Homeschooling

[BrotherMan]

I was extra sensitive as a little bort, so much so that if I got a stern talking to I'd be in tears because I had disappointed my mom to a great degree. Despite that I don't recall having extraordinary anxieties as a li'l bort. I do recall sleeping with the light on for a month or so after seeing a scary movie but that's it. I'm sure I internalized a lot of my worries because I do that to this day

All this to say, man, I just don't know.

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by wildernesse

Thinking about the actual topic more, I think I would be loathe to pull him from public school because of his anxieties as expressed in this thread.

Just so I'm clear (although no one asked), I'm not in favor of pulling him out of school because he has anxiety about it. I'm in favor of pulling him out of school because it's a toxic environment that everybody should have anxiety about but most don't. There's plenty of stuff that's good for him and that he should try even if it scares him at first, but public school isn't one of them, IMO.

[LadyShea]

Pulling him has always been on the table, obviously, but the timing sucks right now, because he needs more direct instruction than I can give him while working. That will change.

[Sock Puppet]

New thread for the introvert/extrovert topic.

[LadyShea]

The stressed and out of sorts has lasted all week. State testing week. Though the test is given to 3-6 grades the whole school is on a weird kind of lockdown. Due to the enforcement of quiet the PK-2 graders have no morning recess, and no PE nor music, they are not processing visitors or volunteers (my mom volunteers once a week and has lunch with Kiddo), nor processing tardy students (meaning if they're late they have to sit in the office until lunch time). His teacher said that keeping 23 Kinders cooped up in the classroom until 11am is a killer, especially for those like Kiddo who thrive on routine.

Additionally they started his reading group on the Accelerated Reading program, where they read a book then do a computer test, and have started addition and subtraction in math.

So, I think he is reacting to unusual pressures and circumstances. We'll see if he feels better next week.

[wildernesse]

It makes me so happy to see this thread when I look at the forum because it reminds me that some homeschoolers would be taught by people who are well-educated. Granted, I have a few facebook friends who also help me feel better about this.

I rubberneck at a homeschooling forum that makes me sad.

[LadyShea]

In general, those homeschooling for secular reasons*, rather than religious ones, tend to not be sad...or at least less sad. Lurk around The Secular Homeschool Community

*Not to be confused with secular people. Religious people often homeschool for secular reasons such as academic quality

[wildernesse]

Mostly I've been appalled at the people who don't appear to have elementary language skills and a thread that answered the question of How do you prepare your HSer for college with posts about how they were preparing their child for subsistence living. I think that is as wrong as requiring all of your children to go to college. And, I have to admit to being appalled at the fact that some of them don't get out of bed until 10 am or later. lol, I feel like my grandma when I say that.

[Qingdai]

I don't mind people having different schedules, but the appalling language skills were scary. Heck, they're scary on all sorts of sites.

[wildernesse]

Originally Posted by Qingdai

I don't mind people having different schedules, but the appalling language skills were scary. Heck, they're scary on all sorts of sites.

I know! Look at this sentence!

Mostly I've been appalled at the people who don't appear to have elementary language skills and a thread that answered the question of How do you prepare your HSer for college with posts about how they were preparing their child for subsistence living.

[LadyShea]

Where is the sad inducing site with the appalling language?

[Qingdai]

I can't find it now, but a lot of the special needs child blogs I go to have comments where one is not left wondering why Johnny can't read.

Example: "My word, they are alike….maybe because I’m in the throws of this myself I don’t have much to say. Alex will tell me his arm hurts and 10 seconds later he pukes. "

I try to think that perhaps their English isn't up to snuff because they're tired and/or stressed, but it makes me

[Ensign Steve]

nm

[wildernesse]

Originally Posted by LadyShea

Where is the sad inducing site with the appalling language?

GCM [Gentle Christian Mothers]. I'm sure every homeschooling site has a couple of people who make you wonder why they thought they should homeschool.

[LadyShea]

Oh, I lurked there some. Unfortunately crunchy mom sites, even the more soggy ones, put me off as much as authoritarian ones...Mommier than thou has no boundaries. I gave up on parenting forums completely

Homeschooling and even educational enrichment is right in there too. Most all of it makes me sad or pissed off. The link I offered earlier is less dominated by extreme left or right, but still many wars being fought.

[Ensign Steve]

I thought I posted about this in the past, but when I'm searching for it I'm only finding posts where I alluded to it. Maybe I was being discreet. Not anymore!

Anyway, I wouldn't get bothered by how stupid some of these homeschooling moms are, because there are plenty of stupid teachers.

When I worked at the education place, I had to input qualitative data from feedback forms from teachers (that is to say they had boxes where they could write in answers to open-ended questions) and aside from the absolutely abysmal grammar, spelling, and penmanship, there were plenty of examples of actual, willful stupidity. One person had signed up for a course called "The most-often missed questions on the GED math test" or something to that effect. Her feedback was along the lines of "why should I have to know how to find the percent of a number? I'm an English teacher!" I can't decide what the worst part of that was. That she couldn't do a simple math question that is on a high-school equivalency exam, that she was upset at being expected to do so in a math course that she signed up for, or that she didn't get why an English teacher should be expected to have at least a high-school equivalency education in the first place.



At least stupid homeschool moms are only doing damage to their own kids.

Edit: Oh, also! How the hell do you go through life not knowing how to find the percent of a number? Does she not tip at restaurants? Jeebus.