beanmommy2

We got together with some acquaintances yesterday who have always
been "relaxed homeschoolers," I would say. The mother was talking
about how they just "started school" a couple weeks ago using a
brand-new curriculum.

I turned to the 11-year-old boy and asked how he liked it. His eyes
narrowed and he made a "grumpy face." Then he said something like,
He didn't like it.

I asked him, "What is it like? What have you been doing?"

He shrugged and said, "Nothing. I don't know. I never pay attention
anyway."

His mother smiled and sort of giggled and said, "Yes you do! You've
learned a lot so far ... latitude and longitude ..."

He shrugged again, then said, "I hate school!"

The subject changed.

What's particularly interesting to me is that for the years I've
known this family, the mother has always gushed about how wonderful
homeschooling is and how it's going so well for all of them, and how
she "makes it fun" for the kids.

*********************************************************************

It made me wonder, if a kid feels that way, would it almost be
better for them to just go to regular school? I guess there are
advantages to being home, even if you hate the "school" part ....
but at the same time, it almost seems like it would be better to
hate "school" as something you go away to, as opposed to something
that's in your own living room with your own mother.

It seems like that would have to hurt the relationship between the
mom and kids.

Anyway, I just thought that might make for some interesting
discussion...

Jenny

InnerLight Academy

We went on a field trip with a 'mixing ' of different cover schools(Alabama).
With the mixing you get all sorts of methods.
The field trip was a tour of a doughnut factory and my guys went to eat free doughnuts if nothing else.
After the touring itself finished we sat in the cafe area to eat doughnuts and chat. The lady who was in charge of the trip comes out and starts asking tour questions, and making math problems out of it and just on and on. Just sucking ALL the fun out of something sorta interesting, you could just see all the kids glaze over.
One lady a few tables over with a little guy no more than 6 years or so had made up index cards with the word 'doughnut' and 'ABC' and some other things I couldnt see. She tells the kid lets go over this now trace it with your finger. D O U
Well he runs off to the window where you can see production carrying on. She makes him come back and start over, again the little guy walks off and says no, I dont want to do that.
She keeps on and on till he is crying and she is holding his arm by force making him trace the letters.

We are in a doughnut shop people, geesh...

I just cant believe some people are that insensitive to their own kids. Others at her table were just aging her on and telling the boy you need to learn this...

Makes you wonder what does she does to the poor kid when shes not in public.
Just Made me sick...

Dena

beanmommy2 <beanmommy2@...> wrote:
We got together with some acquaintances yesterday who have always
been "relaxed homeschoolers," I would say. The mother was talking
about how they just "started school" a couple weeks ago using a
brand-new curriculum.

I turned to the 11-year-old boy and asked how he liked it. His eyes
narrowed and he made a "grumpy face." Then he said something like,
He didn't like it.

I asked him, "What is it like? What have you been doing?"

He shrugged and said, "Nothing. I don't know. I never pay attention
anyway."

His mother smiled and sort of giggled and said, "Yes you do! You've
learned a lot so far ... latitude and longitude ..."

He shrugged again, then said, "I hate school!"

The subject changed.

What's particularly interesting to me is that for the years I've
known this family, the mother has always gushed about how wonderful
homeschooling is and how it's going so well for all of them, and how
she "makes it fun" for the kids.

*********************************************************************

It made me wonder, if a kid feels that way, would it almost be
better for them to just go to regular school? I guess there are
advantages to being home, even if you hate the "school" part ....
but at the same time, it almost seems like it would be better to
hate "school" as something you go away to, as opposed to something
that's in your own living room with your own mother.

It seems like that would have to hurt the relationship between the
mom and kids.

Anyway, I just thought that might make for some interesting
discussion...

Jenny





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

ann_mv05

> It made me wonder, if a kid feels that way, would it almost be
> better for them to just go to regular school? I guess there are
> advantages to being home, even if you hate the "school" part ....
> but at the same time, it almost seems like it would be better to
> hate "school" as something you go away to, as opposed to something
> that's in your own living room with your own mother.
>
> It seems like that would have to hurt the relationship between the
> mom and kids.
>
> Anyway, I just thought that might make for some interesting
> discussion...
>
> Jenny

I think it very much depends. I know several home schooling families
who have very different styles than we do. Even though they would be
considered much more structured or 'schoolish', their kids still get
way more free time and their learning is still more directed to their
interests than it would be in school. Now in a couple of rare cases,
the mom was such a huge control freak, and the kids' lives were so
narrow, that yes, I do think they would have been happier in school.
Typically, this is your very rigid extreme. The last mom I met that
was like this, had determined that each of their children MUST go to
college, that was the only path to 'sucess' as far as she was
concerned. Since they were rather poor, she determined that they
needed high ACT scores in order to get a scholarship, so she
basically drilled her kids in everything she thought they would need
for a high score...very sad. The first two kids did indeed do well
and get scholarships, but the third one, no matter how hard she tried
just couldn't test well. That poor little girl really felt like she
was letting her family down. Happily most moms I know do some
schoolish stuff for a couple of hours a day, but then the kid is
free. I think those kids still seem quite happy. Probably they
would be happier if they were able to unschool, but still better off
than being glued to a seat for 6 hours a day.

Ann

nellebelle

>>>>>>>>>you could just see all the kids glaze over.>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yummy, glazed kids! lol

Mary Ellen

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

School at a doughnut shop might not be too bad IF the kids have the option to
leave.

I think that's what makes the crucial difference: choice.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Schuyler Waynforth

Not necessarily related to the idea of making your child hate being at
home with you the parent, but I find that Simon and Linnaea's friends
who are schooled-at-home versus those who go to school are given less
exposure to popular culture in particular. There is definitely a
certain type of homeschooler who is insulating their children from
outside experiences. I must admit, it makes for tsk, tsk, tsking over
our choices. We went once to a friends house and Simon and the son
got on the computer to play one of the "educational" computer games
they are allowed, Carmen Sandiego or something like it. The eldest
daughter turned to her mother and smirked and said something
suggesting that the action had been predicted prior to our arrival.
Of course, when they come to our house not only do they play our
computer games outside the "educational" market and those within it,
but they play on the gamecube and watch videos ad libitum and eat
things that are not on offer at their house.

Unfortunately, as Simon and Linnaea like the family, the parents have
decided that we are not appropriate to mix with.

Schuyler



--- In [email protected], "beanmommy2"
<beanmommy2@y...> wrote:
>*********************************************************************
>
> It made me wonder, if a kid feels that way, would it almost be
> better for them to just go to regular school? I guess there are
> advantages to being home, even if you hate the "school" part ....
> but at the same time, it almost seems like it would be better to
> hate "school" as something you go away to, as opposed to something
> that's in your own living room with your own mother.
>
> It seems like that would have to hurt the relationship between the
> mom and kids.
>
> Anyway, I just thought that might make for some interesting
> discussion...
>
> Jenny

Salamander starr

Dena,
Where in Alabama are you, if you don't mind me asking. Also, I was curious
about which cover you are with and how you liked it. You can respond
directly at salamanderstarr@... .
Thanks.

A

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
--Oscar Wilde




>From: InnerLight Academy <innerlightacademy@...>
>Reply-To: [email protected]
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Is school-at-home worse than school at
>doughnut shop?
>Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 14:24:33 -0700 (PDT)
>
>
>
>We went on a field trip with a 'mixing ' of different cover
>schools(Alabama).
>With the mixing you get all sorts of methods.

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