Anyone in here(parents) homeschool the kids? What curriculms do you use?

by Jeepthing 34 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  choosing life

  Hi Jeepthing,

  Sorry about the earlier post. I got interupted by family coming by. The curriculum I liked the best in the earlier grades was called Oak Meadow. I tried Calvert, but didn't care for it as much. My son and I were reading a Science book together from Calvert and it stated that someday men would be able to reach the moon. Talk about being outdated!

  Oak Meadow seemed to balance scholastic and artistic skills really well. A more rounded education And as you know, home schooling is like everything else, you get out of it what you put into it. I have met your children and you are doing a fine job.

  My daughter is doing well in college and she was homeschooled from second grade on, longer than my other children. She is also the most social of my kids,certainly not stunted socially. It is the parents that take their children out of school and don't teach them that give homeschooling a bad name. I saw a lot of this in the jws. I think I have a closer relationship with my children because of the extra time we spent together in homeschooling.

  Sincerely, Choosing Life
• 

  looking_glass

  Jeepthing - don't take it the wrong way. There are many people here that are still very angry with everyone and everything and this is one of the few forums they have in which to vent their frustration/anger. As you can see as well, there are many others who are a little more open minded and not as hostile.

  Don't be upset by the posts, just take them w/ a grain of salt. :)
• 

  Jeepthing

  I used Calvert but didn't worked out well for us. I still have a set and want to get rid of them. Right now I am using Math U See and Progress in Mathematic for my 6 year old. She likes math and science but don't like writing. She likes do hands on things.
  I just want some inputs on how others did with their kids from early age. That is all, folks........be cool and keep focusing on something healthy and balancing our thinking.
• 

  hemp lover

  My son and I were reading a Science book together from Calvert and it stated that someday men would be able to reach the moon. Talk about being outdated!

  Whoa - I must have been stoned and missed that line! My daughter and I used to laugh about the photos of the kids in the math book being very 80s-ish, but I never saw anything that egregious. What year was that?

  Oak Meadow was the other name I was trying to remember when I typed my last post. I had a friend who liked that curriculum a lot for the same reasons you expressed.

  I think I have a closer relationship with my children because of the extra time we spent together in homeschooling.

  Exactly.

  Jeepthing: as far as socialization goes, what are your daughter's interests? Dance, gymnastics, music, art, basketball? There are so many courses/programs for kids, free (YWCA), cheap and otherwise, to pursue. And I'm with you on how hard it is to find homeschooling groups that aren't fanatical in one way or another. We chose to wing it and (knock wood) so far, so good. Who'd a thunk it - maybe I DO love my child!
• 

  hemp lover

  I still have a set and want to get rid of them.

  Another thought on the ebay idea if you decide to go that route: wait until July or August to sell. I've noticed the higher selling prices tend to follow the regular school year and that's when parents are looking for the next grade.
• 

  Jeepthing

  Hi, Hemp lover, so did you give up on joining groups and just tried the lessons? I got her in piano and Kindermusik class. I also got her in homeschool PE class in YMCA which is full of those fanatic hs christian parents. When I am with this group, I feel like I am with jws again. Frightening!!!!! I think my main concern is that some of these hs groups because I can't stand to be around another cult like mind people. So my kid is suffering in someways. I just want to know what other options there. Not that I cant' fit in this group. Just want to avoid fanatic minded people because they think they got the right religion. And they seem to be using same curriculms(Beka) and go to same church. And I just want to know what others are using especially ones who left jw ways and how this worked out for them. So far Oak Meadow and Calvert here. I do like Oak Meadow. I used that for older girls. I haven't used that on my youngest one. I am still doing research. I do like Math U See. Has any one mixed with other curriculms??
• 

  Jeepthing

  Thanks for a tip on ebay, Hemp lover. I will keep that in mind. I have several stuff to sell, all homeschool stuff. Left over from older girls.
• 

  becca1

  You guys: I'm sorry if I came on too strong. This is one of very few subjects that really gets under my skin. What I said before is true, I personnaly do not know any happy, educated, well adjusted home schoolers. I never said there were none. I am glad for those of you who were homeschooled and have succeeded in life. And I'm glad to hear that those of you who are teaching your children seem to be focused on their having a well rounded education. However, you have to agree that many abuse the priviledge and have hurt their children. Sometimes we have to agree to disagree and hope the other side is sincere and does the best they can.
• 

  looking_glass

  you have to agree that many abuse the privilege and have hurt their children. Sometimes we have to agree to disagree

  Well like they say: you have to get a license to fish, but you don't have to have a license to have and raise a kid. There are many people out there that are not fit to have kids, whether they are jws or not. Your experience is yours, no one is minimizing that Becca. Life can be hard and has been hard to many.

  And the best thing about not being a jw anymore is that we have the ability to say "well maybe I am wrong" because we don't always have to be right and we don't always have to argue the point. So agree to disagree, to this I agree.
• 

  Jeepthing

  Becca1, I thank you for your honest comment. I do understand how you feel. I have seen what some of jws did to their kids and it is sad thing but you seemed to recovered from that, continuing with your education. I know ex-jw who have continued with education even at age 30 and loving every minute of it. He is pursuing his goals and moving forward with it. I think it is great that we could move on and progress for better. I think past experience could teach us a lot even if that were bad because we have an intelligence to use that for better. We are winning only if we could learn from past and move forward. I am firm beliver of that. My experiences as jw were not all bad and not all good but whole a lost better than some of the people in the Iraq, Africa, and I could go on and on. We still got freedom and able to make choice. You are right this country got a lot more thing to offer and one of them is education opportunity that other minority countries lack. Anyway, thanks for your humble opinion.