Anyone homeschooling?

[Sparrow]

I'm a homeschool graduate and am currently training to be a sign langauge interpreter. Once I'm a qualified interpreter I'd love to be able to volunteer some time making homeschooling events accessable to the Deaf.

I've done some checking and have found very few homeschool Deaf families. I know one family with Deaf parents who homeschool their hearing children, and send the Deaf kids to residential school, and this weekend I met one family with Deaf parents who homeschool both their Deaf and hearing children.

I'm curious if the few numbers of Deaf homeschoolers is simply because people have chosen other schooling options, or if it's because there is a lack of interpreting and networking in that area?

 

[Aleser]

I'm a former unschooler who ended up going to a private uni.

I think it's a two part issue, in that deaf schools provide the inclusive enviroment that encourages students to attend as opposed to home education, which does reduce the child's exposure to deaf culture. The other aspect, imho, is that if something goes wrong and the child requires support, they can't expect the district to pay for it or help out, which can make things difficult.

It can be done, and I do wish more deaf families were exposed to homeschooling in a light that doesn't say "homeschoolers are either traveling families or religious fanatics" but that homeschooling is a viable option if you want your deaf child to learn in an enviroment that is self paced, completely aware of and supporting their needs and interests, and in the long run possibly quite helpful for the child.

 

[Foxrac]

I'm a homeschool graduate and am currently training to be a sign langauge interpreter. Once I'm a qualified interpreter I'd love to be able to volunteer some time making homeschooling events accessable to the Deaf.

I've done some checking and have found very few homeschool Deaf families. I know one family with Deaf parents who homeschool their hearing children, and send the Deaf kids to residential school, and this weekend I met one family with Deaf parents who homeschool both their Deaf and hearing children.

I'm curious if the few numbers of Deaf homeschoolers is simply because people have chosen other schooling options, or if it's because there is a lack of interpreting and networking in that area?

Why does you want to be homeschool?

It's common for middle to high class children who received homeschool when city school is bad like in Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Birmingham or other cities that filled with ghetto.

 

[Sparrow]

For some reason I didn't get a message that there had been responses to my question.

Why does you want to be homeschool?

I was homeschooled and want to homeschool my future kids for many reasons. Homeschool kids tend receive a stronger education. The schooling is specialized to each child, to help them learn in the way and at the speed that is best for that child. Studies show that homeschool kids score about 30% higher on the standardized tests than other kids do.

Also, children tend to pick up bad attitudes and bad behavior from other kids. Homeschoolers can still get a lot of healthy socializing, but it allows the parents to have a bit more control over what and from whom the kids are learning when they are quite young.

The parents and children are able to pick their own curriculum, meaning they can search to find the best and most accurate books. If they want religious books, they have that option, too.

 

[R2D2]

I'm a homeschool graduate and am currently training to be a sign langauge interpreter. Once I'm a qualified interpreter I'd love to be able to volunteer some time making homeschooling events accessable to the Deaf.

I've done some checking and have found very few homeschool Deaf families. I know one family with Deaf parents who homeschool their hearing children, and send the Deaf kids to residential school, and this weekend I met one family with Deaf parents who homeschool both their Deaf and hearing children.

I'm curious if the few numbers of Deaf homeschoolers is simply because people have chosen other schooling options, or if it's because there is a lack of interpreting and networking in that area?

I'm surprised that there aren't more deaf homeschoolers considering that the quality of the local education program is often such an issue and that there may not be schools nearby catering to the particular communication needs of the child.

It would be great if you could set up a support network for those who are interested in exploring this avenue!

 

[deafdyke]

Maybe b/c overall homeschooling kids with special needs (not just deaf kids) can be and is more intensive then teaching kids without special needs.
I mean the gross majority of the time, parents aren't well versed in the various and sundry teaching methods out there.
I mean there's a HUGE risk that a kid could slip through the cracks if they don't have the foundation to actually learn stuff.
I think special needs kids should initially (ie for early intervention) be taught in a "split" placement sort of thing just to build a strong foundation. I mean god, we have people ranting about how mainstream special ed teachers don't know how to teach their kids...If a mainstream SPED teacher doesn't have the training, how will a hearing parent with no real experiance teaching their special needs kids do?
I also think that parents need a break from their kids. A lot of times a special needs kid will have an educational regimin that is basicly 24/7 therapy.
I know that (from reading the Old Schoolhouse at this wicked cool magazine store ) that the Home School Legal Defense Association is REALLY touchy about some of their discipline practices......(like basicly the ones that are Focus On the Family style, that some people say is child abuse)...........most of those kids are non special needs. Add the pressures of having a special needs kid (even just a mild special need like hearing or blindness) and I think the pressures could be a lot for a lot of parents.