Ask a (secular) home schooler
June 7, 2015 at 2:00 am
(This post was last modified: June 7, 2015 at 3:41 am by Aroura.)
I fear I'm going to get reamed in this thread, but due to a few recent conversations here on AF, I realize now more than ever that there are HUGE misconceptions out there about home schooling. It is so often associated with Creationists, isolation, abuse, etc.
So to address a few basics right away:
I'm a 40 year old stay-at-home-mom with a degree in computer science, and my daughter just turned 8. She attended a public school for preschool, Kinder, and 1st grade, where I volunteered heavily. In her second month of 2nd grade, I made a very hard choice, and pulled her out of public school, and now she learns at home with me.
I am very conscious of core standardization, because she will need to test out at the end of 3rd grade in order to stay in home school. But I don't ONLY focus on core, we do lots of other learning activities. I'm not a fan of "unschooling", but I do let in a bit of child led learning. She picks our science, art and social studies topics each month. We rely a great deal on free resources, and use very little purchased curriculum. We do use a few though.
I am also very conscious, considering she is an only child, of the "socialization" issue that is so often a concern to outsiders. This is the main reason I'm still a girl scout leader. She gets to be part of a large group of girls (my troop is 12 girls, across 3 grade levels), on a regular basis in a organized atmosphere. I am not in charge of meeting activities, my co-leader does that part, so I don't hover over my kid there. Mainly, I just do the paperwork, finances, and I plan and facilitate the troops monthly outings, camps, etc.
We also have a library group we are part of, and she has playdates with friends (including 2 neighborhood boys her age) at least once a week.
My husband and other family have been very supportive of this choice. It's hard work for me, but rewarding. We intend to put her back in public school by 5th grade at the latest, so this isn't a permanent thing.
So, erm, any questions?
So to address a few basics right away:
I'm a 40 year old stay-at-home-mom with a degree in computer science, and my daughter just turned 8. She attended a public school for preschool, Kinder, and 1st grade, where I volunteered heavily. In her second month of 2nd grade, I made a very hard choice, and pulled her out of public school, and now she learns at home with me.
I am very conscious of core standardization, because she will need to test out at the end of 3rd grade in order to stay in home school. But I don't ONLY focus on core, we do lots of other learning activities. I'm not a fan of "unschooling", but I do let in a bit of child led learning. She picks our science, art and social studies topics each month. We rely a great deal on free resources, and use very little purchased curriculum. We do use a few though.
I am also very conscious, considering she is an only child, of the "socialization" issue that is so often a concern to outsiders. This is the main reason I'm still a girl scout leader. She gets to be part of a large group of girls (my troop is 12 girls, across 3 grade levels), on a regular basis in a organized atmosphere. I am not in charge of meeting activities, my co-leader does that part, so I don't hover over my kid there. Mainly, I just do the paperwork, finances, and I plan and facilitate the troops monthly outings, camps, etc.
We also have a library group we are part of, and she has playdates with friends (including 2 neighborhood boys her age) at least once a week.
My husband and other family have been very supportive of this choice. It's hard work for me, but rewarding. We intend to put her back in public school by 5th grade at the latest, so this isn't a permanent thing.
So, erm, any questions?
“Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where's it going to end?”
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
