Home School Madness

[mevertsen]

My 9th grade daughter is in her third year of online public school, not because of Covid, but because of other issues we were dealing with in the school district. She was getting bullied quite heavily, and through many meetings and plans, the situation deteriorated, rather than improved. Combine that with the nearest junior and high school being 50 miles away, with 11 hour days including the bus ride, and we pulled the plug.

She is enrolled in the state K-12 program and is doing well.

The social aspect? She still has her good friends she had before.

It has been challenging, but cool as well. She has attended the school meetings from my hunt camp, in the car, even the Walmart parking lot, so it allows us a lot of flexibility.

My five year old would have started pre school this year in the same school we had problems with our older daughter.

We are doing the Abeka program which is going great.

This is all possible by the fact that my wife is a SAHM, and I have a good job with benefits. I am one of the few people I know who are a single employed household.

If both of us worked? I am sure it would be a train wreck.

 

[pre6422hornet]

Yes. We have 4 under the age of 13 with the youngest in Kindergarten. I am fortunate that I have worked from a home office for 20 years( automotive manufacturer rep), but with all 4 kids home it has been a challenge. I have always been a hands on dad and both my parents were teachers.

The two oldest were pretty much self sufficient, but the 2nd grader and Kgartener were basically all hands on deck. My wife (who runs our two clothing stores) and I would basically take turns checking in on them at 15 minute intervals until we realized how our youngest was falling behind. Then it was one of us basically sitting next to her bell to bell teaching her along with her teacher. We ended up working in shifts. I would sit with her for 2 hours then my wife would. It is tough. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't. There are many times we stop, walk away, and come back to the lesson at lunch time or after the day ends. The kids can feel/see your frustration and then they feel pressure to get everything correct.

Huge props to all the teachers and parents during this unprecedented time. To try and teach 15-25 students virtually is no easy task. To work from home and help facilitate the learning process is hard as well. Keep your head up.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Im with you - I feel bad for the teachers as a whole and have several in my family. ALOT of people around me have already done this and said they wont send them back even though they can now.

Kids need to be kids. They need social interaction with their peers to develop properly.

 

[Panda Bear]

Yes. We have 4 under the age of 13 with the youngest in Kindergarten. I am fortunate that I have worked from a home office for 20 years( automotive manufacturer rep), but with all 4 kids home it has been a challenge. I have always been a hands on dad and both my parents were teachers.

The two oldest were pretty much self sufficient, but the 2nd grader and Kgartener were basically all hands on deck. My wife (who runs our two clothing stores) and I would basically take turns checking in on them at 15 minute intervals until we realized how our youngest was falling behind. Then it was one of us basically sitting next to her bell to bell teaching her along with her teacher. We ended up working in shifts. I would sit with her for 2 hours then my wife would. It is tough. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't. There are many times we stop, walk away, and come back to the lesson at lunch time or after the day ends. The kids can feel/see your frustration and then they feel pressure to get everything correct.

Huge props to all the teachers and parents during this unprecedented time. To try and teach 15-25 students virtually is no easy task. To work from home and help facilitate the learning process is hard as well. Keep your head up.

I am not surprised at all, as you have always been a very hands on father. Kudos to you and all the fathers and mothers who are home schooling their children, for whatever reason.

Northwoods and Nameless Range, we are in a different situation I know, but we also do the things you have mentioned. We take children into the woods and out on the ice a lot and combine school work with those outings, as well as use various daily hunting, fishing, trapping, cooking, sewing, dog feeding, type situations, as object lessons in conjunction with what they are studying in school. Actually we did this ( and will do it) after Corona. We also play a lot of board games with them and again use the games as teaching tools or reference them to what they are studying in school.

I see larger families, with older children, teaching the younger children , faring a bit better than families with one or two young children.

 

[Colorado hunter Tim]

Hang in there You're doing a great thing for your kids. Can you take them with you and get some days in the woods? I have a 2nd and 5th grader that I'm home with and we've missed some days when the weather was better to get out in the boat. They aren't missing much if anything being away from the computer and making up the work later. This time of year I typically duck hunt whenever the weather is bad but I've had to put that on hold this year on weekdays. It's helped that the season is very slow and I haven't missed much.

All in all I've really enjoyed my time with the kids. We play a lot of sports around the house and we do a lot of bike riding. I get my hike in from 6:15 to 8:00 just about every morning before my wife leaves which is a big help for me to get things going. I'm hopeful they get back to school soon though, my daughter especially is really missing the social aspect of being at school. I agree some of the teaching is tough. I like math so that part has been good but they do a ton of writing which I don't enjoy helping them with.

Yes we get out as much as possible doing all sorts of different activities. I am completely opposite, math and I are mortal enemies, but I'm good at the writing stuff.

 

[Fullquiver]

Homeschooling isn't for wimps. That's why moms do most of it generally..

 

[AndyPOW]

Kids need to be kids. They need social interaction with their peers to develop properly.

The social interaction in many, many schools is deplorable. Getting kids out of that is a worthy goal. There are plenty of healthy options for social interaction; church, homeschool groups, scouts, etc. . .

 

[antlerradar]

I was a disinterested student at best, with some mediocre teachers. Now I've taught Science, Business, and Psychology on three continents. My forever teaching job is right here in Whale Pass Alaska, with 18 students k-12. I teach all subjects for the 7-12th graders, all 8 of them. Plus my son Joe, who is taking all college classes as a 10th grader.

I'm the Health Liaison for the district, and as such am the go-between for the district and the State and public health. We have a three-tiered closure system based on the number of active cases on our island. We have been closed this week, so I've been home with 25% of the school population (my 5 boys), plus doing classes on Zoom. It can be done.

The class culture before Covid is key though, and that isn't created overnight. Kids need to be taught to be independent thinkers and learners. I have simple rules posted in my room at school; Be persistent, think critically, and "ask three before me; peer, textbook or daily lesson plan. They know they will NEVER be given an answer. If they want assistance they know they have to get up out of their seats and bring their butts over to my desk. They need at least that much skin in the game.

We talk about important stuff all the time; BLM, ANTIFA, transgender, Trump, Biden, color revolutions, false flags, racism, spiritual beliefs vs. evidence-based opinions, and on and on. They know I tell them the truth as best I know, and will distinguish between my beliefs, my opinions, and the evidence I base my opinions on. They are welcome to form any opinion they feel is right for them, and know they can voice their perspectives in safety. My stated goal for them is they have one thought that is truly their own before they graduate.

We do a Subsistence Week every year with their parents (camping, deer hunting, halibut fishing, shrimp pots, etc. . . ), celebrate together, mourn together, and watch the world do what the world is doing from our little piece of heaven here in Whale Pass. I suppose you have to follow the work assigned by the teacher, but don't hesitate to get up from the table and go outside and do what you love. Plenty of math, science, history, civics and English can be tied into whatever you end up doing. Turn the problem into the solution.

How long have you been teaching there?

 

[LuketheDog]

The social interaction in many, many schools is deplorable. Getting kids out of that is a worthy goal. There are plenty of healthy options for social interaction; church, homeschool groups, scouts, etc. . .

Yes, but non of those other options are available right now either...

 

[AndyPOW]

How long have you been teaching there?

Going on eleven years, teaching here for four.

 

[Wildabeest]

 

[Djfan]

My mom is a teacher so I don't want to downgrade the struggle teachers are dealing with right now, but if I have to homeschool why would I not just pull my kid out of school all together and home school?

As a former public school teacher for 18 years, I would recommend this. Great teachers can hardly keep up with the progressive nonsense anymore.

 

[AndyPOW]

As a former public school teacher for 18 years, I would recommend this. Great teachers can hardly keep up with the progressive nonsense anymore.

Yes, I agree unfortunately. If I was teaching "down in America" I wouldn't be teaching. Here are a couple of online resources that are quite good. The first one is from Utah, and excellent for K-12 Science. The other is from Georgia, and covers all the academics.

1st Grade | seedstorylines

www.seedstorylines.org

Georgia Virtual Learning > Resources > Science Resources > Science Shared > Shared Physical Science

 

[Zach]

All my kids are homeschooled, been that way now for about 15 years.

Oldest graduated college in 3 years with a Criminal Justice degree and one of them cum laude sash thingies. 2nd one just finished HS, taking a year off due to the Rona, but will be headed off this fall to get a Equine Science degree. One more in HS now and the boy is in Jr. High.

Social life isn't an issue. Plenty of interaction less of the BS.

The early years were actually the hardest. Learning the homeschool ropes, learning curriculums and how each child likes to learn.

Maybe something public school teachers can't or won't do. Don't know, never had any in public school.

 

[Zach]

Yes, but non of those other options are available right now either...

Must be different here in Elbert county. My kids are doing all of those...