Homeschool: A Haven From Bullies and the Cyberbully

Desert Homeschool is humming along very nicely, but the blog part of this adventure has been somewhat lacking lately. Daughter and The Boy are learning the hows and why nots and whens of the process; my job is to tell you about it. I’ve got the easy part and I managed to let the days get away from me. In my own defense, however, I can say that work has hit a manic period, my allergies are celebrating spring, it’s birthday season in our extended family, and I’m waking up at 4:30 in the morning for some unknown reason, so by the time I get through the dinner hour, I’m wiped out. OK, enough whimpering!

I’ve read several disturbing stories lately about bullies and cyber-bullying. If you’ve followed any of this blog (that I’ve actually managed to write and post), you know that bullies in the local school were part of the impetus to begin our homeschool. Maybe I’m more sensitive to that sort of behavior now and maybe I’m just paying attention to behavior that has been occurring for some time. If so, shame on me. But I have to wonder- what’s going on in the schools? I don’t mean this as an inflammatory question- I simply don’t understand how behavior in the classrooms and school yard devolved to this point.

One awful account involved junior high males who exposed themselves and assaulted female students IN THE CLASSROOM, DURING CLASS. This had been going on for weeks before one of the girls gained the nerve to show her bruises to the school nurse. The boys have been removed from school, of course, and will be charged with something or other. The girls now have to deal with the emotional bruises. And I wonder how much academic learning could have taken place in that classroom.

Another news article concerned cyber-bullying which, if you are lucky enough not to have encountered it, is defined as sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the Internet or other digital communication devices. According to Cyberbully.org, such behavior is “one of the more challenging issues facing educators…” How are students to learn if they must concern themselves with such stuff? Or perhaps, what are they learning in such conditions?

I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to homeschool now. We can protect The Boy to some degree, but I cringe for our neighbors who must send their darling little 6- and 7-year old daughters to public school. How did it get this bad? Can we fix it?

Homeschool, Sample Tests, Social Skills and Television

I think we’re working the kinks out of Desert Homeschool. The Boy’s Mom (aka Daughter) has been following his lead, answering his questions about things in the news or on good old Discovery Channel. I know many people frown on television for children, but some of the channels are really interesting. We like Discovery, Discovery Science, and the History Channel. It’s amazing what lessons can be found on Home and Garden TV if you think about it. Why different plants grow in different areas, how to measure a 2×4 (although we use paper), recycling.

We’ve been wondering, though, if we shouldn’t have some idea of what sort of curriculum is recommended for a bright 6-year-old. Not that we’d necessarily follow it right now, but it would be good to know. Well, today Daughter found some sample AIMS tests on the website for the Arizona Department of Education.  There are sample tests for third through eighth grade and one for high school.  We printed out the third grade test, just to have some idea of what the public school system here thinks a third-grader should know.  We’ll see what that’s like and let you know.

The other issue we’ve bumped up against concerns the “he needs school for socialization” dicta of well-meaning (I assume) friends-and-family.  So far we have just nodded, smiled vaguely, and changed the subject, but I think Daughter is going to blow up at the next f-a-f who tells her that The Boy will be the equivalent of a social outcast unless he attends the local juvie factory and learns the socially accepted form of ill manners.  Excuse me, but I get a bit snappish at this.

Anyway, we all keep learning.  The Boy has decided he doesn’t hate math after all, Daughter has learned that he likes chamomile tea, and I am learning how much I don’t know about all this.  Growth is good.