Habbsie, can I ask you a question?

[meshaliuknits]

You've said a couple of times that you were (partially?) homeschooled. May I ask why? I'm curious.

Also, if you don't wanna answer feel free to tell me to shut the fuck up and mind my business. I'll just be over here crying into my coffee.

[Deleted]

The summer after 4th grade, my mom was relocated to Guam. At the time, their schools were incredibly shitty. It was normal for a military kid to come back after two years a good grade and a half behind.

My mom tried Catholic school first but tuition for three kids on what the navy paid then? Yeah, that didn't last long. A lot of families homeschool there and that's how my mom heard about it so she gave it a try.

When we moved back to the states, I didn't want to go back to school but my brothers did so I continued with homeschooling and they went to public. I'm not sure how this happened but in 8th grade, I decided I did want to go to school and she sent me to a private school while my brothers continued attending public school. I'm not sure how that decision was made. I can't remember.

For 9th grade, we knew we were moving in November due to the navy so rather than have to pull us from school, she started off the year homeschooling. When we got to Texas, we found there was a huge homeschooling community with all kinds of support and events and group field trips and stuff and we didn't go back to public school.

So I did public school for k-4th, homeschooled 5-7th, private school 8th, homeschool 9-12. Then I went to college and left because I was broke as shit and didn't know what I wanted to do anyway so I quit and became a nanny instead, figuring I'd save money and go back for what I really wanted to when I figured that out.

I know people assume I left because I couldn't handle it but that's not what happened.

[heightsyankee]

Interesting story.

I know *a lot* of people who homeschool, far more than I ever thought I would. Only a couple of them are wackadoodles. The rest have concerns about the state of schools in TX (rightly so) or other reasons that are far more... everyday... than most people would think. There is also a huge support network for them and even some "schools" that cater to homeschoolers, where the kids go for social interaction or lessons that parents maybe can't provide. I think choice is awesome.

I could never HS my kids. I barely know math and don't always use caps when I type and my use of punctuation should get my literacy card revoked. Plus, I love it when they're in school.

Edited for spelling, grammar and to make my point more clear. Basically edited for the reasons I should not homeschool my kids.

[Deleted]

That's what curriculum is for, HY.

I know I'm gonna get jumped on for that and I'm not saying it's the same as having a degree in education but there are a lot of options for homeschooling your child and you don't have to have a degree or know chemistry to do so, especially if you have an active homeschooling group at your disposal.

But I don't homeschool because I would kill my children. If we moved to an area where the schools were absolutely intolerable, I probably would give it serious consideration.

[meshaliuknits]

Thank you for indulging my nosy ass. Homechooling when you're bouncing from assignment to assignment seems like it would offer some stability when your location is constantly in flux.


My older brothers and sister lived in Guam for a couple of years when their mother got a teaching gig there. I have no idea what they did for school while they were there, but since their mom is a teacher, I imagine she had something worked out. Speaking of their mom, she used to give me homework when she dropped them off and would pick it up when she picked them up. It was ages before I realized that not just any teacher could give me homework that I *had* to do.

[heightsyankee]

May 25, 2012 11:07:31 GMT -5 @habbsies said:

That's what curriculum is for, HY.

I know I'm gonna get jumped on for that and I'm not saying it's the same as having a degree in education but there are a lot of options for homeschooling your child and you don't have to have a degree or know chemistry to do so, especially if you have an active homeschooling group at your disposal.

Oh, I know. I don't think HS parents just wing it.

[bluelikejazz]

May 25, 2012 11:17:57 GMT -5 heightsyankee said:

May 25, 2012 11:07:31 GMT -5 @habbsies said:

That's what curriculum is for, HY.

I know I'm gonna get jumped on for that and I'm not saying it's the same as having a degree in education but there are a lot of options for homeschooling your child and you don't have to have a degree or know chemistry to do so, especially if you have an active homeschooling group at your disposal.

Oh, I know. I don't think HS parents just wing it.

DH was homeschooled and he passed his mom in math around the age of 12. He had to teach himself.

[basilosaurus]

There was a large homeschooling family at our base in Japan, and they were the creepiest little kids. They were all pale and anemic looking with huge eyes, and they just stared and stared. There was a room in the education building just for homeschoolers, and since I was there taking a few pre-reqs for nursing school and the occasional Japanese class, I'd see them staring out into the hallway.

Sorry, hab, that's all I think of now when I hear military + homeschooling.

That said, if I ended up having children sometime in the next few years, I'd probably go that route, too. When the guidance counselor at the elementary school was promoting James Dobson's book on raising boys... not exactly the type of place I want for my kiddo.

[emisi]

My H was homeschooled. They were in the armed services, and moved from one of the richest school districts in the country to one of the poorest. And most racist. H is white, but his mom got really mad when the teacher was treating my SIL like a little princess JUST because she was white (it was super obvious). SO they got pulled and homeschooled.

Honestly, probably not the best choice for my H. He's incredibly smart, so he'd finish the whole day's curriculum in two hours and spend the rest of the day putzing around. He didn't really learn study skills. It did help nuture his creativity, though.

[Deleted]

May 25, 2012 15:51:49 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

There was a large homeschooling family at our base in Japan, and they were the creepiest little kids. They were all pale and anemic looking with huge eyes, and they just stared and stared. There was a room in the education building just for homeschoolers, and since I was there taking a few pre-reqs for nursing school and the occasional Japanese class, I'd see them staring out into the hallway.

Sorry, hab, that's all I think of now when I hear military + homeschooling.

It's all good. My mom's first impression was of a similar family. They were weirdos who would stand in the back during all mandatory fun activities and not speak to anyone. I think my mom called them Dominionists or Separatists or something. Basically, they believed they should only interact with like minded people unless necessary. So work interactions were okay. Speaking politely to the walmart lady was okay but chit chat at a work party not so much.