Butler, Pennsylvania (Duquesne: house, elementary school, colleges)

[pamommylove]

I am interested in Homeschooling. I live near Butler, PA. Anyone out there homeschool who could offer some helpful advice for this area??? Thanks.

[Hopes]

Have you checked out the cyber schools?

Due to health, I have homeschooled my son via the cyber schools. It's great because you get the curriculum and teachers at your disposal. And it's 100% paid for by your tax dollars. They provide a computer and education materials at no cost.

Let me know if you're interested in learning more and I'll dig up a list of the PA cyber schools for you.

Later tonight, I'll look up some homeschooling networks in your area.

[guylocke]

It's great because you get the curriculum and teachers at your disposal

Hopes, I have such mixed opinions about this. I took a couple cyber classes while at Duquesne and most were ok because it was just reading and writing papers and stuff. Do you honestly think that children can learn advanced forms of math and science outside of the classroom? I'm not convinced I wonder if there are studies on placement scores for children schooled via the internet versus the classroom. I think it's a really great option for some people but I honestly worry about the quality and absorption of the education.

[Hopes]

The parents are the teachers, boylocke.

And you might be surprised to learn that homeschooled children score higher on SAT than students educated in a traditional classroom. This is fairly common knowledge. There are studies and staticics. I just don't have the energy to look for them right now. I'll post them later.

Last year, my son's science teacher (public education) told me that my son was the type of student who would do well in college because he learned from reading and listening to lectures. He gained those skills by being homeschooled for 7th grade (another medical issue back then).

Homeschooled children typically do very well in college. So much so that many colleges have a preference for accepting homeschooled children. The reason is because homeschooled children were raised to learn like college students learn.

Keep in mind that cyber school for children is much different than cyber school for college students. There are real time classes---which a "blackboard"----where the students listen through head phones and talk through a microphone. It's very interactive. Everyone, including the teacher, can write on the blackboard. And some of the online resources with the textbooks (provided by the publishers) are often superior to traditional classroom discussion. It's truly fascinating the amount of resources that are available in cybler schooling children. And the beauty of it is that students can go back over lectures and films as often as necessary to understand a topic----you can't do that in a traditional classroom.

Another thing that is beneficial is the ability to track progress. You take a test online and you instantly know your score along with which answers were incorrect. You can look at the gradebook at anytime to see your grades and adjust your performance to raise a grade if necessary. (My son tends to get straight A's when he cyber schools.) The wonderful thing about that is I can make sure he's turning in his homework! And he understood at a very young age how grades are calculated---which is a godsend because he realizes a bad grade doesn't have to stay a bad grade.

Oh, and students are truent if they miss an assignment! I think that's wonderful! In the real classroom, students often miss assignments and just barely pass the course. In cyber school, students know the subject because they actually do their work----or the truent officer is calls and nobody wants that! LOL

I can't speak highly enough about cyber schooling. And the improvements from when he was in during 7th grade compared to this year in 9th grade are significant. It's only getting better.

[South Range Family]

I'm really torn about homeschooling. My sister did it for her two daughters. I considered it for my own. They truly do learn more. The only things they don't learn are social skills, and interacting with other kids on a daily basis. They did all of the clubs, and homeschooling group get togethers. It's not the same as being with other people everyday without your parents. Both of my nieces are extremely intelligent and advanced in academics. The colleges were begging for them. The oldest was knocked up before the first semester was over. She's now a college drop out with a kid. (My sister got her secret wish of never letting go. She's supporting them both.) Both nieces are naive, self centered, and have a hard time interacting with other kids their age. Being around adults all the time, made them grow up too soon and act like adults in the wrong way.

I currently work with a homeschooler. He's a damn weirdo. He is raising another generation of weirdos, because he is the only influence in their lives. I really think a parent's insecurity and inabilty to cope with society is what causes them to shelter their kids with homeschooling.
There are both good and bad points about homeschooling. You have to decide which ones are more important to out weigh the others.

[Hopes]

I agree about the social concerns regarding homeschooling. I would have never done it from elementary school. My son's homeschooling has been based on medical need. He attended public from K-6, homeschooled 7th, public for 8th and the first half of 9th, now we're homeschooling again.

He already was well socialized by the time he needed homeschooled in 7th. He retained his friends and made new friends throughout the year via the public school sports. (Homeschooled children can still participate in public school sports and activities because their parents pay tax dollars.) All of his friends are in public schools. His friends are not from some homeschooling network or homeschooling activities.

He intends to go back to public next year for 10th. I hope he does. But at this age, it really doesn't matter. He can continue his socialization through employment. Socialization isn't a concern at this point in his life. He has girlfriends. He has lots of friends. He participates in sports and attends parties. He has a large social network. My house is constantly filled with a ton of teenagers. A typical Friday or Saturday night at my house involves 4 or 5 teenagers sleeping over.

The fact is that my son is an extremely social child who is very popular. I doubt that would be such a social person if he had homeschooled from day one. There's probably a big difference between a child who is homeschooled for health reasons and homeschooled because of a parent's religious concerns or social fears. My son was never over protected. He had responsibilities and independence sooner than most of his peers. I don't hold him too close. I let him live his life.

[guylocke]

Thank you for the info Hopes! You really enlightened me!