FJ Homeschooling

[IceTwinkie]

I could teach reading comprehension, history, comparative religion and basic management skills.

[dairyfreelife]

I could do basic English for teach the primary grades. Higher math and science above fifth/sixth grade would not be for me, someone else would need to do that job.

I can teach about religions, mythology, writing, journalism, and can probably teach history through high school without much issue.

If FJ ran a school system...I think we'd have the best one ever. :D

[Artemis]

I considered homeschooling my children . . .

I can teach all UK primary curriculum subjects including ICT to 11/12.

Maths to 14, but I wouldn't prep for GCSE (Exams for 16 year olds in UK.)

Biology and Chemistry to GCSE.

Physics only the very basics for up to 12/13 year olds.

Georgraphy, Drama and Business Studies ditto.

French to GCSE + conversation further than that but not confident to prepare for exams higher than GCSE.

History, Latin, Greek, English, RE, Philosophy to 18 (A-level/Scottish Highers)

Technically, DH could cover all the Maths and Science subjects plus Geography to GCSE.

In practise I would have had to outsource all of DH's subjects to a tutor, and buy in help for languages to add to my knowledge, if the children had wanted to do other European languages.

If I'd gone down the homeschooling route I would have done that sooner than see the children not properly educated.

Aisling - Ovid's where I got most of my info about sex. (Him and Juvenal) The boys' grammar school and the girls' grammar school used to trade copies of erotic Latin and Greek poetry in the Loeb editions, which have an English translation beside the Latin or Greek.

[Dollypeeps]

Psychology, cooking, English. Arithmetic, geometry and algebra forget it cos I did when I left school. Primary level science too.

Farming too.

[ndmomma]

My apologies to the mountain state and her progeny for casting aspersions. However, I am a teacher, and I find our local school district to be quite deficient. We are in a "good" elementary attendance area in a good district, and it was nowhere near enough challenge for my firstborn, and they kept taking away recess time whenever my boys were too ansty or irresponsible. That's a very ineffective strategy, esp for ADHD kids. This school was all about standardized test prep, but not really about comprehension and meaningful learning. My secondborn was waayyy behind in math, but with his 2 hour homework ordeal each night, there was no time to work on it. The school only offered passive-aggressive notes about how I should work with him. Terrible incompetence (which I've heard about from a number of ed professionals in the area) from one of the "better" schools is not what I want for my kids. We plans to get out of WV by going to OH or PA, which will let my husband keep his tenure track job.

[Seven Severn]

I could conduct a seminar on how to make cornbread with a big honkin' crack on top. Also, I could teach how to drive a five-speed manual transmission, Bob Mould appreciation, and how to read and draw floor plans.

ETA: Also, how climate/weather has impacted history.

[AuntCloud]

I would love to study at the UofFJ, especially from all you historically and politically inclined.

I can teach high-school science, college-level biology and molecular evolution, also some basic bookkeeping and accounting and history and geography of Israel (yes, it is a real country, Jerusalem is not a heavenly city, you'd better believe it taken from someone who had tried to drive and park in it, and no, we don't ride camels).

Seven Severn, I could be your TA on driving a manual transmission and am ready to teach a workshop on dealing with curly hair.

[AuntCloud]

Considering what a shit job you did wrapping the troll. They are doomed. :P

Can you wrap cats? (there's an instructional video on DaTube if you don't).

[Samantha]

I can teach

History (preferably post 1200 but I know a thing or two about mycenaean Greece)

Space Exploration

Spelling

NOT MATHS

Australian Politics

Cat Herding

I would LOVE to take your Cat Herding class. :D

As for me, since I'm going into secondary education, after next year I'll be eligible to teach Economics, Political Science, History and Geography for grades six through twelve. However I can teach some practical stuff too. I could teach how to live off of a really tiny budget. Or how to cook something edible out of what is on hand.

[Zoom]

High school English and Business Studies since that is what I have my degree in :D

Other than that...I could muddle through history and make a stab at basic social studies course (aka probably shouldn't go beyond middle school)

[Loveday]

I could conduct a seminar on how to make cornbread with a big honkin' crack on top....

In a cast-iron skillet! :D

[Joan of Snarc]

In a cast-iron skillet! :D

And just a dab o'sugar! It's cornbread, not cake.

[LainieR]

Well I could add to anatomy, biology, chemistry, psychology from my nursing degree and probably some ecology and geography from my science degree

Since I'm a public health nurse any one want me to teach sex ed? Prenatal classes?? :P

[GiggleOfGirls]

Certain bits of American history, sociology, a bit of psychology, reading (I've taught two children to read so far), grammar, editing, music (nearly every instrument other than saxophone, nearly every type of music other than Country and Rap), Cribbage, elementary math through Algebra I, anatomy, pregnancy, birth, sex ed (comprehensive), and (mainly) vegetarian cooking with whole foods.

Cooking meat kind of makes me feel ill so I haven't quite mastered that yet. I have Mr. GoG cook most of the meat we eat.

Oh! And how to explore abandoned buildings without getting caught or hurt in the process. Urban spelunking is great fun :)

[dawbs]

I used to teach HTML classes for small children...but there isn't much of a market for that anymore.

(what the hell else am I going to do w/ a biology degree thoug :-)

[Curious]

Anyway, I wondered what special skills FJists could bring to the field in the world of homeschooling (WHICH EVERY DECENT PARENT SHOULD BE DOING, GET IT). I can do a reasonable grounding on Marxist theory from a Trotskyist perspective, though I can also explain Stalinist, Maoist, and non-Leninist perspectives. Anarchist theory, I can do in a simple form. I'm strongest on platformism and can explain about Makhno. Irish dissident republicanism, I'm getting to be not half bad on. I can explain the difference between the various IRAs and why that happened too.

This was me reading the above paragraph and trying to imagine being taught any of this stuff (just because history and the like is not my thing..no other reason) :shock: :o :? :shock: :doh: :shock:

[Vex]

Well, my area of study is actually human evolution. I think I could teach a bit on ancient humans, since I'm sure the biologists and doctors here would cover evolution in far more depth than I.

I could also teach some forensic science. I think I've done enough classes and case studies over the years to teach some basics.

... I want to sign up for JFC's classes. ALL of them.

[LeopardLady]

I could do most of high school biology, minus ecology and botany (I just always found plants boring). My field is biomedical engineering, so I could also probably do pretty well in math, as long as I don't have to go above Calc 1. If anyone wanted a wet lab class, I could teach cell culture and things like RNA isolation and immunological assays.

[mockingbird]

If I were to seriously homeschool, even though I have an English degree, I'd probably outsource high school English unless I could redo the canon. haha. Just did not like a lot of the books I had to read in high school and would rather get someone who is more passionate about them to inspire future kid(s). I'd definitely outsource writing skills though - never liked helping friends with papers so I don't think I would like teaching it (grammar is ok). I feel confident with high school history (western, US, maybe not so much ancient) and math through calculus. I could probably do biology. Maybe physics though I feel like that is one of the hardest subjects to teach (at least in my experience trying to learn from various physics teachers/professors) so I might just ask someone more experienced to start off with, no matter my knowledge of the subject. Definitely not chemistry. It has always been my worst subject.

Fun/specialized classes! I can do some literary theory, particularly feminist criticism, orientalism, and postcolonialism. I would also totally teach a class on critical reading of Harry Potter! At the end we would have a party like the book releases where you have to dress up in costume. Maybe some general children's lit too, or YA lit. I know a lot about cancer, especially leukemia; disability theory; and how illness is represented in literature and the media. I could do some medical history and Holocaust history. Probably some creative writing too, or maybe a class where you read memoirs and keep a journal that you then turn into a longer memoir piece at the end? (I love reading memoirs!) I could do some basic Bible stories and/or Catholic theology. In terms of my med school education - maybe some basic physiology. A few weeks ago, I taught first graders about the heart and lungs. This is only slightly below where my comfort level is at with being able to teach what I am learning. LOL

This is not my area of expertise but I would love to take a class based on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series - like about Swedish political and crime history, social systems and sociology, Swedish culture in general, maybe some literature traditions he might have built off of, etc. Those books fascinated me and he did go into (loooong diatribes about) some of these topics, but I would have loved to know more about modern Sweden in general to gain more context for the issues he may have been addressing. Oooh! Another idea for a tag-team (I am looking at my bookshelf right now, can you tell) would be an ethics/pop lit class for teens that jumps off of Jodi Picoult's books. She has her faults, but has been the source of lots of good discussions in my life and might be an engaging way to introduce teens to ethics (and philosophy?). I have the pop lit part covered, but I'm not sure I'd have the ethics side down.

[Mary Margaret]

I'm so interested to see what everyone's skills are.

I'm an American historian, of religion in particular, so that'd be my primary focus. I've taught GED students in all subjects, so I know I could manage a lot of material through high school, though math is not my strongest suit. I care a lot about written and spoken presentation; I'd definitely want to work with kids on that.

American government, (comparative) public policy, and history (American, of scienice, and of religion) are my great loves. I'd also like teaching PE, especially to girls. I was a piss poor athlete all my life (still am in a lot of ways), but I discovered lifting late in college and it changed the whole game. I think discovering that your body is STRONG is a powerful realization that transcends a lot of the fit=skinny bullshit that plagues "fitness" these days.

[susanmr5]

I have a degree in History with minors in Sociology and Leadership. The I went back to school and got my Secondary Ed Social Studies degree and am currently a certified teacher. Which reminds me, I won't be much longer if I don't get my application in for renewal! Before I moved to secondary ed I was about half way through an elementary degree so I'd be ok helping out with the little ones. Would rather not be in charge of them though. ::shudder::

I also could probably teach first year Spanish, start someone on basic sign language, and help with any special needs students. Although I do better with physical and academic needs than emotional, I sometimes don't have the patience for kids with behavioral/emotional difficulties.

[mockingbird]

Oh I forgot! I actually used to be certified in teaching archery. I got it during training to be a camp counselor. It was one of the few sports I was actually decent at... haha. I could probably still teach some basic dance, too.

[Rosa]

Boring, but I am actually a really good reading teacher, especially for reluctant/older readers. Also business math, spreadsheets, grammar/spelling/etiquette for correspondence, economics, basic accounting & finance, all that basic get a job/life skills stuff. I've tutored and assisted in classes for all that stuff a lot.

[Seven Severn]

In a cast-iron skillet! :D

But I'm scared!!!1!11!!! :D

[Maggie Mae]

]I don't get the desire to homeschool. I have a post graduate degree and consider myself marginally intelligent, but I'm not arrogant enough to presume that I have the education and professional know-how to instruct my children on everything they need to know in life. My expertise is in law, seven years training as a lawyer doesn't make me qualified to teach math, science, history or pretty much anything other than law.

Now, I realize that I live in a place that has a decent public education system, so I may be somewhat naive; however, I find the exaggerated self-importance of many homeschoolers disturbing. Even if I was forced to homeschool due to school violence, a child's chronic illness or some other catastrophic reason, I would seek out help for many subjects, other than the very basics. My life has taught me not to presume I have all the answers and that there is always someone out there with more talent and more intelligence from whom I could learn.

The fundie homeschoolers that I see -- it's almost as if they want so badly to be seen as the smartest or the best that they isolate themselves and their children from even a critique by accidental comparison with the outside world. It's an intellectual insecurity with their position that is so crippling that it affects every part of their life, as though they have an addiction they're hiding.

If I had kids, I honestly don't know what I'd do. Our schools are BAD. My friend's 15 year old came home one day with her textbooks, and the Biology book was the same book I used in 7th/8th grade. 15 years ago. The teens I've talked are not smart. They couldn't find California on a map. Everyone brags about their kid/nephew/sisterwife getting into Harvard, but they can't grasp the concept that the IVIES what someone from every state and therefore it's not as competitive to get into a tier one school if you grew up in alaska.I've noticed that no one brags about how their kid/nephew/sisterwife/cousin's stepbrother GRADUATED from Yale, just that they went. And because our population is so low I understand completely. People (and monkeys) learn from the community. The smartest people/monkeys/primates come from population centers.

Teachers in our district are underpaid and overworked and they come here from other states because they can't find jobs elsewhere and we are so desperate to find teachers who will work for nothing that we ship in the worst of the worst. Our materials our outdated and critical thinking isn't taught.

Education is not valued in this community so it's not like there are very many private schools either. So yeah, I don't know what I'd do. I know that despite my 8 years of higher education I am in no way qualified to stay home with a child and educate him at the dining room table.