I have given this alot of thought and I realize that homeschooling is NOT for everyone. As much as I believe that most people could homeschool the hell out of their beloved family I realize that it is not the right choice for some people for some very important reasons.Here are the reasons that I have come up with. PLEASE FEEL FREE to add to my list.
- If you simply adore the selling of the pizza, gift wrap, nuts, cookies, posters, holiday cards, and other fund raisers, you should not homeschool. If going door-to-door, taking the order form to work, and delivering in the dead of winter is a bright part of your year, I would hate for you to miss out!
- If you enjoy making the same lunch look different each morning, you might miss that if you homeschool. I mean, who doesn't want to make smiley faces with apple slices, raisins, and peanut butter sandwiches?!
- If you whole heartedly agree with recent decision that pizza is, in fact, a vegetable, then please don't homeschool! We like to lump VEGETABLES in the vegetable group.
- If your children love the school breakfasts too, yum.
- If you sincerely love the morning round-up of the carpool,
- If your children love the fun of the school bus, including the kids at the back of the bus,
- If you and your children love the rules of the school system that guide your every move, you should not homeschool.
- If you enjoy handing the reins of your child over to a teacher who is holding 29 other sets of reins...for over six hours a day,
- If you love that early morning WAKE UP routine,
- If you enjoy the parent/teacher conferences where your child's teacher shares successes and goals with you and decides what is important in your child's learning career,
- If it is OK with you that your teacher knows more about your child's day than you do,
- If your child enjoys being a "Wallflower", "Bully", "Brain", or any other label,
- If you think that being bullied prepares a child for life,
- If you think a classroom full of 26 other ten-year-olds is "an environment conducive to learning",
- If you don't mind paying for school pictures, supplies, new clothes, books, Kleenex for the teacher, valentines, art fee,
- If you don't mind your son coming home telling you that Josh's brother told Josh where babies come from that Josh shared that nugget with your son,
- If you think your child will learn best from his seat,
- If you have a problem with books on your kitchen table, under the bed, on wall-spanning bookshelves, and every other level space in the house,
- If you enjoy the past-bedtime freak out of not having the project done for tomorrow,
- Or the two hours of homework each night,
- Or if you enjoy your kids having to check with their friends before they can make up their own minds,
- If you enjoy drilling a sobbing child in multiplication tables,
- If you don't mind your child being around "the seven deadly words" each day,
- Or the depression of the Friday spelling test,
- If you have a problem with the grocery story lady asking "are the kids off of school today?",
- If you prefer having your kids SOMEWHERE ELSE,
- If you don't mind the forgotten lunch, back pack, permission slip,
- If you dislike rainy days in pajamas and reading books together,
- or if you simply don't like them then you probably shouldn't homeschool.
Look, I admit that a bit of this is tongue-in-cheek and I have many public schooled kids that I ADORE.
But don't miss my point:
YOU CAN DO IT!
It will be different and it will not look like school
and you CAN do it!
The Spouse and I actually got into it a bit about the public school/homeschool thing. General Disarray was having an "I don't want to do school/I hate school moment" which was stemming from a much larger issue that we ended up getting all worked out, it just took TIME. Anyways, The Spouse was all "well maybe we should just put him in school". I was like "what would that solve?" Sometimes it seems that people see sending their kids off to public school as a cure all. It doesn't cure anything. Like I told him if they are digging their heels in and saying they hate school at home then guess what they are going to hate it even more when they get hit with the boxed in feeling of a classroom with it's unyeilding rules and nonconcern for individual problems and struggles. I went a step farther and also said if they were placed in public school as an attempt to just not have to deal with their attitude then the late night homework sessions, the fighting over getting pointless little projects, book reports, and whatever else that gets sent home with them would fall on The Spouse. As well the back to school shopping, dumb conferences where some teacher tells me my kid is "creative, but doesn't follow the directions just the way she likes" Well what does creative mean then? And of course the morning rush, afternoon pick-up crazies would all fall on him as well. We ended up fixing the problem instead of just using public school as a bandaid. :) I'm such a pushy wife sometimes. Hehehehehee.
ReplyDeleteBut I feel homeschooling is the best thing for our family and plan to give each battle my all for the sake of my offspring. ;)
Ironic isn't it? That our property taxes go to the public schools to pay for all that, and we still have to buy kleenex, art supplies, paper, etc., I remember when most of that stuff came with the school--way back in the day. And the Fundraising too? Most teachers are underpaid and and yet our property taxes go up generally, and yet public schools are failing in droves. It really makes one wonder where the money is going?
ReplyDeleteGood List!
If you feel that it's an important experience for your son to be thrown into a mud puddle, at recess, by a couple of kids who are bigger than he is because "bullying helps prepare kids for life." If you feel it's character building for your daughter to miss her 20 minutes of daily recess because she didn't finish her worksheets. If you like having teachers give you daily updates on your child's transgressions. If your child thrives on learning by rote. O.K., I'll stop now.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the seven deadly words?
recess, test, school bell, curriculum, homework, POP QUIZ
DeleteLOL
Just kidding!
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ReplyDeleteI agree with so much on your list! But I'm rather odd in that I both homeschool and send my kids to public school, which can certainly be frowned upon in certain homeschooling crowds. I've learned not to care what others think, though - this is my walk and I'm walking it, baby. My way. Anyhoo, I certainly can say that I loath the stink'n fundraisers! But I rather enjoy making the sack lunches each day. But I hate the carpooling mess and the pick-up crowds! I do hate being apart from my kids, but I love that they are enjoying the experience. And they are. I homeschool the elementary years up to 4th grade, then they go to 5th grade at "regular school" ...and after that, it's up to them. I'm easy that way. If they are doing well and liking it, they stay. If they are struggling in some area and not getting the proper support, they come home. And at anytime if they want to come home, that's perfectly fine.
ReplyDeleteKatrina, I know several homeschooling families that are also schooling families!
DeleteI'm easy too. If my kids wanted to school, they could. They are QUITE emphatic about a "no" though...lol.
Thanks SO much for reading!
If you want your child to stay on the same level as everyone else, and not learn at their own pace. If you take a month off school to go overseas and ask the teacher for work for your child, and he says, don't worry, it will give the other kids a chance to catch up!
ReplyDeleteExactly!
Delete