Homeschooling - Macomb,MI

Hi R.,
At first, we started homeschooling as a reaction to what we saw happening to our son in the public school system. We had played with the idea before sending him to K, but just weren't convinced (and it was a huge sacrifice for me that I was unsure about). But, after seeing how much my son changed in just a few months' time, we decided to pull him out and homeschool him. The first year was hard because everything had to be rearranged in our lives. But, 13 years later, I can say that we would never, ever go back to any other method of schooling if at all possible. I cannot imagine a scenerio where I would put my children in any other school system. We now homeschool for much better reasons. :) We have a strong conviction that we must educate our children in a Christian worldview. We have studied the roots of the public school system, and what we found shocked us. It is a Marxist creation. Get the children away from their parents as early as possible and train them to be good socialists, owned by the State. There is a strong hatred in the public school curriculum against God and Christianity. Even if you have a Christian teacher, what that teacher is teaching is NOT from a Christian perspective or worldview. It can't be because they are teaching what is put before them, and they really have no voice. Now, academically, a private one-on-one tutor who knows you and loves you is always the best method of instruction. Being able to constantly work on character issues is also a huge benefit (not only theirs, but I know my own character is constantly being honed!). Children can study more deeply the topics that interest them more. And, the relationships within the family are strengthened tremendously. We love being together everyday and just weep at the thought of being splintered for most of our days, both physically and emotionally. So, for us, it isn't just about not being satisfied with what the local schools have to offer. It is that we want so much more than the status quo that is out there. We want relationships, we want freedom, we want joy and peace and kindness. We want it all. :)

UPDATE (already!):
After reading another post, I wanted to add that you will see well adjusted and not so well adjusted people come out of any educational experience. Bringing up that you might know some people who are not well adjusted who were homeschooling is like saying that there are no maladjusted people coming out of public school. That is just silly. You get the full spectrum from all walks of life. It is a non-issue, and it is also subjective. Also, go to http://www.nheri.org/ to see the latest studies done on home education. Dr. Brian Ray is a peer-reviewed researcher who has actual numbers for your consideration. The myth that you have to be "qualified" to teach is wrong. The numbers show that children do just as well learning from a parent who has no college education as they do from one who has a master's. And, one more thing, many colleges, including Ivy League schools, have a department specifically geared towards recruiting homeschool grads. I know many homeschool grads who have excelled in their college education. They don't have to be spoon-fed because they have learned how to learn. They know how to go to the original sources and find out what they need or want to know. So, don't be tripped up by that myth.

I homeschool all of my children. It's a wonderful experience. There are curriculums out there that spell everything out for you and make it a smooth process. It's not always easy, but it is worth it! Maybe your son just needs a few more years before a formal classroom setting. I have read a lot on how boys just aren't ready for the classroom setting that young.
My son is in 2nd grade this year, though he is doing 3rd grade work. He loves to explore outside so we use nature study for Science right now.
I pulled my older two girls out of public school in 2006. My oldest in 2nd grade was struggling with reading and behavior issues and the teacher was not communicating with me. My other daughter in K was turning into a sassy snob and it was not acceptable.
As far as socializing it's much easier to truly socialize as homeschoolers than being stuck in a room with 20 other people who are the exact same age as you everyday. My kids can talk to adults and know how to play with babies and preschoolers. We go to church, participate in sports, and are part of a homeschool group.
I say give it a try.

My son is not homeschooled, but he is friends with kids from 2 families who are. I also knew some people as a young adult who had been homeschooled and I have seen both great results from it and pretty negative results.

I think you need to really think about three things:

1)WHY are you considering homeschooling?

2) Is that a learning atmosphere that your child will respond well to? Better than they would in a standard classroom?

3)Are YOU up to this? What qualifications do you have or are you willing to attain? How much work can you put into this personally? Do you have a good support system from your family, friends and other homeschoolers?

I believe that ALL of these things contribute to homeschooling being positive and turning out kids who are bright, well-prepared for higher education AND socially well adjusted OR- kids who have a lot of trouble with relationships and social structures later in life.

The young adults I knew in my 20s who had been homeschooled came from a family where a lot of the emphisis was on their personal beliefs- but not so much on education. I bring this up only because it made college VERY difficult for these kids. They did not know how to take tests, respond to a lecture setting etc. - because their parents had not prepared them for those situations very well! They also had a LOT of trouble adjusting in both groups and with personal relationships.

On the other hand, the kids my son takes aikido with who are homeschooled are VERY social and outgoing and well-adjusted with others. Their mother was a science teacher and belongs to several homeschooling co-ops where parents pool their knowledge and resources.

Her kids are involved in a lot of extra activities, like the aikido, where they socialize and make friends. I have no doubt that these kids will be well-prepared both academically and socially for college or whatever they decide to do next.

I have seen both good and bad results from homeschooling. I think if you do it effectively it can be great. But if you don't really make an effort, your child can end up having a lot of social issues later on.

You do not mention God or religion in your post and that seems to be the primary motivator for many of the parents who have replied here. Personally, my son has always had an excellent experience in public school- educationally, socially and morally. We teach our family values in the home and at church and he has turned out just fine! Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but keep in mind that these are JUST OPINIONS!

good luck whatever you decide!

We just started homeschooling our 5 year old. To be honest I am just "scared" of public school, after hearing stories from friends who's kids are in K. It has been going great so far and I can already see that we will be done with the whole K in 6 months and start 1 st grade . I am not a "natural" teacher so it is not easy for me, takes lots of research. We are involved in church, homeschooling groups that do field trips and will be starting some sports soon .Our son says that he likes it and asks to do school on the weekends:)

I decided to homeschool when I could no longer afford private school. We are a Christian family and I cannot in good conscience give my kids over to the public school system. The forces behind it are very anti-Christian and Anti-parents. They believe teachers know best for the children, not parents. So I certainly wasn't going to send my children to a public school for 8 hours a day and then try to undo what the system does to them for the limited time they are at home.
We homeschooled and it was wonderful. I found a great Christian Curriculum, I was able to taylor their education to them, I was able to take them on many field trips and teach them differently than just reading a text book and taking a test.
If you are considering homeschooling I say go for it. You know what's best for your child, how they learn, and what you want them taught.

I am thinking of it also. I just got the book by mary pride from the library and it was helpful, good for a first book to get your ideas/resources. I am thinking of doing it bc I went to school to teach and have decided that I could not teach for many reasons, and if I dont belive in teaching how can i send my DD to school. sorry so short, rushing. xo

My mom decided to home school us for at least first grade so that we would have a good foundation. My sister did 2-4th in school and I did just 2nd. At that point my older sister was acting like your son, just not into it. So she pulled us out the next year (1st, 3rd, 5th) and home schooled us all until high school. It worked really well for us. We were involved in music lessons, we got to go on trips and could just take school work along in the car with us. I really applied myself and would get my work done in a few hours in the morning, then had the rest of the day to play. I loved it. I did miss the social interaction honestly, but we were in a very small community and my mom tried to find friends for us, but there wasn't much to choose from. Once we moved to a new town it was no longer an issue.

We are beginning homeschoolers this year! My daughter was in a public school setting for preschool last year. Her teacher was great but like another mom mentioned, I saw a quick change in her as far as socially the things she came up with. She started to act out more and I just wasn't ready for it. Maybe I'm overprotective, I don't know...but my husband and I both felt it was best to homeschool. My daughter has high functioning Autism (we are doing our own speech therapy and OT this year) and so I've been doing a ton of research on the idea of socialization. People are so worried about that when you talk about homeschooling, but seriously, walk thru the halls of a middle school or high school (even some elementary) is that really the behavior you want your child to emulate? There are many ways to socialize your child beyond school. I know many families who started homeschooling and have said it's the best thing they've ever done. Look into a local homeschool organization and get connected with other homeschoolers. Good luck and God Bless!

I pulled my dd in 5th grade and my ds in 8th. Best thing I ever did. My son is a senior this year and is doing amazing. My dd is also doing wonderful. Both were social, so not the reason for us. The only regret I have is having ever sent them to public schools. We do not homeschool for religios reasons. We are involved in our secular homeschool group and do many activities. At that age it isn't a big deal to give it a try. If things don't seem to be what you hoped you can always put him back in next year. I do suggest joining a group(ours is on Yahoo, many are) and have your questions asked there. Feel free to email me! Good luck!!

i have friends.. they did it for religious reasons.. they didn't want their children exposed to different things.. the only thing i see that is bad, is they are not so social or friendly towards other kids.. they are smart.

We started because of academic reasons. My son was FINE socially (mr. butterfly/class clown, in fact, and STILL is)... but he was bored to tears. It came down that we had a choice between sending him to a private gifted school (at 15k a year), or HS him, because PS just wasn't working. So we pulled him out at the end of K. Even though he had the BEST teacher, I can't express how much I wish I had pulled him out at winter break. It took over 6mo of gentle, constant coaxing to get him to not hate school anymore, and another 6mo before he was back to the curious & excited kid he had been before K.

We've continued, however because of soooooo many other reasons/benefits we've found along the way.