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Home schooling is illegal in my jurisdiction but this entire discussion is making me think about it more and more. A question though: does homeschooling requir

by kqr 3y ago

Home schooling is illegal in my jurisdiction but this entire discussion is making me think about it more and more. A question though: does homeschooling require essentially that the entire family can be supported on one salary? (Either by one parent working and the other teaching, or two parents working but paying a full time tutor which becomes a 2-1=1 sort of thing anyway.)

bruce511 3y ago
Home schooling is a complex topic, and one end of a broad spectrum. I wasn't home schooled, but my wife did home school the kids to about grade 4, and yep, she didn't have a salary in that time. But home schooling is a nuclear option. For most people it's not a realistic option. Of course, as parents, we're always home schoolers, even if the kids are at school during the day. There are so many ways to stimulate and engage (especially younger) children. Reading is one avenue, but its not for everyone. Some get into cooking, or nature, (or programming) or music or art, or whatever. Interests change as they grow. Reading young is very empowering. My parents taught me to read before I went to school. Reading to very younger children helps them understand the concept of stories. (I read a chapter of Swiss Family Robinson to the kids when the oldest was like 6. Hint: some editing and commentary is required - it was written in a different age.) There are also schools with good teachers, and ones with crap teachers. Sometimes you get lucky. Some kids are good at adapting to adults not having their best day, others not as much.
zarzavat 3y ago
> does homeschooling require essentially that the entire family can be supported on one salary? Yes. The main purpose of government schools is to provide a place to park children so that their parents can be more economically efficient. At least in my country, the “learning” supposedly provided is a secondary priority (your country may be different). My government is very concerned that children go to school, they are somewhat less concerned about what happens when they get there.
- gregjor 3y ago
  Yes that sums up the actual priorities. Day care first, obedience and indoctrination second, learning anything last. Montessori maybe a good option, but expensive and many schools have long waiting lists. I understand homeschooling doesn’t work economically for a lot of families. It did for us. We more or less unschooled without a specific curriculum — homeschooling doesn’t have to mean imitating what goes on in schools. Read John Holt and Ivan Illich for inspiration.

by kqr 3y ago

bruce511 3y ago

Home schooling is a complex topic, and one end of a broad spectrum. I wasn't home schooled, but my wife did home school the kids to about grade 4, and yep, she didn't have a salary in that time. But home schooling is a nuclear option. For most people it's not a realistic option. Of course, as parents, we're always home schoolers, even if the kids are at school during the day. There are so many ways to stimulate and engage (especially younger) children. Reading is one avenue, but its not for everyone. Some get into cooking, or nature, (or programming) or music or art, or whatever. Interests change as they grow. Reading young is very empowering. My parents taught me to read before I went to school. Reading to very younger children helps them understand the concept of stories. (I read a chapter of Swiss Family Robinson to the kids when the oldest was like 6. Hint: some editing and commentary is required - it was written in a different age.) There are also schools with good teachers, and ones with crap teachers. Sometimes you get lucky. Some kids are good at adapting to adults not having their best day, others not as much.

zarzavat 3y ago

> does homeschooling require essentially that the entire family can be supported on one salary? Yes. The main purpose of government schools is to provide a place to park children so that their parents can be more economically efficient. At least in my country, the “learning” supposedly provided is a secondary priority (your country may be different). My government is very concerned that children go to school, they are somewhat less concerned about what happens when they get there.

gregjor 3y ago
Yes that sums up the actual priorities. Day care first, obedience and indoctrination second, learning anything last. Montessori maybe a good option, but expensive and many schools have long waiting lists. I understand homeschooling doesn’t work economically for a lot of families. It did for us. We more or less unschooled without a specific curriculum — homeschooling doesn’t have to mean imitating what goes on in schools. Read John Holt and Ivan Illich for inspiration.