I Did It My Way
Becky g asks:
Is there anything which would make you stop homeschooling?
Ooh, good one. Long answer short: I hope I'd -- well, Consort and I -- would have the grace and the lack of ego to hear Alice tell us if she needs to stop homeschooling. It's incredibly easy to define yourself by a job you do all the time, especially after you write a book about it. But the point of this adventure wasn't supposed to be "Give Quinn a purpose," and if it stops working for her, it's our job to find something which does.
Is there anything which would make you stop homeschooling?
Ooh, good one. Long answer short: I hope I'd -- well, Consort and I -- would have the grace and the lack of ego to hear Alice tell us if she needs to stop homeschooling. It's incredibly easy to define yourself by a job you do all the time, especially after you write a book about it. But the point of this adventure wasn't supposed to be "Give Quinn a purpose," and if it stops working for her, it's our job to find something which does.
posted by Unknown at 10:37 PM
3 Comments:
I have been enjoying reading your answers to the questions. This one interests me because I've been thinking about the subject quite a bit lately. I wonder how many parents of publicly schooled children would consider it a matter of ego, or even of negotiation, if their child wanted to leave public school. It's so normal in our society for parents to say that is not open for discussion - they'll find ways to help the child deal with their underlying issues, but the child does not get to leave school.
And yet homeschooling parents who usually chose homeschooling for reasons profoundly important to them are willing to give it up if their child wants to.
I'm not saying either perspective is right or wrong (ultimately that is for each family to decide for themselves) but I'm just really interested in the different ways people view education, and the different motivators they have for their educational choices. And too how society supports only some of those choices.
Oooo, I really like Sarah's comment.
I tend to have lots of rambling thoughts on the subject as she presents it, myself.
For my family .... yeah, it's never been my kids' choice. I get the impression that I have always been in something of a minority here, but no: whether or not we homeschool or public school or religious school it is not something the children get to decide. (mind, mine have always been happy to homeschool, so there's that) I tend to feel that what educational philosophy is best for them and for us as a whole family is better and more logically decided by myself – the adult in charge – than by them, the (I mean this with all love) immature sprogs. I mean, they're children. Sure they have food preferences, but they don't dictate the food budget or meals, either. They might not like taking certain medicines, or getting certain shots, or having their teeth cleaned, but they don't get a say in those sorts of healthcare decisions either :-)
They do have lots and lots and lots of say over what academic subjects we tackle. Though some are nonnegotiable (maths, for one).
Hooray, you picked my question! I'm glad that Alice has a say. My mom homeschooled me one year, and I would have loved to continue, but my older brother hated it and wanted to go back to school, so my parents just put us both back in. I didn't really have a say, I just did whatever they told me to. If I had spoken up, I think my mom would have listened, but it never occurred to her to ask me if I was happy with my schooling, one way or the other.
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