Thread: Hows going?

Hi there all.

Though I do not intend to homeschool (at least not yet), its sounding more appealing the further my kids get in the PS system. What I would like to do is dip my toe in. Both my oldest (one going into 7th, the other into 2nd) were slighted academically this last year. My plan is to mock-homeschool this summer to get the feel of it. You may be wondering why I don't just dive in. I've two reasons, my husband and mother. Neither believe in homeschooling - primarily due to its reputation of belonging to religious fanatics. While I work on gaining their support, I would like to start a program and have been looking into some of the curriculum. I look forward to learning from ya'll.

Cheers

If you are planning to do it convince your dh and mom, I would suggest doing a unit study with each and base it on something they already LOVE. Unless your kids are very, very, very different from mine doing regular school type work over the summer when they have just finished a full year and expect to go back in the Fall. Well, it could end up just demonstrating how hsing will never work. It easily took us 6 months just to find what was going to work and another 6 to get it working well. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Accidental Homeschooler

If you are planning to do it convince your dh and mom, I would suggest doing a unit study with each and base it on something they already LOVE. Unless your kids are very, very, very different from mine doing regular school type work over the summer when they have just finished a full year and expect to go back in the Fall. Well, it could end up just demonstrating how hsing will never work. It easily took us 6 months just to find what was going to work and another 6 to get it working well. Good luck!

Great advice! You could also plan lots of hands on stuff, if that's what your kids are into, and use that as a springboard to more learning.

Also, I suggest you read John Taylor Gatto's book Dumbing Us Down.
He states that the true reason for public schools is not to educate, but to create citizens who will be good workers - know how to be on time, do what they are told, not question authority, etc. It is very enlightening.

Good luck. I too would not suggest you make your kids do too much work during the summer - may backfire.

Hello and welcome to the forum. You've already received some great advice. Yes, family can be tricky sometimes.

I guess I see homeschooling as so much more than workbooks completed at home instead of in a classroom, I'm really not sure how your experiment would work out or what it would accomplish. Most new homeschoolers take considerable time OFF after leaving ps, in order to deschool or erase the expectations of what " school" looks like. I can't begin to imagine a ps student not resenting having to do MORE work over their much deserved summer break.

You might ask yourself what your objectives are for wanting to homeschool. What does it mean to you, what do you want your kids to get out of it and how do you visualize your days? Why, too, is your husband against it (once he gets past the religious thing)? He will need to be part of the process of asking questions and exploring options.

While I agree that a unit study might be fun over the summertime, I don't think it's quite fair or accurate to call that "homeschooling". It's not really a part time endeavor. However, I do commend you for wanting to learn more about homeschooling and keeping an open mind. Maybe spend some time browsing various curriculum and forums like this for ideas and to help you figure it out.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm not sure why the assumption was made that I'm going to fill their summer with busywork. One of the reasons I am drawn to hsing is the opportunity to use hands on learning both at home and on site around the community. I realize that 3 months is not "homeschooling" - thats why I called it mock-homeschooling. My intent is to see if it is feasible with my work schedule as we are not able to do the single income thing right now, as well as to prove (or not) to my husband and mother that homeschooling is a reasonable option. My eldest is a perfect candidate, he is responsible and a great time manager and very interested in being homeschooled. My younger is a bit trickier (personality not age) but is a fast learner when he dosnt realize he is being taught.

Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions. I will be perusing the forums for ideas.

V

If you are interested in doing a unit study type thing over the summer, Curr-click has some really cool stuff for the summer olympics.

Hello and welcome!

I DID start our journey over the summer- just didn't realize that was what we were starting so not all kids are going to find the extra work irritating. Lots will (my ds would probably freak out if I told him we were going straight through), but not all.

I think what strikes me about your post though is the need to get support- yes, you need your dh on board. BUT- not your mother. Not to be mean there, but many/most of us have to deal with situations constantly where we aren't supported. That's what happens when you choose to do something outside of the mainstream. Heck, not one member of my extended family liked homeschooling in the beginning. Most were just too polite to tell me they thought I was screwing up my kids. My father was much more horrible and vocal, BUT I would NEVER let him dictate my choices. I don't care if he likes it- these are my kids to raise, not his, and this is our journey.

My husband once made a comment about 99.9% of all homeschoolers being religious (made up figure), and we laughed... because even if that WERE true, that doesn't make US any more religious than we used to be at all.

My point- probably badly made- is that I think you need to look at your reasons and decide if they are valid enough to deal with the criticism. Because even if you win over your dh and mother, there will ALWAYS be someone questioning your choice.


(again, I do believe your dh has to at least be willing to give it a try. No insult to dhs there)

Best of luck on your journey!