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RE: If You Love America, Homeschool Your Kids
The hard part is that homeschooling can be expensive... If you're teaching, you're not working... I was hoping it would be better for my son because he loves learning -- but honestly, it has been 9months of babysitting, stress from repetitive homework and free lunch =( It wasn't great 30 years ago either, but now it has sincerely gotten out of hand. ...
Do you do the classical style of homeschooling or are you more towards unschooling? Or perhaps a mix of both? The beauty is that there are no rules here- If you pulled him out of school, a period of deschooling would be ideal. Let him do nothing for a month. Then think about what he's interested in and go with that. Have you read John Taylor Gatto's work? If not, I highly recommend his book- they changed my life before I even had kids, when kids weren't even on the radar. After reading Dumbing Us Down I thought, "If I had kids one day ... No way am I sending them to school."
So, interestingly enough... yes and yes. =) And no deschooling necessary.. this was actually his first year in "school," and he didn't really catch on..LOL. My son was unschooled until the age of compulsory education (8 where I live) then we home-schooled him via a public virtual school program for a few months, until they accused him of cheating (because he couldn't possibly be that smart). He was eight, never attended school and could multiply and read and write. He looked so sad when he asked me why the teacher never let him answer questions.. So from there a private school for gifted children... until it got too expensive.. then unschooled again for two years. This was our first attempt at a traditional public school due to my health combined with my needing to work =( He's now old enough to not require adult supervision, so perhaps we can reconsider it, but we are definitely not doing high school. Nope.
I've read John Taylor Gatto's work and was moved by it as well. I think it makes complete sense. My bigger problem was the need to work, and my son's growing loneliness. He likes school for the social aspect but says his brain hurts from having to sit through it. He loves being around other highly intelligent children, but I am finding that these children are slowly dropping off of the radar. I also virtual schooled and unschooled his older sister between 8 and 14, but she opted to attend a (sorta)traditional high school and is currently applying to college to study music.
My youngest are now 4 and 5, and I am sending them to a traditional school (perhaps until age 8), but I do my best to unschool as much as possible and I will likely homeschool them after they learn the fundamentals, because, honestly, it doesn't seem to be getting better.
Who knew educating your children would be such a challenge, huh?