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 More than two million students in the U.S. are now homeschooled and a growing number of these do not cite religious reasons.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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Homeschooling is brilliant. I've been homeschooling my kids for the past three years and can attest to the difficulty of this endeavor. I didn't know what work was until I quit my software engineering career to engage in this alternative form of education. Kind of like getting married and having kids, I kind of knew what I was getting, but not really at all.
Over the course of several years, I've come to believe that most of the arguments against homeschooling are simply falicious. Socialization? Bwaahaa! That one makes me laugh the hardest; don't even get me started. I will agree with the caller who made the point concerning engagement with alternative points of view. This one is a challenge, but it's not insurmountable. Once a week we participate in a coop of like-minded "homeschoolers" where the kids can be part of a more round table type discussion.
My children are academically, athletically, and socially engaged with our broader community and are academically equal to or beyond their peers. We have the independence to study subjects not offered in a traditional school environment. They can do almost everything they want to do without the pressure of time. We have the freedom take the mobile classroom (our minivan) on learning trips to places like Yellowstone and Zion in the months when they're empty 'cause the school year dictates the vacation months; Yellowstone in October is outstanding. We do school during our June rainy season and backpack and bike during our extended September summer. Just about every family I know who has kids in the public school system gripes that summer break starts during our rainy season and ends when summer is at it's peak. In the winter we ski four to five days a week and they just love our chairlift classroom - when most of their friends are in school.
The best thing, my kids know they have it good and it motivates them.
Fandango,
I encourage you to try it and see how it goes. There are so many options out there to homeschoolers, there are plenty of opportunities to socialize. We are in a homeschool co-op and other classes, and there are many options for upper level math including co-ops, community college classes, video or computer classes, and private schools that offer classes to homeschoolers (there are two in our town that do that). If you are feeling drawn to it, read about it, and give it a shot. You can do it! :)
(This is my first time posting here, and I will try to redo this in response to her comment. I think I did it wrong!)
Fandango,
There are so many options for homeschoolers out there now, I think socialization is not nearly so much an issue as the naysayers think. We are in a co-op, and do classes and other outings with other homeschoolers. For upper level math there are many options including co-ops, community college classes, private schools that offer certain classes to homeschoolers (there are two in our city), and video/computer classes. I think if you are feeling drawn to it, read about it, talk to others who have experience, and give it a shot. It's hard, but it's worth it. You can do it!
We're not trying to raise perfect children, we're just making a choice about how we raise them.
I have just listened to the podcast of the interview. As the mom of a homeschooled kid and a member of several homeschool groups and several sports teams that are for everyone, not just homeschoolers, I can firmly attest that there is a means to address every objection to homeschooling. With outside classes, co-ops, travel, mentoring and the Internet, you can offer what a child would get in a school, and in a manner that is individualized to bring out and foster the strengths of your child. No, you cannot tailor the world to your own designs, but you can assist your child in designing his or herself in preparation to take on the world. As far as waking up late? There are jobs that do not require a 9-5 schedule. Perhaps Quinn's daughter will be an entrepreneur and create work on a schedule that works for her.
I'm not familiar with the criteria and materials provided for homeschooling, but have always been curious how their learning is documented. Do they have standardized tests? Do they have an outline of what all needs to be covered? What do they put on their resumes to show that they have graduated from high school? I liked the comment from the woman, who is a schoolteacher, who added extra-curricula activities to the program. Teaching is not my forte, so I can understand how challenging it can be for someone untrained to teach. Plus, sometimes it might be helpful to have a third party be the teacher. I understand that some of the "socializing" in some of the schools can be frightening to a student and a parent, where bullying, drugs, sex, and crime may be rampant. Yet, there are many fine schools that provide athletics, band, music, theater, athletics, debate, etc.