Posted by Linksalot on 0:01 Dec 21
In Reply to: About introducing yourself post below...let's all tell a bit about ourselves even though we've been around a while. There are many newbies on here recently who probably appreciate the info. I'll go... posted by NOLAdy
Dc are 13, 10, 10 and 4, and we're back in the States now. After re-reading this intro, I remember how worried I was about ds. He's improved immensely, and I really do believe homeschooling has been wonderful for him. It's been great for all of us, but especially for him, I think.
When we started homeschooling, I'd planned to do it all the way to high school. I still would like to do that, but I'm not going to refuse to consider it if something comes up or circumstances change. I definitely feel this is the best thing for us and I guess I can't believe anything would change my mind about that, but ... never say never!
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Finally an intro! and is anybody else torn between WTM and unschooling? (loooong)
Hi, I've been lurking here for a little while and posting occasionally. Finally worked up enough courage to write an introduction. Before I get to it though, I want to thank you for all the wonderful advice and stories. You've provided such a wealth of information. This is a fantastic resource!!
This is our first year homeschooling, and I am so excited about it. (Hubby is taking a "wait and see" approach). We have 4 children - daughter (10), boy/girl twins (7) and another daughter (2). We are stationed overseas right now, and that really makes it a lot easier to homeschool (less regulation and red tape).
When I first started researching homeschooling I fell in love with the idea of unschooling. Then when I read WTM I fell in love with that! So now I'm trying to find some middle ground. They definitely seem like opposite ends of the spectrum! I've read that so many people started out too gung-ho and have scaled back, and I've also read how some people started out very laid back and have added some more structure into their schedule. I feel like I'm overwhelming the kids (and myself, too, sometimes!) but it seems like there is so much to do.
Like I said earlier, I'm so excited about this and want to try so many things but I'm worried that I'll turn the kids off to learning. One of the big reasons I want to homeschool is that I want the kids to love learning and to seek out knowledge. It seems like so many kids are apathetic about school.
I would appreciate hearing suggestions about how to decide what to focus on and what to let go of. We don't have a very well-stocked library here, so I end up buying a lot of the books suggested in WTM. It's just getting way too expensive!
I'm also wondering how to adapt WTM for my son. Since it's such a language intensive curriculum, my girls do much better than he does with spelling, writing, reading, etc. I'm wondering if anybody else has noticed that for their son(s). I'm reading a book called "Boys and Girls Learn Differently!" by Michael Gurian. He's pointed out several things I've been noticing since the twins started school. (They've been to kindergarten and 1st grade). I don't compare the twins, but they notice that he's not as far ahead as his twin sister in reading, writing, etc. That affects his self-esteem, so we try to show how he's better at other things.
Wondered if Jessie Wise noticed any disparity with her kids when she was homeschooling them (thought she had two boys and one girl). Her daughter has sure benefited from it, but I wondered how the boys fared. Is a language intensive curriculum harder for boys?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing from anybody who has any advice or suggestions for me! Thanks!
Stacey