Dr. Phil,
Most parents that help their children with homework are homeschooling. With all the policing and managing of bulging classrooms a student is too distracted to learn much of anything from the teacher in the actual school room. They start bringing home their work as early as kindergarten and the parents spend their evenings getting them to do the work. Gone are the days when a kid gets to come home to just play with their friends. Kids are rushed off to ballet, soccer, baseball, babysitters etc. What has happened to the art of developing an imagination.
We live in a close-knit neighborhood in a suburb of Seattle. Nearly all the kids here are in public or private school. My kids have interacted with these kids since birth. We, however, chose to homeschool. Our oldest is 34, married with one child who is 5. He is the reason for our decision. Our son has Apraxia which made learning difficult - I could spend hours talking about it but I'm trying to keep this brief. When he was 11 we pulled him out of school. The improvemnt was fantastic especially for his emotional stability. He was a difficult child who, I'm sure, would have gone down the wrong path had we not taken this step. We chose to homeschool, we did it out of neccessity for our son. When our son was 16 we had another son and 5 years later a daughter. Our plan from the start was to homeschool them. We spent lots of time reading to them, playing with them, providing them with toys that encouraged their imaginations. The library was their favorite place in the world. When our daughter was 1 we got rid of the TV except for movies - mainly because I was addicted to talk shows - LOL. As toddlers we were involved in neighborhood playgroups at each others houses. Since I was much older than some of these women and having already raised one child I was so sad to see so many of these ladies talk about childcare, nannys, "structured activities" away from the parents. Many kids had two or three different activities. When these kids weren't being shipped from one place to another as our kids got older they would be able to run next door or accross the street to play with their friends. Our son, whenever possible, could play for hours and in total silence, I might add, with his Legos. When his 3 favorite buddies could come over they would invent hours of very involved games. This is what I call learning at its best. Our daughter loved books and was reading by age 4. I totally loved watching the "lightbulb" go on whenever one of my kids would catch onto something we were working on. Most parents only get that feeling when a child takes his first steps or speaks her first words - I got to see it over and over again. Imagine catching your child in the act of reading their first chapter book without being told. Let me try to fast - forward now: like I said earlier our oldest is 34, has a good job where he is reliable and works circles around everyone ( his gifts a physical 6'3" and very strong) he's married (6yrs), our next son is nearly 19 and in the "Running Start" program at our local community college where he studies Computer Science. This was his first time ever in a school. He is on the Deans list and is well liked by all age people. He has been a paid math and computer tutor for his fellow students. He was a competitive iceskater with his girlfriend and icedance partner. He is now employed at the local ice rink where he is reliable and hardworking and liked very much by all ages for his quick wit and sense of humor. He has always wanted to be part of our military and has joined the Marines where he will enter bootcamp after graduation from college. Our daughter is nearly 14 and maintains a 3.9-4.0 gpa. She studies math (algebra, geometry), Language Arts, Bible (11th grade) and US Government (12th grade).
Homeschooling is not for everyone but if you look at statistics you will see that it is quite successful. Kids can thrive and be happy. Most homeschooled kids come from 2 parent, traditional families and function well in that unit being able to participate in all the workings of the home. My kids are totally able to cook, clean, manage their money, mow the lawn, take care of various pets and so on.
One more note: I usually don't agree totally with anything that has the word "radical" attached to it, however even a middle of the road approach to homeschooling might be considered "radical" to some. The bottom line is if you love your kids and truly want what is best for them you will do what it takes to get them to that point by being INVOLVED in their lives.
Mollie
Parents want the best for their children, but what’s the best way to educate them? Dr. Phil’s guests face off in a debate about whether to school, homeschool or unschool. Dana and her husband, Joe, call themselves radical unschoolers. They say education happens as a side effect of life, and they don’t believe in tests, curriculums or grades. Are their three kids learning what they need to know? Then, RaeAnn says public schools are death traps and wants to homeschool her children. Her husband, Steve, says their kids are safer at school than they are at home. Can this couple reach a compromise? Plus, Nicole feels like an outcast at 26. She says she hated being homeschooled, and couldn’t relate to other kids. Share your thoughts here.
