Homeschooling: You can do it! [bluebell]

books-and-chalkboard-with-abc scaled.jpg

Alternate title: If I can do it, so can you.

You all are sharp people, as evidenced by your presence at this smart military blog, so you are well aware of the state of disarray in the nation's public (and sadly, even some private) schools. So I won't go into all that, except to say that if you are unhappy about the situation and you have school-aged children, there's a great solution out there and of course you know it's homeschooling.

I've mentioned here before that I homeschooled all five of our children all the way from birth through high school. Did I do a good job? Yes. Did I do a great job? Probably not. Were there holes in their education? Yes, some good (no Critical Race Theory in the Bluebell Academy!) and others not so good (we never did get around to studying much geography, although one of my kids later minored in it in college). Are all my kids productive members of society, with jobs and all that? Yes! And they still like me!

At the time I started homeschooling in 1996, most people had not heard of it and I can remember being asked, more than once, "is it legal?" Although we were fortunate to have full support from both our families (even the teachers! Because they're conservative, that's why), many homeschoolers in those days did not. Fortunately, the tide has turned and most people recognize the many benefits of homeschooling and that homeschooled kids are not unsocialized tree stumps with nothing to contribute to the world.

So how do you do it? Well, you start by finding out what your state requires. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) has a very helpful section on their website for each state, as well as a lot of other useful info. That takes care of the administrative stuff.

As for the curriculum stuff, ah, here's the fun part - you can do pretty much what you want, as long as you keep in mind that your kids need to learn to read and write and do 'rithmetic and all that jazz. But particularly in the younger grades, you can cater to their interests. Does your second-grader love Ancient Egypt? You can spend a whole year doing a deep dive into the pharaohs, mummies, King Tut (you have to show them the Steve Martin video, it's the law), etc. Your library will have all kinds of great picture books you can use. It doesn't have to be anything formal or fancy at this age.

When you get to middle school and then high school, you need to start being a little more structured. There is a ton of information out there that you can find to help you plan out your child's middle school and high school years, and a ton of curricula to help you meet those goals. Will colleges accept homeschooled kids? They sure will. My kids got into everywhere they applied, and they all chose state schools here in Virginia. Not all kids want to go on to college, and if they are interested in trades they can get started on those while still in high school - they will have more free time than the average high schooler. If your child is interested in joining the military after high school, you would need to look into their requirements, of course, and adjust your curriculum to suit. I know homeschooled kids who have enlisted and others who have gone to military service academies.

The bottom line is, you can do this. There will have to be adjustments, sure. If both parents work, you need to figure out how to address this - maybe one parent can go part-time, or arrange the work schedules so that someone is always there, or maybe even one parent can give up their job temporarily to give homeschooling a try. My husband and I have lived on one paycheck (his) ever since our first child was born. Everyone, and I mean everyone, told us we wouldn't be able to do it. We were both stubborn and determined, and we did it. Did we live high on the hog? No way. But we scraped by, our kids had everything they needed, and I had the time to devote to their education. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

I could go on and on about this topic, as I lived it for 23 years and it is near and dear to my heart. But I want to encourage those of you who are thinking about it to sit down with your spouse and have a serious discussion about it, even if it seems that it wouldn't be possible for you. You will never know unless you really give it some hard thought and talk about ways you can achieve this goal, including the sacrifices. If it's important to you, you will find a way, I guarantee it.

And I will be here cheering you on all the way.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:00 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 There be a new thread!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:00 PM (zoGah)

2 We did our 4 and they learned much better than the private and public schools they used.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:01 PM (zoGah)

3 Will nood...

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:01 PM (zoGah)

4 Can group of parents get together I have wondered, say 5 or 6 and basically have a study group?
Have heard sports do have groups

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2021 12:02 PM (2JoB8)

5 Whatever happened to those "pop-up" schools that were all the rage during the lockdowns? Parents would take turns homeschooling several sets of kids from the local neighborhood or something like that. Not necessarily through a church or other mainstream organization.

There was a specific name for it...

Posted by: Martini Farmer at November 07, 2021 12:03 PM (BFigT)

6 Wow Great Thread.

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 12:04 PM (Irn0L)

7 King Tut, you have to show them the Steve Martin video, it's the law.

The condo made of stono?

Posted by: BignJames at November 07, 2021 12:04 PM (AwYPR)

8 Haven't in awhile met any home schooled kids, but did years ago a few, on vacation or at work. Everyone was impressed by their courtesy and interest.

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2021 12:04 PM (2JoB8)

9 Very valuable thread !

Posted by: runner at November 07, 2021 12:05 PM (V13WU)

10 Can group of parents get together I have wondered, say 5 or 6 and basically have a study group?
Have heard sports do have groups
Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2021 12:02 PM (2JoB

-------

They sure can! We were part of many different co-ops over the years, some very small (just another family or two) and some larger.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:06 PM (wyw4S)

11 Kids can be educated using this one weird trick.

Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 12:07 PM (Fs5vw)

12 This is a good resource:

https://www.scholesisters.com/

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at November 07, 2021 12:07 PM (YynYJ)

13 My wife home schooled our youngest up till high school, then she went to private Christian school.

Probably the best quality she came out of it was the ability to think critically and question everything. It's serving her well.

Posted by: Pete Seria at November 07, 2021 12:08 PM (7ZQe3)

14 Nice content, bluebell!! My boys are 22 and 18, and we live in a red area of MD with great schools. So not much direct use for your words of wisdom. But I will be passing it along. Much respect and many thanks!

Posted by: Doof at November 07, 2021 12:08 PM (mZUr4)

15 Awesome post. Thank you Bluebell for all the information.

Posted by: squeakywheel at November 07, 2021 12:08 PM (UDSF6)

16 I wonder what our literacy rate is today compared to 50 years ago.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks Now With Pumpkin Spice! at November 07, 2021 12:10 PM (d9FiS)

17 Excellent post. Perfect length for sharing with family and friends.

Posted by: Mrs. JTB at November 07, 2021 12:10 PM (7EjX1)

18 With our five kids, my wife and I did all of the options: public school, parochial (Catholic) school, private school, homeschool. Sometimes the choices were dictated to us by economics (private school became so expensive that it ceased to be an option), but mostly by the character of the child and the options available to us at the time.

We homeschooled our youngest through junior high - mainly because our other kids had a terrible time in junior high. It's a bitchy, difficult age at the best of times, and since we are a media-free family, our kids immediately became targets of the queen bees (both male and female) in school. Homeschooling worked well; I only wish that we'd taken that option with some of our other kids at that age. One thing we found is that there is a wealth of educational materials available. For math, the Saxon courses are particularly good. For general education, we found the Calvert materials to be good. YMMV, of course, and you should shop around. But it can be done.

Posted by: Nemo at November 07, 2021 12:11 PM (S6ArX)

19 Great post. Thanks for sharing this bluebell. Even though my personal experience with homeschooling (as a student) was pretty hellish, I remain a strong proponent of homeschooling for parents who are willing to do it the right way.

Posted by: BEN ROETHLISBERGER at November 07, 2021 12:11 PM (II3Gr)

20 Living in church world, I've known a lot of home-school kids. One of the biggest stereotypes is that the kids don't get enough socialization. With co-op groups, I never saw that. Plus think of all the extra-curriculars available to kids: Little League, soccer, orchestra, etc. In some towns I've known of, the home-school kids can join the regular school kids in extra-curriculars.

Full disclosure: my own kids threatened to run away from home if I even hinted at home-school. They went to Christian school instead. That too was a financial sacrifice.

Posted by: grammie winger at November 07, 2021 12:11 PM (45fpk)

21 We homeschooled our kids back in 2001, and I don't think we did a very good job. Certainly, we fell short of our own expectations. And we had a bunch of school teachers in the family who were harping on the "What about socialization???" because nobody had the balls to claim that they'd get any kind of =education=, even back then.

Since then I coined the hashtag #TINTD: Today Is Not That Day. Used as follows: "I may regret homeschooling my kids someday, but #TINTD." And you'd just attach it to every news story about propaganda, sexual molestation, drugs, violence, perversion, etc.

And we discovered something very interesting: The benefit of homeschooling wasn't education--it was NOT sending kids to school. All the kids turned out fearless, self-assured and with a love of learning. So they study what they want and don't take no sh*t from nobody.

Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 12:12 PM (asXVI)

22 Homeschooling can work very well scholastically. The Dean's list at the college in my hometown was basically a list of my homeschooled friends, for several years.

Posted by: Xiao at November 07, 2021 12:12 PM (gQ7R/)

23 Dammit. Off Ben sock. And no, you can't explain why that's funny. Shaddup.

Posted by: Insomniac - Outlaw at November 07, 2021 12:12 PM (II3Gr)

24 I think that most, not all but most people who say they cannot homeschool or get their kids into private schools could actually, but are either too in love with the stuff they are paying for now, or too timid or lacking confidence enough to do it themselves. Some are not able to, but... you probably can, if you're willing to try, and sacrifice enough.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:13 PM (KZzsI)

25 Good explanation and congratulation Bluebell!

We started in 1993.
We had ours in public (they were bored) and then private. In private they aced 1 year advanced in English, Science, and Math and then the school said "we don't move them up 2 years. Homeschool began at 4th and 5th for them. The girl wanted formal high school (again private) the boy wanted to continue with concurrent Community College. The 2nd 2 were both homeschooled from 1 to 8th and then one decided on formal (public) and the other went directly to college as well.
1 salary, it worked.
They are all great adults.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:14 PM (zoGah)

26 One of the few good things to come out of the Chinese Lung AIDS crisis is that parents are not only seeing first hand what their kids were being taught but learning that they can do a better job.

It's not an easy path but it's definitely a good one. Just push on when you get the usual shrieks of "BUT THEY WON'T BE SOCIALIZED!" and "YOU'LL ONLY TEACH THEM THE BIBLE!"

Posted by: NR Pax at November 07, 2021 12:14 PM (8ADZq)

27 For math, the Saxon courses are particularly good. For general education, we found the Calvert materials to be good. YMMV, of course, and you should shop around. But it can be done.
Posted by: Nemo at November 07, 2021 12:11 PM (S6ArX)

I had two college math courses taught by John Saxen. Brilliant individual. I found out that math could actually be fun.

Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 12:14 PM (Fs5vw)

28 Even though my personal experience with homeschooling (as a student) was pretty hellish

Let's put it this way: given the state of modern public schools in nearly every location in the nation, the worst home schooling you can provide... is still the better alternative.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:15 PM (KZzsI)

29 20 Living in church world, I've known a lot of home-school kids. One of the biggest stereotypes is that the kids don't get enough socialization. With co-op groups, I never saw that. Plus think of all the extra-curriculars available to kids: Little League, soccer, orchestra, etc. In some towns I've known of, the home-school kids can join the regular school kids in extra-curriculars.

It is a stereotype. There are many options available, provided you aren't too lazy to get your kids involved in them and don't start whining that the drive is too long or you don't have time or whatever.

Posted by: Insomniac - Outlaw at November 07, 2021 12:15 PM (II3Gr)

30
Thank you, bluebell. This is great information.

They're your kids, not the State's. You're responsible for making sure their education isn't warped by "experts", race hustlers and the sexually deranged.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 12:15 PM (tXZFw)

31 Just push on when you get the usual shrieks of "BUT THEY WON'T BE SOCIALIZED!" and "YOU'LL ONLY TEACH THEM THE BIBLE!"

Let's assume that those claims are true. They're ludicrous, but lets assume they are valid.

Is that worse than what kids are being afflicted by in modern schooling? Especially with masked-up social-distancing, zoom "classes" from home??

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:16 PM (KZzsI)

32 You know, living in Los Angeles, the homeschool kids we ran into were very much a "the public schools are captured by corporate interests and not nearly socially aware enough!"

Which, okay, but it was also almost always paired with "The government should run health care and everything else!"

Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 12:17 PM (asXVI)

33
"YOU'LL ONLY TEACH THEM THE BIBLE!"

________

They could do worse.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 12:17 PM (tXZFw)

34 It's not an easy path but it's definitely a good one. Just push on when you get the usual shrieks of "BUT THEY WON'T BE SOCIALIZED!" and "YOU'LL ONLY TEACH THEM THE BIBLE!"
Posted by: NR Pax at November 07, 2021 12:14 PM (8ADZq)
-------

I think the socialization myth has finally been blown out of the water, at least, I hope so. And it's so much better to be able to teach the Bible than to have it be forbidden!

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:17 PM (wyw4S)

35 AZ has the absolutely school choice setup in the states. While the public schools are ht or miss, we can also choose some excellent private schools and the money follows the children

Posted by: Philladnaseum at November 07, 2021 12:17 PM (Gj7IA)

36 Outstanding, bluebell.

Posted by: sal at November 07, 2021 12:18 PM (bJKUl)

37
31 Just push on when you get the usual shrieks of "BUT THEY WON'T BE SOCIALIZED!" and "YOU'LL ONLY TEACH THEM THE BIBLE!"

They're also not taught how to cornhole a chicken.

Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 12:19 PM (Fs5vw)

38 It's a shame we have put so much emphasis on public schools and teachers as if they some special geniuses that are the only people capable of teaching. I can count on one hand the number of teachers I had that I thought were good at what they taught.

I never participated in formal homeschooling but I did have two parents who both briefly taught and a grandfather who was a professor and I learned way more from them than I did from formal schooling.

Posted by: JackStraw at November 07, 2021 12:19 PM (ZLI7S)

39 It is a stereotype. There are many options available, provided you aren't too lazy to get your kids involved in them and don't start whining that the drive is too long or you don't have time or whatever.
Posted by: Insomniac - Outlaw at November 07, 2021 12:15 PM (II3Gr)
------

That's the truth. One of my friends, who has 10 kids, is a very no-nonsense person and she would tell new homeschoolers, look, you just have to accept the fact that you are going to be driving a lot to get your kids to different activities or whatever. Small price to pay.

Plus, there are always ways to carpool.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:20 PM (wyw4S)

40 Funniest homeschool story.
Mrs. AZ is a jock and organized homeschool softball leagues for T-Ball, Coach pitch, and Softball.
She had to teach the moms how to play first.
The local Parks and Rec department got very interested in all these kids playing during 'school' hours. They were very supportive after they figured out what was going on.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:20 PM (zoGah)

41 And yes, wonderful Bluebell, you deserve all the hugs. You are a hero who is putting her principles directly into the world to shape and build a better future. I honor you.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:20 PM (KZzsI)

42 You know, living in Los Angeles, the homeschool kids we ran into...
--------
Haha, I don't think I've run into that combo... but I think homeschooling mostly distills family culture and promotes independence. I wonder if NPC political homeschoolers retain that trait?

Posted by: Xiao at November 07, 2021 12:22 PM (gQ7R/)

43 I never participated in formal homeschooling but I did have two parents who both briefly taught and a grandfather who was a professor and I learned way more from them than I did from formal schooling.
Posted by: JackStraw at November 07, 2021 12:19 PM (ZLI7S)
--------

One of the things my husband and I used to say to people who said they would never have time to homeschool, is that all good parents homeschool to some extent. Do you ever sit with your kids to help them with their homework? Yes? Okay, now imagine doing that at 2:00 in the afternoon instead of at 9:00 at night after baseball practice.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:22 PM (wyw4S)

44 I can count on one hand the number of teachers I had that I thought were good at what they taught.

Yeah I can list fewer than five teachers of all the dozens I had in 11 years of schooling who were actually good teachers who did their job well and with passion and proper work ethic. Most of them were language teachers.

My college profs were higher in average of quality, but still not consistent or the majority.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:22 PM (KZzsI)

45 The local Parks and Rec department got very interested in all these kids playing during 'school' hours. They were very supportive after they figured out what was going on.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:20 PM (zoGah)
------

Around here the local parks and rec places have discovered a whole new source of revenue. Homeschool swim teams, homeschool PE classes, open gym hours for kids during the school day, etc.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:23 PM (wyw4S)

46 Thank you for this contribution to the blog, and thank you especially for the sacrifice and efforts you've made to raise properly educated children.

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at November 07, 2021 12:24 PM (d9Cw3)

47 hiya

Posted by: JT at November 07, 2021 12:24 PM (arJlL)

48 One thing that was very frustrating for me during the Covid lockdown - it wasn't that I couldn't teach my grandkids. It was that I couldn't teach my grandkids THAT.

Math? Forget about it - wth? And English isn't English anymore. Even Thing 1 said she couldn't figure out what was happening there.

If I could teach ideas and subjects independent of 'school' curriculum, I could do that.

Posted by: grammie winger at November 07, 2021 12:24 PM (45fpk)

49 I have met the little bluebells and as you would expect, they are all fine people!

Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 12:24 PM (0IeYL)

50 I am fairly sure my niece is sending her daughter to a Christian private school. It's a shame public Scholls are nothing but Leftist Seminaries anymore but at least that is well known now.

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2021 12:25 PM (2JoB8)

51 Observation on socialization.
I went to 12 years of Catholic Schools (I didn't say I was a good student; but I went).
When anyone brings up socialization I note that in both private and homeschool the children do *NOT* fall far from the tree.
Weird parents beget (maybe smart, maybe not) odd children.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:25 PM (zoGah)

52 Thank you for the kind words, Christopher, but the credit also goes to my husband for complete and total support. And he helped out in many ways, reading to the kids from some of their history books, helping to teach arithmetic with legos to one of my boys who just couldn't get it any other way, etc.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:26 PM (wyw4S)

53 Hats off to Homeschoolers! My daughter graduated public high school in 2019 and my son will graduate in 2023. We're too late for homeschooling. I am in awe of the parents who do it, though!

Posted by: jmel at November 07, 2021 12:26 PM (bVhJi)

54 What a wonderful post, bluebell! I wish I could have done that with daughter. Being a single mom it wasn't an option. I did go over homework, and many a night cooking dinner going over spelling words, English, math, and history.

Posted by: Infidel at November 07, 2021 12:27 PM (QC3yT)

55 Weird parents beget (maybe smart, maybe not) odd children.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:25 PM (zoGah)

I am living proof.

Posted by: Insomniac - Outlaw at November 07, 2021 12:27 PM (II3Gr)

56 >>One of the things my husband and I used to say to people who said they would never have time to homeschool, is that all good parents homeschool to some extent. Do you ever sit with your kids to help them with their homework? Yes? Okay, now imagine doing that at 2:00 in the afternoon instead of at 9:00 at night after baseball practice.

Kitchen dinner table. We would get quizzed on all sorts of things like state capitals, presidents, multiplication tables, and on and on. It was much better and more fun than school.

Posted by: JackStraw at November 07, 2021 12:27 PM (ZLI7S)

57 I guess I was just lucky with public schools. All they taught were readn', writin', guzintas, and history.

Oh, and to use some really cool things in shop class.

Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 12:28 PM (Fs5vw)

58 49 I have met the little bluebells and as you would expect, they are all fine people!
Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 12:24 PM (0IeYL)

I don't doubt this in the least.

Posted by: Insomniac - Outlaw at November 07, 2021 12:28 PM (II3Gr)

59 35 AZ has the absolutely school choice setup in the states. While the public schools are ht or miss, we can also choose some excellent private schools and the money follows the children
Posted by: Philladnaseum at November 07, 2021 12:17 PM (Gj7IA

No state Blaine Amendment.

Posted by: , Flying Purple People Eater at November 07, 2021 12:29 PM (qyH+l)

60 Unfortunately nearly everyone who comes to this site is grandparent territory and not the audience who needs to read and understand this

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:29 PM (KZzsI)

61 I think one of the most important things a parent can do is let your child see you read.

Posted by: grammie winger at November 07, 2021 12:29 PM (45fpk)

62
We would get quizzed on all sorts of things like state capitals, presidents, multiplication tables, and on and on.

________

"What's the capital of Rhode Island?"

"Uhhhhh...."

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 12:29 PM (tXZFw)

63
I am living proof.
Posted by: Insomniac

Noted, Ben...

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:29 PM (zoGah)

64 Homeschooling is great. We had week long field trips. You will not regret it.

Posted by: f'd at November 07, 2021 12:29 PM (Tnijr)

65 If I could teach ideas and subjects independent of 'school' curriculum, I could do that.
Posted by: grammie winger at November 07, 2021 12:24 PM (45fpk)
-------

You are 100% correct.

What most people had to contend with last year was not homeschooling, it was crisis schooling. Probably the one good thing that came out of it was that people finally opened their eyes to what their kids were being exposed to.

I wasn't kidding when I said the fun part was picking the curriculum. We homeschoolers would slobber over the new catalogs the way we used to slobber over the Sears catalog toy section at Christmas each year when we were kids.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:30 PM (wyw4S)

66 63
I am living proof.
Posted by: Insomniac

Noted, Ben...
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:29 PM (zoGah)

Bite me.

Posted by: Insomniac - Outlaw at November 07, 2021 12:30 PM (II3Gr)

67 On one field trip, we went to the Alamo. I am not joking. I am not Peewee Herman either.

Posted by: f'd at November 07, 2021 12:31 PM (Tnijr)

68 Thanxs Bluebell.
To all, B-bells was a huge support when I started homeschooling for Grandkids #3 and #4 of Diogenes. I helped keep them up to speed during the start of the covid and now they are doing very well in middle school.
I may have to pick up again as their school gears up for CRT. And I'm ok with that.
Again, huge thanxs to Bluebell!!!

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 12:31 PM (axyOa)

69 >>"What's the capital of Rhode Island?"

Original or current?

Posted by: JackStraw at November 07, 2021 12:32 PM (ZLI7S)

70 Thank you for this contribution to the blog, and thank you especially for the sacrifice and efforts you've made to raise properly educated children.
Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at November 07, 2021 12:24 PM (d9Cw3)
-------

My pleasure, Buck, and thank you for the kind words.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:32 PM (wyw4S)

71 God bless all the parents who home school their children and give strength and the resources to those who cannot to one day do it.

Government skools are a plague upon the nation and our utes.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at November 07, 2021 12:32 PM (R/m4+)

72 I could diagram the shit out of any sentence.

Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 12:32 PM (Fs5vw)

73 Evil homeschooling should be banned!

Posted by: Teacher's Unions Everywhere! at November 07, 2021 12:32 PM (I2/tG)

74 I think one of the most important things a parent can do is let your child see you read.
Posted by: grammie winger

This, there were always book in the house and I read to her everynight in bed before prayers. Those have proven to be good choices for raising a well rounded adult.

Posted by: Infidel at November 07, 2021 12:33 PM (QC3yT)

75 There is a downside to homeschooling.
The working parent (if you can do it on one salary like we did) doesn't get to go on all the field trips!
I was jealous!
They went from Tempe AZ to the Getty museum 3 or 4 times before I went once!
(The Getty has so much wonderful *stuff* that they rotate the displays.)

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:34 PM (zoGah)

76 I could diagram the shit out of any sentence.

I wish I had learned that young. I would have hated it at the time but it would be so beneficial now

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:34 PM (KZzsI)

77
Original or current?
Posted by: JackStraw

_________

Well, I know Georgia's was Milledgeville and Texas's was West Columbia.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 12:35 PM (tXZFw)

78 This, there were always book in the house and I read to her everynight in bed before prayers. Those have proven to be good choices for raising a well rounded adult.
Posted by: Infidel at November 07, 2021 12:33 PM (QC3yT)
-------

Other than the obvious, such as food, shelter, and clothing, the number one thing you can do for your children is to read to them. This goes for grandchildren too! Who can resist a little one toddling up to them holding out their favorite book and asking to be read to?

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:35 PM (wyw4S)

79 I would think it would even be much easier now (resource wise) because of the internet. You can even homeschool yourself with free Harvard, MIT, and Oxford videos.

Also when studying American History don't forget to teach about President Fart-O-Matic:
https://tinyurl.com/8tmdjhw8

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at November 07, 2021 12:36 PM (r5BVk)

80 ||I wonder if NPC political homeschoolers retain that trait?

Never underestimate the power of daily indoctrination in what is essentially a jail. Schools are designed to "institutionalize" children, and everything about them, from their Pavlovian bell-ringing, to their implacable bureaucracies, to their injustices and tolerance of violence and humiliation, reinforced day after day--this is what =makes= NPCs.

In California, they want you to teach a curriculum and have your kids tested, even though they teach crap and don't test kids themselves. It's classic Cathedral procedure. We just flew under the radar.

Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 12:36 PM (asXVI)

81 I could diagram the shit out of any sentence.

Brandon shit his pants.

Posted by: JT at November 07, 2021 12:36 PM (arJlL)

82 72 I could diagram ... any sentence.
Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 12:32 PM (

One of my sibling's children was "taught" diagramming by a teacher who had not learned how to do it themselves. Not a standout moment in pedagogical history.

Posted by: , Flying Purple People Eater at November 07, 2021 12:36 PM (qyH+l)

83 AZ, you talkin' about the Getty in Malibu? Or the monster overlooking the 405? Or some other Getty?

Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 12:37 PM (OTzUX)

84 "The working parent (if you can do it on one salary like we did) doesn't get to go on all the field trips!"

No I didn't get to go on all the field trips but I went on but that was ok. They sometimes went with a homeschooling group, which is something you should try to find in your area if you are going to do it.

Posted by: f'd at November 07, 2021 12:37 PM (Tnijr)

85 Other than the obvious, such as food, shelter, and clothing, the number one thing you can do for your children is to read to them. This goes for grandchildren too! Who can resist a little one toddling up to them holding out their favorite book and asking to be read to?
Posted by: bluebell

Boy does that bring back memories. There is still a spot on my bookshelves with grandkid books I read to them.

Posted by: Infidel at November 07, 2021 12:37 PM (QC3yT)

86 I think the socialization myth has finally been blown out of the water, at least, I hope so.

The homeschooled kids I've met have always been better socialized. The kid-to-adult ratio is lower and they model themselves on the adults. School are basically child prisons with kids modeling their behavior on their fellow inmates.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical ballls at November 07, 2021 12:39 PM (QU5/8)

87 Who can resist a little one toddling up to them holding out their favorite book and asking to be read to?
Posted by: bluebell

My daughter bought me a stack of the old Bobsey Twins books for my birthday.

Posted by: grammie winger at November 07, 2021 12:39 PM (45fpk)

88 Around here the local parks and rec places have discovered a whole new source of revenue. Homeschool swim teams, homeschool PE classes, open gym hours for kids during the school day, etc.
Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:23 PM (wyw4S)

Thats actually pretty smart. Here I think the Y picks up the slack.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 12:40 PM (axyOa)

89 How did you handle graduation Bluebell? Our boys went to a homeschool group graduation ceremony.

Posted by: f'd at November 07, 2021 12:40 PM (Tnijr)

90 I think it was as much for their Mom as for them.

Posted by: f'd at November 07, 2021 12:40 PM (Tnijr)

91 They sometimes went with a homeschooling group, which is something you should try to find in your area if you are going to do it.
Posted by: f'd

100% this, many of the field trips were with other homeschoolers.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:40 PM (zoGah)

92 One of the things my husband and I used to say to people who said they would never have time to homeschool, is that all good parents homeschool to some extent. Do you ever sit with your kids to help them with their homework? Yes? Okay, now imagine doing that at 2:00 in the afternoon instead of at 9:00 at night after baseball practice.
Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:22 PM (wyw4S)

Due to the parents work schedules we sometimes have the grandkids until after dinner. They are thrilled to do their homework with us as we supplement their knowledge with tales of walking 10 miles up hill both ways in the snow while on the look out for Cheyenne dog soldiers raiding the settlements.

Posted by: Beartooth at November 07, 2021 12:40 PM (d8xPm)

93 We pulled our daughter before the school year began and are now homeschooling her. She is learning more is is much happier.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at November 07, 2021 12:41 PM (kTF2Z)

94 As some of you undoubtedly know, I am a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry, and as well, of course, a Four Star Admiral. My credentials are not to be questioned.

I cannot overstate my opposition to home schooling. The education of children is not something that should be entrusted to, or even influenced, by the parents. The potential for children to be corrupted in their thinking by dangerous 'Traditional Values' is very high.

Posted by: Rear Admiral Rachel Levine at November 07, 2021 12:41 PM (9Fwwf)

95 Is ranting and raving about the left during dinner considered Home Schooling?

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 12:41 PM (Irn0L)

96
I'm thinking the best way to socialize your kids is to introduce them to responsible adults.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 12:41 PM (tXZFw)

97 74 I think one of the most important things a parent can do is let your child see you read.
Posted by: grammie winger

This, there were always book in the house and I read to her everynight in bed before prayers. Those have proven to be good choices for raising a well rounded adult.
Posted by: Infidel at November 07, 2021 12:33 PM (QC3yT)

Also to have a kid read to their parents. Every book I brought home from the library, from the first grade through the sixth, I had to read to my mom for at least an hour during the evening.

It's how I got comfortable with the word "cromulent".

Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 12:41 PM (Fs5vw)

98 Actually Christopher grandparents may be in a better position to homeschool if they live near their g-kids.

If they are retired they don't have to worry about dropping the job and they have an extra wealth of life experience. Certainly they should consider offering to home school or supervise kids doing an online charter curricula.

Also for any parents worried they wouldn't be great teachers. What's that saying "you don't have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the slowest person in the group?" You don't have to be a great teacher to do a better job than 90% of public classroom education.

Posted by: PaleRider, still in the basket of deplorables at November 07, 2021 12:41 PM (3cGpq)

99 Funny on reading to the kids.
I read the same books to the younger 2 that I had read to the older ones. Mrs. AZ told me years later that the older 2 would sit outside the door to the 'reading room' and listen in to hear me read the stories again.
I consider it one if my best memories of raising kids.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:42 PM (zoGah)

100 The kid-to-adult ratio is lower and they model themselves on the adults.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical ballls at November 07, 2021 12:39 PM (QU5/

--------

We would frequently get comments from people who would say how surprised (in a good way) they were that my kids could talk to anyone, including adults. And that came from being around other homeschool families, with kids of all ages, and the moms (and sometimes the dads, or even grandparents) on a frequent basis. Field trips, park days, co-ops, pot luck lunches, etc.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:42 PM (wyw4S)

101 There's a cute book on sentence diagramming, "Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog", I think? Here's an extract/article:

http://pagefarm.net/ap/PDFs/sbbd.pdf

There isn't really any evidence to support diagramming as a useful tool for learning--and as someone who has built language parsers, I can confirm--because it basically requires you to know where to put things properly rather than giving you a tool to guide you. Whether it has other uses, like being fun or helping you look at language in a different way, is a separate issue.

But the cool thing about homeschooling is you can try it out, and do it or not depending on how helpful you think it is, and not be forced to rely on "authority" and "expert" opinion over your own eyeballs.

Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (asXVI)

102
Field trips to the upper deck of Madison Square Garden during a Rangers game is an excellent way to expand your child's vocabulary.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (tXZFw)

103 "Is ranting and raving about the left during dinner considered Home Schooling?
Posted by: Nevergiveup "

Absolutely. You can take any opportunity to teach. We used to have a saying:

"Every day is a school day when you homeschool."

Posted by: f'd at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (Tnijr)

104 AZ, you talkin' about the Getty in Malibu? Or the monster overlooking the 405? Or some other Getty?
Posted by: rhomboid

The 'monster'. I haven't gotten to the 'grotto'... I would love to; but it hasn't ever worked out.
Reservations and all...

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (zoGah)

105 Field trips to the upper deck of Madison Square Garden during a Rangers game is an excellent way to expand your child's vocabulary.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (tXZFw)

fuckin A

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (Irn0L)

106 When I volunteered at a museum, almost the only "school" groups that visited (scandalous that this was the case) were home-school co-ops.

On a Marine base, with young Marines often in there too.

So, imagine the behavior and deportment level we're talking about. We used to joke that it was like a time machine back to the 1930s or something.

Polite, attentive, responsive. Not of course that these qualities are unknown in society now, but obviously they're not always prevalent.

Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (OTzUX)

107 Is ranting and raving about the left during dinner considered Home Schooling?
Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 12:41 PM (Irn0L)
------

In my house it's a required subject

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (wyw4S)

108 Now that I'm subbing I am seeing, for the first time,the public school system up close (since I went to parochial schools) I'd advise homeschooling. And not because the teachers are lawful. Most of the ones I've seen are trying very hard. But it takes only 1 bratty disruptive kid to wreck a classroom and teachers can't pull out a ruler anymore

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&&v at November 07, 2021 12:44 PM (6tT9l)

109 Taxes and the cost of living have driven lots of women to the workplace. But that is still a choice. My mother had six kids and believed all her life that it was better for Mom to be home. (Incoming!!) But she did.

Glad it worked for your family!

Posted by: JM in Florida at November 07, 2021 12:44 PM (HCeRP)

110 I recall during my homeschooling with the grands when I brought out a microscope. We spent a week on it. An hour of math, an hour on spelling, and three in the microscope. They would scour the neighborhood looking for the nastiest mud puddle in order to collect samples.to look at under the scope. Great fun

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 12:45 PM (axyOa)

111 My sixth grade teacher always had story hour. She read some really fun mystery and adventure books.

Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 12:45 PM (Fs5vw)

112 AZ can only highly recommend you get to the Malibu museum. A totally different animal (of course). Actually went there first time in high school, when it was the only one, and the monster was in early planning stages.

It's a great concentrated classical history and art place, I think the villa is a repro of an intact buried one unearthed at Heraklion. Well worth the effort when you have the time.

Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 12:46 PM (OTzUX)

113 Is ranting and raving about the left during dinner considered Home Schooling?
Posted by: Nevergiveup

Yes, as long as the ranting/raving is backed up with facts not fiction.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:46 PM (zoGah)

114 Thanks for this, bluebell. I have recently managed to convince Lady YD that we should homeschool the baby starting in a couple years. The combination of vaccines and masks for kids, with the homosexualist propaganda I've been finding in our """"good""" school district, she's gotten on board, but she's still in that "is it legal" mindset, so this is going straight to her inbox. Really, thanks! Helps a lot.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at November 07, 2021 12:46 PM (/KPLX)

115 How did you handle graduation Bluebell? Our boys went to a homeschool group graduation ceremony.
Posted by: f'd at November 07, 2021 12:40 PM (Tnijr)
------

Yes, we had graduation ceremonies every year. Our group was Catholic, so there would be a Mass for the families (and as many guests as they wanted) with a nice reception afterwards. We also had high school proms, with about 100 kids each year. Great fun.

I remember my husband and I chaperoning our oldest daughter's first prom in 9th grade (kids from 9th - 12th grade were welcome, no dates). My husband was amazed and he said "all proms should be like this." The kids just got up and all danced the moment the music started until it ended.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:47 PM (wyw4S)

116 Beautiful post!

I wish we would have homeschooled more! We were in a conservative district in Texas, and my wife worked in a school as a librarian, so we knew it well. Still . . .

My youngest did a hybrid for two years -- online, some local homeschool assoc. classes, and some community college classes (dual credit for high school and college, and it cost almost nothing!). It gave her great experience.

Posted by: Eternity Matters at November 07, 2021 12:47 PM (MTm8X)

117 >>The homeschooled kids I've met have always been better socialized. The kid-to-adult ratio is lower and they model themselves on the adults. School are basically child prisons with kids modeling their behavior on their fellow inmates.

We moved a few times when I was a kid. We made a stop in NJ when I was going into 5th grade and it was right when all the race wars were starting in places like Newark. Racial tension carried down to the schools and there were fights along racial lines virtually everyday of my 5th grade. Staying in one piece as the new kid was way more important than actually learning anything.

Posted by: JackStraw at November 07, 2021 12:47 PM (ZLI7S)

118 Great homeschooling moments in field trips, part I:

The grandparents take The Boy to the museum and they fall in with a guided tour for a regular class. Every question, The Boy has his hand up and is yelling out the answer. And the teacher is just wondering where this kid came from.

When they're done with the room, the teacher says "OK, the next room we're going to has weapons in it..."

"Weapons?! I LOVE weapons!!" and off he runs.

Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 12:48 PM (asXVI)

119 Yes we did the microscope, telescope, and had a big ass chemistry set. They had special projects like build a 3d printer and remote control submarine. I know my kids got more out of it they they ever would have at school. Me too.

Posted by: f'd at November 07, 2021 12:49 PM (Tnijr)

120 My youngest did a hybrid for two years -- online, some local homeschool assoc. classes, and some community college classes (dual credit for high school and college, and it cost almost nothing!). It gave her great experience.

Posted by: Eternity Matters at November 07, 2021 12:47 PM (MTm8X)

I just checked out your blog. Very nice! You have greyhounds? Even nicer

Posted by: grammie winger at November 07, 2021 12:50 PM (45fpk)

121 Field trips to the upper deck of Madison Square Garden during a Rangers game is an excellent way to expand your child's vocabulary.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 12:43 PM (tXZFw)

fuckin A
Posted by: Nevergiveup
-------

Drill Sergeants and DI's of pre-PC days introduced young men to until-then unknown and unimagined adjectives

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 07, 2021 12:50 PM (CTJwJ)

122 Last week I had to deal with a 2nd grader who beganeatting an eraser and spitting it on the floor. This week I saw a 5 year old yell f you racist at his teacher. These arent autistic kids they are just brats from dysfunctional families who wreck the learning experience for everyone. The public schools used to be able to discipline. Now they cant so all the focus is on trying to handle the brats and everyone loses.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&&v at November 07, 2021 12:51 PM (6tT9l)

123 YD, that's wonderful, and I hope Lady D will come on board. Especially since your daughter has special needs - no one will be able to give her what she needs better than her mama. Please assure her that it's 100% legal and there are all sorts of resources out there.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:52 PM (wyw4S)

124 AZ can only highly recommend you get to the Malibu museum.

It's a great concentrated classical history and art place, I think the villa is a repro of an intact buried one unearthed at Heraklion. Well worth the effort when you have the time.

Posted by: rhomboid

I have heard/read great things about the villa ( I thought I had heard it referred to as 'the grotto' too; but that might just be my penchant for renaming).

Noted... maybe I'll surprise Mrs. AZ with a trip to it next year.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:52 PM (zoGah)

125 Great post, bluebell. Wish we had grandkids to homeschool.

Posted by: olddog in mo at November 07, 2021 12:53 PM (ju2Fy)

126 Great homeschooling moments in field trips, part II:

I took The Flower to the King Tut exhibit. She's not quite five years old. And we get to the box office, and there's hieroglyphics as part of the decoration on the wall. So everyone's milling about waiting for the B.O. to open and she starts reading the hieroglyphics.

A parent turns to his (older) kid and says, "Why can't YOU read the hieroglyphics?"

It was just kind of funny because the only thing that had happened was that we had spent time on hieroglyphics because it was fun and we were going to the museum. It's like the microscope stories: If you're allowed to pursue things you're passionate about, you never lose the fun of learning.

Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 12:53 PM (asXVI)

127 These arent autistic kids they are just brats from dysfunctional families who wreck the learning experience for everyone. The public schools used to be able to discipline. Now they cant so all the focus is on trying to handle the brats and everyone loses.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&&v at November 07, 2021 12:51 PM (6tT9l)
------

This is the sad truth in so many places. Heartbreaking, isn't it?

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:54 PM (wyw4S)

128 How do you get your kids exposed to drag queens in homeschool?

Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy at November 07, 2021 12:54 PM (0ryfU)

129 I used to love Pissing my brother in law off. He was the union steward for the teachers at the school where he taught.

While on family vacations at the shore I used to build up home schooling. He would get crazy in his disagreement. I would point out the one on one instruction, the non institution instruction. Also sports can be played at the local high school.

Just fun busting him.

Posted by: Redenzo at November 07, 2021 12:55 PM (E7vND)

130 Homeschooling is racist because poor kids don't have homes like white kids do.

-Joe Biden

Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy at November 07, 2021 12:55 PM (0ryfU)

131 How do you get your kids exposed to drag queens in homeschool?
Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy at November 07, 2021 12:54 PM (0ryfU)
------

Oh, that's easy. Around here we just take them to the public library.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:56 PM (wyw4S)

132 Last Christmas bought my grand niece the complete collection of Rush Revere books, was thinking today to see if she did read them to get another book series, maybe Narnia.
Should ask for suggestions on next week book thread.

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2021 12:56 PM (2JoB8)

133 The combination of vaccines and masks for kids, with the homosexualist propaganda I've been finding in our """"good""" school district, she's gotten on board

This is the problem. Every so often I read someone who says "but my school district is a good one!" and they aren't realizing that this evil crap is seeped into their district, too. Or, they do know, but deny it because they want it to not be true.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:56 PM (KZzsI)

134 Is ranting and raving about the left during dinner considered Home Schooling?
Posted by: Nevergiveup

Yes ! Qualitative Education 101 !

Posted by: runner at November 07, 2021 12:56 PM (V13WU)

135 -
How do you get your kids exposed to drag queens in homeschool?

Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy at November 07, 2021 12:54 PM -
-
-------------

Monty Python

Posted by: irright at November 07, 2021 12:56 PM (BB7pQ)

136 Skip, the Narnia series is a great idea!

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:57 PM (wyw4S)

137 We were asked how do you have a religion class when you homeschool?
It's easy for Catholics, we took them to daily Mass.
There were many benefits, one of which was they had to get up and get going so they could make Mass on time.

I suspect the technique would work as well for other faiths...

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:57 PM (zoGah)

138 Classical Conversations is the tool a friend at work uses. It involves a small community of like minded individuals each sharing part of the learnin' burden.

Posted by: Fool Otto at November 07, 2021 12:58 PM (DB16e)

139 Dennis Prager and Dave Ramsey offer great short vids for learning and lesson planning.

Posted by: Just Saying at November 07, 2021 12:59 PM (znHF7)

140 I suspect the technique would work as well for other faiths...
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:57 PM (zoGah)
------

Of course. We didn't get to Mass every day, but we always got there at least on Fridays. But we had religion as a subject just as we had math, science, English, etc.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 12:59 PM (wyw4S)

141 "How do you get your kids exposed to drag queens in homeschool?
Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy"

It wasn't really a homeschool thing but our kids went to a drag strip with a church group one time.

Posted by: Guy who relates everything to a Zappa song at November 07, 2021 01:00 PM (Tnijr)

142 Bluebell, I wish I knew you back in 1996! My son started school in 1997 and looking back I wish I had homeschooled him. But he turned out okay, anyway.

Posted by: Jordan61 at November 07, 2021 01:00 PM (jm4rC)

143 Mom and dad always thought mom should be at home. She was always there, room mother, not a fan of pta. I think she got a part time job in the 70's when we were older and shit was going to hell.

Posted by: Infidel at November 07, 2021 01:01 PM (QC3yT)

144 ack

Posted by: guy who forgot to change his sock at November 07, 2021 01:01 PM (Tnijr)

145 I would strongly recommend that people homeschool if they can. Private schools can be good but are often caught up by the same madness in our public schools. Teachers in them by and large come from teacher education programs at universities.

One of the reasons that our Founders were such exceptional individuals is that they were not regimented in their thoughts by a common curriculum dictated by a school system.

Essentially public schools became a factory system designed to take children as inputs and 'citizens' as the output. The standing nail was hammered down in order to make these 'citizens'. In part, the state centered education was rapidly captured by those who hate the Western civilization it was based on and now here we are.

Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:01 PM (9hXN1)

146
It was just kind of funny because the only thing that had happened was that we had spent time on hieroglyphics because it was fun and we were going to the museum. It's like the microscope stories: If you're allowed to pursue things you're passionate about, you never lose the fun of learning.
Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 12:53 PM (asXVI)

You and bluebell summed up homeschooling beautifully. When you have time to enjoy a subject, to really learn it, it inspires you to do the same for other areas of interest, even those that might seem boring.

My only caveat is to not be like me and worry about making sure your kids are keeping up with what "public" schools want the kids to master. I over focused on that because of our constant moving, and it was both confusing and frustrating for my kids. And spend time curled up on the couch with hot cocoa, reading to your kids. It will create cherished memories.

Posted by: Moki at November 07, 2021 01:01 PM (JrN/x)

147 Essentially public schools became a factory system designed to take children as inputs and 'citizens' as the output. The standing nail was hammered down in order to make these 'citizens'. In part, the state centered education was rapidly captured by those who hate the Western civilization it was based on and now here we are.
Posted by: whig

Damn those Benedictine Monks!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 01:03 PM (zoGah)

148 Bluebell, I wish I knew you back in 1996! My son started school in 1997 and looking back I wish I had homeschooled him. But he turned out okay, anyway.
Posted by: Jordan61 at November 07, 2021 01:00 PM (jm4rC)
--------
I know he did! That's because you and Mr. J61 were good parents, as are the others here. As bad as things were when our kids were little, what's going on in the schools now is so much worse. Parents have to be hypervigilant and stay on top of the school's curriculum. That means going to all the meetings on those cold dark nights (and now risking being arrested as domestic terrorists).

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:04 PM (wyw4S)

149 The Prager U videos have to be a treasure for home school lessons.

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2021 01:04 PM (2JoB8)

150 As a Weaselpup in the public school system, I was the reason everyone should be homeschooling their chirrun.

Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:05 PM (0IeYL)

151
I suspect the technique would work as well for other faiths...
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 12:57 PM (zoGah)

A lot of protestant churches have Friday homeschool days, where families get together and trade expertise. There may be a minimal charge for a class, but it is pretty good. I taught Political Science classes one year and used a syllabus I taught at university. Kids had no problem handling it.

Posted by: Moki at November 07, 2021 01:05 PM (JrN/x)

152 One of the reasons I hear for NOT home-schooling is that folks aren't rich enough to so do.

I'm hear to testify: it's so worth it, even if you have to wash your laundry in the tub 'cause you can't afford a washing machine. OR can't take vacations. OR can't have a nice house. Or can't have a second car. OR can't eat out, etc.

It's okay to be poor for a season while you enrich your children. Even heroic in our materialistic age.

I've never regretted home-schooling my four, way back in the day when it was illegal in my state (at that time) to so do.

I'd do it again, in a heartbeat. My kids are individuals all, and know how to think for themselves.

Posted by: lizabth at November 07, 2021 01:06 PM (L3Rsz)

153 Great post, Bluebell. Struggled with public schools with my sone. Debated homeschooling with my wife. She was afraid of finding the curriculum and finding the time to do it. We both worked outside the home at the time and my lovely wife still occasionally voted democrat(!)

By third grade we finally decided enough was enough. The "best public school" in the state couldn't understand my cardinal rule of "no one touches my daughter". (and I mean NO ONE) That was enough to get my wife on board.

It took some drastic changes ... I quit my job and started a small business where I could stay at home. Within 3 years, my wife quit her job and began working with me. Was it easy? Hell no. Did we give up a lot? Not the things that matter.

Some homeschool purists will say we cheated. We have both our daughters enrolled at Liberty University Online Academy. It is a commitment. We have to be home with the girls. We have to monitor and assist them with their lessons, and we have to pay for it (while still paying taxes for the "free" public education)

Posted by: GrouchyBuckeye at November 07, 2021 01:06 PM (yfSTh)

154 We never homeschooled, but my wife did not work, so she could always be home for the kids, and sometimes for the neighborhood kids who's mother worked.And that hurt us financially. I know my kids grew up semi-normal ( only semi because, of course I am the Dad ). Neither ever got into any real trouble and both masters degree, good yobs, and husbands. So we must have done something right, even if just by mistake

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 01:06 PM (Irn0L)

155 The Prager U videos have to be a treasure for home school lessons.
Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2021 01:04 PM (2JoB

-------

They really are a treasure for everyone. My husband and I watched a bunch just last night.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:06 PM (wyw4S)

156 On letting the kids know they are doing fine while being homeschooled.
We paid for the 'Ohio Tests of Basic Skills' each year.
The older 2 were very worried they were not in *structured* classes and thought they would be falling behind scholastically.
The testing the 1st 2 years showed them at or above all their previous results.
It definitely calmed their fears.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 01:07 PM (zoGah)

157 bluebell, thank you for writing this. Obviously a lot of people are interested in this subject, and you are the perfect example of a successful homeschool mom!!!

Posted by: Moki at November 07, 2021 01:08 PM (JrN/x)

158 I'm a public school teacher who supports homeschooling and private schools, too. There isn't (and has never been) a one-size-fits-all education.

As for "socialization," my district currently has a group of male teachers AND administrators who conduct a twice-a-week class that teaches students about how to behave in a civilized and responsible way. I suppose to some public educators, it's an unthinkable (racist? sexist?) philosophy: Young bullies, vandals, and thieves should be "socialized" in the ways of their well-parented peers, not the other way around.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at November 07, 2021 01:08 PM (/+bwe)

159 GrouchyBuckeye, you are certainly not cheating. There are many ways to homeschool! Each family needs to do what works for them. It sounds like you've got that figured out and working well - congrats!

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:09 PM (wyw4S)

160 A lot of protestant churches have Friday homeschool days,

Posted by: Moki

Thank you. I was sure there would be something; but didn't know.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 01:09 PM (zoGah)

161 My eldest daughter graduates this spring. Along with a high school diploma, she will receive an associates of arts degree and be 60% of the way to her bachelors degree. I won't make this an advertisement, but the Liberty University program has been a Godsend.

Socialization? She has plenty of friends, attends dances and parties, and has traveled the country competing in (and winning) tournaments in her preferred sport. (two hip surgeries kept her from Team USA and competing internationally, but now her focus is on college and career. no regrets)

NOTHING the government touches is made better. This includes your kids!

Posted by: GrouchyBuckeye at November 07, 2021 01:09 PM (yfSTh)

162 I hope the GOP picks up and REALLY runs with school choice for all children. $$ follow students, even to home schools.

Can you imagine the enrichment home-schooling parents could provide with the $$ gov't schools now get for their children's education?

Posted by: lizabth at November 07, 2021 01:10 PM (L3Rsz)

163 Neither ever got into any real trouble and both masters degree, good yobs, and husbands.

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 01:06 PM (Irn0L)

You have daughters, right?

Posted by: LMAO at November 07, 2021 01:10 PM (ix4h2)

164 NaughtyPine, that sounds like a great class. Kudos to those who are running it! I hope it bears fruit.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:10 PM (wyw4S)

165 Thank you for this wonderful and encouraging post, bluebell. We switched to parochial school, but I have found that homeschool resources are incredibly helpful for extra academic support.

Posted by: Hoplite Housewife at November 07, 2021 01:11 PM (mNMgp)

166 Yeah, Bluebell.

I will note that most public schools accept homeschoolers into the lab courses like chemistry and biology. This is a known path.

Not everyone has a home ~~basic chem lab~~ production facility on the property.

I thought long and hard about home schooling at the local network in chemistry, civics, English really SF) literature and history. Spousal demands took that choice away.

Biology is right out, although I taught it in my short HS teacher stint. I'm a chemist, not a botanist.

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at November 07, 2021 01:11 PM (u82oZ)

167 Homeschooled kids can carry a conversation.

Brand X kids....forget it.

Posted by: Humphreyrobot at November 07, 2021 01:11 PM (IBOtG)

168 You have daughters, right?
Posted by: LMAO at November 07, 2021 01:10 PM (ix4h2)

Yes LOL

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 01:12 PM (Irn0L)

169 Nevergiveup

Good afternoon. May your first grandchild be a healthy son.

Next year in Corsicana?

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at November 07, 2021 01:12 PM (u82oZ)

170 Mom and dad always thought mom should be at home. She was always there, room mother, not a fan of pta. I think she got a part time job in the 70's when we were older and shit was going to hell.
Posted by: Infidel at November 07, 2021 01:01 PM (QC3yT)

Mrs D and i decided one of us would be home when the girls went to school and one of us would be home when they got home. That was usually her and it meant a single income. But we were lucky in that they were in DoD schools most of the time.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 01:12 PM (axyOa)

171 Once upon a time, there was no "home schooling" it was just "schooling" because there was no such thing as public schools.

Tutors were hired, or parents taught. Children were allowed to learn as much as they wanted, as fast as they wanted. No broken spirits for the advanced learners stuck in classes designed for the average.

Literacy was better than it is today, by any measure.

Posted by: casual observer at November 07, 2021 01:13 PM (jTmQV)

172 Nevergiveup

Oops. Forgot the Good afternoon, Sir. My military bearing is getting further in the past. Alas.

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at November 07, 2021 01:13 PM (u82oZ)

173 But we were lucky in that they were in DoD schools most of the time.
Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 01:12 PM (axyOa)

How were the DOD schools? I have heard different things

Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 01:13 PM (Irn0L)

174 We've homeschooled our 13 year old her whole life. I think it is important to note that most homeschoolers do not teach everything to their child alone. We are involved in 3 different homeschool co-ops which teach five classes, a non-school sports team, a weekend wilderness skills class (run by a reserve SEAL, yesterday they were breaking flex-cuffs and picking locks, ahem), and American Heritage Girls, a patriotic, religious scouting organization.

Posted by: motionview (prep train organize) at November 07, 2021 01:14 PM (+W8+H)

175 Be prepared as the teacher's and teacher's unions realize that their forcing the schools to stay closed was a mistake and will cost them.

They will see the rise in homeschoolers and begin to attack it. Through the media and through the legislators as they demand that laws be passed so as to hamstring parents ability to homeschool by forcing qualifications and curriculum on homeschoolers while leaving public schools to do as they wish.

Keep your eyes open. This is what they did over union dues and it's still difficult for a teacher to have their pay not have union dues automatically taken out and getting back any that already were taken. They are rabid leftists and will use every dirty trick to protect their grift.

Posted by: jakee308 at November 07, 2021 01:15 PM (MF+6j)

176 I am half way through my projected 25 years of homeschooling. Got first out the door to an excellent public university. 4 more still at home.

I have a dear friend, single mom who worked nights so she could keep homeschooling.

I also have been doing a "co-op" with 6-10 families for the past 8 years. We get together at a local church every Friday. We are strong Catholics, welcomed by an Assemblies of God church. All very likeminded, Never masked together. We did stop those first few months of the shutdown, but started right back up, and never looked back.

For any local lurkers, in the heart of Silicon Valley, we have a large and very supportive community. 200+ families that put on all kinds of activities.

Pull your kids out! You will not regret it.

Posted by: Sassy at November 07, 2021 01:15 PM (xSICi)

177 My wife's early schooling... like 1st - 3rd grade was in a one room schoolhouse.

I was thrown into the public indoctrination center.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at November 07, 2021 01:16 PM (BFigT)

178 How did children learn before the Dept of Ed?

Much better than after, apparently.

Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy at November 07, 2021 01:16 PM (0ryfU)

179 Literacy was better than it is today, by any measure.
Posted by: casual observer

Yes! It always cracks me up when the Left blathers on about how girls only got an eighth grade (or whatever) education in the dark ages.

Sure, but they were still more literate than our current day gov't high school graduates by a long shot. They could actually read (at a high level) and write. Do math and such.

OF course, they might not know how to do the condom on banana exercise, so there is that. Poor ignorant dears.

Posted by: lizabth at November 07, 2021 01:16 PM (L3Rsz)

180 My wife had the pleasure of teaching two homeschooled kids in the GPROMD. Great kids but they left public school because they were being horribly bullied for being Catholic.

Last I heard the girl graduated college and the boy is starting.

Posted by: NR Pax at November 07, 2021 01:17 PM (8ADZq)

181 Sure, you can home school, but if you do, how will your children learn all the pronouns, not to mention the all-encompassing beneficence of the state?

Posted by: Randi Weingarten at November 07, 2021 01:19 PM (ZsR3z)

182 I worked with someone a few years back who had a baby, and couldn't wait to put her baby in day care and get back to work because staying home with the baby was "boring." I just don't understand that.

Posted by: Jordan61 at November 07, 2021 01:19 PM (jm4rC)

183 ||How do you get your kids exposed to drag queens in homeschool?||

Youtube, Netflix, Amazon...freakin' SHUDDER. They're everywhere. Unfortunately too much exposure for The Barbarienne who got indoctrinated into SJWness through these channels.

It just wasn't an issue for the other kids. And it made her miserable, but we're slowly getting her out of it. For a while she was pushing to get the vaccine, even--the other kids are like F*** Covid, who cares?--but fortunately she's cooled on that.

Mokie -- You're absolutely right about not caring what the public schools want. If they were competent in any way, you wouldn't have to homeschool your kids! (But you should. Ideally, per the SCIENCE, kids should be homeschooled by their mom, till about 10 years old. Then off to college with them! Well, not these days, of course.)

Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 01:20 PM (asXVI)

184 I looked at how much time was wasted in both public and private schools, exercise breaks, bathroom breaks, lunch breaks, etc.
I figured out that 'structured' schooling only had about 3.5 hours of actual school work.
I asked that our homeschool dedicated at least that amount each day.
It worked for all 4 of ours.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 01:20 PM (zoGah)

185 How were the DOD schools? I have heard different things
Posted by: Nevergiveup at November 07, 2021 01:13 PM (Irn0L)

For us they were almost like small private schools. The girls started grade school in a public school but half the class was military kids and that kept the teachers in line. The next public school was actually on post. Germany was just excellent when they got back to the states to finish high school, they were well ahead.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 01:20 PM (axyOa)

186 I homeschooled last year and worked full time. I fell short of my ambitions, but my daughter kept track or outpaced her peers in virtual schooling. She is now enrolled in a Catholic school that follows a 'Classical Christian' curriculum, since it offered a much more robust program that actually taught history. Anyone can do this once they figure out the childcare. I'm a real convert to the homeschool classical curriculum and think it should be an option for everyone. There is also a non-religious way to do it relying on an Aristotelian framework for citizenship.

Posted by: Roulette Girl at November 07, 2021 01:21 PM (Zlmjv)

187 Sure, you can home school, but if you do, how will your children learn all the pronouns, not to mention the all-encompassing beneficence of the state?
Posted by: Randi Weingarten

This is the 'education' they REALLY care about.

How can they create revolutionaries a la Marcuse if the kids are taken out of the gov't schools?!

Posted by: lizabth at November 07, 2021 01:21 PM (L3Rsz)

188 I've considered it but my daughter being autistic needs specialized education that I don't know how to provide and she needs peers to model after. Not that the peers in schools these days are helpful in that sense.

Posted by: IC - Joe Biden has shit for brains at November 07, 2021 01:22 PM (Nyumu)

189 Best part of this thread is all the new names. Kudos, bluebell!

Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 01:22 PM (OTzUX)

190 I'm a real convert to the homeschool classical curriculum and think it should be an option for everyone. There is also a non-religious way to do it relying on an Aristotelian framework for citizenship.
Posted by: Roulette Girl

The classical system is phenomenally good, eps. for gifted students.

Posted by: lizabth at November 07, 2021 01:22 PM (L3Rsz)

191
When I was growing up, the rule was no TV on weekday evenings unless it was a documentary. So I read more.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at November 07, 2021 01:23 PM (tXZFw)

192
189 Best part of this thread is all the new names. Kudos, bluebell!
Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 01:22 PM (OTzUX)
------
I was just discussing that very thing with our gracious hostess!

Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:23 PM (0IeYL)

193 I fell short of my ambitions, but my daughter kept track or outpaced her peers in virtual schooling.

Posted by: Roulette Girl at November 07, 2021 01:21 PM (Zlmjv)
---------

Maybe you fell short of your ambitions, but obviously what you did was good for your daughter anyway! Good for you. I always had lofty ambitions, and yet here I am, still firmly on terra firma

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:24 PM (wyw4S)

194 I distinctly recall how early it was when my parents had their first education intervention. 3rd grade. It was all about seating assignments. The teacher was deliberately putting some white, male kids in seats where they couldn't see the blackboard. Guess her race.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at November 07, 2021 01:24 PM (BFigT)

195 I suppose to some public educators, it's an unthinkable (racist? sexist?) philosophy: Young bullies, vandals, and thieves should be "socialized" in the ways of their well-parented peers, not the other way around.
Posted by: NaughtyPine at November 07, 2021 01:08 PM (/+bwe)

Exactly. But I'm sure you know what actually happens in real life. The class sees that the bullies, vandals and brats get all the attention from teachers who are desperate to maintain order, so they start to think "Gee, if Bratella is getting attention by misbehaving, why should I sit here and be good?"

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at November 07, 2021 01:24 PM (HabA/)

196 I worked with someone a few years back who had a baby, and couldn't wait to put her baby in day care and get back to work because staying home with the baby was "boring."

Right? Who wants to be there for your baby's first steps and first words, when you can be there for the 20 part series of meetings on white supremacy, complete with struggle sessions and self-denunciations?

Posted by: pep at November 07, 2021 01:24 PM (ZsR3z)

197 Damn those Benedictine Monks!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron

Actually, Dewey the American philosopher is the lodestar for the 'public school as indoctrination'. Leftists will always try to infiltrate existing organizations to pervert them from their original purpose. Subsidiarity thwarts that infiltration.

Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:24 PM (9hXN1)

198 I asked that our homeschool dedicated at least that amount each day.
It worked for all 4 of ours.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron

Similar to our time-frame. All that glorious free-time to think, read, draw, explore, etc.

Posted by: lizabth at November 07, 2021 01:24 PM (L3Rsz)

199 Great minds, and all, Weasel. Wait, I'm one of them, so just coincidence, then. Your shooty thread also draws out some names never or seldom seen generally around here, as I'm sure you've noticed.

Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 01:25 PM (OTzUX)

200 When I was growing up, the rule was no TV on weekday evenings unless it was a documentary. So I read more.
Posted by: Hadrian

Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Star Trek (TOS) while I was home.
I can't attest to what they watched during the day.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 01:25 PM (zoGah)

201 I can't wait for the state to declare not vaccinating your children to be "endangerment" and making them wards of the state to vaccinate against the will of parents. Oh, and you can't get them back until you are vaccinated yourself.

Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy at November 07, 2021 01:26 PM (0ryfU)

202 Well done, bluebell. You are a special person.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:26 PM (YqDXo)

203 Related:

https://tinyurl.com/56w7bvur

In the first week (April 23-May 5) of Phase 1 of the Household Pulse Survey, about 5.4% of U.S. households with school-aged children reported homeschooling .

By fall, 11.1% of households with school-age children reported homeschooling (Sept. 30-Oct. 12). A clarification was added to the school enrollment question to make sure households were reporting true homeschooling rather than virtual learning through a public or private school.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 01:26 PM (KZzsI)

204 Yes, I am very happy to see the new nics here, and I hope you will continue to comment!

I knew we had a fair amount of homeschoolers among the Horde, but I wasn't aware of just how many we had. That's awesome.

I suspect there are others who just don't have the time to read and comment while they are actively homeschooling. But I encourage you to pop in when you do have the time!

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:27 PM (wyw4S)

205 At what age should shiv training be introduced?

Asking for a friend.

Posted by: J. Random Commenter at November 07, 2021 01:27 PM (gn6Ve)

206 John Gatto is such an excellent read on all things anti-gov't schooling'

You can read a bit of him here: https://tinyurl.com/yymys59j

Posted by: lizabth at November 07, 2021 01:27 PM (L3Rsz)

207 My mom ran a "Charm School" where you just learned things like manners, courtesy, how to set a dining table (and which utensils to use when), how to pick out matching clothes, how to tie a tie, how to address the queen or a judge, etc.
How to do the Virginia Reel.
She is still alive now, in her 90s.

Posted by: casual observer at November 07, 2021 01:27 PM (jTmQV)

208 >>> 188 I've considered it but my daughter being autistic needs specialized education that I don't know how to provide and she needs peers to model after. Not that the peers in schools these days are helpful in that sense.
Posted by: IC - Joe Biden has shit for brains at November 07, 2021 01:22 PM (Nyumu)

See if you can find support groups of parents whose small people have similar issues. If nothing else, this should help you monitor the school to make sure they're taking care of your daughter.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 07, 2021 01:28 PM (ACi07)

209 Schooled both of mine in middle school. We all enjoyed it, and both of them coasted through high school.

I didn't have a set amount of time I required of them. Instead there was a set amount of stuff to do, and I was pretty lenient about "as long as it gets done, I don't care how."

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 07, 2021 01:28 PM (QZxDR)

210 Also related; black families even more home schoolers

https://tinyurl.com/59aa7xxk

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of households that homeschool more than doubled from March to September 2020. African-American homeschooling families specifically experienced the most growth from 3.3% in the spring to 16.1% in the fall.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 01:28 PM (KZzsI)

211 Heh Weasel. Nothing like a day at the range to cover both physical exercise, math and geometry.

If a bullet travels at 1200 feet per second, how long will it take to hit the target 200 yards away?

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 01:28 PM (axyOa)

212 199 Great minds, and all, Weasel. Wait, I'm one of them, so just coincidence, then. Your shooty thread also draws out some names never or seldom seen generally around here, as I'm sure you've noticed.
Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 01:25 PM (OTzUX)
----
Lotsa bored people on Sunday evening. This is a really great topic and it's encouraging to see all of the interest!

blueBell! blueBell! blueBell!!!!

Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:28 PM (0IeYL)

213 Also related: Home schooling was on the rise before lockdowns

https://tinyurl.com/yexhtw49

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 01:28 PM (KZzsI)

214
Fox News,

One of the world's largest investment firms, State Street Global Advisors, will need permission to hire white men.

Posted by: four seasons at November 07, 2021 01:28 PM (tPC7s)

215 Diogenes,

MrsNotGrouchyBuckeye graduated from Patch American High School at Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany.

Her junior high and high school years sound nothing like mine at public school. DoD school got her into Ivy League.

Posted by: GrouchyBuckeye at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (yfSTh)

216 Well done, bluebell. You are a special person.
Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:26 PM (YqDXo)
------

Thanks, Jay. CBD only charged me $599.99 to usurp his space today!

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (wyw4S)

217 Regarding the public school system, I was a product of it back in the day and hated it. Much of my personal education came from my love of reading. Many close relatives were and are teachers even my great grandmother and grandfather. But, with increased communication and mobility along with other issues, public school control has been wrested from local communities and decisions are often now made by and large at the state and federal level. Thus, a small cohort of 'experts' could seize control and implement ideas like CRT by control of curriculum and careful leveraging of grants etc.

Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (9hXN1)

218
If a bullet travels at 1200 feet per second, how long will it take to hit the target 200 yards away?
Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 01:28 PM (axyOa)
-----
When did it leave Chicago?

Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (0IeYL)

219 "If a bullet travels at 1200 feet per second, how long will it take to hit the target 200 yards away?" - Diogenes

Why are you using a 9mm at something 200 yards away? Wrong tool for the job.

Oops. Sorry. Off-topic.

Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 01:30 PM (OTzUX)

220 Now I really wish I'd kept some of my old texbooks...

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 07, 2021 01:30 PM (ACi07)

221 When did it leave Chicago?
Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (0IeYL)
-------

Which way was the train heading?

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:31 PM (wyw4S)

222 Checking my portfolio for SSGA. Just to make sure.

Posted by: klaftern at November 07, 2021 01:31 PM (taPSh)

223 The whole "socialization" issue is a huge red herring. Yes, it's true: in middle school my kids didn't spend as much time with other middle schoolers as they would have in school. Instead they interacted with adults.

This meant they entered high school far more mature, self-confident, and self-sufficient than their fellow students. My joke was "they were raised in the jungle by adults, and learned their secret adult powers."

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 07, 2021 01:31 PM (QZxDR)

224 I didn't have a set amount of time I required of them. Instead there was a set amount of stuff to do, and I was pretty lenient about "as long as it gets done, I don't care how."
Posted by: Trimegistus

Math was interesting, between the older 2. The girl would give her older brother a 45 min head start and still be done with the assignment before him.
The both got the same answers; but boy, she was a Math whiz.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 01:31 PM (zoGah)

225 204 bluebell, your post is a clear service to civilization. Would you consider making it a semi regular weekly feature? T'would be interesting as to perspectives and experiences being shared.

Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:31 PM (9hXN1)

226 Posted by: jakee308 at November 07, 2021 01:15 PM (MF+6j)

However, the parents answer to the unions should be to vote down spending increases for schools when they appear on the ballot. As the number of homeschoolers increases, more parents will be questioning why they are paying for the schools.

The problem facing public schools are not that they can't afford computers or smart boards or they really need a new football field scoreboard. It's that even without idiotic CRT cirricula, they simply can't deal with the dysfunctional kids without dumbing down education as a whole.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at November 07, 2021 01:31 PM (HabA/)

227 221 When did it leave Chicago?
Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (0IeYL)
-------

Which way was the train heading?
Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:31 PM (wyw4S)
-----
New Orleans, of course.

Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:32 PM (0IeYL)

228 Well done, bluebell. You are a special person.
Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:26 PM (YqDXo)

She really is!

Posted by: Jordan61 at November 07, 2021 01:32 PM (jm4rC)

229 When I was growing up, the rule was no TV on weekday evenings unless it was a documentary. So I read more.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh

Ha, I was grounded for all of 8th grade. That meant nothing extra. No tv, no playing with friends afterschool, nothing.

I finally was able to finagle 1 hour of tv a week for little house on the prairie for an extra hour of chores every week.

Why, yes, I'm a dork.

Posted by: Infidel at November 07, 2021 01:32 PM (QC3yT)

230 Thanks, Jay. CBD only charged me $599.99 to usurp his space today!

Posted by: bluebell

And worth every cent!!!
Thank you again!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 01:32 PM (zoGah)

231 For all those who said voting doesn't matter, consider the following article on Dem Congressional retirements. In particular, I liked this:

In an interview with The Washington Post on Wednesday, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), gave vulnerable Democratic incumbents an ultimatum: "Retire or lose." That's how winners talk.

https://tinyurl.com/xkjxkb3w

Posted by: pep at November 07, 2021 01:32 PM (ZsR3z)

232 My mom ran a "Charm School" where you just learned things like manners, courtesy, how to set a dining table (and which utensils to use when), how to pick out matching clothes, how to tie a tie, how to address the queen or a judge, etc.
How to do the Virginia Reel.
She is still alive now, in her 90s.
Posted by: casual observer at November 07, 2021 01:27 PM (jTmQV)
------

A couple of our high school girls ran a "Manners Camp" one summer for grade school kids and taught much of the same (well, no Virginia Reel or how to address the queen). They made it really fun for the kids and the kids and their parents loved it.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:33 PM (wyw4S)

233 Going to be honest: It warms my dark little heart to hear all of these success stories in homeschooling. I expect shrieking in the next year from teachers when they have fewer students and the schools have less money.

Posted by: NR Pax at November 07, 2021 01:33 PM (8ADZq)

234 When I was growing up, the rule was no TV on weekday evenings unless it was a documentary. So I read more.

The TV was off all day unless we had a specific show we requested to watch from our parents. When the show was over, it was turned off. So we'd see a classic movie, or a show like Sesame Street or The Electric Company, or a moon shot, or a National Geographic documentary.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 01:34 PM (KZzsI)

235 GrouchyBuckeye, Augsburg for us and Ft Huachuca here in the states. Excellent schooling.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 01:34 PM (axyOa)

236 I taught university for 27 years, until I was ousted for teaching critical thinking instead of critical race theory (although not called that in 2017).
My four girls started at our local public school, but after the triplets were plopped in the corner reading area because they could already read, and some friends had already formed a co-op we could join, we jumped in and homeschooled. Each family took one day a week to teach a "club"--like a seminar. The 8 or 10 kids spent the day focused on one subject. Science was hands-on; thankfully I did not teach that. It was really fun, you could pick your kids' friends, and in CA we joined a charter school who paid for supplies and even gymnastics team for a couple of years. A couple of parents were teachers but some hadn't finished college--did not matter. DO it.

Posted by: CA homeschooler at November 07, 2021 01:34 PM (l9Soe)

237 I second the recommendation to read anything by John Taylor Gatto regarding our modern "educational" system.

Posted by: PabloD at November 07, 2021 01:34 PM (7Blpl)

238 And worth every cent!!!
Thank you again!
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at November 07, 2021 01:32 PM (zoGah)
-----

My pleasure. And thanks for sharing your experiences.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:35 PM (wyw4S)

239 Bluebell,

I'm glad CBD didn't ask you to eat cauliflower in order to write this.

Posted by: four seasons at November 07, 2021 01:35 PM (tPC7s)

240 I worked with someone a few years back who had a baby, and couldn't wait to put her baby in day care and get back to work because staying home with the baby was "boring."
--------------------

The lovely Mrs Guevara stayed home with our kids. She wanted to work to contribute to family finances, but I told her I thought it was better for the kids - and for her - and for me, even - if she stayed home with them.

Obviously better for the kids. Better for her, because she wanted to be with them, and was happier to be home with them. And better for me, so I could concentrate on work, and not have to worry about the kids. I knew they'd be taken care of.

It's almost like a natural division of labor.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:35 PM (YqDXo)

241 Oh, I'm reasonably sure the Dems are going to mount a full-on assault on homeschooling pretty soon. It cuts into their teachers' union money pipeline and keeps them from indoctrinating children.

Expect Colbert to start mocking homeschoolers on a nightly basis.

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 07, 2021 01:35 PM (QZxDR)

242 pep, don't mean to drag us OT, but I don't think the issue for most people is winning an election, which is obviously a necessary first step. It's what Our Team! does *after* they win. For two decades, the answer to that has been, mostly: bupkis. With disastrous consequences.

Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 01:35 PM (OTzUX)

243 When did it leave Chicago?
Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (0IeYL)
-------

Hey!!!
That was the extra credit question.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 01:36 PM (axyOa)

244 220 Now I really wish I'd kept some of my old texbooks...
Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 07, 2021 01:30 PM (ACi07)

--------------

Old textbooks (pre-1970's) are a great resource. Look for them at yard sales or used book stores. It is jaw-dropping how advanced, not to mention understandable, the lessons are compared to today. History books are especially valuable because they are free of woke nonsense.

Posted by: Hoplite Housewife at November 07, 2021 01:37 PM (mNMgp)

245 I am also a retired teacher, university level.
I got out just in time.
I still teach my relatives' kids, for free.
OK, they take me out to dinner once a week.

Posted by: casual observer at November 07, 2021 01:37 PM (jTmQV)

246 A couple of our high school girls ran a "Manners Camp" one summer for grade school kids and taught much of the same (well, no Virginia Reel or how to address the queen). They made it really fun for the kids and the kids and their parents loved it.

Could they do the camp for parents as well? We had a big baptism ceremony in church this morning, and some of the people couldn't be bothered with tucking in their shirts, much less a jacket, tie or suit. They also thought that communion was a good time to have a conversation at full volume. WTH, people, I expect little kids to do this, but you're supposed to be adults. For me, it ruined what should have been a joyful and solemn occasion.

Posted by: pep at November 07, 2021 01:38 PM (ZsR3z)

247 219 "If a bullet travels at 1200 feet per second, how long will it take to hit the target 200 yards away?" - Diogenes

Let me check...

*BANG* - - *ting*

That long.

Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy at November 07, 2021 01:38 PM (0ryfU)

248 I'm glad CBD didn't ask you to eat cauliflower in order to write this.

Posted by: four seasons at November 07, 2021 01:35 PM (tPC7s)
------

Well, originally he said it would be $100 and four pounds of cauliflower. I bargained him down to $599.99 and no cauliflower.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:38 PM (wyw4S)

249 67--

Hah, took my daughter to The Alamo, too. I think what she most remembered was the mall nearby where she bought pink stuff.

Posted by: Texican ette at November 07, 2021 01:38 PM (mqpBf)

250 Great negotiator, lol

Posted by: four seasons at November 07, 2021 01:39 PM (tPC7s)

251 I have relations who are in their 30s, and they don't know how to tie a men's necktie.
I have to do it for them, what's worse they don't even want to learn how

Posted by: casual observer at November 07, 2021 01:39 PM (jTmQV)

252 164 NaughtyPine, that sounds like a great class. Kudos to those who are running it! I hope it bears fruit.
Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:10 PM

Me, too. I and many of my colleagues live in this community, so we're hyper-aware of the effect of multigenerational disfunction. There are several boys in particular that we don't want to follow their fathers to prison or an early grave.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at November 07, 2021 01:39 PM (/+bwe)

253 pep, don't mean to drag us OT, but I don't think the issue for most people is winning an election, which is obviously a necessary first step. It's what Our Team! does *after* they win. For two decades, the answer to that has been, mostly: bupkis. With disastrous consequences.

Understood and I agree. But can you imagine the Republicans of 20 years ago talking like that, instead of yammering about "reaching out to our friends across the aisle"? The fact that one of them is willing to talk that way is encouraging. Let's hope others do.

Posted by: pep at November 07, 2021 01:40 PM (ZsR3z)

254 Could they do the camp for parents as well? We had a big baptism ceremony in church this morning, and some of the people couldn't be bothered with tucking in their shirts, much less a jacket, tie or suit. They also thought that communion was a good time to have a conversation at full volume. WTH, people, I expect little kids to do this, but you're supposed to be adults. For me, it ruined what should have been a joyful and solemn occasion.
Posted by: pep at November 07, 2021 01:38 PM (ZsR3z)
--------

Ugh. Makes me wonder if these people ever set foot in a church besides an occasion such as this.

I know I'm an old fogey but Miss Manners is my spirit animal.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:40 PM (wyw4S)

255 There was a couple that were good friends and lived nearby in the late 70s. We liked to visit with their little boy and babysat for him a few times. I looked him up when my first husband died, wanting to connect with his dad. (Dad had passed away a few years before). But he remembered us, reading to him when he was a toddler. It's a simple thing and can be a lifelong memory for a child.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at November 07, 2021 01:40 PM (YynYJ)

256 Trump's biggest mistake was to let that pant load Mueller hang out in Washington stinking the place up more than anybody else.

Who was it that brought him in?
The Special Prosecutor should have been some flint eyed lawyer from far away the beltway.

Posted by: torabora at November 07, 2021 01:40 PM (EZoe1)

257 public school control has been wrested from local communities and decisions are often now made by and large at the state and federal level. Thus, a small cohort of 'experts' could seize control and implement ideas like CRT by control of curriculum and careful leveraging of grants etc.
Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (9hXN1)
--------------------
Yep. Hence Communist Core math. Here in CA IIRC the state selects textbooks, which gives CA enormous nationwide clout with publishers.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:41 PM (YqDXo)

258 I still teach my relatives' kids, for free.
OK, they take me out to dinner once a week.
Posted by: casual observer at November 07, 2021 01:37 PM (jTmQV)
------

You are awesome.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:41 PM (wyw4S)

259 Oh, I'm reasonably sure the Dems are going to mount a full-on assault on homeschooling pretty soon. It cuts into their teachers' union money pipeline and keeps them from indoctrinating children.

They sure will. But it's encouraging that many have now seen the ugly reality beneath the propaganda. That's why Youngkin won.

Posted by: pep at November 07, 2021 01:41 PM (ZsR3z)

260 226 Donna of the ampersands,
I financed part of my graduate education by working as a substitute teacher years ago. I even taught in in school detention because the pay was double.

For the most part, dysfunctional kids do it on purpose because they literally hate school and its authoritarians because they were never disciplined at home. What is different in the last 50 years is that the federal government has created a legal minefield for school discipline so that kids that do not get disciplined at home become diagnosed as disabled by the system for extra govt. dollars. A few of them in a large class of thirty or so can ruin the learning experience of the rest of the students and only the brave administrator and teacher that dares to discipline the unruly risks losing their job and legal liability. Most reasonable people in the field avoid that choice by ignoring the behavior thus the ratchet turns.

Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:42 PM (9hXN1)

261 Let me also add my kudos to the pile, bluebell. It may be that, at nearly 29, we're past our prime child-bearing years--but the more the conversation happens, the better things will be.

||I have relations who are in their 30s, and they don't know how to tie a men's necktie.||

TBH, I have never known how to tie a necktie either. But this spring I had an occasion to (and part of the occasion involved learning how to tie all kinds of knots, which I aced) and finally learned. It's a minor victory, I suppose (I kind of had a block on knots) but sometimes those are the sweetest.

Posted by: moviegique at November 07, 2021 01:43 PM (asXVI)

262 >>> 251 I have relations who are in their 30s, and they don't know how to tie a men's necktie.
I have to do it for them, what's worse they don't even want to learn how
Posted by: casual observer at November 07, 2021 01:39 PM (jTmQV)

Start charging them for this service. Increase the amount periodically for "cost of living adjustments".

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 07, 2021 01:43 PM (ACi07)

263 Old textbooks (pre-1970's) are a great resource. Look for them at yard sales or used book stores. It is jaw-dropping how advanced, not to mention understandable, the lessons are compared to today. History books are especially valuable because they are free of woke nonsense.
Posted by: Hoplite Housewife at November 07, 2021 01:37 PM (mNMgp)
------------------------

Also how expensive and full of crap modern textbooks are. My sons' math (four-color) textbook had marginal entries about the first black female astronaut to take a dump in space, or something equally edifying. What had to do with math I do not know.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:44 PM (YqDXo)

264 I recently unsuccessfully ran for the local school board in a "good" district. I did it without any preparation. I simply thought it would be fun to have the County distribute to every voter 200 words of my thoughts on CRT and the philosophical principle that public schools should remain neutral on topics with no community consensus. Didn't make it out of the primary but picked up 22% of the vote with just my voter pamphlet statement, no signs, no campaign.

I had to start digging into the details and the situation is worse than I thought. A group of moms showed me the District's sex ed choices. I found out that CRT is also disguised as Social Emotional Learning. Basically, the programs in this good district resemble a deep hellhole.

My conclusion is that the public schools cannot be rehabilitated. Our grandkids are in private school but even that has some glitches. If there is a vaccine mandate for kids, our gks are out.

So, thanks for the post Bluebell. It is timely. The one unexpected benefit of my "campaign" is that I have contacted with young parents and other like minded people. I will do whatever I can do to support them whether it is teaching, money, carpooling.

Posted by: Mr. Barky at November 07, 2021 01:45 PM (7NN6b)

265 When did it leave Chicago?
Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:29 PM (0IeYL)
-------

Only because I'm a mean grandpa, i actually gave the kids a "pop quiz" with the question of one train leaving Chicago at 50 mph and another leaving Denver at 60 mph, what time would they meet in Atlanta?
Just to see what they would do.
I was actually impressed. Grandson asked to use the computer to look up train schedules, grand daughter was looking at the atlas to figure out where the cities were. After about three minutes they both looked at me and i started laughing.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 07, 2021 01:45 PM (axyOa)

266 For the most part, dysfunctional kids do it on purpose because they literally hate school and its authoritarians because they were never disciplined at home. What is different in the last 50 years is that the federal government has created a legal minefield for school discipline so that kids that do not get disciplined at home become diagnosed as disabled by the system for extra govt. dollars. A few of them in a large class of thirty or so can ruin the learning experience of the rest of the students and only the brave administrator and teacher that dares to discipline the unruly risks losing their job and legal liability. Most reasonable people in the field avoid that choice by ignoring the behavior thus the ratchet turns.
Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:42 PM (9hXN1)
------
This. We had friends who had a legitimately troubled kid who could not control himself, and should have been placed in a setting where he would have received some help. Instead, he was left in the public school system where all he accomplished was disrupting the entire school all day long.

Posted by: Weasel at November 07, 2021 01:45 PM (0IeYL)

267 >>> 263
.....
Also how expensive and full of crap modern textbooks are. My sons' math (four-color) textbook had marginal entries about the first black female astronaut to take a dump in space, or something equally edifying. What had to do with math I do not know.
Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:44 PM (YqDXo)

Heh. Newer editions will probably tell children about the first transgender / furry sex party in space.

"But that's not CRT!!" -- XiNN

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 07, 2021 01:46 PM (ACi07)

268 Old textbooks (pre-1970's) are a great resource. Look for them at yard sales or used book stores.
-----------------

A local juco wanted me to teach there (which I declined when I found out the atmosphere there).

But if I had accepted the offer, and taught math, I'd have chosen a book from Project Gutenberg. Price? $0. There are some great textbooks from 1900 or so that deal with everything appropriate at the university level now.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:47 PM (YqDXo)

269 For the most part, dysfunctional kids do it on purpose because they literally hate school and its authoritarians because they were never disciplined at home. What is different in the last 50 years is that the federal government has created a legal minefield for school discipline so that kids that do not get disciplined at home become diagnosed as disabled by the system for extra govt. dollars.
---------------------

So they drug 'em up instead.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:48 PM (YqDXo)

270 Jay,
Even in Texas, leftists are trying to deny the importance of the Alamo and tie the Texas War of Independence to the desire to promote slavery. They are promoting this specifically to be adopted as state curriculum for history. Sort of like the 1619 project applied to Texas.

Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:49 PM (9hXN1)

271 The class sees that the bullies, vandals and brats get all the attention from teachers who are desperate to maintain order, so they start to think "Gee, if Bratella is getting attention by misbehaving, why should I sit here and be good?"
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at November 07, 2021 01:24 PM

Worse. We have regular-ed kids begging to join the special ed kids in the "resource room" so they can attempt to work in peace - despite the fact that they need to learn how to do the practices from the teacher.

I'm very happy that I gradually earned the reputation for being the "strict" teacher. In younger years, the mothers complained I was a bitch out to get their darlings. Now I'm old enough to be allowed my eccentricities of direct-teaching, emphasis on individual student work, and (often) NO CELLPHONES ON ONE'S PERSON.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at November 07, 2021 01:49 PM (/+bwe)

272 263 Also how expensive and full of crap modern textbooks are. My sons' math (four-color) textbook had marginal entries about the first black female astronaut to take a dump in space, or something equally edifying. What had to do with math I do not know.
Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 01:44 PM (YqDXo)

-----------

Oh, yes. The high school books are ridiculously expensive and the math books we have purchased are full of that same irrelevant crap. The book would be at least a third of the size without it.

Posted by: Hoplite Housewife at November 07, 2021 01:50 PM (mNMgp)

273 whig, yep, you've nailed the problem.

The parent of the f screaming 5 year old met with the principal and the teacher after her darling was suspended for punching a little girl. She said little Bratley isn't used to "a lot of structure." (Yeah, no kidding.) She also brought in all these "studies" she found on the Internet that show that black kids are suspended far more often than white kids. So we also know why a 5 year old has figured out that screaming "racist" is an effective strategy.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at November 07, 2021 01:51 PM (HabA/)

274 We'd spent two years in a Classical Conversations group a few years back. My daughter could (and still can) sing a song covering the history of the world from 100 BC to 1945, and can draw a map of the world with countries, capitals, and main geographic features.

If 1 in 100 college students could do that I'd eat my hat.

Posted by: motionview (prep train organize) at November 07, 2021 01:52 PM (+W8+H)

275 My public school high schooler got an assignment to analyze a speech for rhetorical effectiveness. Teacher sent a list of non-exclusive, but preferred, list of examples. You can guess the roster. A couple not bad choices (Patrick Henry, Frederick Douglass), but even those seeemed to be shoehorned into a post New Deal progressive agenda. Greta Thurnberg was the one that made me laugh out loud. My kid went off list, Solzhenitsyn's Harvard speech. "A" work, given a "B". We're used to it. "These people are fools. Just get the credential".

Posted by: occam's brassiere at November 07, 2021 01:52 PM (V8JPv)

276 Bluebell, thank you so much for this thread. We are homeschooling our son, and we're finding it much better than even the alternative in our town, which is one of the most affluent in CT. No woke nonsense (our town is trying to hold the line, but with all the NY'ers moving here it won't last long, alas), and we are spending quality time with him.

A friend how has older kids observed that by the time they are 14 or 15, their personality is pretty much baked in. To have that influence on our kid before he gets to that age is so valuable. We'll see if my friend's observation is accurate.

Posted by: Darrell Harris at November 07, 2021 01:52 PM (mdjgu)

277 My favorite artifacts illustrating some of the declines in literacy in the country, over the longer and shorter time spans.

Civil War diaries and letters.

WWII training films.

Posted by: rhomboid at November 07, 2021 01:54 PM (OTzUX)

278 I was never homeschooled. Not sure it existed in the 50s and early 60s. But I did get some damn good 'home guidance', especially from my grandfather. (He never got past 8th grade but taught himself higher math including calculus. These talents did NOT pass down to me!)

He did two things. He taught me how to really use a dictionary, not just for the definitions and spelling but for the derivations of the words. That started a life long love affair with language. He also stressed memorizing basic arithmetic tables and then how to deal with bigger numbers from those basics. Everything had to be on paper. It paid off. By the time I started using a slide rule in high school it was a convenience, not a necessity.

Finally, their house always had the latest volume of The World Almanac and my folks had the World Book Encyclopedia. I went through those like other kids went through comic books.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2021 01:55 PM (7EjX1)

279 Now I really wish I'd kept some of my old texbooks...
Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 07, 2021 01:30 PM (ACi07

My wife and I collect older textbooks and actually use them when we really do help with grandkid homework. We also have a globe of the world to use. It seems to be from 1939 based upon the country boundaries and state names.

Posted by: Beartooth at November 07, 2021 01:55 PM (d8xPm)

280 The high school books are ridiculously expensive and the math books we have purchased are full of that same irrelevant crap. The book would be at least a third of the size without it.
Posted by: Hoplite Housewife at November 07, 2021 01:50 PM (mNMgp)
-------

I taught small high school math classes. I used old editions of really good textbooks. No pictures other than graphs, etc. They cost about $5 each for the student books and I think I paid a whopping $20 for my teacher's edition. And these kids learned math.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:56 PM (wyw4S)

281 I have a few friends who homeschooled kids the first few grades then went to either private or charter schools. It seems to be a popular option.

Posted by: Joe XiDen - Lessko Brandon Brandon at November 07, 2021 01:56 PM (5vCDv)

282 269 Jay,
That happens sometimes but sometimes not depending on the parents. Some parents are so filled with various resentments (probably because they hated school too) that the school is to blame for Johnny getting into trouble bashing some other kid's head in. The pathology of psychology has made things worse such as fetal alcohol syndrome, anti social behavior, etc. and thus makes behavior of the kids off limits to correction by school discipline.

Someone near and dear to me has been teaching over twenty years in the public school system and my mother used to teach in adult education programs including teaching students in jail for about the same time. A lot of misbehavior simply stems from students cannot read and thus are literally lost from the system about junior high. Either they become sullen thugs or drop out. That stems from the whole dysfunctional phonics versus whole word reading controversy. Teaching is like jazz, you have to read the room rather than apply a formula such as a specific curriculum for success.

Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:57 PM (9hXN1)

283 I can draw a map of the lower 48 states, freehand, without taking the pen off of the page.
That always amazes my students.
Then I ask them to name the capitols.

Posted by: casual observer at November 07, 2021 01:57 PM (jTmQV)

284 Yea, BlueBell!!

Posted by: Braenyard at November 07, 2021 01:58 PM (IeGFg)

285 Thank you all for participating in this thread, and thanks especially to all you homeschoolers out there for your contributions! I hope we have encouraged those of you who might be on the fence about homeschooling.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 01:59 PM (wyw4S)

286 >>256 Trump's biggest mistake was to let that pant load Mueller hang out in Washington stinking the place up more than anybody else.

Preach it.

Posted by: Betsy DeVos at November 07, 2021 02:00 PM (2xGy+)

287 203 Related:

https://tinyurl.com/56w7bvur

In the first week (April 23-May 5) of Phase 1 of the Household Pulse Survey, about 5.4% of U.S. households with school-aged children reported homeschooling .

By fall, 11.1% of households with school-age children reported homeschooling (Sept. 30-Oct. 12). A clarification was added to the school enrollment question to make sure households were reporting true homeschooling rather than virtual learning through a public or private school.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 01:26 PM (KZzsI)

The only way that public schools are going to change is by hitting them in the pocketbooks. Vote against every bond measure supporting them. Pull your kids out and homeschool, or, failing that, make sure they aren't in school during Count Day.

Parents need the convenience of having their kids taken care of while they work, but what price are they really paying for that convenience?

Posted by: Darrell Harris at November 07, 2021 02:00 PM (mdjgu)

288 1st WORLD NOOD

Posted by: Skip at November 07, 2021 02:00 PM (2JoB8)

289 >>> 270 Jay,
Even in Texas, leftists are trying to deny the importance of the Alamo and tie the Texas War of Independence to the desire to promote slavery. They are promoting this specifically to be adopted as state curriculum for history. Sort of like the 1619 project applied to Texas.
Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 01:49 PM (9hXN1)

Hmm, how do they explain the half-dozen or so other Mexican states that broke off at the same time? iirc Yucatan remained independent for about ten years or so.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 07, 2021 02:00 PM (ACi07)

290 283

One of my kids was learning the capitals of W. Europe this year. The kid was shocked that not everyone knew the basics like Berlin and Rome, like how the hell do you not know that? And I explained that most people are like that. You are way above the average.

Posted by: Joe XiDen - Lessko Brandon Brandon at November 07, 2021 02:01 PM (5vCDv)

291 We had a set of World Book Encyclopedias when I was a kid. Our set was published in 1959 and so it wasn't quite current when I was a kid - but I still loved it.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at November 07, 2021 02:01 PM (HabA/)

292 On a related note: Hazelwood School District in Missouri decided to close for the full week of Thanksgiving for "self care." They won't be making up the days later.

https://www.hazelwoodschools.org/11042021

The story is getting passed around by some teachers as a great idea. I hate when administrators arbitrarily change class schedules.

After some more thought, I wonder if it's just a ploy because whenever there are half-days or short weeks of school, attendance drops. If it falls enough, the school day isn't counted by the state, which then affects funding. So why not cut costs by closing school?

Posted by: NaughtyPine at November 07, 2021 02:02 PM (/+bwe)

293 Bluebell,

Thanks so much for this thread. It brought back some wonderful memories of the adventures of learning and how it happened for me.

Posted by: JTB at November 07, 2021 02:02 PM (7EjX1)

294 Good on ya, bluebell! And excellent contribution to the HQ with this thread.

Posted by: Notorious BFD at November 07, 2021 02:02 PM (Xrfse)

295 The homeschooled kids I've met have always been better socialized. The kid-to-adult ratio is lower and they model themselves on the adults.
----------------

That's even true at the graduate level. The department ran bogus "courses" for first year grad students for the first two weeks of the semester. (They did this for bureaucratic reasons, to claim that they were teaching grad students.)

The problem? When they finished those first two weeks, the students were socialized to each other, not to their research groups.

I eschewed that, and instead paired up each new grad student with a postdoc or an experienced grad student, and had many fewer problems as a consequence.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at November 07, 2021 02:03 PM (YqDXo)

296 Cat Ass Trophy - WRONG! You forgot to deduct the amount of time it took for the "ding" to travel from the steel back to your ear. What kind of home school RSO are you, anyway? ;-)

Posted by: PabloD at November 07, 2021 02:04 PM (7Blpl)

297 289 Helena,
The people pushing this project do like the NYT, simply ignore inconvenient facts.

Posted by: whig at November 07, 2021 02:05 PM (9hXN1)

298 My mom stayed home because that's just the way it was growing up. And my dad worked his ass off providing for us. Then as soon as I could put my hands over meat cutting block, he worked my ass off.

Posted by: My name is Jose Jimanez at November 07, 2021 02:05 PM (Fs5vw)

299 Nood. Twister(s).

Posted by: Darrell Harris at November 07, 2021 02:07 PM (mdjgu)

300 Just like two others have mentioned, we started Classical Conversations for our child who is old enough. The group meets one day a week, and my wife does the curriculum the other days.

Not only is our child loving it, we expanded our community of like minded people.

Posted by: Paul at November 07, 2021 02:07 PM (Y1/pz)

301 24 I think that most, not all but most people who say they cannot homeschool or get their kids into private schools could actually, but are either too in love with the stuff they are paying for now, or too timid or lacking confidence enough to do it themselves. Some are not able to, but... you probably can, if you're willing to try, and sacrifice enough.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 12:13 PM (KZzsI).
-------------

Priorities

Posted by: Braenyard at November 07, 2021 02:08 PM (IeGFg)

302 Listen to bluebell.

She is wise. And if you ask her to pray for you, things will work out.

Thank you for your prayers, bluebell.

Posted by: nurse ratched at November 07, 2021 02:09 PM (U2p+3)

303 Is Hazelwood issuing home early pregnancy test kits?

Posted by: klaftern at November 07, 2021 02:10 PM (taPSh)

304 Thank you for your prayers, bluebell.
Posted by: nurse ratched at November 07, 2021 02:09 PM (U2p+3)
-------

Always, nurse.

Posted by: bluebell at November 07, 2021 02:10 PM (wyw4S)

305 If you can find them, training manuals for the armed forces are great. When my first husband had problems in school, his dad pulled out the manuals for English and math. That's what he needed.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at November 07, 2021 02:20 PM (YynYJ)

306 Thank all of you for your prayers and being here. I thank God for you all regularly.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at November 07, 2021 02:32 PM (KZzsI)

307 People interested in homeschooling are most welcome to follow the River Houses website (riverhouses.org). We post a rich assortment of traditional educational materials for homeschoolers every week, and we're building the foundation for a new type of chapter-based homeschool network.

We have pages on Gab and MeWe also, and everyone is welcome to get our free newsletter (all educational, with no politics and no spam): https://riverhouses.org/newsletter

Cheers!

Posted by: The River Houses at November 07, 2021 02:50 PM (8MbUB)

308 Gandhi wrote that parents are the natural teachers of their own children.
If you want to homeschool but think both parents must work from 0800 to 1700, please read the Education statutes in your State. Nothing in Hawaii Revised Statutes requires that homeschooling parents provide instruction from 0800 to 1430. You can legally extend daycare to age 17, provide instruction in the evening, take the GED, and get on with your life. Good luck to you all.

Posted by: Malcolm Kirkpatrick at November 07, 2021 05:28 PM (kD3S+)

309 Bummer that I missed this.
We also homeschooled from birth up to the last 2 years of high school. (He *insisted* on going to a 'regular' school for the last two years; he told me last fall that he should have continued in homeschooling. Sometimes he learns slowly - but he *does* learn.)

Here's how to do it:
- Realize raising your kid(s) is THE most important thing you will ever do.
- Realize that if you learned it, you CAN (with a little effort) teach it to your kids successfully.
- Start finding support - homeschool groups, co-ops, curriculum stores, other homeschoolers, your church's Sunday School teachers, your family, etc.
- Make mistakes, but learn from them, and correct course, even if it's mid-year.
- Understand you can get your child(ren) to LIKE learning, and encourage it.
- Realize God's world is pretty incredible, and man has built a bunch of really cool stuff in it, and you can use ALL of it to teach _something_. (My favorite was the amusement park trips where my son learned about physics, biology, engineering, sociology, ornithology, etc., all in little snippets.)

Posted by: GWB at November 07, 2021 05:30 PM (Gcsm/)

310 We had a set of World Book Encyclopedias when I was a kid.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at November 07, 2021 02:01 PM (HabA/)

I had the fortune of TWO Brittanicas growing up. We had the kid version, which I soon out-read, and the full-on black-n-gray adult version. And Dad got the annual updates, as well, for something like 20 years. I read a goodly chunk of it before I left home.

Posted by: GWB at November 07, 2021 05:35 PM (Gcsm/)

311 I homeschool! I am happy to share my lessons on this journey, be a sounding board, venting vessel, whatever! But you CAN do it!

Posted by: Piper at November 07, 2021 07:19 PM (FXYsU)

312 PS. The Piper School for Girls makes sure there are play dates as our pupil is autistic. If I can mange that social interaction piece, anyone can, I promise!

Posted by: Piper at November 07, 2021 07:21 PM (FXYsU)

313 Thanks for posting this, bluebell!

(I'm sorry I'm so late to the party. I saw the thread going by on my phone, but pixyware doesn't let me comment from mobile chrome/safari, for some reason.)

Anyway, I just wanted to add our experience to the mix.

We did pure "unschooling", and I've always felt a nagging doubt that we weren't doing enough. Things like the story about a kid reading hieroglyphs at the museum always made me think, "Oh shit! We're not studying hieroglyphs."

But the kids do read a lot, and occasionally they do a bunch of math on ProdigyGame or Khan Academy. I guarantee that they're learning more without really trying to study and without us really trying to teach than they would be in the government school.

So I quit worrying about it. If you're on the fence, just dive in and figure out what works for your family. You'll be fine! Easy peasy.

Posted by: Geronimo Stilton at November 07, 2021 08:43 PM (sGnvY)

314 We home schooled all five of our kids. They're all making more money than me. Our main goal, after teaching them to read at a college level, was teaching them how to learn... how to do the research and find the answers to whatever they wanted to learn. It's worked out pretty great.

Posted by: Scott at November 07, 2021 10:57 PM (0faOI)

315 You can homeschool. No matter how hard it is, it is still easier than dealing with public schools and the indoctrination they put into their kids.

The first step, is to take it one step at at time. Do not think you have to homeschool till college. Just plan one year's curriculum, list what subjects you want your child to master this year. Take it one year at a time.

Posted by: BurkeanMama at November 08, 2021 12:19 PM (7PzLn)

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