Nicky is scheduled to begin kindergarten in a year. For the past year I've thought a lot about homeschooling. There are some good arguments for teaching Nicky at home:
- Nicky could learn at her own pace meaning she could move quickly through subjects that are easy and spend more time on subjects that are difficult. So much time is wasted at school because the classes are large and children either get bored (because a subject is easy) or get behind (because they need extra time).
- I could employ a teaching style that is catered to her instead of the "one size fits all" model they use in public school. For example, she is in love with animals so we could use animals in her lessons and make some of her lessons and projects geared toward learning more about animals. This way she'd feel learning is enjoyable because she'd be interested in the things we are doing.
- Nicky would get more attention since class sizes are getting larger and larger with budget cuts.
- Nicky would retain her innocence for longer as I would want to home school her through junior high.
- I could incorporate the Book of Mormon, church history, and the Bible in the curriculum at leisure.
- Nicky would have plenty of opportunities for socialization as there is a large homeschooling movement in California and many parents have a co-op situation where they get their children together and perhaps teach different subjects.
- One of the biggest advantages is I LOVE spending time with my kids. I miss them when they are gone and would love to be near them more often.
There are many other advantages but I'll stop the list there.
We haven't decided yet. It's just something I've thought about. It's new territory for Jeff and I because we were both public schooled. Overall, I didn't care that much for my school experience until high school but Jeff says he enjoyed going to school. I met a missionary in our ward a few months ago whose mother home schooled him. He was a wonderful young man, everything you'd want your son to be. He was intelligent, articulate, musically talented, kind, and sensitive. I talked to his mother and she felt the extra time she put into her child was a gift and part of the reason he turned out so wonderful. I guess you could argue that he might have turned out wonderful anyway (many wonderful people go to public school) but could a little extra time and sacrifice make a difference?
Despite all the amazing homeschooling reviews I've read on-line, I keep having the same question. If homeschooling is so awesome, why aren't more people doing it? I hardly know anyone homeschooling. The one family I do know, fits that home school stereotype everyone reminds me of. You know the geeky kids that were made weird because they had no social experiences. In fact, I try not to even mention that I'm considering homeschooling to anyone because I get the onslaught of stereotypes. I've heard,
"The moms are ugly and the kids are ugly. They don't care to dress up because they aren't going anywhere." (I'm not kidding, someone said this)
"Home schooled kids come from large families and they are socially weird."
Anyway, just a few samples.
I figure when we finally get to wherever we are going, I will find a home school group in my area just to see what it is all about. We want to weigh this very carefully. I would never want to make a bad choice where my children are concerned. If public school is the best thing, public school it is. I definitely don't want to be raising social mutants. For some reason public school doesn't seem that great when aligned with some of homeschooling advantages. Why aren't more people doing it? Is there something I'm missing?
I just signed Nicky up for preschool in the Fall. Since we haven't decided anything yet, I thought it best she receive some experience in a classroom setting in case she does go to Kindergarten. This decision will be a hard one.
4 comments:
I send my kids to school because I LOVED school myself and I don't want to take that experience away from my kids. I know a few moms that pull their kids out one at a time each year when they see there is a need. They just talk about it at the end of the school year and decides who goes and who doesn't the following year. I thought that flexibility was nice.
I send my kids to school because #1, because of their disabilities, they need as much social interaction as possible, #2, I love spending time with them, but if TOO much time is spent, we all tend to hate each other, #3, I don't want to do all the work. But I think homeschooling is great if you do it right. There were some really great homeschooling groups where I lived in Maryland who got together for some classes and things, so there was still some social interaction. Good luck with your decision.
I will leave my opinion out of this but I wanted to mention that the reason you may not see so many people homeschooling these days at least in Cali is that a few years ago I think the passes a law that you have to have your CA teachign credential to do it. Something for you to check into and consider.
I just came across your blog, though I don't know you. As a homeschooling mom I just wanted to offer some thoughts on this post in case it might be helpful in your decision. (It sounds like you are very aware of the many benefits and advantages of hsing, and I am not out to convert anyone so I'll stay away from listing what I think is good about it.)
One thing I keep in mind about hsing my children is that we take it a year at a time - if at some point it's not the best choice for one or more child, then we do have the option to put them in public school. Yes, it's a big decision and yes, it's good to have continuity but it does not have to be a 12 year (or 9 year) binding decision made before K. That perspective helped to ease some of the anxiety I had about making this choice. Why aren't more people hsing? Well, a lot of people are and the numbers are growing. I am not in CA (we live in MA) but once we starting hsing then I found a community that I didn't even know existed - hs classes, coops, etc. If you seek these out in advance as you mentioned, it might help you with your decision. But even so, homeschoolers are still a minority. My guess is that one big reason that more people are not homeschooling is that the cultural norm in the US is institutional school, either public or private. Simply speaking, it can be very difficult to go against cultural norms. Almost no one will question or judge your decision to send your child to public school, but almost everyone will question (and some will judge) your decision to homeschool. (Additionally, a lot of families these days are two-income households, and deciding to homeschool requires a conscious decision to make significant lifestyle changes. I think many families are just not in a position where they can lose one salary that they are accustomed to.)
And of course there are the stereotypes (ugh!), and though I have met families that perpetuate those stereotypes that is definitely not the norm. My friends who are homeschool moms all joke about those stereotypes, b/c we are so far from those but we know that many people expect us to wear long denim jumpers and expect our kids to be unsocialized weirdos. (No offense to the denim jumper crowd, it's just not me.)
Lastly, (related to Tammy's comment) as an attorney in MA I am not up on all the developments in CA law, but I recall a recent CA case which raised the issue of teacher certification for homeschool parents; there was big uproar about it for a while. I believe the situation in CA is that one needs to either register as a "private school" or enroll in independent study with a private school, and you do not need a teaching credential to do either - this has been the case in CA for a long time, so if you become aquainted with people in the hs community in CA I am sure they can point you towards resources for taking these steps. (I am guessing a google search could point the way as well, but sometimes it's useful to hear the perspectives and experiences of others.)
Ultimately, you know what is best for your children and your family. Homeschooling is not the right choice for everyone, but I think it's great that you are open to looking at a variety of possibilities for educating your children. Best of luck to you in your decision.
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