To any an all who are home schooling I am really interested in how you are accomplishing the education for your kids and would like to hear any thoughts about getting started or any issues you may have found along the way. I am also hearing about curriculum being used and teaching methodology.
Specifically, @
Irelander, @
Lester Polfus I saw what you posted in the textbooks thread and hope that you might be willing to share where you got started and what curriculum you went with along with methodology/delivery, (i.e. online, self taught, local co-op etc.) you might be using. I have been contemplating home schooling my son. He is miserable in school and I can't say I blame him. Currently I am retired so I have nothing but time to invest in my kids and can't think of a better investment to make. To put it politely I am appalled by what my son has been learning at school and further disgusted by the lack of time kids get to socialize and generally be outside and exercise. Here in SC my kid is eating lunch at 10 AM which is freaking nuts, (when I asked why the assistant principal stated that there is barely enough time for the kids to all squeeze in for lunch), no other snacks during the day. The kids get 30 minutes on the playground daily and P.E. only two times a week for barely 45 minutes.
Between the crap my son is repeating at home, the shit noted above and the fact that the school is literally run like a prison with music playing over a loud speaker, (so they don't talk in the lunch line) I'm about to lose it. Oh yeah, and don't get me started how I have literally been told they think my son needs ADHD medication despite no one there being a fucking doctor. Maybe if kids were allowed to move exercise and socialize during the day, (at some point) kids wouldn't be so fucking talkative. In talking with the teacher recently I found that about 60% of his class is on medication. I am really starting to feel like people are medicating the shit out of their kids because it's easier than dealing with them and I am tired of being consistently talked to about medicating my son. It seems to me like the educators here prefer it because the children are more compliant. My son is smart, articulate, reads well above his grade level and is above his grade level in math. He doesn't like to preform or do his work for his teachers but I have zero trouble with him doing his work at home. My current concern is that he is just bored and am worried about the shift in his behavior I am seeing. As of late all he talks to me about is how unhappy he is at school and how bored he is. I feel like I could easily keep him occupied and learning at home. He is naturally very curious and wants to read, learn investigate and research things. I am getting the impression that this is being squashed in class as I am being told he constantly interrupts with questions. Initially I thought this was just a personality conflict but it is the same as last year. All the staff says how polite and kind he is but I am regularly told by his teacher that he interrupts the lesson with constant questions.
Where I am at presently is I've looked at private schools, and done some preliminary research on home schooling but everything in my area has a huge waiting list for private schools and I don't see much difference between them and public. With that in mind and the price of private school being the cost of college tuition I could invest that money and travel all over the US and abroad with my kids and truly enrich their lives and experiences. There is a great deal of learning that could be had outside of traditional school. Maybe this last part is a little self serving but I can't see the down side. Really
the only thing holding me back right now is the fact that I don't feel qualified to teach every subject. I have looked at co-ops though and that looks promising. If anyone can elicit some advice I would be grateful. Please feel free to PM me if you don't want to post. I could certainly use some help. Pulling my son from school to educate at home isn't something I am taking lightly. Thanks in advance to all.