In Answer to Your Questions
What made you decide to homeschool?
My son had a lot of ear infections as an infant and toddler, and was delayed in his speech. However, he made a lot of progress with his developmental therapy while we were in Japan (we're military). The people there, wrote a very good evaluation, and told us to have him re-evaluated when we got back to the states--which we did through Child Find.
It was 2:00 pm, my son was tired and cranky (he was 2 1/2, almost 3), and needless to say, wasn't very co-operative when the evaluator asked him to do certain things. I had told her that to begin with. She tested him anyway, and told me that he couldn't do this very well, and didn't understand that, and couldn't do this, etc.... I again told her, "Yes, he can--he's just tired right now." Well, she went on to tell me that he was slow in learning, and probably wouldn't be able to keep up with other kids his age when he's in school if he doesn't get some help now. Well, you can bet, that royally ticked me off!! Who was she to think she knows more about my son in 15 minutes than his own mother who has raised him from birth?!!!
I have read to my son since he was an infant. He knew his ABC's, numbers 0--10, and how to read and spell 3-letter words like cat, dog, man, boy, when he was 2 years old. When he was 3, he wanted to learn to read by himself, so my husband (who was very against homeschooling) challenged me. If I could teach him to read, then he would let me homeschool. I got the book, "How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons," and within a month, my son was reading simple sentences on his own.
We put him in Kindergarten at Lexington Park Christian School (now Kings Academy), where he had fun, but was doing a lot of things he already knew, like learning the alphabet and numbers, colors, and what have you. He did get to sing and play with other kids though. The following year they raised the tuition, so we bought the same curriculum they used in first grade, and homeschooled him that year. The total amount we spent on homeschooling that year was less that one month's tuition at the private school--and we used the same curriculum!
We homeschooled the first half of second grade as well, but at that point, my son had become a non-stop talker, and it was very difficult to homeschool that year for a lot of reasons. He went to Bay Montessori for the second half of the year.
We had a difficult year in 3rd grade but we survived. 4th grade was a lot better than 3rd, and we're going to do 5th grade next year. I know this is a long reply (sorry, it's not often I have time to participate in forums like this).
Did you have set subjects each day, like math, history, etc, or did you play it by ear?
When people first start to homeschool, many of them play it by ear because there are so many wonderful curriculums, and resources that are available that it's really quite overwhelming! Because every child is different, and every family's situation varies, it takes awhile to find out what works best for each child, as well as for the parents. I use a core curriculum like ABeka, but each year I vary our materials, and even substitute others for subjects like science and art.
We do all of the required subjects, Language/Grammer, Math, Science, Health, History, Social Studies, Art, Music, P.E., etc. The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that you can set the time and schedule to fit your family's needs, and it can vary from day to day. We work at the kitchen table most of the time, but we've also done Spelling in the car, on the way to the dentist, Math in the doctor's waiting room, etc. My son goes to Tae Kwon Do in the morning when most kids are in school, and has the benefit of more personalized instruction from the master. He also has the option of going in the afternoon if he prefers. The only reason we're able to take piano lessons is because the teacher only had openings in the morning and early afternoon while the other kids were in school. We can work through school holidays if we want, and take off when others are still in school, so we can go places when they are less crowded.
Next year, I plan on doing Math and Language everyday, and alternate everything else. If you'd like to take a look at some great homeschool websites that have excellent resources, and mention many of the benefits of homeschooling, let me know, and I'll send you the web addresses.
How did you teach stuff that you yourself might not have known?
There are things that I like and dislike about the ABeka Curriculum, but one thing I really like is that they explain things very well. I was never good at Math, and I really loved the little tricks and methods they used to explain certain concepts. It made things really easy to remember for my son. What I don't know, or have forgotten, I learn right along with my son, which makes it fun. My son knows more about the details of history than I ever did when I was his age! We both love doing history and science, and even though I don't have a degree, my husband has three, so he can step in any time. He can make history sound like a Star Wars Saga. Again, there are many resources out there if you know where to look, and most curriculums have a Teacher's Edition that tells you exactly what to say, and how to teach the subject, and again, you can always vary that as well. The first time I went to a homeschool curriculum fair, it took me three days to see everything!
As an untrained, undegreed parent operating as an effective teacher, do you shake your head at the public school teachers with their degrees in education and child development that don't seem to have a clue what they're doing?
I don't have anything against public school teachers. I know there are excellent ones out there who truly love what they're doing and who really care about kids. But let's face it, no one knows a child better than his own parents, and to me, that makes them more qualified than some piece of paper given to someone who completed a specific course of study. Whether or not they realize it, parents are both students and teachers from the moment they bring a child into this world--they've been teaching and learning all along. Unfortunately, just as there are good teachers and bad ones--there are good parents and bad ones as well. Again, it's not the teachers I oppose--it's the whole public school system and what they allow or don't allow, what they do or don't do, what they teach or don't teach. Kids who take the bus can be away from home from 7:00 am to as late as 4:00, or even 5:00 pm. That leaves 3 or 4 hours that a younger child has to finish his homework, eat, play, bathe, and get ready for bed--and is that really quality family time? Who has more influence on the child--his family, or the public?
On a good day, we start school at 9:00 am, finish around noon, and my son has the rest of the day to do other fun activities. Granted, that's not usually the case in our house--there have been times when we have run into dinner time and still have not finished. But most of the time we're done around 1:00 or 2:00 pm.
Many homeschoolers do a lot of extra-curricular activities. There are those who think they are socially deprived, when in reality, they are more socially diverse than their peers in public schools. They don't spend most of the day with a group of people who are all the same age, learning the same things the same way, with only one or two adults in the same room. Where in the real world do you find that situation after they graduate from high school? They go out into the real world to a job where they will work with people of different ages, from different backgrounds, experiences, and situations. For many, the self-esteem they obtained among their peers and teachers goes out the window when they are placed in these new situations that they are not comfortable with. While some may appear to be self-confident, many only act like they are.
Studies have shown that many homeschoolers are not only more confident in the real world, but are more focused, are able to work more independently, and produce higher quality work because many of them are 1 to 3 grades ahead of their peers in public school. There are homeschool groups where these kids meet to do certain subjects together. They play together with kids of all ages, and have more time to do things. Many go on field trips where they have the opportunity to talk to people of all ages, and have more time to interact with people of different ages, not just hang out with kids their own age. Besides the required subjects, many take music lessons, study a foreign language like Latin or Greek, or are involved in Scouting, martial arts, theater, dance, or a variety of other activities. Many have done more traveling throughout the states, or even other countries, than their public school peers will ever have the opportunity to do--as families experiencing historic sites and excavations together. Of course, that too, may not be the norm for most homeschooling families. But, there are those who do.
There are many myths about homeschooling that are simply not true. If you want to know the truth about homeschooling, then ask questions and talk to those who have done it, who have gone through the homeschool experience. You don't go to a brain surgeon to learn about computer programming, or to a lawyer to learn electrical engineering. You go to those who really know their trade in order to gain a solid understanding of the subject.
Again, if you'd like a list of some great homeschool websites, e-mail me at
tranquilfountains@yahoo.com
and I told her I can't protect her from everything and I can't make them behave. She had to learn to deal with it on her own, she did and I think she's better because of it. 
My mother had just passed away the evening before and all my family gathered at my house. We had food and drinks and were sharing stories about my mom when here daughter and son came to our home to hang out with my two children. 
... Apparently, there is a program that home schoolers go to a few times a week :shrug: and then his parents also have him in soccer and such... 
