Home Schooling and the DR.

[frank12]

This is great, we are just in the throws of deciding about Home Education. I have a 4 year old. I am Canadian. Therefore he is Canadian. I am investigating whether having him registered with a Canadian School Board is possible.

The private schools here are great but distance is an issue and driving on these highways every day .......... I need not say more.

IMHO the pros far outway the cons, I have the time as i work at home, We have the space and I have the education (Not teaching).

Pros
- Knowing that your child understands each subject and item taught
- Being in complete control of what is taught
- Actually having more time for family socializing which to me is more important than the friends thing
- Spending more time and knowing my kids better
- them not "missing" or not understanding subjects
- Not having to travel to school
- Costs, of course, are lower
- Being able to participate in extra-curricular activities with them (At least in the younger years)
- being able to ALSO teach subjects and materials that are not being taught in Brick and Mortar schools

Cons

- Learning as you go so as to be able to clearly teach (A level of dedication is needed)
- organizing the home for the class time and making sure other members understand the requirements for quiet
- Maybe spending TOO MUCH time with your children ?
- Staying on top of curriculums and materials and geting the right text books and materials


I also have been studying the pros and cons, while my first reaction was "what about the socializing issues" .
IMHO: In reality kids from an early age, are animals of peer pressures, eventually putting the need to be accepted above all else. I think that controlling those issues are much easier done in a home schooling environment. these issues can be resolved through enrollment and participation in sports, arts and maybe even a few "classes" of other sorts.

Has anyone seen the Khan Academy website?
Khan Academy
I mean the future has to be internet based learning ! Doesn't it ? It is Logic !

JOJO,


First, i love your name because A.) I'm a big Boz Scaggs fan, and B.) JoJo is one of my favorite songs by Boz Scaggs, along with "Lowdown".

I was just sitting here reading your excellent post and thinking, wow, you make some excellent, well thought out, coherent points about the pros and cons. You also give good contrasts and comparisons between the pros and cons.

however, after it sank in, i started thinking about all the people i have met over the years while working in the service industry who also have home schooled their children, and then suddenly, a horror swept over me when i realized who some of these people are--an ex-pastor from Canada who will be walking into the bar any minute now; a couple from Colorada that belong to a church called "Foursquare Gospel Church;" a group of Jehovah Witnesses--in particular, a lovely, girl from Sweden--that i wan to get into her pants; a lovely Evangelist couple from Chile; a 7th day Adventist group that lives down up in the hills of Gaspar Hernandez; and a few others that i cannot think of at this very instant but will come to me later. I've met all of these people, i know all of these people, and they're very nice people, good people, with good intentions. i like them all--including a severely mentally-challenged pastor from Canada--that for the life of me i can't figure out how he dresses himself.

This is what occured to me while i was thinking about the pros and cons of which you so elequently mentioned--and i whole heartedly agree with--i realized that you missed the most important point of which motivates all of these lovely people here to home school their children: they want to provide them with a proper "Religious Education."

Here are some of the things that these nice, lovely people have told me over the years--the Seventh Day Adventist, the Four Sqaure Colorado couple, the Evangelist couple from Chile (their kids are actually enrolled with a small group of other like-minded Evangelists parent's up in the hills of Gaspar Hernadez), and the mentally challenged pastor from Canada--why they insist on home schooling their kids (NOTE: This is not a Joke!):

1.) The earth is 6000 years old.
2.) there is no proof of Evolution (despite mountains of evidence).
3.) there is no proof of Macro Evolution--(despite a colossal amount of evidence)--but, honestly, who can be bothered to look!
4.) Jesus died for our sins
5.) If you belong to Foursqaure--Aimee Semple McPherson died for your sins.
6.) If you belong to Jehovah Witness--Charles Taze Russell died for your sins (but only after his failed predictions of the earth ending in 1914, 1925, 1975, and his beliefs in numerology, pyrmadology--all failed.)
7.) If you're Mormon--Josepth Smith died for your sins (but only after he secretly hid his 12 Golden Tablets)
8.) Dinosours lived alongside modern Homo Sapiens.
9.) There are no contradictions in the bible.
10.) The Bible is the word of god (despite being written over several centuries, by many men, in different languages.)
10.) Noah put two of every animal on a big wooden boat (including Marsupials only found in Australia) and theysomehow all got along--all the carnivores fasted and refused to eat the animals around them, and the herbivores had enough food supplies to last a long time and they shared different, highly specialed, unique diets.

Sure, when i think about, home schooling sounds fantastic...right up to the point where you have to go out into the real world, and get a real job, and deal with real, everyday problems.

Love Frank

 

[southwardbound2]

You would be surprised

JOJO,

Sure, when i think about, home schooling sounds fantastic...right up to the point where you have to go out into the real world, and get a real job, and deal with real, everyday problems.

Love Frank

Most people who homeschool do not have any religious reasons for doing so. :surprisedDo a little research and your eyes will be opened.

And UNSCHOOLING is actually quite effective and all that is needed......look it up. We loved it and a 12 year old got test scores that would get him into nearly any University without even preparing for that SAT exam......Schools are (and always were from the very beginning) set up for creating worker bees; not education of children. Look that up too......don't feel bad; Americans (at least) are socialized by schools to believe as you do.....it works nearly every time.

Go for it JoJo. And consider UNSCHOOLING. There are many books and resources about it. It is the easiest and most effective. Plus very low stress and fun.......as it should be.

 

[frank12]

Most people who homeschool do not have any religious reasons for doing so. :surprisedDo a little research and your eyes will be opened.

And UNSCHOOLING is actually quite effective and all that is needed......look it up. We loved it and a 12 year old got test scores that would get him into nearly any University without even preparing for that SAT exam......Schools are (and always were from the very beginning) set up for creating worker bees; not education of children. Look that up too......don't feel bad; Americans (at least) are socialized by schools to believe as you do.....it works nearly every time.

Go for it JoJo. And consider UNSCHOOLING. There are many books and resources about it. It is the easiest and most effective. Plus very low stress and fun.......as it should be.

Southwardbound2,

i like this...this concept of unschooling. the only problem i forsee with it is the lack of socializing skills, the lack of participation in sports and academics, the lack of experience of working within the dynamics of one's peers, the lack of sexual dynamics of having a crush and falling in love within one's peer group--and learning how to deal with it; home schooling also lacks the experience of standing in front of a classroom and giving a speech, and learning how to succeffully deal with the pressure--pressure that comes in very handy later in life; the lack of knowing how to play and argue, fight (verbally) and debate, the ability to defend yourself and your ideas--and having them challenged and confronted for their lack of cohesiveness, the lack of being surrounded by different nationalities and cultures, the lack of hearing new languages spoken and having the desire to be able to communicate in different languages. russian, swedish, norwegian, spanish, and english--are all spoken in this household, and our 7 year old monkey is adept at them. Home schooling also lacks the presence of having oneself being in the middle of healthy peer pressure, etc.

Homescholing sounds fantastic right up to the point where people have to go out into the real world and learn how to deal with real problems--including, but not limited to--the dynamics of dealing with vastly different personalities and cultures, traditions and beliefs. It sounds fantastic right up until the point where you have to learn how to socialize in large groups of diverse people.

My issue with homeschooling, if i have one, is that, my experience has so far been with the lunatic fringe of religious people (of which i've already listed in my previous post)--their primary motivation of home schooling their children is out of desire to instill religious dogma and indoctrination. Isn't that wonderful?!

however, if that is not your desire or motivation, more power to you. however, public education (being enrolled in a school outside of one's home) worked quite nicely for Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and tens of thousands of other successful people in this world. i'm not convinced it's a failed model yet. Sure, it could use vast improvements, but this is where the parents come in; it's their responsibilty to continue their child's education the moment he or she steps into the house. education doesn't stop when the school bell rings. it's an ongoing non-stop interactive process of being involved with your child's education. It involves the parents; it always has, and it always will.

Love Frank

 

[jojo2130]

Thanks Frank, But It is not for religion and I Love watching and listening to Bill Maher if you know what I mean !
The only one that will die for MY sins is ME !

Hi Southward , The resources now available are amazing, I think it is one of those things we heard about years ago but the research and materials and hours in the libraries and consulting made it so it was just overwhelming to even consider ! But with the internet and the development of online curriculum's and resources ....Its hard to see where it could go wrong ! Or better said maybe , it is hard to imagine what could be wrong with it !

I am Almost there in my decision and commitment to this ! I think it will be exciting and fun ! And very rewarding

My Mom back in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia sent me these articles
A little thing but speaks volumes !

B-R-O-U-S-S-A-R-D spells dominance - Local - Cape Breton Post

Paryse Broussard crowned spelling bee champ - Local - Cape Breton Post

I mean Kids learn a lot of OTHER things in school too ! Things that we all wished they hadn't ! Not to say we can control everything but this certainly does permit MORE Control at the critical developmental stages by the person('s) who care the most.

 

[frank12]

JOJO,

you're obviously very intelligent, and you don't have a religious agenda motivating you to teach your child that Intelligent Design is the way, that Evolution is all lies, that earth is only 6000 years old, etc, etc. So more power to you! Good luck and keep us updated!

love Frank

 

[Africaida]

As far as I am concern, I am against homeschooling. No thank you, I am no teacher, I am a mother, that's hard enough. If I wanted to be a teacher, I would have studied to be one (Not that all the teachers are good at what they do but they are certainly better than me). I don't have much patience, I am not very good at explaining things.

I loved school growing up. I had a tons of fun while sometimes learning :lick:. I wouldn't want my children to miss that !

 

[frank12]

Africada brings up an excellent, over-looked point...What will prevent you from pulling all your hair out by being around screaming children 24 hours a day?

Frank

 

[Africaida]

Mind you my children don't scream and I would pull all THEIR hair out, lol

Seriously, my son is better behaved at school than he is with me at home (better that way, than the other way around I guess ). So, he would not learn much from me even if I had the skills to teach.

 

[bob saunders]

My brother and his wife are spending the next two years in Cuba where my brother will be managing a micro-finance operation through sheppards purse and his wife will be doing missionary work. They will be home schooling as the international school in Havana is too expensive for their pocketbook. They are Nazarenes ( like Baptists) and trust me, they know dinosaurs are more than 6000 years old( they lived in Drumheller Alberta- home of the Dinosaurs) and believe in evolution. Not all Christians are like the ones you've met Frank. Of course it helps that my sister-in-law is Cuban, is a teacher, and my brother also likes to teach( he is a plumber/electrician/businessman/accountant/manager)
To home school it does take parents with a certain mindset and skill set to succeed at it. I would prefer sending my kids to a regular school and supplementing their education as a parent. My father taught me more about nature and biology that all my science teachers combined.

 

[frank12]

Mind you my children don't scream

Seriously, my son is better behaved at school than he is with me at home (better that way, than the other way around I guess ). So, he would not learn much from me even if I had the skills to teach.

What? you pulled out their vocal chords too?

Good for you!:knockedou

FRank

 

[Randall Bell]

[video=youtube;BiGAtJfGyjA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BiGAtJfGyjA[/video]

sorry couldn't help it

 

[frank12]

[video=youtube;BiGAtJfGyjA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BiGAtJfGyjA[/video]

sorry couldn't help it

OMG...now that was funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[southwardbound2]

Research it before you judge

Southwardbound2,
Homescholing sounds fantastic right up to the point where people have to go out into the real world and learn how to deal with real problems--including, but not limited to--the dynamics of dealing with vastly different personalities and cultures, traditions and beliefs. It sounds fantastic right up until the point where you have to learn how to socialize in large groups of diverse people.

Based on your response, I am wondering if you are fully versed in these topics. There is much more to it than that. Your "problems" with homeschooling and unschooling seem to be very common ones expressed by persons often not very familiar with these ideas. These are not problems that proponents have failed to consider; rather, they are problems that do not actually appear in practice.

Many books/articles address your concerns and research/empirical data exists which might allay your fears. Look up John Holt, among many others. A mere quick Wikipedia search turns up a "problem" in your view is actually viewed as a strength by others.

"Popular critics of unschooling tend to view it as an extreme educational philosophy, with concerns that unschooled children will lack the social skills, structure, and motivation of their peers, especially in the job market, while proponents of unschooling say exactly the opposite is true: self-directed education in a natural environment makes a child more equipped to handle the "real world."

So, while you may continue to hold your same opinions afterward, you might want to consider some additional information before totally embracing them as complete. Just sayin.....:classic:

 

[jojo2130]

Mind you my children don't scream and I would pull all THEIR hair out, lol

Seriously, my son is better behaved at school than he is with me at home (better that way, than the other way around I guess ). So, he would not learn much from me even if I had the skills to teach.

I think we agree that it is Not for everyone and not everyone has the circumstance to do it.

I just feel that I Do and that based on what I have researched so far, my son will be better taught.

I also feel that we will have lots of time to be together in other circumstances and when he is old enough, he will have friends and will know how to interact. I also feel his bar will be already raised to choose the types of friends that he can relate to. Not to have him be PUT into a group of friends NOT of his choosing.

I had too much fun in High school too ! And some things I DO want him to miss !

 

[jojo2130]

The 1996 and 1999 NHES asked parents their reasons for undertaking home schooling, with 16 possible responses. Several themes emerge from these responses. First is the issue of educational quality. The parents of one-half the home schoolers in these surveys were motivated by the idea that home education is better education. A large share also viewed the issue in terms of shortcomings of regular schools: the parents of 30 percent of home-schoolers felt the regular school had a poor learning environment, 14 percent objected to what the school teaches, and another 11 percent felt their children weren't being challenged at school. Another theme had to do with religion and morality. Religion was cited by 33 percent of parents and morality by 9 percent. Practical considerations (transportation to school, the cost of private school) seemed of relatively minor importance. If attitudinal responses are to be believed, home schooling is not primarily a religious phenomenon, although religion is important. Families participating in home schooling do not cite cost as a barrier, even though one might presume that private schools could respond to their academic and moral concerns.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division,
Education & Social Stratification Branch
Author: Kurt J. Bauman
Created: September 13, 2001
Last Revised: October 31, 2011 at 10:03:08 PM

 

[frank12]

Philosophical and political oppositionOpposition to homeschooling comes from many sources, including some organizations of teachers and school districts. The National Education Association, a United States teachers' union and professional association, opposes homeschooling.^[37][38] Such opponents of homeschooling give several examples of areas of concern in relation to homeschooling or its potential effects on society:

• Inadequate standards of academic quality and comprehensiveness;
• Lack of socialization with peers of different ethnic and religious backgrounds;
• The potential for development of religious or social extremism;
• Children sheltered from mainstream society, or denied opportunities such as social development;
• Potential for development of parallel societies that do not fit into standards of citizenship and the community.

Stanford University political scientist Professor Rob Reich ^[39] (not to be confused with former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich) wrote in The Civic Perils of Homeschooling (2002) that homeschooling can potentially give students a one-sided point of view, as their parents may, even unwittingly, block or diminish all points of view but their own in teaching. He also argues that homeschooling, by reducing students' contact with peers, reduces their sense of civic engagement with their community.^[40]
Gallup polls of American voters have shown a significant change in attitude in the last twenty years, from 73% opposed to home education in 1985 to 54% opposed in 2001.

Homeschooling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[pi2]

Thanks for all the fascinating reponses. My misquided parents unfortunately sent me to a school against my wishes that had a military tradition. I refused to partake in the Combined Cadet Force etc. and wrote letters to locals papers etc. expressing dislike for 14 year olds running round with rifles.

On some pretext I was expelled and spent the next months in the local library where I could study what I wanted. Eventually a school was found that that would take me and I signed a pax not to criticise the school in public.

Of course Illich ,Deschooling Society, was published in 1970.

Now having had a career I have some free time and am researching what I can do to help in the homeschooling/deschooling movement : many thanks for the responses regarding the situation in the DR and other countries.

http://www.preservenet.com/theory/Illich/Deschooling/intro.html

pi2

 

[bob saunders]

OMG...now that was funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tB5DLf1Qt78?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tB5DLf1Qt78?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object>
I think Maher got schooled here by a much smarter man.

 

[jojo2130]

Philosophical and political oppositionOpposition to homeschooling comes from many sources, including some organizations of teachers and school districts. The National Education Association, a United States teachers' union and professional association, opposes homeschooling.^[37][38] Such opponents of homeschooling give several examples of areas of concern in relation to homeschooling or its potential effects on society:

• Inadequate standards of academic quality and comprehensiveness;
• Lack of socialization with peers of different ethnic and religious backgrounds;
• The potential for development of religious or social extremism;
• Children sheltered from mainstream society, or denied opportunities such as social development;
• Potential for development of parallel societies that do not fit into standards of citizenship and the community.

Stanford University political scientist Professor Rob Reich ^[39] (not to be confused with former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich) wrote in The Civic Perils of Homeschooling (2002) that homeschooling can potentially give students a one-sided point of view, as their parents may, even unwittingly, block or diminish all points of view but their own in teaching. He also argues that homeschooling, by reducing students' contact with peers, reduces their sense of civic engagement with their community.^[40]
Gallup polls of American voters have shown a significant change in attitude in the last twenty years, from 73% opposed to home education in 1985 to 54% opposed in 2001.

Homeschooling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you Frank, those really are viable arguments and something to keep in mind !
Although I do believe that in my case they will not apply.
I think exposure to different ideas and points of view are a great thing. What better place than the internet to look at both sides of a debate. My parents used to teach us to "discuss" and debate our points of view around the kitchen table ! I consider myself impartial on many subjects and of open mind.
I think children should be given the opportunity to make their choices. Not Follow outr desires.
Its putting those choices OBJECTIVELY in front of them that allows them to do that.
But I can see where some would bias their choices.

Another counter argument may be , who better to to bias their choices (If it must be done) more than the people who are raising them and responsible for them.

 

[bob saunders]

Homeschooling vs Public School | Homeschool vs. Public School