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    PhysicistDave
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    PhysicistDave
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    bianc850a,

    Yeah, I agree in principle that a school such as you describe could meet my own criteria for an �adequate school.� I�d want to know how flexible they are in their use (or non-use) of textbooks or workbooks and a lot of other things. I�d also want to know whether they had the teaching resources and the flexibility to help seventh-graders learn about relativity, sixth-graders learn about calculus, etc.: I really was not being facetious about that. Give me a group of seventh graders in the top ten percent who actually want to learn special relativity and I could teach it to them in a semester (I�d use the same book I used � Bondi�s �Relativity and Common Sense,� which can be understood by any bright kid who has mastered grade-school arithmetic, supplemented with Gamow�s wonderful �Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland�).

    But on the face of it, your school does sound very good. And, of course, I can only match your music, drama, and art programs by going outside our home � I can teach some basic music theory, but I�m not competent to teach the rest.

    However, I don�t think there is such a school anywhere near us (we�re in Sacramento), and I actually do like teaching our kids (of course, sometimes, I want to escape! -- but usually, I enjoy it). One other factor for me is that I have very distinct views on politics and religion, and, while I do not want to shove those views down my kids� throats, I�m not willing to pussyfoot around in teaching science and history to avoid offending political or religious sensibilities. For example, I think Lincoln clearly could have avoided the Civil War � if that�s true, it�s hard to see him as a great President (no, I�m not a Confederate sympathizer, my sympathies are actually with the radical abolitionists, such as William Lloyd Garrison). Similarly, we started on evolution in kindergarten � no way will I take the tack that �evolution is just a theory�! There is more evidence for evolution than there is that the earth moves around the sun, and I�m making certain that my kids know that.

    I think it would be unlikely that an independent school would have the courage to be forthright in presenting or even discussing such views, even if the founders of the school actually shared my views � too many parents would be offended. So, I�d probably continue to homeschool even if we had such a school available. But I�d certainly consider a school such as you describe, I think anyone here who has such a school available definitely should seriously consider it, and I agree with you that it may be an excellent route for many families to pursue.

    As Kriston and I have both said, homeschooling is definitely not some magical solution that will work for every family. It�s just one possible solution that everyone should consider among many possibilities, and it does work for some of us. In fact, as I've said several times, for me, I think, the ideal solution would be an �education mall� where one could mix and match homeschool and classroom-based approaches as one wished.

    All the best,

    Dave

    Joined: Dec 2007
    Posts: 312
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    Joined: Dec 2007
    Posts: 312
    Hi Dave,

    I actually know a couple of father's at my dd's school that share your views. We have started a Friday multicultural discussion group and such topics often come up.

    The school is semi-flexible. They do have a curriculum they follow but they allow children to study additional subjects they are passionate about.

    I wanted to thank you for the book references. My dd just received THE WAY LIFE WORKS and she has been reading for an hour. I also ordered THE LIFE OF FRED. Should be getting those tomorrow. I am always looking for enrichment resources. Looks like my dd really liked the science book.

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