Books, links and advice.

[Philosophia]

What books or websites would you suggest for people wanting to homeschool?

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt while homeschooling?

What advice would you give to other parents on homeschooling?

What are your experiances with homeschooling and how did you begin?

(Sorry about the questions, I'm just curious about this subject)

[Ceres]

What books or websites would you suggest for people wanting to homeschool?

The very best book on homeschooling that I ever read was Teach Your Own by John Holt. It is old, but it is a classic. He was really a pioneer in the unschooling movement and his faith in kids and their potential was very inspiring. His work is the antidote to the prevailing societal opinion that kids are out to get away with doing as little as possible and will try to take over if we dont guard against their natural badness.

For a more modern book, my favorite is Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense by David Guterson. This man is a high school teacher and fiction author with a large family. The book discusses different forms of homeschooling, recent research into their effectiveness and also discussions about common questions such as that socialization one that comes up so often.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt while homeschooling?

Ooh this is a toughie! Do I have to pick just one? I have learned so much. I learned how much I like my kids, how precious and fleeting their childhood is. I learned that I can still learn anything I want because learning isnt restricted to a classroom and tests dont prove how much you learned, but set out to prove what you failed to learn. I learned the strengths and weaknesses of each of my children so that I can guide them to adulthood believing in their own abilities. I learned that the most important things I have done had nothing to do with my years in a classroom and the best friends I made were not the ones I was forced to socialize with in school, but the ones I chose.

What advice would you give to other parents on homeschooling?

Consider your options. Even if your only option is sending your child to school, be your child's advocate and dont count on the system to educate them. Dont allow the prevailing belief that children are the enemy to colour your view of your own child and dont let ANYONE put your child in a pigeonhole. Always remember they are your responsibility so you have the right to guide their education over anyone else - fight for that right when neccessary.

What are your experiances with homeschooling and how did you begin?

It all started when my oldest was 3 and I didnt like the school she was going to. A homeschooling mom I knew and admired suggested I read teach Your Own by John Holt and it forever changed how I saw education. I didnt begin then; the book made me realize I had been doing it all along already.

In facilitating learning experiences for my child through her baby and toddler years by playing with her, making sure she had the toys and environment to help her learn and never taking away her inborn belief in herself, I was off to a good start. From there, I just needed to not STOP doing those things and the rest would follow. And it did.

(Sorry about the questions, I'm just curious about this subject)

I am very passionate about unschooling and LOVE to talk about it, so please dont apologize for giving me a chance to jump on my soapbox :lol:

[ladyalpha]

I didn't read any books, although I know people suggested them to me. I'm bad. lol I actually spent a lot of time in chat rooms and on message boards learning things from people that were currently during what I wanted to do. I was able to ask questions and find answers right then and develop a source of valuable mentors.
So while I can't recommend any books, I do recommend asking as many questions as possible and especially with people in your state that can answer questions about requirements and things to do in the area.

My most valuable lesson..hmm.. I learned patience and learned how to walk away when my patience was waning. lol I learned to listen and truly see that spark in their eyes when they are doing something they love.
And I'm sure I learned many more things that would make a post all of it's own, so I will just stick with that. lol

The advice I would give..don't be afraid to try something new. If something isn't working for you as a family, Change it! If something seems like it might work, Give it a try! Don't feel like as their "teacher" you can't let go of the reigns and let them teach themselves or let them learn from someone else. And if you have more than one child, if they want to, let them teach each other. Kids sometimes understand things better from another child and that is a good thing. It fosters love, caring and helpfulness between siblings..which anyone that has had to deal with sibling rivalry knows is always a good thing to foster and develop. :)

I believe that every parent homeschools their child from the moment they are born. Talking to them, counting as you make sandwiches or walk up stairs, teaching colors and abc's, etc. So with that belief in mind, I started the day I got pregnant with my first child.
Now as for letting the state know my intentions..I did that two years ago. I went through a combination of ways of homeschooling in the beginning. I started off strict and basically emulating a classroom except I had them sit where ever they wanted. Then I went for an unschooling, everything counts way. In the end I did a blend of the two. My girls worked better on most things if they were in seperate rooms. But then other things they did well if they were together.
So that is why I mentioned not being afraid of mixing things up and trial and error. lol I don't think in the beginning anyone just naturally falls into place..although I guess there may be some people out there that do..we were not one of them. But, kids change and grow and we have to change and grow with them.

I also agree with Radikalwomyn when it comes to sending kids to public/private school. It is not the teachers job to raise the child. Parents still need to be deeply involved in all areas of the childs life. Some teachers don't like that, but others really appreciate it. I have found that teachers can usually tell right away which child has involved parents and which ones don't. I like to let the teachers know right away though, so they aren't surprised by seeing my shiny face or receiving yet another note from me. lol
At this time both of my girls attend public school but I suppliment at home. I make sure to go through their papers every night, anything they miss I go over with them and have them do a few more of them so they truly understand it. And they are always free to bring up subjects or topics they want to learn more about. Usually I get to learn something with them during their searching for knowledge.

Ok, I think I got all the questions answered. :) Always feel free to ask questions. That is how we learn in life.
ladyalpha

[Iseult]

The very best book on homeschooling that I ever read was Teach Your Own by John Holt. It is old, but it is a classic. He was really a pioneer in the unschooling movement and his faith in kids and their potential was very inspiring. His work is the antidote to the prevailing societal opinion that kids are out to get away with doing as little as possible and will try to take over if we dont guard against their natural badness.


I really like How Children Learn and How Children Fail by John Holt, although I haven't read the one you mention. Of course, now I'm going to have to track down a copy!

I don't have kids to homeschool, but my mum's considering homeschooling for my sister, who is just coming up to school age, so I'm trying to help out as much as I can.

[Faol-chù]

What books or websites would you suggest for people wanting to homeschool?

Books...Anything by John Holt!

Websites...well, my favorite one is one that deals with my particular state. It has the laws on it, and helps explain it to people. That would absolutely depend (to me) on which state you live it.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt while homeschooling?

Think long and hard before spending money on expensive curriculums...especially in the earlier years. I didn't use any particular curriculum at all until last year...my daughter was 10 years old and getting into some of the higher math (she is doing pre-Algebra now). At this time, I am considering a writing curriculum...Just to help me to organize. Writing is really my strong point, but, I suppose, I don't trust myself...:)

What advice would you give to other parents on homeschooling?

Don't buy expensive curriculums (especially at first). Also, it's helpful if you have grandparents or good friends around who can take your kids off your hands occasionally. My kids and I struggle around January and February when we've been locked up in the house too long and have grown tired of looking at (and listening to) one another. It has become routine for us to ship them off to their grandparents (preferably to different grandparents at the same time) just so we can come back and regroup.

What are your experiances with homeschooling and how did you begin?

Too many experiences to name...:) It's been a real experience!!! lol

My oldest went to pre-school for 2 years, then kindergarten, and then first grade. After first grade, it became clear that I was still going to have to teach my child, if I really wanted her to learn anything (the SOL's get in the way of learning, IMHO). My hands were tied to a large degree and we were experiencing a great deal of frustration because they were teaching differently from the way I learned (math was a real issue!). On top of that, due to the fact that my daughter was not quite 5 when she entered kindergarten and many of the kids in her class had been held back a year, some of them were nearly 2 years older than herself.
I was also attending community college and taking business classes. The sociology class was the cherry on top. (See my rant here under the John Taylor Gatto thread.) All of these factors together, combined with a lot of other little very irritating things were the catalyst for our move to homeschool.

(Sorry about the questions, I'm just curious about this subject)

No sweat...If you don't ask, you don't learn...:)

Le meas,

[LeBoof]

What books or websites would you suggest for people wanting to homeschool?

What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt while homeschooling?

What advice would you give to other parents on homeschooling?

What are your experiances with homeschooling and how did you begin?

(Sorry about the questions, I'm just curious about this subject)

The most valuable lesson I've learned is to be flexible.Just because I think homeschooling should be done a certain way doesn't mean that it's how it works best for everyone involved. Also, just because one method of schooling works for a year or two doesn't mean it will continue to be the best method all the way through. If something doesn't seem to be working try other methods and see if they work any better.

My best advice is to keep learning yourself. Keep researching new methods and if you can find classes that you're interested in taking too (I'm studying psychology right now). If you have fun learning it's likely to be contagious. Also, try to have fun teaching and learning from your child. It makes it more fun for them and if they realize they can teach you something too then it adds even more fun. Oh, and don't stress out too much on those days when you don't feel like "doing school". I used to and it usually gets made up on other days anyhow.

I started out with homeschooling when my younger sister came to live with my husband and myself about 8 years ago. She was already being homeschooled and we just continued it. She was going through internethomeschool.com and taking guitar and horsebackriding lessons outside of that. When we had a son of our own he was born with a congenital heart problem. Add to that we live out in the boonies and the schools in our area are bad...we decided to start looking into homeschooling options.Currently we go through Goddess Moon Circles Academy and are probably going to continue through that until...They go up through graduation. I have also recently started tutoring two other girls who may as well be related :) One is going through highschool under the Spiral Academy umbrella and the other is 13 and autistic so is going through a similar program to my son at the moment. As long as I don't tutor more than 3 kids outside of family this is legal in the state where I live.

As for websites or books I would suggest...I put most of my list of stuff up onto a webpage I put together. It makes it easier for me to keep it there than to put it all into a favorites folder and gives me a place to put notes.
http://www.bearaschildren.spiritualitea.net

Aside from that I also like to keep an eye on the Texas Education Association site to keep track of laws and such for my state.They also have a really good list of links for teachers (even homeschooling ones) to use.

Mel