Comments on: You guys post a lot

By: Tiff

Tiff — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 21:05:08 +0000

I so needed to read this right now. After homeschooling for 3 years, I put my son in a private school - after 2 months we just abruptly took him. Just this week. I’m not a good school mom. I couldn’t tell him why he should respect the teacher. I couldn’t even explain to him why he *had* to go. oh well, I just wrote about the sordid saga on my blog, fyi. http://www.xanga.com/daisyacademy

By: shannon

shannon — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 06:22:03 +0000

“I still have nightmares where I suddenly realize that I’m 35 years old and have missed more than a decade of math classes and that they’re going to come take my degree away.”

Okay, really, stop stealing my recurring nightmare. I have to go look at my PhD in the frame some nights when I wake up after this dream–complete with tartan kilt high school uniform!

You know what drives me nuts? People saying, “well I had to…and I turned out okay!” as an excuse to force their kids to do whatever. I want to object. Most people actually didn’t turn out all that okay. Acceptably socialized and not psychopathic is not okay enough, in my opinion. I want more for my kids.

By: Shara

Shara — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 18:05:34 +0000

Hi - I’m a pretty new to your blog, but wanted to comment on this post. I just wanted to thank you for writing about your school experiences, as I had very similar issues and have struggled for years to forge my way through a variety of schools. I struggled through a small private, parochial school that insisted on keeping all students “on the same level”, and never had the opportunity for honors or AP level school work. (The school has since improved, thankfully.) My mother had the foresight to find extracurricular academic activities and camps for me.

I went on to a very progressive college (Simon’s Rock) and was entirely unprepared for the work load and requirements, even though I had been a successful student throughout school. I loved Simon’s Rock and it saved me in so many ways, however I couldn’t hack it, and now 10 years and 3 other colleges later, I’m finally finishing my BA. I can’t say I’ve found a niche in academia or that I even like the college I’m graduating from (a large, public, city university), but I’ve created my own path and made the most of it.

I commend your active interest in your kids’ education and hope that home schooling brings Noah the rewards you hope to direct him towards. I just wanted to add that I feel like no matter what path you take, and no matter what struggles he faces, it sounds like you’re giving him the encouragement and love of learning that will allow him to find his way. (Hopefully with more ease than you or I or the many others who struggled so much with their academic/learning paths!)

By: gawdessness

gawdessness — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 04:56:28 +0000

This is the kind of thing that I wish I could print and have available to hand out. Sort of like a religious tract, only not so invasive.

By: Tiny Coconut

Tiny Coconut — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 01:05:52 +0000

I loved school, all the way through. I was an anomaly. My daughter, Em, loves school, of any kind. I knew she would. She’s a mini-me. The one thing that anyone who meets her always says to me is, “She’s so enthusiastic about learning!” I’ve asked her many times if she thinks she might like to be homeschooled like her friends are next door; she looks at me like I’ve grown another head. So like you said, there are people who can and do not only survive in but thrive in public school.

My son, N, may not fare as well. I am keeping homeschooling in my back pocket as an option for him, should my worries be realized. I may be a huge fan of public schooling, but I’m first and foremost a parent who cares about my kids more than I care about any single educational philosophy.

What I think is important about being a ’school parent’–or, rather, being the parent of a school-aged child–is that you keep your mind open to the options. I don’t think you’re foisting your experiences on your kids at all–up until the theoretical day when they ask to go to school and you try to talk them out of it by telling them what you went through.

Mostly, I think it’s our job as parents to make the best informed choices possible…and not to sacrifice our children to some ideal. You’re not doing that. So I wouldn’t worry about it too much.