Chabad Shluchim living in remote places or cities where there is no Jewish school, have long contended with schooling their children at home or parting with them at young ages, so they can get a traditional education. A newly developed online school now gives these children the benefit of a classroom situation where they daily interact with classmates--children of other shluchim, and a teacher, at home.
Matching, out-of-date sweatsuits. The ability to recite lines from the Iliad in response to your peers’ discussion of a television show. Parroting your parents’ values. If you’ve paid attention to mainstream depictions of homeschooled children, these images are likely familiar. Homeschooled kids get a bad rap and are too frequently associated with social awkwardness due to a perceived lack of socialization with their peer group. However, with the dawn of social media, more homeschooled students—both those who are being schooled by more “traditional” methods and those who are students are virtual cyber charter schools—are able to better connect with their peers and other members of the homeschooling community.
Picture this: It’s Tuesday morning. You and your children get out of bed and eat a hearty breakfast. You all get showered and dress, and prepare to learn. One child pops in the Lord of the Rings – Return of the King for the 5th time, looking to see how closely Peter Jackson has matched the movie to the book of the same title that they’ve just finished reading. Another child has decided to go outside and tend to their garden – they are growing some vegetables that are in season, and want to make sure that all is well in their patch. Yet one more child sits comfortably with you, in your lap, while you read every Dr. Seuss book that there is to find in your home. Welcome to the world of unschooling.
Each family comes with its own dynamic – a beautifully complicated medley of philosophies and needs involving a family’s heritage or culture, parenting style, financial stability, spiritual or religious preference, communication, and of course, educational goals and background. It may not be the right choice for a family to homeschool. These reasons not to homeschool can give you some food for thought.
A great website for kids to learn about chemistry. Basic chemistry help and information with facts about matter, atoms, elements, the periodic table, reactions and biochemistry.