From: judy@locus.com (Judy Leedom Tyrer)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Homeschooling
Date: 25 Aug 92 18:41:16 GMT
Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California

In article <714707705snx@whizbang.wariat.org> mark@whizbang.wariat.org (Mark W. Schumann) writes:
>
>If my daughter does homeschool (and I don't know that she will),
>it will be for "effective, threat-free education."  Her mother,
>a professional teacher, doesn't see it the same way.  :-)
>
This has been an interesting thread, but I wonder about the term "threat free"
when homeschooling.  One poster mentioned that sometimes someone other than
a parent is better at imparting knowledge to a child.  After all, if you don't
learn not only will the teacher be frustrated and angry with you, teacher is
MOM (or DAD)!

My best friend in the whole world has home schooled her three children the
oldest of whom is now 14.  Lots of wonderful things happen in that household.
My favorite story was when the kids wanted a cake so my friend told them that
if they could come up with a reason for a cake, she'd make one.  So the kids
went to the library and did some research.  It turned out that Saturday was
Ben Franklin's birthday so they had a birthday party for him including a game
called "Pin the spectacles on Ben Franklin".  What a great and creative way
to teach.

On the other hand, my friend is virtually illiterate in science and math.  So
her children are getting an excellent liberal arts education.  However, their
math doesn't go beyond algebra because my friend cannot do calculus.  It one
of her children has a real knack for mathematics, that child will be somewhat
handicapped by her choice.  After all, you cannot teach calculus if you 
cannot understand it.  (And before I hear about little kids being unable to
do calculus, let me introduce you to my nephew who at age 13 was depressed 
because he had found a fundamental flaw in Einstein's theory of relatively and
when he went to tell his teacher his teacher informed him that the flaw had
already been published).  

But what worries me most about home schooling, at least for our situation, is
the fact that my children behave MUCH better for strangers than for us.  In
children's fellowship at church my kids have a reputation for being terrific
and easy to care for.  When we're the parents in the room they are AWFUL.  
In fact, so awful I will not take the fellowship room again until my kids are
out of it.  I was able to teach Mitchell to swim fairly well.  But Erin refuses
to learn from me.  We have much greater success when another adult takes her
and teaches her.  She won't blow bubbles or hold her breath for me, but will
for her friend's mom. 

I also know from observation how incredibly intense the job of parent/home
schooler can be.  My friend gets NO BREAK from her kids all day long.  So,
I think it's really a matter of the personalities of both the parent doing
the schooling and the children being taught.   Personally, I feel torn on this
because I have lots of fears about school and what it will do to my children.
But I KNOW what home schooling would do to my poor husband and it would have to
be me.  And I don't think I could do it.  

Now, in the old days, people hired teachers to live with them and teach their
children in the home.  That sounds like the best of both worlds!  We just don't
have that kind of money.


-- 
Judy Leedom Tyrer

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"	- William Blake