Homeschooling the Clandestine Clan

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  • j_h_smith

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 28, 2007
    28,516
    Find yourself a good quality co-op and much of your worries will be over. There is a lot of help and guidance provided for a new family. Just make sure they get plenty of socialization. That is usually taken care of with a good co-op, but it's not guarantied.

    Good Luck!
     

    Flametamer

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 6, 2014
    796
    Frederick County
    We homeschooled our six sons K - 12. The youngest is currently pursuing a PhD in philosophy; the others all hold MS degrees in their various fields. Computer science, cybersecurity, management (two career firefighters), and mechanical engineering. Every one of our sons is an Eagle Scout and most earned the highest awards in the Venturing program. Before BSA abandoned the timeless values that build them into a once-great program... Proud papa moment over...

    Make no mistake - homeschooling is a LOT of work. A total family commitment. We gave up having two incomes and watched friends and siblings gather a great collection of expensive toys while we continue to be happy with our 20" CRT television (no cable) and modest well-kept home. When we started we were shunned by many, but by the time we were through we showed them all (and homeschooling has become much more accepted than it was 30 years ago).

    Don't take that BS argument about socialization for anything other than an attempt to control you and your kids, to herd them back into the flock of mindless sheeple. Every human being is socialized, even one who lives alone in the deepest darkest cave. As a scoutmaster for 30 years, I saw every manner of well behaved and poorly behaved boys. I saw good and bad in public school kids, parochial school kids, and homeschooled kids; far and away most of the problem children were the products of public schools, including those "good" public schools that realtors and elected officials so often brag about. Consider if you will who measures and declares a school to be 'good.' It boggles my mind that so many sheeple actually rate the character of a school by the success of the sports program. Talk about disconnected logic!

    Get connected with Homes School Legal Defense Association before you start. The laws here in MD are not great, but you can work well within them once you know the ropes and have professional guidance from HSLDA.

    Get connected with a local umbrella group that shares your value system. These did not exist when we started, but they are everywhere today. Curriculum guidance abounds, and the plethora of programs available can be mind boggling. We used a classical, Great Books curriculum augmented by curriculum from a traditional program. The boys (and I) read 150 pages a week of Plato, Socrates, Aquinas, etc. every week during high school. We discussed their readings Socratically around the dinner table every night. Their peers in college and now work cannot hold a candle to them in any kind of philosophical discussion...the peers have their straw-man arguments and PC positions devastated by facts and logic every time - in a nice polite way, of course...

    It wasn't all good; like everything in life we had trying times. But we prayed and worked through them. If I had it to do all over again, we would have had more kids and homeschooled them all. The blessings are boundless and the rewards indescribable.

    Well educated, thinking, and motivated young people are the only way to save this declining civilization of ours. It took 50 years for the liberals to reach the precipice of destroying western civilization; it's going to take some time to rebuild and re-educate.
     

    dad4

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 11, 2013
    1,629
    Cecil County
    We homeschooled our six sons K - 12. The youngest is currently pursuing a PhD in philosophy; the others all hold MS degrees in their various fields. Computer science, cybersecurity, management (two career firefighters), and mechanical engineering. Every one of our sons is an Eagle Scout and most earned the highest awards in the Venturing program. Before BSA abandoned the timeless values that build them into a once-great program... Proud papa moment over...

    Make no mistake - homeschooling is a LOT of work. A total family commitment. We gave up having two incomes and watched friends and siblings gather a great collection of expensive toys while we continue to be happy with our 20" CRT television (no cable) and modest well-kept home. When we started we were shunned by many, but by the time we were through we showed them all (and homeschooling has become much more accepted than it was 30 years ago).

    Don't take that BS argument about socialization for anything other than an attempt to control you and your kids, to herd them back into the flock of mindless sheeple. Every human being is socialized, even one who lives alone in the deepest darkest cave. As a scoutmaster for 30 years, I saw every manner of well behaved and poorly behaved boys. I saw good and bad in public school kids, parochial school kids, and homeschooled kids; far and away most of the problem children were the products of public schools, including those "good" public schools that realtors and elected officials so often brag about. Consider if you will who measures and declares a school to be 'good.' It boggles my mind that so many sheeple actually rate the character of a school by the success of the sports program. Talk about disconnected logic!

    Get connected with Homes School Legal Defense Association before you start. The laws here in MD are not great, but you can work well within them once you know the ropes and have professional guidance from HSLDA.

    Get connected with a local umbrella group that shares your value system. These did not exist when we started, but they are everywhere today. Curriculum guidance abounds, and the plethora of programs available can be mind boggling. We used a classical, Great Books curriculum augmented by curriculum from a traditional program. The boys (and I) read 150 pages a week of Plato, Socrates, Aquinas, etc. every week during high school. We discussed their readings Socratically around the dinner table every night. Their peers in college and now work cannot hold a candle to them in any kind of philosophical discussion...the peers have their straw-man arguments and PC positions devastated by facts and logic every time - in a nice polite way, of course...

    It wasn't all good; like everything in life we had trying times. But we prayed and worked through them. If I had it to do all over again, we would have had more kids and homeschooled them all. The blessings are boundless and the rewards indescribable.

    Well educated, thinking, and motivated young people are the only way to save this declining civilization of ours. It took 50 years for the liberals to reach the precipice of destroying western civilization; it's going to take some time to rebuild and re-educate.

    THIS!!!!!

    As a homeschool family this synopsis is spot on. Very well expressed, accurate and I would emphasize the Family involvement.
     

    Shamr0ck

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 6, 2011
    2,505
    Frederick
    We homeschooled our six sons K - 12. The youngest is currently pursuing a PhD in philosophy; the others all hold MS degrees in their various fields. Computer science, cybersecurity, management (two career firefighters), and mechanical engineering. Every one of our sons is an Eagle Scout and most earned the highest awards in the Venturing program. Before BSA abandoned the timeless values that build them into a once-great program... Proud papa moment over...

    Make no mistake - homeschooling is a LOT of work. A total family commitment. We gave up having two incomes and watched friends and siblings gather a great collection of expensive toys while we continue to be happy with our 20" CRT television (no cable) and modest well-kept home. When we started we were shunned by many, but by the time we were through we showed them all (and homeschooling has become much more accepted than it was 30 years ago).

    Don't take that BS argument about socialization for anything other than an attempt to control you and your kids, to herd them back into the flock of mindless sheeple. Every human being is socialized, even one who lives alone in the deepest darkest cave. As a scoutmaster for 30 years, I saw every manner of well behaved and poorly behaved boys. I saw good and bad in public school kids, parochial school kids, and homeschooled kids; far and away most of the problem children were the products of public schools, including those "good" public schools that realtors and elected officials so often brag about. Consider if you will who measures and declares a school to be 'good.' It boggles my mind that so many sheeple actually rate the character of a school by the success of the sports program. Talk about disconnected logic!

    Get connected with Homes School Legal Defense Association before you start. The laws here in MD are not great, but you can work well within them once you know the ropes and have professional guidance from HSLDA.

    Get connected with a local umbrella group that shares your value system. These did not exist when we started, but they are everywhere today. Curriculum guidance abounds, and the plethora of programs available can be mind boggling. We used a classical, Great Books curriculum augmented by curriculum from a traditional program. The boys (and I) read 150 pages a week of Plato, Socrates, Aquinas, etc. every week during high school. We discussed their readings Socratically around the dinner table every night. Their peers in college and now work cannot hold a candle to them in any kind of philosophical discussion...the peers have their straw-man arguments and PC positions devastated by facts and logic every time - in a nice polite way, of course...

    It wasn't all good; like everything in life we had trying times. But we prayed and worked through them. If I had it to do all over again, we would have had more kids and homeschooled them all. The blessings are boundless and the rewards indescribable.

    Well educated, thinking, and motivated young people are the only way to save this declining civilization of ours. It took 50 years for the liberals to reach the precipice of destroying western civilization; it's going to take some time to rebuild and re-educate.

    very well put.

    I'd also add to start attending homeschool curricula fairs. Many are faith based and some are not, but the ones we've attended had a mix from both 'camps'. In every instance we left them understanding that there is a huge resource pool available to help families homeschool their children and this resource breadth helped us feel more comfortable about making the change.

    Technology has also greatly increased the options available for homeschooling. Claire is taking an anatomy and physiology class this year which has structured webinars every tuesday afternoon at 3p ET. If she is traveling/competing and can't attend, she simply replays the webinar when her schedule permits. She dissected the sheep's eye and brain on the front porch this past monday and then held a FaceTime call with her instructor to answer the test questions.

    Chad - I can bring a list of resources with me when I see you on the 23rd - if you'd like.
     

    cstone

    Active Member
    Dec 12, 2018
    842
    Baltimore, MD
    We home schooled our children who are now all adults. As stated before, join HSLDA. They are a good resource for legal issues. When we lived in Charles County my wife became one of the volunteers working with the county board of Ed in overseeing home schoolers. IMO, the county employee was lazy and had no interest in dealing with the fringe homeschoolers, so it was just much easier for him to allow a few homeschooling moms do that part of his job. It was a good opportunity for my wife to subvert the authority of the county and provide oversight in a much less bureaucratic manner.

    Find a local group or two of homeschoolers in your area. Often they are based out of a local church and you can participate ala carte in group activites. Since our kids are adults, most of my information is dated, but I'm guessing that choosing curriculum is still one of the most time consuming aspects of home schooling. The Sonlight boards used to be a good resource. There are often curriculum fairs once or twice a year and they can be a good source for school materials.

    Living in MD is great for teaching US history. So much in close proximity. You will find the learning styles that work for each of your kids. As with most things, being flexible is good and home schooling gives your family a lot more flexibility.

    Leaving the government schools remains one of the best things we chose for our children. Good luck with your decision.
     

    letmeoutpax

    Active Member
    Nov 12, 2013
    474
    St. Mary's
    Another homeschooling large family here. Hard work but well worth it. I agree with most things said and don't have time to compose much, but I will say this: your wife will carry most of the burden and you must support her as much as possible. She has a lot to do running the house and lessons. When the actual work is done she will have to plan what is coming up. Each child may be on a different grade level and when older, completely different subjects. Help with housework and try to see with her eyes what needs to be done around the house. For most women a messy house acts like an emotional drain to some extent. Running school at home means you need to have storage and work spaces relatively organized. One last thing: it can be hard to go for days and weeks when she is stressed and remember this is not who she really is. Work on your relationship now and keep it a priority.
     

    Flametamer

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 6, 2014
    796
    Frederick County
    Another homeschooling large family here. Hard work but well worth it. I agree with most things said and don't have time to compose much, but I will say this: your wife will carry most of the burden and you must support her as much as possible. She has a lot to do running the house and lessons. When the actual work is done she will have to plan what is coming up. Each child may be on a different grade level and when older, completely different subjects. Help with housework and try to see with her eyes what needs to be done around the house. For most women a messy house acts like an emotional drain to some extent. Running school at home means you need to have storage and work spaces relatively organized. One last thing: it can be hard to go for days and weeks when she is stressed and remember this is not who she really is. Work on your relationship now and keep it a priority.

    OUTSTANDING !!
     

    PowPow

    Where's the beef?
    Nov 22, 2012
    4,712
    Howard County
    It does not appear to affect my family, but it is an attack on homeschooling in this state. The HSLDF has a good writeup on it. The hearing apparently was scheduled for today! I'm not sure what problem Delegate Patterson is trying to solve.
     

    SWO Daddy

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 18, 2011
    2,468
    Anyone else here do it?

    The Wife and I have decided that were are done with public schools. We are giving the school/superintendent notice that we will be continuing our two youngest boys education at home. We simply don't trust the public school system to properly educate our children and keep them safe. In our opinion, the public school system in general is not geared towards boys.

    My Wife will be doing a vast majority of the teaching and we are looking at co-ops and umbrella programs to help in the event the State decides to make things difficult.

    I will help with history, physical education, and shop.

    Good for you. Lots of unfair stigma attached to it, but the public schools are terrible.
     

    Doctor_M

    Certified Mad Scientist
    MDS Supporter
    When my son Tristan was born my Wife and I decided it would be best for him if we were able to make a way for her to be a stay-at-home Mom. We did that and then we had Gabriel. I believe our children have benefited from mom being able to raise them rather than sending them off to daycare or a relative.

    We are now at a point where my Wife would happily return back to work because our two youngest are now in full time School, but problems that we see in the public school system has made us reconsider her staying at home so she can continue their education at home. We've been able to pull it off financially on a single income for 11 years now.

    We can afford the co-op's and unbrella programs to homeschool our children. The private school option is completely out of the question for financial reasons.

    Our boys won't be isolated. I recently enrolled them in trail life, which is a boy scout like program that is run by the church. Our boys do quite well socializing with other people, so well in fact our last trip to Williamsburg many of the actual homeschool families that were there thought that my boys worked for colonial Williamsburg as historical interpreters. The homeschool families actually thought that we homeschooled our children, but this group of homeschoolers were more of the granola type than my family.

    As far as college goes, they will attend if they want to go. my father-in-law can easily make some calls and get them enrolled in Liberty with no issue whatsoever. My youngest is dead set on joining the Coast Guard via the Academy route, so perhaps that may pose some challenges but we'll see.
    Chad... that's awesome. So by my calculations, your two oldest are Army and Navy... you've got one who wants to go Coast Guard... if you get the other to become a Marine, then you'll only need to have one more child who wants to join the Air Force, and you'll have a straight flush in your family Kudos for raising them right. If you ever need ideas for science lessons, I may be able to help. God bless your clan, sir.
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
    Staff member
    Admin
    Moderator
    May 22, 2005
    122,847
    It does not appear to affect my family, but it is an attack on homeschooling in this state. The HSLDF has a good writeup on it. The hearing apparently was scheduled for today! I'm not sure what problem Delegate Patterson is trying to solve.

    I can tell from being on the inside of the educational monopoly that there is a fundamental belief that if you homeschool your kids, that there is something wrong with you. Either you are a basic religious nut, or you are trying to conceal something.

    There is also the fundamental belief that you are doing your child a disservice and that you could never be capable of educating your child as well as a professional Educator (say that last word like they do "Realtor" in the commercials).

    It's not a conscious thing, to be fair, but the basic bias is there and it is real as an engrained part of the public school culture.
     
    Feb 28, 2013
    28,953
    I can tell from being on the inside of the educational monopoly that there is a fundamental belief that if you homeschool your kids, that there is something wrong with you. Either you are a basic religious nut, or you are trying to conceal something.

    There is also the fundamental belief that you are doing your child a disservice and that you could never be capable of educating your child as well as a professional Educator (say that last word like they do "Realtor" in the commercials).

    It's not a conscious thing, to be fair, but the basic bias is there and it is real as an engrained part of the public school culture.

    Thou shalt not deny the gooberment the chance to properly brainwash children. :rolleyes:
     

    clandestine

    AR-15 Savant
    Oct 13, 2008
    37,031
    Elkton, MD
    We gave notice and Monday is the last day for our two boys.

    Today we had two incidents.

    Mt son's math teacher was nasty to my 11 year old. He missed a picture event for his after school club. When he asked his teacher if there was a chance to get a retake she said "you won't be here soon so, no".

    The school secretary called my wife today and got nasty. The secretary demanded to know if we had been given permission to remove the children from school. My wife told her, permission isn't needed, but we did give notice to the proper channels. My wife explained who we gave notice to, and told the secretary to call and conform if she wanted to. She did.

    The secretary called to confront us about removing the kids from school because we sent notes to the teachers asking if they could collect our children's belongings so we could pick them up.
     

    KyleRogue

    Member
    Nov 19, 2017
    21
    Westminster
    Clandestine, you should join the Home School Legal Defense Association as soon as possible: https://hslda.org

    They can help you deal with the schools system. I've heard that some Maryland counties are quite aggressive to intimidate homeschoolers and HSLDA has been a tremendous help. We are in Carroll county and there were no problem. Your umbrella group is also a good resource, once you get one. If you are near Abingdon, I believe that New Covenant Presbyterian Church has an umbrella group. Our former associate pastor took a position there and he is a homeschooling Dad.

    We homeschooled our three kids. The last one is in her second year at UNC with a 4.0 so far. Our experience with colleges was mixed. About half the schools we applied to were enthusiastic about admitting homeschoolers, and about half were antagonistic. UMD was one of the antagonistic ones. Public colleges in conservative states seemed very positive towards homeschooling. My daughter was accepted at Univ of Nebraska, Univ of Idaho, Univ of Indiana in addition to UNC. All the private schools we applied to with our kids were receptive to homeschooling.
     

    cstone

    Active Member
    Dec 12, 2018
    842
    Baltimore, MD
    HSLDA's information regarding homeschooling in MD
    https://hslda.org/content/hs/state/MD/

    and HSLDA's statement regarding HB 365. Essentially it is unnecessary.

    https://hslda.org/content/hs/state/...t-on-homeschooling-what-you-need-to-know.aspx

    It has been a long time since we home schooled in MD, but it was just filing a notice of intent with the county school board for us. Charles County was pretty lax about it back in the 90's. One of my boys went to government school for two months and the other went for three months. They saw their friends getting on the school bus everyday and they were curious so we told them they could go if they wanted but they would still be doing supplementary school work at home. It didn't take either of them very long to become bored and disenchanted with the novelty and they asked to come home and be home schooled again.

    I hope it works out well for your family. It isn't for everyone but it is the best education you can provide as long as you are motivated, IMO.
     

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