Homeschool Communication: Fill & Download for Free

Question was whether homeschool can offer or teach ITC, Technology, Design etc to their children or students so here's what I contributed: ...With the web there are unlimited opportunities to instruct, learn and accomplish just about anything a conventional school environment offers. If you, the homeschool parent does not have the "know-how" there are often others in your area that can advise you. Many homeschoolers communicate with each other and form groups so that subjects and social opportunities are offered to their students at the same levels or higher than public schools. Hope that's clear.

Second month of freshman year in high school.I was sitting in the front row of Mr. TV’s World History class when he went on a rant about homeschoolers.“Homeschooling should be outlawed” he said passionately. “The kids that are taught at home are socially inept and don’t get as good of an education and their lives aren’t as successful”.My hand shot up faster than a bottle rocket. “Mr. TV, would you say that I am socially inept?”That year was my first at public school. I had been homeschooled through 8th grade. I also am extremely outgoing and very capable of holding an intelligent conversation. In fact, I was one of the only students that spoke up in that class or challenged the teacher on many points he made.So back to the classroom, “Why no, you communicate yourself very well Ms. Lorencz” he said , realization slowly creeping over his face.“Well I was homeschooled previously to coming to this school, so to say that ALL homeschoolers suffer from social awkwardness is completely untrue.”The teacher proceeded to stumble through an apology while the class watched wide-eyed.Ever since then that teacher was slightly wary of me. I also had him Senior year for Government and Economics, which I greatly enjoyed. I always brought him out of his comfort zone in class discussions.Note: I am well aware of the stigma surrounding homeschoolers. Yes, some kids are socially awkward as a result of homeschooling. I am very grateful for both my homeschool and public school education, I have a different perspective on the world as a result. It has in no way hindered me, I am attending one of the top public universities in the country, pursuing an engineering degree. Also, my 3 older sisters have very successful careers as a chef, doctor, and car saleswoman.

Speaking from experience here. My parents chose to homeschool me because I learned to read before I was two years old. My mother is a licensed social worker, so she feared the social consequences of putting me in school, as she saw only two options, like you mentioned: I either skip grades and enter school at my grade level and grow up around children who are consistently 2–3 years older than me, or go into the “correct” grade for my age and my brain stagnates.We chose the third option, and I firmly believe it was the best option. Throughout my homeschooling career, my parents made sure I was active both in our homeschooling group and extracurricular activities. My homeschooling group, NHEA, was an incredibly active one with over 1,000 families, hosting events nearly every week. I was also a competitive gymnast from a young age until around 12 years old.Iwould have been allowed to attend public or private school if I wanted to - and I did for a little while (decided against it because I wouldn't be allowed to wear my rainbow Crocs to school, in case you were wondering) - but I stuck with it, graduating from “Buckley Academy” 2 years early. When I communicated to my parents that I wanted the “real school” experience, but not the environment or the education, my mother invited some of my homeschooling friends over a few times a week to study together, and my mother would teach us math. This, I believe, was crucial in my homeschooling experience. From there, my mother grew a homeschool school at which she now teaches around 70 homeschool students all the subjects - three years after I went off to college (unfortunately, lately I have been conscripted to help teach math and writing over the summer to “give kids a head start”)!As literally anyone who was not homeschooled will bring up, socialization is a perceived challenge for homeschoolers (this is so not the case, but that's an answer for another question). If my parents had not believed so strongly in homeschooling to the fullest extent, I may have changed my mind and gone to real school at some point. It was the formation and growth of our school, however, that convinced me that my parents were right in the beginning (what else is new?), and that homeschooling was and still is the best option for me.Now I am a junior at LSU, and I’d definitely say I was a homeschool success story. I am roommates with one of my best friends whom I met through homeschooling at age 11 (at a Wii Bowling tournament, an NHEA event), still keep up with most of the people I knew in high school, and am better socialized than many of my college friends.After writing this, I also feel obligated to bring up where I was homeschooled. I live in the southern US, where the school system is laughable, even private schools, and the homeschooling “regulations” are practically nonexistent. Our top high schools (which wouldn't have even been accessible to me because they were all boys’ schools) pale in comparison to average states’ school systems. Maybe if we lived elsewhere when I learned to read so early, or if I had been born a boy, that would have affected my parents’ homeschooling choice. If you're reading this answer and considering homeschooling your child, I’d urge you to at least try it, but keep in mind what you would have to give up to do so. The opportunity cost of homeschooling me was either social awkwardness or a mediocre-at-best education. The opportunity cost of homeschooling in an area where the school system is adequate may be much higher. For my family, homeschooling was less of a “choice” as much as it was the least harmful option.Tl,dr: homeschooled from the womb to the tomb because apparently I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, turned out okay, caution for you to DIY.