This is something I've always wanted to do (transition from simply having a 401k to managing my own stocks) but I'm not sure where to start. I'm assuming that I have the brain power to do this: I have an engineering degree and I can solve a Rubik's cube, but I feel totally lost when it comes to the markets.

So what would you recommend as a good starting point for people like me?

>> ^shole:
hahahha
i never thought i'd live to see the day they have championships for jungle gyms
impressive moves, but it's still hilarious as a concept


Once they developed Championship Rubik's Cube, I lost any possibility for surprise. I personally blame cable sports channels. They were desperate for ANYTHING to throw on screen during the off seasons.

Thank you squire!

In reply to this comment by rasch187:
*promote

Stacking cups is for all the kids that can't do a Rubik's cube.

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>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
>> ^Psychologic:
Who would you want teaching your kids physics, someone with a masters in Computer Science, or someone with a bachelors in education?

This argument is silly. You are much more likely to find teachers sporting specific high level degrees in your brick and mortar schools than in the home-school variety. Masters degrees are the norm in public education and there are plenty Phd's as well. I'd be willing to wager that this isn't generally the case in home-schooling. Nothing against your Master of Computer Science, but does he also have a degree in English Lit, History and Life Science? It's a double edged sword.



In high school my physics teacher was the physical education instructor. That was a waste my time. Hell, he'd get confused just reading from the text book. There were very few teachers I met during public schooling that I respect... I'm surprised most of them graduated college. I did not meet a competent math teacher until I got to college.

If the children are being taught everything by one person then that is not the way to do home-schooling. Proper homeschooling communities have people who teach their specialties, and when done right it is far better than public schooling. Maybe that's because my state was ranked 48th in public school funding, but home-schooling can be done very well (very often it isn't though).

>> ^Psychologic:
Who would you want teaching your kids physics, someone with a masters in Computer Science, or someone with a bachelors in education?


This argument is silly. You are much more likely to find teachers sporting specific high level degrees in your brick and mortar schools than in the home-school variety. Masters degrees are the norm in public education and there are plenty Phd's as well. I'd be willing to wager that this isn't generally the case in home-schooling. Nothing against your Master of Computer Science, but does he also have a degree in English Lit, History and Life Science? It's a double edged sword.

I want to attend home-college. >> ^Payback:
Homeschooling for a reasons other than religious, and curriculum?
-The knowledge that teaching is a tenured career and once achieved, a teacher cannot be forced from their job with a hand grenade.
-They stop caring as much after years of abuse from kids, parents, and teaching the same damn thing over and over again.
-Get burnt out on a daily basis from overcrowded classrooms.
-Worry about how the recession is fucking up their Teacher's Retirement Savings Fund instead of how little Timmy isn't using proper grammar, and how little David posts on video rating websites instead of working...


Presumably, all of these problems would be far worse with non-professional homeschool teachers. Being a parent-teacher is pretty much ultimate tenure, unless you plan to call child protective services every time Timmy fails a test; and I'd also imagine burnout and distraction are much harder for a homeschool teacher to manage than a seasoned professional.

>> ^spoco2:
I thank you all for your comments on why you homeschool. I really do appreciate them as we do, for the most part, only see the deeply religious sorts etc.

And I thank you for listening and contributing without resorting to attacks. It is appreciated.

Look, each to their own, and unless our schools suddenly take some massive dive in quality, I don't think I'll ever want my kids not to go to school, there's just too many experiences that I remember from school that helped form me, that I hope they can have also.

For sure. And for us, because we have the choice, each of us are allowed to raise our children as we see fit.

And it's not like we are of the mindset 'right, well, their learning is done at school, that's that then'... Our kid's favourite places to go are the Museum, Zoo and Scienceworks... it's not like we don't teach them things ourselves also... it all just helps for them to have a host of different people teaching them, all of which may get through to them in different ways.

Absolutely. We all basically do the same level of interaction with our kids outside of "school time", just that the "school time" for us happens at a different way.

>> ^calvados:
I think the major reason not to homeschool is so that one's children don't miss out on the socialization they get from being around masses of other kids in the institutionalized education environment. That's the most important thing about school: socialization. I suppose you can still have that if your (homeschooled) kids play team sports or whathaveyou, but I'm sending my kids to school (if I ever have any).
/homeschooled_for_two_years

Yeah, that whole "they are not socialized" thing is total crap. We are not shut-ins. My kids are not inside, isolated from the world. Almost every day they are attending homeschool functions including Park Day, Girls Club, Beavers, Brownies, homeschool science camps at the Telus World of Science, art classes at the Edmonton Art Gallery, science day at the SHiNE center, and on and on.

"Homeschooling" does not equal "trapped in the house".

>> ^spoco2:
I ask, because it's no small thing to decide to do, and it's a huge investment in your time to undertake, so other than the most common reasons of religious differences or concerns about how their children would handle a school environment... I'm just at a loss as to what would make someone choose that path.

That's very interesting. We actually don't see it as a huge time investment. It certainly doesn't feel like it to us. Our daughter did grade 1 and that was a huge time commitment. I guess in some way, the school schedule and the structure did seem to fit the way she was learning. We always knew that homeschooling was an option and we decided to do it.

I also ask because I find that I can look back on my schooling and remember fondly many teachers, and how their differing outlooks on things have helped shaped me. I can also look back with interest at those teachers I did not like, but that in itself was helpful as it taught one to look critically at those in positions of authority, and also how to learn despite such people... which is a great skill to have for later study/work.

OK. I had good teachers and bad, but its not something that entered into our decision.

Will no one really come right out and say why they choose homeschooling? It is one of those areas where I fully support the ability to do it (it freaks me out that there are many places where it's illegal), but I am still yet to have someone make me see a reason that I could really identify with.

I guess that it was so simple and easy to choose that its not like it was an massively unbalanced choice. We chose homeschooling because we felt it fit our family's life. It certainly works for us and hasn't been a bother at all. Schooling pretty much goes on all year, all the time and allows us great freedom to travel and learn wherever we go.

(ie. I understand the religious/scared of bullying reasons, just think avoiding the school is the wrong solution)

And most homeschoolers agree. The people that homeschool for these reasons usually end up being the shut-in variety.

>> ^spoco2:
Ok, so tell me the real reasons as to why you've chosen to homeschool? You have said it's none of the reasons I give... so, why do you do so?
[edit]
According to a survey mentioned in the wiki article on homeschooling. 85 percent of homeschooling parents cited "the social environments of other forms of schooling" (including safety, drugs, bullying and negative peer-pressure) as an important reason why they homeschool. 72 percent cited "to provide religious or moral instruction" as an important reason, and 68 percent cited "dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools." So, the vast majority of parents are doing this either because they think their children can't handle being around other children, or due to religious reasons. Neither of which I think are doing the kids any favours whatsoever.

Looking at that survey, it seems to be in the United States whereas we are in Canada. Most of those reasons/problems in the US don't exist in Canada and none of those reasons are why we homeschool.

In fact, you are assuming that homeschooling has nothing to do with public education. In Edmonton it does. We are registered with the Edmonton Public School Board and we have EPSB facilitator that we meet with once a month. We are given the choice of following the Alberta Curriculum or following our own, or a blend of both. We are members of two different homeschooling groups in town and most of the educational destinations (science center, art gallery, etc.) offer homeschool events during the day that are far more fascinating than the field trips I went on.

What is so bad about school that makes you feel that your kids won't learn there?

There is nothing bad about school and our kids would absolutely learn there. This has nothing to do with the schooling available, as the Edmonton Public School Board is renowned in many North American education circles and we have many educators that that visit and study the system in Edmonton. This isn't about trying to get away from something bad. This is just an educational choice.

Surely the longer that the kids are away from formalized education, the harder they're going to find it to actually move into it eventually (As I'm assuming you aren't accredited to hand our bachelor degrees).

Amusingly enough, my wife recently attended a homeschooling round table where that exact question always get asked. There were a number of students up there that were attending college and university that were homeschooled. Some of them decided to attend high school, others took a year of college before going into university. Some just challenged the high school finals and went into university never once attending elementary, Jr. or Sr. high. Short answer: there are no problems and its not that hard. And its worth noting that college/university education is nothing like high school.

Why do we homeschool? Because we want to.

>> ^clanboru15:
Wow spoco, complete fail with that homeschooling comment. You are the one who should learn something here...


Really, that is just a childish comment to make. Really...

As I have said in my comment, the two who took objection didn't actually specify why they homeschool their kids, just said that why I said that people do (which according to large surveys are the MAJOR reasons that people DO do homeschooling) was wrong.

Until they come back with any good reasons why they/the majority of people do homeschooling other than those reasons (and the few exceptions where it is the only real option), my comments stand.

I think you could do with shutting your mouth and not seeming like a little punk in the back of the room shouting 'yeah! yeah! Take that!' at people who you think are being served, without actually reading or listening to the content of the arguments.

>> ^spoco2:
Homeschooling: I'm sorry to anyone who practices this, but MAN is that an arrogant thing to do. It's saying "I know so much about the world and everything in it that I think I can do a better job teaching my kids than people who do it for a living". Or, is it severe insecurity? "I'm so worried that the beliefs I've been teaching my children will not hold up to scrutiny and comparison to others that I must shield them". Really, it just makes your children more insular, less able to handle situations and life in general. You may not like everything that's taught in schools (perhaps you're a shudder creationist), but you should be that convinced of your beliefs that you should feel your kids can be taught other things and yet maintain what you think is true because the arguments for doing so are that convincing.


My wife and I homeschool our children. You post is simply full of all the public misconceptions concerning homeschooling. Our decision to homeschool is based on none of your assumptions and our children face none of the difficulties that you are assuming. We are not creationists, nor intelligent designer-ists. We don't believe an any religion.

You are also confusing "homeschooling" with "shut-ins" of which my children are not. They are out interacting with other homeschooled kids at various public homeschooling activities throughout the city 3 days of the week.