Author Patricia Lines addresses some of the most common questions that parents have when considering whether or not to homeschool their children.
KidSource Online: Homeschooling
4.1 Welcome To The World Of Homeschooling
The Fletcher Family in Ohio answer a lot of the common questions people have about homeschooling--I really like their approach...that it's a family "lifestyle choice for us as well as a style of parenting we wanted to embrace."
Read Frequently Asked Questions answered by The Fletcher Family of Ohio.
Read Frequently Asked Questions answered by The Fletcher Family of Ohio.
Chapter 3 - Homeschooling In Action...Stories That Will Inspire You!
In this chapter, you will read about real homeschoolers who will likely warm your heart and almost surely inspire you. Enjoy.
3.1 Home-schooler teaches others to read
This is an inspiring story from MSNBC.com about a little 8-year-old homeschooler who helps others to read...WOW!Home-schooler teaches others to read - Making a Difference - MSNBC.com
In our experience, homeschooling gives the family time to tackle projects like the annual Young Author's Competition. Alexandra, Cameron, and Brandon have all written and finished books (including illustrations and binding), which took a lot of time to complete. I think many parents would agree that writing a book is a very worthwhile pursuit, but let's face it...what keeps many children from attempting it is the time involved, not to mention parents who are "time-challenged" to help after work.
Maria integrated the Young Author's book projects into the kids' everyday learning units. It worked...not surprisingly, many of the award winners throughout our local school district in all age categories were homeschoolers.
3.2 Home schooling on the rise
This article discusses the continual rise in the number of families turning to homeschooling as an education alternative for their children.
Home schooling on the rise - Nightly News with Brian Williams - MSNBC.com
What always amuses me is how stubbornly hardfast the lines are drawn on either side of this debate. Maria and I homeschool out of choice, not fear. Our children are still part of the unified school district and the teacher assigned to our family has been working closely with Maria for over eight years. We have a lot of flexibility, yet with Leslie's guidance, we know we're keeping up with statewide requirements at all times.
Alexandra joined public school in 5th grade and is now a 7th-grader in middle school. Cameron will join her this coming school year. So, I guess you can say we have one foot in homeschooling and one foot in the public schools. We don't see our choice as one or the other--instead, we blend our options and it doesn't feel like two different worlds for our children.
Home schooling on the rise - Nightly News with Brian Williams - MSNBC.com
What always amuses me is how stubbornly hardfast the lines are drawn on either side of this debate. Maria and I homeschool out of choice, not fear. Our children are still part of the unified school district and the teacher assigned to our family has been working closely with Maria for over eight years. We have a lot of flexibility, yet with Leslie's guidance, we know we're keeping up with statewide requirements at all times.
Alexandra joined public school in 5th grade and is now a 7th-grader in middle school. Cameron will join her this coming school year. So, I guess you can say we have one foot in homeschooling and one foot in the public schools. We don't see our choice as one or the other--instead, we blend our options and it doesn't feel like two different worlds for our children.
3.3 Teaching children well, from home
Here's an article that features a mother who decided to homeschool her daughter diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder.
Teaching children well, from home - Health - MSNBC.com
In this article, someone brings up the "S" word--"socialization." Many think that homeschoolers will lack socialization skills if "sequestered" in their homes instead of "integrating" with other children in a public or private school environment.
I don't agree. Of course, I have a rather large family, so the kids have built-in socialization opportunities. I've actually found the flip side to this argument to be true. My children have learned to express themselves without fear of censorship from other "less tolerant" children and have grown comfortable with being "individuals" in addition to being part of a group (in this case, a family), which is no small task given the cliqueishness of our schools. This is nothing new, either. Part of the drama of growing up is learning to deal with cliques that you wish to be a part of or who may not wish to include you.
My children dance, play sports, write, draw, play with neighborhood kids, go to the amusement park, play video games, chat on the Internet, listen to music on iPods, go to sleepovers at the homes of friends...not exactly the antisocial family-in-the-mountain picture some have of homeschoolers.
Maria did go through a period (primarily due to financial restraints) when she made our own draperies, painted the whole house, and created (with the help of the kids) various decorative crafts for the house--I did tease her that considering she was also homeschooling several children, she only had to learn to kill her own meat to be classified as a full-blown "mountain woman!" ;-)
Teaching children well, from home - Health - MSNBC.com
In this article, someone brings up the "S" word--"socialization." Many think that homeschoolers will lack socialization skills if "sequestered" in their homes instead of "integrating" with other children in a public or private school environment.
I don't agree. Of course, I have a rather large family, so the kids have built-in socialization opportunities. I've actually found the flip side to this argument to be true. My children have learned to express themselves without fear of censorship from other "less tolerant" children and have grown comfortable with being "individuals" in addition to being part of a group (in this case, a family), which is no small task given the cliqueishness of our schools. This is nothing new, either. Part of the drama of growing up is learning to deal with cliques that you wish to be a part of or who may not wish to include you.
My children dance, play sports, write, draw, play with neighborhood kids, go to the amusement park, play video games, chat on the Internet, listen to music on iPods, go to sleepovers at the homes of friends...not exactly the antisocial family-in-the-mountain picture some have of homeschoolers.
Maria did go through a period (primarily due to financial restraints) when she made our own draperies, painted the whole house, and created (with the help of the kids) various decorative crafts for the house--I did tease her that considering she was also homeschooling several children, she only had to learn to kill her own meat to be classified as a full-blown "mountain woman!" ;-)
3.4 What do you think about Homeschooling? And why?
I like this person's response to this question on the relatively new Yahoo! Answers website...what do you think?
Yahoo! Answers - What do you think about Homeschooling? And why?
Yahoo! Answers - What do you think about Homeschooling? And why?
3.5 Cool Homes - Homeschooling Families' Home Pages - A to Z
Ann Zeise created this website that is literally a virtual neighborhood of homeschooling families from all over the U.S.
Checkout the family at House #19 ;-) Thanks, Ann!
Cool Homes - Homeschooling Families' Home Pages - A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling - 9/30/98
Checkout the family at House #19 ;-) Thanks, Ann!
Cool Homes - Homeschooling Families' Home Pages - A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling - 9/30/98
