What I've learned from home schooling my son

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

The last week of January, I pulled my son out of our neighborhood public school after learning that they were using common core curriculum for math.

We bought him a year's worth of second grade curriculum for math, reading, writing, and science. He finished it in three weeks. So, we went and got the third grade books.

With the second week of April upon us, he has already finished half of those book. It looks as though we will be ordering fourth grade books by the beginning of May.

Now, all of this has led me to believe there is a ton of time-wasting in school. My son was not in the gifted and talented program. He's your average eight year old kid, more interested in video games and baseball than school work.

I look back at the work he was doing when we pulled him out and now wonder why the public schools move so slowly. Kids are like sponges. My son is eight, speaks English and Spanish fluently (thanks to his Mexican momma), and is in his third year of private Chinese lessons. And, you know what? He can do all of it without being "gifted and talented."

There is so much talk about education these days. The truth is, the vast majority of kids are probably like my son: average motivation, bored out their skulls at what is being spoon-fed to them in the test-obsessed public school.

I never in a million year thought I'd be homeschooling, and don't know if I will again next year. I'll probably let him decide whether he wants to go back to the public school or keep coming into the office everyday with me and doing the curriculums we buy.

We're also looking into this Coram Deo school that goes a couple of days to a school, and the other three days at home.

Anyway, it's a shame about the education system these days. I think millions of kids just pass through the cracks or just get pushed along towards the high school graduation line without ever really learning much these days beyond how to prepare for state exams.

They can test all they want, change standard all they want (hello, common core), but the truth is, equal outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

I took my son out of their educational sausage factory and, surprisingly, don't regret it.

Edited April 8, 2014 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[greenminer]

Like any system I had to jump through hoops for, it seems bogged down to accommodate everyone.

Remember when you say "average" there is a 50 percentile that is below it.

[THOR]

public education is not ideal...average 23+ kids per class...numerous different learning styles, intellect, maturity, behavior, etc...issues that are in place. home schooling is one on one...of course you will go further with your kid. that's common sense....if i could spend one on one time with all my students for hours at a time, they would learn much more and their thinking would be enhanced...

no one way is right for each child...glad homeschooling works for you. looks like it benefits your kid as well...

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

I'd be concerned with the social aspects. Not to generalize but all the kids I remember in high school who were home schooled were extremely socially awkward. But yes, growing up I remember having to wait on other kids to catch up before the whole class could move on and it can be very frustrating.

[Mean Green 93-98]

We homeschool as well. People tend to be shocked to find out that we can accomplish an entire day's worth of schoolwork in just a few hours. With no homework. And it gives the opportunity to allow a student to go at his own pace far better than in a classroom full of 20-30 children.

By the way, my hat is off to public school teachers. You are fighting an uphill battle on multiple fronts, but I appreciate you for fighting it.

[Army of Dad]

I'd be concerned with the social aspects. Not to generalize but all the kids I remember in high school who were home schooled were extremely socially awkward. But yes, growing up I remember having to wait on other kids to catch up before the whole class could move on and it can be very frustrating.

They may have been awkward with other teenagers, but most home school kids I've known had no problem interacting with adults and just generally acting more mature than you could expect from kids their own age.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Like any system I had to jump through hoops for, it seems bogged down to accommodate everyone.

Remember when you say "average" there is a 50 percentile that is below it.

Yes. I know. When they took whatever the district tests were for first graders in Frisco, he scored in the 90th percentile in all subjects. In the fall, he took the Iowa and was above 75th percentile for all tested subjects.

He's got it down. The red flag flew for us when he came home crying about math, a subject where he excellent on both the Frisco and Iowa test, scoring over 90% in the math areas of both.

So, I had him bring home some of his assignments. I'd never seen anything like it. Just with simple addition of mulitple digit numbers, there were number lines, boxes, charts, and a bunch of other things.

Last year, we had already taught him how to add double and triple digit at home, lining them up, starting on the right hands side, carrying anything over 10 to the next number, etc.

I made an appointment with the teacher to talk about it. I also went online and discovered this was all part of the common core math that Texas had supposedly rejected. Well...guess what? They're teaching it anyway.

After beating around the bush about it, I told the teacher that my son already knew how to add and subtract (and multiply) single, double, and triple digit numbers and that he was going to answer the questions that way because...Texas wasn't supposed to be using common core.

Well, his math grade dropped in the first six weeks from 95 to 75. I told my wife, "It's enough. We're pulling him out before they ruin him." He was miserable and crying all the time with his math assignment,whereas before it was his favorite subject.

It's just one of those things where I didn't feel like fighting with the school about it. I have the time and space at the office to work with him and let him work; so, it was a no-brainer.

I'm not concerned about his social experience at school because he already plays soccer, baseball, piano, goes to weekend Chinese school, and church on Sundays. Plus, he still plays with the kids in the neighborhood when he gets home. He's gets plenty of socializing.

Again, if he wants to go back in the fall, we'll let him. Although, I am leaning towards one of the half-school/half-home school situations they have going like at Coram Deo.

If I had the time and money, I'd just organize and start a private school. Subject would be - Math, Reading/Writing/English, Science, and Foreign Languages, probably Spanish, Chinese, and/or Hindu because of the immigrant population here.

If anything, it would probably be like the Chinese school he and my daughter go to on the weekend - filled with foreign students and a few other white kids. That seems to be the score at Piano for them as well. Most recitals are full of Indians, Chinese, Koreans, Russians...then a few white or hispanic kids.

Edited April 8, 2014 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

We homeschool as well. People tend to be shocked to find out that we can accomplish an entire day's worth of schoolwork in just a few hours. With no homework. And it gives the opportunity to allow a student to go at his own pace far better than in a classroom full of 20-30 children.

By the way, my hat is off to public school teachers. You are fighting an uphill battle on multiple fronts, but I appreciate you for fighting it.

Agree on the public school teachers. I've got a cousin who teaches 3rd Grade in Tulsa. No way I could go through what she goes through - parents and kids on one end, administrative and state politics on the other.

As far as time, my son can get through his daily assignments within four hours. I usually end up doubling the work load on him. But, he soldiers through it, and spends most of the afternoon playing games on my phone until I'm finished working.

[KingDL1]

Good private schools are the way, but usually expensive.

[gksmith]

Hope home schooling works out for you. My brother is trying to home school his kids and I question how successful he is. One parent needs to do the teaching and in the case of my brother, both he and his wife have to work...leaving no one to teach.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

--- It may work well for elementary level especially if done in a co-op situation or for early grades ... but don't try it for HS ones... The few I have had in my college classes were terrible and struggled to pass.. In math at that level sometimes they could work some problems but rarely did they have any real understanding of WHY it was working... They were just memorizing things and you can't memorize 10,000 details. [ I refer to those types as "cook-bookers" ]. Some also show up from public school as well but usually with not as many "holes" in what they know. .. Vary the problems a bit and the ones I have had were totally lost. Many just dropped or stopped coming..

-- My wife has had some transfer into her foreign language HS classes and the result may have been even worse.. most after a full year of homeschooling could not have passed her first semester exams... not even close most of them. She has even had instances where a mom was trying to teach her student a foreign language that Mom had never even had... that is not even funny as to what they knew... just the meaning of a bunch of random words and awful pronunciation basically....

--- One very smart girl I had in a college class made a low D on first exam, C on second and third, and B on fourth and the final .... She told me she learned more math in one semester from me than she had in all four years of home school. She was capable of catching up pretty well .. most aren't. She also had stayed after class several times asking questions and I think set up an appointment with me for help a time or two. Most won't do that either. She had worked like a dog. . Oddly I saw her younger brother at a tennis tournament... he was a spoiled brat... no social skills and threw a fit every time things didn't go as he wanted... He unlike her looked to be headed for a tough life.

--- Mixed review on Private schools ... wife is now at a very good but expensive one (most students have professional parents.... lots are doctors, lawyers, oil business).... another one is ok but no better than public in my opinion but is better than 10 yrs ago.. and a third one is just strange and again not a lot better than home school kids... ( a few have realized it and transferred to my wife's school and are shocked at the difference and expectations). Several elem ones here seem ok. .

Edited April 9, 2014 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[Green92]

Interesting conversation. My daughter made it through HS in the McKinney ISD and I felt like she was engaged. She was just your average student and seemed to be fine. Seems like with public school the student really gets out of it what they put into it. Minimum effort gets them through but with minimum knowledge. I've never had good friends home school so i don't have a good insight.

I always thought the kids who homeschooled for religious reasons over academic reasons where the weird ones.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Good private schools are the way, but usually expensive.

Yes. The Coram Deo route is less than $5k a year, though: http://www.coramdeoacademy.org/content/signature-tuition-2014-2015

The only draw back to me is the Christianity aspect. We already go to a Bible-based church, so it's not like my kids aren't learning about God and Jesus and whatnot.

What I want, but don't have enough money socked away to have, is a school that is just a school. Public schools seem to waste too much time because they have to dumb down to a common denominator-level of the overall student body. Private schools, the less expensive ones, are religious-based, which I don't mind, but I don't overly want either. You can't cheaply avoid it, though, it these here parts.

I've spoken with these folks, but they don't begin until the 6th grade. I like their Senior Tutorial where the students have to write and publicly defend a paper:

http://www.cambridgedallas.org/faith-culture-series/tutorials/

http://www.cambridgedallas.org/faith-culture-series/senior-tutorial-2014/

That's why I'd toyed with the idea of trying to get a private school going that is focused on academics. Crazy, right?

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Interesting conversation. My daughter made it through HS in the McKinney ISD and I felt like she was engaged. She was just your average student and seemed to be fine. Seems like with public school the student really gets out of it what they put into it. Minimum effort gets them through but with minimum knowledge. I've never had good friends home school so i don't have a good insight.

I always thought the kids who homeschooled for religious reasons over academic reasons where the weird ones.

We'll see how it goes. Our daughter is in kindergarten at the school we pulled our son out of. She's a different type of learner than him, and is probably closer to the average kid than him. I don't expect that she'll score as highly as he did on the first rounds of standardized tests, which is fine.

Something had to be done about him, and we did it.

[Green92]

We'll see how it goes. Our daughter is in kindergarten at the school we pulled our son out of. She's a different type of learner than him, and is probably closer to the average kid than him. I don't expect that she'll score as highly as he did on the first rounds of standardized tests, which is fine.

Something had to be done about him, and we did it.

Good luck!! It's good to hear about parents really taking an active role in their kids education. Too many parents use school as daycare and then immediately blame the teacher/school if something happens.

[Stan R]

I know where you're coming from Non-Fictional-Finch. I have 4 kids in keller ISD and. well. It's just too much to post on an internet tube but let's suffice to say I've been considering this route as well. It is 100% impossible in my situation but nonetheless, I've (we've) considered it. The only saving grace is the GT programme and AP classes. And Khan academy. Khan academy is awesome.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I know where you're coming from Non-Fictional-Finch. I have 4 kids in keller ISD and. well. It's just too much to post on an internet tube but let's suffice to say I've been considering this route as well. It is 100% impossible in my situation but nonetheless, I've (we've) considered it. The only saving grace is the GT programme and AP classes. And Khan academy. Khan academy is awesome.

Thanks for the tip, Stan! That's a super helpful and interesting website.

Sorry about Keller ISD. Part of what lured us to Frisco was the ISD. But, I've got to say, we're not all that impressed. Yes, the test scores are high, but...this common core thing is ridiculously stupid. I'm still kind of in shock that Frisco has snuck it into the curriculum.

But, it is what it is. And, I'm just thankful that we are free to pull our kids out of it and homeschool without being hassled by the state. I hope that you all can someday homeschool if you are leaning that way.

Edited April 10, 2014 by The Fake Lonnie Finch