Just to shatter some stereotypes and misconceptions

[Heather Micaela]

My kids are behind and special needs, not 2grade levels ahead their peers. And that is exactly why I homeschool. So they can go at their own pace.

Socialization does NOT have to mean a weekly park day or co-op.

You do not need a special space to do homeschool

You do not even need a special space to hold the curriculum (a bag will do)

YOu do not even need a curriculum

You may actually get tired of your kids from time to time. That is ok. It is better than tired of carting them to school and back daily

You may be unorganized and fail to meet your own goals. That is ok. It isnt a race

YOu dont have to hate public school to homeschool

You dont have to overemphasise religion as a reason to homeschool

:heart

[heartofjoy]

Amen! :)

[milkdud]

:tu

[backtobasicsmum]

:heart

[popsiclemom]

I love it!

I have one- You dont need a denim jumper to home school. Cause I am NOT wearing a denim jumper!

[brandi]

:heart

[Heather Micaela]

I love it!

I have one- You dont need a denim jumper to home school. Cause I am NOT wearing a denim jumper!
Anything I wear has to be two piece to nurse in :yes

This is CA I wear shorts/tshirts most days

---------- Post added at 07:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:15 PM ----------

Also - you don't have to be crunchy. If you are so inclined to, you can eat pizza hut and mcDonalds everynight to save time. And use paper plates. And vaccinate on schedule. And circimcise. And watch cable and go to R movies with your kids. And buy made in china toys. And have only 2 kids. And drive a gas guzzler.

You may not want to do all those things, but you CAN

[Chris3jam]

May I play, too?
You can have a 13 yo who cannot read beyond a 2nd grade level. (Give him time, he'll get there)
You can play Scrabble any which way you want (everyone spelling their own words on their part of the board).
You can watch your 11 yo have a 2 yo fit, and then calmly say, "Are you done? You still have to write this."
You can go to bowling tournaments on Friday and earn scholarship money.
You can take breaks when you need them, and you can continue to concentrate on whatever you are focused on until you are done.
There are no artifically set educational goals you panic about when they aren't even close.
I like this game!

[Aisling]

You don't grow up to be generally maladjusted and socially backward. At least I like to think I'm not. :shifty:giggle

[Heather Micaela]

You don't grow up to be generally maladjusted and socially backward. At least I like to think I'm not. :shifty:giggle
Or you can go to school and still end up that way!

[Aisling]

Oh, totally. :(

[veggiegirl]

Hmmm......how can I nicely put some of those in my next Christmas letter?! : )

Homeschoolers do not spend all day at the kitchen table studying flashcards and memorizing facts.

[Chris3jam]

Hmmm......how can I nicely put some of those in my next Christmas letter?! : )

Homeschoolers do not spend all day at the kitchen table studying flashcards and memorizing facts.
:yes Sometimes they spend half the day out in the street, blowing up stuff (Ah, the joys and wonders of Mentos and Coke, and of vinegar and baking soda!)

[cindergretta]

Great thread! :tu

I often feel like I am failing 6 ways from Sunday because my dc aren't super smart, way ahead, little books of knowledge about obscure facts. :blush :bag We struggle to get through any single unit of study. We cram every couple of months because we took weeks off to goof off. My kids watch movies and play video/computer games. :hiding

But my kids are polite. They are able to cook, clean, do laundry, and take care of babies and little ones. They can read (some at, some above, some below grade level) and do math. They each have areas where they like to delve deeper into studying. There are a lot of +s but we ain't no stereotypical homeschoolin' family! :bag

[2TMama]

You *can* be a wohm & still find a way to hs (even though it doesn't mean that in the end, you are spending much more time w/ them than if you sent them to school) just because you really believe hsing is a better option all the way around!

[Grover]

Lol - adding my own
You can still have TV and enjoy watching it.
You will have days when you wish for six hours of free childcare
Yes it is legal
No you dont need to follow the national curriculum

[TestifyToLove]

Homeschooled children can:

~play the Wii.
~be as text obssessed as their public school counterparts...except they have their phone on them all the time!
~learn the 3Rs with a soccer ball between their feet.
~keep pace atheletically, socially and even academically to their schooled counterparts.
~ignore grade levels since everything is taught to mastery in the first place.
~be gifted and work ahead if they are so inclined because they don't have to wait for others to 'catch up'.
~take more time without guilt or insult because no one is waiting for them to 'catch up'.

[HisBlessingsAbound]

Love it! :clap

[Chris3jam]

TTL -- that's not fair! Your kids are all awesome and gifted! We're talking about *not* necessarily being awesome and gifted! :P~

[TestifyToLove]

~take more time without guilt or insult because no one is waiting for them to 'catch up'.

Actually, my kids are on both ends of the spectrum. You probably didn't notice that Mr Scarey-smart only reads at a first grade level because the rest of his knowledge is at 4th grade+++. His reading skills are directly tied to his Apraxia of Speech and will lag until he resolves the language processing disorder

And, A and Ch are officially "red-shirted" *because* they were so far behind that declaring them a year behind gave them less to catch up on.

The point of homeschooling is that it allows each child to start where they are, work at their pace and actually master what they need to know. Some of mine are insanely ahead and some are ridiculously behind. But, no one is struggling with self esteem because it is what it is rather than being a comparision to peers for them.

They all come across as 'smart' to you because they are all confident and firm in the knowledge they do have. No one hid in the back and faked the teacher to get where they are. And, no one got called stupid, slow or wrong for having to start lower and work slower.

[swimming with sharks]

No one hid in the back and faked the teacher to get where they are. And, no one got called stupid, slow or wrong for having to start lower and work slower.


This is the KEY!!!! :clap :yes:rockon

[jenn3514]

Actually, my kids are on both ends of the spectrum. You probably didn't notice that Mr Scarey-smart only reads at a first grade level because the rest of his knowledge is at 4th grade+++. His reading skills are directly tied to his Apraxia of Speech and will lag until he resolves the language processing disorder

But, no one is struggling with self esteem because it is what it is rather than being a comparision to peers for them.

They all come across as 'smart' to you because they are all confident and firm in the knowledge they do have. .

I am so glad to read things like this. So many people dismiss my just turned seven yo as lagging behind because he is not really reading yet and he doesn't really talk much to people he doesn't know. Or they think I am not doing 'my job'. Those who take the time to know him are shocked when he opens his mouth and starts talking. He is articulate, soft-spoken and intelligent. I know that eventually, he will read, and he won't be behind in anything cuz we just keep trucking along with him. Its just frustrating that people don't take the time to realize that.

[mamacat]

You dont have to have your entire family of children(however many that is for you) up & fed & dressed all at the same time each morning & in the car where the baby dozes in her carseat & then is cranky because she has gotten up before she was ready & had her car nap interrupted while you got her sibling(s) off to school. You can do school IN your pajamas if you want to.If you have a child who is mildly not feeling well they can still do school and not "miss" a whole day or have to go in & be exposed to a bunch of other stuff while their bodies are healing because they cant "afford" to miss a day.If your husband has to work weekends you can do school on weekends and take time off on his days off.

---------- Post added at 06:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:26 PM ----------

I guess mine arent really misconceptions - more like things I like about HSing.

[jenny_islander]

My kids do not suffer from lack of socialization. Rather the opposite! What with the Society for Creative Anachronism, the MOMS Club, nature programs at the wildlife refuge visitor center, storytime at the library, Sunday school, dance class, etc., etc., etc., we need to take a day or so every month just to decompress. Today is just such a day, in fact. We're watching the Smurfs.

[Heather Micaela]

But to piggy back on that, your kids do not HAVE to be in several different social outlets to be well adjusted socially. They can be in just 1 or none because just interacting with both adults and children in everyday life creates regular social skills.

And more
*homeschool kids can learn to stand in line from banks, amusement parks, grocery stores, etc. It just wont be single file with hands at their side
* homeschool kids can learn to raise their hand to talk if it is requried of them in a situation, even if they are past five. It takes about 15 min to learn and a few occasions only to become habit. They dont need13 years of daily pracitce.
*If you still think it is necessary, a homeschool kid can get teased and bullied by just going to the park. I am just glad that I can be there to intervene and help them learn what to do right then and there - not 5 hours after the fact

[Titus2Momof4]

I am so glad to read things like this. So many people dismiss my just turned seven yo as lagging behind because he is not really reading yet and he doesn't really talk much to people he doesn't know. Or they think I am not doing 'my job'. Those who take the time to know him are shocked when he opens his mouth and starts talking. He is articulate, soft-spoken and intelligent. I know that eventually, he will read, and he won't be behind in anything cuz we just keep trucking along with him. Its just frustrating that people don't take the time to realize that.
This is because (as I am learning) the government has decided that if your child was born by XXX date, then they must know YYY stuff. Period. No room for differing personalities, different learning styles (ok- so most of the teacher's lesson plans are meant to accomodate different learning styles....hence the reason why what takes 30 minutes to cover in homeschooling takes 90 minutes in school, but overall....) or anything. IF your child has such and such birthday, then they need to know such and such material, or they are behind. If they know more than that, then they are ahead, and get extra busy work.

---------- Post added at 12:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 AM ----------

My kids do not suffer from lack of socialization. Rather the opposite! What with the Society for Creative Anachronism, the MOMS Club, nature programs at the wildlife refuge visitor center, storytime at the library, Sunday school, dance class, etc., etc., etc., we need to take a day or so every month just to decompress. Today is just such a day, in fact. We're watching the Smurfs.
I always tell people that my kids actually have MORE socializing when homeschooling than when doing public school. When doing public school, they have been away from us all day, so the rule is that when they come home, all connections to school or people at school are shut off. Which means, the only 'socialization' they get in school is chit-chatting to the person next to them, or at lunch, but that's it.

When homeschooling, though, we tend to get involved in various things (because our lives aren't revolving around an 8:30-3pm schedule followed by at least an hour of homework), because it's a more relaxed atmosphere. Sitting with a group of 25 kids all day is not, IMO, "socialization." Socialization is when they have the chance to just BE with other kids--without the contraints of doing schoolwork and so forth. (but for those who do believe that is socialization, I point out that we belong to an awesome co-op that even has "classes" every week.)

[Soliloquy]

:clap

You do not have to sit at the kitchen table for several hours a day, coaxing your kids to fill in their workbooks. :no

You do not have to spend a lot of money, or even any money. :no

You do not have to stay home. :no

Your kids can get a high school diploma, not just a GED. :yes

Your kids can go to college/university if they want. :yes

You can still earn money if you homeschool. :yes

The government does not have a monopoly on education nor is the gov't the only entity who can define what constitutes a good education. :no

You don't have to be "smart" or have been an excellent student to homeschool your kids. :no

You can pursue your own interests and hobbies while homeschooling. :yes

[jrsmama]

2T...can you say more about how you swing being a wohm and homeschooling? I'm feeling more and more that I 'd like to homeschool Junebug. I'm a single mom wohming.