Home Schooling, Anyone doing it?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

PC science... only an idiot would link those two concepts.

Have curricular standards met, and you can take your kids to work with you if you want.

A practical question would be how does a person go about teaching the sciences at home? I don't know how they teach science in US schools - but when I was in high-school in Britain a lot of what we did involved practical work (with actual equipment and chemicals).

[Amby 490]

I was homeschooled but not until I was a teen

[Chica Yeyé 41]

I would never do it. I am not a teacher. It takes years of preparation to actually be one. I would not entrust my hypothetical children's education to an amateur at all.

[Jenn! 918]

My cousin, who just turned 18, recently enlisted in the army. He was home-schooled, so no other military branch would accept him without a high school diploma from an actual school. I thought that was interesting.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

My cousin, who just turned 18, recently enlisted in the army. He was home-schooled, so no other military branch would accept him without a high school diploma from an actual school. I thought that was interesting.

But don't home schooled kids get some sort of equivalency?

[Jenn! 918]

My cousin, who just turned 18, recently enlisted in the army. He was home-schooled, so no other military branch would accept him without a high school diploma from an actual school. I thought that was interesting.

But don't home schooled kids get some sort of equivalency?

Yes, apparently only the army accepts the GED.

ETA: I found this and it seems I've gotten bad info. Maybe the other branches just had already filled up their quotas. Interesting anyway.

Each of the services strictly limit the number of high school dropouts (which includes GED holders) who can enlist each year. This is because years of military enlistment statistics have shown that this category of enlistees fail to complete their entire first term of military service at about twice the rate of those with a high school diploma or those with college credits.

The Air Force is the most strict on this matter. The Air Force allows less than one percent of annual enlistments to be recruits without a high school diploma. The Marines have the next highest standards. No more than five percent of Marine recruits can be GED-holders. The Army allows no more than ten percent each year, and the Navy limits GED enlistments to no more than five to ten percent each year.

There are always many, many more GED-holders who want to enlist than there are available slots, so -- even to be considered -- a GED holder must score much higher on the ASVAB, than a high school diploma recruit.

Edited August 12, 2009 by Jenn!

[Amby 490]

My cousin, who just turned 18, recently enlisted in the army. He was home-schooled, so no other military branch would accept him without a high school diploma from an actual school. I thought that was interesting.

But don't home schooled kids get some sort of equivalency?

I did my homeschooling through Indiana University's high school program so I got my high school diploma from Indiana University. It's basically a correspondence program. It takes a lot of discipline to get it done.

A lot of places only accept your diploma if your homeschool is somehow accredited. There are tons of homeschool programs that are accredited where the diplomas are legit.

here's a link http://iuhighschool.iu.edu/

Edited August 12, 2009 by Amby

[HAL 9000 96]

PC science... only an idiot would link those two concepts.

Have curricular standards met, and you can take your kids to work with you if you want.

A practical question would be how does a person go about teaching the sciences at home? I don't know how they teach science in US schools - but when I was in high-school in Britain a lot of what we did involved practical work (with actual equipment and chemicals).

One can actually use household supplies for many experiments. Did you know you can perform a DNA extraction using a Q-tip to scratch buccal epithelial cells and varying concentrations of isopropyl alcohol? To run the DNA on a gel you'd need agarose sugar and water- the same stuff used in labs. A very small volume of ethidium bromide to stain the DNA and a black light to see it as bands in the gel. The ethidium bromide can be bought from a supplier for home education at very small amounts with little hassles (a 5 mL bottle would last for years as one only needs to pippette µL volumes per gel).

When I taught I set up an institutional account for one supplier for the science dept I was the head of and things worked out well. Some suppliers accomodate home orders- even for small quantities of chemicals that are harmless if contained appropriately.

Its possible but not for everyone. Equipment can come from a myriad of sources... be it used- yet accurate. Sometimes people can get lucky and meet retiring researchers that have no problems in donating their equipment like µpippettors and even electrical devices. Or they can be bought from second-hand resellers.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Business idea: Science lab, speech lab, etc.. for home schoolers!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

PC science... only an idiot would link those two concepts.

Have curricular standards met, and you can take your kids to work with you if you want.

A practical question would be how does a person go about teaching the sciences at home? I don't know how they teach science in US schools - but when I was in high-school in Britain a lot of what we did involved practical work (with actual equipment and chemicals).

One can actually use household supplies for many experiments. Did you know you can perform a DNA extraction using a Q-tip to scratch buccal epithelial cells and varying concentrations of isopropyl alcohol? To run the DNA on a gel you'd need agarose sugar and water- the same stuff used in labs. A very small volume of ethidium bromide to stain the DNA and a black light to see it as bands in the gel. The ethidium bromide can be bought from a supplier for home education at very small amounts with little hassles (a 5 mL bottle would last for years as one only needs to pippette µL volumes per gel).

When I taught I set up an institutional account for one supplier for the science dept I was the head of and things worked out well. Some suppliers accomodate home orders- even for small quantities of chemicals that are harmless if contained appropriately.

Its possible but not for everyone. Equipment can come from a myriad of sources... be it used- yet accurate. Sometimes people can get lucky and meet retiring researchers that have no problems in donating their equipment like µpippettors and even electrical devices. Or they can be bought from second-hand resellers.

Today kids we're going to the lipsuction clinic to get some fat we can render, mix with lye and turn into soap. And by the way - did you know that if you mix 4 parts gasoline with 2 parts frozen orange juice concentrate you can make napalm?

Jimmy, be careful when adding the sugar to that fertiliser, be sure to grind it slowly.

Edited August 12, 2009 by Private Pike

[HAL 9000 96]

You mean you've never stilled at home??

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You mean you've never stilled at home??

I got a make your own beer kit one Christmas that's been gathering dust for a couple of years. I guess it can't taste worse than Bud... The yeast probably isn't good anymore.

[HAL 9000 96]

Hmmm...

Simple chemistry is possible though. Enough even for some 'advanced' lessons at the high school level. But like Len said- this requires a good deal of preparation.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Hmmm...

Simple chemistry is possible though. Enough even for some 'advanced' lessons at the high school level. But like Len said- this requires a good deal of preparation.

More prep than mixing bleach with household cleaning products to make poison gas?

[HAL 9000 96]