Loralynn's crappy homeschooling

[treemom]

I was googling here today. Can I say I am not impressed? And that when my son was 5 he only had 18 kids in his class and I am sure there were less disruptions than she thinks.

http://simplehomeschool.net/the-truth-l ... year-olds/

[onlyorganic]

Did you see the video where she was teaching her daughter syllables with the puppet and every time the girl got one right she's go (in puppet voice) "Yay! Give me a kiss!" I thought that was the dumbest thing ever.

[emmiedahl]

I am not impressed either. She read to them about Rome and that's her school day? And then she justifies it by saying that "training" them is more important anyway. When I was homeschooling, the kids actually learned stuff.

Also, the sheet incident in which they were using it like a parachute toy--that is a teachable moment that she seems to view as a discipline problem. It would have been a great time to gather up belongings of different sizes and weights and then learn a little beginning physics. A lot of my homeschooling was fueled from these "interruptions".

[Witsec7]

My last nerve is really getting irritated by this bitch.

[jenny_islander]

Wow, I feel a bit better about myself now. Yesterday we didn't get everything on my checklist done--just reading from her chapter book, practicing her upper-case Ls, speed drill in mental subtraction and written work with organizing ten and ones, a reading from her world history book, and a science lesson in which we proved that air takes up space and has weight. We didn't do Spanish, lit, recitation, or art/music. I felt so lazy and inept.

This--this is shameful. Training! Horses are trained!

[emmiedahl]

Wow, I feel a bit better about myself now. Yesterday we didn't get everything on my checklist done--just reading from her chapter book, practicing her upper-case Ls, speed drill in mental subtraction and written work with organizing ten and ones, a reading from her world history book, and a science lesson in which we proved that air takes up space and has weight. We didn't do Spanish, lit, recitation, or art/music. I felt so lazy and inept.

This--this is shameful. Training! Horses are trained!

Looking back, I think I was way too hard on myself when I homeschooled. I was convinced that if my kids were not taught every subject on the planet on a daily basis in a fun and engaging way that made them LOVE every second of learning, I was a failure. Most of my homeschooling mom friends were the same way. I had a friend call me at 1 AM once because she had the epiphany that we should be teaching our kids robotics and she had found the perfect supplies, would I go in halfsies and we could get together two evenings a week? She could not sleep until she got this hammered out because clearly her children would be poorly educated if they never learned to work with artificial intelligence! And I got out of bed to look at her links, cuz maybe she was right.

Maybe I just was focusing too much on learning, not enough on "training".

[finleeport]

When she says 'training' I'm thinking of a leash and a whip.

[Mommy22alyns]

Otherwise known as “Mommy’s Time Out.†(This may or may not include chocolate, prayers to the heavens, and some face time with my pillow.)

IMO, she does this way too much. If she's this overwhelmed by her kids, why does she keep having them???

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

wow. crap indeed. am so glad i went to a public primary school. and there were not that many interruptions! The teachers had instilled in us good discipline and we learnt well in a quiet classroom.

I have a science degree, my brother a law degree (and masters in law), and an economic/politics degree. My sister has a degree in education. And when it comes to teaching a 6 year old who would be better? My brother with 2 degrees and a masters? Me with a science degree and a post grad diploma? No. My sister who spent 4 years learning how to teach children.Who has spent 3 years doing so and is an amazing teacher.

[vicka]

this is not schooling home or otherwise.

this is bullshit on stick.

real homeschooling sounds like it would be incredibly difficult, demanding of tons of energy, time and money...

these women simply do not have the education, time or money to properly educate their children, especially with little ones demanding attention.

they need to send kids where the kids can get an education.

just for a parallel, i asked my son what he did in school yesterday

he is in kindergarden

- he read 2 books on his own

- one more was read by a teacher during storytime

- 30 minutes in math workshop

- 30 minutes in writing workshop

- 45 minutes in art with a professional separate art teacher

- 45 minutes in gym with a professional separate gym teacher

depending on the day of the week they also do violin, chess, science (with real experiments), dance, singing and other enrichments, all taught by separate teachers who specialize in the subject. his school is a well ranked nyc public school. there is 1 teacher and 2 assistants in his classroom and 26 children.

[PBrooke]

In general, I don't question people's reasons for homeschooling. However, I have a family member that reminds me soooo much of LL - not in the "child training" way, but in the dramatic, high-strung, I-have-meltdowns-just-through-a-normal-day sort of way. Luckily, this family member sends the kids to public school. I really think LL is not a dummy, and maybe could do a good job with one or two kids - but she's slowly drowning with what she's got right now. If she'd just send her kids to school... well, her blog would still be full of dramatic "moments," but they might revolve around shopping for the family or big outings, and meanwhile the kids could get some peace and have some fun more than once in a blue moon.

[CanadianHippie]

Question:

I require the little girls to stay in the room with us if they don’t want to read what we’re reading. This is partly so I can keep an eye on them and partly so they have a chance of picking things up by osmosis. It makes for more interruptions, but I want them to feel included in the reading portion of our day.

If she wants them to feel included why no just include them? Yes they are young, but they can take part in reading lessons. Or find something for them to actually do! Like colouring, or working on letters or something.

[Mama Mia]

Wow Vika -- I am incredibly jealous of your kid's school ! That is a huge amount of enrichment activities, specialized instructors and an incredibly low teacher-student ratio. If I were you I would never move.

[vicka]

Wow Vika -- I am incredibly jealous of your kid's school ! That is a huge amount of enrichment activities, specialized instructors and an incredibly low teacher-student ratio. If I were you I would never move.

/OT

it is an awesome school.... you actually have to test into it, and then win the lottery, so perhaps not a totally fair argument... plus, the parents are asked to donate $1500 a year per student for enrichment/assistants and those who can not usually work at fundraisers etc. its a really great school, we are SO lucky to be there, and we are definitely not moving... plus my younger son is guaranteed admission if he can pass the test.

lucky lucky lucky

OT/

but even a more regular school i think is much better than whatever she is providing for her kids.

[TinyDancer87]

Wow... her homeschooling system is creating disorganized, barely literate children, who's attention span is close to non-existant. Oh, what our world could do with more Loralynns!! Yeah right.

[Conuly]

Vicka, you really are lucky. My niece's school is pretty good, and when she was in kindergarten, out of the three kindy classes, only one of them had a teacher's aide, and that was the newbie teacher. All of them had 23, 24, 25 students, something like that.

Staten Island gets the worst of everything, of course, but it's not fair that some schools get seriously preferential treatment. (And I think I can guess what school your kid goes to. You ARE lucky.)

(And we're lucky too. Our school, despite being closer than the zoned school, was opened to take overflow from another neighborhood entirely. Our zoned school? One of the worst in the city. The next closest, the one we'd be zoned for if we were just a couple of blocks further south? Due to be shut down due, not to the high level of violence, but to the abysmal test scores. Our neighborhood had to kick up a huge fuss to have the closer-than-zoned school be open to us as well. And don't ask me about our zoned middle school! But, again, unless I miss my guess, you have middle school covered? If so, you're full of luck.)

[NurseNell]

it is an awesome school.... you actually have to test into it, and then win the lottery, so perhaps not a totally fair argument... plus, the parents are asked to donate $1500 a year per student for enrichment/assistants and those who can not usually work at fundraisers etc. its a really great school, we are SO lucky to be there, and we are definitely not moving... plus my younger son is guaranteed admission if he can pass the test.

lucky lucky lucky

OT/

but even a more regular school i think is much better than whatever she is providing for her kids.

Is this a public school?

I didn't homeschool and to be honest, I don't think I'd have been very good at it. But I might have been better than LL.

[treemom]

Is this a public school?

I didn't homeschool and to be honest, I don't think I'd have been very good at it. But I might have been better than LL.

My blind and deaf 16 year old yorkie would be a better homeschoolers and parent that LL. he genuinely like children and is very attentive.

[Beb]

just for a parallel, i asked my son what he did in school yesterday

he is in kindergarden

- he read 2 books on his own

- one more was read by a teacher during storytime

- 30 minutes in math workshop

- 30 minutes in writing workshop

- 45 minutes in art with a professional separate art teacher

- 45 minutes in gym with a professional separate gym teacher

depending on the day of the week they also do violin, chess, science (with real experiments), dance, singing and other enrichments, all taught by separate teachers who specialize in the subject. his school is a well ranked nyc public school. there is 1 teacher and 2 assistants in his classroom and 26 children.

Wow.

You asked your kindergartener what he did in school yesterday, and he told you all this?

Impressive.

[Beb]

My blind and deaf 16 year old yorkie would be a better homeschoolers and parent that LL. he genuinely like children and is very attentive.

:lol:

I read LL's description of her homeschooling on that day, and it was infuriating. Not only is that child being horribly shortchanged, but LL seemed to think it was such a cute thing for her to "share" this experience and get feedback. If that is an example of her homeschooling day, she should be ashamed. In fact, she shouldn't even be allowed.

[slickcat79]

I am not impressed either. She read to them about Rome and that's her school day? And then she justifies it by saying that "training" them is more important anyway. When I was homeschooling, the kids actually learned stuff.

Also, the sheet incident in which they were using it like a parachute toy--that is a teachable moment that she seems to view as a discipline problem. It would have been a great time to gather up belongings of different sizes and weights and then learn a little beginning physics. A lot of my homeschooling was fueled from these "interruptions".

Yeah, that. There's a reason that you did that stuff in gym class, LL, and it was not just to play around with sheets.

I always wondered about the duggars homeschool too. On the rare occasion that they actually show a clip of Michelle teaching them, it looks like a distracted mess. Her lesson is age appropriate for about 3 of the middle kids, who are actually paying attention. The older ones look bored, if they haven't left to cook a meal for 15 people by that time already...which is really part of their schooling, since household chores are totes the same as education. Michelle couldn't even finish a sentence without being interrupted by one of the little kids. I think most parents actually want better for their kids, so it's weird to see so many fundie parents who don't actually seem to care if their kids are even prepared for a future in the real world.

[Conuly]

Is this a public school?

I didn't homeschool and to be honest, I don't think I'd have been very good at it. But I might have been better than LL.

Yeah, welcome to the NYC gifted program!

[vicka]

Vicka, you really are lucky. My niece's school is pretty good, and when she was in kindergarten, out of the three kindy classes, only one of them had a teacher's aide, and that was the newbie teacher. All of them had 23, 24, 25 students, something like that.

Staten Island gets the worst of everything, of course, but it's not fair that some schools get seriously preferential treatment. (And I think I can guess what school your kid goes to. You ARE lucky.)

(And we're lucky too. Our school, despite being closer than the zoned school, was opened to take overflow from another neighborhood entirely. Our zoned school? One of the worst in the city. The next closest, the one we'd be zoned for if we were just a couple of blocks further south? Due to be shut down due, not to the high level of violence, but to the abysmal test scores. Our neighborhood had to kick up a huge fuss to have the closer-than-zoned school be open to us as well. And don't ask me about our zoned middle school! But, again, unless I miss my guess, you have middle school covered? If so, you're full of luck.)

i was under the impression that staten island had really good schools? just because its so suburban... and i know a few people who moved there who love the schools. i guess as with everything it depends on your zone.

every kid regardless of abilities deserves to be in a classroom that provides them with low student teacher ratio, a comfortable environment and tons of enrichment. but you know how it is around here, our property taxes are very low compared to suburbs, but everyone wants great schools.... plus all the mismanagement.. its a shame. from talking to my friends who live in the burbs, his school is basically on par with a good suburban school.

my son is globally profoundly gifted... these schools were created for kids like him (although they have evolved into something else entirely). he simply can't be placed in a regular classroom, and even here we've had multiple meetings with his teacher and principle as to how to accommodate him. if he didn't win the lottery to get in here, we would be paying for a private school that could accommodate him or moving to the suburbs looking for a strong gifted program. i even looked at home schooling (long enough to know how much work it would be). a regular classroom is simply not an option for him.

every child deserves a top notch education, not just the ones who were lucky to win the lottery.

[vicka]

Wow.

You asked your kindergartener what he did in school yesterday, and he told you all this?

Impressive.

he is an impressive 5 year old. but i did ask leading questions because i know his schedule.

[chiccy]

Yeah, that. There's a reason that you did that stuff in gym class, LL, and it was not just to play around with sheets.

I always wondered about the duggars homeschool too. On the rare occasion that they actually show a clip of Michelle teaching them, it looks like a distracted mess. Her lesson is age appropriate for about 3 of the middle kids, who are actually paying attention. The older ones look bored, if they haven't left to cook a meal for 15 people by that time already...which is really part of their schooling, since household chores are totes the same as education. Michelle couldn't even finish a sentence without being interrupted by one of the little kids. I think most parents actually want better for their kids, so it's weird to see so many fundie parents who don't actually seem to care if their kids are even prepared for a future in the real world.

Don't freaking get me started on Michelle's homeschooling. She could give Lora Lynn a run for her money. Did anyone see where she taught the kids about bankruptcy? First of all, she was teaching this to a table-full of small kids, which makes no sense. There are a lot of things it would probably serve young kids well to learn before they learn about bankruptcy. Not that they learned anything substantial about bankruptcy--on television, we were treated to hearing Michelle say, "Bankruptcy isn't like when you go to the bank." Oh, Michelle, you scholar you.

Did anyone see the episode where she plopped Josie down in front of a baby video and called it her "school"? Never mind that the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended for years that children under 2 not see any television or movies (and there is talk these days of raising that age). Sitting your child down in front of a TV screen is not school, no matter how you slice it.