because she got them excited about it. They listen to her more, in some ways, than they do to me. If she says something is fun or interesting, they want to do it.

The same with piano. I put my daughter in piano lessons a year and a half ago. After she does her practicing, she calls her brother in, and gives each of THEM piano lessons. Now they are learning from her. Again, I do nothing but supervise and encourage.

My daughter is expanding her knowledge and taking joy from sharing it. My boys are excited because obviously their older siblings know more about what is fun than dreary old mom. If, in a few years she wants to teach them about horses, or algebra, or rocks, if she wants to put together a co-op or a week or month long lesson plan, who am I to stop her? At that point - and I'm thinking teens - I will be glad to give her short term responsibility over a particular area. At that point, too, she will learn more about responsibility - doing it daily, grading/doublechecking, and keeping a commitment. I won't force this on her, but I can see it being something she would want to do.

And at that point, people will probably look at me and judge me for it. After all, it will give me more time to work with another child, or accomplish something.

And I'll pass them the bean dip.

 

Scottie, I personally think that sound exciting!!! Learning has got to be much more fun when you're learning from an older sibling like that!!!

 

It depends a lot on the teaching child, the student child and the family.

I'm not against the idea all together, and if it can work for a family, then let it work and who are we to judge? Making a teen responsible for someone else is not the WORST thing that could happen. Some teens need something to anchor them as they go through that whole "Whirlwind of peer pressure and teen angst" thing I have heard so much about.
Sometimes a beloved younger siblings is just the thing.


I have no qualms about letting a PERSON instruct in a subject that they know well and have the ability to teach. I can teach any subject K-3, no problem, without batting an eye, prepping ahead and mostly without a standing curriculum. I have had this ability since I myself completed the 3rd grade.


At 6th grade, I'd probably have to stay ahead of them in the math books, but I can tutor LA, Science, History, etc no problem still. There is nothing about a 4th-6th grader (10-12 years old) that should'nt be able to help or teach another child to read. Thats not to say they have to, or could.

If a child is going to teach a subject, then they, like any other teacher, should have the right to exercise power over the curriculum they are to teach. Its BS when Admins wont let PS teachers use the curriculum they want and its BS to think the same shouldn't apply to any Teacher outside The System.

I have let an 11 year old girl, help me review and refresh certain math concepts when I began Algebra again after 3 years.

She laughed at me when I asked her for help, because I was the one who potty trained her (because I dont believe in constantly changing the diapers of a child who can walk and talk and argue with me whether they are 1.5 or 5.) and taught her PreSchool and Kindergarten from the age of 3-5, but I told her I needed someone who remembered the rules of GCF and LCD pertaining to fractions and I didn't care if they were older than me or not. I have no shame in seeking help and instruction from someone who holds the knowledge that I need.

In the early grades, PreK-3, you generally dont need more than 2hrs to do all the work required of them anyway, so if I needed a child to instruct them one or two days a week, and that child was capable. Then yup, I'd probably use that child. and expect them to have their work done to before the day was over.

I probably wont be paying my children to do such a thing either.

P.S. I cant do religious instruction from heart anymore. I used to know the Bible and such quite well, I realized today how much I had forgotten.

 

I saw it somewhere else today: Homeschooling is educating two generations at once.