Home school conversation continued
I would like to continue the “conversation“, but I think I need to pause. I have a list of things I want to say about some of the comments, positive and negative, listed on Summer’s site, as well as others, but have decided to let it lay…for now. I have questions, but am afraid that they will be viewed as cliche and ignorant. This site is about putting out there positive information for parents. I would be more than glad to discuss any personal issues you have about my and my “own life” on my personal site. Do me a favor though…don’t guess about my home life…this site is pretty open about things that have happened to get me to where I am.
It does seem strange that I have posted things about AIDS in Africa, miscarriage, and a parent who’s child is sick, yet this is the topic that has gotten more responses from loving parents than anything else. I feel my misconceptions about home schooling have derailed what I wanted for this site.
I’m really trying to not take an aggressive tone. I feel like I got carried away with my original post, but that doesn’t make most of those questions or perceptions any less valid. It doesn’t mean I’m not willing to listen also feel like the majority of the responses are telling ME to be open mined. It needs to be a 2 way street.
We are all passionate about what is best for our children. Let’s keep it about that passion. I’ll try not to make things personal in the future. I ask the same of both camps.
So, there’s the olive branch. I really do want the possibility of an open conversation on this and other parenting subjects. Thank you for those who have attempted this as well. We are about to start our new family and will have questions and opinions that I will post on this site. That is what it is for. And if you have constructive knowledge to add, I welcome it. I’ll even take a jab now and again. I want to share all aspects of parenting with my readers. I will try to play nicer, if we can all agree to that. If you don’t like what I have to say, feel free to chime in, but if you can’t play nice, go find another sandbox.
Keep the info coming. Thanks Christine for this article about college admissions and the homeschooler.
October 16th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
“don’t guess about my home life”
I would suggest you offer the same to homeschoolers.
October 16th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Way to be the adult there, honey.
October 16th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Someone famous once said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” among other things. I read that in a book somewhere. I applaud your effort to keep it civil. Unfortunately my experiences with home schoolers have not been stellar. Some have had different experiences. That, my friends and enemies, is LIFE.
It’s a shame that so many people viewed our opinions as a personal attack and went on the defensive, even going as far as calling people names and threatening them with raising their fists. To that I say ‘what-f’ing-ever”.
So good for you for trying to keep the peace.
As for me, I’ll remain the small minded, bullying, oppressor I have always dreamed of being.
October 17th, 2007 at 3:54 am
First off, I would like to say congrats on the baby!
I didn’t read through all of the comments on the last entry. After the name calling began, I moved on.
I am a homeschooling mom and we’ve been working with our kids at home for the last 5 years.
If you have any questions at all, I would be more than happy to answer them. I love a civil debate.
One thing that I think might have been overlooked is that for a lot of homeschoolers, homeschooling is a lifestyle and not just something that we do. There’s also many, many methods of homeschooling. The method that usually springs to people’s minds is a parent teaching their children out of textbooks around the kitchen table at home (this method is usually referred to as “school at home”).
Our family doesn’t just school at home. We’re lucky enough to live in a major city that has many, many educational opportunities. Recently, we were studying ancient Rome and one of the local museums had a traveling exhibit with artifacts from then. The kids spent over 2 hours looking through everything and asked so many questions that one of the employees gave them a detailed tour. That kind of learning just isn’t available for a class of 20+ students.
The illustration above isn’t rare at our house. My kids love learning hands on and because we homeschool, we are able to provide those opportunities for them. My sons were interested in firefighters so off to the local firehouse we went and even visited a museum dedicated to the history of fire fighting. My daughter was curious about what happened to packages after they were mailed. This lead to an impromptu tour of the post office we were at. I swear that at the zoo, employees duck my kids because we’re there so often they know my kids will ask them questions as long as they’ll stand there.
This weekend is pirate themed weekend at the Ren Fest. We’ve studied the history of pirates for the past two weeks and learned quite a bit about ships, shipping routes and trade, navigation, map making, constellations, Christopher Columbus, and more. We’ve bought costumes and will be attending the Ren Fest.
I firmly believe that if they are able to live it, they learn more and it stays with them.
I went to public school my entire educational career. I can honestly say that I am learning more with my children while I am teaching them, than I learned in school.
Wow, this comment turned into a book. Sorry!
I guess what I want to say is that homeschooling doesn’t have to just be “school at home”. Many of us work hard to create a lifestyle of learning for our children.
I welcome any questions that you might have!