I'm curious about why you chose homeschooling? What are the benefits? I appreciate seeing some home schoolers getting in, but I don't know what causes them to do better on standardized test and such.
Very good response, I sometimes wish I was homeschooled just because if how much time I would have thanksCivic29.
I will try to briefly answer your questions. Having homeschooled my children for the past two dozen years, I do have some thoughts on this topic.
When my children were very little, I read up on the various educational options available and found that homeschooling offered the largest range of benefits. What other system of education would offer a customized educational plan for my children? I was able to allow my chldren to learn at their pace. Sometimes they were well above grade level (in some subjects) and other times, below grade level (again, in some subjects). They were able to learn at the pace that was best for them in each subject. During the elemantary years, they were able to complete their school work by lunch time so they had ample time to play (note I said play - not watch tv or play mindless video games). There are many studies done on the benefits of free play time for children and I saw this in the lives of my children. Also, they had ample time to read for pleasure (and excellent access to books) so they never came to hate reading unlike many traditionally schooled children. I have observed that as adults, they still choose to spend time reading for pleasure.
Independent learning skills. I taught my children how to learn. This is not something that I was taught in school (do any schools teach it? I don't know.) and I felt that this would be a helpful tool for my children. I let them have a great deal of freedom in their studies during high school so that they'd be prepared for the freedom college students have (like setting their own schedule, deciding when to study and do homework, etc).
Homeschooling can allow a child to have time to really pursue an interest because they do not need all day for school work. So, there is time for what the child really wants to do. During the high school years, they can work to discover their passions and so reach the college years prepared to follow that passion. For example, my daughter was an EMT in high school. Because of the flexibility of her schedule, she was able to be on duty with our local rescue squad for a weekly 12 hour shift and also some weekends. The other cadets who were in school were only able to be on duty for 3 hours a week after school. My daughter was able to gain far more experience than any other cadet so by the time she reached college, she was certain that nursing was the careet path for her. She is currently a nurse in the emergency dept of a busy hospital.
Another benefit is family closeness. While my children each developed many friendships outside the family, they are extremely close to one another. I believe that this is due to the fact that they grew up together 24/7. They developed a very close bond with one another and I notice that even though they no longer live together, they still choose to keep in touch and get together. What could make a mother happier?
"What causes them do better on standardized tests and such" - I will speculate that it may have to do with the fact that homeschoolers by and large are readers and perhaps their exposure to so many good books over the years helps them do better on standardized tests. Heavy readers tend to have better reading comprehension skills and this is a necessary skill to do well on any standardized test.
"and such" - I'm not really sure. I've coached several homeschooled Mock Trial teams (a nationwide legal competition) and our team always did quite well. I can only guess that this was the case, in part, because we simply set high expectations for our students. Maybe they felt a greater sense of accountability to do their best than their public schooled counterparts? I'm guessing here. We did not meet any more often than the school teams. My son was on a homeschooled Bridge Building team during high school and they competed with area public and private high schools. The homeschool team has won every single year. Their coaches are excellent but they are simply interested parents rather than trained, professional educators like the the other school coaches. Again, the homeschool team did not meet more often than the other school teams and many of the school teams have access to fancier equipment than the homeschool team (which met in someone's basement). The homeschool team's coaches (parents) did set high expectations but I don't know if this is what made the difference.
I hope this response was somewhat helpful in answering your question. Sorry that it got a bit lengthy.
Civic29.
I will try to briefly answer your questions. Having homeschooled my children for the past two dozen years, I do have some thoughts on this topic.
When my children were very little, I read up on the various educational options available and found that homeschooling offered the largest range of benefits. What other system of education would offer a customized educational plan for my children? I was able to allow my chldren to learn at their pace. Sometimes they were well above grade level (in some subjects) and other times, below grade level (again, in some subjects). They were able to learn at the pace that was best for them in each subject. During the elemantary years, they were able to complete their school work by lunch time so they had ample time to play (note I said play - not watch tv or play mindless video games). There are many studies done on the benefits of free play time for children and I saw this in the lives of my children. Also, they had ample time to read for pleasure (and excellent access to books) so they never came to hate reading unlike many traditionally schooled children. I have observed that as adults, they still choose to spend time reading for pleasure.
Independent learning skills. I taught my children how to learn. This is not something that I was taught in school (do any schools teach it? I don't know.) and I felt that this would be a helpful tool for my children. I let them have a great deal of freedom in their studies during high school so that they'd be prepared for the freedom college students have (like setting their own schedule, deciding when to study and do homework, etc).
Homeschooling can allow a child to have time to really pursue an interest because they do not need all day for school work. So, there is time for what the child really wants to do. During the high school years, they can work to discover their passions and so reach the college years prepared to follow that passion. For example, my daughter was an EMT in high school. Because of the flexibility of her schedule, she was able to be on duty with our local rescue squad for a weekly 12 hour shift and also some weekends. The other cadets who were in school were only able to be on duty for 3 hours a week after school. My daughter was able to gain far more experience than any other cadet so by the time she reached college, she was certain that nursing was the careet path for her. She is currently a nurse in the emergency dept of a busy hospital.
Another benefit is family closeness. While my children each developed many friendships outside the family, they are extremely close to one another. I believe that this is due to the fact that they grew up together 24/7. They developed a very close bond with one another and I notice that even though they no longer live together, they still choose to keep in touch and get together. What could make a mother happier?
"What causes them do better on standardized tests and such" - I will speculate that it may have to do with the fact that homeschoolers by and large are readers and perhaps their exposure to so many good books over the years helps them do better on standardized tests. Heavy readers tend to have better reading comprehension skills and this is a necessary skill to do well on any standardized test.
"and such" - I'm not really sure. I've coached several homeschooled Mock Trial teams (a nationwide legal competition) and our team always did quite well. I can only guess that this was the case, in part, because we simply set high expectations for our students. Maybe they felt a greater sense of accountability to do their best than their public schooled counterparts? I'm guessing here. We did not meet any more often than the school teams. My son was on a homeschooled Bridge Building team during high school and they competed with area public and private high schools. The homeschool team has won every single year. Their coaches are excellent but they are simply interested parents rather than trained, professional educators like the the other school coaches. Again, the homeschool team did not meet more often than the other school teams and many of the school teams have access to fancier equipment than the homeschool team (which met in someone's basement). The homeschool team's coaches (parents) did set high expectations but I don't know if this is what made the difference.
I hope this response was somewhat helpful in answering your question. Sorry that it got a bit lengthy.
)
And socialize!I guess they learned how to read ok.
