Why Do We Homeschool?
Not that I honestly feel like I need to explain why we decided to homeschool, but for my own sanity, I will and then I can direct all those who ask here.
Education is good! Let me say that again; education is good! The problem is that most schools have turned education into a harsh punishment inflicted on children because parents have to work. Schools are now daycare centers and the teachers are awkward teenagers struggling to keep their charges occupied and off the streets. Children are herded into these stuffy, stale, institutions through metal-detectors and bag checks. They wander into class after class for what seems like endless hours of scripted lessons that have no basis in real life because for the children, real life starts and ends in these lifeless buildings. They don’t get to travel and explore the world. They are isolated and devoid of any understanding of how we are all connected and dependent on each other.
Don’t get me wrong – some of the teachers are amazing! They are dedicated and genuinely in it to better the world. Unfortunately, they are overworked, underpaid, and ritually disrespected!
The real question is “why wouldn’t we homeschool?”
JumpStart Your Child’s Interest in Learning
As a homeschooling mom, I am often looking for educational aids that my daughter will find interesting and will give her me the opportunity to track her progress. I was recently given the opportunity to review JumpStart Virtual World, an online and CD-based 3-D gaming world children ages 3-10, created by Knowledge Adventurewho is known for the award winning JumpStart and Master Blaster series of educational games.
There are currently two worlds which provide different games and activities in reading, writing, critical skills, math, and art. StoryLand, for preschoolers offers children the opportunity to designs their own homes, read-along with stories and play games like Concentration (which encourages memory), sorting items based on letters, shapes, and colors, arranging items based on size, and completing various puzzles.
While JumpStart has been in beta since December 2008, there are many additions to it’s world. Adventure Land, for children ages 5-8, includes a number of new games in which “kids are invited to explore a mysterious lost island off the coast of JumpStart.” On the island, children will have to survives missions and explore a number of mysterious discoveries using a combinations of speed, logic, and problem-solving to outsmart the villains determined to thwart their attempts at success. And there is so much more to the world. There are arcade games, music and videos, fun slides, space games and more.
So what do I think of the game? It’s amazing. The online worlds and the the cd-based games offer numerous opportunities for parents to engage their children in learning. It is proof the learning does not have to be tedious and stressful. My only complaint is that my daughter, 3, has a difficult time using the mouse to play the games on her… Continue reading
Homeschooling: a continued discussion
I was recently interviewed by NYC Education Examiner Lorri Giovinco-Harte regarding my experiences being Homeschooled and how those experiences shaped my views of teaching. Read the interview here.
I am not going to say much here because I really want you to read the interview, however, there are some additional points that I would like to make.
Firstly, I believe that any parent who can make the time to homeschool can do so successfully if he/she is also willing to seek out information. There is so much information that we as taxpayers do not know, but homeschools do not have to be expensive. In fact, if you pay PS taxes, you may be able to take advantage of a lot of educational resources offered by your district.
Secondly, I do not believe that all people who enter the teaching field are good teachers. However, I do believe that so many good teachers don’t reach their full potential because they are overwhelmed and under-supported. If the teachers feel this way, then how must the students? It’s a dangerous situation that could be controlled if the focus of Public Education were actually to educate.
And finally, while I believe Homeschooling is amazing, I do think that it is important for children to be given exposure to traditional academia if possible. I have known a few people who were homeschooled straight through HS and had problems adjusting to college- sitting in class and finding their places in a traditional classroom setting. This is not to say that a child can be homeschooled and go straight to college with no problem. Just know that every child is different and some do better than others.
With that said, go read the article!
Product Review: the Library in Your Pocket
As parents we know how important reading is to a child’s brain development. Reading to a child everyday for just 20 minutes can help your child develop a love of books and increase his/her vocaulary skills. While I believe that is important that children be surrounded by books so that they can get used to touching them, turning the pages, and even the smell of them, I cannot deny that in this digital age, computers and video appeal to visual learners. While I often fight the lure of the electronics, I do admit that there are ways to use technology to help educate our children.
MobiStories, virtual books for children, allows parents to purchase “narrated digital children’s books with illustrations and music.” The stories on the site are arranged according to age groups and range in difficulty. There are board books that teach about the different seasons, and storybooks about dinosaurs and bears. And, you can download the books in almost any format to be played on iPhones, Computers, or even DVD. In addition, you can also download just the audio version to burn on CD or add to your iPod for long trips in the car or on planes. The prices are reasonable and the stories are fun.
So go to MobiStories and look around. The company, together withMomSelect, is offering my readers $15.00 worth of free books. Be sure to enter the following code BSM107A.