Homeschooling

[sue]

I'd like to hear from people with CF and/or their parents about homeschooling. I'm currently considering homeschooling my two girls. My younger daughter is 2.5 wcf and has been hospitalized a few times already so I'm guessing she is not going to have a mild case of CF. I like the idea of homeschooling anyway - CF aside - and the CF pushes me even further toward homeschooling. I love where we live but the public schools are not great and the private schools are very expensive. I'd love to hear from people with CF who were/are homeschooled and how you like it. Did you feel isolated or ostracized?

Sue

 

[luke]

Sue,

Not a parent but I wanted to throw out my 2 cents on this one. I was on homebound tutoring my jr. year of highschool because I was too sick to go to school. I believe the time I missed in my schooling left a huge lapse in my studies that I had to to work overtime to get back. I also truly believe that the socialization and friendships obtained in school are irreplaceable. Proper schooling is the key to success and no matter how smart the parent they can't replace all of those triained professionals out there. I would encourage you not to remove your children from the world just because they are sick. Hope I didn't step on any toes here.

Luke Bailey MBA RRT CF/29

 

[anonymous]

I would say just to listen you your heart and not anyone else.
My brother and sister both homeschooled their non-CF kids and I choose to send my non-CF child to public schools because the schools are pretty good in our area. Plus, I cannot teach my child, it ends up being a huge fight, etc to get her to learn anything, so that's one reason I chose public school & it's been a pretty good thing so far. (4th grade)
You do what you feel is right. As you know, there are homeschool co-ops that will get your kids socialization time. Sickness aside, I do think it's important that your child have interaction with other kids, especially as they get older. Good luck in what decision you make!<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[anonymous]

Just wanted to add, if you do homeschool, in many cities there are homeschooling co-ops or groups that meet regularly. The focus varies, some are just for socialization, some are to help teach non-traditional or different subjects (foreign languages or advanced subjects) or even for specialized field trips. You may want to check out what type of support system your community has. There are many, many, many ways for a homeschooled child to get socialization and not feel isolated. Regular playdates, playgroups, activities at the library, homeschooling co-ops, community sports, group lessons, church activities, community activities, not to mention neighborhood kids. Some public school systems will even let your homeschoooled child participate in their extracurricular activites. This varies by school system. Ours tends to be anti-homeschooling but there are many that are not. Personally, I think the idea that homeschooled children lead a lonely, isolated existence is outdated. If more people truelly researched homeschooling, they'd realize that with just a little work, homeschoolers can be just as outgoing and have as many or more friends than kids in traditional schools. And, one benefit is that usually homeschoolers can accomplish more learning in a much shorter period of time than kids in traditional schools. That leaves more time for social activities, extracurricular activities, and just good old fashioned play.

I'm not at all trying to start a debate or say that one type of schooling is better than another - I think it varies by family and even by child. However, I just wanted to dispell some of the common misconceptions about homeschooling. And, for what it's worth, I do NOT homeschool. Two of our children are in public schools, one is in preschool. It's not feasible for our family at this time. Our oldest child does not want to be homeschooled. He loves his school and is doing well. Our middle child would probably be a better candidate for homeschooling due to his personality (and the fact that he's gifted and not receiving the education he deserves.)

Good luck in your decision.

 

[HollyCatheryn]

I was not homeschooled growing up, but I plan to homeschool my daughter. It is I who have CF, not my daughter. I did not know many homeschoolers growing up and just assumed that I wouldn't like it, but during High School I had to go on homebound to catch up after a really difficult previous semester. I really quite enjoyed it. I worked for a couple of hours before lunch and had the rest of the day to myself. I practiced my violin and read lots of books. I continued to swim on the school swim team. So, I didn't just sit at home staring at the TV. In retrospect I think that homeschooling would have been an excellent way to maximize my interests and energy. I didn't catch a lot of things from class-mates, so for me infection risk is not a factor I considered. I find that much of a child's attitude (mine included) is a mirror of his/her parents' attitudes. If you express with your choices and actions that homeschooling is for the INCLUSION of the best you have to offer and is not about fear of germs, your daughters will reflect that. There are so many things that you can do, especially as a homeschooling family, to include CF as part of life rather than make it seem like a big scary monster that controls everything. Homeschooling puts you in control and may allow her life to be less disrupted by CF than public schooling. Make sure that your expectations are reasonably high for both girls and that you do not allow CF to isolate your family or get your younger off the hook from school. Maintain excellence. You can become speakers and presenters to public schools, hospitals, kiwanis clubs and other things that include CF or any other thing that is a big part of family life. If you are musicians, go to nursing homes, pre-schools and hospitals to give concerts. Instead of CF limiting your activities, because your time is your own to dictate, you can actually be freer. You can go help family memebers and friends; you can volunteer. I think homeschooling is a great idea for any child whose parents are willing to consider it, but especially for kids with CF or MD or whatever else. Some of the reasons I want to homeschool my daughter are these same reasons. I want to have the freedom to go on a field trip when something neat is going on or it pertains to studies. I want to have the freedom to rest when we're tired and work when we're mentally alert. I want to spend time with her enjoying her rather than running her around. I want to have the freedom to allow her to excel at the things in which she is gifted and help her at an appropriate pace with the things with which she struggles. I want to have the freedom to teach the essentials using her specific interests. Often there are conservatories or schools of the arts in which you can enroll your child(ren) so that they can be taught things with which you are unfamiliar and/or so they can enjoy the company of working in a group with other children. The other thing you can do is county fair things. There are categories for all ages in photography, sewing, cooking, woodworking, basketmaking, animals and many other things. In this way their work can be "graded" in comparison with their peers. Most children who are homeschooled well excel at life. They are familiar and comfortable with people of all ages and know how to keep themselves occupied. There are several books out there that are really good. One is <U>Homeschooling for Excellence</U> by David and Micki Colfax who homeschooled their four sons and at the time of the book printing the 3 that were college-aged were attending Harvard. Even if you are not a Christian, <U>Christian Unschooling</U> by Teri J. Brown and Elissa M. Wahl is a great book about how life is an education and how the home-educating parent can maximize experiences for teaching purposes. It also has suggestions for recording life experiences for school and college credit and application. There's also a book on classical education at home entitled <U>The Well-Trained Mind</U> by Susan Wise Bauer and Jesse Wise. This book is enormous and contains the basic principles and approach of classical education as well as suggested reading lists, basic course information and lesson plans for all grade levels. Keep us posted on your decisions and how it goes!

 

[anonymous]

My daughter is not quite 2 yet but I have been thinking about homeschooling her - but only bc of the germ factor. I am a teacher (used to teach 2nd grade) and I remember how germy elem. kids can be and it scares me! I think that if my dd hasn't been very sick when she is of school age then I may send her and see how it goes but I won't hesitate to pull her out if she starts getting a lot of illnesses. Doubt this helps you much but wanted to let you know you aren't the only one considering this!

Hugs,
Kelli (mom of Sydney 21 months wcf)
Hi, this is my first year doing Great Strides too (my daughter was diagnosed last June just a week after her first birthday) and I am also doing a letter writting campaign. We are also approaching local businesses and asking for sponsorship (they often give big) and if they won't sponsor with $$ then we ask for a gift certificate or item donation - which we will raffle off. Also, some of our team members are going to work a night or two at East of Chicago (pizza place) where we will keep all the tips and $1 for every buffet ordered. I personally think the easiest way to get money is to send out letters to everyone you know and also approach businesses however, doing public things (carwash, working at restaraunt, auction, raffle, etc) will benefit us in 2 ways: make money and spread awareness.

I am SO glad to know that there are so many people out there working to Cure this disease! Keep up the good work!!

Hugs,
Kelli (mom of Sydney 21 months wcf)
<a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://sydneymyers-ivil.tripod.com/">http://sydneymyers-ivil.tripod.com/</a>

 

[anonymous]

Hello Everyone
I have considered homeschooling also but i think that my daughter would really be upset, she has alot of friends and is very active. I also worry about the sickness in the public school environment and Kait has had a few more colds this year!!! Really worries me!!! I also work so it would also make it alot harder in that area also. I think that if we could finacially afford for me to homeschool my daughter than it would make my decision alot easier.

Kaitsmom<img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">

 

[anonymous]

My children are homeschooled and do not know any different. They are not isolated so they don't feel isolated at all. People like to call homeschoolers socially awkward but I went to public school and was completely socially awkward until college due to the peer pressure and bullies in school. My children are the opposite. They are completely comfortable with themselves. It's wonderful.

 

[Emily65Roses]

That's awesome that your kids are so confident of themselves. You're right, it is wonderful. One thing, unfortunately, bullying and peer pressure doesn't end with school/college. You'll still meet people that childish and stupid in the "adult" world. Your kids should be able to stand up to the adults that are just as useless as the school bullies that harass people, given that you say they're eqipped with such self-esteem. It works all sorts of ways. Your kids are confident because they were raised knowing who they are, without any interference. My being bullied and made fun of in school made me learn very early on who I was. Ever since the 6th grade, I've known how to stand up for myself in any given situation. But either way, it's good to hear your kids are doing so well.

 

[serendipity730]

Ok - here's my two cents.
I went to Catholic school for 7 years. Then, I went to public school for jr. high and high school. I think that the down falls of public/private school are far fewer than the benefits. You could never make up for the socialization that children learn in school. Mostly though, I think it is important for parents of children with CF to realize they cannot protect their children from germs. Yes, your daughter may catch a few less colds from being around less people, but she will miss out on so much. I think that you will only end up making your daughter feel more different. I think homeschooling would do more harm than good.