Homeschool vs Public school
This is an emailed to another home-schooler who asked for opinions and "arguements" for her BiL to try to help him understand other peoples points of view from former publicly schooled parents of HS over PS. It just expressed myself so well I needed to post it here.
I pulled my son out of public school this year after realizing that most of the day was spent going from class to class, spending 10 minutes getting to go to a 30 min lunch then spending 10 min going back, etc. And "special areas", music, art, gym, computer lab, and library; each one of these for 45 minutes once a week so another 15 minutes getting to and from these classes. Plus my son prefers computer lab to gym, etc.
We count the 4hrs a week at soccer as his gym since he is getting more exercise and doing something he loves. Music- he is learning an instrument that he can't learn in school because they don't offer it. Art- we go to museums instead of looking at pictures in books and using his artistic talents in a way that he enjoys and is good at- sculpting, painting etc. He gets one hour a day on the computer, doing research and yes playing games (mostly educational). Library- he is an avid reader so instead of getting to check out 2 books per week and being done with them in 2 days we go to the library once, check out as many books as we like and return them when he is done.
Public schools only do one or two field trips per year and everyone goes- usually to something for entertainment value, not educational. We go on many "field trips". We going to local museums, civil war re-enactments, camping to learn outdoor skills, the firehouse, we are able to go to matinees to see plays, the local theater group often puts on classes and productions that the kids can participate in, that he has been reading about, or even just for the entertainment value but it is an experience I wouldn't take away. I loved plays as a child and it is art, when do they get this in public school?
He doesn't have to put up with bullying that happens to him because he is different. He is smaller than average, the smallest in his class and always has been, He is also smarter than average and would be teased for knowing the answers, enjoying reading & reading for pleasure when he finished his work before everyone else or because he didn't express himself well.
Some people worry about "socialization" but I don't want my child to be "socialized" this way. He makes friends of different ages but with like interests. He has more outside activities and made more friends through those activities instead of acquaintances that may or may not share his interests.
I also understand my child better than someone else and know he learns differently and in public school he struggled getting his ideas across as well as having a harder time learning the materials. He is a hands on learner and in public school they cater to book learns and have no patience with kids who need to touch, explore, and move around. My son also gets frustrated and can't express his ideas or himself well when pressured.
He asked to be home-schooled and it was something I had been considering because of these things so when he asked we discussed it and decided it was the best thing for him. We asked him if he would like to go back to school during Christmas break so he could start up at the new semester and he replied immediately and emphatically "NO". We also enjoy the extra time together and I am learning more about him and along with him, doing more, exploring more.
He is enjoying learning so much more because we do it at his pace so we cover more material and material he is interested in he can learn more about instead of rushing to a new topic the next week. If he needs to review a concept we can spend more time on it so he succeeds and excels at it instead of getting bad grades because he didn't complete what they wanted on their timetable.
This is longer than I intend but once I reflected on it and the thoughts started flowing I just started writing and didn't notice how long it had gotten. I hope this helps your brother-in-law understand why homeschooling is so important and sometimes even essential for some students.
Monica Witkowski
I pulled my son out of public school this year after realizing that most of the day was spent going from class to class, spending 10 minutes getting to go to a 30 min lunch then spending 10 min going back, etc. And "special areas", music, art, gym, computer lab, and library; each one of these for 45 minutes once a week so another 15 minutes getting to and from these classes. Plus my son prefers computer lab to gym, etc.
We count the 4hrs a week at soccer as his gym since he is getting more exercise and doing something he loves. Music- he is learning an instrument that he can't learn in school because they don't offer it. Art- we go to museums instead of looking at pictures in books and using his artistic talents in a way that he enjoys and is good at- sculpting, painting etc. He gets one hour a day on the computer, doing research and yes playing games (mostly educational). Library- he is an avid reader so instead of getting to check out 2 books per week and being done with them in 2 days we go to the library once, check out as many books as we like and return them when he is done.
Public schools only do one or two field trips per year and everyone goes- usually to something for entertainment value, not educational. We go on many "field trips". We going to local museums, civil war re-enactments, camping to learn outdoor skills, the firehouse, we are able to go to matinees to see plays, the local theater group often puts on classes and productions that the kids can participate in, that he has been reading about, or even just for the entertainment value but it is an experience I wouldn't take away. I loved plays as a child and it is art, when do they get this in public school?
He doesn't have to put up with bullying that happens to him because he is different. He is smaller than average, the smallest in his class and always has been, He is also smarter than average and would be teased for knowing the answers, enjoying reading & reading for pleasure when he finished his work before everyone else or because he didn't express himself well.
Some people worry about "socialization" but I don't want my child to be "socialized" this way. He makes friends of different ages but with like interests. He has more outside activities and made more friends through those activities instead of acquaintances that may or may not share his interests.
I also understand my child better than someone else and know he learns differently and in public school he struggled getting his ideas across as well as having a harder time learning the materials. He is a hands on learner and in public school they cater to book learns and have no patience with kids who need to touch, explore, and move around. My son also gets frustrated and can't express his ideas or himself well when pressured.
He asked to be home-schooled and it was something I had been considering because of these things so when he asked we discussed it and decided it was the best thing for him. We asked him if he would like to go back to school during Christmas break so he could start up at the new semester and he replied immediately and emphatically "NO". We also enjoy the extra time together and I am learning more about him and along with him, doing more, exploring more.
He is enjoying learning so much more because we do it at his pace so we cover more material and material he is interested in he can learn more about instead of rushing to a new topic the next week. If he needs to review a concept we can spend more time on it so he succeeds and excels at it instead of getting bad grades because he didn't complete what they wanted on their timetable.
This is longer than I intend but once I reflected on it and the thoughts started flowing I just started writing and didn't notice how long it had gotten. I hope this helps your brother-in-law understand why homeschooling is so important and sometimes even essential for some students.
Monica Witkowski