Quinn Cummings: "The Year of Learning Dangerously"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-08-09/quinn-cummings-year-learning-dangerously
In the early 1990s, courts declared homeschooling legal in all fifty states. In the years that followed, homeschooling was mostly the province of conservative Christians. But today, bankrupt state budgets and mandated testing requirements have led some parents to seek alternatives to traditional schools. More than two million students in the U.S. are now homeschooled and a growing number of these do not cite religious reasons. Diane talks to author and former child actor Quinn Cummings about her new memoir on the challenges of educating her daughter at home.
Guests
Quinn Cummings
inventor, author, television and film actor; author of "Notes From The Underwire."
Read An Excerpt
Reprinted from "The Year of Learning Dangerously" by Quinn Cummings by arrangement with Perigee, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Copyright (c) 2012 by Quinn Cummings.
Comments
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I am a stay at home mom of a 2.5 year old boy. I am very tempted to home school, but am amazed at how many of my friends are down on homeschooling. They think he won't be properly socialized, and I worry about the upper levels of math. I have a bachelor's in biology, so am not worried about the biological sciences per se, but am intimidated by upper level math.
As an aside,I loved you in "The Goodbye Girl"!
It's telling that the photo used shows children passively filling out worksheets as if homeschooling does little more than replicate a classroom.
One of the beauties of homeschooling is the freedom we have to foster learning based on each child's curiosity and readiness. Throughout nearly all of human history children have learned through discovery, watching and imitating people who inspire them, participating directly, taking on challenging tasks as they are ready, and through play.
The research is there. I share that, and the experiences of over 110 homeschooling families in my book Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything.
Truth be told, the public schools, in my opinion, have failed our students. How can the US be the world's superpower when our students are at the bottom or near bottom of academic achievement? What kind of superpower are we when we have students graduating from high school who don't know how to read? What kind of superpower are we when the schools work more around the teacher's unions and their demands as opposed to the achievment of students? Now, I am aware that there are many teachers who care, but there are also many teachers who don't. Rather, they care more about getting tenure and summer vacations.
I think homeschooling is a wonderful thing. I don't have children, but when I do that's what I plan to do. Based on my research, the children do have wonderful socialization skills and are more apt to be more creative and critical thinkers. Also, contrary to the picture chosen, homeschooled children learn the basic subjects through real life experiences--as opposed to sitting in a classroom and being lectured.
I'm a non religious, non church-going grandparent. When my kids were growing up I looked at home schooling parents (the few there were back in the 70s, to mid 80s) as kind of "nutty". I never considered doing it!
However -- If I were raising kids these days, I would do it! There's so much @#%* going on today in the public schools, and with the type of peer group pressures/culture you find in them, home schooling is a very good alternative -- if done right, of course.
Besides, "The proof is in the pudding." - home schooled kids do well in academics and in their lifestyle, usually. (Tim Tebow, anybody?)
I witness my grandkids being in the public schools today - in many respects (not ALL, of course) - it's crazy in the public schools these days! Parents do not have enough control over their own kids there!
Besides, the old argument against home schooling was that kids don't get enough socialization and sports with other kids. However, since, at times, they all get together now in a somewhat structured way, that problem doesn't exist now.
Has anyone considered that genetics is a major factor in education? A few people are born with brilliant minds, and with a good educational environment they will do well. I would say that most are born with good intelligence, and though not possessing, perhaps, scientific or mathematical brilliance, will also do well, though not as well as the brilliant individuals. Unfortunately, there are those who have low intelligence. With special education, they could do better, but their attainment will still be low.
Now, much is made of the brilliance of Chinese and Indian students. However, when you stop to consider that both China and India have a total population of 2.5 billion, compare to the USA's approximately 300 million, there is simply no way, mathematically, that the USA can compete academically with them. Even if we had the same percentage of highly-intelligent students that they supposedly have. Perhaps we could do better percentage-wise, but otherwise it's just "no contest".
As for home schooling versus conventional schooling, it all comes down to what works for the individual.
@gary k--I must respectfully respond in that your comment in terms of genetics almost sounds Darwinist. In that, I mean that Darwin believed that whites had bigger brains than Blacks and Indians.
While you quote the brillance of Chinese and Indians, is it perhaps that in such cultures, education is taken more seriously than it is here? Also, all children learn differently. The modern education system, in my opinion, is very cookie cutter in that the attempt is to use the same methods on all children and expect the same results. I believe it is of utmost importance to take the children's interest and use it in their learning. Homeschooling gives both parents and children that type of freedom. While, there is and can be structure, children learn through experience.
I usually really like the DR show and the guests they choose.
The show on "The year of Living Dangerously" is nauseating.
I had to turn it off after the reading.
I hope she is able to create the perfect child.
All the things you talk about I felt during our homeschooling days.
Now I look back and say I should of done it sooner.Plus I wished I had the courage to have homeschooled our oldest son.
Our daughter left school in middle school. Our middle son in high school.
Both have masters from Antioch. They look to what they can give the world back. Most import they learn to take controll of thier own education.
The large Bates family was exposed on Nightline last night. WOW! I felt so sorry for all those kids.They looked like deer looking into headlights at the sight of other human beings.
To me guys like Tim Tebow,who point to God on Sunday,and say thank you,on Monday morning they`ll be on Fox News bragging about how they did it all by themselves are huge frauds.
TOO MUCH LIKE JESUS CAMP.TOO MUCH LIKE INDOCTRINATION.
I have taught as a math teacher for 13 years in southern California. It doesn't matter where a child learns. As long as the child can connect with the teacher. If a student can not connect with who is presenting the material, the student will shut down b/c their self esteem will get the best of them. I believe every student can learn! Its a matter of how the material is presented. I usually received about 80% of the students that have an IEP(Individual Education Plan) or 504 plan in my Algebra 1 class. I have had to reinvent myself. How did I do this? I started to use the most important multiple intelligences, the kinesthetic aspect. If a student can move things around they can do the math. Also, if they can understand the directions to the math problems, they can do the math. The directions are the wall that students seem to get stuck.
Here is a way to approach FRACTIONS:
two problems with a line between them!!!! One on top and one on bottom.
I find it curious and interesting that long division with remainders was the tipping point in your decision to homeschool.
I too am the mother of an only child. I have advanced degrees in a medically related field, my husband is an engineer with advanced degrees.
I was concerned when my son was not being taught long division with remainders back in the 1990's. My husband and I talked with the teachers, the head of the math department, and between ourselves. This was back in the 1990's.
The conclusion we came to was that it was important that the concept be understood, but there was no meaningful reason for children to do the pages and pages of long division of ridiculously large numbers that we were required to do in this day and age. There is little if any practical application in today's world.
My son stayed in public school. Went to college and is now working as an engineer and enrolling in graduate school. He accomplished all of that without "mastering" long division with remainders.
I agree that learning styles are individual. But it is important that we educate youths to be the workforce of tomorrow. Even though we no longer have a child within the school system, I heartily engage and support their efforts and feel that it is my civic duty to do so. In addition to providing tomorrow's workforce, a strong local school district affects my property value and enhances the sense of community.
The idea that math isn't for everyone saddens me. The day that calculus clicked for me changed the way I vew the world. After that, everything was viewed through a lens of rates and change that had previously felt right but couldn't be put into useful terms. Reality can't be described by the math you learn in 4th grade.
Why should we learn this if we'll never need to use it? Few runners train in order to feed their families or escape danger. They don't do it because it is easy or fun. They do it precisly because it is difficult. Challenging yourself results in a stronger body and mind.
It is true that few of us will need advanced calculus or statistics but those that do will had an advantage. When I watch TV I laugh at specious claims because I know how people contort statistics and logic. I've grown tired of explaining such things to friends and family. It is espcially depressing during the political season.
And for those who think this is cultural or genetic: the major difference between those who are 'naturals' and those who 'just don't get it' is the time they spend thinking about math, the age at which that process begins and an internal drive to meet challenges.
My wife and I have homeschooled for the past 7 yrs. It has been a true blessing to experience and enjoy our children's education together. I just wish other parents in general had the opportunity to experience the same.
Hi,
I'm a public school teacher, but I'm very much in favor of homeschooling for some students. Right now I'm very disappointed because my younger daughter is mentally ill and really can't handle school. I would like to homeschool her, but I'm the "breadwinner" for the family. My husband will attempt to homeschool her, but she can be very difficult to work with. Does anybody know anything about homeschooling mentally I'll children. (This is very serious. We adopted her when she was seven from US foster care and you can imagine her background.)
Thanks,
Suzy
I am an elementary teacher and a mother. We have to acknowledge that the parent is first and foremost an advocate for their child. Public schools are fantastic for some learners but not all, we focus on reaching the largest amount of students as possible, we try our best to reach the others and sometimes we can't. (I am the art teacher with 850 students.) As parents, we each have to make best choices for our own children and our own families, and I can see the value in home schooling. As long as it is done well, there are no problems with it.
I am an elementary teacher and a mother. We have to acknowledge that the parent is first and foremost an advocate for their child. Public schools are fantastic for some learners but not all, we focus on reaching the largest amount of students as possible, we try our best to reach the others and sometimes we can't. (I am the art teacher with 850 students.) As parents, we each have to make best choices for our own children and our own families, and I can see the value in home schooling. As long as it is done well, there are no problems with it.
What passes for "socialization" in many schools is heartbreaking. I homeschooled my daughter for 3 years. She reentered in 9th grade, at which time she tested ahead -- 2 1/2 yrs ahead in reading, vocabulary, 3 months ahead in math.
The educator who called in a few minutes ago is going by 2 false assumptions:
(1) that students need SCHOOL for socialization. My son was homeschooled 7th thru 12th grade. He was involved in community activities, political campaigns, co-op classes, community college classes, group discussion, etc. He was not lacking social contact and, in fact, I believe he has become more well-rounded because he has had an opportunity to interact with folks of all ages, rather than being limited to a large group of kids his own age.
(2) homeschooling is not necessarily "school at home." A student does not necessarily sit at the kitchen table working through problems with no one but mommy or daddy and siblings, if there are such. Many homeschoolers reach out to the community & find alternative and creative ways to expose their child to learning.
The bottom line is that we all need to learn HOW to learn, rather than how to regurgitate facts & figures. Homeschooling is an ideal environment that supports this type of learning.
I don't feel like the PSS in and of itself has failed us. I feel on every level in general, citizens have failed America. We settled everytime an advancement somewhere was made along the way. We got a factory job at 16-18 and we were encouraged to stick with it until retirement. We prepared for nothing else and we didn't prepare our children either. Three + generations did this and now blame others. I bet if you polled the average 40-50 year old right now in say middleclass ohio who went to public school, 75% will tell you that not one let alone two parents participated in PTA during their school years. Its pretty much the same thing with every element of America. We do not take responsiblity for what we've participated in helping to destroy via our collective silence. We'll stand in line to buy a Chick Fil A sandwich in protest but we won't take a stand and demand better Public Schools for our children. Go figure.
One of the callers pointed out that kids who go to school and wake up on time every day are learning how to be successful in life (or something along those lines). I have another theory. What we are teaching our children is that you cannot complete your work in 6-8 hours a day and you must work another 3-4 hours every day to get your job done. It makes me think that we are teaching our children that becoming a work-a-holic is acceptable. I find that unacceptable!
Too late to contribute to the show with Ms. Cummings, I wanted to add three observations my own experiences way out in the country of Central Illinois, where I am a retired teacher.
1) A significant number of local folks home school, but it has been hard to find any assessment, test-taking and the like which shows that the students are in fact learning the fundamentals.
2) Socialization is a chimera and a myth. Kids find kids their own age and socialize as much or as little as they want--whether in urban, rural or suburban neighborhoods. The only fear is one that is part of ANY education--the narrowness of thinking within the circle of friends. Some are rule-breakers and dangerous as a group (or gang), some are rule-breakers and creative (which is the hope and dream of most educators) and some are narrow-minded and exclusive in a bad way.
3) The participation of parents in a child's education is crucial; I keep hoping for some kind of common ground in which parents take a more active role in schools (and make them less rigid) and teachers take a more active role in home-schooling (and make them more rigid, i.e., more tempered by the larger community of the world).
I wish I had home schooled. My son has social anxiety (to the point that he is receiving therapy) and "self-medicated" to deal with that fear in high school. When his grades went south we talked to teachers, him, even tried some therapy then, but the result was that my son is now an alcoholic. If I had had him at home, I could have better monitored what was going on and perhaps prevented this health issue. He is now in therapy, as I have written and in University and on a medication that is helping, finally. I was all for public schools, but there are exceptions to every rule and there is just not enough staff/time to help every exception.
You may want to try a less structured approach until her health is better. Find what interests her -- anything whatsoever. Allow her and help her to get as much exposure to the subject from as many different angles as possible. A child can learn about the history, math, science involved in her interest. Once she feels better you can expand on other subjects. My daughter was interested in the ocean, so we read books, watched movies, visited aquariums and marine history museums. She spent a week on a large sailboat where she collected water samples with scientists. Connect with homeschooling groups in your area -- they often have field trips and activities together and will have information about other resources available in your area. Good luck!
I'm so glad to hear Quinn is open to the fact that her daughter may have different educational needs at different times, so realizes her child may do better in a school later. I did not homeschool but from the moment my first child was born had read many books on the topic and decided this was what I wanted...but later realized my child thrived from learning from a variety of adults (plus realized I wanted the homeschooling more for myself than for her).
My child attended a Montessori preschool which may be similar to some homeschooling in that she was allowed to spend an entire day on one aspect of learning if she was on a roll (such as, she wrote a book one day when she was 4 and left alone to do that). This is something that cannot occur in a traditional learning environment but could be done at home. The Montessori method however proved too unstructured for her during 1st grade...yet she was bored to tears at our local public elementary school where we transferred her. We then filled her afternoons with extra activities (including drama, music, and gymnastics classes) where she flourished emotionally and socially. We ran across many homeschooling families at these classes, so do know that every homeschooling experience is unique. A few of the children were way behind (could not read at age 8 or 9), some couldn't get along well with other children, and some became overly depressed at puberty...but for the most part the children in these classes all got along well together no matter their schooling.
IndieLady7 wrote:
@gary k--I must respectfully respond in that your comment in terms of genetics almost sounds Darwinist. In that, I mean that Darwin believed that whites had bigger brains than Blacks and Indians.
While you quote the brillance of Chinese and Indians, is it perhaps that in such cultures, education is taken more seriously than it is here? Also, all children learn differently. The modern education system, in my opinion, is very cookie cutter in that the attempt is to use the same methods on all children and expect the same results. I believe it is of utmost importance to take the children's interest and use it in their learning. Homeschooling gives both parents and children that type of freedom. While, there is and can be structure, children learn through
In response to your comment, my comment has nothing to do with Darwinism; more with my own observations of families I have known. Darwin isn't the first person to believe something that turned out to be wrong. It wasn't unusual for one or more children in a family to be exceptionally intelligent, and other children to be otherwise. I do believe it is likely that intelligence, as with facial characteristics, eye color, etc., is "passed on" from generation to generation. As for the brilliance of Chinese and Indians, I am stating that they basically outnumber Americans; their total population is about eight times ours. Everything else being equal, we simply cannot match them in numbers. Motivation is certainly a factor, but I think everyone knows that. I'm certainly not implying that Chinese and Indians are "genetically" superior. They just simply outnumber us. One thing that I disagree with is the idea that if we just simply "push" students harder, things will improve. People who have no understanding of human nature would believe that. You can't change human nature. Some will do well, and others won't. If we could change human nature for the better, life would be better for all.
I'm very disappointed to be the first person to comment who has actually been home schooled. Especially since some of the homeschooling parents above have displayed so much conviction.
All six of the kids in my family were home schooled until I was in 6th grade for religious reasons, and when I entered public school due to our family being in poverty, I was several grade school years ahead of my peers in most subjects, but I had no social skills, so I immediately became an outcast because I was so utterly strange to everyone, and it stuck with me EVER SINCE. On top of that, I didn't have physical education at home, so even as a seemingly healthy girl, I couldn't even keep up with the obese students in P.E., and that was extremely humiliating.
Possibly the most stressful moments in all of my post-home school, public education was being put into groups that weren't preassigned. Those were the moments that I spent feeling so alone, unwanted and invisible I'm certain that it's a major contributing factor to my severe social anxiety. I still struggle to maintain what few human relationships I have, and I know that if I didn't feel so alien to my own species I would have networked enough to have a good job, a better place to live, I would have friends who I can relate to, and I wouldn't have gotten involved in the drug scene and dropped out of high school.
Obviously, there are other contributing factors to my current situation, but I want to say:
Homeschooling AFTER 6th grade may have been more beneficial than not homeschooling at all, because these days kids seem to respect only the most depraved, cruel kids in the room and that's a terrible example.
BUT I desperately needed an initial social environment and without it, I became a fraction of the person my parents worked so hard to create, depressed and in poverty.
Has anyone else here actually been home schooled themselves???
I believe in doing what is best for your child (or individual children) as far as finding the right fit. What works for one child will not work for another. I know a couple who only homeschooled one child, sent another one to a specialized private school, and sent two to public school (reassessing their needs each semester). I agree with that approach since children are individuals.
Also, some children are ready to start college or begin their careers earlier than others, so at our neighborhood's "top" public high school, surprisingly, quite a few children drop out or finish up high school a year early in order to move on or become autodidacts. About 5% of my children's classmates had done this.
The most important thing for children to learn is how to think. This is especially important for many new jobs of today. My children attended good public schools, yet say learning how to think was not part of the public education offered them. Fortunately, they learned how to think during Montessori preschool. They work in fields now where most of their coworkers had attended Montessori school and other good schools & colleges that emphasized training students "to think".
even another point -- some people "look down" on homeschooling parents because often they are quite religious, -- the main motivation of many who home school (or used to be, anyways.)
However, has anyone ever calculated how much money this growing movement is saving the public schools when homeschooling families pay taxes to support public schools, yet cost the system nothing by not using it!? I wouldn't have disdain for this movement!
As a product of a homeschooling family, I thoroughly enjoyed this morning's interview which I thought was extremely fair and validated both the parent who decides to homeschool and the one who decides that utilization of the public school system is a better for the student. My own mother was a public school teacher that decided to homeschool back in the seventies- long before such a thing was either "legal" or in vogue. She did not have the resources which are available to homeschooling parents today but she spent hours preparing and culling out everything she could find to teach us in the most comprehensive way she could. Everyone (especially our grandparents) worried over our socialization and exposure to the "outside" world. I am happy to say that my brother and I were not deterred, harmed, or scarred in any way. My parents made sure we had plenty of opportunities to onteract with other peers and adults such as Scouts, 4-H, dance, music, youth group, etc. We were both easily admitted to public colleges where I received my Masters in Physical Therapy and my brother completed medical school to became a cardiac anesthesiologist. Yes, we turned out to be normal, successful, functioning members of society! I am now 42 years old and have made the decision to homeschool my own children. Even though I understand the burdens and challenges faced by the homeschool parent perhaps better than most after watching my own parents' journey, I know that I know my kids better than anyone and the education I am providing will have great rewards. Homeschooling isn't for everyone, but I am proof that it can be successful.
As a product of a homeschooling family, I thoroughly enjoyed this morning's interview which I thought was extremely fair and validated both the parent who decides to homeschool and the one who decides that utilization of the public school system is a better fit for the student. My own mother was a public school teacher that decided to homeschool back in the seventies- long before such a thing was either "legal" or in vogue. She did not have the resources which are available to homeschooling parents today but she spent hours preparing and culling out everything she could find to teach us in the most comprehensive way she could. Everyone (especially our grandparents) worried over our socialization and exposure to the "outside" world. I am happy to say that my brother and I were not deterred, harmed, or scarred in any way. My parents made sure we had plenty of opportunities to interact with other peers and adults such as Scouts, 4-H, dance, music, youth group, etc. We were both easily admitted to public colleges where I received my Masters in Physical Therapy and my brother completed medical school to became a cardiac anesthesiologist. Yes, we turned out to be normal, successful, functioning members of society! I am now 42 years old and have made the decision to homeschool my own children. Even though I understand the burdens and challenges faced by the homeschool parent perhaps better than most after watching my own parents' journey, I know that I know my kids better than anyone and the education I am providing will have great rewards. Homeschooling isn't for everyone, but I am proof that it can be successful.