A Homeschool Retrospective
Looking back with my sons on Caplan Family School
I started homeschooling my twins, Aidan and Tristan, in 2015, when they entered 7th grade. We recorded this podcast in the summer of 2017 as part of their middle school graduation. At the time, we thought they’d be switching over normal high school. Fortunately, that lasted only three weeks.
All paternal pride aside, my sons were already wise beyond their years. Anything good you do for them, you do for me. And I predict you’ll be glad you did!
To hear the twins four years later, the three of us were part of this Freakonomics “Economist’s Guide to Parenting” podcast:
P.S. You hear me (sans twins) on the same topic on the original 2011 Freakonomics episode.
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I really think you should write a book on homeschooling, techniques, hacks, tips, edges, etc. Tremendous value in that.
I didn't quite do home school, but I had my daughter do Geometry by correspondence over the summer after 7th grade, and pre calculus by correspondence after 9th grade (she skipped 8th grade). Rather than ask the remote teacher, she would come to me when she had questions. pre-calulus was easy - I am a physcist and engineer. Geometry was more work, as it had literally been 50 years since I had taken it. The schools did not give her credit, but they did give her placement. The principal told me that she would have trouble graduating because of the state requirements about years of math, science, English, ... I gave her hell - 'we will do it my way. I know what I am doing and I don't care if she graduates.
She didn't graduate. She dropped out after 10th grade to go the the State University, where she did her BS, and MS in civil / structural engineering. She was 3 months past 15 when she went to the University - commuting by bus and living at home.