Homeschooling Until What Age?
Before anyone accuses me of being a dummy, I’ve put a lot of thought into this post, so just know I am not throwing this out here without any thought.
Ok, I do not think that I could adequately teach my child past the seventh or eighth grade. And, again, not because I’m dumb, but simply because that’s a lot of material to be responsible for. I’ve taught seventh and eighth grade Earth and Life Science before and I taught tenth grade biology as well. I have a minor in chemistry, so I’m no dummy.
I keep reminding you guys that I’m not dumb, does that not just speak volumes about my self-confidence?
Anyway, even when I taught those sciences, I was only responsible for those classes, not the entire curriculum. I know that curriculums are available in a lot of places. I’m just curious if buying a curriculum and enrolling with the online schools or academy’s makes it any easier to teach all the academics?
And, with that, I know that many of you have also traveled extensively and are believers (as I am) that traveling and learning is as important as sitting with a book in hand. Seeing the Eiffel Tower is way better than reading about it for 12 years, right?
Also, I do not consider this little trip to the beach educational for my child, just want to clarify that this is for fun, educational trips are what I’m asking about. I am sure we could find many ways to make this an educational trip but the fact of the matter is, we all want to rest and relax and that is just what we are going to do.
So, the questions are this:
1. At what age do you quit home schooling or do you go through high school graduation?
2. What curriculum to you use?
3. If you have used different curriculums over time, which ones do you like the best and why?
4. What do you do if you are like me and don’t feel qualified to teach your child trigonometry or calculus (although I made A’s in both) or Anatomy and Physiology?
Discuss.
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September 1st, 2008 at 5:32 pm
1. I have already graduated one son, and plan on home educating the rest (2 b & 1 g) until graduation as well.
2. We are relaxed/eclectic homeschoolers- we use whatever floats our boat.
3. The library
4. I do not consider myself a teacher as much as I am a ‘learning coach’. I guide them to the methods and materials they need to teach themselves. There are many DIY type resources out there, for everything from trig to foreign languages (did you catch the Michael Phelps’ pitch for Rosetta Stone?)We also use tutors for things like music and advanced art lessons.
As for vacations being about relaxation and not education… homeschoolers often have a different POV regarding education, as we (my family) view learning as fun and relaxing, and not as work. We’d rather be learning and doing than sitting around unengaged by and disinterested in the world around us. I don’t care where we are- if my kids find a plant or a bug, they MUST know asap what it is and what it does and what it eats… and by golly, I wanna’ know too!
We don’t do ‘educational’ things because we feel we have to, but because we want to and can’t imagine any other way.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:16 pm
As much as I am a big proponent of public schools, I think it is because I don’t know education in any other form. I like what you described. At my house though, I am the one with the lack of discipline. When I read this part, “and by golly, I wanna’ know too! :)”, I realized how bad I am about thinking, I don’t know “how something works, what bug it is, etc” and I don’t really care. I am not kidding, it was like, “uh?” But, it is true. In most cases, my boys are asking about motors and the like. I don’t have a clue so I turn that over to Wayne. And, honestly, there’s not much he doesn’t have stored in his brain.
Today was not a school day at Walker’s school, yet we chose to do some of his school work. He is way to smart for his own good and it scares the hibbie jibbies out of me. I mean it wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, but it brought a stark revelation to me that not only is it difficult, I don’t want to do it unless it is absolutely necessary. You guys appear to enjoy it and I think it is wonderful, but it was painful for me and for the kid.
My husband was suppose to take over the last part of the lesson so that I could lay down with the 3 year old for nap. When I got up, 3 hours later, they still had not finished the work. Walker was sitting at the table alone whining and Wayne was sitting on the sofa, surfing and watching Star Trek. I was like, what is happening? I asked why they weren’t finished and he informed me tha they just started. UH? Wayne was fussing at Walker because Walker was whining about it and I had to remind him that the kid was 5 and he would have to sit with him at the table in order to get the handwriting part done. Wayne looked at me like I had grown 3 heads. He got up and went to the table and they finished it with minimal whining and much quicker than the rate they were at when I got up.
I missed that part of the Phelps stuff, I don’t know how because most of it I saw 2 or 3 times. There is a video on the website though, I did watch that. Is that the same one? (I only went to look at the general information and there just happened to be a video there.)
I honestly think (and I hope this doesn’t come off sounding as bad as it seems before I type it) if we could afford to travel quite a bit, I could get in a homeschool rhythm and enjoy it. But, we rarely go anywhere new. In addition to that, my philosophy when my kids were born were schedule, schedule, schedule and my kids don’t function as well when their routine is disrupted. Like this week for instance, I know his school assignments are hard for him because it is just not what we usually do when we come to the beach. This is what Holly warned me about back on the post where I asked if this was a good idea or not. I won’t say the first day’s lesson was horrible or a bad idea, and I definitely see where some families (especially ones that can travel - and I don’t mean nice luxurious vacations, I mean travel period) could home school, do some traveling and always make it educatonal in every situation and let it be relaxed. Obviously if that’s all the child ever knows then that IS his/her routine.
I’m rambling now I think. I do appreciate you coming to the site and commenting!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:50 am
Home education does self-select for parents who want to be involved more deeply in their child’s education. Parents who are kinda’ disinterested in the learning process won’t go for it. And we have a schedule too, Jeri, but it is a framework on which we hang our goals, not a pair of handcuffs.
I hope you don’t mind my saying something about Walker, but did you know that there is research out there to show that young boys are often not developmentally ready for ‘formal’ schooling until they are about 8 years old? Making them sit down to do worksheets is the #1 guaranteed way to ensure that they will despise school. I suggest reading “Better Late Than Early” by Dr. Raymond Moore.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:27 am
I can see exactly where you are going with the issues about Walker and I don’t mind at all. It is so amazing to me the difference in boys and girls. I taught Pre-K in Georgia and it was like night and day for boys and girls. I’ve been buying up books right and left that everyone is recommending and I haven’t read books in ages. I mean, in ages. (I think I am going to give the two I’ve bought thus far away on my website when I’m done with them in a contest, and when I get home I will return to using the library before I go broke. Even though the books I’ve bought have been less than $15, I want to read everything that is recommended and it could get expensive. So, loaning from Library sounds like a better idea. I am going to give The White Trash Mom away on my own personal blog, Mom~E~Centric and I will give my Stop the Homework book away here on this site or my personal one but I suspect I will read it 2 or 3 times before I do that.) But, I am enjoying all the references that have been recommended. Walker did real well with the sheets where he was choosing the “thing that doesn’t look like the others”. He and I could have sit and done the entire week of those I think, and I think I could have approached the handwriting better than my husband but I thought surely my husband could handle it.
I did get him a tablet of the paper with 2 lines with the dots in the middle. They don’t use that at school for some oddball reason but I just can’t get past the fact that it seems so obvious to use it. Holly gave me a great website that discussed this matter as well. I don’t remember the exact name but it is in these posts somewhere ..something like Handwriting without Tears. I’m sure when she reads this she will give us the exact information on that curriuclum.
This is one of those places where his teacher and school can do what ever they wish, but from the parent’s point of view, I’m going to help the best way I know how to help. And, this was the premisis for my post about homework. Some parents aren’t capapble of helping with homework after a child reaches a certain grade level and some parents are like me and just stubborn and set in their ways. You can guarantee after what I saw from his handwriting on regular paper and then his writing on the dotted line paper, I will be encouraging his teacher to give this a try. The 3 kindergarten teachers actually all teach together with the same plans so I may not convert them this year but I have another child to go through that school and that kindergarten (even if it isn’t the exact 3 teachers, chances are at least one of them will still be teaching K) and I might actually do enough to make some changes by the time he reaches K and maybe even for when Walker makes it to first grade. When I bought the paper I noticed that they have different sizes of lines and dots for different grade levels. So, somebody, somewhere did enough research to know what ages need what width of a line to learn, thus Handwriting without Tears was born and I don’t think it was haphazardly.
I appreciate all of your insight and I hope to keep learning from you guys and that I might impart at least a piece of knowledge to you or others who read. And, I’ve already been amazed at the people who are commenting. We just never know how who is reading that might not have a clue about something we’ve discusssed. I know that learning about different homeschooling curriculi and methods have already opened my eyes…for instance, your comment about wanting to know the answers to stuff your kids were exploring. I honestly had takent the approach that I’ve learned all I’m going to learn and if I don’t know it now, I just don’t know it and someone else will have to help them.
And, when I read that, think that and heaven help me say it outloud, I realize how horrible it sounds. That is one place you can guarantee I’m going to make changes in my education as a parent. This is what I mean when I say we have to all be educators as parents. It is our responsiblity. And, someone else may have had the same reveleation I did. I started last night just as soon as I read your comment. Within hours of that, a dragon fly came into our condo. I know nothing about dragon flys and honestly, if it were just me, I wouldn’t have even cared. But immediately the boys started asking what it was and did it bite, etc. I didn’t even know it was a dragon fly, that came from my husband. But, quickly I googled dragon fly and me and both boys sat down and read up on dragon flys. It was so liberating. I know that too sounds goofy but honestly, I felt so smart just because I learned about dragon flys, I taught my kids about dragon flys and I realized how lucky we are to have internet so I can just google it instead of saying, “well we are on vacation now but when we get home we will look them up in the encyclopedia or text book”. The internet allowed me to say, “here let’s find out RIGHT NOW”.
Ok, once again, I’m rambling but I did want to let you know that you did teach an old dog a new trick!
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:55 am
1. At what age do you quit home schooling or do you go through high school graduation?
Well, I just graduated one and the other is a freshman in high school. She’s still on the fence on whether she wants to continue, or try ps.
2. What curriculum to you use?
I’m eclectic in that I don’t USE a curriculum. I do tend to use main stream textbooks as spines though.
4. What do you do if you are like me and don’t feel qualified to teach your child trigonometry or calculus (although I made A’s in both) or Anatomy and Physiology?
Simply, I don’t teach - I facilitate. They are teaching themselves and my job is to supply them with the materials they need and explore along with them, so they have someone to talk to about what they are doing.
My goal/model is considering college where while they might have great prof., they will also have that guy that lectures on everything under the sun, but tests on the material - so they are expected to learn the material on their own.
My kids (helpfully) will feel comfortable with the idea that they can pick up any book and teach themselves.
I do have some posts over on my blog about “doing high school” This post in particular might help - http://getinhangon.homeschooljournal.net/2006/07/17/high-school/
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Meg, I think that “facilitating” is a great way to put it and that it is sad that so many public school teachers can’t think the same way.
I read the blog post and reading that you actually had that “8th grade panic” makes it seem so much more real to me.
I certainly don’t mean this to sound cruel, but most people that homeschool have an air about them that makes me think they “have it all together” and “refuse to admit defeat”. Just reading that makes me respect you as a homeschooling family more than anything.
It isn’t easy to say, “Hey I’m scared” but in reality, I think if more homeschooling parents would say, “No this is not easy, yes I’m scared of failing, but I’m going to dedicate myself and make it work”, more people would feel comfortable in situations when public educated parents and children are sharing an activity with homeschooling parents and children.
Did any of that rambling make sense to you at all?
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
[...] wanderings lead me to a post by Mom is Teaching where she is wondering if she can “handle” high school (btw, her kids are little - [...]
September 4th, 2008 at 8:09 am
but most people that homeschool have an air about them that makes me think they “have it all together” and “refuse to admit defeat”. Just reading that makes me respect you as a homeschooling family more than anything.
This isn’t a perfect analogy, but HSing is kinda like riding a bike. You might start out with trepidation, falling off occasionally and needing time to find your balance.
But after awhile it becomes an automatic response, and occasionally you just might feel like riding with no hands!
Not everyone is like that, I realize- society can put alot of pressure on folks who they perceive as swimming upstream, and HSers might protect themselves against criticism by hiding their insecurities.
But IMO confidence is what makes any activity attractive to me. I don’t want to be part of something where folks seem to be unsure and fearful- I am drawn to folks who are passionate and excited about what they are doing.
Me making sense too?
September 12th, 2008 at 1:30 am
I have a rather unique perspective in that I was a former homeschooled child. Like you, my mother didn’t feel qualified to teach certain high school subjects (in her case, physics) because she had never studied them herself. She and my father elected to send me to an online school that would allow me to remain at home, while taking lessons from certified teachers and submitting them over the computer. The school I attended was recognized by Alberta Learning and I received an Alberta Education diploma on graduating. I started this form of schooling in Grade 9; my five siblings have all since come on and they started between Grade 7 and Grade 9. I graduated from that school as valedictorian in 2002, when I was 17. Today, I am a registered nurse and I have recently begun work on a Master’s of Nursing that will license me as a nurse practitioner. The school I attended was St. Gabriel Cyberschool but I believe there are others as well.