Roles of the parent.
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Roles of the parent.
| Tue, 03-07-2006 - 3:29am |
I think in the old days men use to tell women the what to do, or what not to do. Today we let other women tell us what is right for us. I have never seen two situations that are the same in any relationship. The roles are changing as we type right now. Women use to think it was worth it to spend as much time at home with their children as time would give them. However, that is not the case today. It is all very sad if you ask me because you have some men that are saying "I will stay home for the kids", and at the same time the women opt not too.I have three girls, the oldest is 8 and the youngest is 3 months , each child has a four yr space. Some parents need duel incomes. I think as children get older it is okay to get work outside the house, but as they are growing and learning new things I would like to see that for myself if I can. I have another year of college and then I will have to work, and I am not looking forward to it. The idea of being away from my children is scary to me. I find it hard to even let them go outside and play. However, I am getting better with it. Both my parents worked, and I recalled how much I wanted to be with my mom. I would have been happy just to go to Walmarts with her, but she never really had the time. It is not a matter of what is right or wrong, but what is the need of the family? Can a family make it on one check? That depends on the location, the home, car, and the life style that the parents want to have. Some could say if you want to be safe, you both have to pay because safe comes with a high price tag. Others could say different. The truth is stay at home moms are on the downfall due to the different types of families today. Is it bad or good, I do not know. However, I can tell you it is life.

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***I highly doubt they would benefit chatting with your happy Middle Schooler popping in every other week***
Neither do I. But then, I never suggested it would be a good idea for children to volunteer with abuse victims.
***Why do you think it helps these desperate people to sit and talk with your child?***
Did I say anything about sitting and talking? No- I don't believe I did. I mentioned volunteering- maybe you thought that meant socializing? I was intending it to mean things like preparing and serving food, preparing necessities (washing/folding towels/blankets etc.)
***I think it's unkind to educate your child about the hopeless victims in our society at their expense.***
Personally I think that *everyone* would do well to educate themselves first hand about the "hopeless victims in our society". Anyone can go out and collect (whatever) for a cause. But without people to distribute and work with the people benefitting from that cause it's all but useless.
Wytchy
Same with our schools. "Just for fun" trips don't happen.
Robin
One could also go into a lesson regarding field tactics and strategy- *seeing* the battlefield one can gain a much more accurate picture of the layout and the issues soldiers would have faced. (Is the area heavily wooded? Is it frequently muddy during that season? These sorts of things can make one *think* of the conditions that one might hvae been fighting under and what one might need to do or could do to gain the advantage. And while that may not be high school curriculum- it's a very vivid life lesson ;)
Wytchy
I'm sure the politics and general parental views of those in the area play a large part. Around here we had a scandal a while back about a bus driver who was driving under the influence. Parents here are more than a little gun shy as a result. It was an issue where I was growing up probably more because we lived in a rural area with bad roads and anything worth going to was about a half hour away ;)
Really? Bowling? Doesn't that eat up a large part of the day? That just seems odd. I'm sure it'd be a blast for the kids- but... I'd think it'd be a big time drain.
Wytchy
Oh they have that rule here too. They learn about the architecture of the coasters, the centrifugal force that holds you to the wall on the ride that the bottom drops out in, etc. They attach some "educational value" to a primarily fun trip in order to make it fly LOL. As for the ski trip- it's physical education, don'tcha know! (Skiing is a great workout ;)
Wytchy
***our seventh/eighth graders take a trip to washington dc every other year and wisconsin is not that close.***
That's great. I grew up in PA- much closer- in a moderate district (not poor, not wealthy) and we never went anywhere LOL
***homeschoolers may have more flexibility (but you are assuming they have the funds to do the things as well, which in my experince is far from always the case) but a kid in public school may experience more things if you include family and school events - that of course in both cases is going to depend on the family.***
True- but since the argument was raised that it was primarily higher SES families who tended to homeschool- I'd say there is a greater than average chance that they *would* have the funds for such things. Further, the simple issue of flexibility of *time* is a huge draw for many. Not having to work family trips and learning around an 8-3-ish school day lends itself to quite a bit of flexibility.
Flexibility is a big reason why *I* feel that homeschooling is important for *my* family. I was never a fan of the schedulled school day. ;) I was a very independant learner and wanted to pursue my interests on my own time rather than when a bell dictated that it was "math/english/gym time". ;)
Wytchy
You should inquire about the Zero Tolerance policies many schools have. We have ZTP in place for drugs/alcohol and for bullying. They can be surprisingly effective. I know one incident locally where a 10 yr-old Queen Bee was stopped dead in her tracks and shaped up immediately.
Any bussing problem can be avoided ~ carpooling or driving them to school.
6th graders in the bathroom? Well, that can happen. But I think children in elementary school can be effectively disciplined ~ and in high school, I just can't imagine many parents having enough knowledge to teach high school students. Can you teach an AP class? How about several in one year? And when I think of peer pressure, I think High School. Yet, that's generally when Home Schooled students enter traditional school.
So, I can see how your view of bullying and peer pressure might warrant HS'ing during the Middle School years. But those are just a few short years. You probably have other reasons for HS'ing.
And IMO there's no way even the HS'ing co-op can match the *resources* and socialization/academic/sports opportunities that traditional schools have. For us, the benefits of attending the traditional school far, far outweigh the few risks.
Peer pressure and bullying are alive and well in the middle school years. In fact, I think bullying is MORE prevalent in middle school than in high school. By the time kids reach high school, many are pretty mature, at least around here. Most kids are pretty serious about their education - because now it counts - really counts.
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Definitely, creativity and flexibility are important. But I would prefer a teacher with years of experience in the field so that my children are taught *correctly.*
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Yah, I'd appreciate something from the colleges ~ not so much the Home Schooling organizations, please. ;) There's a lot on the 'net from the HS'ers about their success. The colleges put in writing that they are more than open to admitting the HS'ed child, but I wonder what the stats really are, especially at the better colleges.
<> That pretty much sums up why I would never homeschool!
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I just don't see how even the HS'ing co-ops can match the facilities, coaching staff, resources and variety of seasonal sports as do the public schools. Sports are almost as important to us as academics. How will you get your children involved in sports?
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I'm not interested in how it gets done. The fact remains, the public school student has none of these distractions. They are rigidly scheduled. I think structure, routine and discipline are good things.
Will your children go to any traditional school before college?
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