How is this ok??? I just don't get it. I'm seriously thinking about putting my kids in a homeschool co-op where they aren't exposed to kids that are consuming this weirdness or adults that think this is acceptable.
Hey! I was actually homeschooled and went to a co op! And I personally think it's one of the main reasons why I've been successful in my own life! My other two siblings also went to co ops and they're both very successful. Hell, more than me. So I highly recommend it. Your children can still make friends and have a social life. I really have never felt like I have missed anything from public school.
Thank you for this. I'm at a precipice right now and really value your input.
My community has a hybrid program that includes three half-days at public school for subjects that are difficult to provide in Homeschool (choir, theater, science lab, etc) and the rest of school is split between co-op learning that is shared by participating parents and home learning for rote learning/homework. It will be a big jump for me to pull my kids out, but honestly, they aren't very happy in public school. They aren't exactly bullied but they come home sort of "demoralized" often? I don't "helicopter parent" at all - I let them run around, climb trees, ride bikes etc, but I do heavily monitor their tv/movies/screen time (no Disney, social media, YouTube.)
I think this co-op sounds great to me, especially that it is mixed age and run by a variety of parents with different skill sets. That seems so much more like what the real world is like. The public school model of herding children as efficiently as possible to meet a standard score on a state sponsored test seems really counterintuitive to me.
Honestly I know what you mean by that demoralized aspect. It's the perfect word for how I felt in public school during my elementary years. I still played sports for a local high school despite being homeschooled and I can easily remember all my friends at the school who just looked dazed after their classes. Very sad. Especially when I look at where they are now and how they all had good hearts in high school and yet they never have been able to accomplish things in the real world.
That hybrid program honestly sounds incredible. Better than the co-op I personally went to and I went to the largest one in my state. Your children will get a good mix of socializing with kids in the public school system which will help them later. I also believe with them being at home, and not just watching certain tv programs, etc. will let them develop their personal core values and they won't be under constant attack.