My Oldest Son Vows Not To Homeschool His kids
Yes, it's true. We have an older son that went the traditional school route. He had some major challenges with getting in trouble for minor things. Had some horrible teachers that even put their hands on him in aggressive and disciplinary fashion. He had coaches that didn't give him a chance at playing because he wasn't in the 'favorite' group. Also, he got hazed and witnessed sports hazing.
Yet, he said it was a 'rite of passage' that he learned a lot through those challenges and came out unscathed.
In our case, we do realize that there are some things that we are giving up on as experiences for our kid, but those things are recoverable and worth the risk.
Our Personal BENEFITS In Homeschooling Our Youngest Kids
1) Their EDUCATIONAL GROWTH has amazed us!
2) The ABILITY TO CREATE A CURRICULUM TO MIRROR THEIR DREAMS or interest.
3) Being able to SAVE MONEY ON COLLEGE and allow them to get DEGREES EARLY.
4) To be able to have TIME TO EXPLORE PASSIONS and sports or artful interest.
5) To always have POSITIVE VOICES CONSISTENTLY which makes them believe they can and will accomplish anything.
6) To expose them to FRIENDS that are POSITIVE INFLUENCES and WEED out of the NEGATIVE.
7) FLEXIBILITY of our SCHEDULES. This was more challenging when they were younger and we had to hire a nanny. But now that they are older this is a great benefit.
The things we SACRIFICE BY NOT GOING TRADITIONAL
1) Giving kids MORE OPTIONS for friendships. Yep, the 'social' aspect of school. Although, it's not always positive, it is much more than I can offer in homeschool.
2) There are opportunities in SPORTs that are only offered to traditional schooled students.
3) There are TECH training and STEM programs only offered by traditional schools. Like my oldest son did the EMT training through his high school for free.
4) EXTERNAL positive and negative influences. And exposure to other cultures and ways of thinking.
5) LEARNING HOW TO ACT IN TYPICAL SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS that are in the 'school' setting or with other kids that have been exposed to that setting.
6) Not HAVING FREE CHILDCARE or a place where the kids can go during the day outside of the home where I don't have to see or assess their behaviors.
ARE THE SACRIFICES or DIFFERENCES WORTH HOMESCHOOLING?
For us...YES!
For us, definitely. Sure my 13 yr old Speed Racer is a over talkative because he is an extrovert that loves outward attention. It wears us out with his over talking and repeating of known facts just as a way to get personal interaction. However, that's just the way he is wired and has caused him to get in trouble in traditional schools big time because of it.
In addition, it allows us to feed Speed Racer's new passion of flying planes. He wants to be a pilot and if he gets his BS college degree out of the way, he can get the Airforce to pay for his Master's degree and he will join the Airforce at a higher rank as well as be able to fly.We have the time to condense high school to get him set for his Master's by the time he is 19 yrs old! That can't be done in public or private school environments.
My Tiger Lilly is able to focus her time on building her game developer's portfolio while finishing up her college classes as a homeschooled high school student. She can work an internship with several companies or take a gap year to explore building her own games. Also, she can expound in her artful pursuits because she has the time to focus on those passions.
Our oldest homeschooled student Rose was able to graduate from college with both AA and BS degrees and play college sports by the time she was 19yrs old. She even studied abroad for a summer.
My NON-HOMESCHOOLER still graduated from high school early, started Community College courses and played Lacrosse in college. He is opposed to homeschooling since from his prospective there is a social adaptability he sees as a missing link. The benefits to him in Traditional school was the ability to play sports, compete at national levels and get his EMT for free with an automatic 2 yr scholarship available in our county.
EVERYONE SHOULD DO IT?
My personal answer is: NO
Great insights. It's definately not for everyone. We've been challenged and stretched in our second year of homeschooling middle school. Makes it more challenging because I work full time. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree that each family should make the decisions that are best for their individual children. I had one friend who planned to homeschool from before her children were born end up receiving an answer through prayer that she needed to enroll her children in the local public school. Following that personal divine direction has been a tremendous blessing for her family. Homeschooling (I am a former public school teacher) has been a tremendous blessing for mine.
ReplyDeleteSome of my kids say they will NEVER homeschool their children. I smile and tell them that they are their own selves and they are free to make decisions independent of the decisions I've made. And in my head I think, "Never say never." :)
So interesting. I often wonder if my guys will chose to home school. I know they love doing it, but whether they will want to do it themselves remains to be seen.
ReplyDeleteHello there!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, you are not alone. My first two children went through public school and the oldest doesn't seem too enthusiastic about our homeschooling. You really don't know what you'll do with your children unless you're faced with it and every child/ school experience is different. Right now it is working for us. :)