Home Schooling?

[cotang]

Anyone currently home school their kids? or have done so? I was wondering how much work is it?

[3blade]

I have several acquaintances who were homeschooled, and know both the parents and the kids involved. My suggestion is to avoid homeschooling if possible. None of the kids involved have good relationships with their parents, and all had/have a difficult time with social situations and post secondary education. And yeah it's a ton of work, you need to be really sure you can meet eligibility criteria for post secondary acceptance.

[Newview01]

Make sure your kids have a good social network outside of the homeschool.

My wife has a friend who homeschools and it is a lot of work, but maintaining a social life is the hardest.

I agree with homeschooling if done properly. Hope it works out for you.

[SDKiller]

I was so against home schooling when my sife asked if she could take the kids out of public school simply because i didnt want to have socially inept kids with a lower level of education. Long story short i was totally wrong. Pulling them from thier public school was by far the best thing for them i seen first hand how terrible our school system actually was. Now maybe it was an isolated school issue and maybe not but what i can say is that they still have the same friends they still are able to participate in public school activities but the beat part is they dont have to be around the negative influences that public schools have. As for grades we had to hire several titors simply because when they started home schooling we noticed that they were way behind. They had upper 80"s grafes in public school but could not keep up the first year of home school. Not because they were lazy or dumb simply because the public system in our town horribly failed the kids. This is my experience with my kids. They have gone on to nursing school and helcopter training for the EPS and the other is still in school not bad i would say for home schooled kids. PM me if you have any questions and i can let you know what school we havd our kids in and how it works.

[D4l3k]

My brother and his wife home school all their kids
Her family was all home schooled as well

No one in her family she came from of 7 kids made it to post secondary or even have any sort of real careers

My brother has 6 kids now with her (just pumping them out) and has learned all the tricks of leeching off the system from her dad (keep your wage super low to get max benifits, the more kids you have the more government money you get etc)

His kids all have social issues and speech issues.

[pikergolf]

I have a nephew and niece that were home schooled. A little shy but two of the nicest people you will ever want to meet. Very optimistic life outlooks.

[HighlandHeart]

Like public schooling, home schooling's effectiveness depends on the effort both the teacher and the student put in.

[artie]

glad my mom never home schooled me it would have been a war zone caused by both of us.

[bessiedog]

If you can be their teacher, go for it.

I know lots of good students that we're and are homeschooled.
I know lots 'not so good' as well.

It's a job.

[Gande]

I homeschool my kids. The debate of it being a good or bad choice will never be won so I won't bother trying. Positives and negatives to both homeschooling and public education. All I will say is that you don't have to look at it as a life commitment. You can homeschool temporarily if you would like to try. Depending on your kids grade level, there should be little to no issue putting them back into public school if you decide to. Any questions, feel free to pm me as well.

[nelsonob1]

Check out what home schooling resources are available locally. In our local there are many groups offering support and social connections. Kids do group activities, group sports, field trips, etc. For the right family it can be a rewarding experience.

[Big Grey Wolf]

If you are a graduate teacher you are qualified to home school your kids, if not let the professionals do their job they spent 4+ years of university to properly teach children. If your are unskilled house wife stick to the job you are trained and know well. Would you home doctor your children without proper professional training.

[Mikeham]

Originally Posted by cotang

Anyone currently home school their kids? or have done so? I was wondering how much work is it?

I'm a teacher, on leave for a year, and homeschooling my kids. It's a lot of work, and a lot of fun. It changes your relationship with your kids, for better or worse. Taken seriously, it can give kids an advantage over public schools. It can also be done poorly, and disadvantage your kids. My kids will be returning to French Immersion public school next year, with full confidence that they will be successful.

Make the decision to home school with eyes wide open about expectations and whether it's suitable for you and your kids. Not every kid should be home schooled, and not every parent should be a home school teacher.

[SamSteele]

Originally Posted by HighlandHeart

Like public schooling, home schooling's effectiveness depends on the effort both the teacher and the student put in.

This. There are a lot of vast generalizations in many of the other posts on this thread.

My sister and I were homeschooled until Grade 10/11 (respectively). Went to high school for the diploma to make post secondary easier and both of us graduated with distinction and had friends to boot. Both of us went on to post secondary and got a few degrees with distinction.

When I graduated high school and went to University my mother started University as well. Got two degrees (B.A. and B.Ed) in 5 years, became a professional teacher when she turned 50 and has been recognized as a Teacher of Excellence by Alberta Education. She pours her heart and soul into her students now too. She was dedicated and it showed in my sister and my academic performance as well as in her current career.

The flip side is that I also knew people who didn't take it seriously and took the easy way out. As with anything in life, you get out what you put in to it. They didn't do the hard work and it shows in their kids.

IMO, if you are going into it wondering how much work it is going to be you probably shouldn't be doing it. If you are going into it because you want to do better for your kids than what they are getting, go for it. Perspective and purpose is everything.

SS

[The Flint&Fly Guy]

I know many, many homeschoolers. I was homeschooled through my entire school. and I know of zero cases where the schooling was more disadvantage than advantage in the parent/child relationship. as for difficulty getting secondary schooling, thats not nearly always the case, some homeschool diplomas are actually preferred by the colleges!

[The Flint&Fly Guy]

and I know people that were homeschooled and are agtechs, heavy equipment mechanics, welders, electricians, and many other trades and occupations.

[cotang]

Thanks for the information. It seems what I can take from this is the amount of effort will affect the outcome just like anything else. The main reason for this was gathering information.
My son currently has major issues and it doesn't seem to be getingt a whole lot better. The previous school he was doing fine with his personal program but they wanted to transfer him to a school closer to us because they wanted him to get a new start in peer development. Unfortunately his IPP (individual plan) was suppose to be put into place with the new school but to me it seems like it never happened. We never heard much from the school except for the occasional phone call so we figure he's been doing fine. Only recently did we find out that it hasn't been at all. It didn't look like the plan was put into place nor even started. Now it seems like he back to square one. I personally don't think that the teachers at this new school knew what they were getting into (since the teachers are all pretty young.) or was over confident.
In case you are wondering what his issue is, he has what the doc calls emotion regulator dysfunction (something) mainly controlling his emotions. He has a low tolerance for people who annoys him and tends to blow up and hates working in groups unless he gets to choose the people he works with....
Anyways thanks for the ear and information.

[260 Rem]

IMO home schooling has a place for some kids but believe it should never be considered before the public system has proven a "poor fit". As a Principal, I had staff that supervised home schoolers in our attendance area. Some worked out well in terms of academics, others not so much. Some never returned to the public system, some did. Although I did not personally agree with the majority of those I saw choosing Home Schooling, I professionally did support those under my supervision by encouraging parents to have their kids attend school field trips and participate in extracurricular activities. They were also welcome to use the school library.

[ditch donkey]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

If you are a graduate teacher you are qualified to home school your kids, if not let the professionals do their job they spent 4+ years of university to properly teach children. If your are unskilled house wife stick to the job you are trained and know well. Would you home doctor your children without proper professional training.

Probably the most rediculous thing anyone will read today! Teachers are people, like anyone else. Some are good some are terrible. Maybe you get lucky and your kid gets a great teacher that actually focuses on kids learning.

Maybe you get some bimbo who only really got you not teaching because she thought it would be "fun," to hang out with kids all day, and Daddy didn't mind paying for an apartment on Whyte ave, and four years of University. But she got a diploma. Barely.

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by ditch donkey

Probably the most rediculous thing anyone will read today! Teachers are people, like anyone else. Some are good some are terrible. Maybe you get lucky and your kid gets a great teacher that actually focuses on kids learning.

Maybe you get some bimbo who only really got you not teaching because she thought it would be "fun," to hang out with kids all day, and Daddy didn't mind paying for an apartment on Whyte ave, and four years of University. But she got a diploma. Barely.

Not the case at all!

After having kids in the school system, both private and public I'm pretty much disgusted with the "system." I know some fantastic home schoolers and some real stars at it too....so same thing as the school system I guess. If you have a good teacher you're lucky whether it's in your home or not.

[Mikeham]

Originally Posted by The Flint&Fly Guy

I know many, many homeschoolers. I was homeschooled through my entire school. and I know of zero cases where the schooling was more disadvantage than advantage in the parent/child relationship. as for difficulty getting secondary schooling, thats not nearly always the case, some homeschool diplomas are actually preferred by the colleges!

I was unclear, sorry. Meant to imply that some parent-child personality combinations don't lend well to working together for 6 hours a day plus being a family as well. My mom home schooled my brother for a year and they clashed too much. He went back the next year.

By disadvantage, I meant that some parents don't do a great job and kids end up with below average skill and knowledge. It's not for everyone.

[rem338win]

I know hundreds of people involved in home schooling. The majority are very successful and the children tend to dive into their chosen career futures at a younger age than the traditional system allows. Those that are adults now range from corrections to policing, lawyers, trades, business owners, doctors, technicians, etc.

The socialization portion is laughable. Our system doesn't create healthy social structure at all. The ones that I've seen be unsuccessful had no chance in the public system either.

The weirdness in home schooling circles is equally represented in the school system. We all remember those children and their families.

It saves the government in this province significant money and it's been a successful alternative until people listen to the teachers union propaganda.

We have done it because of the freedom it provides us and so I actually get to see and spend time with my children. Their education is going well according to the standards. My "slowest" child is a year ahead of their peers.

Neither my wife and I are teachers FYI. If your stuck there is a ton of resources out there including online learning and even face to face support. No excuses these days really.

[The Flint&Fly Guy]

Well put.

[densa44]

Then this post shows that there are many other motives, no so pure.

Is this more popular in Alberta than other provinces, growing up in Toronto and Ottawa I never hear of it.

Why don't we have have a go at fixing what ever is wrong with the public education system. Start by running for the school board, the election is in October.

If you know what needs fixing please make yourself available it will help lots of children and thus the whole province.

I just can't even list what I would have missed out on if I had been home schooled.

Next to good health there is nothing more important we can give out children than an education.

[ditch donkey]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

Not the case at all!

After having kids in the school system, both private and public I'm pretty much disgusted with the "system." I know some fantastic home schoolers and some real stars at it too....so same thing as the school system I guess. If you have a good teacher you're lucky whether it's in your home or not.

I'm confused when you say, "not the case at all." We seem to be on the same page. My point was similar to yours, teachers, parents, and everyone else for that matter are all people. There are good ones and bad ones. Some care some don't.

[Little red riding hood]

I was home schooled, and I like to think that I'm not behind my Peers, I seldom study for upcoming tests and I have yet to fail or try again for one, I started home schooling in grade 3, and in the next 5 years I had graduated and challenged (and passed) my GED I also have some friends who's parents are dead set against home schooling, so their kids stayed in public schools, they all graduated, one of them did well academically, one can barely read his own name and the other reads like I did in third grade, some kids only learn with personal tutoring, these guys are not stupid or mentally challenged, just that sports were more important to them than education.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by densa44

I just can't even list what I would have missed out on if I had been home schooled.

You're right, its a short list.

The flip side to this of course, is you can't list what you missed out on by going through the public system.

There are pros and cons to both systems. I'm my opinion, given the right family setting, the pros associated with homeschooling outweigh the benefits of the public system by a considerable amount.

[From The Hip]

I think I would opt for home schooling so as to avoid my kids being brainwashed with "social engineering" which is what happens in the public school system.

I hear about the crap in the news everyday about this Liberal nonsense about "gender" washrooms etc and how kids are being brainwashed into the garbage of "climate change" by their teachers pushing a socialist agenda.As far as I am concearned a childs education from grade 1 to grade 12 should be about the important things that allow people to excell and get ahead in life and NO there should not be participation trophies for anything.

Education should be about education and not pushing socialist agendas and it has been that way for 30+ years in Canada....tis no wonder we now have the "Snowflake" generation on our collective hands.

Really ****es me off that I have to pay taxes for "education" as a home owner when the "education system" is so effing screwed not only by the socialist curriculum but also how the "teachers" are way over paid for what they do as well as their disgustingly over paid pension plan(the Red Queen bailed it out for 2 Billion to get the teacher vote to win the leadership vote) I am glad I dont have kids that are victimized by this.

FTH

[ceadog]

I have lots of friends between 25-50 who where home schooled and are now homeschooling their kids.

There's a lot of great resources online now that weren't there before. It's getting easier for a lot of folks.

[ESOXangler]

I went to a public school. Started in Alberta and then headed into Ontario just as Crazy ol' BOb Rae was putting away his hammer of chaos and stupidity. We went through some pretty rough times and saw lots of good programs axed. There was piles of socialist views pushed by the educators. Basically during my 5 years of high school( they had grade 13) I was convinced I'd be a massive failure without a university degree. Well I couldn't get there, wasn't ready for debt. Moved back home to the farm in Alberta and got a trade.

But you know what the one thing my mother did that pretty well guaranteed my success? She raised me for the world, not change the world for me. There was no sheltering. You see the world is very similar to public school. It's messy, disorganized and filled with really good people and really bad people. It's where I learned life politics. How to work with people and work with what we got. You can represent all types of pros to home schooling but I don't see it. Marks might be there but they lost out on 36hrs a week of dealing with the public. A few hockey practices and Cub Scout outings can't match it.

I turned out pretty well I'd say. And my success/happiness really should only matter to me.