Someone posted that question on a community website, and this was my response...
Hi Star Gazer,
I have an 11 year old, an 8 year old, and a 3 year old. I've home-schooled them since day 1. We've had the privilege of interacting with and interviewing many home-schooling mothers(and their children), who take many different approaches, and hold various philosophies of education. The common thread seems to be a deep connection to family, and a strong desire to provide the best education possible for their kids.
You have some good questions! Here are my thoughts...
Hidden costs... This is totally dependent on the frugality of the parent... There are many home-school blogs and books out there dedicated to teaching your child at home "on a shoe-string". It is possible to give them a first-class education, simply by using the public library, and the internet. I am actually using a free online, literature-based curriculum called amblesideonline.com I buy a math curriculum on amazon(Singapore Math) and don't pay more than $30 a year.
One could spend quite a bit of money on a curriculum, and on supplementary classes, if that's the direction one wanted to go, and I've met several families who do. There are some co-ops that are like private schools composed of home-schoolers, like Cottage School and Classical Conversations. These have a price-tag, but many families are more that willing to pay for the amazing environment and learning opportunities. Many other families find that more informal co-ops are an inexpensive way to add spice to their weeks. There is a list on the web, of co-ops in our area. Home Educator's Assoc. of Va(HEAV) has a great web-site with that list. Many opportunities arise out of just making friends. Our family will do our core subjects at home and then meet with 3 other families once a week to do some science activities, with a focus on astronomy. We are a part of a drama co-op, and a geography co-op. These groups are either free, or very low cost.
College entrance... Home-schooling has become very prevalent, and home-schoolers are consistently scoring high on standardized tests. In 1998 changes were made to the Higher Education Act, which made it easier for home-schoolers to enter college. Many colleges have updated admission policies to accomodate home-schoolers, Harvard uses the same requirements for Home-schoolers as for traditional students; here's a quote from Marlyn McGrath Lewis, Director of Admissions for Harvard College:
"We receive a good number of candidates every year with all or part of their education from a homeschool background. Homeschooling is broader than some people realize. We are looking for the strongest candidates in the world and we find some of those among homeschoolers." more info on that, here: homeschool.com college article and here Homeschool Legal Defence Assoc.(HSLDA)
I have talked to many home-school mothers who have graduated kids, whom have gone on to college. Several of these mothers had children who were ready to take placement tests at the community college at 16. From there, they transferred to a 4 year college.
Parent/teacher threshold... This varies within families. I would start by saying that when our children are babies and toddlers, we naturally teach them by letting them explore their interests, by providing stimulating environments and ideas for them to chew on, by leading by example, answering a million "why?" questions, and by letting them make mistakes. We are naturally excellent teachers because we love them, we care about them, and we have walked the path before them.
One of the privileges of the home-schooling parent, is the ability to research and decide what one's educational philosophy and approach is and will be. Most of us were thrust into the educational system and moulded into the pattern that was there, not realizing that it was just one of the many ways that we could have been taught. We all know that every child is different, that there are different learning styles and rates, and that no one, old or young, fits into a tidy little box.
If a parent can find out their child's learning style, and their own teaching style, the parent can find an approach that is stimulating and rewarding not only for the student, but for the parent/teacher. If a parent can establish good disciplinary habits in the home, these will translate into good study habits. I would add to that by saying that it would be ideal to let learning happen naturally, as the child's interests are perked, like they were in the early years, instead of force-feeding facts. If we can have a good balance in the home of structure and freedom, and if we do not over-burden our childen with the "musts" but let them find joy in learning, then our role as parent/teacher can be seamless. There is a wonderful book written by Cathy Duffy, called Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Pics for Homeschool Curriculum It provides a great overview of the most prevalent approaches to home-education, their merits, and their short-comings. There is also a self-evaluation section that allows you to see which approach might fit you best.
To answer your last question: Yes! I think sane people should give a lot of consideration to home-schooling.
One final thought: As we've participated in several home-school co-ops, and field-trip groups, I've had a chance to observe, first hand the way these kids behave, and what I've noticed is that for the most part the kids are more respectful of one-another, and more eager to learn than I remember them being when I went to public school. Many home-school families have as many as 6-10 kids. It is heart-warming to see the older kids playing kindly with their very young siblings, or to have someone else's child approach me and articulately, and enthusiastically describe an interesting science fact. I count myself blessed to be living in a time and place where parents and kids can have this opportunity and freedom!
Hi Star Gazer,
I have an 11 year old, an 8 year old, and a 3 year old. I've home-schooled them since day 1. We've had the privilege of interacting with and interviewing many home-schooling mothers(and their children), who take many different approaches, and hold various philosophies of education. The common thread seems to be a deep connection to family, and a strong desire to provide the best education possible for their kids.
You have some good questions! Here are my thoughts...
Hidden costs... This is totally dependent on the frugality of the parent... There are many home-school blogs and books out there dedicated to teaching your child at home "on a shoe-string". It is possible to give them a first-class education, simply by using the public library, and the internet. I am actually using a free online, literature-based curriculum called amblesideonline.com I buy a math curriculum on amazon(Singapore Math) and don't pay more than $30 a year.
One could spend quite a bit of money on a curriculum, and on supplementary classes, if that's the direction one wanted to go, and I've met several families who do. There are some co-ops that are like private schools composed of home-schoolers, like Cottage School and Classical Conversations. These have a price-tag, but many families are more that willing to pay for the amazing environment and learning opportunities. Many other families find that more informal co-ops are an inexpensive way to add spice to their weeks. There is a list on the web, of co-ops in our area. Home Educator's Assoc. of Va(HEAV) has a great web-site with that list. Many opportunities arise out of just making friends. Our family will do our core subjects at home and then meet with 3 other families once a week to do some science activities, with a focus on astronomy. We are a part of a drama co-op, and a geography co-op. These groups are either free, or very low cost.
College entrance... Home-schooling has become very prevalent, and home-schoolers are consistently scoring high on standardized tests. In 1998 changes were made to the Higher Education Act, which made it easier for home-schoolers to enter college. Many colleges have updated admission policies to accomodate home-schoolers, Harvard uses the same requirements for Home-schoolers as for traditional students; here's a quote from Marlyn McGrath Lewis, Director of Admissions for Harvard College:
"We receive a good number of candidates every year with all or part of their education from a homeschool background. Homeschooling is broader than some people realize. We are looking for the strongest candidates in the world and we find some of those among homeschoolers." more info on that, here: homeschool.com college article and here Homeschool Legal Defence Assoc.(HSLDA)
I have talked to many home-school mothers who have graduated kids, whom have gone on to college. Several of these mothers had children who were ready to take placement tests at the community college at 16. From there, they transferred to a 4 year college.
Parent/teacher threshold... This varies within families. I would start by saying that when our children are babies and toddlers, we naturally teach them by letting them explore their interests, by providing stimulating environments and ideas for them to chew on, by leading by example, answering a million "why?" questions, and by letting them make mistakes. We are naturally excellent teachers because we love them, we care about them, and we have walked the path before them.
One of the privileges of the home-schooling parent, is the ability to research and decide what one's educational philosophy and approach is and will be. Most of us were thrust into the educational system and moulded into the pattern that was there, not realizing that it was just one of the many ways that we could have been taught. We all know that every child is different, that there are different learning styles and rates, and that no one, old or young, fits into a tidy little box.
If a parent can find out their child's learning style, and their own teaching style, the parent can find an approach that is stimulating and rewarding not only for the student, but for the parent/teacher. If a parent can establish good disciplinary habits in the home, these will translate into good study habits. I would add to that by saying that it would be ideal to let learning happen naturally, as the child's interests are perked, like they were in the early years, instead of force-feeding facts. If we can have a good balance in the home of structure and freedom, and if we do not over-burden our childen with the "musts" but let them find joy in learning, then our role as parent/teacher can be seamless. There is a wonderful book written by Cathy Duffy, called Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Pics for Homeschool Curriculum It provides a great overview of the most prevalent approaches to home-education, their merits, and their short-comings. There is also a self-evaluation section that allows you to see which approach might fit you best.
To answer your last question: Yes! I think sane people should give a lot of consideration to home-schooling.
One final thought: As we've participated in several home-school co-ops, and field-trip groups, I've had a chance to observe, first hand the way these kids behave, and what I've noticed is that for the most part the kids are more respectful of one-another, and more eager to learn than I remember them being when I went to public school. Many home-school families have as many as 6-10 kids. It is heart-warming to see the older kids playing kindly with their very young siblings, or to have someone else's child approach me and articulately, and enthusiastically describe an interesting science fact. I count myself blessed to be living in a time and place where parents and kids can have this opportunity and freedom!
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