Is home school a good option for middle school?
I find myself fascinated by these kinds of discussions. I do admit that it is a bit like slowing down to gawk at the scene of an accident. What fascinates me are the assumptions people make about teenagers, education and homeschooling.
Here's an excerpt from the article:
That’s when homeschooling entered the picture. It was a fleeting thought at first, but it’s now beginning to grow on me. I like the idea of choosing a curriculum that fits my daughter’s individual needs — one that would allow her to progress as fast as she would like and explore additional subjects. I know we would have to work hard to keep up her friendships with the girls in her “group” from elementary school, and I’m certain we would need to find some extracurricular activities to give her other social outlets as well.
Here is one of the expected responses:
There are also pro-homeschooling responses. However, I think it is strange that the debate keeps coming back to "socialization." I'm always shocked that any adult thinks teenagers learn anything valuable about being an adult at school.By motherjanegoose
February 17, 2009 8:14 AM | Link to this
This will not come as a surprise to anyone but I am thoroughly opposed to home schooling with the exception of a few circumstances.
WHY? One reason is because of the enormity of the task and the fact that I have met several folks who have tried it and then decided it was way too hard. Is this why we require formal education to teach?
DUH…I train teachers all over the country. I am considered an expert in early literacy. I do not know enough about science, math, social studies and foreign languages to begin.
This is kind of like: I can cook…I should open a restaurant. I will order a kit to show me how and then VOILA I am on my way.
COULD it happen…YES but the chances are slim. I love to work with wood, I will build my own house…get me the kit and I am on my way!You are practicing on your child who needs social skills and to understand how to mesh into a routine that perhaps is not his/her favorite ( at school and with teachers who may not be on his/her top ten list) BUT THAT IS LIFE....
Back to the original question, I don't think the person asking the question about homeschooling is very likely to be successful as a homeschooler. It takes a lot of conviction to weather the storm the follows removing a peer dependent / school indoctrinated child from the government (mis)educaton system. I've had many friends try to start homeschooling in middle school. Not one made it through the year. Some didn't even make it through two weeks. I imagine it would take a good year or more to make the transition.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education,
14 comments:
I love the comment from the person not supporting homeschooling and equating it to opening a restaurant. The funniest part is she actually doesn't make any sense.
Homeschooling is like cooking at home, not like opening a restaurant. Opening a restaurant without knowing anything would be like opening a school for lots of kids without knowing what you're doing. (Or with a "kit").
But I just successfully homeschooled and cooked for my kids. In the same day!! Crazy, huh?
What a depressing conversation. Yick.
There is a mother in our neighborhood that started homeschooling in high school. She loved it far better than high school - said she enjoyed the school work better, was done a lot faster, etc. etc.
There was a lot of "conviction" in pulling her out - involving her, a well-socialized yet overly-hormoned young man, and a dark night that resulted in a court case. So I'm sure that helped them weather any storms.
Well, I started the first time with the kid in 2nd grade. It was awful. ;) We lasted a year. But, I started again in 5th grade (last year), and this time it has been great. He is a willing participant this time. It has been much harder for him to make the transition than my two younger kids. The middle one only went to kindergarten for 6 months, and the youngest never went beyond preschool, where everything was beautiful all day.
My brother, sister, and I all homeschooled in middle school. The brother and I went back to school, but the sister never did. I don't know. I think it depends on the person and situation. It definitely depends on the conviction.
There are a number of families in our homeschool support group who started in middle school, and AFAIK it seems to be working out for them.
I think it's fairly common for parents to be satisfied with their local elementary school but unhappy with their local middle school. Often middle schools draw from more than one feeder school, so the child may be exposed to negative social elements (like gangs) for the first time. One hates to be a snob, but there can be a real downside to having a more diverse student population.
I loved Silvermine's comment. Relating opening a restauraunt to educating one child is silly.
If the original commenter in the article wanted to make such a comparison, you could say that it's like being a personal chef. You quickly learn what your client likes, dislikes. How they like their steak cooked. What spices they like with their meals. The fact that they hate onions. Being a chef one-on-one with someone allows the chef to see what works for that client.
Same with homeschool!!!
Isn't sending your kid to school a big experiment? To borrow the analogy, I wouldn't want the government deciding on and cooking my dinner for me.
Quite frankly, I believe people who remember their school years as being positive are more likely to be against homeschooling. The other 99% of us that weren't homecoming queen, cheerleaders, popular, good at sports, etc. probably have a more realistic view of the "socialization" thing. I went to both public school and then private Christian school and I can say neither were experiences I care to put my daughters through. The public school was slightly more terrible than the private school, but both were a real drag.
Perhaps motherjanegoose is more worried about herself (namely her job) than others. "I train teachers all over the country. I am considered an expert in early literacy." She seems to think a lot of herself.
Thanks for all the comments.
I agree that the restaurant analogy (that homeschooling is like running your own restaurant)is very flawed. I've enjoyed reading the responses that pointed out the problems with that kind of thinking.
Crimson Wife,
I just had to laugh when I saw the comment you left on the original article.
Too true.
My husband is currently a teacher (first-year), and what he's seen in the school system has made us more firm than ever in our convictions to homeschool. My daughter doesn't need to deal with the class clowns, randy jokes, and disrepect going on in the classroom. If that's socialization, we want none of it! Thanks for correcting the restaurant argument.
Koala Bear Writer,
Thanks for the insider perspective.
As far as the matter of homeschooling is concerned, I myself, as someone who is currently not home-schooled has an indifferent opinion about it.
I believe that there are pros and cons to the subject of homeschooling. There are different reasons for each gender as well. I believe that the social drama of public school for females is one of the most challenging aspects for a girl, but at the same time when your being home-schooled a girl might feel lonely or left out. For some boys they may feel insecure about their physical features because of the different speeds that each boy progresses.
As far as the actual schooling is concerned I feel that for both genders it is beneficial as far as focus is concerned. Kids at my school tend to struggle with the distractions of their peers around them. But sometimes peers can be beneficial in helping learn and study, it's really a difficult subject to decide whether or not to choose homeschooling.
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