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Aloha,
Was wondering if any forum members are currently homeschooling their children, or know of anyone else doing it in the Puna area. Our plan as it stands is to make our final move there in 2 and a half years after our 15-year old graduates from high school. An option we've been kicking around is making the move sooner and homeschooling him. My wife and I are strong in certain areas (Japanese language, general language arts, culture, history, social studies, humanities, etc) and lacking in others (sciences and advanced math). We also want to make sure he has a social life and a chance to interact with other kids his age. Has anyone heard of any homeschooling groups banding together to share knowledge and teaching responsibilities? We respect other peoples' beliefs but don't subscribe to any particular organized religion. We would lean toward non-religious affiliations, but we're open-minded.
FYI, we're already set up with a house in Hawaiian Shores and have good leads/opportunities for work. Your help and advice is appreciated.
Mahalo
Tim
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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We are considering homeskoolin' our 1 1/2 yr old son when time comes. We are currently in Hakalau and will probably be down in Puna in a couple years. Im interested to see what kind a groups are on east side. Good luck!
Jamie
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Thanks so much for responding, Jamie!
I posted this message on a couple websites but have received only 2 responses so far. Not sure if it means no one is "banding together" or if it's simply not a topic of interest. The other response I got was helpful, although this particular lady's children (like yours) are a different age group than mine. She suggested using the internet to supplement any academic weaknesses we may have. She also said that many high school students being homeschooled take classes in Hilo at U. of Hawaii. So the academic challenges are covered as far as I'm concerned. My other concern is the social aspect of learning. I wouldn't want to isolate my son from the benefits of joining clubs, making friends at school, etc. I've got few ideas on how to rectify this, something I'll look into when I'm there this summer.
I'll let you know if I find any info pertinent to your situation.
Aloha!
Tim
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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I am very curious. WHY homeschool a teenager. I seems to me you remove so much of the social learning and growth that is valuable during these years. We sent our own son to public schools, although we supplemented his learning significantly. I am NOT challengin homeschooling; many people here on the island do it. I just don't understand it for a teenager. Help me understand... I can always use enlightenment 
Pam
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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Very good question. It's something I'm considering with great trepidation - for all the reasons you mentioned. So why even consider it? Well, it gets us to Hawaii quicker for starters. That said, I'm not thrilled with what I've learned researching the public school system in Hawaii, particularly Pahoa high. I also know how rough it is to transfer to any high school, likely even harder in Hawaii. My son doesn't deserve the grief, although I'm pretty sure he'd survive without too many scars. (can you see the fatherly guilt seeping through here?) The other option is figuring out a to send him to Keiau (sp?) high, which has a better reputation than Pahoa. But I'm open to many ideas!
Aloha
Tim
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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Tim, I would honestly suggest visiting a few high schools and talkig to parents of teens. My neighbor sends her daughter down to Hilo High. They prefer it to Kea'au
When you come feel free to contact me directly and I can put you in touch with a family or two to explore issues. I am sure there are many many different bits of informationI can not even imagine.
Aloha, and welcome to Hawaii!!!
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
Posts: 1,168
Threads: 39
Joined: Jun 2005
Thanks Pam, we'll take you up on your offer to connect us with your friends! (We're hoping to host a bbq in early August, anyway.) I'd feel much more comfortable if we could find a way to put him in a high school outside of Pahoa. Much better than homeschooling, too. Would be thrilled if Grady could make a couple friends while we're there this summer.
Aloha!
Tim
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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More school stuff here.
mella l
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
In todays Advertiser the following caught my attention that may lead to implications here in Hawaii.
Hawaii has the Myron B. Thompson Virtual school as well as an "E Academy" and many Home schoolers.
A federal appeals court, in the first ruling of its kind in the U.S., has ordered the state of Wisconsin to stop funding a "virtual academy" that allowed children to learn from home.....Virtual schools operate in Hawai'i and 17 other states.......Do virtual schools amount to little more than homeschooling at taxpayer expense?
If a Federal Court ruled this way... then Hawaii's Homeschool kids may be in trouble!
-----------------
Coming home soon!
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Hi Tim, I homeschooled my two sons (now aged 14 and 18) until the oldest was at 6th grade level, younger one was at 3rd grade level. It just got too difficult being the book-cop as they were entering puberty, so I can understand Pam's questioning about homeschooling teenagers. When I was checking out bringing the boys here to go to school, I checked into Hilo's St. Joseph's school (we're not religious, but figured the mandatory one religion class wouldn't kill them) and the cost was minimal. I would feel my kids were pretty safe at St. Joseph's, but don't have actual experience as my boys stayed in Colorado and are in boarding school there, near their father. I would also recommend a Christian homeschooling program called Sonlight (again, we are NOT religious, and we just discarded any literature or discussed things we didn't exactly agree with); that program was excellent, provided my boys with an awesome education while they were homeschooled and required no rocket science teaching from me - everything is provided. They're on-line if you're interested. Also, there was a thread recently on Punaweb about local schools that had some good info - have you done a search? I wish you much luck - it's a difficult issue. Safety has to be concern #1, and obviously a good education is concern #2. At least that's my opinion. Would I love to have my boys here, going to school or being homeschooled during their last years of high school? You betcha. But things didn't work out that way, and things are going very well with both the boys. BTW, don't know about your finances, but my boys also attended Hawaii Prep. Academy for summer school once and loved it...they also have boarding students during the week or full-time...just another option, if you can afford the outrageous costs!! It's in Waimea.
Katie
Wherever you go, there you are.
Wherever you go, there you are.
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