I'm really interested to know why your girls are being home schooled but your boys (with the exception of William) attend regular school.I admit to being sceptical concerning homeschooling (you don't have a BA, or Masters of Education) but am even more concerned that your girls are not exposed to the world. Are they being educated to marry?
August 23, 2011 11:44 PM
When I read this comment I thought to myself-- "It's time to do another digest." "Are they being educated to marry?" ??? Honestly I am not sure how to answer.
Um-- yes??
No?
Both??
Yes we are educating them about the value of a good marriage and being a spouse, but we are educating all of our kids about marriage. I mean-- isn't that our job? But... if you are referring to us homeschooling our girls in lieu of going to college... um... no we are not. That is their choice and their choice solely. Since you asked, I will share. Our girls are being homeschooled for many different reasons. A few of our girls were not getting the help they needed at school even with an IEP. With homeschooling each child works at their ability despite the grade they are in. This allows them to thrive! The junior high here is not that good. If you'll notice, all of the kids except for Rachel who is in highschool are of the junior high age. This is one of the toughest ages which makes it the perfect time to homeschool. We talked about Rachel going to highschool, but she chose to stay home. Next year Annalyn and Julia will be going into highschool and if the three of them choose to go to school, that is something that we will consider.
As to being a skeptic.... I was there. A year ago, I was against it. I was sort of left no choice when I was told there was no room for one of my sons to attend the same school as all of his siblings. That is when the researching began. The charter school that we are a part of has so many resources-- online programs like Rosetta Stone and Discovery Education, a resource center full of tons of curriculum at my fingertips, virtual tutoring with a live teacher, virtual classrooms, extracurricular activities, etc. This experience has been very rewarding and has me learning so many new things. Not just the kids.
Our Nest said...
William's food lists are funny! A friend recently introduced me to Kahn Academy which has online instruction for many subjects, particularly math and science - thought you might be interested.www.khanacademy.org
August 24, 2011 8:37 AM
I looked into this. It is really cool! Thanks!
MrsD said...
"when Sasha sees the Pacific Ocean...?" ??? :)
August 22, 2011 11:23 PM
Yes, we would love to have him come and visit us. God willing we are heading down that path. However... I am discouraged by what I have heard about the chances of him getting a visa are. I am open to suggestions.
Hime said...
Yummy! I have a friend whos birthday is the same day!Happy Birthday, or as they say in Japanese, Otanjyoubi Omedetou!
August 20, 2011 10:37 AM
Welcome Hime! I wanted to make sure you saw my response. I have sure enjoyed your comments! Thanks!
Sara said...
How fun!!**I made your cheese fruit pies......so easy and so good!
August 22, 2011 3:12 PM
I just bought lemon and cherry pie filling. We'll be making these soon! Glad you enjoyed them as much as we do.
MommaMindy said...You were SO wise to just thank and compliment. I have made many mistakes by correcting their mistakes FIRST...they don't hear the praise afterwards.That is a way my kids show me love, too, by making me coffee. I guess coffee is my love language. :)
August 17, 2011 7:31 PM
Mindy, I have done the same thing. Live and learn. And even after you learn, you forget. At least I do. We have something in common. I love me some coffee too!
Bethany said...That's a rough start to a school year :( please don't be too mad at the little girl...remember she is the same age of Dennis, a little girl that might have been emotional and overly anxious about school...and when children that are upset already start crying it is HARD to make them stop.... hope it gets better!
August 16, 2011 10:36 PM
I totally get what you are saying, and I appreciate your gentleness. In fact I appreciate all of you who left me constructive comments. I am not mad... but I was hurt for my little boy and of course disappointed. I still don't even know who the little girl is. All they told me was that they found her response to be odd since her grandmother has a huge physical difference. The school moved her to another class.
Anonymous said...I think she was frightened. It is unfortunate but you should take responsibility for his teeth. You said way back you were not getting the rotten ones fixed, maybe you should have. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, just keeping it real. You and your family see Dennis everyday and never notice his eye but for someone who has never seen Dennis he might appear scary until they get to know him. Unfortunately, your family lives in the most body and looks conscious State that there is.Hope the rest of his week is better. Kristen
August 17, 2011 7:46 AM
Kristen, are you for real? Are you trying to be nice? Helpful? Oh paaaalease. Thank you for wishing that his week went better. It did. As for commenting further-- I won't.
23 inspiring thoughts:
Handled with Grace & Tact as usual. Blessings to you & yours. I feel sorry for Dennis.. I HATE GOING TO THE DENTIST!!! He has such a wonderful family though, I think he'll make it through all his obstacles with such a strong support system. How weird that the little girl had a family member that was "different" and reacted that way. Its a shame they had to move her.. it would have been nice if they could have taught her about acceptance... but I think it is best for Dennis not to be her "living lesson".
We went to a birthday party the other night, and a little boy there kept pointing at Ava and saying, "Mommy, that baby is creepy!!" She kept trying to shush him but he only got louder and louder. Ha. I know his mother was mortified!! :) I never know how to handle these things...So sad! Hugs, friend!
Re: Sasha. You might be able to get a student visa for him, if you are willing to pay all his school expenses and there is a school/college that would accept him. He still wouldn't be able to take a job off campus, but that'd be a start!
I was thinking about the student visa too! That would definitely be something to look into.
Also something to think about in regards to the IEP address. If the person is in a computer lab, using one of those computers it will mostly likely have the same IEP. That happened to me last year at college. A girl was leaving nasty comments on a blog, but when I'd go to leave a comment {it is a HUGELY popular blog} I was blocked and told it was because of my negative comments. In talking to the techies there they told me about having the same IEP address. Needless to say I was bummed!
Sarah
Homeschooling..... Getting comments like that is par for the coarse I'm afraid. I have been homeschooling for 11+ years. Just sent my first to college last week-sad and happy all at the same time. I have a teaching degree, but let me tell you it did next to nothing to help me in my homeschool endeavors. The only real help it did was give me confidence to start and some organization skills. The poster of this comment should do some research on homeschooling. Colleges are seeking these children out! They are usually self motivated and self learners. Many companies are seeking them out as well because of their abilities to think outside the box. Also, if you have looked around these days there are a large number of terns that I don't want influencing my children! They need to learn to grow comfortable with themselves. Many, many, many adults have cone up to me and my husband
to compliment us on our children. They say how sweet, kind, independent, confident kids they are. I am proud to homeschool. I once read something that defines what I think homeschooling is, or why I do it. - Plant a seed in your home. water it, care for it, help it grow. The roots will become strong and run deep. Move it outside and when the heat if summer and frost of winter come it will be able to endure even the most extreme conditions. But plant a seed outside with all the possible elements going against it, it will become weak and die or at least struggle before it's root system becomes strong enough to bear any adversity.
Hi Christine
I always enjoy your digest posts & I think you answered the questions well!
Have a wonderful week
Renata:)
Christine, thank you answering questions and commenting...I always enjoy reading your blog...
I think that is awesome that you are trying to bring Sasha! : )
As for Dennis I am glad that the situation was more or less resolved...I had no idea Dennis roared at her...hehe...That kinda made me giggle....: )
I know all too well the Mama Bear response so.....HUgs,
Rita
I homeschooled Aidan and Lydia from 5th through 8th grades. Loved it. Those are AWFUL years to be in school; learning is only accidental for most kids because the social tension is SO enormous...and as far as individualizing - that's the best reason to homeschool.
Wow! That first question about homeschooling literally had me laughing out loud. I just find it funny that people actually think like that.
I was going to suggest a student visa, but Hevel beat me to it! In high school (which was public school, so it presumably didn't involve much in the way of fees) there was a girl in my class who was here as a foreign exchange student and was able to get a visa for that. When her visa for that ran out, she renewed her visa but had to go to private school instead. She ended up going to college in the U.S. too. Another friend has similarly been here on a student visa from Malaysia for the past 8 years (college and med school). Look into the student visa thing - it just might work!
Aw the ole' homeschooling, are they socialized, are you protecting them from the real world questions..... UGH....
We were literally HOUNDED for years on this stuff with our guys. This was back in the 1990's...The funny things is, the very people who hounded us, (all young marrieds) are now parents of kids in school.... NEARLY ALL of them are now homeschoolers. LOL
My questions have always gone the other way.... what is so "Real World" about putting 30 12 year olds in a classroom all day long and the kids ONLY see kids their own age and grade?
Isn't real world more like being around young, old, and in between, learning to help those around,learning to talk to adults, children your own age AND little ones?
Which is more "REAL WORLD".... I haven't had an answer yet. :)
Thank you so much for your reply to my question regarding homeschooling. Homeschooling isn't the norm here in the UK and, from what I have seen on the TV which admittedly is only "19 kids and counting" I was rather concerned that formal education in your family was only for the boys.
I still wonder when your girls meet other girls of their age group(s) (perhaps at church?) but realise that you probably don't share all aspects of your life.
Thank you for sharing.
If your girls (the younger ones perhaps) want to add some Bible to the curriculum, consdering joining the fall challenge on my blog for girls http://just4christiangirls.blogspot.com/ We are using The Christian Girl's Guide to the Bible for the older girls and there will be activities and fun but more importantly, I hope girls will realize how important the Bible is as their guide for life. There will also be give aways and right now the give aways are for the MOM! Anyone welcome. Just not your vicious commentors : )
Christine, my husband and I would never have considered homeschooling (our kids are now grown), but I have enjoyed reading about your adventures, think some of your lesson plans are brilliant and sometimes am even a little jealous, since you sound like you're having fun.
I thought your response to anonymous was excellent, thoughtful and measured. (You'd make a great lawyer!)
Sara P.
Christine, I agree with the previous commenters regarding homeschooling - esp. the misconception that you have to be specifically degreed to teach. I have 2 Ca. credentials and a MA in Ed. and they didn't teach me much. Sorry to say. If you have good curriculum and are dedicated to the task, your children will get an excellent education, period.
Homeschooling is a constant topic on your blog recently. :)
I held my own experiences back so far.
I was homeschooled from the age of 11 to 14 and frankly it wasn't good for me. As others expressed it previously, I was protected from real world. When I went back to Gymnasium,(like high school in you country), I was frightened, extremly nervous, I desperately struggled with fitting in and the feeling that I was different. My parents didn't know anything. I was master of hiding my problems. :)
But each situation is different. In my family I was the only child homeschooled. And I thinks it's depend on the child's personalty, either.
Homeschooling a child for more shool year maybe not too good. Meanwhile kids change a lot, peers change a lot,too but in a different way. There are many kind of for adults invisible diffrences what other kids will surely notice. So they need to be among peers beyond their siblings, so that the won't feel different from them.
No judge, no advice, I just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences.
All the best!
Ági
To answer your question to me in your post about being "Kristen with the same IP address" ...
No, I'm not Kristen.
I was concerned for that little girl but didn't mean to throw rudeness your way. Truly, I wish sometimes we could hear tone over the Net. My tone in my earlier comment about Dennis' school experience was concern for the girl, saddness for your son, and empathy for you. I'm sorry if it didn't come across that way. You don't know me or my family of course, but I can tell you that I do very much understand the challenges & joys of having a differently-abled child. (in my case, children). I understand the mamabear instinct all too well. If I misread your post, please forgive and understand there was no harm or ill intent meant.
I hope you publish this comment, as my earlier comment now has quite a bit of visibility in this post. I feel badly about that.
Kris
teamgile what a blessing it must be to get comments from others about your children. They encourage me-- especially when I am in doubt about something. Keep up the great work!
Kris I appreciate you leaving this new comment. Thank you. I am sorry for misinterpreting your previous comment too. If you would like me to take it down, I can.
When I was in school we had a student that had many physical deformities. The coolest thing was, his Mom brought him in the first day of Kindergarten, wheeled him to the front of the class in his specially made wheelchair, and asked if we had any questions. He went to school with us all of the way through our Senior year. By the time we graduated, we had all but forgot K had physical challenges. We had become so accustomed to adjusting and adapting to him that it was just 2nd nature and it was just who he was. Trust me when I tell you that they were severe. It was such a blessing having him in our lives. Recently someone wrote on our school's fb page that he was so blessed to have grown up with K because he has never looked at struggled with people that have physical or mental challenged because of him. I realized that it is true. I accept people where they are and get to know them without preconceived ideas or fears and I do believe it was from growing up with K. That was almost 40 years ago and his Mom was an integral part of our lives. Every new surgery, prosthetic device, etc.. she was back at the school talking to us. When a surgery required a lengthy absence she was back and forth to the school carting all of our notes and cards and bringing pictures and updates. School parties she was there hanging out with us. I may have shared about him here before but she was a total rock star and I still look at her with incredible love and respect. Maybe you can help the kiddos learn to love Dennis. I know you have greater restraints on your time with the homeschooling, etc... but just an idea.
Haha, it's really funny, when you mentioned who was being homeschooled and who was going to public school I also wondered how you decided. However, what I was thinking was it's too bad all the kids can't be home! To me it's really obvious that the flexibility you have to adapt each child's education to his or her specific needs is just so much better. Different strokes I guess. People often criticize when they don't have the knowledge.
Hi! You are doing a great job with homeschooling your children. Homeschooling is a lot of work. My daughter was homeschooled until ninth grade.She then wanted to go to public school for highschool. Her teachers loved her because she was homeschooled and very focused in her studies. She graduated high school at 16 years old and now at 19 years old is a junior chemistry major in college. She wants to do research in food science.Pat
Thank you for understanding, Christine. Thank you for offering to take down that earlier comment. I would feel better if you took it down and appreciate that. I don't want to cause more pain.
Kris
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