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Thread: Home Schooling.

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    Great Britain Avalon Member Kiforall's Avatar
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    Default Home Schooling.

    Does anyone have experience of home schooling?

    I have decided to home school both my children 9yrs and 11yrs.

    I am going to play it by ear and try and cover subjects the children show an interest in but I was wondering what subjects people feel are important to cover as essential lessons?

    Thanks
    Zoe x
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    United States Avalon Member 1inMany's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    When I researched homeschooling, I found this curriculum/program. You can use the curriculum without being in the program. I LOVE their supplies and such!

    http://www.k12.com/schools-programs

    Hope this helps
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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    You might want to consider the styles of learning your children prefer - visual, physical, aural, social, solitary, etc - and start from there.

    If you want to start from their interests, perhaps working via a topic-based approach might suit. Its generic name is the creative curriculum in schools, if you wanted more information.

    You start from a central theme - space, for example - and plan the curriculum as it applies to that topic. This approach provides lots of opportunities for practising, developing and refining basic skills (writing, numeracy etc) within a meaningful context eg writing to the Space Institute to ask a question about the Hubble telescope.

    This style of teaching can really inspire children, encourages creative thinking and allows them to follow their own interests: they can play an integral role in planning their own learning, which could (hopefully!) encourage a lifelong love of learning. Topic-based learning is also good for children of different ages working together, as each child works at their own level within the topic, and it's a far more natural way to learn, instead of "It's Tuesday morning so it must be maths".

    Good luck Zoe! How do your children feel about this change in their lives? I'd love to hear how it all goes. When are you thinking of starting?

    Kathie
    Last edited by Tarka the Duck; 22nd October 2012 at 14:13.

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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    Hi Zoe,

    Two of my brothers and their wives have mostly home schooled their children. One child with slight Asperger's moved to a private school in her early teens because it suits her needs better than strictly being at home.

    One important aspect is to be sure your children have plenty of contact with other children, so that they develop socially. The home school community tends to form bonds amongst themselves, and plan social events for the children and families.

    Best wishes on your journey.

    Marianne

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    Great Britain Avalon Member Kiforall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    Quote Posted by Tarka the Duck (here)
    You might want to consider the styles of learning your children prefer - visual, physical, aural, social, solitary, etc - and start from there.

    If you want to start from their interests, perhaps working via a topic-based approach might suit. Its generic name is the creative curriculum in schools, if you wanted more information.

    You start from a central theme - space, for example - and plan the curriculum as it applies to that topic. This approach provides lots of opportunities for practising, developing and refining basic skills (writing, numeracy etc) within a meaningful context eg writing to the Space Institute to ask a question about the Hubble telescope.

    This style of teaching can really inspire children, encourages creative thinking and allows them to follow their own interests: they can play an integral role in planning their own learning, which could (hopefully!) encourage a lifelong love of learning. Topic-based learning is also good for children of different ages working together, as each child works at their own level within the topic, and it's a far more natural way to learn, instead of "It's Tuesday morning so it must be maths".

    Good luck Zoe! How do your children feel about this change in their lives? I'd love to hear how it all goes. When are you thinking of starting?

    Kathie
    Hi Kathie, I took my Son out of school 4 weeks ago and my Daughter this week. My Son is really enjoying it, he was finding the school environment very difficult to cope with. He likes the fact that we can work through a topic and he gets to finish it.
    My daughter has more of a problem with a few girls that are just bullies. It seemed wrong to have one out and the other one in. My daughter is more social than my Son is and I think she is more concerned what her friends will think about it.

    Keep you posted on their progress.
    Zoe x
    Experiencing pain and suffering is the gateway to joy and happiness.
    It's chronic pain that prevents the gateway opening.

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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    Hi Zoë,

    I home schooled my daughters (now 24 and 26) most of their school years. I began home schooling in the 80’s when it was just beginning and therefore very difficult and frowned upon. I think social services had my home number memorized because so many of my neighbors turned me in. I diligently worked with them so they would not view me as a problem or ‘too much’ of a weirdo.

    Subsequently I worked with many families and home schooling organizations and curriculums.

    An observation I have made over the past 15 years is the reason for home schooling has changed. My decision to school my children was I felt it was responsibility as their Mother and my duty to make sure they were receiving not only ‘book learning’ but as many other practical life skills as possible. Another big part of my decision was my slant toward the more ‘natural world’ and what most view as ‘strange thinking’. I felt strongly that I gave birth to these beings and that they should have every bit of knowledge I could teach them in order for them to carry out their ‘soul decision’ to come back to earth and because they chose me to be their Mother.

    The biggest change I have seen in the decision to home school is what I see in your decision . . . . because the children were having problems or some sort of negative experience in the public school system. I would like to gently say that this decision from a negative place then puts a ‘shadow’ on your training in your home. You have chosen to home school only from a negative place.

    It is my opinion and I would like to very gently say that your remarks that you are going to ‘play it by ear’ and that you are only going to cover only the subjects the children show interest in is perhaps not the best foundation to work from. Instead set your goals on what strengths and character you would like to see in your children as adults.

    Make sure the little souls that you have been entrusted with have a full quiver in which to meet this world head on and head up.

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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    Look up books titled what every 4th grader or 5 grader or 6 grader needs to know. I don't know how high those series of books go but they are a good start. There's also a lot of stuff on youtube that gives lessons on Math. I hope this helps.

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    Great Britain Avalon Member Kiforall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    I'm finding it difficult to work out what wisdom to teach them when they already know the answers to questions that I've only come to understand over the last month.
    Having accepted that I do not want them being slaves to society I still feel the pressure of society is influencing what I think I need to teach them. I'm concerned that if it comes to the point that they need to reintegrate into our present society they will have no recognized qualifications or education.
    They seem to know what they need to learn, that is why I describe it as playing by ear. As soon as I think about following a curriculum or lesson plan I begin to look at the significance of school education in my life. Its sorting out the wheat from the chaff that I'm struggling with.

    Zoe x
    Experiencing pain and suffering is the gateway to joy and happiness.
    It's chronic pain that prevents the gateway opening.

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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    Good choice!.....kids won't learn anything of value at mean-stream schools.

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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    Quote Posted by Kiforall (here)
    I'm finding it difficult to work out what wisdom to teach them when they already know the answers to questions that I've only come to understand over the last month.
    Having accepted that I do not want them being slaves to society I still feel the pressure of society is influencing what I think I need to teach them. I'm concerned that if it comes to the point that they need to reintegrate into our present society they will have no recognized qualifications or education.
    They seem to know what they need to learn, that is why I describe it as playing by ear. As soon as I think about following a curriculum or lesson plan I begin to look at the significance of school education in my life. Its sorting out the wheat from the chaff that I'm struggling with.

    Zoe x
    I guess this is why I shared the K12 link. It is one of many planned out curriculums. What I was thinking is that if you look around at some curriculums already set up, you can take the pieces/parts from some or even create your own. Looking at that curriculum tells you what someone else thinks is important to teach children. Same with getting lesson plans from current teachers as a launching pad.

    I admire your decision very, very much and all my support to you!!!!!

    Much Love,
    Life is a road we don't travel alone. But everyone's on their own journey home.

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    Avalon Member palehorse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Schooling.

    Well, the thread seems to be retired, as usual I will try to bring life to it.
    My time of home schooling my eleven years old daughter has arrived, I won't go into much details why I decided to make this change, but I did and there is no going back from that now, after my kid complained about she was NOT learning anything useful in school, even though she is the top of her class, I decided to investigate a little bit and now I know teachers and the administration of these so called schools, has an agenda to follow, it has nothing to do with "teaching" or "educating" children. Blame on them, sometime you have to go down that road to really see for yourself how things really work (I am not playing the blind eye person here, I always knew the school system is rotten from inside, but I kept a little faith and hope, but now it is over for me).
    She and another few friends from school saying the same thing, there is no learning at all for more than a year now. All right blame CovAIDS for that.. I know it is not too late to start home schooling her and completely break free from public brainwashing system they setup for kids, then here I go on my own little crusade against the system.

    My question for PA community, does anyone has experience doing it? after reading this thread I saw the K12 program still available online, I am going through it right now to understand how I can adapt it for her reality. Is there anything else I should prioritize?

    In my point of view I want to teach her practical things which include, but not limited to that (just a start point):
    • Languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese Mandarin)
    • Math
    • Computer Science (I have a nice building block program that she is already familiar with, but I want to teach her basic coding and data bases)
    • Permaculture (I will start her with reading environments, harvesting water, type of soils, forestry, natural building, etc.. and probably get into some survivalist stuffs as well)
    • Spirituality (she learned basic meditation and chanting, she is Buddhist, even I have no religion, I respect that and will show her that there is much more available than what a single religion can teach.)
    • Sports (Went week ago to look into Karate class for her, the Sensei asked if we were vaccinated, screw the Sensei, it will probably be Muay Thai, they can teach class at home, Cycling, Swimming(already doing), among other sports, will give preference for what she really enjoy doing)
    • Health (Medicinal Plants and Cultivation will be the main focus, natural healing.)

    I am thinking to create our own curriculum as some stated in this thread rather than follow a well established curriculum (I don't know if it will become a burden for her, I don't want that), which I think make total sense and is not a bad idea after all.
    The thing is I have no experience in teaching, except programming but that was more than a decade ago, and there will be subjects that I will have to learn in order to teach and also probably hire a teacher to teach some other subjects that I may not be well versed (so many by the way)..

    I want to start tomorrow with her, I already planned for this first week it will be more explanations why we should be self-sufficient in every thing we do in our lives and I will also go into all the items in the list above and explain why she needs to have the know-how in these areas of study.

    Biology, Chemistry and Physics - Here i will have to hire a teacher online or in person. I don't know yet.

    Social Studies - I will probably teach Anarchism for her, I do not go along with the current society.

    History & Archeology - I intend to use movies and videos to teach her on Saturdays or Sundays only, I want to keep focus more on practical things.

    Health - I will focus more on natural healing, even though I am not a healer myself but I do know people that can help me with that. Also my wife is former nurse, then she will teach her the good things she learned into the nursing school and decades of practical work in hospitals (I believe not everything is trashed in the health system, specially prior to CovAIDS era).

    Anything else I am open to consider, but we are only 2 teaching, it must be enjoyable and not a burden or overloaded with information, we want it to be easy going and only move into next levels when she really mastered what was taught.

    Thanks for anyone reading this, I was not expecting such a thing to happen right now, but I did suspect it was going to happen at some point, now here I am.
    Last edited by palehorse; 9th January 2022 at 17:03.
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