 |
| She has the whole world in her hands. |
What is the most frequently asked question any home schooling family hears? Without a doubt it has to be, You home school? This is, of course, technically NOT a question, but rather a statement. However, it is poised in such a way that it is most definitely a question. You can almost see the wheels start to turn with what it must be like to be with your kids 24/7, literally. The proper response, of course, is yes I home school, but what you are really thinking is: didn’t the statement I made that prompted the “question” already answer you.
 |
| Digging for fossils |
 |
| Always the clown |
I am fortunate enough to run in circles where home schooling very prevalent and sometimes forget the restrictive scheduling non-home schoolers have. What do you mean little Tommy can’t come to a party at 1:00pm on a Monday? That is when the skating rink is the least busy. It seems like the most perfect time for a party for me. I pay for a public party, but get the benefits of the more expensive private party. I will admit I have become spoiled about constantly being able to go places during the least busy and, better yet, least expensive times.
The second question that usually immediately follows the first is: what is your day like? In the case of meeting other home schoolers, where you know everyone attending home schools, then this is the first question. Many non-home schoolers are surprised to learn that most home schoolers attend school at some point in the week. Most of the curriculum is taught at home, especially for elementary, but not necessarily high school, while other things are outsourced, such as music, art, science, and foreign language just to name a few. The co-op we belong to has over 75 families; most families have 3-4 kids. As you can imagine, we make our own school when we meet. In a co-op, parents teach classes that they have experience in or are very knowledgeable about to the students. For example, I have a Spanish minor so I teach beginning Spanish. There is a former UNT art professor that teaches an art class. You get the point.
 |
| We really love our dinos! |
No, we do not spend the day in our pj’s. Ok, sometimes we do, but it is rare. Our day starts like most traditional schools. We are up by around 6am, sometimes earlier thanks to the little guy. We eat breakfast, get dressed, and clean our rooms. School starts sometime between 8-9am. The children sit at their desks. Everyday we have spelling, math, cursive, and English. Once a week we have computer, Spanish, history, health, science, and a book report. The children are tested weekly over all their subjects and no, just like traditional school, they do NOT always get an A. We also have our extra classes on one full day. This has covered everything from art to sewing. Our school day is very much like a traditional school’s, only since our classes are so much smaller it is usually over around lunch time.
 |
| A day of Art |
Home schooling is not a “cheap” option. It is in most cases less expensive than private school, but way more expensive than public. My taxes still support the local public school, but I have to buy our entire curriculum. Any sports, music, or arts program is also extra. There are also co-op fees and dues and field trip expenses. I personally like the benefit of home schooling for the hands on ability. We try to go on 1-2 trips a week, with at least 2-4 “big” trips. That would include Sea World or the NASA museum, somewhere that an overnight stay is needed.
 |
| My Superman! |
People choose home schooling for many different reasons. There is no right or wrong reason. It is what works best for you and your family at that time. Sometimes families decide that home schooling is no longer the right fit and they return to traditional schooling, but for our family right now this works and more importantly we love it!
 |
| Trip the Ft Worth Museum of Science and History! |
Comments
Post a Comment