tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212741399857110313.post293610033026119988..comments2024-03-11T11:13:12.066-05:00Comments on Homeschool and Etc.: School is Irrelevant.Happy Elf Mom (Christine)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15047347624037697311noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212741399857110313.post-55384278442255576222008-07-05T12:28:00.000-05:002008-07-05T12:28:00.000-05:00Tracey, unfortunately I'm not going to pretend to ...Tracey, unfortunately I'm not going to pretend to be able to socialize my autistic "Elf" very well at all. He freaks out in crowds and other places. He SEEMS FINE for a while and then runs away or worse. The school spent 9/10 of its time trying to work on these issues instead of academics. However, we got to the point with dealing with the school system to where we felt they weren't working in his best interests but more "how to save money by giving the kid a bad label and shunting him somewhere else," so we withdrew him. Locking a kid in the closet, though it was not a DAILY occurrence, to my mind overshadowed the "good" things they were doing to help him acclimate to a public school environment. <BR/><BR/>So, I understand the "strangely socialized" argument against homeschoolers. Sorry, fellow hs-ers, but I do. My kids still talk about Barney and that kind of thing and they would be in third and first grade. They also like to discuss their science and mathematics in their "social time" with each other. They do not know who Oprah is or other common celebrities. They ARE a bit sheltered in that regard. I don't take them out to, say, community basketball and that sort of thing b/c I have two infants AND Elf would freak.<BR/><BR/>Other hs-ers do better in this regard, though, and I'm just speaking for myself.<BR/><BR/>I guess that's my roundabout way of saying I think for ELF the pluses outweigh the minuses, but I do recognize that in his situation there are some minuses and specialized instruction I CANNOT provide.Happy Elf Mom (Christine)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15047347624037697311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212741399857110313.post-56954766584084868492008-07-04T22:14:00.000-05:002008-07-04T22:14:00.000-05:00As usual, your points are all valid (at least, in ...As usual, your points are all valid (at least, in my opinion!). We are in the public system. We have also been in the private system, and are considering going back. To be honest, at the moment, I'm a whole lot happier with the current public school than either the former private, or the public one before that! <BR/><BR/>I haven't tried home schooling, and have never seriously considered it. I believe I'm too selfish to carry it out well. My relationship with my daughter does not lend itself to spending virtually 24/7 together! It could lead to a murder/suicide situation. I exaggerate, but not by much.<BR/><BR/>Public school certainly does help prepare kids for life after education. Not always in a positive way, but all those things you mentioned do serve a purpose. Someone like you, who teaches the children so much more broadly than the curriculum would suggest, can also instil those life lessons. Others may not be able to carry it off.<BR/><BR/>The thing I hate most about the school system, and this is a generalisation, is that there is no room for individuality. I understand why. I do. I just don't like it. <BR/><BR/>Yes, we all need to learn conformity. Yes, we all need to learn what society expects from us. At what point, though, do we learn that we are ok as human beings? That we can be ourselves and still be acceptable to others?<BR/><BR/>I think only a parent can teach that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com