Home schooling!

When I mention I was home schooled all my life a lot of people become interested. So I thought I might share some of my experiences. And thoughts on some of the common misconceptions.

Home schooling is what you make it. This is the truest statement I can make.

How home school children interact depends on the parents. My Parents made us be involved in things. Home school groups, church, girl/boy scouts, basket ball, base ball , soccer, 4H, training and showing horses, showing goats, training and tuning bird dogs, Drama club just to name a few. We had lots of FRIENDS. The deference was I had friends of all ages. One of my very best friends growing up is 2 years older than my mother. Sherrie was NOT my mothers friend she was my friend, we are still very close.
School work… again is what you make it! Some of the things that taught me the most were Dads business trips. Because we were not “in school” Mom and Dad would load us up (yes all 6 of us) and off we would go. Mom would find interesting thing to see and do where ever we were going. I saw Cave dwellings, civil war battle fields (Shiloh and Gettysburg), the Hoover dam, Washiton DC I cant even name them all. While my friends that went to public school were learning about these things I was seeing them and touching them and they were alive to me! But Mom and Dad did not just make trips a learning experience one time on the way to the grocery store Dad pulled the car over and we went and picked cotton from a farmers field, As I sat there pulling cottern seeds out of the cotton Dad told me how slaves use to pick cotton and how the cotton gin pushed the world into a new industrialized age. Each of the “rabbit trails” led to new lessons in economics, history, cause and effect. We had lesson books as well I liked the little thin books I got one book in each subject each week. Mom and Dad made a deal with me if and when I got all my work done for that week the rest of my time was my own. I was given new book on Sunday if I had them all done by Tuesday afternoon the rest of the week I could do as I wished. I liked this method my younger brother not so much. Mom had to sit on him to get him to do school work. One thing that is nice is you teach to fit your child not force your child to fit the school. Yes I did my school work in my PJ’s but so what? Yes my education had some lackings but whos does not?

The second generation. I now have 2 sons both have up to this point been in public school (my hubby is not a home school fan) this Friday is there last day we will be home schooling them for the remainder of the year. Lets see if we can change hubby’s mind? Flee free to ask questions.