Quote:
Originally Posted by Amanah
it's about leaving your most precious treasure out in a dung field and hoping that it won't be defiled . . . but if your values align with the values of the world it might not seem so.
|
I guess I'm lucky. When we're both at work and the kids just get out of school, my step daughter is typically cared for, for about an hour and a half, by her grandmother. Her grandmother appreciates the time with her and Addison really helps her with the house, making food, and some of the yard work. My son (biological) is watched by a close friends of the family. We pay them. Both she and her husband are retired on disability so they are always available. My son helps them here and there. When Addy's grandmother has a doctor's appointment or isn't available, Addison stays with the couple that watches my son.
Neither are in a daycare facility.
Now, I've seen some descent and not so descent daycare facilities. I don't judge parents who use them. But if you need someone to watch your child, I recommend family or a close friend of the family.
Public schools are also both good and bad. We originally sent our kids to a charter school. The kids were almost making straight A's. But I became suspicious when we were doing our family Bible studies and the kids could barely read anything. Also, it seemed like they should have been further ahead, especially seeing that they were making such high grades. I took a day off work and decided to sit through most of their day with them. I was shocked. It wasn't anywhere near the academic level of the public schools. We pulled our kids out and found one of the best rated public schools in our local school system. It's on the edge of Oakwood, Ohio - a more upscale part of our city that is far too rich for my blood to live in. But that has an influence on the school. The school was also recommended to me by local police and fire that I work with. A lot of government employees send their kids there. So, when they tested for placement, it was discovered that they were rather behind where they should be, just as I had thought. So, we got them tutors worked with them in the evenings to get them up to speed. Now they're doing well and thriving.
As for homeschooling... the first church I attended put a lot of emphasis on homeschooling. As a result, a number of parents who aren't really educators or fit to teach ended up managing their children's education. On average most of the kids struggled with state aptitude testing and very few scored high enough on testing to get into college. It was a disaster. It might work for some churches, but it wasn't working for ours. Plus, the kids really weren't socialized as much. Now, that's more on how their parents are managing the education, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I believe that socialization and the multicultural experience is important. So, for our family, our kids are going to school.
Besides, I went to a public school. As did most of the adults I know. There are some experiences (both good and bad) that I think a kid needs to square them away, toughen them up, and help their development into level headed mature adults. I even think "bullies" are something every kid should face. But that's just me.
I think we coddle and try to maintain our kid's "innocence" for far too long in America. In biblical times, kids grew up typically in a single room structure. They bathed in the communal bathing pools with their parents and there was little "privacy". They normally raised some form of goat, sheep, or livestock. So they were well versed with tending the animals, breeding them, and even preparing them as food. And that's all before age 13. Many if not most were married by 15. Sadly, too many parents in America are coddling their kids all the way up until they are teenagers and start to rebel. Forgive me, I'm a liberal. I really haven't sheltered my kids from the facts of life. They are both 11 right now. And I'm confident they are light years ahead of the kids who were homeschooled at the first church I attended. You should see their faces when one of the sweet little church ladies pinches their cheeks and gets all "ooey-gooey" with them. lol
As for any child's education. You have to be involved. A child's success in a school is heavily influenced by how involved you are. School isn't a babysitter. You need to make time to be there every so often during the day. You need to call and communicate with teachers often. You need to make sure your children's class knows who you are. I walk in and I hear about four or five say, "Hi, Noah's dad!" The Principle loves it that we're involved. The teachers don't like it, because I keep 'em on their toes. I even invite my kid's friends over to our house periodically to get to know them... and set boundaries that I expect to be kept. Of course, I'm friendly about it. But when I see me kid's friends, I can tell by the look on their faces if there's something going on that I should ask about.
Oh well. That's my philosophy. It may not work for everyone. But that works for us. Here's me and my son at my kid's school....he was doin the "eyes on you" gesture. It's not a gang sign. lol
Linear Mode
