I received an instant message from my 13-year-old nephew today. He wanted to discuss the differences between peer-to-peer file-sharing and bit torrent. He’s being homeschooled this year so it’s been fairly easy to connect with him at times when he’s usually in school.
I wanted to know what he thought about homeschooling. I’ve been involved in formalized school settings for the majority of my life as a student, as a teacher, and now working in a Faculty of Education with preservice teachers. I’ve often thought about my life as it would have been had I been homeschooled. I’ve pondered what it would be like to be apart from the familiar social environment in our classrooms, and how it may be different to learn. Here’s some brief insight from my nephew as captured from our IM conversation.
Me: So how are things going with your homeschooling?
George: Great.
Me: You don’t miss being in the classroom at all?
George: Not really. I like not being in it actually.
Me: What don’t you like about it?
George: The noise. The strange people.
Me: Yea, you can’t do much work with the noise.
George: Nothing actually.
Me: Do you feel like you are learning more now?
George: For sure. This is way more efficient, because by the time the teacher is done with everybody else we’ve wasted a lot of time.
There are simple insights here, perhaps so simple that we tend to ignore them as unavoidable. What if we really payed attention? What would learning look like then?
You’re right, those are worthy insights. I wish they could all be addressed within the public school setting. The Chicago Tribune ran an interesting story on home schooling the other day (free registration req’d).
One thing I keep wondering: in our modern economy where it seems households almost need dual-incomes, how can people afford to home school? I guess like the Tribune article says, it’s mostly the well-off that can afford it and are able to teach it.
hello, my name is amanda.. i have been homschooled for 8 years now. i must say it is quite plesent to be at home all the time but i would enjoy to go to school to make friends.. i don’t have any.. im quite a loser. i stay home on weekends and play with my GI-Joes.. i have fun but i think im to old for that… my mom beats me.
thanks
amanda Box
Hey thurr thugs.. I’ma straight up gangsta and im a home schoola fo sho! i like to write out my jams on a scrap piece of papa my teacha leaves mah.
thanks bitches n hoes.
PEACE OUT
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You might be shocked, but a lot of the homeschooling Moms actually are not wealthy at all. They babysit or even foster for CAS.
They cook from scratch and budget carefully to be able to afford to stay home. They also are able to use books and learning materials for subsequent children, and belong to clubs etc for support and to help offset costs any way possible.