More about homeschooling
Never did specify the reasons that we homeschool.
One of the most important reasons for doing so is the academic excellence that can be acheived by doing school at home. Also - we don't like the leftist agenda behind decisions made for curriculum etc.. Examples would be the 'bully' program, the sex-ed program, having 1st graders of the same sex pretend to get married in class, outcome based education, ebonics, lowering of standards so that everyone 'feels good'.
Here are our thoughts on those items:
Bully - if someone hits you - punch them right in the face. They won't be back to bully you again.
Sex-ed - we talk to the kids in an age appropriate way about sexuality. As they become older we will talk more of the specifics.
Gay marriage - This isn't a big issue in our house. We have gay friends and in fact one of our babysitters is gay. We feel they are too young at this point to talk specifics on this issue as well. People are people and their worth is determined by their character - that's what we teach them.
They get high marks and praise when they understand a concept fully and can demonstrate that they know it.
The English language is to be spoken and written properly.
We chose a challenging curriculum because we feel that our children are capable of grasping concepts at their own pace. That's the beauty of homeschooling - we know our children (and love them) more than anyone. We know if a concept needs more time or if we can move on.
Having girls - I was very concerned about the studies done showing that girls are ignored in the classroom or guided in a subtle way into the non-science classes. I remember when my oldest daughter - as a 3 year old in a squeaky sneakers class at the 'Y' - was completely ignored along with the other girls while the boys were encouraged and pushed to be the 'winner' in a game - and then got the awards.
The LAST hurdle in making the decision was the 'SOCIALIZATION' - er - problem. I truly was worried about it but I've found that the concern was baseless. One particular double blind study was done measuring socialization of regular schoolers and homeschoolers. The study showed the homeschoolers were more mature and had the ability to relate to people of all ages(including their peers) - where the regular schoolers seemed only to be able to relate to their peers. My kids are very busy with many kids of all ages and races. I love to watch them on the block playing. They are very open and accepting of differences. There are a couple of books out there that show the traditional classroom can be damaging to kids as well. I think because of my early concerns about this - they are both involved in a lot of stuff. Swimming, Gymnastics, Library reading hour, etc...
That's it in a nutshell.
Once I figure out how to do links and also show links to my favorite blogs I will do so. I have to do this mainly at night when the kids are in bed.
One of the most important reasons for doing so is the academic excellence that can be acheived by doing school at home. Also - we don't like the leftist agenda behind decisions made for curriculum etc.. Examples would be the 'bully' program, the sex-ed program, having 1st graders of the same sex pretend to get married in class, outcome based education, ebonics, lowering of standards so that everyone 'feels good'.
Here are our thoughts on those items:
Bully - if someone hits you - punch them right in the face. They won't be back to bully you again.
Sex-ed - we talk to the kids in an age appropriate way about sexuality. As they become older we will talk more of the specifics.
Gay marriage - This isn't a big issue in our house. We have gay friends and in fact one of our babysitters is gay. We feel they are too young at this point to talk specifics on this issue as well. People are people and their worth is determined by their character - that's what we teach them.
They get high marks and praise when they understand a concept fully and can demonstrate that they know it.
The English language is to be spoken and written properly.
We chose a challenging curriculum because we feel that our children are capable of grasping concepts at their own pace. That's the beauty of homeschooling - we know our children (and love them) more than anyone. We know if a concept needs more time or if we can move on.
Having girls - I was very concerned about the studies done showing that girls are ignored in the classroom or guided in a subtle way into the non-science classes. I remember when my oldest daughter - as a 3 year old in a squeaky sneakers class at the 'Y' - was completely ignored along with the other girls while the boys were encouraged and pushed to be the 'winner' in a game - and then got the awards.
The LAST hurdle in making the decision was the 'SOCIALIZATION' - er - problem. I truly was worried about it but I've found that the concern was baseless. One particular double blind study was done measuring socialization of regular schoolers and homeschoolers. The study showed the homeschoolers were more mature and had the ability to relate to people of all ages(including their peers) - where the regular schoolers seemed only to be able to relate to their peers. My kids are very busy with many kids of all ages and races. I love to watch them on the block playing. They are very open and accepting of differences. There are a couple of books out there that show the traditional classroom can be damaging to kids as well. I think because of my early concerns about this - they are both involved in a lot of stuff. Swimming, Gymnastics, Library reading hour, etc...
That's it in a nutshell.
Once I figure out how to do links and also show links to my favorite blogs I will do so. I have to do this mainly at night when the kids are in bed.
posted by Grizzly Mama | 11:02
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