John

Just wondering if there are any homeschooler's here? My wife and I have been homeschooling our two daughters for the last 5 years and it has been a smashing success (so far ). If there are others here, what has your experience been like?

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Boanerges

Homeschooling is great and the eduation my children received is top notch all the way!

da_man

We thought very seriously about this. But where we live and with schedules, school is where our children get most of their interaction with other kids.
At times though I wish we would homeschool.

NearertoGod

I'm homeschooled, I love it btw.
I'm learning a lot better than I was in the regular public/private school systems...I like Independent Studies.

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Happy - Born - ?/?/1999 - Happily crossed back home to God - June 25th/26th, 2008
You will never be forgotten
Rest In Peace, Happy. You were more than just a dog, a pet, you were a best friend.
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adoptivemommy

My daughters are small now, but I do have a friend who home schools all her 4 children! All I can say is you people are awesome! I went over to her house once when she was in the middle of doing school and I have to say from what I saw, the only way I would home school is if the Lord gave me a very vivid and solid charge to do so! I think is the hardest job a parent can possibly undertake, so for all you home schoolers out there my hat is off to you! God bless you!

Laura

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Lovingsoul07

Hello. I'm really late on this topic but I homeschool. My husband and I have two sons, 7:1st grader and 5: Preschooler/K. So far it has been a success. Our sons are learning so much and we never have to worry about their social interaction as we are a part of a homeschool group that does several things. We have park days, museum trips, go skating, bowling, bbq's, library days, even a book club. Also here at home the boys go out and play with the children in our neighborhood. I'm thankful to God that we are able to homeschool, this has been a TREMENDOUS blessing to our family as well as our extended family (they are watching on the sidelines LOL).

GrannyG

When done well, homeschooling is wonderful. After working in Christian education (as an executive secretary) for over 30 years, I can attest to the fact that most of the homeschooled children that came into the Christian school setting, were well prepared, well behaved, and a blessing to receive into the Christian school classroom.

I have seen families that homeschooled their children who also did a fair job of doing it; and some who, when funds were running low, felt they had the parental prerogative to put it all on hold until they had the funds. These kids were not receiving any education for months at a time. This is a disgrace.

If you are homeschooling, remember your accountability to God, your children, and the state. I would also add that many Christian schools welcome the homeschooled student into its midst for non-core curriculum classes. These can be enrichment classes for the student, social engagement, fine arts, athletic participation. The cost is usually nominal and proves beneficial to the student and also to the school that opens it doors to the homeschooled student.

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Boanerges

When it comes to their education we have sacrificed of our kids and put their needs first- this is good and right. When they get to the point of adulthood it is up to them to use the advantages we gave them but I can certainly say that they do have the opportunities.

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NearertoGod

I agree with a lot of other people on homeschooling when it is done well.

My family makes sure that I get enough time outside of the house just as I do inside of the house.

I like homeschooling because you can learn at your own pace and at your own time. I find that in a public school system, the children are treated as one mindset that grows at the same rate as everyone else. That's not entirely true. Some children learn slower than others, and the teachers don't want to devote any "extra time" to children who need that extra little time to practice something.

My mother travels a lot, and we've been to Europe on several occasions. In the 3rd grade, we went to London and France for 2 weeks and it was so hard to get all my studies coordinated. Now, if we go to Europe again while I'm homeschooling, it'll be much easier to do it because I'll get it organized in the right way.

Some homeschooling providers don't do what they say we do. Thank God we have found a good, reliable resource.

__________________
****IN LOVING MEMORY****
Happy - Born - ?/?/1999 - Happily crossed back home to God - June 25th/26th, 2008
You will never be forgotten
Rest In Peace, Happy. You were more than just a dog, a pet, you were a best friend.
I LOVE YOU

dermasse

We've homeschooled from day 1. My wife does all the work in the lower grades, and I take over when they get into junior/senior high science, math, computers, social studies, and worldviews. I'm a "professional" educator by trade and have taught in public, private, and Christian schools as well as in community colleges. From an pedagogical perspective, I believe homeschooling is the best option for these reasons:

1. No one know my children better than me. I can relate what they're learning in various subjects to things we've talked about, shows they've seen on tv, places we've visited, etc. Making connections between what they're studying in the books and what they're exposed to in their everyday lives makes the curriculum relevant to them. Also, I know how my child learns. I know whether he/she learns best by doing (kinesthetic), seeing (visual), or hearing (auditory). These are learning styles and most of us are dominant in one particular learning style. If a teacher stands in front of the classroom lecturing and my child is a kinesthetic learner, he/she will not learn. He/she will be fidgeting around, doodling, etc in an effort to assimilate the information, albeit unsuccessfully in most cases.

2. You can't get any better than a student-teacher ratio of 1:1.

3. You don't have all the social distractions of boyfriend-girlfriend relationships, bullies, is the teacher angry at me, etc going on in the middle of the lesson. There are so many things constantly happening in the standard classroom that it's a wonder kids learn at all. As soon as teacher turns his/her back, notes are being passed, spitballs are flying, etc. So the diligent student has to filter all this out while trying to listen to the teacher, take notes, etc. This just isn't a very good learning environment.

I know that not everyone can homeschool, so please don't feel that I'm judging anyone for not homeschooling. Having been in many classrooms as a student and teacher, and comparing that to what I see in our homeschool, I am a very strong supporter of homeschooling. The data supports the conclusion that homeschooled children are above average not only academically but also socially. They are socially better prepared for the real world. How many of us with jobs are surrounded by peers of the exact same age? Probably none. The traditional school system is an artificial environment that does not prepare children for the real world. The National Home Education Research Institute has plenty of data available.

Ok, I'll step down from my soapbox.