Sunday 3 August 2008

Homeschool, Q & A.

Im Just Saying wrote a blog post asking homeschoolers to answer some questions about homeschooling so today i will attempt to answer them even though we have only been homeschooling since april/may this year.

1. What was your motivation for homeschooling? Was it based on religious reasons? Was is it based on curriculum - did you want more freedom in choosing what your children were being taught? Was it based on socializing - wanting to have more control in the people with whom your children came into contact with? Was it based on logistics - the nearest school being 20 miles away? What made you finally decide to go this route?

We thought given the choices around our area for schools are poor and that the school the boys attended was not very good as there are many unsavoury children/parents that go there and we didnt want the boys in contact with such people, that in the holidays the boys became much brighter, happier children that we would not send them back to school. My eldest does attend school and i hope for the younger two to go to high school, so my ideas on homeschooling are not set in stone, its just whats best for us all at the moment.

2. Don't hate me for asking this. How to you handle socialization? What steps do you take to make sure your children are around other children and adults? Are you active in a home school group? Do you spend a lot of time at church activities? Maybe you utilize the local Y for activities and they meet friends there?

Where we live there are many children the boys play with every day and they have friends who come round too. We have just started to have meet ups with other homeschool families in the area. We dont go to church and the boys dont attend any clubs.

3. Do you use the public school system for any part of your child's routine? Some children here come to the school for band or chorus, or maybe for science class. Do you send your child to the public school to take advantage of any of their programs?

No as this would go against the belief i have about them mixing with unsavory children.

4. Do your children begin and end school at the same time each day? Do they have a strict schedule, at least as far as waking up and reporting to the school area of your home? If not, when/how will you transition your children into following a more rigid schedule - awaking at the same time each day so that they can follow a routine outside of the home like for college and work?
No, they dont have a set routine, we learn as we go through out the day naturally. They do have some time to do worksheets and spelling tests but this is not at any special time.
The boys will be well equipped with life skills enough to be able to follow a stricter routine if need be when they are older, just because they dont have to do things at a certain time they still have routine in other areas of there life like mealtimes and bed etc.


5. How many spelling bees has your child won? Oh, I'm kidding. We all know most of the recent national spelling bee winners have been home schooled children. I just wanted to throw a little funny in there.
We dont have spelling bees in the UK

6. Do you have a sense of humor? It's probably a little late for me to ask that but...
Oh god yeah a very big one and i think us homeschoolers have bigger ones than most parents.

How does a homeschooler change a lightbulb?
First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a
biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life.
Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with
dipping their own candles.
Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they
compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill.
On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of
money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill.
Finally, after
building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed.
And there is light.

7. Where do you find your curriculum? Do you shop for it and order it? Do you create your own?
We dont follow the curriculum but i do get worksheets from Enchanted learning, its just £10.00 a year.

8. Do you have any worries at all about teaching your teenagers the higher level math and sciences? I, for one, could not teach chemistry to my children but I could probably teach them calculus. Is this a concern for you?
Not really as i hope when they are that age they will be attending high school

9. What bothers you the most about the reputation home schoolers have? What things do you hate to hear people say about you for your choice? I really hope you don't say that it's my previous post.
I hate the way people feel the need to quiz my boys to see if they actually know anything, also the way they want a full commentry about what educational thing you have done that day and also and this is the worse one the way other non home ed parents ask how do you cope having them at home all day and then add "it would drive me mad"

10. Be honest, do you, at least in your mind sometimes, judge those of us who choose public school? Do you ever think we are making a bad choice for our children? Are you vocal about that disapproval?
Not at all everyone has a choice and thats up to them.

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