Questionnaire for homeschooled students (part 2)?
967362
8) Most my social interaction came from the classes I took on a public school campus. I even found some great Christian friends who lived really close. One of them is over at my house almost every day (or vice versa)\n\n10) When I was in 6th grade my mom sent me to a public school for elective courses. The school was very accepting me and I even found a couple of other people who were homeschool there too.\n\n11) I loved the proximity to home. Every year my mom would ask me if I still wanted to be homeschooled and every year I said yes.\n\n12) I never had a lot of friends my age till I started taking classes on a public campus.\n\n13) No. I had a very well rounded education, that went along with the public's but even went into our religious aspect of it. \n\n13) Most places these days are very accepting to homeschoolers. It's even said that homeschoolers have a higher education.\n\n14) Definitely. But, like my mom, I might send them to a public campus for just a couple of classes.\n\n15) Washington.
1013818
I am a 3rd grade teacher at an elementary school in California.  My class collects box tops and we would gladly accept your donation if you're still feeling generous.  We use our box tops for field trips or extra incentives for homework excellence.  Thanks for writing!
703600
I am homeschooled because my parents think that I would do much better at home working at my own pace instead of sitting in class getting distracted by other students who don't care to learn.  I love it and I plan on finishing out my highschool years being homeschooled.  I get almost all A's in my courses I take online and some B's but nothing less, In public school from 1st-9th I did horrible I got NO A's OR B's I only got C's(if i was lucky) D's, and F's!!!  I got into a lot of trouble because of my peers and the pressure but now I have a new group of friends and thanks to other peoples help on Yahoo Q:A I have volenterred to help at the local senior citizen center:).
815203
U can ask qus like yonger brother ask to his big brother , a boy ask to his father, a girl ask to her mother and a student ask to his teacher  almost any question u can ask  we r try to answer it ... Have a nice day....
1050072
I do homeschool my two children ages 9 and 6.  I wasnt homeschooled but my lil brother was.  He just graduated. Is extremely smart. Just started his first job, already paid for his truck in the 3mths he worked there.  Is going to Air Force next year.  \nI enjoy teaching my children, my son has reading problems that the public school couldnt help with. So I pulled them from public schools. We are able to slow down and read at his pace, no pressure atmosphere.  He excels in math, so instead of being bored with 3rd grade level math he is able to continue to 4th grade math, while still working in a 2-3rd grade reading level.  \nYou can spend more time with them working with their problems and encouraging them when they need it most.  Most teachers are so busy with 30 kids they cant help the one that needs it most.\nMy daughter is already doing 1st grade work well.  She doesnt do well with math, but loves to read, so we work with her, not pressuring her to be up to par with other kids her age.  \nAnd no TAKS test pressure, that was all they were teaching them in 3rd grade public school.  Pushing them to pass this test, when it doesnt matter if you pass the test if your failing your regular grades.  Think they have their priorities backwards. \nMy kids do hands on science experiements, grow their own little garden, learn how to use the computer, get exercise, eat whenever they are hungry, go to the bathroom when they need to without having to wait for permission from a busy teacher.\nThey are allowed to ask questions and search for the answers till they are satisfied. They pick out books based on their interests in the library and we read them together and alone.  \nI personally love being with my kids, and I love seeing them read for the first time, learn new spelling words,  get excited and jump for joy when their volcano actually spews. We have learned alot from each other and will learn more each day. \nAs for social skills, I actually prefer that my kids dont talk back, dont cuss, dont call others stupid, dont get called stupid, and  dont get told to shut up.\nThe kids I've watched on the local school play ground are cussing, pushing, rude, biting, hitting, and talk back to adults.    If this is what they learn in public school, I think I can do without .
1073179
I homeschool my children - and while they are bit younger than yours, I use the unschooling method.  I am in California and we have a group of folks here that homeschool and many of them use the Unschooling method - the method that says children learn in everything they do and their own natural curiosity will lead them to the subjects that they are ready for.\n\nNow I understand that this method doesn't feel right for everyone - and as School District Tests come up, I may need to do something different, but I think that some of this type of learning is crucial to homeschooled kids.\n\nI would also like to suggest to you that there are a ton of web sites that are so great for kids.  My 6 year old has taught herself how to read by using computer web sites, like www.starfall.com and we are starting to work on math skills in the same way.  I have also seen sites that teach science and nutrition (but I haven't looked for history sites yet).  My kids don't even really realize that they are learning, they are just having a good time.  Even games where you  have to kind of collect things or do a series of tasks to win help kids in their problem solving, reasoning and logic skills.\n\nAnd there are lots of creative ways to teach kids stuff.  I taught the 2 year old her numbers by letting her sit on our pool table and play with the balls - eventually encouraging her to put all 15 in number order - 6 months later she can count to 30 herself (though she still thinks 30 is 20-10!) and can do very simple addition problems (3+3=6 is her favorite).\n\nIt can be a daunting task to take on 100% responsibility for our children's education, but there are lots of options for us and lots of help and support.  I have put together a great big list of sites that I have found my kids, and I will include the link below.  Having a computer for each kid and allowing them to learn at their own pace has been a huge lifesaver for me - and it's great for folks using more traditional means (particularly on days when they are not "on" it's nice to have a back up "teacher" for the kids).\n\nFeel free to contact me if I can be of further assistance!\n\nYou can do it!  Peace!
241155
... after working at Head Start and doing teacher aid work in a middle school- I agree!\n\nThe teacher aid work made me change my mind about teaching. The teacher didn't have enough time to spend with the kids who WANTED to learn, much less dicipline those who were distruptive. The class was getting a mediocre education, at best.\n\nMy parents pulled me out after 8th grade and home schooled me. I passed the college tests, and started taking college courses alot sooner than most... Overall, my year and a half of being home schooled equalled four years of high school!\n\nUntil I did my teacher aid work, I still thought that maybe Home School kids don't get the socialization that is approprait. I think that I would trade any percieved "lack of socialization" to homeschool again, because when the school systems fail, there are bigger drawbacks than "lack of socialization"!\n\nAlso, nowadays, there is the internet and more homeschool "groups" than there was in the 80s :)
1084154
Check out Accelerated Christian Education, or ACE.  Their curriculum is designed for the student to work at their own pace.  I graduated from high school as a homeschooler and loved it.  Actually finished a year early and got a free ride to college!  Definitely check it out.
622419
you will find what you are looking for here:\n\nhttp://homeschooling.about.com/od/schedulingforms/
877583
My schools kinda different. I'm homeschooled and I love it. And yeah its cool. It gets harder every year. Only 2 and a half more years of it though... well then theres college.
1140393
I was homeschooled from 2nd to 9th grade and went to a Catholic high school in 10th grade til graduation. We tried to get me in for 9th grade but there wasn't room, so they guaranteed me a space the next year.  There were two of us who were homeschooled and entered at the same time/year and both of us did very well academically and socially.  There were no issues related to homeschooling at all. The real issues are about parents and their perspectives about education and relationships, and that affects kids no matter where they go to school.\n\nI did go to the first semester of 8th grade in a public school, and it was so irrelevant and frustrating (because home schoolers are with adults so much that they don't get into a lot of typical middle school stuff) that I asked my parents if I could come home again.  I recommend a higher-performing school or a more nurturing community school if you decide to put your kids in junior high. Everything people are saying here about the crud of middle school was my experience and I didn't need it.  \n\nHowever, the one thing I realized after I entered the corporate workforce in my late 20's, was that I hadn't learned what I call "playground politics" in school (they weren't kidding when they said that "all I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten"), and so I had to be a quick study of how petty politics of personality work (Ironic, huh? I didn't need this in high school but I did need it in the San Francisco workforce!). I'll never be an expert at playing the game but I think it's also because I'm a more straightforward and optimistic personality and had not really experienced the brunt of passive-aggressive tactics before.  \n\nAlso I think it's very important to know the social players in your environment and your kid's environment, and talk about it with them. Make them aware of what's going on around them and teach them to network and have lots of different kinds of friendships, from the loose aquaintances to the tight-knit. My parents didn't teach me that and I graduated from a high school full of the kids of Silicon Valley millionaires with no clue of what was going on around me.  Also have them do a skills/career options inventory early on so they know what they might be good at or interested in doing with college/career and can be thinking about it before they have to make choices in college.  That doesn't have much to do with homeschooling but sometimes more relaxed families don't think about it. \n\nBottom line: homeschooling spared me a lot of grief, allowed my personality to fully develop, and allowed me to read more than my peers, so I have better reading breadth and comprehension, and my mom taught me phonics and grammar so I can spell and write better than a lot of the teachers I had! I had time to enjoy competitive horseback riding and I had to give that up when I went to school. Homeschooling is great when you have friends to do it with and plenty of interaction with the community.  High school is great for getting ready to go to college and it's at the developmental stage where a child is discovering and defining their individuality. It's a good time to go.
817713
I wasn't aware this was available online. Is there a homeschooling group in your area that would have resources? Otherwise you may need to go to the local high school or community college to take the tests.
829446
I don't homeschool,but I was homeschooled. I agree with it till high school. I think their is a time you need to let them interact with others before they get out on their own.It hurt me in many ways
935022
I started homeschooling my son in 10th grade.  It was good and bad both.\n\nHe was the perfect candidate for homeschooling - because he really didn't care for traditional school, so he saw real success academically.  He was able to get more done, school-wise in less time than he had - and we did a lot of things in a very untraditional manner (which meant that he was a whole lot MORE interested in what we were doing...).  This is a big reason he saw so much more success.  One of the things we did, for instance, was creating a MacGuyver Guide to Physics - you know, the guy on TV that could do anything with a paper clip, the top to a Bic pen, a rubber band, and about 5 minutes?  ;)\n\nSince he was very social, he was able to keep in touch with friends at school.  We belonged to a great health club in town (we lived "rural," so being able to go into town and go into the gym every day was a big plus)...\n\nHe was able to continue in the sports program at the school.  He was a starter on the basketball team, and his school made VERY sure he did!\n\nThe down side was that he couldn't go BACK to school.  You need credits to graduate in Oregon.  That meant that rather than an actual high school diploma, he had to get a GED.  Not a problem, he did with super high marks...and while he was studying for that (during what would have been his junior year in high school), he also took classes toward a real estate license.\n\nHe took his state real estate exam 1 month after his 18th birthday (the soonest it was available) and passed.  Since then, he's been taking classes toward property appraisal.\n\nHey, the kid's not quite 20, and he is HOT!\n\nYep, I'm a proud mom...you BET!
1081715
Greetings\n\nWhat has your experience been at your school?\n\nWhat have you learned?\n\nHighlights?\n\nTeachers\n\nWhat are you looking forward to, future plans\n\nWhat advice?\n\nThank yous.
985266
I think I can answer this. We never used desks, but I definitely had a very rigorous curriculum, lots of homework, and I practically killed both my son and I with worksheets and homework our first year of homeschooling. He was busy doing lots of work, and I was spending hours planning and grading work as well. \n\nWhy? Because I felt so much pressure the first year of homeschooling to be the perfect teacher and to teach him everything, and not to miss teaching anything. And the truth is you can't teach everything, and you especially can't teach a child everything in one year, and especially I just kind of figured out at some point that I was just trying to do way too much. Plus I had scheduled my ds for half a dozen social activities, lessons, and sports because I wanted to make sure that he was getting plenty of socialization. I was just feeling so much pressure that I had put on myself not to screw this up! I wanted to make sure my ds was getting 100% of his socialization and academic requirements. But in trying to be the perfect homeschool mom, I was actually really messing up. So towards the end of my first year, I started loosening up. \n\nThank goodness, and homeschooling became so much easier for my son and I, pretty much all the rocky patches were gone. I worked on making homeschooling more fun and enjoyable and pleasant, and started tailoring our hs curriculum to my children's interests. The children have more free time now to just goof around, and we're not just rushing around to homeschool activities all the time. We just choose a few of their favorite activities; instead of half a dozen.
897004
Homeschool for sure.\n\n1)My kids get to socialize with all races, ages, religions and gender on a daily basis.  They don't spend 8 hours a day with ONLY people their own age.  \n\n2) They can go to the bathroom whenever they want, and they don't have to ask permission from a teacher who may or may not give it. (I had a teacher in second grade who wouldn't let me go to the bathroom because it was "rest time" and I peed all over myself.  I was known as pee-pee girl for the rest of my elementary years.  Funny, I had forgotten all about that until I read this question) What does all that have to do with schooling? Well, when I had finished my public school years, and entered the working world, I wasn't sure if I needed permission to go to the bathroom....\n\n3) A homeschooled child gets more social time than public schooled ones.  In public school, you get 5 minutes between classes, and if you're lucky, 20 minutes of recess.  Homeschooled children get most of any given day.\n\n4) You get more than 15 minutes to eat your meals when you are homeschooled, and you don't have to spend the rest of the day with indigestion.\n\n5) You don't have mountains of homework when you are homeschooled.  You learn everything set aside for you in a few hours, then your school day is done.\n\n6) You don't spend half of your day waiting when you are homeschooled.  You aren't waiting on 26 other kids to sit down and shut up so you can start learning.\n\n7)  You learn more when homeschooling.  You can take any given subject as far as you want, you don't have to stop when government mandated outlines say you do.\n\n8) You don't have to worry about "fitting in" when you are homeschooled.  If you don't have Tommy or Gap clothes, so what.  Whereas in public school, you get snubbed if your clothes come from Target.\n\n9) When you are homeschooled, you KNOW  your teacher cares about you.  \n\n10) The only real negative to homeschooling is having to listen to, and be snubbed by, public school advocates who don't have a clue what goes on in a home education environment.