Does using an online tutor undermine homeschooling?

Want to contribute your views on the homeschool vs public school debate, or just looking for information? Post here!

Moderators: Theodore, elliemaejune

mike
User
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:31 pm
Contact:

Does using an online tutor undermine homeschooling?

Postby mike » Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:38 pm


ncmom
User
Posts: 321
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:18 pm
Location: Eastern NC

Postby ncmom » Sat Sep 08, 2007 10:10 pm

My children don't have a problem learning from me in fact they seem to enjoy it. There is not a person who they don't know judging their work and announcing how they did in front of 30 other peers who will probably make fun of them if they did poorly. They also enjoy being able to work at their own pace and when they finish a subject they are done with it for the year which encourages them to do well the first time. Plus it is mom and mom is fair and knows their strengths and weaknesses; however, there is a difference between teaching your kids at home and helping with their homework. We have school everyday and they know they must sit down and listen during school time. When you are simply helping them with their homework someone else has already taught it to them their way, and having been a kid, kids think you weren't there so you don't know what the teacher wants. There are classes that when their dad gets home he has to help because the way I taught it just didn't click with them so they need a different point of view on the subject. Actually in my area we have lots of teachers who are retired and teaching HS classes and lots of parents send their kids. In fact, my oldest took a creative writing class from a retired English teacher a couple of years ago and he loved it. He was with other HS kids of all ages but they all had the HS'ing in common and were all doing the same level work.

As far as tutoring I know a lot of parents that get to a point, especially in math, that they need a tutor because the child has passed up the parent. In these cases most parents feel like a tutor is an enrichment. We are still picking the curriculum we want taught, still choosing the hours in most cases, and still are the main teacher. In fact my father,a teacher, tutors PS and HS kids in math and is getting ready to offer upper level math courses to HS kids and he has had lots of interest. Overall it depends on the parents attitude and why they chose to HS their kids in the first place as to whether or not they feel like tutoring is a good way for them to go. I have never heard of an online tutor so I can't really comment on that, I would think unless they had the blackboard program that a lot of online college classes us it would be hard to do. I would think that the tutor would need to see the students book, the examples he was given, and how the student was doing it so he knew where the mistake was. So I guess an online tutor is something I would never even consider. If I needed a tutor for my kids I would more than likely use some one my kids saw personally, but that is me others may find it helpful.

mike
User
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:31 pm
Contact:

Postby mike » Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:10 am


Ramona
User
Posts: 418
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2006 11:16 am

Re: Does using an online tutor undermine homeschooling?

Postby Ramona » Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:15 pm

When I first started homeschooling, my parents (both professional educators) were very skeptical that I would be able to do it because my mom had tried to teach me piano when I was 7 and I had been disrespectful and she had given up after a few weeks and sent me to a neighborhood piano teacher, where I was very respectful and did great.

I still remembered all the feelings I had had at age 7, and I knew what things my mom could have done then to overcome my attitude problems. So I did those things with my own kids, some preemptively and others if any little problems started to develop.

When DC2 was about 8 she commented one day that I had hardly learned anything from my mother. She was thinking about many different skills and bits of knowledge that I had taught her which I was always telling her I learned from my second-grade teacher or my Sunday School teacher or my grandmother or a teacher at the YMCA.

My kids have hardly ever had any problem being taught by me (or DH). As they've gotten older we've enrolled them in more and more out-of-home activities. Now they sometimes resist our opinions about things, like how to go about getting money for college or whether they're good enough to audition for something. Those are things they won't accept from us, but will accept when they hear the same thing from someone outside the family. But they still tend to accept academic things we teach them.

We haven't used tutors because we've felt up to everything we needed to teach academically. But we have used private flute teachers and occasional co-op classes. I haven't felt like those things undermined our homeschooling. Occasionally the kids may come home with something we disagree with, but because they are only seeing that other teacher occasionally and we have them all day every day, we're able to root out stuff we don't like.

Ramona

bbaron312
User
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 10:05 am
Contact:

Postby bbaron312 » Fri Oct 17, 2008 10:59 am

I used online tutoring through my schooling and from the student perspective, it really didn't undermine my parents' teaching. Online was so much less personal, therefore, in my opinion, carried less weight. I just recently started university so I'll share with you a quote that one of my professors said our first day of lecture: "All of us know more than each of us." Most my experience was with math however, and you can't really argue over a proven mathematical formula too much.
-Brandon
Join me at Etutor.com!

bippycorn
User
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:51 am
Location: usa
Contact:

Postby bippycorn » Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:15 pm

We have a friend at our church that homeschools their children but she started young. Dont let that first time refusal deter you my friend as it is something new to them. As you keep repeating the offer for help they will eventually open up to you. Just be doggedly convincing but in a mild mannered way:). remember" wise as the serpeant , harmless as the dove."

User avatar
Theodore
Moderator
Posts: 2115
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:14 pm
Location: Missouri, US
Contact:

Postby Theodore » Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:36 pm

Different people are better at different things. If your parents feel they're unable to teach you high school or college-level material in some subject areas, that doesn't automatically mean they're incompetent.

bippycorn
User
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:51 am
Location: usa
Contact:

Postby bippycorn » Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:01 am


Veritas
User
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2008 12:23 am
Contact:

Tutoring Options

Postby Veritas » Fri Nov 07, 2008 3:02 am

You have to do what is right for you and your child. 8)

And your problem is one that I have heard from many people -- that they need to be in a different role. This seems even more true with homeschooling teens.

Also, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. You can get tutoring when it makes sense.

Here are some ideas to get you rolling:

Smarthinking.com is an online live tutoring system that seems better than the others like it out there.

Some programs also offer self-paced programs that focus on the master of the material, and you can have an instructor as part of that who can make appointments for live, online tutoring sessions. The instructors in our personalized learning program do this, and both the students and instructors enjoy this option.

PersonalProfessors has a video module approach and limited amount of live tutoring (it is a great program for math -- had my daughter use it).

Some colleges also have student mentors or tutors who need to put in so many hours as part of their program. I think University of Washington might do this.

WriteGuide has a writing tutor service.

Online automated resources abound too:
VantageLearning for writing... Aleks Math from Glencoe...
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it!
~K-12 accredited, online & offline, personalized to learning styles, interests, goals:
http://www.cmacademy.org
http://www.achieveonline.org

thinks
User
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:49 pm
Location: New Zealand
Contact:

Postby thinks » Fri Nov 14, 2008 9:00 pm

Children resisting what their parents are trying to impress on them is perfectly normal, and tends to be highlighted in the homeschooling situation. Having been through this myself, I see it as a power conflict. The children are used to you as Mum, or as Dad, and not as 'teacher'. Maybe as the teacher, we're suddenly IMPOSING things on them, whereas up until now things have always been -- to some extent-- negotiable.

So my suggestion is, PERSEVERE. It will come. Your child needs to understand that you are working TOGETHER on this. The "guide on the side" rather than "the sage on the stage" is the point to remember. So, in practical terms: offer your child CHOICES, as well as CHALLENGES. Let your child choose to do either this, or that. Or choose to do this FIRST, before that. Children need to have some autonomy in their learning process, and also need to make decisions for themselves as well as learn the CONSEQUENCES of those decisions. This is more important than facts, in my opinion!
Cheers
Jean Edwards in New Zealand
http://www.thinkshop.org
blog: http://www.onthinking.co.nz

Dianne Dachyshyn
User
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 4:35 am
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Contact:

Online tutoring or teaching can enhance homeschooling

Postby Dianne Dachyshyn » Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:49 pm

Dianne Dachyshyn
www.homeschoolwell.com

berrtus
User
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:22 am
Location: Beaverton
Contact:

Re: Does using an online tutor undermine homeschooling?

Postby berrtus » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:05 am


Dianne Dachyshyn
User
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 4:35 am
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Contact:

Postby Dianne Dachyshyn » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:58 am

I have been a high school teacher for 19 years and I am a parent of three. Despite the fact that I know my children's public school curriculum inside out... and can help them with almost any subject...they never ask me for help... and aren't receptive to my help.
I find I can say the same thing over and over, but if a stranger (I mean - non parent) says it, they seem to believe it... understand it the first time. (And it's like I had never said the same thing before.)
I often wonder how homeschool parents are able to teach their children so their children will be receptive to learning. Is it a struggle? Is it the struggle?
If it is a struggle to have your children learn from you... is an online homeschool tutor taking away from the homeschooling experience? I mean does it undermine it in some way. Or are there homeschoolers who see it as enrichment. My question ultimately is... Can an online homeschool tutor promote the concept of homeschooling?

Mike


A lot depends on the age of the children. Oftentimes children begin pullling away in their teens. Many of the families that I work with find that by the time their children are in grades 7-12, the parent has to work harder to vary the delivery method. This is the time that the gap in our ages can become an issue. Try to think the way your kids think and and work a little harder to present material in ways that will engage them. Just opening a book and asking them to do a lesson won't often cut it for teenagers. They like all the bells and whistles, and that might include video, audio, Internet, drama, etc. Be creative and don't be afraid to step away from the prescribed curriculum as long as you are teaching them the concepts. You don't have to fill in all the blanks or do every lesson/page as long as they are learning the concepts. It's learning we are concerned with, not schooling.

Good luck, Mike!
Dianne Dachyshyn

www.homeschoolwell.com

MelissaM
User
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Central Qld, Australia
Contact:

Postby MelissaM » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:35 am

Sometimes it really is an issue where the parent needs to work harder to prove themselves as an authority on a subject, and a stranger is automatically assumed to know more. I used to be a learn to swim instructor, yet my dd spent most of her private instruction trying to tell me how I needed to teach her. It wasn't until other people started asking me to teach them, or their children, to swim in front of her that it sank in to her that other people used to PAY Mum to teach them to swim.

Fortunately, she is also still young enough that to want to achieve just to show me what she can do.

I am pleased that she is bright and strong willed, which I am sure will keep her in good stead as an adult, but it can sure be tiring as a parent and teacher.
Getting Started in Homeschooling is easy at www.YourHomeschoolCommunity.com

romanwrigley
User
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:57 pm

online

Postby romanwrigley » Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:04 pm

Mike,

Homeschooling parents make use of many resources, why shouldn't online tutors be one of them? I don't see using a tutor as a learning resource to be much different than any other part of the homeschooling curriculum.
FREE Demonstration Of Our Online Tutoring Classroom With Full Voice. Boost your Child's Grades Today. Go to http://www.TutorFi.com/parents


Return to “Homeschool vs Public School”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests