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I was a youth camp counselor, then a 'physics counselor' for a small non-profit that teaches a lot of stem via experiments and who got called at youth camps, sc

by orwin 2y ago

I was a youth camp counselor, then a 'physics counselor' for a small non-profit that teaches a lot of stem via experiments and who got called at youth camps, schools and by other non-profit. Let me guess how you were successful: You had at least one adult not working but present (I saw that with parents, but also an uncle and a greatfather once). - You probably lived near activities, in an urban or suburbian area, with OK to great public transportation (forgot you could drive as early as 16 in the US, maybe I'm wrong about the public transportation, but it help). - you probably had a support network (non profit with other parents who homeschool their kids). All this is practically mandatory for successful homeschooling. Then stuff that help: access to the official curriculum, independant home, curious parents (all this non mandatory) Also, when comparing success with homeschooling VS public school, you have to compare socioeconomic class and home stability. In country like France or the US with terrible public school system, I guess homeschooling 'the right way' should be a bit more successfull, I doubt this is the case in northern Europe or in countries with good to great public schools.

gregjor 2y ago
I mentioned our situation (back when we had young children) in other comments. I could work from home at least some of the time, my wife quit working while we had young children (because I make more money). We moved to suburban Portland to have other families and activities nearby, and because Oregon has relatively liberal laws regarding homeschooling. And we had family and friends there already. We found groups of homeschoolers -- easy to do, they're all online now. We did not follow the official curriculum, just made ourselves aware of the requirements for obtaining a high school diploma should our kids want to do that (they did, all got it easily). We more or less "unschooled," which means no rigid curriculum, no trying to re-create the classroom at home, and letting kids choose how to spend their time, within limits (we didn't allow much TV and video games and social media weren't much of a thing back then). Our technique, if you can call it that, was based a lot on Montessori, which I recommend to parents who can afford that but can't manage homeschooling, or don't feel like they can competently do it. I know not everyone can homeschool their kids, for practical or personal reasons. I don't suggest everyone do it, or that kids who go to school are necessarily getting damaged or harmed (though that does happen). Ask any teacher, the number one predictor of academic success is parental involvement. Whether that takes the form of homeschooling, or just paying attention and spending time with your kids, that time makes a huge difference in the long term. I don't mean going to school board meetings and screaming about snack machines or sex education classes, I mean spending actual time with your kids so they feel valued and part of the family rather than an inconvenience.
- sanderjd 2y ago
  Yeah, I think homeschooling is a classic bimodal thing. It is probably better than a classroom of thirty kids with a harried teacher and not much play time, for the right families doing it for the right reasons. But many people choose to do it for ideological reasons and without the right resources, with worse outcomes.

by orwin 2y ago

gregjor 2y ago

I mentioned our situation (back when we had young children) in other comments. I could work from home at least some of the time, my wife quit working while we had young children (because I make more money). We moved to suburban Portland to have other families and activities nearby, and because Oregon has relatively liberal laws regarding homeschooling. And we had family and friends there already. We found groups of homeschoolers -- easy to do, they're all online now. We did not follow the official curriculum, just made ourselves aware of the requirements for obtaining a high school diploma should our kids want to do that (they did, all got it easily). We more or less "unschooled," which means no rigid curriculum, no trying to re-create the classroom at home, and letting kids choose how to spend their time, within limits (we didn't allow much TV and video games and social media weren't much of a thing back then). Our technique, if you can call it that, was based a lot on Montessori, which I recommend to parents who can afford that but can't manage homeschooling, or don't feel like they can competently do it. I know not everyone can homeschool their kids, for practical or personal reasons. I don't suggest everyone do it, or that kids who go to school are necessarily getting damaged or harmed (though that does happen). Ask any teacher, the number one predictor of academic success is parental involvement. Whether that takes the form of homeschooling, or just paying attention and spending time with your kids, that time makes a huge difference in the long term. I don't mean going to school board meetings and screaming about snack machines or sex education classes, I mean spending actual time with your kids so they feel valued and part of the family rather than an inconvenience.

sanderjd 2y ago
Yeah, I think homeschooling is a classic bimodal thing. It is probably better than a classroom of thirty kids with a harried teacher and not much play time, for the right families doing it for the right reasons. But many people choose to do it for ideological reasons and without the right resources, with worse outcomes.