I am a mother of two children, one has Attention Deficit Disorder which we will simply address beyond this point as ADHD. He is now sixteen, and after attending public school in my area and making mostly all A’s and B’s decided that he wanted to be home schooled. After I tested him I discovered that he needed help that he was not getting.
My other child; a girl who learns at an accelerated pace.
My Son and Daughter, Before and Now
The test scores showed that my son was way behind in most classes.
My son is presently taking some college prep classes and studying for his SATs.
My daughter is now six years old. She is on a fourth grade level in just about all her studies.
My honest feelings
I have had both my children at home now for two years. I have been there to take part in their struggles as well as their accomplishments. I can offer support that just is not possible when they attend school in the public sector.
But, I know that on the lips of anyone who is new to the possibilities of home schooling, there are questions.
What about socialization? Learning methods?
Public school - Kids are gathered and grouped in this country by their ages. Not their capabilities. They are packed into over crowded classrooms with teachers that may or may not be able to teach each of them in the individual ways that they need. Most children can be taken to higher levels of education if they were able to be taught by someone that has the time to tailor their learning experiences to each of their differences. But we all know this is not possible when you have one teacher and thirty some odd kids packed into a stuffy classroom. Not only is it not possible to teach each child on their individual levels, it is also a great place to learn some things that may not be appropriate.
Not only does grouping the children together this way hold some children back, but it also is a cause of illness. If you have one child that comes to school with some sickness, before it runs its course, just about every child in the classroom has had this virus or bug.
There is also the concern of safety. Year after year, we hear of shootings, metal detectors being installed to prevent knifes and guns from being taken to school. For the life of me, I can not understand how we can expect our children to be able to do their studies while under this cloud of feeling as though they possibly could be shot or stabbed while going down the hall. Or beaten up because I wanted to buy them a new pair of shoes.
Teaching at Home - Most areas have home school groups you can join that have educational field trips and other fun things to do. Not only is the chances of them being hurt less, but also the chance for explanations offered when something arises that is approved of or disapproved of. Kids are often grouped by their abilities in these groups, and not just their ages.
The home schooling parent can also enroll the home schooled child in outside programs. My son played tennis, and now takes Tia Qwon Do. My daughter attended a play group at a local church that offered the home schooled socialization time every Tuesday. Plus, they both are enrolled in the local YMCA. Neither of them are in anyway withdrawn, they both are social butterflies never meeting a stranger.
Some children require more work I am sure, in this area. I prefer time alone because of the work I do, but when I am out, I meet people with ease. Both my children see this, and thus, have learned from me not to fear people that we do not know. To be careful yes, but not fearful.
Home school provides the parent total input as to what material is used while teaching your children. If you do not believe in something, you can choose how you feel best to handle that topic when it arises. One example of this is evolution. Many home school students are taught at home because of their religious beliefs, many are not. My children are not taught at home because of my religious faith, but I do not agree with evolution, so when it arises in our text books, I choose to teach it but add my own belief about it in the lesson as well. Giving the children both sides.
Why Do You Do It?
I home school because my son was being left behind, he was falling further and further behind every year that he attended public school.
I home school my daughter because even after discussing her advanced learning to the local school system they did not seem very interested in putting her with like minded students. At the time I spoke with them, she was not of the legal age to start to public school yet, but was already on a second grade level. The local school system would not even consider putting her in ahead of the other children her age. Even at the cost of her spirit and enjoyment at learning, they still refused. She would have entered the public school system this year in first grade. She is on the fourth grade level. They would possibly move her to the second grade, but that was as far as they were willing to go because of their claim of it the child needing to be with children their own age. To me this is a load of boloney. I do not care how many “studies” they supposedly have done, I have done my own studies. This is what I have found with all the children that I have had the pleasure of observing.
Group a child that is socially advanced with a group that is younger or not as advanced and one of two things will happen. Either that advanced child will lower to the age and activities of the majority of the group, or in very rare cases, the group will elevate some what to the advanced Childs level.
I remember, when I was a child in private school as well as when I was in public school and I hated most of my classmates. They acted so immature, but they were at the age to where this was common, but then again, so was I and I still hated it and thus hated school until I graduated from high school and entered a higher level of education where people were not grouped together based on age, but rather on abilities and interests.
The Laws
Laws differ from state to state here in the USA as to what the requirements of the teaching parent has to posses in order to teach their children at home. In my state one only needs to hold a high school diploma in order to teach their children at home. But be sure to check with the appropriate authorities if you are planning on setting up a program at home to teach your children so you can make sure you follow their rules.
Downside
There is a downside to home schooling. It is not all wonderful. I have not had these feelings or problems, but there are parents that have tried to home school only to have it end up a disaster.
Make sure you are willing and able to offer the time it will take to teach your child at home. This means, working around their schedules. Instead of the bus picking them up in the morning, and depositing them home in the afternoon, you will have your child with you a majority of the time. This has been known to drive some parents slightly mad because of their feeling that they have to entertain the children when they are not doing their studies. This is not the way I operate at all, which may explain why we all school year round without much stress at all.
Closing Thoughts
Home schooling does not have to cost a lot, and does not have to be hard to do. Read around on the web for more information on products, prices and methods. Check with your local authorities for the laws in your state. And, relax, school does not have to be a pain, for either of you.