Homeschool/unschool folks?

Youre so right Coco....the first thing people say about homeschooling is "they need traditional for socialization." Spending 12 years with the same group of kids does not teach you how to socialize. My son has had more productive social situations that help him develop than what traditional school ever will offer.....but were fortunate to live in a country where we can make decisions that is the best fit for the family.

updated by @kelly-o: 07/23/15 07:22:42AM

Hi JFMS! thanks! I look forward to meeting more comrades!Hi Kelly! Yes, exactly.

yes join the group ^we are just starting to homeschool/unschool our daughter. She's 3 so would just be starting a preschool this year. We plan to try it out & see how it goes for the first couple years, if it's something that we can't dedicate the time to & she doesn't seem to be benefiting from then we will try another approach. I've gotten LOADS of criticism from family (my mom & sister are teachers) & my husband isn't totally on board with the idea yet.kids want to learn, when you teach them what they are interested in they will be more likely to pay attention & be active in what you are teaching them. so she will be leading us to our subjects & I plan to branch it out from there, throwing in what I can when & where I can.the big socialization argument is where my husband has issues, but there is a homeschooling group in our area that does group lessons & activities & even field trips, there are different clubs & sports to join, we go to playgroups & the library. Homeschool children get a range of socialization rather than just their own age group, they learn to view their teachers/parents as another person & open up to talk to them rather than just an authority figure, they learn in their own way & their own pace with an individual teacher instead of being put into a box & if they don't learn the way it's taught they fall behind unnoticed.

Hey Ixchel! Nice to meet you. That's a beautiful profile pic!We started out the same way, except that my husband was more game than I was. Now she's seven, and it's been really good for her. She's tried school twice, but it broke all of our hearts, I was glad she chose to stop. Such a strange penitentiary!

That's beautiful! He sounds like a great example for his siblings too! I can't wait to see what mine grow to enjoy and do by that age.I would love to hear about your 5 other blessings, maybe when you have time on the discussion group.

I'm honestly glad to hear that he is doing well. But, what qualifications will he have? If he has no real qualifications, what if he wants to emigrate. Does this limit him in any way?

Plus, since he is good at computers and obviously has an interest, is there anyway he can enter the education system at a college level to expand public knowledge. For instance, to progress of computer chips from a 2dimensional level to 3dimensions. Or, perhaps, workon quantum computers.

What if he decides at a later date that he wants to be a doctor or atheoreticalphysicist, for example?

I had never even heard of unschooling until I saw that word here the other day and the more I read about it, the more I want to try it when I have children.I went to public school for 12 years including preschool and kindergarten and it was terrible. I ended up dropping out in 11th grade because I wasn't going to class. I wasn't a rebel or anything, I just got bullied a lot and decided life was easier if I skipped the classes I shared with my tormenters. As a result, I suffer from severe social anxiety at the age if 24 but I've also learned more on my own than 12 years of school taught me. When I was skipping class I was either in the school library, public library, or at the lake. And when I was in class, I was constantly getting in trouble for going ahead of the class. It was neither a good learning environment nor social environment.

JFMS- "most schools" for home-schooling? Well that I could understand. They actually follow acurriculum. But unschooling? I'm not so sure. Am I right in saying that if the child is not interested in math, biology, history or any subject for that matter, then they don't have to do it? That just seems to me like they are being limited straight off the bat.

Am I right in saying that if you want to go to college you have to sit the SATs in America? Well how can they do the SATs if you have let them choose not to do the subjects, when they are not old enough to think that far into the future and properly weigh out their choices and potential consequences? If they have not completed them, how can they ever hope to be admitted to MIT or Harvard, or any of the really prestigious schools that they may have otherwise wished to attend? If your son is unschooled, will he even have transcripts?

Schools is great for giving a base knowledge on a wide range of subjects, and I feel that you are denying your kids a chance to really get a chance to choose what they would like to do in later life.

I remember hating going to guitar lessons, swimming lesson and even school, but my parents knew what was best for me. I didn't have the cognitiveabilityto choose what was actually right for myself. I don't expect your children know what's best for themselves either. The ability to fully plan out actions and recognise consequences doesn't occur until the brain is nearly fully developed. If I remember correctly, this occurs at age 20-22. The brain isn't fully developed until around age 24.

Parents generally know what is best for their kids. I'm sure you think you're doing the right thing, but I'm not so sure.

Finally, what will your son do when the technology has moved on from the current standing? Like I said, we are not far from moving from 2D to 3D micro processors. And, they will soon be using superconductors in the upcoming quantum computers. How is your son meant to learn this, without a proper, formal education? By the way you describe him, he sounds like a bright young lad. I hate to think that he is being limited from his full potential.

the child may chose the direction in the curriculum but that doesn't mean the parent is going to let them skip all important subjects altogether. give us a little credit that we'll want our children to have a well rounded education! some state laws also give guidelines, depending on state some states require certain things to be included in certain grade lessons, or even some standardized testing to be sure the kids don't fall behind, some states (like mine) are much more lenient & leave it all up to you. colleges are looking for homeschooled students nowadays, they want kids who are thinking for themselves & striving to succeed. you can still take your SATs (if the college requires).school is a great place for some children, for others it's a horrible place to be ignored by teachers, left behind in subjects, & teased or bullied for no reason.do you have children? for some kids this IS the right thing for them, for others maybe not, it's all about finding the needs & wants of a particular child & adapting to them while including what you want (or the state requires) them to learn. If it doesn't work you don't ignore them & let them flounder & fail, you try a different approach, many teachers wouldn't because that takes time away from their 30+ other students in class, if you don't get it the way it's presented too bad you fall behind. No special attention, no personalized lessons or teaching.He'll learn online, he'll learn through books, he'll go to college & learn there. Steve Jobs & Bill Gates were homeschooled, do you think homeschooling limited their potential? I feel they both did quite well, look up more on what homeschooling & unschooling is. Look up some people who were homeschooled, you may be surprised.

Hayley, I am so glad to hear you're inspired! It sounds like you schooled yourself, good for you!