I think a lot of homeschoolers grow up in a cocoon. They probably don't realize it though bc their friends & siblings are in the cocoon with them. The way you socialize with your sibs isn't the same as the way that you do when you're in a classroom with kids from families unlike your own every day. It's also totally different than the kind of interaction you'd have with things like volunteering. The dynamic is totally incomparable. I went to school from kindergarten through 8th grade. Loved it. Learned so much that I believe will help me for the rest of my life. I want my future kids to have the same experiences I did, most definitely. I go to an online school now, only bc we moved to Canada just before I started HS. I hope to go to college in the US. I am going to apply to U of Toronto but I want to go to the same college as my sister, in Chicago. That's my dream. Also switched to online school bc we travel a lot for my mom's job, & it gives me a ton of flexibility w our schedule. I can follow along wherever I am bc I just have to have an internet connection & my laptop.
I just finished the 10th grade & Level 10 in piano with the Royal Conservatory of Music. It's the highest level. Now that I have my certification I can teach & get paid a real salary.
I got hired to teach piano at a music center this yr. I had been playing the clarinet in the youth orchestra but I did quit that bc we weren't going to be home for the season. I'm going to rejoin this yr. I play sports with community leagues.
I go to a private OHS but there's public ones too that are great. I still think going to school is the best option but that an OHS is the 2nd best. It gives the same advantages of homeschooling but you have teachers who are certified in each of their subjects. You get to be in a classroom w other kids every day. How do you have a class discussion every day in every subject if you're just homeschooling w your sibs? Even if you're meeting w other homeschoolers it's probably not every day for every class.
I have all the advantages of homeschooling, but I have teachers who all have advanced degrees in their subject. I'm in a classroom with kids from around the world every day. My best friends are in California & in Belgium. I get to visit them. We have meet ups several times a yr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson came to a meet up to talk with us!! It was incredible. We have homecoming, prom, & graduation like other schools do too. We have a ton of clubs that are fun.
How do you have class discussions in homeschooling? Did the homeschooling group meet together for classes every single day? With nine kids in your family, how could your mom have the degrees necessary to teach each subject for each one all the way through? Even if you hired tutors or something it wouldn't be the same as having a teacher who has made a whole career out of teaching that subject or age group. I'm glad you had a nice experience though. Thanks for sharing about it.
Most of my teachers have gone on maternity leave when they have babies. Nine kids. Wow. You must live on a farm or something w a ton of space. Traveling must be a challenge! There's only 3 of us & it's enough of a challenge getting seats together on the plane. I don't know that tailoring learning to a child's specific needs is really for the best for the whole education. Maybe for tutoring or something in a subject that's harder, but not for the entire education. Bc at college & in the work force you're going to have to learn alongside everybody else. It's not tailored just for each person.