I’ve tried unsuccessfully for the past three days to post a comment on the Momversations post, “Homeschool: Good or Bad?” So I’m going to post my comment here, cuz I kinda like what I have to say.
I always have to laugh when I hear people debating whether parents are “qualified” to teach their kids. I realize all homeschooling families are different, but I really “teach” my kids very little. We have co-ops and homeschool groups and field trips and classes and activities and sports. And we read a lot. I expose them to as much as possible. When my kids hit upon something they are interested in, we immerse ourselves in it.
My main goal in homeschooling my children is to teach them HOW TO TEACH THEMSELVES. I truly believe that if a person knows how to learn, they can accomplish anything in life. In public (and even private) schools, children are taught how to pass a test and regurgitate information that the government has deemed important. I just can’t see how that benefits anyone. Oh, wait, except maybe the government.
I also want to share Judy’s blog, Consent of the Governed. I recently went through my Google Reader subscriptions and cleared out almost all of them (I was up to 300+ feeds) because I couldn’t keep up and frankly couldn’t remember why I subscribed to many of them. Now that I have only a few, I am keeping up much better and reading the blogs that are most valuable to me. Consent of the Governed is one that I’m glad to be reading regularly again. I find myself sharing, stumbling, bookmarking and clipping almost every one of her posts. If you want to read some common sense political blogging, check her out.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Thanks!
I appreciate the plug and enjoy your blogging as well.
I will be hosting carnival of Homeschooling in February !
Well put, Shannon! I think homeschooling gets a bad wrap but thsoe who do it well like you and are involved in co-ops and groups absolutely kick the public school system’s butt!
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Found your post through a Momvo url google search. It’s always a relief to hear other homeschoolers are part of the bunch. I can already see the parts of your well-said statement that critics will pick apart. There’s no clear enough way to express that homeschoolers learn things more deeply, and that’s part of what makes it worthwhile. Yay, homeschooling parents!
“Consent of the governed”, I’m gonna check it out. Seems to encapsulate exactly the kind of citizenry I can get behind. Thanks!!
Latest blog post from Jessica: 6 Years Old, and a Homeschooler
I truly agree with you. If we do not let our children teach themselves and find their own own interest, they become robots. I believe, kids need their liberty and school programs are set to be taught by every american child. But they are all different, so who can be right. Moreover, a mother is much more worried for her child than a teacher for his pupils, no?
Good comment!! Olivia
I teach fifth grade in a public school, and I’m totally for homeschooling when it’s what parents believe is best for their children.
I found myself laughing, not in a ha ha kind of way, when I read what you stated about government tests as they really do test kids on things that have nothing to do with learning or life.
Sigh.
ellie
ellieisanewthing.blogspot.com
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Just wanted to say I’m always happy to hear good things about homeschooling. My mom homeschooled me and my 4 sibs and we all turned out very mature, well educated, and happy (not to brag, or anything, but… : ) I would love to homeschool my daughter and any other kids I might have, but I happened to marry a guy who is blindly in love with the public school system.
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I am not sure why people have any negative outlook on homeschoolers personally. Every parent teaches their child everyday in one way or another. Children learn from our behaviors and believes to the things we say without us even trying. I whole heartily believe that if you can you should spend more time with the ones you love and teach them everything you know and then some. You will only be a stronger person for it and your relationship will grow.
I am a father of 8 and we homeschool (for lack of a better word) through online schooling. In my opinion its homeschooling without the headache and a little less time consuming. I have read a lot of studies about online learning and it turns out that online learning is proving to outperform standard teaching and learning methods. With that in mind I had enrolled my children in online education at an early age. My children attend an online k-12 tuition-free charter school named OHDELA. It has proven to be one of the best things we have ever decided to do. Our children get to learn for the comfort and safety of home, with out the peer pressures of public school. They offer the students to learn at their own pace and encourage them to excel in the areas they enjoy.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. :0)