Homeschooling?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Razia

Hello, I also want my 8th grader to go homeschooling. He is failing 8th grade and its just the last marking period going on if he brings B+ and ready to go high school. He is capable of doing it but he seems not focussed in studies, do not hand over finished homeworks even having fun all the time. We live in NJ if someone can give info about homeschooling asap I would greatly appreciate. Thanks!

See if you can get him into college INSTEAD of High School, many states have that type of program, it worked great for my kids (WA = Running Start FREE (state paid college INSTEAD of High School for grades 11 & 12 (not AP classes )). They had their Associates degrees and High School diplomas by the time they were 18, and went directly to University as full Jrs, so it saved them 2 yrs of college expenses and time.

They had to pass college entrance exams (Math and English Composition) early in grade 10.
Early College High School Initiative
http://www.state.nj.us/highereducati...Credits4HS.pdf

The education they got was far superior to what can be offered in a public school. They were mentors for adults, which was perfect for home schooled kids, cuz they are capable and used to being responsible self starters and communicating with adults. (I had to hire a public schooled kid to help with projects last weekend,remind me to NEVER do that again... they have to be told EVERYTHING to do... I used to have to hire 10-20 kids per day on my farm... what a joke,)

[purplesky]

You can do a mix and "afterschool" your kids. I find that the public schools teach fuzzy math and don't really teach history anymore at the grade school level (they teach "social studies"). I buy elementary textbooks for my kids, do extra math online. I only do this 30 minutes a day, but it works well.

[Razia]

Can homeschoolers go for early college high school?

[Bird Whisperer]

Hi there! I have two girls and we homeschooled for 2 years! We loved it. I highly encourage you to try it because you already seem like the type that would be wonderful at it to me. You've already analyzed pros and cons and obviously want the best for your child.

The best book I can recommend to start (there are many) is Debra Bell's "Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling". It is a fun read and you will enjoy her insights and humor. I met her and am a huge fan.

Also, HS is growing and I believe it is in part due to the immense amount of resources available via the internet and other sources. Someone once described it to me like going to the grocery store - lots of choices and aisles of food but you don't buy everything on the shelves! Homeschoolers have become a defined MARKET and there are plenty of fabulous companies that offer wonderful materials to choose from.

Don't worry about the "socialization" question either - that is pure ignorance on a large part of the general population. My kids actually had more friends homeschooling - they still played in the their local soccer / volleyball leagues, still did camps and art classes in the community, had homeschool play groups, etc.... I always laugh at that response - like what do HS families do, keep their kids in closets! ha ha ! Right?

If it doesn't work out, you always have the option to go back to institutional "school" but my guess is that you won't or that you'll have a difficult time doing it once you recognize how much progress they made with when the boundaries are lifted and how close you will be as a family! We LOVED IT! Good luck to you!

[phylogeny]

I've been mostly public schooled, then went to private college. My parents tried to teach me Chinese and math at home but failed miserably. Homeschooling is very hard. It takes a lot of patience and planning on the parent's part.

Before deciding anything else, I'd suggest focusing on how much effort you are willing to put into teaching. Even at an elementary level, you will be putting in a lot prep work. You have to pick the curriculum, assign the projects, check the quizzes etc. And you'll have to do that for all the subjects. Since your child is so young, maybe you can take some time and look at the various curriculums. Take some time observing a day home school. Maybe you could also see the local public and private options and see if you like what you see.

One of the biggest problem with education is the dogmatic philosophies people have regarding it. Even on this forum, you see people adamant that one way is *the* way to educate. There is no "one way" to educate. Every child is different. Every parent is different. Every school district is different. Take time to do some research and see what you would be best for you little one.