Homeschooling (from Third Declension)

by **Keesa** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:01 pm

Continued from Third Declension, Learning Latin Forum... Yes, I live in Alabama, America. Homeschooling is becoming more common now, but when I started, it was still outside of what normal, acceptable people did. Not even my grandparents thought we'd make it, but we did...I just took my standardized graduation test a couple of weeks ago (a year late, unfortunately, because it's expensive, and I had to save up for it), and I should know how I did in another week or two. I love the freedom it gives me...I can just wake up one morning and decide to learn Latin, and go and learn it. I have certain subjects, of about two or three hours duration, that I have to do, and beyond that, I can pick my own subjects. If 1) education is not very, very important in your family, 2) at least one of your parents doesn't stay at home, and 3) the public schools where you live are very, very good, then I would say that one would be better off attending public school. However, in my case, my mother works from home, education is incredibly important, and the public schools here are awful, so homeschooling is the best option. (Not to mention that I love it!) Keesa

by **Emma_85** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:06 pm

there is one thing i just can't work out... don't you have to pay any teachers? or do you just learn with books? isn't homeschooling every expensive if there are schools available in the area that would take you? one of my cousins teaches kids who were chucked out of school, and the government pays for their education, but what does your family do?

by **klewlis** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:20 pm

i'm in canada and homeschooling is free. in fact the government here in alberta will give you money to help with educational expenses... my family uses that money for books and field trips. as far as i know there is no fee for writing the standardized graduation tests... as long as you can pass, you're good to go. they don't care how you prepare, as long as you can do it.

by **klewlis** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:21 pm

ps: you don't pay for teachers. you teach yourself, and your parents help... that is why keesa noted that it's usually best to have one parent at home.

by **Emma_85** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:28 pm

Ahh, I understand now. You’d need well-educated parents then. I think it's good that the government supports home schooling. I don't think they do that here (I go to school in Germany). In England they might do, as I think the school receives a certain amount of money per student, which could just as well be given directly to the student. In Germany that would not work, though. I know how much money my school gets. It would work out at me getting maybe a euro a year from the government! Anyway... It sounds fun, but I’m not sure I’d like it really. I enjoy seeing my friends at school, and every teacher has a different view on life, their own philosophy as it were. I think I would miss it if I had to listen to what my parents thought all day (even though I agree more with my parents than I do with most teachers); it's just refreshing sometimes. But the best thing about home school must be, that no teacher can spoil a subject. I just hate teachers that really spoil a subject. I wasn't bad at Latin, until I go this zombie teacher. They don't have exams here either, that a home-schooled student could take. It’s continual assessment system here, and how hard you work in class counts a lot too.

by **Keesa** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:36 pm

Here in Alabama, two options are open; if your parent is a certified teacher, then she (or he) can just teach you, and as long as you keep a good grade on the Stanford Achievement Test (different from the college entry SAT) you don't have to worry about anything else. (The Stanford Achievement test is required every couple of years, to make sure you aren't falling behind other children your age.) If, on the other hand, neither parent is a certified teacher, you are then required to register with a cover or umbrella school, which is more a group than a school. A cover school can be either a school or a church; they are responsible for administering the tests, issuing diplomas, etc. You're required to be under a cover school until age 16. However, you do have to pay yearly dues. Because of that, we dropped my cover school as soon as I was old enough. Since I'm no longer under a cover school, I wasn't given a diploma when I graduated, so I had to take the General Educational Developement test (GED), which is the equivalent of a high school diploma. Keesa

by **Emma_85** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:45 pm

that makes sense. you know if or what you want to study, yet? or are you waiting for your results?

by **klewlis** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 11:03 pm

[quote author=Keesa link=board=6;threadid=548;start=0#4883 date=1061851013] Here in Alabama, two options are open; if your parent is a certified teacher, then she (or he) can just teach you, and as long as you keep a good grade on the Stanford Achievement Test (different from the college entry SAT) you don't have to worry about anything else. (The Stanford Achievement test is required every couple of years, to make sure you aren't falling behind other children your age.) If, on the other hand, neither parent is a certified teacher, you are then required to register with a cover or umbrella school, which is more a group than a school. A cover school can be either a school or a church; they are responsible for administering the tests, issuing diplomas, etc. You're required to be under a cover school until age 16. However, you do have to pay yearly dues. Because of that, we dropped my cover school as soon as I was old enough. Since I'm no longer under a cover school, I wasn't given a diploma when I graduated, so I had to take the General Educational Developement test (GED), which is the equivalent of a high school diploma. Keesa [/quote]oh, it's very different here in canada. the parents are not required to have any sort of certification... and I find that most homeschool parents don't really do actually teaching anyway, except with very young children. They simply guide the curriculum and help with learning skills... most homeschooling that I've seen has been mainly self-directed by the child. We are also not required to do testing every two years... it is only the final graduation that counts. In fact the only restriction I can think of is that if you want government funding you have to show that you are at least partially sticking with the provincial curriculum... but even then you are pretty free to do whatever you like.

by **Keesa** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 11:04 pm

I want to major in English Literature in college. I've always wanted that, so my test scores won't really alter that. They're just required for my acceptance into college. After my first four years of college, I plan to try to study Classics and English at Oxford University. Then, who knows? I may spend some time travelling Europe. As a writer, I have easy working hours, and I can write just about anywhere. ;D Keesa

by **Milito** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 11:40 pm

[quote author=klewlis link=board=6;threadid=548;start=0#4888 date=1061852633] oh, it's very different here in canada....[/quote] It also varies from province to province here in Canada. I have a very good buddy who is at this exact moment in time in the process of moving from Edmonton to Peace River. She's homeschooled her four kids in BC, Ontario and Alberta, and thus far, Alberta is by far the most encouraging. Ontario badly discouraged homeschooling - school funding there is also based on enrollment, which may have had something to do with it - and wanted school board members to be able to drop in at any time to see how the teaching was going. (Note that school board members don't have to be any more educationally qualified than anyone else in society! They just have to get elected!) I don't recall what BC did specifically, but the mandatory public school curriculum was beginning to get very weird, and at one point was telling parents that it wasn't their business what their kids were learning in school(!!). To be fair, after an uproar, they did change their minds (and the curriculum) on this one... The expensive part in BC comes from the fact that you have to purchase your own curriculum supplies. You can choose whichever means of doing the teaching that you'd like, but you do have to pay for workbooks, textbooks, teacher's manuals, answer keys, and the like. This gets quite expensive! On the other hand, the curricula available to homeschoolers, from what I've seen, are several notches above what public schools are mandated to use! There are also standardized tests across the country that all kids have to take at certain grade levels, and most if not all the provinces now have provincial exams that kids have to take in high school, to ensure that everyone has met a uniform standard (and, potentially, win provincial scholarships....) A lot of people have commented that they don't think that homeschooled kids get "properly socialized"; this assumes that school is the only place that kids interact with each other. Given things like scouts/guides, organized sports, swimming lessons, and on and on, this certainly isn't the case! School socialization can be "anti-socialization", too, which is a part of why my friend is homeschooling her kids - she didn't want to see what happened to herself (and me - we got each other through high school) happen to them. I have a lot of time for the people who decide to homeschool their kids - it is a majorly big undertaking, but I don't see that it's disadvantaging them in any way at all. The kids are able to learn at their own pace, rather than being held back to the slowest level, and it's a lot easier in such a small class to see if someone is having trouble... Kilmeny

by **klewlis** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 3:24 am

oh yes I guess bc wasn't as helpful--I was homeschooled there and we did have to pay for all the stuff but we also got to choose what we used... I ended up back in public school for the last three years and wrote the provincials there. Alberta doesn't have provincial exams, to my knowledge, and my younger brother and sister are currently being homeschooled here. As for socialization, my brother is in air cadets and absolutely loves it, and they are both in music lessons and such. There are also lots of activities exclusively for homeschooled kids, where they get together and do things like putting on plays and going on field trips (we also had that in BC but it wasn't as prominent waaaaaaaay back then!).

by **klewlis** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 3:29 am

ps: what would possess your friend to move from edmonton to peace river????? I wouldn't do it for a million dollars (well I might, provided I was allowed to move right back in a few weeks...) I spent 8 months (cumulative) working in Peace River as a student because my dad lives there... hated it, dirty awful little town... I certainly wouldn't want to raise kids there... they have more bars and drugs per capita than I've seen across northern alberta and bc... and Edmonton is so pretty and wonderful and perfect... :)

by **MDS** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 3:48 am

Milito: Ontario badly discouraged homeschooling - school funding there is also based on enrollment, which may have had something to do with it - and wanted school board members to be able to drop in at any time to see how the teaching was going. (Note that school board members don't have to be any more educationally qualified than anyone else in society! They just have to get elected!) Yes, Ontario is probably the most negative homeschooling environment in Canada. The enrollment quotas are insane and due to its funding ties, board members or even teachers in general often discourage parents who wish to homeschool. Case in point: This year I'll be paying about $650 CDN for books for 1st year university courses, a friend of mine who will be entering Gr. 12 and is homeschooled is paying over $1500 for books b/c the tax breaks her parents are entitled to do not cover curriculum material. Ever since Mike Harris (former Premier of Ontario) introduced standardized provincial testing those who are homeschooled have had a measure of "freedom" taken away. While I would have loved the opportunity to delve into topics that actually held my interest, I must admit that I enjoyed "slacking off" from time to time.

Keesa: Are one or both of your parents certified teachers? Most Americans I know rail against their area public schools so I doubt the problem is isolated in Alabama.

by **Keesa** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 11:08 am

I don't think very highly of the school systems anywhere in America, myself, but the Alabama system is the only one I'm even vaguely familiar with, and I know it isn't worth a thing. No, neither of my parents are teachers, unfortunately. I wish they were; it would have simplified things. Instead I was required to stay with my cover school until I was sixteen. Other than the cover school requirement and the standardized tests every couple of years (which may be national requirements, and not limited to Alabama) it's actually a very good and friendly environment for homeschoolers. Keesa

by **Emma_85** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:27 pm

I must admit that what I’ve heard of schools in America, they really don't seem to be that good. Loads of people here went off to America for one year. Now they've returned with excellent high school certificates, for which they apparently did nothing at all. All year long they just partied and got top grades anyway, and they say they learned absolutely nothing in that one year (and they had to pay for going to school there! imagine, they paid to go to a private school and they taught them zero!). You’re probably getting a much better education at home, though I’m sure there must be some good schools in America. When you say you want to study at oxford, I suppose you mean oxford uni in England? If you want to get in there you have to prepare a lot and do a lot of research, unless you know someone who has been to school there. It’s really hard to get in there with out the backing of a private school or the advise of someone who went there themselves. I’m going to try for Cambridge, but I don't expect I’ll have much luck and I don’t know anyone who could help me either. The thing is, you'll have to apply via UCAS (at least normally you have, may be different for overseas), and you also have to apply to a college, not the university itself. And there are so many colleges to choose from, you'll want to look them up on the Oxford uni website and find out which one you want to go to. Don’t make the mistake of applying to the uni, you'll have less chance of getting in then. Then again... if it's classics you want to study... not too many people will be trying for classics so you may be in luck. I don't mean to put you off or anything, just trying to help :-)

.

by **Keesa** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:35 pm

I say I want to "study at Oxford" only because I haven't yet decided on the specific college. (It's still several years away yet.) I am taking special care to prepare for it, both in the undergraduate courses I plan to take here in the States, in the amount of research I'm doing, and in the extracurricular activities I plan to participate in one I get into college here. I spend a lot of my life these days on their website. What is "UCAS"? I don't think I've ever heard of that... Thanks for your advice. I'm always on the lookout for good suggestions! Keesa

by **Emma_85** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:46 pm

UCAS is terrible! it's a government institution. when i want to apply to a uni i have to do it through UCAS. so i have to fill in an UCAS form with like my top 10 unis i want to go to. they'll send my details to all the unis and then tell me if my 1st choice is interested. if they don't like the sound of me then they'll tell me that my 2nd choice is interested and so on. it's very annoying and confusing! go to www.ucas.ac.uk to find out more about this stupid system.

by **Raya** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 8:03 pm

Down with UCAS! ;D I have to agree with you, Emma - for some people, UCAS is a blessing b/c they only have to write one personal statement and so on - though I'd have preferred to contact each uni individually, tailoring what I send to the character of each uni... To Keesa: for undergraduate degrees, applying to Oxford (or any UK university) happens through UCAS no matter where in the world you are. For postgraduate degrees, however - such as if you are applying after getting a first degree in the US - I believe you apply directly to the university. On homeschooling: This has been a fascinating thread so far, but one thing hasn't come up (interestingly enough) is what happens when you move! I should think homeschooling certainly is an advantage there; having moved internationally 6 times and having attended 9 different schools, sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off homeschooled. I also often get the feeling that education is hindered when you're tied down to a syllabus. Granted, some amount of structure is necessary and having certain topics suggested can be a big help - but some systems are so stringent. There's so much prescribed material there is no time for asides, and your thoughts are on meeting the exam/coursework requirements than actually *learning* the material!

by **klewlis** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 9:38 pm

homeschooling is very appealing to families that move a lot... and moving is very appealing to families that homeschool... i know my mom always wished we could afford to go on trips everywhere so that we could turn them into educational experiences... in fact last spring she took my little brother and sister on a roadtrip down to the grand canyon, stopping also at the cliff dwellings and other interesting places. it was very educational and she wrote an article on it for the local homeschooling magazine... so that's cool. while i definitely agree that education needs to be flexible and adaptive, i also think we can't sacrifice the core elements... a lot of homeschooling tends towards "let them study what interests them" and they miss out on a lot of stuff that way. i know that had i only learned what i *liked* when i was a kid, i wouldn't have learned the grammar, logic, and communication skills that were forced into me... and today i am so thankful to have them.

by **Keesa** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 9:44 pm

I've only moved once in the last ten years (exactly ten years ago, actually) but yes, homeschooling is easier to move with. You just grab your books and go. I didn't move far enough to have to change my cover school; I imagine it would make it a little more difficult, but I can't speak to that from personal experience. Every two years, you have to take a standardized test that has certain subjects on it. As long as you pass the test, the government really doesn't care how you learn the subjects. I probably have the strangest curriculum in the world, but I've really learned the material, and I do well on the tests. Keesa

by **Milito** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 11:23 pm

I've a cousin, now that you mention moving, who also homeschools her kids, for the very reason that moving makes it about the only way she's been able to. Her husband is an engineer and they have working in Newfoundland Canada, Edmonton Canada, Malaysia, Texas, and somewhere else overseas that I can't remember just now....

They move every couple years, so the kids are getting a great exposure to other cultures, geographies, and so on, but trying to bounce from school system to school system was just a logistical nightmare..... Kilmeny

by **Episcopus** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 11:17 am

I disagree. A Public (free) school gives one the chance to see the real world of less 'elegant' more rowdy children. Yes one will possibly shot if in America; or spat on; or shouted at; or mocked; or beaten to the ground or depressed because of the surroundings and the less fortunate children. Go to public school it will either make a person stronger or turn them into a waste of life (drugs etc. etc.). If the latter then that is what they are destined to be. Staying home for school is just slapping away the real outdoors vigorously; trying to put it off: the fact that most things are poor. My school is awful it is a waste of time but I am glad that I go thither. I know not why as yet but there is something invisible that one acquires thence. Plus I learn latin and occasionally french at home when I return from school. It's all good My 2 cents (of Euros not dollars) so please don't hurt me!

by **Keesa** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 11:38 pm

Hehe. I'm not going to hurt you, Episcopus! I just think that you speak of what you know not... I spent one year at a public school. I knew less at the end of the year than I had known at the beginning. The purpose of school (as I understand it; I may be wrong) is for learning. You don't learn at public schools here. You may learn a full-blown vocabulary of swear words, and a closetful of tricks for getting out of homework, but you don't learn at public school in America. Conversely, as I have the test scores to show, you learn in homeschooling. Now, mind you, that's only American public schools. I've never gone to school in England or Wales (you're from Wales, aren't you?) so of course I don't know what the conditions there are. I speak only for what I do know...public schools here do not deserve the name of schools. It may be different for you. Keesa

by **Episcopus** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 1:10 pm

[quote author=Keesa link=board=6;threadid=548;start=15#5223 date=1062545904] I spent one year at a public school. I knew less at the end of the year than I had known at the beginning. Keesa [/quote] That's the fun of it! Learning nothing in a place filled with different people is educational in a twisted way. I still think that 1 year in a big school isn't enough; it takes a while to 'like', or rather become accustomed to the place. It is quite different; we have the very occasional knife but no guns or stupid accidents or rampages: I likes going to school (as it is the law here until 16) as I do be yelled at by teachers who detest my attitude ("I've seen many like you before! You will never learn if you mess about and sleep! Clever comments will get you nowhere and you dare answer back you worthless child !!!") and say things that are the complete opposite of the truth. In Science lessons, for example, I throw pieces of rubber and sweets at people whom I dislike - every lesson. We do modules (AQA) of the double award: 2 each few months. At the end of the 3 months 'studying' 2 topics of 2 different sciences I have literally no knowledge of what happens. And the papers are in the higher tier clever sometimes (more skills, maths, applied science accompanied by knowledge as opposed to just knowledge). Because I am expected to have all highest grades in school and nothing less (then the Latin) I cover 3 months' lessons in 1 hour and it is really not taxing. And my brain does the rest with the funny applied questions. I do think that it's pathetic but I become satisfied when I hear teachers who believe themselves to be teaching something shouting at me for doing nothing. When the marks come through they congratulate me uneasily as they need high marks in their class to reflect a hopefully good teaching ability. ::) Now I must acknowledge their coming to leave me alone which is beneficial to my extreme raging anger and hatred levels. Strangely yet unsurprisingly, teachers seem to ignore those who experience difficulty. I mentioned it once and was suspended for a day ("support unit", traditionally for nuts). I like my french teacher very much; she is not the typical egotistical teacher and helps everyone. However the syllabus that she must follow states that grammar is not to be covered! For this reason the class are taught about 5 set phrases per topic and about 10 words. It is pathetic. Even the most intelligent of children I asked to say "I can go to school" (simple modal+infin) and they said themselves to know not. I was not surprised as we have not in class covered anything as 'complex' as this. So my knowledge of french which does include the subjunctive, although limited in vocabulary through no fault of my own, is never strengthened in class. And I don't even study french at all in the house to be honest; sometimes I may have a short look at a very bad dictionary grammar (but I loves her she is my friend) whence I know very well the subjunctive. Nothing to do with the fact that if the french subjunctive were a woman she would be married by me. But seriously I agrees with Raya; syllabi tie one down - to an insane extent in languages :'( So much can be done in 3 months - I am aiming to finish Professor D'Ooge's book by October. That is a 2 year GCSE course in Latin but far better (only recognition of simple frequently used subjunctive clauses is required at 16 years old). As for nasty language, other good people and I try a lot to make people stop swearing, we likes creativity and funny childish things. Now most (apart from the really crazy nuts who say frumentum more than 3 times in each sentence) use the much nicer "truck"; and, in the place of many many things (whether they be crude or not) "bishop" is there or the french "évêque" in certain set phrases. The popular slang french "Ta Mère" had been introduced before any one knew of its popularity in france (I have just been to france and 5 year old children screamed this into the night and also 18 year old girls). "Your mother" is omnipresent aswell instead of a much nastier american insult :-\ Speaking of mothers, I just could not be taught by mine even if she were to have academic knowledge anymore or indeed the time. Correct me if I am wrong, as I have assumed that you are being taught by your mother What about your school? How many bedrooms has-it? One learns much. There is something unique about strafing (like I cat was I!) in order to dodge a badly driven bus which was supposed to be stopping!

by **Emma_85** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 2:48 pm

Wow, you're school doesn't sound like a very good one. I thought Wales had the same school system as England???. Anyway I went to an English school for some time and it wasn't rubbish at all. Sounds like you should be going to a grammar school. In Germany they don't support home schooling, but that means that some poor lad in the middle of nowhere has a school to himself. It’s two rooms and a courtyard; one classroom and the others for chemistry and stuff like that. The yard is for football (his sport lessons). He’s got one teacher who teaches him in every subject, all paid for by the government. There is nothing else the German government can do, as there are no tests you could pass, half the mark is how you behave in class and participate in the lesson (hey, Episcopus! don't think you'd like that, would you

). The school I go to now is well... I hate going to school, but it's not too bad. It’s not the school's fault I don't like going to school... There’s no problem with bullying or knives or stuff (though quite a few do carry knives around with them, I used to, too, but that was only a fad. I don't actually know if they carry knives in the lower classes, just we used to do it, and practise throwing them at trees in the cathedral gardens. I was really bad at it, though). Drugs, though. My school is one of the main sources and probably has the most drugs consumers (or second most, Kolb School may have more) in town. I don't mind that though. Why should it worry me? One of the guys in my physics/greek/ethics/philosophy/art classes (who's the son of my philosophy and history teacher) is a dealer, but he's also a nice guy. And nearly everyone I know takes drugs.

by **Episcopus** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 2:56 pm

[quote author=Emma_85 link=board=6;threadid=548;start=15#5255 date=1062600520] I used to, too....I...carry knives...just we used to do it, I...practise throwing them at the lower classes in the cathedral gardens. [/quote] Pretty crazy there Emma

You're still in school? Grammar schools are gone! The strange thing is that the school to which I must go is by far the best in the area

Some of the other schools are just full of sin!

by **Emma_85** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 3:09 pm

Yeah, most grammar schools in Brittan are gone, though not all of them. If my parents hadn't moved to Germany I would have gone to Torbay Girls Grammar. Though I’m glad I didn't have to go to a girls school... urggg ... terrible. Yeah, I’m still at school. Still learning everything I’ll never need in life (like Latin and ancient Greek and sociology and German...

.) It’s the best school in the state. No loos right now; the sports hall is being used, even though it was closed down last year, due to the fact that the back wall was unsafe. They’re letting us use it again with the warning not to touch the back wall or we'll be killed. We used to push at the wall and it would move by like half a meter or so. We thought it was fun, but of course it was very dangerous as the building's 100 years old, and very instable

. Every one at my school's crazy, no one sane goes there. We thought it was fun playing with knives, and less dangerous by far than doing sport in the sports hall :-)

by **Episcopus** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 4:37 pm

Germans...

Everyone takes drugs? Throwing Knives? They think life is James Bond?

by **Emma_85** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 4:39 pm

Lol, forgot to mention all the Vodka.

by **mingshey** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 4:41 pm

Every one at my school's crazy, no one sane goes there. We thought it was fun playing with knives, and less dangerous by far than doing sport in the sports hall

"Sane = dull" in schools. Yup.

by **Episcopus** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 5:51 pm

But it's fun there, I feels so intelligent. I can stand in the school of abotu 1500 (including teachers) and say "I be by far the cleverest person in this place". It does be uplifting. Children do play "Chicken" in our school: one must run across a motorway. Relates to "why did the chicken cross the road" I supposed. It's crazy but entertaining and those who play are very good. Phenomenal exercise in reflexes and dodging power. Some one should film it.

by **Emma_85** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 6:50 pm

Ehhh... running acoss the motorway... yeah, everyone is sane...

Lol, no one I know has ever tried to run across the motorway by Speyer, though some have tried to run across a dual carrige way (the old roman road). But they were really drunk and couldn't work out how to use the bridge... Some people from my school once invited a fair ground... it was really fun that day at school. Had some good rides and ate a lot and drank the free beer :-)

.

by **Keesa** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 10:42 pm

I always knew there was a reason I was glad I was homeschooled... Does anyone go to school to learn anymore? Or is that old-fashioned now? It sounds to me rather like one long social gathering...very nice, I'm sure, but-not much like my idea of a learning environment.

Then again, I always have been behind the times. Keesa

by **Episcopus** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 11:17 pm

You just will not be very good person, or rather aware. And your important reflices will SUCK! When tired on bus if nuts all lean to one side to topple the bus (oh it is possible) one must wake up and smack oneself against the opposite window. I hate nuts. But they do give one a good laugh.

by **Keesa** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 11:44 pm

Actually, my reflexes are rather good, even though I haven't had to hone them razor sharp by dodging knives or bottles. ;D I am glad to know that you enjoy it, though. And, apparently it hasn't damaged your brain, because if it had, you couldn't delve into the delightful mysteries of the Latin language! It's funny, actually, to read over your posts, where you speak of the English/Welsh school systems...my sister and I are schooled on the principles of an Englishwoman named Charlotte Mason, who lived sometime around the turn of the century. Her books, the Home Education series, have been instrumental in our courses of study, and I'm quite fond of her. I wonder, sometimes, what she would think of the schools as they are now! Again, I'm glad you can find the good in your school. Keesa

by **Episcopus** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 4:03 pm

I am just come home from my school. 6 lessons of 50 minutes.

Sometimes it does be frustrating to learn jack. On the first day French I told the teacher in class that there was no point reading crap. We had to put these stupidly simple phrases in order. And history the teacher was not even there. That's assuming that she would have made any difference. We have now 2 welsh lessons per week. And another in "Personal Social Education" in which drugs are thoroughly discussed (queue nuts "ahahh I jus' taken a bi' o' tha'! ahaaaaaaaa"). Maths is usually the only productive lesson. But I do not see myself to be about to be an engineer or accountant etc. Not my passion. And my zeal for latin is unique because I am (honestly) thus. Physically at a first glance it seems that I be a normal not crazy yet slightly evil looking child. I know not why I be learning it. My thinking is on a different level; often strange(not to say that this is better for I know not as yet). Homeschooling does tempt me. Alas! For I don't be allowed to stay at home and learn what I want despite it's being in my best interests! I am trapped and this makes me angry since 4 years. Waste of 4 years. Yet the government that makes a rule for nuts (the majority) and bombs the truck off Iraq doesn't allow the sane children to live well. Controls us. Sorry, rage. Coming. Out.

by **Milito** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 1:58 am

From what I've observed of friends' kids being homeschooled, and kids going to school, the homeschooled kids learn a whole lot, and have the opportunity to encounter all the interesting "life in the real world" stuff through things like organized sports, guides/scouts, and so on... I learned stuff in publich school because I like learning. I learned nothing about how to relate to the rest of the human race, because what I saw of it convinced me that it's best left FAR away from me. (I may have been mistaken on this score....) Homeschooling wasn't an option, not because it wasn't available (I'm pretty sure it was; it just wasn't much talked about) but because my parents both worked, and if my mom had decided to teach the kids at home instead of sending us to school, there would have been some very bad scenes.... She didn't have the patience (and knew it!) and frankly, she and I have personalities that did Bad Things to each other while I was still at home.) Homeschooling isn't for everyone, for a whole lot of reasons. On the other hand, public school isn't the One Right Answer, either. Some of the experiments in "modern teaching methods" that show up on the block are truly scarey. So is the idea that "the way things were done last century **must** be wrong". New for the sake of new is not necessarily a good thing. Oops..... rant mode off again.... Kilmeny

by **klewlis** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 2:03 pm

I completely agree that neither one is the One Right Answer. It depends on the child, the family situation, and the quality of local, available schools. My aunt has three girls and only homeschools one, because that one was having so much difficulty with public school and is now thriving at home. The other two are fine in public school. So it just depends.

by **Emma_85** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 2:33 pm

Hmm... did my school come across as a bad school, where no one learns anything? ??? I do actually learn a hell of lot at school and in many different subjects as well (11 all in all, and before it was 16). Normally everyone pays attention in lessons and we learn a lot; not in every lesson, though. Religion or minor Maths for example, or any subject with a really bad teacher... But otherwise we learn a bit too much, I think, in every subject really (except sociology, which is really easy and boring, but also frustrating, because some people are really dumb and know nothing at all...'Emma, help me! What the **** is communism?!?'). I used to hate History, but now I quite like it. I’ve learned so much in History last year I didn’t know before, and I’m not talking just dates like.

by **Episcopus** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 5:12 pm

UUhhh...did some one just write "like" as the last word of one's sentence