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Homeschooling a school-aged child is completely different from being a SAHP with a preschool-aged child - you aren't educating them, you are just providing the environment for them to learn in of their own accord (which is why very deprived children do benefit from early preschool as they don't have the environment at home i.e. books, crayons, blocks, playdoh etc in which they can learn through play) so needing a degree to be a SAHP is a ridiculous idea.
I think that children tend to thrive in a homeschool environment for the same reason that a young child will thrive with a nanny as opposed to daycare. One-on-one attention and care can take a child from average (or behind) to superior - in many ways. Tailoring the entire day to the needs of a child works. Our 2 1/2 year old was with his teacher/nanny and me (I work part-time) for the first two years and the child is on the verge of reading. Yes, really. And I don't mean memorizing words. I'm talking phonics-based reading. He has also started addition, loves 24 piece jigsaw puzzles, going to the history museums, speaks two languages, etc. This is just about actually teaching your kid something. We did it all through play-based learning (creative curriculum), at-home montessori "toys" and common sense but the point is, for people who say kids just need to play, well, that's how they LEARN. Through play.
Biology tells the story. A child learns less fast as he ages. It is hard for me to believe that G-D put these brains that can pick up this type of information at their young ages into their heads for them to play with only e-z bake ovens all day? Come on. I think people are just being lazy and want to use the "let my kid play all day and do nothing else" as an excuse.
The creative curriculum is an awesome "play experience" for any child - art, music, kitchen, reading, science, fine motor skill centers. They love it. It is play. But guess what, they are getting ready for kidnergarten at the same time.
My husband is a teacher in the U.S. and I will tell you the hard truth that I was disgusted to learn from him a few years ago. Day one, when your kid gets to kidnergarten, the kids will be evaluated by what they know COMING IN THE DOOR. If your kid has been playing for five years and does not know what the other kids know, they are already behind and will be placed in a group accordingly. Play with your kid's education if you want to.... Up to you but ask any kidnergarten teacher what happens and they will confirm it for you. It is called "differentiated learning" but that really means your kid does not know what everyone else knows and needs a group of other kids that also do not know so that they can be taught...meanwhile the kids that already know are in the other group learning stuff your kid is not learning. I was absolutely disgusted to find this out but it is reality. It is no longer called "tracking" bc that is a dirty word but, to me, for all intents and purposes, it is tracking bc how can the behind kid ever catch up with the advanced kids? It is nearly impossible. And year after year the advanced kids finish far ahead of your kid all bc you wanted them to do nothing but play in the mud all day. Better find out what is going to happen when they get to school.... Don't do them a disservice. Let them play but teach them also. Other people are.
No, an education degree is not required but I think to homeschool an elementary school student, one had to be a good student, even if one only went up to highschool. I honestly shudder to think that a person who barely graduated high school and was probably lackluster the entire K-12 is trying to actually homeschool a child. Now that I think is ludicrous. So I don't think college is necessary at the elementary school level but I do think the person should have been a good student and understand all of the fundamentals of grammar (e.g., diagramming sentences), math (e.g., keen grasp of geometry, pre-algebra, fractions, etc.). Otherwise, how will one explain the lessons? It is not enough to have the materials if the person administering them does not have a true understanding of what the child is being asked to do/learn. That is a disservice to a child. Sorry to be a prude but letting a kid take latin and dance and having the kid do community service is great but it really has nothing to do with the fundamental question of whether a person without an education degree is qualified to homeschool. That really sounds more like your daughter is a good parent (any good parent would involve their kids in activities) but the question is really, what is the quality of the homeschooling?
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Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
Thanks for this honest feedback. I've looked closely at the curriculum my daughter has chosen for her kids and there's no doubt in my mind that any literate, "engaged" parent who was truly interested in teaching their children could do so, and do it well, with this or similarly structured teaching plans, ESPECIALLY for the elementary school grades.
When it comes to more advanced courses in high school, courses that even a parent who was a good student might find challenging (for me those courses would be chemistry and some math courses), good homeschooling co-ops offer "parent swaps" where parents who are more qualified in various areas swap out lesson times with other parents who are more qualified in other areas. So far, this has worked very well in the co-ops my daughter's family has been involved with.
My daughter's family is military, so everywhere she's ever lived there's been a very strong co-op for homeschooling. I've spent a lot of time with these groups (group activities/field trips, etc with the kids) and without exception, the children and families involved are a joy to be around. One thing I really love about the homeschooled kids I've been around is that they interact so well with so many different age groups.
Also, my sweet eleven year old granddaughter is still an innocent child, still interested in what I consider age appropriate activities - her American doll collection, playing dress up, collecting bugs or catching toads, playing on the playground, etc. She also does volunteer work in the community, and is very civic minded, so it's not like she's emotionally immature. She's AGE APPROPRIATE rather than obsessed with boys, trying to dress like Miley Cyrus, playing violent video games, etc. I find this so refreshing!
I'm saying all this to point out that a SAHM or parent, whether they homeschool or not, can provide that one on one, constant presence and hourly guidance, coupled with a parents' love, WHICH CANNOT BE REPLICATED BY ANY INSTITUTION. This is invaluable.
I'm not saying it's wrong for a mother to work outside the home - but I am saying that staying home with small children, and even school age kids, can provide a level of care and nurturing that simply can't be found in a daycare setting. Parents should try their best to spend as much time as possible with the kids IN THE HOME, even if it means scaling back their own career plans for just a few years.
These early childhood years are so precious - and so short.
Last edited by LovelySummer; 09-23-2013 at 02:18 PM..
I smiled when I saw this.
Kibbiekat, the reality is, no, most day care workers do not have a college degree.
However, most private preschool teachers do. I personally interviewed numerous preschools in which every teacher was an actually teacher with a college degree. You have to pay them more bc they have the education but yes, it exists. The teachers actually have lesson plans, curriculums, etc. Some are play-based, some are not. But yes, college educated preschool teachers are alive and well apparently.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kibbiekat
And, BTW, a lot of day care workers do not have a college education. Most, I would say.
This has become a thread of its own so I'll answer the question- I don't think a degree is strictly necessary but you do need to be intelligent, a lot of dedication and patience, and some kind of outside help e.g. curriculum and materials or other homeschooling parents who have advanced knowledge (degrees/qualifications/experience) in subject areas to really successfully homeschool the average child (a very intelligent self-motivated child could most likely teach themselves most things but they aren't average).
I know personally that I do not have what it takes to homeschool my child (her father wanted to homeschool and we discussed it) even though I am fairly intelligent (feel so big headed saying that but for the purposes of this discussion I will say it). I never finished my degree but even if I had I know that I could not do better than the state education here.
Homeschooling a school-aged child is completely different from being a SAHP with a preschool-aged child - you aren't educating them, you are just providing the environment for them to learn in of their own accord (which is why very deprived children do benefit from early preschool as they don't have the environment at home i.e. books, crayons, blocks, playdoh etc in which they can learn through play) so needing a degree to be a SAHP is a ridiculous idea.
There are plenty of people who believe that the bolded is true of older kids too, that the joy of learning is not limited to pre-5 year olds.
There are plenty of people who believe that the bolded is true of older kids too, that the joy of learning is not limited to pre-5 year olds.
I think its true of an intelligent self-motivated child but not all older kids. Wouldn't have been true of me. I mean the joy of learning is present but the motivation to learn all the things necessary for today's society would not be present in all kids.
I don't think it matters when the child is young (like before 5-6.) In the younger years (6-10), I think if the parent is very committed to their child's education, has a strong grasp of the curriculum AND has a child who is reasonably easy to teach, it can work out fine. Some kids thrive in a home school environment. Those with learning differences may benefit from a specialist with more advanced training than someone without a degree might have. If at some point, they start pushing their parent's knowledge level, it might be the right time to consider other options. I have an education degree and am intelligent. Yet, I don't think I would be an ideal teacher in every subject to the depth I would hope my child be exposed to that subject in later middle and high school years because (IMHO) most people just can't be an expert at everything.
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