if cost was not a factor

[mamatia]

would you still undoubtedly homeschool or would you consider a private christian school? just curious. :grin

[SueQ]

I would still homeschool, no doubt about it!

[bostonsmama]

i would still homeschool, but probably "enroll" boston in more "extra curricular" activities, like fencing (hehehee), piano, art classes at the college, more sports, etc. you know, like totally over-do it. just kidding. we would do some things that i feel like now we wont be able to afford. most things here are pretty reasonable, but i could replace some of them with the more expensive classes a semester. like fancy cooking. :yum

[pneumaphile]

If cost were no option, I'd have been home and homeschooling for kindergarten and first grade, rather than starting in second. We're just homeschoolers - in our hearts and in our lifestyle. If cost were no option - I'd have a big ole school room set up with Montessori-type manipulatives, even more books than we have now, computers, etc.

[bostonsmama]

If cost were no option, I'd have been home and homeschooling for kindergarten and first grade, rather than starting in second. We're just homeschoolers - in our hearts and in our lifestyle. If cost were no option - I'd have a big ole school room set up with Montessori-type manipulatives, even more books than we have now, computers, etc.


ooh ooh ooh! i want to steal that answer! :giggle

[mamatia]

If cost were no option - I'd have a big ole school room set up with Montessori-type manipulatives, even more books than we have now, computers, etc.


i want one of those rooms...for me to play in... :shifty

[Mama Calidad]

If our church had a school, I would consider it.

[Teribear]

would you still undoubtedly homeschool or would you consider a private christian school? just curious. :grin


My in-laws offered to foot DD's entire tuition if we sent her to a private christian school. We still homeschool.

[Strumbelina]

We homeschool because we believe it is the best option out of ALL the options. It is a nice perk, that it happens to be an economical option! :grin

[Punkie]

I would definitely not choose a Christian school over homeschooling. :no I went to public and private school (almost equally), and my mom has taught in both, and I do not think private school is superior. Instead I think it suffers from many of the same flaws that "Christian" parenting techniques do - it can very easily encourage outward appearances of Christianity while the soul is left completely ignored. IME, it teaches kids how to hide sins and answer the right questions. In many ways, it almost sets them up to know the gospel and Christianity just enough to know the right answers without having to know it in their heart.

Interestingly enough, this was also my experience in European countries that taught Christianity in the schools. Trying to talk to kids and adults there about Christ was SO hard. It seemed like everyone there was inoculated to Christianity. They knew enough to have the right answers and it lost the wonder. They were disenchanted from the Christian culture while completely missing Christ.

<Hiking my skirt to step off of my soapbox :lol)

Now, for the rest of the question - we'd have even more living books, classics, manipulatives, natural toys, and take tons of trips to see things first hand :grin

[mamatia]

Instead I think it suffers from many of the same flaws that "Christian" parenting techniques do - it can very easily encourage outward appearances of Christianity while the soul is left completely ignored.



do parents actually expect school to be solely responsible for nurturing their child's soul?? :scratch i guess i assumed christian school was for education...Christian-based, creation-based education. With Bible teaching, etc. Nurturing the soul...teaching kid's about grace...i guess it would be great if the school helped these parents out with that, too, but isn't this a problem that is also seen in homes where "outward chrisitanity" is encouraged...even if they are hs?

for example, i know Young Life has a hard time reaching kids in the south...because "everyone is already a christian" much like you described...but i don't know if it is a product of schooling as much as a product of parenting. does that make sense?

(btw, i am planning to hs, so i am not building a case or anything...it just seems foreign to me that a parent...a Christian parent...would rely on the school to teach their children everything about their faith...and about life...etc.)

[Punkie]

Well, I think that just like it is incredibly important which church you choose, not just for what they teach, but also what the children are "teaching" other children. I've either attended, my brother attended, or my mom taught at no less than 10 Christian schools, and they all suffered from the same problem :shrug

I don't know what parents expect as far as nurturing to the soul, but I do think a lot of parents rest on the fact that their kids go to a Christian school. Like I said, this can directly impact what our children learn about Christ and Christians. Most Christian schools have chapel, Bible lessons, and the general Christian subculture going on inside of them. Just like churches, you have to be aware of what is being taught WRT God's character, discipline, etc.

I don't think every parent or every school is like that, but I also don't think that I would find Christian schools to be superior for my family :)

None of our schooling choices have been based on money. Homeschooling will cost us far more than private or public, because I will be giving up income. If my kids were in school all day, then I would return to my consulting job and work from home during the day. This, along with the fact that dh wanted me to be able to return to my career, were probably the two biggest obstacles that we saw in homeschooling. And that's only taking money into account, obviously it is also a huge time investment.

More than worth it though, IMO ;)

[WildOlive]

I would still homeschool, no doubt about it!


:amen :rockon

[CelticJourney]

Homeschool :rockon

[Reva]

I'd still homeschool. :heart

[Heather Micaela]

Homeschool with a cool room (but still totaly relaxed - not desks and chalkboard) and lots of cool feild trips places and guided tours, and organized sports, and vacations to historical sites.....

[RubySlippers]

yep, I'd still homeschool. :heart

[Moon]

I would definitely not choose a Christian school over homeschooling. :no I went to public and private school (almost equally), and my mom has taught in both, and I do not think private school is superior. Instead I think it suffers from many of the same flaws that "Christian" parenting techniques do - it can very easily encourage outward appearances of Christianity while the soul is left completely ignored. IME, it teaches kids how to hide sins and answer the right questions. In many ways, it almost sets them up to know the gospel and Christianity just enough to know the right answers without having to know it in their heart.

I agree with this! I've been to public schools, private Christian schools, and was homeschooled, myself. Foster kid who's been around the block a few times checking in. :P~

The kids were slightly snobbier at the private Christian schools, and I learned more dirty jokes there. It's not so much that the parents chose to leave teaching the soul up to the school, as the school(work) shoved it down the kids throats. An unrelated memory verse in every subject, a Bible story or a way to tie Christianity into absolutely everything, was more what numbed the kids to it. You quickly learned how to give them exactly what they wanted and sift out the rest, and make sure you always wore a buttoning shirt on Wednesdays. :shifty


To answer the OP more directly, we'd absolutely still homeschool. It's more than just an educational choice for us, it's our lifestyle. Wouldn't have it any other way!

[joyful mama]

homeschool :tu

[mamatia]

I don't know what parents expect as far as nurturing to the soul, but I do think a lot of parents rest on the fact that their kids go to a Christian school.


:yes i can see this...like, "My kid goes to a Christian school and goes to church, so I don't need to look for character flaws in my children...they should be perfect!." LOL

i had read in a book that private school isn't even an option for most families because of cost, so the choice is public vs. home...which is a different choice imo than private vs home...so i was just curious what you all would say...

[atkelley]

I would still Homeschool. We love it so much.

Oh, but if money was not a factor we would have an awesome science lab!!!!

[Piper2]

I would still homeschool, but like others have said, I'd have more "stuff", do more extracurricular activities, go on more field trips...like to Colonial Williamsburg and the Kennedy Space Center. ;)

[Leslie]

I would still homeschool, but like others have said, I'd have more "stuff", do more extracurricular activities, go on more field trips...like to Colonial Williamsburg and the Kennedy Space Center. ;)


Same here - if we had more money, we'd do field trips. Colonial Williamsburg would be first on our list, and historic Boston (and we'd use the opportunity to catch a Red Sox game!), and some National Parks.

[joyful mama]

I would still Homeschool. We love it so much.

Oh, but if money was not a factor we would have an awesome science lab!!!!
:giggle yeah cool stuff like that!

[booboo]

If cost was not a factor, I'd probably try Christian school for my youngest. She's really trying me and I wonder if a Christian school would help. If you saw my post in Personal Issues, you can see I'm desperate right now.

But I'd homeschool Rabbit (asperger's) because she's afraid of crowds and probably wouldn't do so well in a private school.

I don't know if splitting them like this (one hs, the other private school) would hurt them or not. Piglet might think mommy doesn't love her but honestly I'm just wondering if another teacher would see things better than I am right now and actually help her? :shrug

[Jillian]

Homeschool...no question. But there is a wonderfully amazing unschooly-type program in our area that costs $2000/year per child for one day a week, and I'd love to take part in that!

[gracefuljourney]

would you still undoubtedly homeschool or would you consider a private christian school? just curious. :grin


Absolutely would homeschool... love having my children at home, learning together

[Heather Micaela]

ooh Colonial Willaimsburg! or the Plymouth Plantation! :)



<-----begins to feel jealous of east coasters who have U.S. history out their front door

[CelticJourney]

<-----begins to feel jealous of east coasters who have U.S. history out their front door

If it helps, I was very unimpressed with Williamsburg. I thought it was confusing for the kids because they have 'gift shops' mixed in with the exhibits and it was very distracting! Jamestown was 15 minutes away, a fraction of the cost and much, much better as a learning experience. The 'best buy' on the east coast is the Smithsonian Museums - FREE. Of course you have to pay DC hotel and food prices....

[Heather Micaela]

loved the smithsonians, haven't been sice I was 11. maybe I can win Monopoly @McDonalds :giggle

[illinoismommy]

We would still homeschool.... but we would buy a WHOLE lot more books than we will be able to, and tons of those cool math manipulatives, and we would travel a lot and whenever we wanted. If cost were not a factor, homeschooling would be even more FUN. :O

[Desert Rose]

It's kind of funny, if $ were no factor, I would homeschool. But I cannot homeschool because I have to go back to work due to my ENORMOUS student loan debt (bigger than my mortgage). When ds (and any future children) are all school-aged, I will go back to work (ironically teaching other chidlren). :sad2 So $ wouldn't stop me from homeschooling, it would help me to do it.

[Heather Micaela]

:hug Janice

[tempus vernum]

If cost were no option - I'd have a big ole school room set up with Montessori-type manipulatives, even more books than we have now, computers, etc.


i want one of those rooms...for me to play in... :shifty


As far as montessori stuff, I get most of my stuff at goodwill or make it ;) :tu I do buy a few choice things every year as Christmas presents :mrgreen

As far as the OP, we also were offered private school tuition and said no thank you - for now, it's not even a consideration for us and dd told ds "how boring to sit in school all day and only play once or twice" :O I hope she doesn't say that when I'm not around to people with kids in school :laughtears

[LittleSweetPeas]

Hmmm, thats an interesting question. I suppose it would make me feel like I had more options and more freedom in the choices we make. As it stands we could allow DD#1 to do private school, it would be sending our other DD and future children that would be a drain. I dont know if my choice(s) would be different but I would feel more freedom in the choice(s) that we do make.