ATS, I want to pick your brains!!!!

reply to post by RandomEsotericScreenname

10, If there is no law that says you should comply, how are they allowed to intervene if you don't?

I will ask this one most definitely. I think it does need to be answered. I kind of alluded to it on the phone but didn't get a satisfactory answer. We'll see what he has to say. Thank you for your input.

Originally posted by mee30

No, at the age of 6 they do not know what decision they're making, that is a ridiculous thing to say. They do not understand what they're missing out on, they can't possibly make that decision. No 6 year old WANTS to go to school, most children any age don't want to, but everyone has to for their own good, after you leave, like me, you realize it was the best time of your life, if I had opted out at age 6 I would have missed out on SO much. Not to mention the affects it will have later when getting the dream job you want, and yes, it DOES affect that.

reply to post by SpearMint

 

Speak for yourself. She has been to school and experienced it. She didn't like it. I won't make her do something she doesn't like. Why would I? I don't doubt that some people have a good experience at school but there are many others who do not! I know of many many people that hated school and still look back on it with regret and dread. I'm glad you had a good experience. But please don't assume everyone does.

I will be encouraging our children to work for themselves! Have their own business. Though if they would like to choose a different path that is their decision to make.

YES. Not physical force, but a well parented child will go to school like ALL OTHER CHILDREN. If your child wants to play with matches would you let them? How about have a smoke? Go down the pub? Well of course, let them, what are you going to do? Force them not to?

Our children are very well behaved and they listen to me no problems. However she has expressed that she is not happy with the idea of going to school so I will respect her wishes. If that changes in the future then so be it. I'm sorry but in the UK there is quite a large amount of children whom are home educated, so saying ALL OTHER CHILDREN is just false.

I do not want to sit here and argue with you over and over on this matter. By all means make your children go to school. We will do what we feel is best. So lets just agree to disagree here okay. The thread isn't about the home education vs schooling.

Thank you for taking the time to give your input though.

Ugh, I can see there's no chance of talking sense in to you. I really feel sorry for your children, it will hinder them and it will be your fault for failing to be a good parent. I don't mean to insult by saying that, It is honestly just plain bad parenting. If you think a 6 year old can make that decision, then it probably won't be the only problem they have as a result of your attitude. I'm out, this makes me too angry, I just hope this will stop another parent from making the worst decision and potentiating ruining their child's future, I've seen it first hand more than once.

Good luck though..

reply to post by mee30


I have to say that just because a kid expresses that she doesn't like something, is not really a reason to shelter them from it.

I mean, character has to be built. When they grow up they have to do lots of stuff they don't really like to do, probably.

Also the social aspect of it could be an issue imo.

But from a pure educational standpoint I think it is better to home school your children, if done well.

Originally posted by mee30
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

Thanks for the advice and when I get a moment I will most definitely look into the areas you suggested. Good advice! If I can think of anywhere I need help I will be sure to inbox you if that's okay? I'll try not to bombard you too much!

Ask anything you want....schools almost out

reply to post by mee30

I phoned them up and asked them if there is any law saying I must comply with them. To which they said NO! But basically if I did not comply at all they would eventually make proceedings to force our children into school (I'm sorry I've forgotten the term he used now.)

Do you mind posting your Home State, and the name of the Home School? We live in Ohio, and have one son Home Schooled right now, with ECOT of Ohio.
From their website:

With more than a decade of experience, ECOT gives Ohio students the best curriculum, technology, and teachers available online today. And it shows in ECOT’s results: over 6,000 students have graduated from ECOT and enrollment grows significantly every year.

Since beginning in 2000, ECOT, the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, has provided a tuition-free, fully accredited online public school education to students throughout Ohio.

We did not have any such interview, all we had to do is field a few phone calls from the Public School Corporation, begging us not to take our kids away from them. Found out later they get paid for each kid, and even more for a disabled kid, which our son is disabled. He was being bullied at school, and on the bus, we complained three times in total, with three different staff members, including the Principle.
A Qualified Home School Program must be in compliance with the Laws of the State, and must be fully accredited as a learning facility. I have to say the quality of the schooling itself, coupled with the learning curve, the provide him with a new, modern computer, and fast Internet connection, and scanner printer, web cam, microphone and ear phones, and a Help Desk of technicians that can solve any problem.
At the end of this year's school, we are talking our oldest son out of Public School also.
Check into the School, my friend, and read everything they have. Look at your options, all of them. Be ready to help your children, they will need you on occasion. Have a clean, well lighted, and quiet area for the child's desk, and make sure the child performs just like when they were in regular school. Our son got a little lax, and his teacher emailed my wife and asked that he wear a shirt while in her class. Good luck to you!

Ugh, I can see there's no chance of talking sense in to you. I really feel sorry for your children, it will hinder them and it will be your fault for failing to be a good parent. I don't mean to insult by saying that, It is honestly just plain bad parenting. If you think a 6 year old can make that decision, then it probably won't be the only problem they have as a result of your attitude. I'm out, this makes me too angry, I just hope this will stop another parent from making the worst decision and potentiating ruining their child's future, I've seen it first hand more than once. Good luck though..

reply to post by SpearMint


Lol this is too funny! So you're saying that your way is the best and anything else is bad parenting? I'm sorry but you are far too up your own end! The reasons for home educating are far too many to be in the remit of this thread! Obviously we didn't offer to home educate because she didn't want to go to school! There were many reasons for it and again it is not what this thread is about! We made the decision to home educate but our daughter had the final say! We would not force her out of school nor would we force her into school. She thought on it for a couple of weeks. It wasn't like we asked her and she just said YES TAKE ME OUT! You do not know our daughter or anything about us. Yet you presume quite a bit!

Obviously you do not respect your kids (if you even have any) and I feel sorry for them for that.

First of all i would like to say that up to the middle of high-school (so around grade 10-11), EVERYTHING is a needed education, its the basic standard in order to live normally at our current era. After Grade 10, you get to decide on a field, whether you want strong science or math or arts or literature field.

I really think home school is a bad idea because other than improper education(not everyone is qualified to teach), they will miss out on working as a collective members, loose out of teamwork(which lot of work place have in common), work with people of other backgrounds(another common workplace event), and like someone mentioned, school friends are really important. i do have outside friends but school friends are a different breed, they will help out with advancing education, and the current job i have a microbiologist was refereed to by classmate from college, they are a link to you career path.

Its easy to understand even when given an option to return to school system, a home schooled kid would never go to a public school, they will develop anxiety and w/e that comes with being exposed to new environment.

School offers competition to keep kids going at each other intellectually, i remember i studied science hard(hated it) to impress this girl in my class, now I'm in a science field.

All i can say is that up to grade 10, everyone should go to school because it provides basic understanding of how our world work, i don't really care what they do after that, i would still suggest finishing high school though.

reply to post by RandomEsotericScreenname

I have to say that just because a kid expresses that she doesn't like something, is not really a reason to shelter them from it.

We do not home educate "just because" there are many many reasons why and we did a hell of a lot of research before we came to the decision to ask our daughter. She is not being sheltered, she has been given a great opportunity.

I mean, character has to be built. When they grow up they have to do lots of stuff they don't really like to do, probably.

Why? Each of our children has character, don't you worry about that. They do not need to go through hell to get character. There are children in school who kill themselves because of the pressure or bullying, are there not?

Again this is just one facet to our decision, not the whole! This thread isn't about why we chose to do it.

Also the social aspect of it could be an issue imo. But from a pure educational standpoint I think it is better to home school your children, if done well.

Many people quote the "social issue" but they often have made friends outside of school. So I don't see how they can't grasp the concept.

Done well is subjective and down to interpretation. We are doing child centered learning whereby we go down the paths our children want to. Ie they show an interest in space we buy some books on the subject or we look for information/resources online. It works really well.

reply to post by autowrench


I'm in the UK my friend and things are a little different here thankfully. We are not obliged to follow any curriculum. Our only obligation is to educate our children. That is it. I do not want our children sat in front of a computer to be honest. No offense, everyone has their way of doing things. I also do not want them to be forced to wear a uniform. Children are people too and have there own wants and needs. I must respect that as I would respect anyone else's. Would you want someone to tell you what to wear?

I'm no judging you, just giving you my thoughts on the matter.

Thank you for your input. I hope everything goes well for you.

this is an excellent post friend!
you never stop learning!!!
who is smarter. the farmer digging dirt to make food,or the guy running the hydro factory to make power for you?
my children go to a public school where they are taught how to be 'normal' in society.
when they come home they are taught knowledge.
i applaud you on home schooling.
why does picasso paint the way he did/
why does mozart's music come across like a mathematical equation?
why is the sky blue?
why do i have to run around a track for a half hour?
why is history taught with lies?
why do we teach our children that columbus 'discovered' america ? was it lost? he didn't even land there!
i think it is important to teach our children how to seek out the truth and not just rely on what they are told is the truth. and the world is flat and all the planets and the sun rotate around the flat earth!!!
this kind of mentality is still prevalent today!
as for questions for you to ask this person you have a meeting with,well, i can think of a few! but first i'd like to say they are gonna try to make you feel that your kids need to be in school to 'fit in' with this crappy society !
now its question time!
whats your favorite color?
whats your favorite music?
what kind of books do you read?
why do you wear those type of clothes?
why do you like that kind of art?
now a response!

my favorite colors are pink and lime green
my favorite music ranges from bluegrass to classical to thrash metal and punk
i read many books on religion,philosophy and ancient civilizations
my clothes are meager and practical,no fashion!
i enjoy all art and enjoy what the artist was thinking and feeling when they produced it
no one can tell you how to learn,but a wise person can show you how to learn!!!

reply to post by smyleegrl


Thank you for your offer and I will take it as soon as I get a chance.

reply to post by mee30


I am not critcising you, I assume that you know what's best for your children in their particular situation.

These are just issues that are relevant though.

Many people quote the "social issue" but they often have made friends outside of school. So I don't see how they can't grasp the concept.

In this case you don't grasp the concept.

It's not about making friends. It's about interacting with other kids, that are not necessarily friends. It's about dealing with social situations.

In real life one has to deal with many people that are not friends.

reply to post by luciddream

I really think home school is a bad idea because other than improper education(not everyone is qualified to teach), they will miss out on working as a collective members, loose out of teamwork...

Please. Teamwork is a part of the curriculum, and there are meetings of parents and teachers once a year. The ECOT teachers are tested 4 times a year on their ability to teach. Field trips are organized, and when our son takes his OAA tests, he gets paid for it.

reply to post by luciddream

First of all i would like to say that up to the middle of high-school (so around grade 10-11), EVERYTHING is a needed education, its the basic standard in order to live normally at our current era. After Grade 10, you get to decide on a field, whether you want strong science or math or arts or literature field.

I have to disagree with you. It doesn't work like that in the UK, you can choose french or german, and one or two other things but they have what is called the national curriculum. Everyone learns the same thing basically and that is not the best for everyone IMO. Much of what I have learned has been learned outside of school. Much of what I learned in school has long been forgotten as my brain discards anything that is not important to me. I don't think other people are too different in this regard.

I really think home school is a bad idea because other than improper education(not everyone is qualified to teach), they will miss out on working as a collective members, loose out of teamwork(which lot of work place have in common), work with people of other backgrounds(another common workplace event), and like someone mentioned, school friends are really important. i do have outside friends but school friends are a different breed, they will help out with advancing education, and the current job i have a microbiologist was refereed to by classmate from college, they are a link to you career path.

Again this is not what the thread is about. You have your opinion and I have mine. I'm not going to constantly debate this. Yes some people do well with school, some do not.

Its easy to understand even when given an option to return to school system, a home schooled kid would never go to a public school, they will develop anxiety and w/e that comes with being exposed to new environment.

All home schooled children are the same? So are all school children the same? This is all pointless debating and is merely wasting my time. Sorry, but we know what we want for our children.

School offers competition to keep kids going at each other intellectually, i remember i studied science hard(hated it) to impress this girl in my class, now I'm in a science field.

It also offers teach to test. there are a high number of children that can not do basic maths or read/write properly. There are pros and cons to all forms and not what this thread is about.

All i can say is that up to grade 10, everyone should go to school because it provides basic understanding of how our world work, i don't really care what they do after that, i would still suggest finishing high school though.

You do not learn how the world works stuck in a classroom! You learn that in the world! lol

reply to post by reficul


Thanks for the post and yes I agree with you! I only do what I think is best for them to be honest. I'm not sure asking the guy what his favorite colour is will help! Though it would be quite amusing to slip a few of those in!

Thank you for stopping by.

reply to post by mee30


4) At what age do we begin to learn?

My daughter is 3 and she already knows how to grab our ipad, look for the netfilix icon and watch cartoons.

I'm trying to involve her more in the things I do so that she can learn by example.
but yeah at 3 they can definitely start learning. Maybe even sooner.
my 2 year old can sing twinkle twinkle already.

I think it all depends on the child. you need to find their comfort level. and see what they will like to learn.

if i were you i'd research how celebrities home school their kids.
if i remember correctly they have some online classes they take that are top notch.

reply to post by grey580

My daughter is 3 and she already knows how to grab our ipad, look for the netfilix icon and watch cartoons.

What about her learning to walk? How about learning to talk? We even need to learn the balance to be able to sit up! lol... These all come so naturally and that's how I believe all learning should be. If you are forcing it in I don't think that information will do you much good.

Not that I'm having a pissing competition with you but my 2 year old gets our phones and can change the background colour (she likes the pink one), she arranges the icons how she likes them! lol... She can start up games like the golf flick one I have. It's amazing to watch. So why not continue that learning experience onto when she is older?

I'm trying to involve her more in the things I do so that she can learn by example. but yeah at 3 they can definitely start learning. Maybe even sooner. my 2 year old can sing twinkle twinkle already.

Is your 3 year old your first? I have found that our younger one definitely learns a lot from her big sister, and visa versa as it goes. It's great to see how they interact with each other. Soon our son will be wading in too. Getting them involved is the best way to learn in my opinion.

if i were you i'd research how celebrities home school their kids. if i remember correctly they have some online classes they take that are top notch.

No offense but the last thing I want to do is emulate celebrities! lol Thanks for stopping by dude. Have fun raising your kids and enjoy watching them grow. It's the most amazing thing you can do. As I'm sure you already know!

reply to post by mee30


I'd recommend simply being nice to them and responding to THEIR questions quickly, succinctly, and intelligently. Do not badger them with your own.

The reason? Simple. If you want to keep home-schooling them, you have to play the game. Otherwise, they'll think you're hiding something, and try to get those kids into a school pronto.

It sounds like you were initially somewhat confrontational, so if so, they are likely already checking what they need to do, just in case, so you may have already even started the process. Reverse it, and your way of dealing with the authorities.

The biggest problem with homeschooling is that (in my opinion) the kids won't learn how to deal with the NEGATIVE aspects of social interactions. Being at some kind of after-school activity for an hour or two is NOT the same as dealing with the same kids (and their various cliques, hierarchies, etc.) for the better part of a day. These skills are NECESSARY, as it very closely mimics the workforce they'll have to learn to be a part of in their adult lives. Those without this exposure will be at a severe disadvantage, and will be viewed by others as rubes at best, despite any high intelligence, or snobs at worst, and they will be taken advantage of.

However, current schools do suck. The solution? Use home interaction in ADDITION to regular school...or at least, that would be my recommendation. If a parent is involved in their kid's education, then even the worst school won't matter, if the kid has the drive to want to learn. I went to some horrible schools, where the kids were complete idiots...but I didn't let it bother me. I simply learned what I needed to from the materials provided (and the library), and supplemented my OWN ideas about what I should learn.

reply to post by Gazrok

I'd recommend simply being nice to them and responding to THEIR questions quickly, succinctly, and intelligently. Do not badger them with your own.

Who are THEY to question me? See this is the problem! People being scared and pandering to some AUTHORITY that in fact has no authority at all. Did you miss the part where he admitted to there being NO LAW obliging me to even interact with him? All he had left was threats! Intimidation! How dare he? Comments like yours only make me want to fight these people even more! So your advice is to bow down and lick the boots of the bully???

The reason? Simple. If you want to keep home-schooling them, you have to play the game. Otherwise, they'll think you're hiding something, and try to get those kids into a school pronto.

I will continue to home educate because it is my RIGHT under LAW! Not because he says it's okay! I'm only meeting with him for some fun to be honest. I don't care if they think I'm hiding something!

It sounds like you were initially somewhat confrontational, so if so, they are likely already checking what they need to do, just in case, so you may have already even started the process. Reverse it, and your way of dealing with the authorities.

Asking if there is a LAW is confrontational, then sir please tell me, why the hell do we have LAWS? They can check whatever they like! I am within my rights and within the LAW! Just because you are scared does not mean we all have to be like you! Grow a pair and maybe we all wouldn't have to live in fear! What kind of life is that? Do you bring your children up to live in fear?

The biggest problem with homeschooling is that (in my opinion) the kids won't learn how to deal with the NEGATIVE aspects of social interactions. Being at some kind of after-school activity for an hour or two is NOT the same as dealing with the same kids (and their various cliques, hierarchies, etc.) for the better part of a day. These skills are NECESSARY, as it very closely mimics the workforce they'll have to learn to be a part of in their adult lives. Those without this exposure will be at a severe disadvantage, and will be viewed by others as rubes at best, despite any high intelligence, or snobs at worst, and they will be taken advantage of.

You act like they don't have ANY interactions! LOL Sir my children deal with all sorts of interactions. It's necessary because it mimics factories? Offices? Warehouses? I want them to feel confident enough to work for THEMSELVES! Not be a slave to a corporation!

However, current schools do suck. The solution? Use home interaction in ADDITION to regular school...or at least, that would be my recommendation. If a parent is involved in their kid's education, then even the worst school won't matter, if the kid has the drive to want to learn. I went to some horrible schools, where the kids were complete idiots...but I didn't let it bother me. I simply learned what I needed to from the materials provided (and the library), and supplemented my OWN ideas about what I should learn.

Schools suck but send them anyway out of fear? NO SIR! It is my duty as a parent to educate my children! You can elect to give that duty away! I however will take the responsibility!

Now look I know you are best intentioned. I know you think what you say to me is right. I know if I took your advice and bowed to the bullies I could have an easier life! But I would be a damn COWARD! I would teach my children to be COWARDS! I would perpetuate this dire state of affairs! I want to FIGHT! I want to show them that with REAL education you can WIN! I want to live my own god damned life! I am an ADULT! I do not need to seek permission! I will ask the damn questions and he will answer ME! But don't get me wrong, I will be polite while I do it, just as long as he shows me some RESPECT! If not he will be shown the door!

I do appreciate your point of view, I understand it too! It's not your fault. I'm angry at the system for making you like that! Please do not push you negative cowardice onto other people. Thank you sir, I wish you the best.

I dont see anything wrong with home schooling seems your children will be socialised to think for themselves. Education has always operated a hidden cirriculum that seems to benefit the middle and upper classes while keeping the working class down. Home schooling may break the cycle.

Bowles & Gintis schooling in Capitalist America


The hidden curriculum operates through a 'correspondence' between the structure of schooling and the economic system. The nature of work and social relations fostered in the education system mirror those in capitalist society. For example, students obey orders, students have no control over the curriculum, students gain little intrinsic satisfaction from work. This 'mirrors' or 'corresponds' with students' future positions in the workforce. The worker has no control over work and experiences little intrinsic satisfaction.