Here are some things I've run across over the years that I thought were funny.
The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List
By Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling Magazine, Issue #1, Fall 2007
1. Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?
2. Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.
3. Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.
4. Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.
5. If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.
6. Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.
7. We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.
8. Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.
9. Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.
10. We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.
11. Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.
12. If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.
13. Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.
14. Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.
15. Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.
16. Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.
17. Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.
18. If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.
19. Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.
20. Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.
21. Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.
22. Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.
23. Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.
24. Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.
25. Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!
From a wise homeschooling mom on a homeschool forum:
I like to assume the best about people and represent homeschoolers as joyful, positive and friendly. I want to be confident and never defensive, even when I feel challenged. If someone heckles me, I like to take it lightly, make a friendly joke, or surprise them by saying something complementary, like, I like your dress. That way, everyone walks away smiling.
Q: What about socialization?
A: We're not socialists
Q: What about testing?
A: They test me everyday.
Q: How will they get into a college?
A: Through a door I assume.
Q: Are those all yours?
A: Just a minute while I check my roster.
Q: Have you figured out what causes that?
A: Yes. I will explain it to you later.
Q: Are you crazy?
A: I like your dress.
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Saturday, August 22, 2009
What About Socialization for Homeschoolers?
This is probably the question that most parents ask and gets in the way of choosing to homeschool. The most frequent question asked of homeschoolers is, "What about socialization?"
To pull your child out of school means to pull them out of a learning environment surrounded by many other children of the same age and to bring them home to learn in an isolated environment. If you have several children at home, it will not be isolated, but still it will be apart from the school and other children outside of the family, and therefore considered "isolated". The environment at school may be good in your school, but it may not be. What is your child learning socially from the children around him or her and from the curriculum? That is the key question that needs to be answered.
What "Socialization" means in the school environment
I have never been concerned about my son's socialization since we have been homeschooling. But I definitely was concerned with socialization when my son was in public school! One year (at age 9 when he was still in public school), my son made the decision to imitate the kids around him so he would “fit in”. And if anyone has experienced the kids at our school, you’d be horrified! So, yes, I was very concerned about his socialization in public school. After the first year of not being in public school, I’m happy to report that my son’s behavior has changed back RADICALLY for the better!
For me, my son was learning rude and disrespectful behavior while in school. It was okay to talk back to adults and be disrespectful to others. I have found that today talking back is defined differently, so what I find disrespectful is accepted today. I feel there are very few boundaries about how to treat others and their things with respect. There are no consequences for this behavior, so the modeling is that it's okay to behave this way because you won't get into trouble. You only get into trouble for "big" things, like bringing a weapon to school, and sometimes for fighting.
My son also had to learn to fight to defend himself. He had to put up with ridicule, whether it was for how he dressed or because he brought a book to school to read when he finished an assignment ahead of others in his class. He learned a new "vocabulary" and learned about drugs (through peers and the curriculum). He also learned about racism through the curriculum (multiculturalism: "why are people with dark skin bad?" -- he was in third grade), which transferred over to later grades with all the children attending school, because it is what the curriculum taught.
He learned to be afraid of ALL people he didn't know ("stranger danger"), and to be afraid to do anything for fear of being hurt (safety). He used to climb trees, but by the end of kindergarten wouldn't be caught near them for fear of being hurt.
He also was trained that only people his age were worth being his friends, and to stick together with only his age group. He also learned about time limits, that if he wanted to pursue something further, he couldn't. This also goes along with it's not "cool" to want to learn further about something. Learning about how to dress "cool" was another thing he learned, and our trips to go clothes shopping became more complicated when looking for clothes to buy for him.
Along with learning how to dress, he also learned about all the latest gadgets that kids had, so therefore he had to have too. PSP? He had to have one. iPod? He had to have one. Star Wars or Disney in? Everything had to be that. The social commercialism in schools today is overwhelming. The school also advertised milk in the cafeteria (although no advertising was permitted!), so he would say he had to drink milk to be healthy and everyone drank it. My son was allergic to milk. It was hard to get the concept across to him that he couldn't drink it when everyone else did, and of course, the school would not accommodate his allergy. He also learned about junk food and soda pop from the other kids who would bring it to school (although our school would confiscate the soda pop but not the other junk food). He would see this and demand these items of food.
So is the school environment good for your child? If the above is okay with you, then maybe you don't mind the social environment your child is in.
Teaching the real value of being a friend and having friends
For me, I want to be in control of what values and behavior my child will learn. I do not want the values taught in school to be transferred to my son. Will he have friends? Absolutely! The friends he has are neighbors and kids on his hockey team and in his chess club. And they are not all his own age, either. He has friends of many different ages. I think friends of only one age are not healthy; the world is not segregated by age, so to learn to be friends with different ages I feel is very important.
He is very selective about who to call "friend", too. Not just "anyone" will he accept as a friend. He has set criteria for someone to be his friend, unlike what the school was trying to teach him. In school, teachers were worried that he wasn't making friends with any of his classmates. When I looked around at the children in the class, not only could I understand why he wasn't "friends" with any of them, but was grateful he did NOT consider any of them friends! The actual friends he had at school were the ones that he already was friends with from the different activities he participated in. They had something in common and they all shared most of the same values.
So my question was, does a child HAVE to be friends with someone in class even though they don't share any common interests or values? According to the school, yes; children have to be friends with everyone. To be a friend, though, the friends have to share common interests and values. To be a friend, my son would have to give up his values and interests to be a friend and to "fit in" with the general population.
I did not want him to be like the rest of the kids. I did not like the values they had.
If this is okay, then "socializing" your kids in school should be fine. For me, it wasn't. I wanted my son to be polite and respectful. I wanted him to have his own values, to make up his own mind about what he liked and didn't like, what was right or wrong, not to be strongly persuaded by the children around him or to face the consequence of being rejected socially. I wanted him to be his own person.
"Yes, but..."
"Yes, but," you may ask. "Doesn't socializing in school teach my child to deal with people he doesn't like?"
My answer to this is "yes and no". Yes, a child needs to learn to deal with all kinds of people. When they are an adult they will have to deal with all kinds of people they may not like or who give them a hard time. BUT -- and it's a big "but" -- while they are learning about life while a child, this is the time to give them a strong foundation in all areas of life to be able to deal with anything that may come their way. To be bombarded with people and situations that are against his/her values and beliefs and that do not agree with them is unfair in my opinion, and interferes with learning about other things they should or want to know. Now and then to run across someone who gives them a hard time is one thing and can be a learning experience on a situational basis, but to be under pressure day in and day out is quite another. Peer pressure, even at very early ages, is extremely strong. To me, that is the biggest obstacle children have in school.
To me, childhood should be a fun and explorative age. Children do not get this in a school setting. Instead, they are forced to conform, whether by school rules or by social pressure. They are supposed to fit the mold, blend in, not rock the boat. A child who does not conform will be ostracized by other children, and sometimes even by the adults in the school.
So “socialization” really depends upon HOW you want your child to be socialized!
Also, the schools will tell the kids that they’re not there to “socialize”. Hmmm?
Questions to ponder
What’s the difference between “socialization” and “peer pressure”?
If age-segregated social organization is so great, why don’t we exercise it in the adult world? For example, if you are not turning 40 before August of ’08, I don’t want to be your friend anymore.
How can we teach children that race segregation is wrong in a setting where they are segregated by age?
What is “normal” about an institutional environment where socialization is done in 10-minute increments and regulated by the ringing of a bell?
Why would we want our children to be “socialized”? We are not socialists.
To pull your child out of school means to pull them out of a learning environment surrounded by many other children of the same age and to bring them home to learn in an isolated environment. If you have several children at home, it will not be isolated, but still it will be apart from the school and other children outside of the family, and therefore considered "isolated". The environment at school may be good in your school, but it may not be. What is your child learning socially from the children around him or her and from the curriculum? That is the key question that needs to be answered.
What "Socialization" means in the school environment
I have never been concerned about my son's socialization since we have been homeschooling. But I definitely was concerned with socialization when my son was in public school! One year (at age 9 when he was still in public school), my son made the decision to imitate the kids around him so he would “fit in”. And if anyone has experienced the kids at our school, you’d be horrified! So, yes, I was very concerned about his socialization in public school. After the first year of not being in public school, I’m happy to report that my son’s behavior has changed back RADICALLY for the better!
For me, my son was learning rude and disrespectful behavior while in school. It was okay to talk back to adults and be disrespectful to others. I have found that today talking back is defined differently, so what I find disrespectful is accepted today. I feel there are very few boundaries about how to treat others and their things with respect. There are no consequences for this behavior, so the modeling is that it's okay to behave this way because you won't get into trouble. You only get into trouble for "big" things, like bringing a weapon to school, and sometimes for fighting.
My son also had to learn to fight to defend himself. He had to put up with ridicule, whether it was for how he dressed or because he brought a book to school to read when he finished an assignment ahead of others in his class. He learned a new "vocabulary" and learned about drugs (through peers and the curriculum). He also learned about racism through the curriculum (multiculturalism: "why are people with dark skin bad?" -- he was in third grade), which transferred over to later grades with all the children attending school, because it is what the curriculum taught.
He learned to be afraid of ALL people he didn't know ("stranger danger"), and to be afraid to do anything for fear of being hurt (safety). He used to climb trees, but by the end of kindergarten wouldn't be caught near them for fear of being hurt.
He also was trained that only people his age were worth being his friends, and to stick together with only his age group. He also learned about time limits, that if he wanted to pursue something further, he couldn't. This also goes along with it's not "cool" to want to learn further about something. Learning about how to dress "cool" was another thing he learned, and our trips to go clothes shopping became more complicated when looking for clothes to buy for him.
Along with learning how to dress, he also learned about all the latest gadgets that kids had, so therefore he had to have too. PSP? He had to have one. iPod? He had to have one. Star Wars or Disney in? Everything had to be that. The social commercialism in schools today is overwhelming. The school also advertised milk in the cafeteria (although no advertising was permitted!), so he would say he had to drink milk to be healthy and everyone drank it. My son was allergic to milk. It was hard to get the concept across to him that he couldn't drink it when everyone else did, and of course, the school would not accommodate his allergy. He also learned about junk food and soda pop from the other kids who would bring it to school (although our school would confiscate the soda pop but not the other junk food). He would see this and demand these items of food.
So is the school environment good for your child? If the above is okay with you, then maybe you don't mind the social environment your child is in.
Teaching the real value of being a friend and having friends
For me, I want to be in control of what values and behavior my child will learn. I do not want the values taught in school to be transferred to my son. Will he have friends? Absolutely! The friends he has are neighbors and kids on his hockey team and in his chess club. And they are not all his own age, either. He has friends of many different ages. I think friends of only one age are not healthy; the world is not segregated by age, so to learn to be friends with different ages I feel is very important.
He is very selective about who to call "friend", too. Not just "anyone" will he accept as a friend. He has set criteria for someone to be his friend, unlike what the school was trying to teach him. In school, teachers were worried that he wasn't making friends with any of his classmates. When I looked around at the children in the class, not only could I understand why he wasn't "friends" with any of them, but was grateful he did NOT consider any of them friends! The actual friends he had at school were the ones that he already was friends with from the different activities he participated in. They had something in common and they all shared most of the same values.
So my question was, does a child HAVE to be friends with someone in class even though they don't share any common interests or values? According to the school, yes; children have to be friends with everyone. To be a friend, though, the friends have to share common interests and values. To be a friend, my son would have to give up his values and interests to be a friend and to "fit in" with the general population.
I did not want him to be like the rest of the kids. I did not like the values they had.
If this is okay, then "socializing" your kids in school should be fine. For me, it wasn't. I wanted my son to be polite and respectful. I wanted him to have his own values, to make up his own mind about what he liked and didn't like, what was right or wrong, not to be strongly persuaded by the children around him or to face the consequence of being rejected socially. I wanted him to be his own person.
"Yes, but..."
"Yes, but," you may ask. "Doesn't socializing in school teach my child to deal with people he doesn't like?"
My answer to this is "yes and no". Yes, a child needs to learn to deal with all kinds of people. When they are an adult they will have to deal with all kinds of people they may not like or who give them a hard time. BUT -- and it's a big "but" -- while they are learning about life while a child, this is the time to give them a strong foundation in all areas of life to be able to deal with anything that may come their way. To be bombarded with people and situations that are against his/her values and beliefs and that do not agree with them is unfair in my opinion, and interferes with learning about other things they should or want to know. Now and then to run across someone who gives them a hard time is one thing and can be a learning experience on a situational basis, but to be under pressure day in and day out is quite another. Peer pressure, even at very early ages, is extremely strong. To me, that is the biggest obstacle children have in school.
To me, childhood should be a fun and explorative age. Children do not get this in a school setting. Instead, they are forced to conform, whether by school rules or by social pressure. They are supposed to fit the mold, blend in, not rock the boat. A child who does not conform will be ostracized by other children, and sometimes even by the adults in the school.
So “socialization” really depends upon HOW you want your child to be socialized!
Also, the schools will tell the kids that they’re not there to “socialize”. Hmmm?
Questions to ponder
What’s the difference between “socialization” and “peer pressure”?
If age-segregated social organization is so great, why don’t we exercise it in the adult world? For example, if you are not turning 40 before August of ’08, I don’t want to be your friend anymore.
How can we teach children that race segregation is wrong in a setting where they are segregated by age?
What is “normal” about an institutional environment where socialization is done in 10-minute increments and regulated by the ringing of a bell?
Why would we want our children to be “socialized”? We are not socialists.
Homeschooling Laws
There is Federal Law and there is State Law. Of course State Law varies from state to state, but Federal Law covers the entire country.
There is only one thing I want to add under this heading that I think is very important, and that has to do with FEDERAL law.
Be VERY careful about public schools. It is ultimately up to the school about what will be required of -- or taught to -- your child – NOT the parent. Once you drop your child off at the door to the public school, you have relinquished all control and rights over your child – so say the Federal courts. Not one parent that I have heard of has won in court.
Yes, you might be lucky enough to get a teacher/principal/school to work with you on the subjects you object to – but then again you may not. When my son was in public school, I wanted to be notified when objectionable subjects were going to be taught so that I could either be there or have a sick day. I was NEVER notified – and we’re talking about teachers and administration with whom I am friends.
Yes, you as a parent have the right to look over all curriculum, but you do NOT have the right to say what you want or not want taught to your child! (or even exposed to!)
So everyone with kids in public school or contemplating putting them back in, please be wary.
Where to find out about your State's homeschooling laws
After you have decided whether you want to homeschool or not, you need to check the laws for your state so that you can comply. There are some states that have little to no regulation, and some that are so regulated you might as well keep them in school! Here is the definitive site to research about the laws where you live:
Home School Legal Defense Association
Not only does this site help you to find the laws in your state, it will also keep you up to date about what is going on in your state and also in the nation. It also sometimes talks about homeschooling challenges in other countries. You can join this organization for a yearly fee, and it will legally represent you if you happen to have any trouble while homeschooling.
There is only one thing I want to add under this heading that I think is very important, and that has to do with FEDERAL law.
Be VERY careful about public schools. It is ultimately up to the school about what will be required of -- or taught to -- your child – NOT the parent. Once you drop your child off at the door to the public school, you have relinquished all control and rights over your child – so say the Federal courts. Not one parent that I have heard of has won in court.
Yes, you might be lucky enough to get a teacher/principal/school to work with you on the subjects you object to – but then again you may not. When my son was in public school, I wanted to be notified when objectionable subjects were going to be taught so that I could either be there or have a sick day. I was NEVER notified – and we’re talking about teachers and administration with whom I am friends.
Yes, you as a parent have the right to look over all curriculum, but you do NOT have the right to say what you want or not want taught to your child! (or even exposed to!)
So everyone with kids in public school or contemplating putting them back in, please be wary.
Where to find out about your State's homeschooling laws
After you have decided whether you want to homeschool or not, you need to check the laws for your state so that you can comply. There are some states that have little to no regulation, and some that are so regulated you might as well keep them in school! Here is the definitive site to research about the laws where you live:
Home School Legal Defense Association
Not only does this site help you to find the laws in your state, it will also keep you up to date about what is going on in your state and also in the nation. It also sometimes talks about homeschooling challenges in other countries. You can join this organization for a yearly fee, and it will legally represent you if you happen to have any trouble while homeschooling.
Public School Curriculum
Reading
Have you ever compared a newly-printed classic book with one printed, say, 50 years ago? You haven’t? Well, I suggest you do because you’ll be shocked!
Our classics are being rewritten. Really. Rarely will one find a classic that really is reprinted word-for-word. The publishers say it’s to bring the language of the books up to current-day language. But what’s really ending up happening is that the rich vocabulary is being lost and the complex sentence structure of beautiful writing is being lost. They’ve become very easy to read, in other words.
And the government and schools say that our reading level has improved... sorry, I just don’t buy it! I have my son reading vintage and antique classic books. By the end of our first year of homeschooling he was EASILY reading at high school level! He’s in seventh grade this year, and except for his maturity about what he understands, he can easily read college texts. He complained this year about what really bad readers some of his friends are and he also said that the kids in his Sunday School class could barely read. Well, those kids and friends read great – are in top classes or on honor roll, most of them – according to the public schools they are in.
Math
The kids coming out of school now just plain old don’t know math. If they get through fractions well, I’d be surprised. Math is given in little snippets of information that is supposed to get the kids to grasp the concept. Well, actually what I’ve seen is that the books go overboard in trying to get the kids to grasp the concept so then lose the kids about what they’re supposed to be learning. It’s like they’re being so careful to make sure the kids “get it”, that they just lose them.
This is what is called the New New Math that’s being taught. I have NO idea how to explain it to you because I just don’t get it. But it has to do with things like breaking down the numbers to zero numbers, i.e. 2,652 = 2000 + 600 + 50 + 2. How they do long division with that is absolutely beyond me. You can find it on the net if you really want to know. But the bottom line is that it’s just not working.
Have you had anyone count back your change at the cash register lately? Or how about a kid who makes a mistake on the register and then has to figure out manually what he owes you in change? Frustrating, isn’t it? This is only one by-product of our math in school nowadays.
Another thing that I have found through my teacher classes is that the focus is also on trying not to make things hard for the kids. The subject matter can't be hard because then the child will feel bad, so the curriculum and teaching has to be made "easy" and "fun" so the child will feel good about learning it. Having a child struggle to learn is a big no-no.
Grammar, Spelling and Writing
There is a sign outside of a house that says “The Smith’s”. Yes, that’s right, the singular possessive. I would assume that the sign is advertising a family with the surname of Smith, and there is more than one family member, right? So that would make “Smith” plural. Signs, newspapers, magazines and many publications that are for the PUBLIC to read (therefore, in my opinion, should be examples of good grammar and spelling), are becoming notoriously rife with misspellings, like the above example. I remember when it used to be very rare for something like that to happen; now it’s becoming common. I’ve even seen misspellings on billboards! I couldn’t tell you how grammar is being taught in the schools today other than I notice that workbooks are a very common way of teaching now. In my opinion, those workbooks are NOT teaching the kids coming out of school.
Writing is also learned through filling in the blanks in workbooks with an occasional report thrown in. I can’t see how this is teaching kids to get their thoughts down on paper.
As far as penmanship -- forget it! The current thinking is that we have computers, so why do we have to have good handwriting?
I actually believe that there's more to handwriting than "pretty" and "neat". I believe that practicing good handwriting somehow links the brain and trains the brain in some way to fine motor skills and maybe more things that we haven't seen yet. There are progressions in physical and mental development that need to be met to produce an adult that can do many things without problems. I'm not sure we're developing fine motor skills any more unless someone learns how to bait a hook on a fishing pole or learns to hand sew -- things like that. Only time will tell if we're leaving out an important developmental step and what the repercussions are.
Have you ever compared a newly-printed classic book with one printed, say, 50 years ago? You haven’t? Well, I suggest you do because you’ll be shocked!
Our classics are being rewritten. Really. Rarely will one find a classic that really is reprinted word-for-word. The publishers say it’s to bring the language of the books up to current-day language. But what’s really ending up happening is that the rich vocabulary is being lost and the complex sentence structure of beautiful writing is being lost. They’ve become very easy to read, in other words.
And the government and schools say that our reading level has improved... sorry, I just don’t buy it! I have my son reading vintage and antique classic books. By the end of our first year of homeschooling he was EASILY reading at high school level! He’s in seventh grade this year, and except for his maturity about what he understands, he can easily read college texts. He complained this year about what really bad readers some of his friends are and he also said that the kids in his Sunday School class could barely read. Well, those kids and friends read great – are in top classes or on honor roll, most of them – according to the public schools they are in.
Math
The kids coming out of school now just plain old don’t know math. If they get through fractions well, I’d be surprised. Math is given in little snippets of information that is supposed to get the kids to grasp the concept. Well, actually what I’ve seen is that the books go overboard in trying to get the kids to grasp the concept so then lose the kids about what they’re supposed to be learning. It’s like they’re being so careful to make sure the kids “get it”, that they just lose them.
This is what is called the New New Math that’s being taught. I have NO idea how to explain it to you because I just don’t get it. But it has to do with things like breaking down the numbers to zero numbers, i.e. 2,652 = 2000 + 600 + 50 + 2. How they do long division with that is absolutely beyond me. You can find it on the net if you really want to know. But the bottom line is that it’s just not working.
Have you had anyone count back your change at the cash register lately? Or how about a kid who makes a mistake on the register and then has to figure out manually what he owes you in change? Frustrating, isn’t it? This is only one by-product of our math in school nowadays.
Another thing that I have found through my teacher classes is that the focus is also on trying not to make things hard for the kids. The subject matter can't be hard because then the child will feel bad, so the curriculum and teaching has to be made "easy" and "fun" so the child will feel good about learning it. Having a child struggle to learn is a big no-no.
Grammar, Spelling and Writing
There is a sign outside of a house that says “The Smith’s”. Yes, that’s right, the singular possessive. I would assume that the sign is advertising a family with the surname of Smith, and there is more than one family member, right? So that would make “Smith” plural. Signs, newspapers, magazines and many publications that are for the PUBLIC to read (therefore, in my opinion, should be examples of good grammar and spelling), are becoming notoriously rife with misspellings, like the above example. I remember when it used to be very rare for something like that to happen; now it’s becoming common. I’ve even seen misspellings on billboards! I couldn’t tell you how grammar is being taught in the schools today other than I notice that workbooks are a very common way of teaching now. In my opinion, those workbooks are NOT teaching the kids coming out of school.
Writing is also learned through filling in the blanks in workbooks with an occasional report thrown in. I can’t see how this is teaching kids to get their thoughts down on paper.
As far as penmanship -- forget it! The current thinking is that we have computers, so why do we have to have good handwriting?
I actually believe that there's more to handwriting than "pretty" and "neat". I believe that practicing good handwriting somehow links the brain and trains the brain in some way to fine motor skills and maybe more things that we haven't seen yet. There are progressions in physical and mental development that need to be met to produce an adult that can do many things without problems. I'm not sure we're developing fine motor skills any more unless someone learns how to bait a hook on a fishing pole or learns to hand sew -- things like that. Only time will tell if we're leaving out an important developmental step and what the repercussions are.
Some Problems Today with our Public Schools
Even though there is a big ripple going through our country that our schools are in trouble, there are still many parents who believe in our schools, and that their children will still get an education by attending them. Let’s look at some problems with our schools today.
Environment
There is a growing trend among our children in this country that violence, rudeness, bad behavior and attitudes are “cool”. This is reinforced by many parents who behave the same way as their children do – or simply look the other way. Our movie industry, video industry and music industry all attest to this by the huge profits they make from products that contain these behaviors. It is not common to find nonviolence in any of these industries. Plus, the movie industry and TV portray disrespect and rudeness. Kids nowadays find that any movie, TV program or music that does not portray these behaviors and attitudes are for sissies or are boring – basically, “uncool”. And to reinforce this even more, parents also like these movies, programs, music and videos.
Our schools, of course, are full of these kids. It is the “norm” in our schools, not the exception any more. Sexuality is also another characteristic that has become the norm in our schools – especially for middle- and high-school girls. Fashion is one thing – whether those of us in the older generation like it or not – but we’re talking about bare midriffs, half a girl’s bottom showing, breasts being very exposed, and lots of seductive make-up. The fashions for girls have also become very sexy – slinky, whatever you want to call it. Some are beautiful (in my opinion) but are not made for little girls, and I’ve seen many elementary (K-6) school girls wearing these, too. But the fashion industry is making these clothes, and (again, in my opinion) encouraging this. The parents also encourage this by allowing their children to dress this way and buy these clothes.
Drugs are also prevalent on many school campuses, even at the elementary school level.
Discipline
With the laws that we now have in place, our teachers and administrators of our schools really have their hands tied. There is only so much they can do. There is no more being sent to the principal’s for a swat; there is no more dunce cap; there is no more being put in the corner facing the wall. These are all “abusive” tactics. A teacher can put a child in time-out, but that child cannot face the wall – the child still has to be “included” as part of the class. A teacher cannot isolate a child from the classroom; it will “hurt the child’s self-esteem”.
I have seen some very disruptive kids where the principal has to call the parents to come pick up their child from school. And I have seen those kids wait in the office or principal’s office the entire day until the parent or parents decide to pick up their child. I have also witnessed children running off campus, with the principal and/or teacher running after the child, and the parents still do not come.
I have not only witnessed, but heard from teachers and principals alike that when a parent is asked to help with the behavior of their child in school, that the parent says, “It’s your problem, not mine.”
Yes, there are many positive reinforcement tactics that a teacher can use, but there are a growing number of children who just do not respond to them. They simply could care less. (“You won’t be able to go on the field trip.” “So?”)
Classroom and Teachers
I must really say that I really feel sorry for teachers today. Between discipline, no parent cooperation and now we’ve got that "No Child Left Behind Act” thrown at those poor teachers, you've simply got nothing left of a "teacher" any more. The teacher has now become a bureaucrat and a statistician -- and their jobs are at risk if the statistics in their classroom do not meet the required statistics of that Act for the year. In other words, they have to teach to The Test, not teach the children. And the kids have become a statistic now, too. It's pathetic. There’s barely enough time to teach any more. It's all about The Test.
Of course, there's more to the problem of our failing schools than that, but that's a biggie right now for the teachers. Another biggie I find: the behavior of "mainstream" kids is so gross nowadays, and I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the parents for that. Teachers and administrators (principals) can only do so much within the law to grapple with these kids. And those kids end up taking up most of the time in the classroom, thus taking the time away from the kids who do want to learn. And lots of times the kids who suffer the most are the ones who need the extra attention.
Yes, crowded classrooms make it difficult, but that has never stopped good teachers from being able to teach well. Teachers' and administrators' nerves are strung too tight nowadays to be able to do even a mediocre job.
Remember the one-room schoolhouses? Many of those were not small, and the teacher was not only teaching to different learning abilities, but also to different ages. So I disagree to some extent about how many kids are in a class.
In my humble opinion, teaching is an art. There are as many ways of teaching as there are different types of artists. And many teachers were "called" to teach or have a "passion" to teach. They love working with kids. It's a creative endeavor. But just like anything else in our society, there are bad apples in the lot, too -- of course.
Where I see the problem with our public schools is the "institution" or the "system". Teachers and administrators alike are now dictated to about what they can and cannot do or teach in the classroom. There is very little room for creative teaching any more.
With the No Child Left Behind Act it's become increasingly so. This is also compounded by the current behavior of kids and their parents nowadays. So many parents look at school as a babysitter. And so many parents do not correct bad behavior -- and/or think rude and bad behavior is okay and normal (“cool”), or even think that the child has a right to express him/herself. Teachers and administrators (principals) can only do so much within the law to grapple with these kids. And those kids end up taking up most of the time in the classroom, thus taking the time away from the kids who do want to learn. And lots of times the kids who suffer the most are the ones who need the extra attention.
School districts decide on the curriculum and even decide on the way to teach and to discipline. In our district, we use the Open Court curriculum and the Baldridge method of teaching/disciplining (as I understand this program). Between these two factors alone, the teachers have it really rough, and the ones who suffer in the end are the kids. There is just no room or time any more; it’s sink or swim for the kids. The teachers are now there to just follow a script.
So when I hear or read that the teacher doesn’t have time for a child because there’s too many kids in the classroom or that the teacher has a short temper – yes, I agree – but I also understand where the teacher is coming from.
I am just SO THANKFUL that we have the option of teaching our kids at home now – to take them out of that environment, to cater and create to their learning styles, and to make sure they ARE learning. We have the CHOICE now.
Environment
There is a growing trend among our children in this country that violence, rudeness, bad behavior and attitudes are “cool”. This is reinforced by many parents who behave the same way as their children do – or simply look the other way. Our movie industry, video industry and music industry all attest to this by the huge profits they make from products that contain these behaviors. It is not common to find nonviolence in any of these industries. Plus, the movie industry and TV portray disrespect and rudeness. Kids nowadays find that any movie, TV program or music that does not portray these behaviors and attitudes are for sissies or are boring – basically, “uncool”. And to reinforce this even more, parents also like these movies, programs, music and videos.
Our schools, of course, are full of these kids. It is the “norm” in our schools, not the exception any more. Sexuality is also another characteristic that has become the norm in our schools – especially for middle- and high-school girls. Fashion is one thing – whether those of us in the older generation like it or not – but we’re talking about bare midriffs, half a girl’s bottom showing, breasts being very exposed, and lots of seductive make-up. The fashions for girls have also become very sexy – slinky, whatever you want to call it. Some are beautiful (in my opinion) but are not made for little girls, and I’ve seen many elementary (K-6) school girls wearing these, too. But the fashion industry is making these clothes, and (again, in my opinion) encouraging this. The parents also encourage this by allowing their children to dress this way and buy these clothes.
Drugs are also prevalent on many school campuses, even at the elementary school level.
Discipline
With the laws that we now have in place, our teachers and administrators of our schools really have their hands tied. There is only so much they can do. There is no more being sent to the principal’s for a swat; there is no more dunce cap; there is no more being put in the corner facing the wall. These are all “abusive” tactics. A teacher can put a child in time-out, but that child cannot face the wall – the child still has to be “included” as part of the class. A teacher cannot isolate a child from the classroom; it will “hurt the child’s self-esteem”.
I have seen some very disruptive kids where the principal has to call the parents to come pick up their child from school. And I have seen those kids wait in the office or principal’s office the entire day until the parent or parents decide to pick up their child. I have also witnessed children running off campus, with the principal and/or teacher running after the child, and the parents still do not come.
I have not only witnessed, but heard from teachers and principals alike that when a parent is asked to help with the behavior of their child in school, that the parent says, “It’s your problem, not mine.”
Yes, there are many positive reinforcement tactics that a teacher can use, but there are a growing number of children who just do not respond to them. They simply could care less. (“You won’t be able to go on the field trip.” “So?”)
Classroom and Teachers
I must really say that I really feel sorry for teachers today. Between discipline, no parent cooperation and now we’ve got that "No Child Left Behind Act” thrown at those poor teachers, you've simply got nothing left of a "teacher" any more. The teacher has now become a bureaucrat and a statistician -- and their jobs are at risk if the statistics in their classroom do not meet the required statistics of that Act for the year. In other words, they have to teach to The Test, not teach the children. And the kids have become a statistic now, too. It's pathetic. There’s barely enough time to teach any more. It's all about The Test.
Of course, there's more to the problem of our failing schools than that, but that's a biggie right now for the teachers. Another biggie I find: the behavior of "mainstream" kids is so gross nowadays, and I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the parents for that. Teachers and administrators (principals) can only do so much within the law to grapple with these kids. And those kids end up taking up most of the time in the classroom, thus taking the time away from the kids who do want to learn. And lots of times the kids who suffer the most are the ones who need the extra attention.
Yes, crowded classrooms make it difficult, but that has never stopped good teachers from being able to teach well. Teachers' and administrators' nerves are strung too tight nowadays to be able to do even a mediocre job.
Remember the one-room schoolhouses? Many of those were not small, and the teacher was not only teaching to different learning abilities, but also to different ages. So I disagree to some extent about how many kids are in a class.
In my humble opinion, teaching is an art. There are as many ways of teaching as there are different types of artists. And many teachers were "called" to teach or have a "passion" to teach. They love working with kids. It's a creative endeavor. But just like anything else in our society, there are bad apples in the lot, too -- of course.
Where I see the problem with our public schools is the "institution" or the "system". Teachers and administrators alike are now dictated to about what they can and cannot do or teach in the classroom. There is very little room for creative teaching any more.
With the No Child Left Behind Act it's become increasingly so. This is also compounded by the current behavior of kids and their parents nowadays. So many parents look at school as a babysitter. And so many parents do not correct bad behavior -- and/or think rude and bad behavior is okay and normal (“cool”), or even think that the child has a right to express him/herself. Teachers and administrators (principals) can only do so much within the law to grapple with these kids. And those kids end up taking up most of the time in the classroom, thus taking the time away from the kids who do want to learn. And lots of times the kids who suffer the most are the ones who need the extra attention.
School districts decide on the curriculum and even decide on the way to teach and to discipline. In our district, we use the Open Court curriculum and the Baldridge method of teaching/disciplining (as I understand this program). Between these two factors alone, the teachers have it really rough, and the ones who suffer in the end are the kids. There is just no room or time any more; it’s sink or swim for the kids. The teachers are now there to just follow a script.
So when I hear or read that the teacher doesn’t have time for a child because there’s too many kids in the classroom or that the teacher has a short temper – yes, I agree – but I also understand where the teacher is coming from.
I am just SO THANKFUL that we have the option of teaching our kids at home now – to take them out of that environment, to cater and create to their learning styles, and to make sure they ARE learning. We have the CHOICE now.
Some Reasons Parents Decide to Homeschool
There are as many reasons why parents homeschool as there are people! But there are some common reasons, and they can be divided into two groups.
Positive Reasons
Religion
This is perhaps the biggest reason why some parents homeschool, especially Christian parents. Their main reasoning is that God has given them the gift of children, and it is their responsibility to raise them according to God’s wishes. This includes their responsibility for teaching them their Christian beliefs. Public schools cannot teach Christianity in school, so this is one alternative. But because these parents believe it is their responsibility given to them by God, then it is up to the parents to do the teaching, not a school.
Catering to a child's learning ability or passion
This is probably the second biggest reason, and this covers many areas.
Children learn naturally, no matter what their environment, and there are parents who want their children to learn in a “natural” way. This is called “unschooling”.
Or their child is slower or faster than the normal child in school, and by homeschooling the parents can accommodate the child’s learning pace. In this way the parents can be sure their child is not left behind in a school setting, or is not bored. Special Ed or accelerated classes do not satisfy these parents, and feel they can do a much better job of teaching their child.
Or maybe their child has a passion or gift for something, like music. The parents can encourage their child in that direction, emphasizing and focusing on that passion or gift.
Negative Reasons
Dissatisfaction with the curriculum or what is being taught in school.
This is becoming more and more popular. Remember the controversies surrounding sex education? This reason is along these lines. There are many parents who do not like what is being taught in the schools, so they bring them home to teach them what they think should be taught.
Interest groups put pressure on not only the schools, but on the textbook publishers to get wording and values changed to impart to the children. A couple of examples of this are in California: Christianity is not allowed to be taught, but Islam is now inserted into history texts. "Mom and Dad" is also not allowed to be mentioned, but if it is (whether by teacher or student), alternative lifestyles are also to be discussed. Things of this nature may be perfectly acceptable to some parents, but for other parents it is not acceptable, so they pull their children out of school to teach them their own values and beliefs.
Social Environment
This is another growing reason why parents have been pulling their children out of school. Columbine in Colorado, the incidents of children carrying weapons to school, the violence in our schools – these are becoming very strong reasons for parents to pull their children out of school.
Religion
This is perhaps the biggest reason why some parents homeschool, especially Christian parents. Their main reasoning is that God has given them the gift of children, and it is their responsibility to raise them according to God’s wishes. This includes their responsibility for teaching them their Christian beliefs. Public schools cannot teach Christianity in school, so this is one alternative. But because these parents believe it is their responsibility given to them by God, then it is up to the parents to do the teaching, not a school.
Catering to a child's learning ability or passion
This is probably the second biggest reason, and this covers many areas.
Children learn naturally, no matter what their environment, and there are parents who want their children to learn in a “natural” way. This is called “unschooling”.
Or their child is slower or faster than the normal child in school, and by homeschooling the parents can accommodate the child’s learning pace. In this way the parents can be sure their child is not left behind in a school setting, or is not bored. Special Ed or accelerated classes do not satisfy these parents, and feel they can do a much better job of teaching their child.
Or maybe their child has a passion or gift for something, like music. The parents can encourage their child in that direction, emphasizing and focusing on that passion or gift.
Dissatisfaction with the curriculum or what is being taught in school.
This is becoming more and more popular. Remember the controversies surrounding sex education? This reason is along these lines. There are many parents who do not like what is being taught in the schools, so they bring them home to teach them what they think should be taught.
Interest groups put pressure on not only the schools, but on the textbook publishers to get wording and values changed to impart to the children. A couple of examples of this are in California: Christianity is not allowed to be taught, but Islam is now inserted into history texts. "Mom and Dad" is also not allowed to be mentioned, but if it is (whether by teacher or student), alternative lifestyles are also to be discussed. Things of this nature may be perfectly acceptable to some parents, but for other parents it is not acceptable, so they pull their children out of school to teach them their own values and beliefs.
Social Environment
This is another growing reason why parents have been pulling their children out of school. Columbine in Colorado, the incidents of children carrying weapons to school, the violence in our schools – these are becoming very strong reasons for parents to pull their children out of school.
What Teachers Are Taught Today To Teach
I am currently in school to get my teaching credential. Although the reasons I went back are several, the main reason I chose to go back was to protect my right to homeschool my son until he is finished with school. I am fearful that our time of freedom to homeschool may come to an end, and I thought that the only way I could protect this right was to get certified.
Plus, I needed a secure job in this economic climate with hours that would work with my son's rigorous hockey schedule. Add to that my love of children and how I found out that I love to teach, what better job could I go after?
My horrifying surprise at what teachers today are taught about how to "teach" cannot be taken lightly. There are no "methods" classes, only "content" classes. These classes are intense in teaching us ways to learn to profile students so that a teacher may be better able to reach that child. By "profiling", I mean learning to observe a students physical features to determine which ethnicity they might be. Yes, racism, pure and simple. It took me about half way through my first class and a big bottle of Tylenol to finally figure out what the class was all about! When I figured it out, needless to say I was horrified! But figuring that out made the rest of the class and then subsequent classes go easier for me. I just didn't get what they were trying to teach.
Add to that that the curriculum that is used in schools today is so very scripted, that it leaves little room for a teacher to actually teach. The teachers I have talked to during observation all echo this frustration. They complain that everything is about The Test and have little or no time to actually teach. Teachers who have been in the schools and are ready to retire are only staying on for the last year until retirement. This sentiment was repeated throughout the schools, adding that they never would have gone into teaching today because they just can't teach.
It's with a heavy heart that I think about our teachers in the public school system that is in place today. The teachers have no choice, and follow the rules. The ones that don't follow the rules usually have kids who are really learning something, but their job is at stake.
Plus, I needed a secure job in this economic climate with hours that would work with my son's rigorous hockey schedule. Add to that my love of children and how I found out that I love to teach, what better job could I go after?
My horrifying surprise at what teachers today are taught about how to "teach" cannot be taken lightly. There are no "methods" classes, only "content" classes. These classes are intense in teaching us ways to learn to profile students so that a teacher may be better able to reach that child. By "profiling", I mean learning to observe a students physical features to determine which ethnicity they might be. Yes, racism, pure and simple. It took me about half way through my first class and a big bottle of Tylenol to finally figure out what the class was all about! When I figured it out, needless to say I was horrified! But figuring that out made the rest of the class and then subsequent classes go easier for me. I just didn't get what they were trying to teach.
Add to that that the curriculum that is used in schools today is so very scripted, that it leaves little room for a teacher to actually teach. The teachers I have talked to during observation all echo this frustration. They complain that everything is about The Test and have little or no time to actually teach. Teachers who have been in the schools and are ready to retire are only staying on for the last year until retirement. This sentiment was repeated throughout the schools, adding that they never would have gone into teaching today because they just can't teach.
It's with a heavy heart that I think about our teachers in the public school system that is in place today. The teachers have no choice, and follow the rules. The ones that don't follow the rules usually have kids who are really learning something, but their job is at stake.
Common Societal Beliefs About Homeschooling
There are certain common beliefs in our culture that are just accepted “as is”. Rarely do people challenge these beliefs, and if someone should challenge them, then those people are considered “weird”, strange” or the “fringe of society”.
We, as parents, of course want what’s best for our children. But sometimes it’s hard to see or do what’s best – especially if the negative side we are trying to protect our children from is either a gradual accumulation, or the negative is thought to be the norm.
Schooling for our children falls under these common beliefs. It is accepted that children go to school, whether public or private. Along with this belief about going to school is the common perception that schools know how to teach, and that schools know the best curriculum and books for our children. To have anything but this for your child’s education is looked upon as not doing the best by your child, and goes against these commonly-held societal beliefs.
We, as parents, of course want what’s best for our children. But sometimes it’s hard to see or do what’s best – especially if the negative side we are trying to protect our children from is either a gradual accumulation, or the negative is thought to be the norm.
Schooling for our children falls under these common beliefs. It is accepted that children go to school, whether public or private. Along with this belief about going to school is the common perception that schools know how to teach, and that schools know the best curriculum and books for our children. To have anything but this for your child’s education is looked upon as not doing the best by your child, and goes against these commonly-held societal beliefs.
My Story
If you don’t want to read my story, just skip this part. Some people like to know the person doing the writing, so I’m writing this for them.
So who am I and why am I writing this?
I am the parent of a very active 13-year old boy who is actually my grandson. I’ve had him since he was a baby, so he really IS my son! He loves ice hockey and chess, and has played/competed in both of these activities since he was 7.
This is the second time around for raising kids for me. I’m hoping I’ve learned from my mistakes or improved on other parenting techniques. I DO try, but I’m sure I still make many mistakes.
The first time around for kids for me was in the 1970s. Homeschooling was NOT legal in all 50 states. I actually do not know of any state where homeschooling even was legal then (Alaska maybe was, but I really don’t know). I had problems with the school system back then, too. I was never wealthy or even well off, so private school was rarely an option for me.
Now, mind you, my problems with the schools were mostly with the school SYSTEM, not the teachers, although I did have some problems with a couple of teachers. I was almost jailed in both the State of California and the State of Arizona for pulling my two boys out because of my dissatisfaction with the school SYSTEM. In Arizona when I asked the Superintendent what I could do to keep my kids out, he said I had to pass the teachers’ test. It was only given once a year (or something like that), but it just so happened that the test was being given the following week. I went down to Phoenix, paid the fee, took it, and passed it with flying colors. Whew! That gave me time to figure out what to do with my boys.
And now that I think about it, I’ll bet homeschooling was legal back then in Arizona IF the parent had a teacher’s certificate, because I wasn’t jailed or even threatened after I passed that test. Hmmm...
I did think about homeschooling during that time, but one of the main problems with parents who have never tried it is lack of confidence. And where does one get information about it? How would one go about it? Where does one get books and curriculum? Remember, this was the time before computers and the internet! Information was not readily available back then like it is today. And anyone who homeschooled was just unheard of.
Now, some of my main problems I had with public schooling were what was being taught. I didn’t agree with a lot of the material or the way a subject would be presented. Or, I would have problems with the school dictating to me what to do with my boys – like in kindergarten they had to go to the morning session because of where we lived, which presented a problem for me and my work schedule. And they wouldn’t work with me on that. Or giving one of my sons milk when he was allergic to it (“all growing children need milk!”) Yes, the dairy industry was in-your-face back then, too. I wasn’t even given the option to bring in a doctor’s note, either.
Okay, so it really boils down to if you are a bit different, have different values or beliefs, then you are rocking the boat and making the school upset. You become a piece of dust clogging up the gears that make the system run smoothly.
So fast forward to the year 2000. My outgoing and energetic son is in kindergarten in the public schools. In this grade he learned about drugs, weapons, sexual abuse, and “stranger danger”. He also learned a new “vocabulary”, but he didn’t learn how to defend himself against bullies. The teachers loved him. He got top grades.
In first grade, he was still increasing his “vocabulary”, still getting beat up by the bullies, and didn’t have any real friends at school because no one had the interests he did. He was still real popular with the kids in this grade because he did interesting things no one else did. But he did learn his math facts well and became a good reader. He was also still climbing trees and exploring the world outside around him. Again, the teachers loved him and he got top grades.
The third grade is where I was noticing the content of what he was learning in school. By third grade he was learning from the curriculum racism and how the U.S. was not “special” (“multiculturalism”), how not to like or get acquainted with someone he didn’t know, was afraid to try anything new, and was literally (by this time) consumed with safety. His exploration of his world literally came to a halt. It was also during this grade that he finally learned to fight back to protect himself. Because the teachers, principal and staff knew me well (I was there every day since kindergarten and worked daily on campus, too), they knew my opinions and knew better than to discipline my son. In fact, I was first to the principal’s office to demand something be done with the child my son beat up. My son was still on the honor roll this year and his teachers still loved him.
So fourth grade, now. By the end of the first week of school, I was “done” with public school. School had just started and already I was undoing what he was learning in school (like "why are people with dark skin bad?"). Plus, looking through his history and science texts I found that the information was so sketchy and general, he was bored to tears and simply not learning anything. He knew all the information that should have been written between the lines. So I decided to “do it right” this time by giving a date to the school when both of us would be quitting school. (Last two times in the ‘70s I was less than nice...)
And then I started researching on the internet... about homeschooling. The reason I chose to homeschool was twofold: financial (I certainly couldn’t afford tuition anywhere!); and the freedom to travel. Besides, I also had definite ideas about what I wanted my son to know. AND there were almost as many homeschoolers in our little county as there were kids enrolled in public school! My research taught me that homeschooling was indeed legal now; in fact, it had been legal in all 50 states since the year my son was born! Hallelujah!
So here we are... several years into our homeschooling experience and still LOVING it!
So who am I and why am I writing this?
I am the parent of a very active 13-year old boy who is actually my grandson. I’ve had him since he was a baby, so he really IS my son! He loves ice hockey and chess, and has played/competed in both of these activities since he was 7.
This is the second time around for raising kids for me. I’m hoping I’ve learned from my mistakes or improved on other parenting techniques. I DO try, but I’m sure I still make many mistakes.
The first time around for kids for me was in the 1970s. Homeschooling was NOT legal in all 50 states. I actually do not know of any state where homeschooling even was legal then (Alaska maybe was, but I really don’t know). I had problems with the school system back then, too. I was never wealthy or even well off, so private school was rarely an option for me.
Now, mind you, my problems with the schools were mostly with the school SYSTEM, not the teachers, although I did have some problems with a couple of teachers. I was almost jailed in both the State of California and the State of Arizona for pulling my two boys out because of my dissatisfaction with the school SYSTEM. In Arizona when I asked the Superintendent what I could do to keep my kids out, he said I had to pass the teachers’ test. It was only given once a year (or something like that), but it just so happened that the test was being given the following week. I went down to Phoenix, paid the fee, took it, and passed it with flying colors. Whew! That gave me time to figure out what to do with my boys.
And now that I think about it, I’ll bet homeschooling was legal back then in Arizona IF the parent had a teacher’s certificate, because I wasn’t jailed or even threatened after I passed that test. Hmmm...
I did think about homeschooling during that time, but one of the main problems with parents who have never tried it is lack of confidence. And where does one get information about it? How would one go about it? Where does one get books and curriculum? Remember, this was the time before computers and the internet! Information was not readily available back then like it is today. And anyone who homeschooled was just unheard of.
Now, some of my main problems I had with public schooling were what was being taught. I didn’t agree with a lot of the material or the way a subject would be presented. Or, I would have problems with the school dictating to me what to do with my boys – like in kindergarten they had to go to the morning session because of where we lived, which presented a problem for me and my work schedule. And they wouldn’t work with me on that. Or giving one of my sons milk when he was allergic to it (“all growing children need milk!”) Yes, the dairy industry was in-your-face back then, too. I wasn’t even given the option to bring in a doctor’s note, either.
Okay, so it really boils down to if you are a bit different, have different values or beliefs, then you are rocking the boat and making the school upset. You become a piece of dust clogging up the gears that make the system run smoothly.
So fast forward to the year 2000. My outgoing and energetic son is in kindergarten in the public schools. In this grade he learned about drugs, weapons, sexual abuse, and “stranger danger”. He also learned a new “vocabulary”, but he didn’t learn how to defend himself against bullies. The teachers loved him. He got top grades.
In first grade, he was still increasing his “vocabulary”, still getting beat up by the bullies, and didn’t have any real friends at school because no one had the interests he did. He was still real popular with the kids in this grade because he did interesting things no one else did. But he did learn his math facts well and became a good reader. He was also still climbing trees and exploring the world outside around him. Again, the teachers loved him and he got top grades.
The third grade is where I was noticing the content of what he was learning in school. By third grade he was learning from the curriculum racism and how the U.S. was not “special” (“multiculturalism”), how not to like or get acquainted with someone he didn’t know, was afraid to try anything new, and was literally (by this time) consumed with safety. His exploration of his world literally came to a halt. It was also during this grade that he finally learned to fight back to protect himself. Because the teachers, principal and staff knew me well (I was there every day since kindergarten and worked daily on campus, too), they knew my opinions and knew better than to discipline my son. In fact, I was first to the principal’s office to demand something be done with the child my son beat up. My son was still on the honor roll this year and his teachers still loved him.
So fourth grade, now. By the end of the first week of school, I was “done” with public school. School had just started and already I was undoing what he was learning in school (like "why are people with dark skin bad?"). Plus, looking through his history and science texts I found that the information was so sketchy and general, he was bored to tears and simply not learning anything. He knew all the information that should have been written between the lines. So I decided to “do it right” this time by giving a date to the school when both of us would be quitting school. (Last two times in the ‘70s I was less than nice...)
And then I started researching on the internet... about homeschooling. The reason I chose to homeschool was twofold: financial (I certainly couldn’t afford tuition anywhere!); and the freedom to travel. Besides, I also had definite ideas about what I wanted my son to know. AND there were almost as many homeschoolers in our little county as there were kids enrolled in public school! My research taught me that homeschooling was indeed legal now; in fact, it had been legal in all 50 states since the year my son was born! Hallelujah!
So here we are... several years into our homeschooling experience and still LOVING it!
Homeschooling in U.S.
There seems to be a growing movement in the U.S. of parents turning to homeschooling their children. According to Brian D. Ray, Ph.D., president of the National Home Education Research Institute, "There were an estimated 1,700,000 to 2,100,000 children (grades K-12) home educated during 2002-2003 in the United States. Homeschooling appears to still be the fastest-growing form of education." Dr. Ray goes on to say that homeschooling has constantly grown over the last two decades, the growth rate being 7% to 15% per year.
The figure Dr. Ray gives is probably small, too. If one takes into account that there are probably numerous families who have not registered or given official notification to their local state or school district that they will homeschool, then that figure could well be much higher. Also, the State of Alaska does not require homeschoolers to register or to give any notice, so that, too, will add to that figure of homeschool.
So why this growing number? Why are so many families opting for homeschooling? Why aren’t they just putting their kids into private or parochial schools if they’re unhappy with the public schools (which many of us would assume is the case)? I will try in the following pages to give some insight into this phenomenon of homeschooling with which to help you answer these questions for yourself.
When I talk about children in these pages, I am mostly referring to elementary school age children, not high schoolers. All of my experiences here are either first-hand or heard by me from teachers, parents and administrators. I have put in references for some things, but mainly this site is all anecdotal because these are my experiences -- and my opinions based on these experiences.
The figure Dr. Ray gives is probably small, too. If one takes into account that there are probably numerous families who have not registered or given official notification to their local state or school district that they will homeschool, then that figure could well be much higher. Also, the State of Alaska does not require homeschoolers to register or to give any notice, so that, too, will add to that figure of homeschool.
So why this growing number? Why are so many families opting for homeschooling? Why aren’t they just putting their kids into private or parochial schools if they’re unhappy with the public schools (which many of us would assume is the case)? I will try in the following pages to give some insight into this phenomenon of homeschooling with which to help you answer these questions for yourself.
When I talk about children in these pages, I am mostly referring to elementary school age children, not high schoolers. All of my experiences here are either first-hand or heard by me from teachers, parents and administrators. I have put in references for some things, but mainly this site is all anecdotal because these are my experiences -- and my opinions based on these experiences.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Homeschooling Thoughts...
I've been sitting here doing some thinking and reminiscing about homeschooling. For those of you who started homeschooling right from the beginning, I think you’re really lucky, because you don’t have to try to throw off or deprogram that public school mindset! Grrrr...
It’s nearly summer, and here I am going through the SAME THING again this spring... which is, my son has that old public school mindset of time: summer=no school. Granted, I plan on cutting back for the summer months because of other activities and travel, but I DO want him to continue to do reading, writing and math whenever possible. That’s not so much to ask for, I don’t think. Outside of reading (which I require 2 hours), the math and writing should only take an hour tops.
So here I am starting to butt heads with my public school mindset son – again. Frustrating!
I'm finding that *I* have lost a lot of the public school mindset (FINALLY!) of trying to echo public school. If all anyone knows is the public school (or private, for that matter, which basically mirrors the public schools), then one has no knowledge of any other way to educate, unless he digs in and does tons of research. It’s REALLY HARD to lose that mindset (for us, anyway!). Does that make sense?
And why, you might ask, would I want to lose that mindset? Public schooling is GREAT! Or is it?
Well, for one thing, education or learning doesn't take place just between certain set hours of a day and certain days of a week. Learning goes on 24/7.
And because I don't see any "education" going on in our schools! After almost three years of continual researching "how to educate", I'm pretty well convinced that there is no real education going on in our public schools. I want to EDUCATE my son, not just have him learn some fleeting basics to get by (or to learn to pass a test). I want him to KNOW EVERYTHING! LOL! Well, of course he can't know EVERYthing, but I want him to have a great foundation for life.
I don't feel textbooks are good; in fact, I believe they're horrible! Especially history textbooks. Why do the kids have textbooks, anyway? Why aren't they reading (or being read to) the ACTUAL documents of history? Or biographies or historical novels (getting a feel for people, places and things of a time period)?
Workbooks -- oh, my! Fill-in-the-blank and that's how you learn? With the exception of grammar, I just can't see learning how to read, write, and grasp concepts of history or science. It's almost like busy-work -- no real substantive learning. The kids MIGHT grasp snippets of info, but absolutely nothing in depth.
And then there's the "politically correct" garbage. "Multiculturalism" for a big one. I can't remember all the others I was shocked at seeing, but a lot of the school day is spent on pc stuff. Oh, yeah -- "stranger danger", drugs, weapons, "lock down", feelings, racism (how NOT to be, therefore teaching it), etc.
Here’s another thought I’m seeing by me losing that mindset:
I feel like the people involved in public school are really pretty uneducated and very narrowly set in their ways when it comes to *real* education – and missing SO MUCH! True, I know several people who currently teach in the public school system (my brother for one) who feel the same as I do -- EXCEPT they are so entrenched in the “system” that they just can’t see beyond it to help themselves in their goals as teachers. (Actually, I’m not so sure that they could do anything about it even if they could see beyond the “system”.) Sad, because they’re great teachers. And because of the way they were taught to BE a teacher, unless they remove themselves from what they were taught, they just can't see WHAT they were taught, therefore continuing the cylce of "schooling" and not "educating". My brother has some great ideas, complains about the system, but just can't completely see outside the system to truly teach like he wants to. Does that make sense? It's hard for me to try to explain.
The other day, I saw more of public school “education” with my son’s friends (one in a supposedly excellent private school). I stood looking in disbelief. It was like my son’s education was “serious” and his friends’ were frivolous busyness – very little substance, you might say.
Does anyone else feel this way? Or is this just a stage I’m going through? I just have such a different perception of education now. And I mean “education”, not “schooling”. I see the two as so different now!
I rarely look to see what the public schools are doing any more (I used to for reference -- is he doing "enough"?), and now go by my “gut instinct” and by Derek’s lead in his interests. I’ve always had an idea of what “education” SHOULD be, and have stuck with it, with GREAT results so far. And I’m finding I’m not alone in my instincts – in fact, I’m being validated all over the place in things I read and hear, both in books, online and in person. Which gives me confidence to dump that public school mindset.
Here's one example of what I'm talking about:
Kids "in school" are told to read 20 minutes or so a day. Do they? Probably not. I know there are some parents that have their kid read a bit now and then, but not on a regular basis. And there MUST be some parents somewhere who DO have their kids read all the time. But I'll bet not from any of the classics! And has anyone looked at all the new books put out for kids? They are so hyped up with politcally correct garbage! My favorite that comes to mind are the Junie B books. Horrible! Well, the one I read had kind of a cute story, but the grammar! Oh, my! Slang for kids to read in second grade! How in the world are kids -- still learning to read, still learning grammar, still learning to write -- going to "get it" if the books they read don't set a good example? And as for vocabulary -- forget it! There were no new words to look up or learn in my opinion. Just basic every-day words.
Derek (my son) complained last year about the kids in his Sunday School class. He said they could barely read. I talked with some of the parents after his class (not about that, just in general about where the kids went to school, grades, etc.), and most of the kids in his class were top students. Wow.
And what does Derek read that makes him better than his peers? Old classics. I don't mean rewritten, edited or abridged, I mean the original books. Let me tell you, the old books are gems! The sentence structure plus the vocabulary are HARD (even for me)! And he's reading them just fine. And his verbal and written communication is impressive, too -- complex sentences for his age and a pretty good vocabulary. I attribute it all to his reading. I doubt that ANY of his friends could read the books he read even two years ago! Yes, they're that hard compared to what his friends can read. But then the reading that his friends are limited to are a few paragraphs out of a textbook -- MAYBE a "chapter" book along the simple lines of Junie B. (where did that new buzz phrase come from, anyway? "Chapter book", good grief! Except for picture books for the non- or very beginning reader, aren't ALL books "chapter" books?). I'm sure there are some new good books out there for kids, but I just haven't found any -- nor have I looked for any lately.
Yet, all of these classic books were required reading decades ago -- maybe 100 years ago. Why aren't kids reading them any more? These old books that everyone used to have to read, tells where mankind has been, where we've come, and can maybe tell us where we're going. Also, MUCH higher morals!! How can a child, once an adult, have an intelligent conversation? Will any of our kids be able to quote or talk about some of the great writers and thinkers throughout history when they grow up? Will they be able to THINK about ideas, or apply great ideas or ways to solve life's problems to their every-day lives? I doubt it.
I have a feeling we're producing a very in-the-moment, immediate gratification, shallow feeling generation of people, who have no idea where humanity has been or why -- and who doesn't care. It's scary.
Derek just turned 12. He's reading Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Conan Doyle this week. And loving it!
It’s nearly summer, and here I am going through the SAME THING again this spring... which is, my son has that old public school mindset of time: summer=no school. Granted, I plan on cutting back for the summer months because of other activities and travel, but I DO want him to continue to do reading, writing and math whenever possible. That’s not so much to ask for, I don’t think. Outside of reading (which I require 2 hours), the math and writing should only take an hour tops.
So here I am starting to butt heads with my public school mindset son – again. Frustrating!
I'm finding that *I* have lost a lot of the public school mindset (FINALLY!) of trying to echo public school. If all anyone knows is the public school (or private, for that matter, which basically mirrors the public schools), then one has no knowledge of any other way to educate, unless he digs in and does tons of research. It’s REALLY HARD to lose that mindset (for us, anyway!). Does that make sense?
And why, you might ask, would I want to lose that mindset? Public schooling is GREAT! Or is it?
Well, for one thing, education or learning doesn't take place just between certain set hours of a day and certain days of a week. Learning goes on 24/7.
And because I don't see any "education" going on in our schools! After almost three years of continual researching "how to educate", I'm pretty well convinced that there is no real education going on in our public schools. I want to EDUCATE my son, not just have him learn some fleeting basics to get by (or to learn to pass a test). I want him to KNOW EVERYTHING! LOL! Well, of course he can't know EVERYthing, but I want him to have a great foundation for life.
I don't feel textbooks are good; in fact, I believe they're horrible! Especially history textbooks. Why do the kids have textbooks, anyway? Why aren't they reading (or being read to) the ACTUAL documents of history? Or biographies or historical novels (getting a feel for people, places and things of a time period)?
Workbooks -- oh, my! Fill-in-the-blank and that's how you learn? With the exception of grammar, I just can't see learning how to read, write, and grasp concepts of history or science. It's almost like busy-work -- no real substantive learning. The kids MIGHT grasp snippets of info, but absolutely nothing in depth.
And then there's the "politically correct" garbage. "Multiculturalism" for a big one. I can't remember all the others I was shocked at seeing, but a lot of the school day is spent on pc stuff. Oh, yeah -- "stranger danger", drugs, weapons, "lock down", feelings, racism (how NOT to be, therefore teaching it), etc.
Here’s another thought I’m seeing by me losing that mindset:
I feel like the people involved in public school are really pretty uneducated and very narrowly set in their ways when it comes to *real* education – and missing SO MUCH! True, I know several people who currently teach in the public school system (my brother for one) who feel the same as I do -- EXCEPT they are so entrenched in the “system” that they just can’t see beyond it to help themselves in their goals as teachers. (Actually, I’m not so sure that they could do anything about it even if they could see beyond the “system”.) Sad, because they’re great teachers. And because of the way they were taught to BE a teacher, unless they remove themselves from what they were taught, they just can't see WHAT they were taught, therefore continuing the cylce of "schooling" and not "educating". My brother has some great ideas, complains about the system, but just can't completely see outside the system to truly teach like he wants to. Does that make sense? It's hard for me to try to explain.
The other day, I saw more of public school “education” with my son’s friends (one in a supposedly excellent private school). I stood looking in disbelief. It was like my son’s education was “serious” and his friends’ were frivolous busyness – very little substance, you might say.
Does anyone else feel this way? Or is this just a stage I’m going through? I just have such a different perception of education now. And I mean “education”, not “schooling”. I see the two as so different now!
I rarely look to see what the public schools are doing any more (I used to for reference -- is he doing "enough"?), and now go by my “gut instinct” and by Derek’s lead in his interests. I’ve always had an idea of what “education” SHOULD be, and have stuck with it, with GREAT results so far. And I’m finding I’m not alone in my instincts – in fact, I’m being validated all over the place in things I read and hear, both in books, online and in person. Which gives me confidence to dump that public school mindset.
Here's one example of what I'm talking about:
Kids "in school" are told to read 20 minutes or so a day. Do they? Probably not. I know there are some parents that have their kid read a bit now and then, but not on a regular basis. And there MUST be some parents somewhere who DO have their kids read all the time. But I'll bet not from any of the classics! And has anyone looked at all the new books put out for kids? They are so hyped up with politcally correct garbage! My favorite that comes to mind are the Junie B books. Horrible! Well, the one I read had kind of a cute story, but the grammar! Oh, my! Slang for kids to read in second grade! How in the world are kids -- still learning to read, still learning grammar, still learning to write -- going to "get it" if the books they read don't set a good example? And as for vocabulary -- forget it! There were no new words to look up or learn in my opinion. Just basic every-day words.
Derek (my son) complained last year about the kids in his Sunday School class. He said they could barely read. I talked with some of the parents after his class (not about that, just in general about where the kids went to school, grades, etc.), and most of the kids in his class were top students. Wow.
And what does Derek read that makes him better than his peers? Old classics. I don't mean rewritten, edited or abridged, I mean the original books. Let me tell you, the old books are gems! The sentence structure plus the vocabulary are HARD (even for me)! And he's reading them just fine. And his verbal and written communication is impressive, too -- complex sentences for his age and a pretty good vocabulary. I attribute it all to his reading. I doubt that ANY of his friends could read the books he read even two years ago! Yes, they're that hard compared to what his friends can read. But then the reading that his friends are limited to are a few paragraphs out of a textbook -- MAYBE a "chapter" book along the simple lines of Junie B. (where did that new buzz phrase come from, anyway? "Chapter book", good grief! Except for picture books for the non- or very beginning reader, aren't ALL books "chapter" books?). I'm sure there are some new good books out there for kids, but I just haven't found any -- nor have I looked for any lately.
Yet, all of these classic books were required reading decades ago -- maybe 100 years ago. Why aren't kids reading them any more? These old books that everyone used to have to read, tells where mankind has been, where we've come, and can maybe tell us where we're going. Also, MUCH higher morals!! How can a child, once an adult, have an intelligent conversation? Will any of our kids be able to quote or talk about some of the great writers and thinkers throughout history when they grow up? Will they be able to THINK about ideas, or apply great ideas or ways to solve life's problems to their every-day lives? I doubt it.
I have a feeling we're producing a very in-the-moment, immediate gratification, shallow feeling generation of people, who have no idea where humanity has been or why -- and who doesn't care. It's scary.
Derek just turned 12. He's reading Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Conan Doyle this week. And loving it!
California Goes Berserk! Part 2
The third California law that changed has to do with homeschooling. So that's why a separate entry in this blog.
A couple of months ago, a Los Angeles appellate judge handed down his opinion in a case against a homeschooling family. Although not the best family to represent homeschoolers (apparently the family has its problems), the judge, ALSO handed down his opinion about homeschooling.
Which, in effect, changed the way homeschooling is done is California.
Now, technically, there is no such thing as homeschooling in California. There are several ways a parent can school their child(ren) at home, and the most popular way is for a parent to sign up as a private school. Another popular way is to be under an "umbrella school", which is basically being enrolled in a private school, but the children do the school work at home under the supervision of their parents. The latter is what this homeschooling family was doing.
This judge basically said that any parent who is schooling their child at home has to have a teaching credential. So the homeschoolers in California (and across the nation) are now upset -- with many being in a panic.
The national homeschool organization Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) got involved in this case after thoroughly looking at it. Several California homeschool organizations also did the same. Now all of them are working together to depublish the case so that California homeschoolers can continue as they were.
You can read about this on HSLDA's web site here: http://hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=4831
Now, this has really unsettled me -- this and that new law that Schwarzenegger just recently signed into law about *having* to teach alternative lifestyles equally with mom/dad/marriage/heterosexual (or face hefty fines and/or jail time!) in the public schools. This was one of the major issues the judge had in this case, that the family was ONLY teaching Christian values. After all the investment (time and money and emotional committment) I’ve now put into homeschooling, and feeling safe and secure in doing so, I feel like I’m back in the ‘70s again with this ruling. I think I'm going to see about getting a teaching credential just to be on the safe side in case this has repercussions across the states. There are so many people out there anyway who would like to see homeschooling outlawed again across the nation, and many of them are very verbal and antagonistic. This ruling only gives them fuel for their fire.
Add to that, there are people in California pushing for an "anti-spanking" law. Sweden has one, I understand, but their culture is a bit different than ours, and I think that it's not working great there, either. Anyway, the bill in California was introduced last year. I just did some research on that spanking law because I didn't remember if it was ever passed. That spanking law was rejected. But apparently just having it introduced has caused some social workers and people to try and enforce it! There are laws on the books in California, but it's for actual beating and abuse -- and they've been there a long time.
Now this is what worries me: the mindset of people, especially social workers. By having the judge overturn homeschooling in California, and also by having that anti-spanking law introduced, there will be people who remember these NOT as being introduced or over overturned, but as being actual law.
A friend told me, "A friend was turned in over the spanking issue, and the social worker said an open hand to the rear was the only legal way." See, this is the perfect example of someone incorporating an introduced -- but controversial -- bill into their thinking (although erroneously) and believing that it passed. That bill stated that even an open-hand swat would be illegal (to kids under 3 or 4). There's nothing actually on the books about "open-hand" at all that I found.
From the chatter on the internet of people, parents and attorneys, it seems the general consensus is that as of that ruling, even though from a lower court, parents having their kids schooled at home is now illegal in California unless the parent is a certified teacher -- even though the ruling is being appealed. In other words, anyone schooling their kids at home, even under an umbrella school with certified teachers, can now find themselves in trouble – unless at least one of the parents holds a teaching credential. Just as with that spanking bill, I can now see social workers going after homeschoolers to see if the parents are credentialed teachers -- even if the ruling is overturned at the State Supreme Court level. A very dangerous atmosphere for homeschoolers in California has now been created in my opinion!
Upon hearing the judge's opinion, the governor of California came out publicly and said, Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children's education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts and if the courts don't protect parents' rights then, as elected officials, we will.
BRAVO FOR ARNOLD! Sometimes he does surprise me... especially his wording about protecting parents' rights. 'Course, then he'll do something really stupid, like signing that "alternative lifestyles" bill... Hmmmm... just got to thinking... for the governor to take a public stand on this, will that affect the case? You know, undue influence or something? Is this a trial with a jury? Not sure how this works...
Okay, here's another tidbit about the schools in California:
Did you hear that Arnold cut $40 BILLION from the education budget??? My sister-in-law, who is director of the music program for the Capistrano School District, has just lost her job. She was very optimistic, though, saying they would assign her as a principal at a school -- and you know what? She was right! Hallaluja! But it does make me wonder who DID have to go... Music, can you believe that?
Here in New Mexico we're just plodding along... whew! But with California being a huge state, this could mean repercussions across the nation for all of us homeschoolers. So we need to be hyper-alert about anything going on in our own legislatures.
A couple of months ago, a Los Angeles appellate judge handed down his opinion in a case against a homeschooling family. Although not the best family to represent homeschoolers (apparently the family has its problems), the judge, ALSO handed down his opinion about homeschooling.
Which, in effect, changed the way homeschooling is done is California.
Now, technically, there is no such thing as homeschooling in California. There are several ways a parent can school their child(ren) at home, and the most popular way is for a parent to sign up as a private school. Another popular way is to be under an "umbrella school", which is basically being enrolled in a private school, but the children do the school work at home under the supervision of their parents. The latter is what this homeschooling family was doing.
This judge basically said that any parent who is schooling their child at home has to have a teaching credential. So the homeschoolers in California (and across the nation) are now upset -- with many being in a panic.
The national homeschool organization Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) got involved in this case after thoroughly looking at it. Several California homeschool organizations also did the same. Now all of them are working together to depublish the case so that California homeschoolers can continue as they were.
You can read about this on HSLDA's web site here: http://hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=4831
Now, this has really unsettled me -- this and that new law that Schwarzenegger just recently signed into law about *having* to teach alternative lifestyles equally with mom/dad/marriage/heterosexual (or face hefty fines and/or jail time!) in the public schools. This was one of the major issues the judge had in this case, that the family was ONLY teaching Christian values. After all the investment (time and money and emotional committment) I’ve now put into homeschooling, and feeling safe and secure in doing so, I feel like I’m back in the ‘70s again with this ruling. I think I'm going to see about getting a teaching credential just to be on the safe side in case this has repercussions across the states. There are so many people out there anyway who would like to see homeschooling outlawed again across the nation, and many of them are very verbal and antagonistic. This ruling only gives them fuel for their fire.
Add to that, there are people in California pushing for an "anti-spanking" law. Sweden has one, I understand, but their culture is a bit different than ours, and I think that it's not working great there, either. Anyway, the bill in California was introduced last year. I just did some research on that spanking law because I didn't remember if it was ever passed. That spanking law was rejected. But apparently just having it introduced has caused some social workers and people to try and enforce it! There are laws on the books in California, but it's for actual beating and abuse -- and they've been there a long time.
Now this is what worries me: the mindset of people, especially social workers. By having the judge overturn homeschooling in California, and also by having that anti-spanking law introduced, there will be people who remember these NOT as being introduced or over overturned, but as being actual law.
A friend told me, "A friend was turned in over the spanking issue, and the social worker said an open hand to the rear was the only legal way." See, this is the perfect example of someone incorporating an introduced -- but controversial -- bill into their thinking (although erroneously) and believing that it passed. That bill stated that even an open-hand swat would be illegal (to kids under 3 or 4). There's nothing actually on the books about "open-hand" at all that I found.
From the chatter on the internet of people, parents and attorneys, it seems the general consensus is that as of that ruling, even though from a lower court, parents having their kids schooled at home is now illegal in California unless the parent is a certified teacher -- even though the ruling is being appealed. In other words, anyone schooling their kids at home, even under an umbrella school with certified teachers, can now find themselves in trouble – unless at least one of the parents holds a teaching credential. Just as with that spanking bill, I can now see social workers going after homeschoolers to see if the parents are credentialed teachers -- even if the ruling is overturned at the State Supreme Court level. A very dangerous atmosphere for homeschoolers in California has now been created in my opinion!
Upon hearing the judge's opinion, the governor of California came out publicly and said, Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children's education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts and if the courts don't protect parents' rights then, as elected officials, we will.
BRAVO FOR ARNOLD! Sometimes he does surprise me... especially his wording about protecting parents' rights. 'Course, then he'll do something really stupid, like signing that "alternative lifestyles" bill... Hmmmm... just got to thinking... for the governor to take a public stand on this, will that affect the case? You know, undue influence or something? Is this a trial with a jury? Not sure how this works...
Okay, here's another tidbit about the schools in California:
Did you hear that Arnold cut $40 BILLION from the education budget??? My sister-in-law, who is director of the music program for the Capistrano School District, has just lost her job. She was very optimistic, though, saying they would assign her as a principal at a school -- and you know what? She was right! Hallaluja! But it does make me wonder who DID have to go... Music, can you believe that?
Here in New Mexico we're just plodding along... whew! But with California being a huge state, this could mean repercussions across the nation for all of us homeschoolers. So we need to be hyper-alert about anything going on in our own legislatures.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Cleaning!!!
Okay, I have got WAAAAAYYYY too many books! I'm on a cleaning rampage here, going through each and every book. Have found duplicates -- more than I care to admit to (doesn't that show how unorganized my books are??) -- plus ones that I'm saying to myself, "Why did I buy THIS?" Obviously, those books just don't relate to me any more.
I've also got books that people have given to me that I just don't have any interest in. Now, all of that doesn't sound like it adds up to many books, but let me tell you, I've got a huge stack here that I'm still listing on eBay like crazy!
I have one new shelf up, and plan to get others. Outside of our school books (which are very organized), I am determined to get ALL the books organized. We still have about a dozen boxes of books in the storage unit that I have to pull out and go through.
If anyone's interested in the books, I've got them all listed on eBay -- Click Here to see them!
I've also got books that people have given to me that I just don't have any interest in. Now, all of that doesn't sound like it adds up to many books, but let me tell you, I've got a huge stack here that I'm still listing on eBay like crazy!
I have one new shelf up, and plan to get others. Outside of our school books (which are very organized), I am determined to get ALL the books organized. We still have about a dozen boxes of books in the storage unit that I have to pull out and go through.
If anyone's interested in the books, I've got them all listed on eBay -- Click Here to see them!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Starting School
I can't believe we left my son's main box of school books in Anaheim!! They are being UPS'd to us.
In the meantime, I'm rethinking his English. We have been using Warniner's. It's EXCELLENT, BUT -- very DRY. So I've ordered Jensen's to try that out. It's supposed to be more interesting to the kids, but still excellent. We'll see, and I'll let all of you know.
It's hard getting back into a routine of school. Even though we only took a month off for hockey camps, that one month seems to make a HUGE difference. We're both rather chaotic.
In the meantime, I'm rethinking his English. We have been using Warniner's. It's EXCELLENT, BUT -- very DRY. So I've ordered Jensen's to try that out. It's supposed to be more interesting to the kids, but still excellent. We'll see, and I'll let all of you know.
It's hard getting back into a routine of school. Even though we only took a month off for hockey camps, that one month seems to make a HUGE difference. We're both rather chaotic.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Fall Is Here!
Well, here it is Fall already! I can feel it in the air, and some of the trees have started turning. I just love this time of year! That crispness in the air and driving along the roads with flame-colored leaves parting as I drive gives me back that awe that I had when I first moved here and now take for granted.
Along with Fall comes school again. Well, we actually started August 1. "Start" to me means we start whole lessons in math. During the summer we did 2 or 3 division problems a couple of times a week because he didn't get the concept. And he was always writing almost every day in his "personal" journal, and, of course, I made him read daily. And, of course, "daily" is another of those words that is relative. :)
We did a lot of traveling again this summer. We stayed at my mom's house in California and from there traveled up and down the coast. We camped on the beaches, went to the San Diego Zoo, saw San Francisco and Fisherman's Wharf and rode the cable cars. We also saw the Monterey Aquarium (awesome! I highly recommend it!!) and on the way back down saw sea lions and otter in the kelp off the beaches. In all of this Derek learned a lot, of course. It seems simplistic, but it's travel like this that put him ahead in history, geography and science when he was in public school.
Derek now knows how to swim pretty well and is a beginning diver! Hooray! He learned to surf the waves on a boogie board, too. Being raised in California where it seems EVERYbody knows how to swim, I was a little concerned that Derek wasn't a swimmer. Swimming is not an "extra" to maybe learn; it's a REQUIREMENT in my humble opinion!
So now we've started school. Compared to last year, I am much more calm and sure of myself. When we first started we both were questioning whether Derek was learning anything -- or "enough". I guess it's all the busywork that makes one feel the kids are getting lots of learning. In our home school, we don't do "busywork" or even worksheets. Well, worksheets for math every now and then to help with a concept. But other than that, no busywork.
I use the Robinson Curriculum, but with history being taught in the Classical method -- which means history is taught chronologically. And history is basically taught through reading. Derek reads from a book on the book list for 2 hours every day, writes one page in cursive, and does one lesson in math. I have added to his writing this year by having him do a lesson in grammar (about 10 minutes) and have him do a paragraph of copywork for penmanship practice (plus a list of about 4 or 5 words that he has trouble forming). One day a week that copywork is dictation instead. I feel this is another method of helping him to focus to be able to follow directions. He's doing MUCH BETTER at following directions! The copywork is also from poetry and a science text, so he's getting exposed to those (science for basic concepts like how plants pollinate). His penmanship has GREATLY improved since I incorporated those singled-out words for him to practice! I still read to him at night before bedtime, and that includes short-story books on his reading list (like Aesop's), history (Story of the World with the Bible), and learning about the Church.
The reason I'm much calmer and more confident this year is because I see that he's on target with math and way above reading level (always was above in reading, but now he's REALLY above reading level!). This summer I was looking at Language Arts texts and books that the kids are reading for his grade level in public school, and oh my gosh! Those texts and books all look so babyish for his age! Really gives me confidence to see that!
Science in public school is a joke to us, as all they do is have baby-type stories about animals and such. We subscribe to Ranger Rick and Discovery Kids where he learns much more about science stuff than he would ever even be exposed to in school. Plus, we travel. I don't understand how kids his age are expected to do science experiments; they don't know enough math yet. Maybe a rock collection or something I can see. But an actual experiment? I think until higher math is learned, all any science experiment can be is a project about observation.
Until next time!
Along with Fall comes school again. Well, we actually started August 1. "Start" to me means we start whole lessons in math. During the summer we did 2 or 3 division problems a couple of times a week because he didn't get the concept. And he was always writing almost every day in his "personal" journal, and, of course, I made him read daily. And, of course, "daily" is another of those words that is relative. :)
We did a lot of traveling again this summer. We stayed at my mom's house in California and from there traveled up and down the coast. We camped on the beaches, went to the San Diego Zoo, saw San Francisco and Fisherman's Wharf and rode the cable cars. We also saw the Monterey Aquarium (awesome! I highly recommend it!!) and on the way back down saw sea lions and otter in the kelp off the beaches. In all of this Derek learned a lot, of course. It seems simplistic, but it's travel like this that put him ahead in history, geography and science when he was in public school.
Derek now knows how to swim pretty well and is a beginning diver! Hooray! He learned to surf the waves on a boogie board, too. Being raised in California where it seems EVERYbody knows how to swim, I was a little concerned that Derek wasn't a swimmer. Swimming is not an "extra" to maybe learn; it's a REQUIREMENT in my humble opinion!
So now we've started school. Compared to last year, I am much more calm and sure of myself. When we first started we both were questioning whether Derek was learning anything -- or "enough". I guess it's all the busywork that makes one feel the kids are getting lots of learning. In our home school, we don't do "busywork" or even worksheets. Well, worksheets for math every now and then to help with a concept. But other than that, no busywork.
I use the Robinson Curriculum, but with history being taught in the Classical method -- which means history is taught chronologically. And history is basically taught through reading. Derek reads from a book on the book list for 2 hours every day, writes one page in cursive, and does one lesson in math. I have added to his writing this year by having him do a lesson in grammar (about 10 minutes) and have him do a paragraph of copywork for penmanship practice (plus a list of about 4 or 5 words that he has trouble forming). One day a week that copywork is dictation instead. I feel this is another method of helping him to focus to be able to follow directions. He's doing MUCH BETTER at following directions! The copywork is also from poetry and a science text, so he's getting exposed to those (science for basic concepts like how plants pollinate). His penmanship has GREATLY improved since I incorporated those singled-out words for him to practice! I still read to him at night before bedtime, and that includes short-story books on his reading list (like Aesop's), history (Story of the World with the Bible), and learning about the Church.
The reason I'm much calmer and more confident this year is because I see that he's on target with math and way above reading level (always was above in reading, but now he's REALLY above reading level!). This summer I was looking at Language Arts texts and books that the kids are reading for his grade level in public school, and oh my gosh! Those texts and books all look so babyish for his age! Really gives me confidence to see that!
Science in public school is a joke to us, as all they do is have baby-type stories about animals and such. We subscribe to Ranger Rick and Discovery Kids where he learns much more about science stuff than he would ever even be exposed to in school. Plus, we travel. I don't understand how kids his age are expected to do science experiments; they don't know enough math yet. Maybe a rock collection or something I can see. But an actual experiment? I think until higher math is learned, all any science experiment can be is a project about observation.
Until next time!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Homeschooling: The Beginning
We are now homeschoolers!
I'm sure everyone has lots of questions/criticisms. The first that most people bring up is the socialization "problem".
Well, come on, now. Didn't you read my other posts? Do you REALLY think I want my son socialized that way? And I ceretainly don't want him forced into thinking he has to be friends with those types of kids! Or thinking that those kids' behaviors and attitudes are okay!
But think about it. My son is active in hockey and chess (where he DOES have friends he likes and I like, and they're of varying ages, too). The only thing we have changed is the physical place where he does his schooling.
Plus, with all our travel and outings, he meets LOTS of people -- of ALL ages, too! He's finally learning to greet people, now, too (something he never did before). And his behavior and attitude is 1000% better!
If socialization is such a big deal, why do teachers at school always tell the kids that they're not there to socialize?
What is so great about having kids segregated by age? Are they only supposed to socialize with the same age? How will they learn to be friends with people not their age? We don't do it in the adult world, so why teach socialization only by age? Isn't that rather prejudiced in thinking?
Yes, I've really re-thought my position on socialization and think it's a rather quick non-thought-out judgment. Actually, if I think about it, my former position was an opinion based on NO thought. It was kind of like "that's what you're supposed to think" judgment.
Okay, on to the next. So what do I teach him and how?
One thing I noticed in school -- the kids are not learning to problem solve. It's basically data-in, data-out. I want my son to learn to problem solve. That was step one for me.
Step two was WHAT to teach. Of course, the three R's -- reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic.
So what I'm doing is having him read the lessons in his math book, follow those directions (which I'm finding he has a hard time following directions), and then work the problems.
I have him write EVERY day. Sometimes I'll have him do copywork from a quality book, or memorize a saying or quote. And a couple of times a week we work out of a good English grammar book.
Then he reads for a couple of hours every day. Now the reading is important because this is covering history, science and social studies (plus reading and literature, of course!).
He talks with me about what he reads -- and voluntarily, too, so I know he's understanding what he reads. He uses a dictionary as he reads, and he has a list of vocabulary words he has to learn. We do games with vocabulary.
A lot of science and history is observational. We love to travel, and travel is (always has) been an education in science and history. He was always advanced at school because of our travels, believe it or not. So something as simple and fun as traveling I'm realizing is extremely educational!
But other things as simple as looking up in books to identify and learn about birds, insects and plants, helping with our chickens, helping plant a garden are also science education. These are voluntary things with him, as he loves doing all that anyway. The reference books have always been available to him, and he's always used them. I don't need to structure that into his day.
We also have always read the newspaper together (and watched the news together), so he's pretty current on current events. We have always had lots of discussions about what's going on in the world, too.
We still also read at night. I've incorporated other things into our reading time now. One is teaching history chronologically. We're reading books by Susan Bauer that teach history chronologically.
One real plus for me is now being able to incorporate our religion into his school. It's actually making me make a point of it now. We are Orthodox, so we are now learning about the Saints, Feast Days, and the Sacraments of the Church during our nightly readings. It is SO NICE to be able to be free to do this! Morals and hope, righteous living -- all this is such a gap in the public schools! Actually, it's against the law to teach any religious slant in school -- well, except when it comes to Christmas time, the teachers (under "multiculturalism") HAVE to teach about other major religions and what they do during this time. Which is fine with me because I, personally, find it fascinating how other people believe. But this may be a problem with a lot of parents who don't want their kids exposed to anything BUT their own religion. But public schools are absolutely aspiritual. Which may be one of the major problems with our kids nowadays.
Our schedule is:
Get dressed and eat breakfast
Chores (chickens, animals)
School work
It's as simple as that! He's done with school by about noon, 1:00. Then he has the rest of the day to do as he pleases.
One other thing we do: no TV on during the day. He has to use his imagination to amuse himself. This was extremely hard for him at first because he wasn't very used to entertaining himeself! A rather enlightening revelation for me, to say the least!
I've never allowed video games in the house. I've always felt those are brain wasters. He is allowed to use his computer after he's done with his school, but again, I don't allow games unless they're educational. He has chess, typing and some Reader Rabbit or Learning Adventure type of software on his computer only.
Okay, so back to my original question of what does homeschooling have to do with traveling? EVERYTHING! Probably the biggest perk for us is being able to just take off whenever we like -- AND TAKE SCHOOL WITH US! It is so awesome! We now keep a travel book, too, and he has to write a kind of report of everywhere we go or anything we see. He puts in all his souvenirs in that book, too, so it's becoming very interesting to look through it! Plus we put in photos, of course, too. It's lots of fun!
Until next time!
I'm sure everyone has lots of questions/criticisms. The first that most people bring up is the socialization "problem".
Well, come on, now. Didn't you read my other posts? Do you REALLY think I want my son socialized that way? And I ceretainly don't want him forced into thinking he has to be friends with those types of kids! Or thinking that those kids' behaviors and attitudes are okay!
But think about it. My son is active in hockey and chess (where he DOES have friends he likes and I like, and they're of varying ages, too). The only thing we have changed is the physical place where he does his schooling.
Plus, with all our travel and outings, he meets LOTS of people -- of ALL ages, too! He's finally learning to greet people, now, too (something he never did before). And his behavior and attitude is 1000% better!
If socialization is such a big deal, why do teachers at school always tell the kids that they're not there to socialize?
What is so great about having kids segregated by age? Are they only supposed to socialize with the same age? How will they learn to be friends with people not their age? We don't do it in the adult world, so why teach socialization only by age? Isn't that rather prejudiced in thinking?
Yes, I've really re-thought my position on socialization and think it's a rather quick non-thought-out judgment. Actually, if I think about it, my former position was an opinion based on NO thought. It was kind of like "that's what you're supposed to think" judgment.
Okay, on to the next. So what do I teach him and how?
One thing I noticed in school -- the kids are not learning to problem solve. It's basically data-in, data-out. I want my son to learn to problem solve. That was step one for me.
Step two was WHAT to teach. Of course, the three R's -- reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic.
So what I'm doing is having him read the lessons in his math book, follow those directions (which I'm finding he has a hard time following directions), and then work the problems.
I have him write EVERY day. Sometimes I'll have him do copywork from a quality book, or memorize a saying or quote. And a couple of times a week we work out of a good English grammar book.
Then he reads for a couple of hours every day. Now the reading is important because this is covering history, science and social studies (plus reading and literature, of course!).
He talks with me about what he reads -- and voluntarily, too, so I know he's understanding what he reads. He uses a dictionary as he reads, and he has a list of vocabulary words he has to learn. We do games with vocabulary.
A lot of science and history is observational. We love to travel, and travel is (always has) been an education in science and history. He was always advanced at school because of our travels, believe it or not. So something as simple and fun as traveling I'm realizing is extremely educational!
But other things as simple as looking up in books to identify and learn about birds, insects and plants, helping with our chickens, helping plant a garden are also science education. These are voluntary things with him, as he loves doing all that anyway. The reference books have always been available to him, and he's always used them. I don't need to structure that into his day.
We also have always read the newspaper together (and watched the news together), so he's pretty current on current events. We have always had lots of discussions about what's going on in the world, too.
We still also read at night. I've incorporated other things into our reading time now. One is teaching history chronologically. We're reading books by Susan Bauer that teach history chronologically.
One real plus for me is now being able to incorporate our religion into his school. It's actually making me make a point of it now. We are Orthodox, so we are now learning about the Saints, Feast Days, and the Sacraments of the Church during our nightly readings. It is SO NICE to be able to be free to do this! Morals and hope, righteous living -- all this is such a gap in the public schools! Actually, it's against the law to teach any religious slant in school -- well, except when it comes to Christmas time, the teachers (under "multiculturalism") HAVE to teach about other major religions and what they do during this time. Which is fine with me because I, personally, find it fascinating how other people believe. But this may be a problem with a lot of parents who don't want their kids exposed to anything BUT their own religion. But public schools are absolutely aspiritual. Which may be one of the major problems with our kids nowadays.
Our schedule is:
Get dressed and eat breakfast
Chores (chickens, animals)
School work
It's as simple as that! He's done with school by about noon, 1:00. Then he has the rest of the day to do as he pleases.
One other thing we do: no TV on during the day. He has to use his imagination to amuse himself. This was extremely hard for him at first because he wasn't very used to entertaining himeself! A rather enlightening revelation for me, to say the least!
I've never allowed video games in the house. I've always felt those are brain wasters. He is allowed to use his computer after he's done with his school, but again, I don't allow games unless they're educational. He has chess, typing and some Reader Rabbit or Learning Adventure type of software on his computer only.
Okay, so back to my original question of what does homeschooling have to do with traveling? EVERYTHING! Probably the biggest perk for us is being able to just take off whenever we like -- AND TAKE SCHOOL WITH US! It is so awesome! We now keep a travel book, too, and he has to write a kind of report of everywhere we go or anything we see. He puts in all his souvenirs in that book, too, so it's becoming very interesting to look through it! Plus we put in photos, of course, too. It's lots of fun!
Until next time!
Homeschooling: Public School Woes -- Part 2
So David has moved.
Without this extreme student at school now, everything seems "normal". My son and I are calmed down, and my son is back to being a good student again.
But without that single-minded focus, I now have the opportunity to actually "see" school now. I'm still working at the school, so I'm also getting an "inside view" into what really goes on at school.
The girl from our kindergarten class was growing up and actually calming down. The boy who used to throw furniture and computers is now worse. He runs away. He punches all kinds of kids and adults. He's constantly in the principal's office where he waits for his mother to get off of work (she won't leave work any more).
I'm also seeing the "normal" behavior of kids. Hmmm... "normal" here is filthy mouths, disrespect to adults, and an "I don't care" attitude about achieving in school. Bullies abound. To like to read is "uncool". My son had reading books ripped up and/or stolen while he was being made fun of for liking to read. I was told by the principal that it probably wasn't a good idea for my son to bring a book to school. (!)
By the end of third grade, my son actually rescued another boy from being beat up and actually bloodied the kid's nose! Whew, he finally "got" it!
And, by the end of third grade, I was really REALLY getting tired of "undoing" what my son was learning in school on a daily basis. For example, no bad words, have respect for adults, etc. His attitude was beginning to not be the best IMO.
But in defense of my son, he only had about 2 friends at school. But they were friends he sees in his chess club and on his hockey team, and they were really good kids. He didn't "like" the other kids -- and this was becoming a concern of his teachers. I was thinking the opposite -- that he was showing good skills in who he was associating with! I didn't see many kids that I thought displayed good behavior that I would WANT him to associate with!
I was also realizing that I was undoing a lot of what he was learning in the classroom -- the subject of "multiculturalism" in particular comes to mind. I was getting questions from him like "Why are people with brown skin bad?" Huh??? Where the heck did he get that from? Well, it turns out that his textbook for "multiculturalism" is kind of disguised racism. It's part of the requirements for that "No Child Left Behind" act.
Oh -- that "No Child Left Behind" act? Our poor teachers! Good heavens! They have become bureaucrats! They have to log in how each child is doing now -- and I don't mean just grades. And the structure of teaching in the classroom is SO RIGID now that there is barely room for the teacher to be creative! Our teachers are so stressed now over whether their students will be able to pass those standardized tests the kids have to take. I was finding that most of the teaching was actually teaching the kids the material and how-tos of how to pass those tests! It wasn't teaching for information -- it was basically teaching to the tests!
Oh, let me also back up here. In kindergarten he learned about drugs. He had no clue what they were and was constantly questioning me about them (he didn't have the concept and of course has never been around users). He also was taught about weapons and could spout off a list of weapons. And "stranger danger" was another extreme lesson. I had no control over these -- even when I requested to be let known when these lessons would happen. I NEVER was notified. Even though those lessons I felt were valuable, they are really taken to the extreme nowadays! I wanted to temper his lessons, have a more realistic view of them. Instead, I now have a VERY paranoid son around people and who now can spout a list of weapons and drugs!
By the beginning of fourth grade, my son started imitating the other kids' behaviors and attitudes -- not only at school, but at home. And it was getting to the point where I was having a very hard time undoing his new skills.
And, I was so sick and tired of the treatment not only I, but my co-workers were receiving from the kids at school. How do you report/send to the principal 500 out of 700 kids? You don't. You deal only with the worst kids, and then your time is spent. The principal was basically doing the same thing -- he also didn't have the time. So what you get is bad behavior and attitudes that have become the norm for a body of people. And the minority of the kids who do display good behaviors and attitudes start to think that it is okay to act that way -- especially when there are no consequences for bad behavior and attitudes -- they think it's "normal" and that their parents are just out of touch with the way things REALLY are. Hmm.
Before the first month of fourth grade was done, I had started researching private schools. They all had their problems, including our charter school. Not too much different, unless you include the priciest private school that was producing snobs. We had friends that transfered over there, and they were not too happy.
With as much as my son and I like to travel, I started researching homeschooling. What a wealth of information there is out there about homeschooling! After about a week of research, I had definitely decided on homeschooling! It would be perfect with our schedule and likes!
I gave our notice at the public school -- my son's exit date and my last day at work. I made our last day coincide with the end of the first 9-week period. During that waiting time, I did research on which curriculum I would use, and what I wanted him taught.
Before our time was up, I ended up filing another police report -- this time against a 9-year old. I truly believe he would have killed someone if there was even a stick around that he could have gotten his hands on.
Our last day FINALLY came, and we left to lots of good-byes and hugs!
Without this extreme student at school now, everything seems "normal". My son and I are calmed down, and my son is back to being a good student again.
But without that single-minded focus, I now have the opportunity to actually "see" school now. I'm still working at the school, so I'm also getting an "inside view" into what really goes on at school.
The girl from our kindergarten class was growing up and actually calming down. The boy who used to throw furniture and computers is now worse. He runs away. He punches all kinds of kids and adults. He's constantly in the principal's office where he waits for his mother to get off of work (she won't leave work any more).
I'm also seeing the "normal" behavior of kids. Hmmm... "normal" here is filthy mouths, disrespect to adults, and an "I don't care" attitude about achieving in school. Bullies abound. To like to read is "uncool". My son had reading books ripped up and/or stolen while he was being made fun of for liking to read. I was told by the principal that it probably wasn't a good idea for my son to bring a book to school. (!)
By the end of third grade, my son actually rescued another boy from being beat up and actually bloodied the kid's nose! Whew, he finally "got" it!
And, by the end of third grade, I was really REALLY getting tired of "undoing" what my son was learning in school on a daily basis. For example, no bad words, have respect for adults, etc. His attitude was beginning to not be the best IMO.
But in defense of my son, he only had about 2 friends at school. But they were friends he sees in his chess club and on his hockey team, and they were really good kids. He didn't "like" the other kids -- and this was becoming a concern of his teachers. I was thinking the opposite -- that he was showing good skills in who he was associating with! I didn't see many kids that I thought displayed good behavior that I would WANT him to associate with!
I was also realizing that I was undoing a lot of what he was learning in the classroom -- the subject of "multiculturalism" in particular comes to mind. I was getting questions from him like "Why are people with brown skin bad?" Huh??? Where the heck did he get that from? Well, it turns out that his textbook for "multiculturalism" is kind of disguised racism. It's part of the requirements for that "No Child Left Behind" act.
Oh -- that "No Child Left Behind" act? Our poor teachers! Good heavens! They have become bureaucrats! They have to log in how each child is doing now -- and I don't mean just grades. And the structure of teaching in the classroom is SO RIGID now that there is barely room for the teacher to be creative! Our teachers are so stressed now over whether their students will be able to pass those standardized tests the kids have to take. I was finding that most of the teaching was actually teaching the kids the material and how-tos of how to pass those tests! It wasn't teaching for information -- it was basically teaching to the tests!
Oh, let me also back up here. In kindergarten he learned about drugs. He had no clue what they were and was constantly questioning me about them (he didn't have the concept and of course has never been around users). He also was taught about weapons and could spout off a list of weapons. And "stranger danger" was another extreme lesson. I had no control over these -- even when I requested to be let known when these lessons would happen. I NEVER was notified. Even though those lessons I felt were valuable, they are really taken to the extreme nowadays! I wanted to temper his lessons, have a more realistic view of them. Instead, I now have a VERY paranoid son around people and who now can spout a list of weapons and drugs!
By the beginning of fourth grade, my son started imitating the other kids' behaviors and attitudes -- not only at school, but at home. And it was getting to the point where I was having a very hard time undoing his new skills.
And, I was so sick and tired of the treatment not only I, but my co-workers were receiving from the kids at school. How do you report/send to the principal 500 out of 700 kids? You don't. You deal only with the worst kids, and then your time is spent. The principal was basically doing the same thing -- he also didn't have the time. So what you get is bad behavior and attitudes that have become the norm for a body of people. And the minority of the kids who do display good behaviors and attitudes start to think that it is okay to act that way -- especially when there are no consequences for bad behavior and attitudes -- they think it's "normal" and that their parents are just out of touch with the way things REALLY are. Hmm.
Before the first month of fourth grade was done, I had started researching private schools. They all had their problems, including our charter school. Not too much different, unless you include the priciest private school that was producing snobs. We had friends that transfered over there, and they were not too happy.
With as much as my son and I like to travel, I started researching homeschooling. What a wealth of information there is out there about homeschooling! After about a week of research, I had definitely decided on homeschooling! It would be perfect with our schedule and likes!
I gave our notice at the public school -- my son's exit date and my last day at work. I made our last day coincide with the end of the first 9-week period. During that waiting time, I did research on which curriculum I would use, and what I wanted him taught.
Before our time was up, I ended up filing another police report -- this time against a 9-year old. I truly believe he would have killed someone if there was even a stick around that he could have gotten his hands on.
Our last day FINALLY came, and we left to lots of good-byes and hugs!
Homeschooling: Public School Woes -- Part 1
Homeschooling? What has that got to do with travel? And who cares about it, anyway?
Well, I'll tell ya. First of all, I was one of those people who thought that kids who were homeschooled weren't getting an education. Yup, me! I was very much involved with my son in his public school ever since he was in preschool. I'm a true believer that parents need to be involved with their kids in school, and that school should be an extension of the home (not vice versa).
But I also believed that the public schools offer the best education since they have access to just about anything, and there is such an input by many people. Public school also offers the opportunity to make a best friend, too.
So those WERE my beliefs...
Since kindergarten, my son had troubles in school. Not academic, mind you, but trouble with the other kids. No, he doesn't have a social problem. The problem was with bad behavior on the part of some of his other classmates.
My son's kindergarten class had 12 kids and 5 adults in the room almost daily. It was dubbed the "Class From Hell".
Okay, you say, kindergarteners -- 5-year olds. How bad can that be? Especially with that ratio of adults to kids? Well, shouldn't be a big deal, right? Wrong! In my son's class, we had a girl who screamed all day, scratched other kids and the adults in the room -- all because she either didn't get her way or just didn't want to do something. She was the mild one of the worst of the kids.
Then we had another kid who -- when he was told to do something, or also didn't want to do something -- would kick, punch, throw furniture/computers at kids and adults, and take off running (sometimes off of the school campus!). I received a bruise from this kid when I helped a school official physically carry him into the principal's office so the mom could be called.
And then there was David (not his real name). David was supposed really brilliant, but never did even learn his letters. But he was taught he was brilliant, so if another kid knew an answer that he didn't know, he would attack that kid (usually by gouging out eyes or strangle the other kid or ripping hair out). Because he was "special", he was allowed to do what he wanted. But David also had an unpredictable temper -- and I do mean unpredictable! Most of the time no one had a clue as to when he would attack another child! So many times he would calmly walk across the room to some unsuspecting child and just attack! As the year went on, for some reason he singled out my son as his main victim. The teacher and other adults said it was because my son was also smart, but there were other smart kids in this class who didn't become David's victims. So I don't buy that. Nevertheless, my son became his main victim.
I made many trips to the principal's office that year to show wounds to the principal and demanded something be done with David. Other parents also did the same. David also had a tendency to be sexual with some of the girls in the class.
Because of David, I ended up being at my son's school ALL DAY. And because I was doing the supervisory work of a paid employee, I finally just hired on to be paid. So I now had a part-time job at the school and at the same time was watching out for my son.
I have to give credit to our kindergarten teacher. She still managed to teach the kids in the class in spite of the constant disruptions. But she was frustrated, too. There were so many times the kids just couldn't pay attention to what they needed to because of the other kids disrupting the class. Actually, those kids disrupted ALL classes around our class, because so often we would try to get those kids outside to do their ranting. But their screaming and yelling were still the loudest sounds you heard inside the classroom.
First grade -- my son and David were not in the same classroom. The principal made sure of it. But on the first day of school, David happened to go into the boys' bathroom while my son was there, and proceded to kick my son! A male teacher happened to walk in and pulled David off of my son.
The second day of first grade, when David walked into the cafeteria at lunch time, he made a bee-line run toward my son and ripped him by the hair and throat onto the floor!
The next day I filed a police report, as the school obviously wasn't going to do anything about David. Geeze, filing a police report on a 6-year old? How insane is that?
In the meantime, I had been teaching my son to fight. Who ever thought you would need to teach your kid to fight? I kept telling him that fighting was okay if you had to keep yourself from getting hurt. It wasn't until the end of third grade that he finally "got" it.
By about the second week of first grade, my son was sick all the time. Said his stomach hurt, he always had a headache, and he wasn't doing well in school. I took him to the doctor. The doctor wanted to know what was going on in his life. "What do you mean?" I asked. He said there was nothing wrong with my son, that it looked like he was under a lot of stress. Stress?!? He's only 6, for crying out loud! Needless to say, by the time I was alone, I let loose and just sobbed.
And also in the meantime, I found out that the best thing I could have done for David was to file that police report! The public schools really have their hands tied when it comes to discipling or handling behavioral problem kids -- especially if they're in Special Ed. And behavioral problem kids are now included in Special Ed classes. It took my police report to take the problem with David out of the school's -- and the parents' -- hands, and have the State step in. David got a lot of counseling, in spite of what the parents felt about it. He was also put into different classes part time off campus, and more adults were hired to watch him. I don't know what else. But I do know the parents were not very happy.
By third grade, David and his family moved! Hurray!!
Well, I'll tell ya. First of all, I was one of those people who thought that kids who were homeschooled weren't getting an education. Yup, me! I was very much involved with my son in his public school ever since he was in preschool. I'm a true believer that parents need to be involved with their kids in school, and that school should be an extension of the home (not vice versa).
But I also believed that the public schools offer the best education since they have access to just about anything, and there is such an input by many people. Public school also offers the opportunity to make a best friend, too.
So those WERE my beliefs...
Since kindergarten, my son had troubles in school. Not academic, mind you, but trouble with the other kids. No, he doesn't have a social problem. The problem was with bad behavior on the part of some of his other classmates.
My son's kindergarten class had 12 kids and 5 adults in the room almost daily. It was dubbed the "Class From Hell".
Okay, you say, kindergarteners -- 5-year olds. How bad can that be? Especially with that ratio of adults to kids? Well, shouldn't be a big deal, right? Wrong! In my son's class, we had a girl who screamed all day, scratched other kids and the adults in the room -- all because she either didn't get her way or just didn't want to do something. She was the mild one of the worst of the kids.
Then we had another kid who -- when he was told to do something, or also didn't want to do something -- would kick, punch, throw furniture/computers at kids and adults, and take off running (sometimes off of the school campus!). I received a bruise from this kid when I helped a school official physically carry him into the principal's office so the mom could be called.
And then there was David (not his real name). David was supposed really brilliant, but never did even learn his letters. But he was taught he was brilliant, so if another kid knew an answer that he didn't know, he would attack that kid (usually by gouging out eyes or strangle the other kid or ripping hair out). Because he was "special", he was allowed to do what he wanted. But David also had an unpredictable temper -- and I do mean unpredictable! Most of the time no one had a clue as to when he would attack another child! So many times he would calmly walk across the room to some unsuspecting child and just attack! As the year went on, for some reason he singled out my son as his main victim. The teacher and other adults said it was because my son was also smart, but there were other smart kids in this class who didn't become David's victims. So I don't buy that. Nevertheless, my son became his main victim.
I made many trips to the principal's office that year to show wounds to the principal and demanded something be done with David. Other parents also did the same. David also had a tendency to be sexual with some of the girls in the class.
Because of David, I ended up being at my son's school ALL DAY. And because I was doing the supervisory work of a paid employee, I finally just hired on to be paid. So I now had a part-time job at the school and at the same time was watching out for my son.
I have to give credit to our kindergarten teacher. She still managed to teach the kids in the class in spite of the constant disruptions. But she was frustrated, too. There were so many times the kids just couldn't pay attention to what they needed to because of the other kids disrupting the class. Actually, those kids disrupted ALL classes around our class, because so often we would try to get those kids outside to do their ranting. But their screaming and yelling were still the loudest sounds you heard inside the classroom.
First grade -- my son and David were not in the same classroom. The principal made sure of it. But on the first day of school, David happened to go into the boys' bathroom while my son was there, and proceded to kick my son! A male teacher happened to walk in and pulled David off of my son.
The second day of first grade, when David walked into the cafeteria at lunch time, he made a bee-line run toward my son and ripped him by the hair and throat onto the floor!
The next day I filed a police report, as the school obviously wasn't going to do anything about David. Geeze, filing a police report on a 6-year old? How insane is that?
In the meantime, I had been teaching my son to fight. Who ever thought you would need to teach your kid to fight? I kept telling him that fighting was okay if you had to keep yourself from getting hurt. It wasn't until the end of third grade that he finally "got" it.
By about the second week of first grade, my son was sick all the time. Said his stomach hurt, he always had a headache, and he wasn't doing well in school. I took him to the doctor. The doctor wanted to know what was going on in his life. "What do you mean?" I asked. He said there was nothing wrong with my son, that it looked like he was under a lot of stress. Stress?!? He's only 6, for crying out loud! Needless to say, by the time I was alone, I let loose and just sobbed.
And also in the meantime, I found out that the best thing I could have done for David was to file that police report! The public schools really have their hands tied when it comes to discipling or handling behavioral problem kids -- especially if they're in Special Ed. And behavioral problem kids are now included in Special Ed classes. It took my police report to take the problem with David out of the school's -- and the parents' -- hands, and have the State step in. David got a lot of counseling, in spite of what the parents felt about it. He was also put into different classes part time off campus, and more adults were hired to watch him. I don't know what else. But I do know the parents were not very happy.
By third grade, David and his family moved! Hurray!!
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