Re: Returning to Public School
Jac & Liz Grimes
Last school year my 2 teen age daughters wanted to return to public school
after only a year & half of homeschooling. One of the girls is very
outgoing and needs to be around lots and lots of people most of the time.
Even though her personal problems (why I took out of public school to begin
with) gets in the way of really making friends, she is having a ball in
school. Her extrovert nature is being fed. She is willing to put forth
effort for a teacher that she would not put forth for me or herself. She
also needs to feel that she is in total control of her life and being away
from me during the day feeds this need.As her mother my job is to meet her
needs in the best way possible and being in public school is the best way
for all of us to have those needs met.
The younger girl was totally miserable and only remained in public school
for 9weeks. She returned to homeschooling. She is very much of a loner and
is miserable in crowds of people. She is much happier with one or two
people at a time. She still hasn't found an interest that she is willing to
put a great deal of effort into. She admits that she hates anything that
resemble schooling. She has spent since Christmas deschooling and
unschooling. She does not do well structuring her own time, she needs
outside input. It is very hard to sit back and not push really hard for her
to be "doing something". I do insist that she volunteer somewhere of her
choice at least 4 hours per week and that she stay involved in the church
youth group. I also insist that she chooses one activity that she must do
each "semester". If I don't make her get out and expose her to various
activities she would stay in her room listening to music all day long and
never try anything new or different.
My middle son is multiply handicapped and is in a special public school. He
receives therapies and services that I could never provide outside of the
system. I just wouldn't have the time and energy to take him to these
services and still do with the other children the things that they need. We
were told when we adopted him that he would not live to be 5 yrs old. He
turned 13 this year and the public school teachers have pushed him to reach
potentials that we never dreamed possible for him. Somethimes I have to
work hard on increasing my expectations of him, and the teachers at his
school help with that. He loves going to school because this is the one
place that he has friends that are like him, in a wheel chair.
My youngest thrives with an unschooling approach to learning. As soon as I
try to interfer he shuts down and looses interest. My job with this child
is as a facilitator (and he is only 4.5)!
I truly believe that there are no cookie cutter answers to educating our
children. Each child needs to have their own needs meeet in what ever
educational setting is appropriate. And that can vary from child to child
even in the same family.
Peace,
Liz
after only a year & half of homeschooling. One of the girls is very
outgoing and needs to be around lots and lots of people most of the time.
Even though her personal problems (why I took out of public school to begin
with) gets in the way of really making friends, she is having a ball in
school. Her extrovert nature is being fed. She is willing to put forth
effort for a teacher that she would not put forth for me or herself. She
also needs to feel that she is in total control of her life and being away
from me during the day feeds this need.As her mother my job is to meet her
needs in the best way possible and being in public school is the best way
for all of us to have those needs met.
The younger girl was totally miserable and only remained in public school
for 9weeks. She returned to homeschooling. She is very much of a loner and
is miserable in crowds of people. She is much happier with one or two
people at a time. She still hasn't found an interest that she is willing to
put a great deal of effort into. She admits that she hates anything that
resemble schooling. She has spent since Christmas deschooling and
unschooling. She does not do well structuring her own time, she needs
outside input. It is very hard to sit back and not push really hard for her
to be "doing something". I do insist that she volunteer somewhere of her
choice at least 4 hours per week and that she stay involved in the church
youth group. I also insist that she chooses one activity that she must do
each "semester". If I don't make her get out and expose her to various
activities she would stay in her room listening to music all day long and
never try anything new or different.
My middle son is multiply handicapped and is in a special public school. He
receives therapies and services that I could never provide outside of the
system. I just wouldn't have the time and energy to take him to these
services and still do with the other children the things that they need. We
were told when we adopted him that he would not live to be 5 yrs old. He
turned 13 this year and the public school teachers have pushed him to reach
potentials that we never dreamed possible for him. Somethimes I have to
work hard on increasing my expectations of him, and the teachers at his
school help with that. He loves going to school because this is the one
place that he has friends that are like him, in a wheel chair.
My youngest thrives with an unschooling approach to learning. As soon as I
try to interfer he shuts down and looses interest. My job with this child
is as a facilitator (and he is only 4.5)!
I truly believe that there are no cookie cutter answers to educating our
children. Each child needs to have their own needs meeet in what ever
educational setting is appropriate. And that can vary from child to child
even in the same family.
Peace,
Liz
Brown
Liz
I really admire the attitude you are taking with your kids. I have seen people
grimmly cling to an 'ideal' in the face of everyone's misery! A techno-wizard in
a Steiner (Waldorf) school. A social butterfly kept away from 'peer pressure'. A
kid who needs structure given none. A kid who hates structure forced to march in
time in a line.
Far better IMO to find the way that best suits the child. I too know kids who
have loved school, even when they have been homeschooled for years. One girl I
know says she will homeschool her kids when she has them, but has been very
happy in school since she chose to go when she was 14yo.
Carol
Jac & Liz Grimes wrote:
I really admire the attitude you are taking with your kids. I have seen people
grimmly cling to an 'ideal' in the face of everyone's misery! A techno-wizard in
a Steiner (Waldorf) school. A social butterfly kept away from 'peer pressure'. A
kid who needs structure given none. A kid who hates structure forced to march in
time in a line.
Far better IMO to find the way that best suits the child. I too know kids who
have loved school, even when they have been homeschooled for years. One girl I
know says she will homeschool her kids when she has them, but has been very
happy in school since she chose to go when she was 14yo.
Carol
Jac & Liz Grimes wrote:
> From: Jac & Liz Grimes <JGrimes@...>
>
> Last school year my 2 teen age daughters wanted to return to public school
> after only a year & half of homeschooling. One of the girls is very
> outgoing and needs to be around lots and lots of people most of the time.
> Even though her personal problems (why I took out of public school to begin
> with) gets in the way of really making friends, she is having a ball in
> school. Her extrovert nature is being fed. She is willing to put forth
> effort for a teacher that she would not put forth for me or herself. She
> also needs to feel that she is in total control of her life and being away
> from me during the day feeds this need.As her mother my job is to meet her
> needs in the best way possible and being in public school is the best way
> for all of us to have those needs met.
>
> The younger girl was totally miserable and only remained in public school
> for 9weeks. She returned to homeschooling. She is very much of a loner and
> is miserable in crowds of people. She is much happier with one or two
> people at a time. She still hasn't found an interest that she is willing to
> put a great deal of effort into. She admits that she hates anything that
> resemble schooling. She has spent since Christmas deschooling and
> unschooling. She does not do well structuring her own time, she needs
> outside input. It is very hard to sit back and not push really hard for her
> to be "doing something". I do insist that she volunteer somewhere of her
> choice at least 4 hours per week and that she stay involved in the church
> youth group. I also insist that she chooses one activity that she must do
> each "semester". If I don't make her get out and expose her to various
> activities she would stay in her room listening to music all day long and
> never try anything new or different.
>
> My middle son is multiply handicapped and is in a special public school. He
> receives therapies and services that I could never provide outside of the
> system. I just wouldn't have the time and energy to take him to these
> services and still do with the other children the things that they need. We
> were told when we adopted him that he would not live to be 5 yrs old. He
> turned 13 this year and the public school teachers have pushed him to reach
> potentials that we never dreamed possible for him. Somethimes I have to
> work hard on increasing my expectations of him, and the teachers at his
> school help with that. He loves going to school because this is the one
> place that he has friends that are like him, in a wheel chair.
>
> My youngest thrives with an unschooling approach to learning. As soon as I
> try to interfer he shuts down and looses interest. My job with this child
> is as a facilitator (and he is only 4.5)!
>
> I truly believe that there are no cookie cutter answers to educating our
> children. Each child needs to have their own needs meeet in what ever
> educational setting is appropriate. And that can vary from child to child
> even in the same family.
>
> Peace,
> Liz
>
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In a message dated 8/22/99 11:52:28 AM, mjcmbrwn@... writes:
<<I really admire the attitude you are taking with your kids. I have seen
people
grimmly cling to an 'ideal' in the face of everyone's misery! A techno-wizard
in
a Steiner (Waldorf) school. A social butterfly kept away from 'peer
pressure'. A
kid who needs structure given none. A kid who hates structure forced to march
in
time in a line.>>
I definitely agree with the point you are making. I kind of wonder how I
would ever tell if I had a kid that needed structure. What kind of
indications would I see? (I'm really random and whimsical myself.)
Betsy
<<I really admire the attitude you are taking with your kids. I have seen
people
grimmly cling to an 'ideal' in the face of everyone's misery! A techno-wizard
in
a Steiner (Waldorf) school. A social butterfly kept away from 'peer
pressure'. A
kid who needs structure given none. A kid who hates structure forced to march
in
time in a line.>>
I definitely agree with the point you are making. I kind of wonder how I
would ever tell if I had a kid that needed structure. What kind of
indications would I see? (I'm really random and whimsical myself.)
Betsy
Jac and Liz Grimes
> For me it has been easy. Each of my children is so different and constantly let me know just how different they are. Even as toddlers one needed more routine and solitude in her day in order to be a happy content person. The other child has always been very happy when surrounded by people and in the middle of what the other one would have considered chaos. If you pay attention to what works with each child you can figure out each of their educational needs. I don't know how old your kids are, but mine have never hesitated to tell me what they need and what I am doing wrong and now that they are teens......well, it seems I do nothing right!! I am much more structured and routine oriented than hubby or a couple of the kids, it drivesOne thing that helped was reading the book "Nuture by Nature" (don't recall the authors). This deals with Myers Briggs personality types and what each needs to thrive and how to deal with them as preschoolers, schoolagers, and teens.
> them crazy. But, their haphazard way of approaching projects and laid back approach to completing them drive the rest of us crazy. I guess it all evens out in the end.
> Peace,Liz
>
> I definitely agree with the point you are making. I kind of wonder how I
> would ever tell if I had a kid that needed structure. What kind of
> indications would I see? (I'm really random and whimsical myself.)
>
> Betsy
>