Speaking of relationships

[mschrisgo2]

I’ve been providing academic support for a student, 8th gr, 9th gr, and now 10th. After last year of online school for everyone, and he and I mostly working on FaceTime, our governor has ordered all students back to in-person school. Today was day 4.

In chatting about how it’s going for him, I asked about classmates. He shook his head, and told me he’s focusing on establishing rapport with his teachers “because it will make all the difference if we have to go back to online-only classes.”
I imagine he’s correct, but I find it an awfully sad situation.

[razz]

The teens are at a key stage of emotional and social development. Virtual learning has hopefully taught some degree of independence and self-responsibility about educating oneself. The social and emotional are harder to learn or teach without interaction with peers in a school or active social setting.
It will be interesting to see what the research says about those entering post-secondary and their all-round preparation during virtual learning episode.

Curious about the academic support that you provide - would you be comfortable sharing what that involves and how someone might get started doing this, how many students one might support. It may well be an especially essential service with all the disruptions to school in the past 18 months and teachers evaluate the students once they return to school.

[Klunick]

Kids, especially teens, can be cruel. Best that he develop relationships with adults over peers as most of his life, he will be dealing with adults. We told our boys that 99.999% of the time, after HS Graduation, you will never see or speak to anyone from HS who you thought were your friends. Sad but true.

[Tybee]

Kids, especially teens, can be cruel. Best that he develop relationships with adults over peers as most of his life, he will be dealing with adults. We told our boys that 99.999% of the time, after HS Graduation, you will never see or speak to anyone from HS who you thought were your friends. Sad but true.

That's interesting, for my kids it has not been true--my sons still socialize with their high school friends and stay at their houses when they are in town, and they are 35 and 39. They are lucky that way.

[Klunick]

That's interesting, for my kids it has not been true--my sons still socialize with their high school friends and stay at their houses when they are in town, and they are 35 and 39. They are lucky that way.

That is why I said 99% of the time. My brother is still friends with two people from HS and he will be flipping 61 in September!! My oldest is still friends with somebody from HS (graduated in 2019) so we'll see what happens 10 years from now and life changes occur.

[Chicken lady]

We homeschooled. My oldest invited four adults to help celebrate her 13th bday. The next year she travelled to Europe with two of them. People used to ask me “aren’t you concerned that she relates to adults instead of her peers?” And I said “no. Someday her peers will be adults and she’ll be fine.” She still has two really good friends roughly her age from when she was 4 and 6, and friends from college. She’s also still super close with one of the adults from that birthday and said adults now 12 y.o.

the youngest was swamped with friends her own age and is still in touch with many, and it’s been all drama all the time since age 10.

The middle child had a small group of good buddies his age from scouts and they are all still tight. Including the one who is now a terrific young woman. The rest are good men.

the only one who made me sad was the baby, because everything I had to give in support of her social life was not enough for her.

[Teacher Terry]

I am still friends with a friend from first grade, 4th grade and 4 from high school. We all get together every 3-5 years despite living all over the country. I have never been a fan of homeschooling.

[Jane v2.0]

My sibling home-schooled their step-daughter for several years--a small child in an accelerated program who was being bullied. It worked out well. I've long been a fan of home-schooling done thoughtfully and creatively.

[Klunick]

My sibling home-schooled their step-daughter for several years--a small child in an accelerated program who was being bullied. It worked out well. I've long been a fan of home-schooling done thoughtfully and creatively.

I bet online/virtual learning the last year was Heaven for those kids who were being bullied at school before. I hope they can continue online or had enough time in the meantime to switch schools before in person started back up.

[ToomuchStuff]

I do wonder how the homeschooling will end up effecting our society, as a siblings kid, was in a EMT program, where they didn't even get their manuals, until last December (one week before the Xmas break, half way through the program). While the kids "graduated" from the program, I have heard it from that school district that they are no where near qualified that the year before were.
Also how about those that are homeschooled, by either ignorant family, family that doesn't care, family with internet issues (one sibling lives in the country, internet is so poor, couldn't have multiple people using it at the same time), generally those with no support structure?

[Klunick]

I do wonder how the homeschooling will end up effecting our society, as a siblings kid, was in a EMT program, where they didn't even get their manuals, until last December (one week before the Xmas break, half way through the program). While the kids "graduated" from the program, I have heard it from that school district that they are no where near qualified that the year before were.
Also how about those that are homeschooled, by either ignorant family, family that doesn't care, family with internet issues (one sibling lives in the country, internet is so poor, couldn't have multiple people using it at the same time), generally those with no support structure?
I have a co-worker who is dumber than a box a rocks and just gave up trying to make her kids do their work. If they didn't want to do it, she wouldn't make them. She let them walk all over her. I wouldn't be surprised if they failed. Can't see how they could have passed with as many phone calls this lady got from their schools saying they weren't doing their assignments.... or even logging in for days!!

[Chicken lady]

There is a difference between homeschooling and trying to approximate a classroom based education at home.

I’d love to see studies on homeschooling vs. institutional schooling where they control for economic status, parent involvement, learning challenges (things like dyslexia and autism) and geographic resources before comparing the students.

I personally think parent involvement is key no matter how the kid is getting content.

if you have no interest in your child’s education and communicate that to them, the only difference in the education an uninterested student is going to get is that the one at home doesn’t have a record of failure and you don’t face truancy charges.

if the home is abusive that’s a bigger issue because the kid has fewer adult contacts and less opportunity to escape, but I feel like that is an issue that should be addressed outside of schools. (Visiting home nurses maybe? Somebody who brings you something good just because you have kids?) I don’t have an actual plan, I just think there must be a better one, or ones.

[razz]

Like a lot of other things that come up for discussion, some like CL talk from experience in both home and school-based learning, others talk from reports, others talk from statistics from the past and the present.

I think that we can all agree that children's education is important but also needs good support from parents, teachers, mentor;, lessons whether in bricks and mortar or virtual with good internet; good health of the children and great examples of success to look up to. I have included some variables in children's education but there are so many more. Bullying whether at home or elsewhere is a large one by itself.

I find it difficult when generalized observations are made on children's education without adding the particular variables that impacted that observation.

[happystuff]

I personally think parent involvement is key no matter how the kid is getting content.

if you have no interest in your child’s education and communicate that to them, the only difference in the education an uninterested student is going to get is that the one at home doesn’t have a record of failure and you don’t face truancy charges.

While my kids were young and in the public schools system, I saw parents at both end of the spectrum - didn't care/help/monitor/etc. to "helicopter" parents that actually did some of the work for their kids!


I find it difficult when generalized observations are made on children's education without adding the particular variables that impacted that observation.

And I believe the variables to be very important. I have several friends who have homeschooled/are homeschooling, but it's not just staying home and studying. They participate in homeschooling groups, community activities, take their own "field trips", etc. And then, again, there are some that just stay home and study...

As Chicken Lady pointed out - parental involvement is a BIG factor.

[Teacher Terry]

I totally agree that parental involvement is very important. For some kids school is a haven from a awful home and for others it’s the reverse. I have known people that have homeschooled well. I think if you have a good school it’s important for the kids socially and educationally to go to school.

[Chicken lady]

And I think if you have a good home, a parent who can afford the time and enjoy the ride, and a reasonably healthy community it’s usually important for them socially and educationally not to.

viva la differance.

(also, I will ALWAYS vote to fund the schools. ALWAYS.)

[Teacher Terry]

I never vote against more money for the schools.

[Chicken lady]

I didn’t mean to imply you did, I just wanted to be clear where I stand.

i don’t have a lot of patience with homeschoolers and private schoolers who don’t support the schools because “they don’t use them.” Really? What role exactly are you expecting all these public school kids to play in your life?

[happystuff]

I voted against more money the year I found out that they were asking for HUGE increases and that 1/2 of the entire salary budget went to FIVE (5) individuals - none of whom were teachers! And this was for a school district which only had an elementary and middle school building, but had a superintendent, and a principle and vice-principle for each school. They were letting teachers go while increasing the superintendent's salary (which was already well over 6 figures), along with the budget manager and a secretary... can't remember who the other two individuals were.

I apparently was not the only one who voted against it, because the budget was not passed that year - at least by the voters.

[iris lilies]

I have not voted yes in the last couple of St. Louis city schools tax increases.


The per-pupil cost is already nearly the highest in the state. Out of 500 school districts The city of St. Louis school district is number 3 as far as per pupil cost. Their objective results are abysmal.


In the Hermann School District the per-pupil cost is much lower and their test scores and graduation rate is much higher.

St. Louis city schools spend 50% more per pupil than the Hermann schools.

The problem here is not the money.

[Jane v2.0]

I think one of the reasons homeschooling worked so well in my sibling's case was that both of them are eager learners and none too fond of structure or authority.

[catherine]

I think one of the reasons homeschooling worked so well in my sibling's case was that both of them are eager learners and none too fond of structure or authority.

Homeschooling worked for my dropout son--for the same reasons it worked for your siblings. And I loved teaching him. I never regretted pulling him out of the traditional classroom when I saw it wasn't working for him.

[Teacher Terry]

CL, I didn’t think you were implying anything:)). Happy, it’s definitely a problem with the money not going to the kids or teachers but to people at the top. Nevada is always near the bottom like at the 49th place in how our schools rate. Our university in contrast is really good. School is definitely not for everyone.

[sweetana3]

Schools (and the money for them) are a very local issue. Our school board asked for an enormous 1 BILLION dollar increase. This from a district with constantly decreasing enrollment, poor teaching success, 20-25% utilization of many buildings, and on and on.

It was suggested rather loudly that they demonstrate they knew how to manage what they had before asking for the moon. I cannot recommend our district to any parent when the best schools are lottery based. They already have one of the biggest expenditure per student in our state. The average in our state is around $10,000 and IPS has $14,000.

[iris lilies]

Schools (and the money for them) are a very local issue. Our school board asked for an enormous 1 BILLION dollar increase. This from a district with constantly decreasing enrollment, poor teaching success, 20-25% utilization of many buildings, and on and on.

It was suggested rather loudly that they demonstrate they knew how to manage what they had before asking for the moon. I cannot recommend our district to any parent when the best schools are lottery based. They already have one of the biggest expenditure per student in our state. The average in our state is around $10,000 and IPS has $14,000.

Yes, St. Louis city school system spends over $15,000 per pupil. It has all the problems of an urban population. Throwing money at it doesn’t help.