Home schooling your children - what does everyone think about it?

[Muhaba]

with all the crap being taught to children in schools and the possibility of children being converted to other religions without their parents knowing, parents in Western nonmuslim countries have the option of homeschooling their children if they can't find a Muslim school nearby.

What do you think about homeschooling children? is it a good idea? would you use books from the public schools, or get them from islamic schools or use homeschool programs such as Calvert School?

Do any of you have experience with this? what effect does it have on the children and what effects on the parent? would you get a private tutor? How do you get children to get together with other children?

I hope someone gives insight, especially those who already homeschool their children.

[PouringRain]

I am a big supporter of homeschooling. One of the most important, and first, things to do is to know the laws of your country or state. In the US you can find the laws by state at this website:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

It is also a legal organization if you so choose to join. There are also some good articles on that site. Articles on things such as socialization and homeschooling. (I mention socialization, because that seems to be a big issue with those who are against homeschooling. The research actually indicates that homeschoolers do better socially than children in public schools.)

As far as curriculum goes, some states dictate which curriculum you are allowed to use. Some states even require that the parent have a teaching certification to be able to homeschool. Some states are very lenient and have no oversight. There are a lot of really good curriculums out there. Some of them even have tests that you can give the child to identify what level to start the child at and if there are any gaps in learning. I do not know of any Islamic curriculums, but one thing a parent can do is to use non-religious curriculum for the core subjects and supplement it with your own Islamic education.

To answer some of your other questions.... I have homeschooled my children, in the past, for several years. If anyone wants any curriculum recommendations, I can give specific ones and my reasoning behind why I prefer those ones.

You asked about social outlets for homeschoolers. In some places there are excellent networks for homeschoolers. I'd look in your area for other parents who homeschool. Find out if any of them do things like meet up once a week for the children to play, organize field trips together, homeschooling organized sports teams, co-op classes, etc. These are just some of the things that are available in some areas to homeschoolers. Even if these things do not exist in your area, if there are any other homeschooling parents, it is possible the two of you can plan get-togethers and field trips. Look for activities that you can get your children involved in: 4-H, scouts, classes at the islamic center, etc. Check at your local library for story times. Your local hardware store may offer classes for children to do projects (possibly just during the summer), and local craft stores may offer classes also.

Another thing that I would look into is that some public schools and private schools will allow homeschoolers to join a class on field trips or during other special times.

If a parent feels unable to teach certain subjects, then a tutor or computer assisted course may be beneficial. Some areas have co-op classes. With these you may pay a small fee, and then you and the child both attend the class together. There are benefits to you attending the class with your child.

[أحمد]

:sl:

It takes "far too much" commitment from many parents to homeschool their kids well enough to achieve a decent level of education. I would recommend you get training before considering taking such steps; as its possible that you may ruin your child's chance of getting any education at all.

Although I'm a "fan of homeschooling", I do understand that many parents are just not ready to take such steps.

E.g. For those who wish to teach their kids Islamic studies; they need to know and understand what they'll be teaching. The same applies for all subject areas.

PouringRain has explained the rest in plenty of detail.

:wa:

[Yanal]

:sl:

Not neccesarily how you state it is,is how Public School.What are you planning to do? Homeschool your child(ren) until the end of Elementary?

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[Beardo]

I was home schooled, and look how I turned out! :D

Wait... That wasn't too convincing, was it...?

But wait. Don't throw out the idea JUST YET!

I'll tell you when home schooling is a good idea: when you're doing some extra curricular on the side. In my opinion, if you're just home schooling, then it's not worth it. You should do Hifdh or specialize in something on the side. I did hifdh, but I had a friend who was 9 years old and on Pre-Calculus. You can imagine. o_o; Genius kid.

Visit http://www.muslimhousehold.com

They have a few articles on home schooling.

[أحمد]

:sl:

:sl:

Not neccesarily how you state it is,is how Public School.What are you planning to do? Homeschool your child(ren) until the end of Elementary?

State school education system is very weak; that's one of the reasons for supporting homeschooling. But unfortunately for some parents; its too much to ask when it comes to the practical side of it. I have seen a few times that parents have taken their kids out of school to home-school them, and months later had to return them to the same state schools, as they weren't able to cope with it.

An earlier discussion on the education system can be found somewhere on the forum.

:wa:

[Muhaba]

Sister Pouring Rain, thank you for the detailed information. I'll look at the link and would also appreciate the curriculums you recommend. The only one i know of so far is the one from Calvert. It seems like a pretty good homeschooling program. some of my friends were homeschooled and used that school.

Brother, Ahmed Waheed, it's true that parents need to be qualified and capable of homeschooling. i'm sure if parents see that they are unable to do it, they will stop and send their children to a public or private school or get a private tutor. most parents only want the best for their children.

Brother Yanal, I'm considering it. living in an arab country, i do want my children to get an english education, so i thought of supplementing their education (which will mostly be in Arabic) with some english homeschool study. i don't like the english medium schools in arab countries as they are very unislamic. Should I move to a Western country, I'd prefer a private Islamic school for children. but if that's not possible, then most likely i'll homeschool.

[Muhaba]

I was home schooled, and look how I turned out! :D

Wait... That wasn't too convincing, was it...?

But wait. Don't throw out the idea JUST YET!

I'll tell you when home schooling is a good idea: when you're doing some extra curricular on the side. In my opinion, if you're just home schooling, then it's not worth it. You should do Hifdh or specialize in something on the side. I did hifdh, but I had a friend who was 9 years old and on Pre-Calculus. You can imagine. o_o; Genius kid.

Visit http://www.muslimhousehold.com

They have a few articles on home schooling.

Thank you , brother Rashad, i think your an inspiration! I like the idea of extra-curricular supplements to go with homeschooling and have thought of them. Insha-Allah, if i homeschool, i'll definately get them to do them.

Thanks for the articles. i'll look at them insha-Allah.

[أحمد]

:sl:

There are many learning aids, which can be used once you are into the homeschooling scenario. Never use learning aids as learning supplements, always keep the pen-paper method active. Learning aids can enhance the childs ability to understand whatever is being taught, but this isn't possible if the learning aid becomes the only means of learning.

Always be practical and realistic; keep in mind that you cannot inject the child with knowledge and it will take him/her time to learn. Always be patient. If you think you are being patient; be a little more patient. You were once a child; who had no more knowledge than the child you are trying to teach.

Don't rely on pre-written syllabus books to cover all aspects of learning; this is a dangerous assumption to make. You want the child to learn and excel, not merely to scrape some elementry knowledge. Allow the child to begin thinking more logically and independently. Do not load the childs mind with fiction portrayed as reality. Elementry schools often do this, and it doesn't help the child.

:wa:

[forevermm]

with all the crap being taught to children in schools and the possibility of children being converted to other religions without their parents knowing, parents in Western nonmuslim countries have the option of homeschooling their children if they can't find a Muslim school nearby.

What do you think about homeschooling children? is it a good idea? would you use books from the public schools, or get them from islamic schools or use homeschool programs such as Calvert School?

Do any of you have experience with this? what effect does it have on the children and what effects on the parent? would you get a private tutor? How do you get children to get together with other children?

I hope someone gives insight, especially those who already homeschool their children.

I have to say that while I am probably an anomaly when I attended school I always attended a non-Muslim religious school mainly because they were the only private schools available. I find that I myself stronger in my beliefs because of it but I also find that pear pressure has increased over the years because my siblings are not the same as I but they did attend public schools. Therefore there maybe a difference between public and private schools but I have considered home school for my own kids when they are old enough. There are many support groups for Muslim parents online with assignments which center around the child's educational needs as determined by your state/country as well as Islamic teachings.

Home Schooled children statistically tend to be more advanced educationally but often times they are assessed to have poor social skills but various standardized tests. Yet many parents have now discovered new methods to counter what many individuals use as examples for protesting home schooling. They call them teaching circles. Where 3-4 families get together and collectively home school their children. Each parent takes the kids for one day and teaches one subject. This allows the kids to interact with each other as well as have input on their studies from someone other than a parent which might be viewed as biased.

Another option though is supplementing your child's education by enrolling them in after school programs which some mosques have developed. I personally would pick this as an option after researching various studies being that living in the west it is not likely for a child once in college to be truly submerged in a community that is 100% Muslim and learning to interact with non-Muslims and to support their arguments and defend their faith is a positive skill to have and it is not a skill that may simply be taught without opportunity to practice. Unfortunately there are no programs such as this in my community as of yet so homeschooling/teaching circle is more of an option which I'm looking towards until I get a support for establishing a program at our mosque.

[S.Belle]

I went to public school up until 10th grade and then I was homeschooled. I honestly liked being homeschooled better because I felt I was learning more. My mom homeschool's my lil bro and the activites she does with him are awesome and he is actually a year ahead in his learning.
So I would say it is something you should do because you can teach your child yourself so you know what they are learning and what they are better at and things that they might need to work harder at. If you are worried about your kid not being interactive with other kids just sign them up for sports or learning groups in you area or maybe take them to your local library when they have activities there for kids

[nousername]

Some things are -are you academically capable of homeschooling when they become older, such as middle school and high school? For example, do you have enough of a grasp on mathmetics to teach early calculus, and advanced algebra? For science: chemistry,physics, biology? Advanced English courses?

Also, will you provide your children daily sociallization with other children their ages? This is very important also.

If so- go for it!

[أحمد]

:sl:

Some things are -are you academically capable of homeschooling when they become older, such as middle school and high school? For example, do you have enough of a grasp on mathmetics to teach early calculus, and advanced algebra? For science: chemistry,physics, biology? Advanced English courses?

Also, will you provide your children daily sociallization with other children their ages? This is very important also.

If so- go for it!

The socialising part is commonly misrepresented by the opposition of homeschooling, while in reality even many illiterate people are very sociable.

With the exception of lazy parents; there's very little to say against homeschooling, as the advantages by far out-way the "maybe" disadvantages.

:wa:

[mrquestion]

Children should spend a lot of time with other children and learn to socialize. Schooling at home may deprive them of this privalidge and could have negative consequences on their growing up.

[GuestFellow]

Some things are -are you academically capable of homeschooling when they become older, such as middle school and high school? For example, do you have enough of a grasp on mathmetics to teach early calculus, and advanced algebra? For science: chemistry,physics, biology? Advanced English courses?

I think home schooling is a great idea if you have access to the resources.

Personally, I disliked studying at college, so much time was wasted during the lesson. I've decided to study Criminal Law, Tort Law, Land Law, Criminal Litigation and Conveyancing all by myself. It is not difficult if you have access to the resources: course syllabus, exam resources, books and so on.

I even considered studying a new set of A levels, and enter myself as a private candidate. For me, I simply need the resources.

I think the same can be said for home schooling. The parent needs the resources and some general knowledge.

[أحمد]

:sl:

Children should spend a lot of time with other children and learn to socialize. Schooling at home may deprive them of this privalidge and could have negative consequences on their growing up.

This is a popular factoid, with many fictional "truths" behind it. Reality is quite different.

:wa:

[Ummu Sufyaan]

Children should spend a lot of time with other children and learn to socialize. Schooling at home may deprive them of this privalidge and could have negative consequences on their growing up.

how do you think people learnt how to socialize before schools were built, etc? homeschooling doesn't equal a lack of socializing and the ability to do so.

[PouringRain]

Muhaba, I am so sorry that I did not get back to this thread. I mentioned that I would give some other curriculum suggestions if you were interested and then I completely forgot.

None of the following are paid endorsements and only reflect my opinion from experience. :statisfie

For Grammar, Shurley English is one of the best programs for teaching grammar and writing skills. It also teaches vocabulary. https://www.shurley.com/

I also like the Spectrum workbooks by McGraw Hill. http://www.teachchildren.com/mcrawhillitems.html I like the Spelling, Reading, Phonics, Geography, etc.

I have heard excellent things about Singapore Math, but I have never looked at nor used the materials myself. The recommendation came from a woman who is working on a second doctoral degree, but quit her job in order to homeschool her son who is a visuo-spatial learner and was having difficulty in school because of it. So, I trust her opinion, even though I never used it. I was happy with the math curriculum I was already using. http://www.singaporemath.com/

The above curriculum are all non-religious. The following are "Christian" but academically are very good curriculum that I would recommend:

Abeka is a good one and offers their curriculum to homeschoolers. http://www.abeka.com/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

The Alpha Omega LifePac curriculum are good, except I would not recommend it for the language arts: http://www.aophomeschooling.com/lifepac/overview.php One thing that is also nice about the LifePac is that they offer diagnostic tests so that you know where to place your child in their program and can identify if there are any gaps in your child's education. I especially like it for Math.

One thing that is nice about subjects such as History and Science is that you can be flexible and there are plenty of things you can do without a set curriculum.

I will add some more things in the next few days after I have more time to go through my things.

I realize that most Muslims would not want a Christian based curriculum, but quite honestly you could always go through with a permanent marker and black out any bible verses listed before your child ever sees the material. With any curriculum there could arise problems (ie. a secular/ non-religious curriculum may have a "ham" while teaching phonics). As a diligent parts, I believe that parents should first review and remove any material that they do not want presented ahead of time, and also be prepared to answer any questions or discuss why your beliefs are different. There were times when I was homeschooling that I went through and crossed off entire sections that we were not going to go over.

[GuestFellow]

how do you think people learnt how to socialize before schools were built, etc? homeschooling doesn't equal a lack of socializing and the ability to do so.

:sl:

Some students go to school and become develop anti-social behaviours. Schools in some aspects can be the worst place for children to develop social skills, though I'm purely speaking from experience.

[SafaAuditore]

I'm Homeschooled!

That's why i have time to procrastinate on youtube..........and here XD
BUT my grades don't suck.

I go to an Online School. It's better than homeschool because homeschool sucks. Nobody wants to sit there teaching their kids all day.
In my school, i wake up in the morning and attend my live online classes, and we all see the teacher. The teacher writes on the board, talks with students, we read the stories to the class, etc. just like real school, except that it's soooo much easier to fall asleep and not get caught.
We have a website, and we use Angel Learning, which is where we find our school email, coursework, and dropboxes and everything. I like it because ANYTIME i have a question, i just hit my teachers up, and they're available till like 6pm...That's nearly 12 hours at school for them! THey don't work from home, they go to an actual office and everything.
We can also email teachers when we have a question or something. I really like it. The teachers are funny. My astronomy teacher posted a youtube video called "Superman Sighting" Type that in on youtube and you'll find it, it's the fourth video that comes up. XD

Point is, Online school is very much like real school, except that the parents KNOW what's goin on. There's no Racism, Bullying, or straight up Hatersss, it's just learning, it's encouraging to the students. The teachers really care what the students have to say, unlike many teachers in real school.

Just don't go to an online school like K12 - it sucks......epically. And don't do parent teaching or whatever everyone else thinks homeschooling is. Let REAL teachers teach you, make sure there're LIVE classes to attend, make sure there are REAL courses to do, make sure the teachers don't work from HOME, and last but not least, make sure it's a real school XD

[Muhaba]

^thanks for the input. what is the name of your online school? it seems interesting, but it must be expensive compared to ordinalry correspondence courses.

[SafaAuditore]

^thanks for the input. what is the name of your online school? it seems interesting, but it must be expensive compared to ordinalry correspondence courses.

Umm no, it's free. They give u a laptop/desktop, all the textbooks and reading books, printer/scanner/fax, headphones, microphone, and webcam (for certain classes) for free. I've been with them for nearly five years. You don't have to return the textbooks or reading books (so sell them on ebay XD) And usually, they tell u to keep the computer and screen or laptop. There's absolutely NO charge to u. My school in particular also pays for internet. You send them the bill and they send u a check for each months internet bill. ALSO,...they give u a certain amount of money each year, mine this year is $500. you don't get it as cash, u use it for educational things. Like if i bought a hundred dollars worth of books, i'd send the receipt to them and they send a check for one hundred dollars. So if i purchase anything educational, they'd pay.
My school is OHDELA...but it's only for Ohio students - hence the OH in OHDELA XD. There's also a Pdela (pennsylvannia) and Cdela (Connecticut) but that's it. Where do u live? Somewhere in the UK? I'm sure you'd be able to find a school like mine. Maybe not with the yearly pay and internet reimbursement, but definitely with the live classes and real teachers.