Is their anything wrong with not making a big deal out of your child's grades,etc?

Our twins are only three so its a while before they start school but at nursery today I was talking to this woman and she brought up her oldest son who is 11 and is going to the grammar school in september and how her youngest daughter was going to get in when she is old enough. She asked me if I thought my twins would be going to the grammar school. I said no because me and my husband don't make a huge deal out of academic achievements but focus more on creative achievements as we both come from a long line of creative people. He's a musician and an artist and I'm clothes maker and an artist as well. We both don't think much of academic achievement because anyone can read a book and recite some facts but not everyone can paint, sew or play good music.

In all honesty I can see us home schooling rather than sending them to a mainstream school which are all academic based and have little time for creative achievement. The mother I was talking to sees to think this way of parenting will damage our children's intelligence. Do any of you parents have any opinions on this?Is their anything wrong with not making a big deal out of your child's grades,etc?
Im a headteacher at a high school and personally I favour kids going to school instead of homeschooling.



I feel that at school you learn a little about a lot of subject, and then children can make an informed decision about what they want to do.



And Academic Studies are important even for creative achievements for example how mathematics influences music with chord structure, scales and sequences, or how English helps song writers. Physics and the structure of Colour helps Artists.



I feel that all subjects tend to overlap slightly and that school is the best place to get a well rounded education form several teachers who each specialise in their own subject.



What if you home schooled you kids, and then they decided they wanted to be a Doctor.



At school they can choose their own path.



My 16 year old daughter wants to be a musician, she is a brilliant Flautist, and is intending to Study Music and Music Theory in 2 years at University, but to get in she need to pass 4 highers at least and for them to include Maths as well as MusicIs their anything wrong with not making a big deal out of your child's grades,etc?
well you have to keep in mind what your children want..



what if they want to be scholars or historians or mathematicians??



I just say keep all options open and available to them and they'll grow to be happy and healthy
There is nothing wrong with making a big deal about their grades either. It is up to the parents I guess. I do though praise my kids when they do good. But as far as educational standards go depending on states, if you homeschool a lot of the states require testing up to a certain grade. They have to cover the basics in grammer, history, math, and science. You can not just focus on art or music or whatever it is they are good at. You need to keep an open mind on this and do what you think is in the best interest of your kids. That mother has her own opinions. And she is not right in this damaging the kid's intelligence. My son has a form of Autism. He is high functioning...but that does not mean he is not intelligent. It just means he looks at things in a different way than the rest of us do and may have to do more to understand those things the rest take for granted.
I think that borders on forcing your children to share your interests and life path.



What if they want to be a doctor, detective, lawyer, accountant, graphics designer or any of the other careers that require academics? There's nothing wrong with homeschooling, if you're going to teach your kids everything they'd need to do whatever they want to do and become whatever they desire. It's not up to you to choose what that might be.
I don't see a problem with homeschooling as long as you cover the basics as well as the extras. My daughters do/will attend the local public elementary school. I feel there is more for them to learn there than what I can teach them at home. I believe the music program in my daughter's elementary got cut for this fall, so now it's going to be up to me to instill a love of music into her life. I have a musical background, myself, so it won't be difficult, but I still wish they'd offer more music and arts within the school.
Main stream america has a fragmented education problem. Instead of creating a program around a child's interests and strengths is a shame.

There are too many children per teacher and therefor the instructor can't give the same quantity or quality of education a child needs. If you can home school your child and give a dedicated effort you and your child WILL reap the benefit. Both my daughters are RN's and were home-educated for 6.5 years. There are excellent programs available to aid you in this endeavor. The skills you and your mate have can be shared with other homeschooling along with exchanging some of their expertise.
Children don't always want what parents want for them. School isn't about 'reading books and reciting facts'. It teaches them things about the world and other subjects, plus in primary education they do paint an awful lot.



Also they could study art later if they wished, and it's probably not a good idea to limit your childrens education and career prospects because you want them to paint/be creative. Children need to learn with other children to develop social skills and a fairly normal mentality.



If you do choose to home school, be careful as you may prevent them from making friends or feeling socially accepted, some children lead seriously sheltered lives which is unhealthy and could put them in danger in later life. Pushing a child towards a particular goal you set can also be very stressful for them. They may resent you for it later.



In my opinion it would be better to send them to school and letting them decide what they want to do and letting them create their own opportunities. -People with degrees in other subjects such as business related areas can enter highly paid and fulfilling jobs. -And, they could be creative as well as academic.



As a parent, you can be creative and teach them all about painting, sewing and music, but this should really be as a side project rather than an alternative to education.
you should encourage your children in all aspects of their life and learning abilities.
If you want your kids to be failures who think that it's ';taking part, not winning, that counts'; then no, there's nothing wrong with it. Teach your kids to be creative unemployable dole-scum with no useful skills whatsoever, by all means. If you feel it's okay to ruin your childrens' lives, then that's your right as a parent.
Seems to me that you know exactly what you want for your children, and good for you!

Homeschooling is perfectly compatible with academic success- it's just not in a crowd-control environment



All children are very different and a problem comes when we think One Size Fits All....

Each family is different too.



Just be aware that when we step outside of the normal ways of doing stuff, folk worry...

They ask tough questions..and wonder of we're failing our kids.



I wish you well as you start out and hope you find lots of other parents to throw these ideas around with near to where you live