Do you believe your child will surpass your knowledge?
I noticed this response from a poster
"Did you ever think about the fact that you'll never know more than your dad (or parents) if you do this? Really, you'll never get to learn anything more than they can teach you. At least at school you have several teachers, different perspectives, and lots of opportunities to make friends."
And I was rather dumbfounded by it. Would any of you brilliant homeschoolers write a response to this?
All I can say is how many times a day I am amazed at the things my children know that I never taught them!
Bride of Yeshua2008-01-04T13:12:47Z
Favorite Answer
In reply to:
"Did you ever think about the fact that you'll never know more than your dad (or parents) if you do this? Really, you'll never get to learn anything more than they can teach you. At least at school you have several teachers, different perspectives, and lots of opportunities to make friends."
I have to say that I totally disagree with it! I have done most the learning in my life on my own, outside a classroom. We can find different perspectives anywhere; we need not go to a school to find them.
My kids also know many things I never taught them. Unless people are intellectually limited by biology or by poor choices, not many people will not learn.
The question is not based on knowledge of how homeschooling is done; it is not done in isolation and parents use many resources to homeschool, i.e., my 8-year-old son will soon be taking a percussion class at a music conservatory, a sports training class at a park district, and an art class at the local library. Just because I can't teach him certain subjects does not mean that he won't have an opportunity to learn them.
I am a homeschooling mom, and I am still constantly amazed at the things my son knows that I never taught him. He is a brilliant child, has a great aptitude for math and science (his father's genes) and a great aptitude for writing/literature (my genes). I teach him much about English, grammar, literature, etc. Math is not my first love, but I can certainly teach my child math through 7th or 8th grade. When he is ready to take higher level math, I will enroll him in a math class, an online tutoring program, or hire a tutor; there are many possibilities.
She already knows things I don't. She certainly knows things I didn't at her age. My goal is to learn along with her, but it is my hope that the student will surpass the master.
What is funny about the comment that HS kids will never know more than their parents is that I was Public Schooled. If my child were public schooled as well, wouldn't she be receiving the same education I received?
The different perspectives comment is even funnier. Everyone is so homogenized in PS. Christians have to tone it down. Atheists have to tone it down. Pagans, the transgendered and gays are completely closeted. When you get to know people in their own living rooms, you meet the real person. We have an aunt who believes there were no dinosaurs. We have a friend who is a drag queen. I think it is safe to say that right there are two perspectives on life that you will not be exposed to in public school.
I'm not a brilliant homeschooler. I am an average mom who is still learning.
Yes. The statement is rather ..silly.
I guess they think that when kids graduate from public school that they have learned everything their teachers know and understand all the perspectives of every person in the school. I guess they think that the many friends they make in the classroom will remain friends with them for the rest of their lives. They must think that because they think these things cannot be done outside of the classroom.
I am almost 55 years old. I am working on knowing as much as my parents know. I am glad that I don't need to be in a classroom to learn these things.
This response is of course an assumption from someone who knows little about homeschooling, and is under the impression that all homeschoolers only learn at home and only learn from their parents.
All of my kids have surpassed my knowledge already in one way or the other.
My 6 year old, who has studied puppetry with a gent who worked with puppets all over the world for 20 years (including on Sesame Street), can teach me a thing or two about handling a marionette.
My 9 year old, who is a science and technology enthusiast, has taken many science classes with a retired science teacher, engineering classes with an engineer who uses specially designed legos with motors to teach the concepts, and a class in video game programming, is constantly telling me, an English Lit/Education major, many things I've never know. He's even created his own Mario Brothers game version that the rest of the family enjoys playing.
My 17 year old has taken college classes since age 15 and is about 2 semesters away from an AA degree, and she often shares with me things she's learned in classes that I've never had the opportunity to take. She's also in advanced sign language-- I don't know any sign language at all.