Unschooling Child.

So the kids have to go through what you did? I'm so sorry.

Yes they do, but the difference today is, they can never get away with what they did years ago. So, although some things might still go on, they can never lay an hand on the kids.

That's good. It isn't right to Have to go and slap a nun because she hit your child! But I would do just that!

Fantastic!

You would be surprised to know that my story is not an exception but the rule in most cases. And that you don;t see how hard it was for me must mean you were one of the bullies? I don't know. Just because you enjoyed school and it worked for you Doesn't mean it is best for all. And to protect my kids , if I had any, from bullies They would be schooled at home. It is best for them . Why? because that way they will still have a mother because once I find out that my child is being bullied, I will kill someone ! Simple!And what about Bagarad's daughter? do you Really think it is funny that her daughter was harassed? Really? and so sorry but each of my posts don't just happen, They come from an individual story , mine or someone else's So if you can't or won't understand that I suggest you don't comment on my posts.

"Mary Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow?" We are not talking about individuals who are an exception than a rule as in your case sarah.We should talk in general. Your mindset is exclusive and so I would rather leave you out of this discussion!. The fact that the system of schooling has survived for so many centuries says a lot about how essential it is. I remember when we were kids all my friends and I would eagerly wait to get back after our finals to start in the new class,not without reason I suppose? I am still in touch with my classmates and meet at regular intervals even after all these years.

@bagard - With most of the parents being at work these days how a child can be schooled at home and exposed to all what you have mentioned is a bit difficult to follow. A child needs activity every single day an activity that is fruitful to help it develop into a responsible human being. There are several homes that have a one child norm and most neighbours cocoon in their own little world. A child needs to have peers to mix and mingle. And finally not all have the kind of environment that you have outlined.

Hi Bhai! The one thing that employers should realize, if a child can learn at home using the computer, they will be just a learned and maybe even more learned that their peers who are in regular school.

It took a long time for homeschooling to be accepted here, too. But now, thirty years later, they see these students are sometimes ahead of public schools academically, and also have some valuable extra-curricular activities that make them attractive to the admissions offices. Many homeschooled students are found at Harvard, Yale, and other major universities.

Hi bagarad and behen Quite true. When I was studying at college (in early 1990s), I rarely attended any lecture or classes. I was more into doing social service and organizing workshops at the slums spreading awareness about cleanliness, health, hygene. I did all my study at home. I dont say or feel that I am better learned in my subjects but yes, I have managed to develop some skills like public speaking, interacting with people better and also being open to learning all my life and looking at things from various perspectives only from these non-class learnings. Yes, today I do not participate in these activities (due to health concerns and issues) but I am better off with these qualities than many of my peers.

A tutor would be tough financially, I would think, but a good choice if you can afford a well-qualified one. To bagarad--very valid points. I do many of these things with my kids anyway, even though i don't home-school. In fact, I have run into home-schooling groups on "field trips" at many of the places I bring my own kids. But I would think that if you did all of these things as part of the daily "scool curriculum", they would lose some luster (for the kids and for me) as family outings, vacation, family time, etc. Plus, you would also have to build in additional time for socializing with other kids, something that is normally built into the school day. It just seems overwhelming to me.

Many homeschooling parents include practical things in the curriculum so that children see how their studies relate to real life. The take their children to the market and help them learn to read the labels and make good nutrition choices and use math to figure out how much five pounds of potatos will cost, etc. So they learn some health and some math. Then they include home economics by teaching their children how to cook (which also involved math and maybe even chemistry) do the laundry. As they learn these things, they will be able to help you more and will also be more prepared for life when they are on their own. They won't graduate from college and not be able to cook a meal. Men also need to learn these skills. We didn't have a TV ever, and didn't get one when we had kids. Incorporate reading as a family into the curriculum for entertainment. I've written about this in too many places to repeat here. Homeschooling does involve being willing to give up some of the privacy you may be used to, but you do get used to it, and you can learn to schedule such time for everyone. Lots of homeschool moms have written helpful books that make the adjustment easier. You need to think about the difference between homeschooling and trying to bring regular school into your home. They are two very different things. Go to a home school convention and you will hear other moms share how they handle almost every possible situation. See the available curriculum materials. You will also learn ways to teach different subjects. One can put the phones on voice mail and unplug the kid's phones until their lessons are done. Also, not TV or electronic toys until lessons and chores are done, or only during breaks between lessons. There are ways to get around this. No one loves privacy as I do, but I still managed. As you spend time doing enjoyable things with your children and learning together, you will all appreiciate each other more.

I meant "school". I tried to fix it and the comment just posted.

That's wonderful!

That's why I said I would hire a tutor.

Ans with these groups you Know the parents of each child. So if there is a bully , it can be nipped in the bud, fast!

The social part of my school involved, in part, hearing about people's drunken weekends and who was doing who. That is why I always laugh when people try to shield their public schooled children from this-or-that. If your kid is going to public school, they are probably hearing some of the most vile stuff one can imagine... and it starts at a very early age (I heard the first dirty joke that I remember hearing when I was a six-year old first-grader). Shielding my children from dirty jokes or the like isn't my reason for planning to home school, though. With all of the numerous community groups, youth sports, etc., our children will have plenty of opportunities to form friendships with people of all ages.

Carmella there is something you can do. Make up a word game you and your son can play after the stupidity at school. before dinner , play 20 questions. Tell him you are thinking of a word, and he has to guess it and when he Does guess it , Then he has to spell it! for each word correctly spelled means more time online or outside or , dare I say it? t.v. This way he keeps his vocabulary up. and he gets to play. Your German friend is correct. Many young adults don't know anything about government or history because it isn't on the test. Each child Has to pass the test to get government money so instead of teaching All subjects as truthfully as they can, they are just teaching to the test. it isn't that american kids are stupid , they just weren't taught what they should.

Hi wilson, it would have been possible a couple years ago, but the neighbor who had meeting in her home is no longer doing that. As for being locked in a room with kids his own age, I agree, but the only people he would be locked up with is me and his 25 y/o brother, which he already was over the summer and it wasn't fun..:( Of course he went outside occasionally, but when bad weather hits, we are stuck inside and this house isn't very big.. I agree to a point about other people influencing him and yes he is smart, I have heard his friends comment he is the smartest in the school, but this school isn't the best..In fact, we are on a border of two school districts, and if I had a car, he'd probably go to the other school. My neighbor's daughter was able to go to the other school and her sister made a comment that if she went to the school my school goes to, (her sister also went to the school my son goes to) she said that her sister would have graduated with a better GPA. My husband also realizes this, but he refuses to allow him to not be socially involved, so there is nothing I can do about it other than get a job so I can afford a car..

Is it possible for him to get a ride to 4-H meetings or the like? Or does he have current friends who could come visit? Part of my plan for homeschooling my future children is that they will be very active in the community. They will have the chance to interact with people of all ages (far more important than being locked in a room for a third of the day with 30 other people of the same age). However... You do not spend all of your time locked in the house--even with only one car. Your son is not going to grow up to be socially inept if you choose to home school him; he may, however, end up as such if he remains in public school. I spent K-12 in public school. If I wouldn't have been a naturally voracious reader, I would have become one of them... the sort that don't know the branches of government and what they do or, often, even who the Vice President is. However, since I was obviously not one of them, they (including the bus driver and many of the teachers) were determined to make my life H***. Your son is a smart boy. If you live in an area filled with stupid people, they will eventually turn on him. Stupid doesn't like smart and seeks to destroy it.

Bullying isn't a part of growing up. It isn't normal! And the way some kids " handle" it is to come back and bomb the school! Kids can get to be in the company of other kids outside of school. Growing up my friends were one and two years younger than i so we Never had any classes with each other and yet we hung out.And yes that's what I want a tutor for my child ,, if I had any. to have that one on one attention, to mode the classwork so they can Really learn is priceless.

That's my whole point. I wouldn't want to inflict my school like on an innocent child!

Don't come up here and put your child in public school! try for a private school!

I am assuming I would be like my mom, The childre come first. And that I was smart or lucky enough to have a husband who had enough money for a tutor. But even If I didn't, I still wouldn't put Any child I loved in public school. Thankfully this is all hypothecial! I will never have kids Thank G-d.

And while doing all these activities they get to interact with their peers, the one thing that keeps coming up here. what the others don't get unless the structure is there , it won;t be just peers that your child will encounter. I'm glad you two agree. Take care.

Or be bullied by both teachers and students.

I know. My mom didn't know what hell I went through until two years after I graduated. I nwever told her because I just thought I deserved it! Wrong! So that is why if I ever eeven wanted kids I would Never let them Near public school and they would be tutored.

School isn't the only place to make friends. The best friends I made were outside of school. They lived near me. Just because you are home schooled Does not or shouldn't mean you are all alone Everyday.

I have always lived in the burbs.When I was 8 , we moved into an apartment that had a playground at the end of the block. Sadly these days many kids don't go out to play.

Unfortunately in my case making friends that lived near me was impossible. I lived in the middle of nowhere. Until I was put in a normal school my only friends were my family. So maybe it is okay if you live in an area where other kids are, but definitely not if you live in the middle of nowhere.