Home Schooling

[someitguy79]

Public school has a few advantages over home schooling.

 

#1 Social skills- interacting with others and learning how to deal with aholes while still accomplishing your goals.

#2 Exposure to more ideas- many teachers will have read many more good books and have worthy ideas worth sharing

#3 They learn to make their own way- every student actually teaches themselves-- its the teachers job to present useful info in interesting easily remembered ways [few true good ones]

#4 The opposite sex- they need it around period

 

I thought ex-christians stopped believing in myths.

 

1. All studies comparing social skills of Public vs home schooled demonstrate the homeschoolers have superior and more adult social skills. Period.

2. Really?! Have you actually even seen how parents homeschool? You think the parents just stand in front of a chalk board all day? Nor one teacher in a classroom can trump kids getting exposed to various people.

3. Yeah this is true why kids are in school from 7 - 3 and then have homework till all hours. Yeah that is efficient. Tell me again why large portions of high school graduates are functionally illiterate?

4. Again you clearly have no idea how homeschooling works. As social opportunities with co-ops and other groups abound. And tell me about the opposite sex and pregnancy rates in our public schools even ones who teach other than only sex within marriage.

 

You need to seriously research what you are talking about. Not everyone who homeschools are Christians.

[J.W.]

Public school has a few advantages over home schooling.

 

#1 Social skills- interacting with others and learning how to deal with aholes while still accomplishing your goals.

#2 Exposure to more ideas- many teachers will have read many more good books and have worthy ideas worth sharing

#3 They learn to make their own way- every student actually teaches themselves-- its the teachers job to present useful info in interesting easily remembered ways [few true good ones]

#4 The opposite sex- they need it around period

 

I thought ex-christians stopped believing in myths.

 

1. All studies comparing social skills of Public vs home schooled demonstrate the homeschoolers have superior and more adult social skills. Period.

2. Really?! Have you actually even seen how parents homeschool? You think the parents just stand in front of a chalk board all day? Nor one teacher in a classroom can trump kids getting exposed to various people.

3. Yeah this is true why kids are in school from 7 - 3 and then have homework till all hours. Yeah that is efficient. Tell me again why large portions of high school graduates are functionally illiterate?

4. Again you clearly have no idea how homeschooling works. As social opportunities with co-ops and other groups abound. And tell me about the opposite sex and pregnancy rates in our public schools even ones who teach other than only sex within marriage.

 

You need to seriously research what you are talking about. Not everyone who homeschools are Christians.

 

1. You cant learn how to deal with a jerk without actually dealing with a jerk. Thats pretty self evident, and home schooled gets less jerks.

2. Two minds are greater than one; therefore, two teachers are greater than one.

3. All students teach themselves- they have to pay attention, put in the work, and have the mental skills. Teachers give some critical feedback granted- the success comes from the student and the environment [perhaps competition with other serious students]

4. As far as sex-- animals do it and if your parents didnt do it you wouldn't be here. Next to college there is no better time for a kid to learn how to approach and get comfortable with the opposite sex than in high school. If they dont get high school they are at an obvious disadvantage from missing the prior experience everyone else already has. You think you are protecting you kids, but you are really going to send them inexperienced in the realm of animal kingdom. Good luck with that

[Guest Valk0010]

[someitguy79]

Public school has a few advantages over home schooling.

 

#1 Social skills- interacting with others and learning how to deal with aholes while still accomplishing your goals.

#2 Exposure to more ideas- many teachers will have read many more good books and have worthy ideas worth sharing

#3 They learn to make their own way- every student actually teaches themselves-- its the teachers job to present useful info in interesting easily remembered ways [few true good ones]

#4 The opposite sex- they need it around period

 

I thought ex-christians stopped believing in myths.

 

1. All studies comparing social skills of Public vs home schooled demonstrate the homeschoolers have superior and more adult social skills. Period.

2. Really?! Have you actually even seen how parents homeschool? You think the parents just stand in front of a chalk board all day? Nor one teacher in a classroom can trump kids getting exposed to various people.

3. Yeah this is true why kids are in school from 7 - 3 and then have homework till all hours. Yeah that is efficient. Tell me again why large portions of high school graduates are functionally illiterate?

4. Again you clearly have no idea how homeschooling works. As social opportunities with co-ops and other groups abound. And tell me about the opposite sex and pregnancy rates in our public schools even ones who teach other than only sex within marriage.

 

You need to seriously research what you are talking about. Not everyone who homeschools are Christians.

 

1. You cant learn how to deal with a jerk without actually dealing with a jerk. Thats pretty self evident, and home schooled gets less jerks.

2. Two minds are greater than one; therefore, two teachers are greater than one.

3. All students teach themselves- they have to pay attention, put in the work, and have the mental skills. Teachers give some critical feedback granted- the success comes from the student and the environment [perhaps competition with other serious students]

4. As far as sex-- animals do it and if your parents didnt do it you wouldn't be here. Next to college there is no better time for a kid to learn how to approach and get comfortable with the opposite sex than in high school. If they dont get high school they are at an obvious disadvantage from missing the prior experience everyone else already has. You think you are protecting you kids, but you are really going to send them inexperienced in the realm of animal kingdom. Good luck with that

 

1. Umm... Ok deal with a jerk. In life I walk, I sue or I defend myself aka Castle Doctrine. Depends on what the situation calls for. Can't do that in the public schools. Plus ask my wife good luck stopping bullying if they are on the football team. She was pretty much shot down as a student teacher by the coach. Yeah real life my ass. I would never tolerate the BS I had to in school and the bullied students my wife student taught at one of the "good" schools.

2. Two minds. How about 100s?! Clearly you aren't reading or can't. Homeschoolers ARE out in the WORLD. Better than in a room with 30 other kids 7 hours a day and 5 days a week.

3. Ummm... Again you are just repeating your talking points. I would like my kids to have a life. If you think I am easy on my kids you have another thing coming.

4. Do you actually read?! Really?! I am not a Christian. I never stated anything about withholding. If you think that the pregnancy and STD rates in the public schools are a GOOD thing, well what can I say?

 

Wow preparing them for life. What a concept actually spending their days with adults. When they get old enough they will attend chamber dinner and other real-world things. Its clear you aren't a parent from making those remarks.

 

Wow. You are no different than the Christians that come here and try to reconvert us.

[Guest Valk0010]

Hmmm...appears to me that there are some people here who are closed minded to home schooling. Too sad....

Yeah I luv me igita rayns, jesus god I luv skool

[J.W.]

 

1. Umm... Ok deal with a jerk. In life I walk, I sue or I defend myself aka Castle Doctrine. Depends on what the situation calls for. Can't do that in the public schools. Plus ask my wife good luck stopping bullying if they are on the football team. She was pretty much shot down as a student teacher by the coach. Yeah real life my ass. I would never tolerate the BS I had to in school and the bullied students my wife student taught at one of the "good" schools.

2. Two minds. How about 100s?! Clearly you aren't reading or can't. Homeschoolers ARE out in the WORLD. Better than in a room with 30 other kids 7 hours a day and 5 days a week.

3. Ummm... Again you are just repeating your talking points. I would like my kids to have a life. If you think I am easy on my kids you have another thing coming.

4. Do you actually read?! Really?! I am not a Christian. I never stated anything about withholding. If you think that the pregnancy and STD rates in the public schools are a GOOD thing, well what can I say?

 

Wow preparing them for life. What a concept actually spending their days with adults. When they get old enough they will attend chamber dinner and other real-world things. Its clear you aren't a parent from making those remarks.

 

Wow. You are no different than the Christians that come here and try to reconvert us.

 

Wow,

You obviously have strong personal feelings about this. We down to slinging mud? First, I will agree to disagree- Second, what about reading? Third, your kids must have an excellent "life" spending 90% of it at home instead of meeting people their own age. Forth, removing kids from school will not shield them from sex. In fact they will be more emotionally vulnerable to people who will wish to use them for sex later. You cant stop human nature- they will do want they want, and the more you restrict it- the more they want it.

 

What the hell is this about me reading?

Last year I read 22 books. This year books includes 2001 Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card, Childhoods End by Arthur C. Clarke, The Next 100 Years by George Friedman, and Full Dark No Stars by Stephen King.

 

I find your specific assumptions about me rather gimcrack. At least my assumptions are about human nature and rather general.

[someitguy79]

1. Umm... Ok deal with a jerk. In life I walk, I sue or I defend myself aka Castle Doctrine. Depends on what the situation calls for. Can't do that in the public schools. Plus ask my wife good luck stopping bullying if they are on the football team. She was pretty much shot down as a student teacher by the coach. Yeah real life my ass. I would never tolerate the BS I had to in school and the bullied students my wife student taught at one of the "good" schools.

2. Two minds. How about 100s?! Clearly you aren't reading or can't. Homeschoolers ARE out in the WORLD. Better than in a room with 30 other kids 7 hours a day and 5 days a week.

3. Ummm... Again you are just repeating your talking points. I would like my kids to have a life. If you think I am easy on my kids you have another thing coming.

4. Do you actually read?! Really?! I am not a Christian. I never stated anything about withholding. If you think that the pregnancy and STD rates in the public schools are a GOOD thing, well what can I say?

 

Wow preparing them for life. What a concept actually spending their days with adults. When they get old enough they will attend chamber dinner and other real-world things. Its clear you aren't a parent from making those remarks.

 

Wow. You are no different than the Christians that come here and try to reconvert us.

 

Wow,

You obviously have strong personal feelings about this. We down to slinging mud? First, I will agree to disagree- Second, what about reading? Third, your kids must have an excellent "life" spending 90% of it at home instead of meeting people their own age. Forth, removing kids from school will not shield them from sex. In fact they will be more emotionally vulnerable to people who will wish to use them for sex later. You cant stop human nature- they will do want they want, and the more you restrict it- the more they want it.

 

What the hell is this about me reading?

Last year I read 22 books. This year books includes 2001 Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card, Childhoods End by Arthur C. Clarke, The Next 100 Years by George Friedman, and Full Dark No Stars by Stephen King.

 

I find your specific assumptions about me rather gimcrack. At least my assumptions are about human nature and rather general.

 

Wow. Way to change the subject. I said you didn't read nor respond to my posts. I said not two but hundreds of people vs. one in a classroom or 6 maybe in higher grades. Wow my kids have a life where they can get out and learn in the real world vs. locked in a classroom all day. Which is the sucky life again?!

 

Its called the REAL WORLD. People of all ages. When did ever say I prohibit my kids from being with others their age? Again never. And you yet prove it again you don't even read my opinion you see the opinion you want me to have. You worship at the altar of the public school God. You have your view and its right regardless of facts and evidence. No different than the fundie Christians.

 

When did I ever state on restricting sex or some such drivel?! When?!! NEVER! I stated do you think the outcome in the Public Schools of pregnancy rates and STD are a good thing? Yes or No. It is a simple question. I never stated as to how or how not. Like I said read. Don't put words in my mouth.

 

Why does it anger me the same reason that Christians castigate me for not beating my kids. Frankly you are both close minded people that espouse such ignorant opinions. And try to accuse me of not raising my kids right?! I know more about both than either groups thank you.

 

Want to find out about non-christian homeschooling add this to your reading list. http://www.secularhomeschool.com/content/

Until you do that save your ignorance for someone who buys the BS.

[J.W.]

I dont have kids which I do. Im not open minded which I am. Then there is the ambiguity of briefly typed internet statements. I see that you are trying to teach me something about myself. Maybe that I am tainted with some form of conformation bias. I will take that for what its worth, but Im not going to start a research project at your suggestion.

 

By the way, experience being around the opposite sex does not necessarily mean sex. Forgive me for making an assumption but I would want my parents teaching my a full sex education class. The birds and bees with rubbers is enough thank you. Im sure your home has a science lab, a wood/metal shop, auto repair, gymnastics, a wrestling team, and a great drama class.

 

Personal instruction is great but it only goes so far.

 

Have a great day now. Buy Buy

[DrummerScott]

I'm no parent, I don't have kids. But, I think homeschooling is a decent idea. I grew up going through public school and I think it slightly stifled me. There are just too many kids that didn't care about learning, and as a result, not caring about learning was (and still is) the social norm. Even if I really cared to learn about something, I would get ridiculed for "trying too hard". Homeschooling would have been nice because there wouldn't have been that social norm saying that being smart was "uncool".

[J.W.]

I'm no parent, I don't have kids. But, I think homeschooling is a decent idea. I grew up going through public school and I think it slightly stifled me. There are just too many kids that didn't care about learning, and as a result, not caring about learning was (and still is) the social norm. Even if I really cared to learn about something, I would get ridiculed for "trying too hard". Homeschooling would have been nice because there wouldn't have been that social norm saying that being smart was "uncool".

 

I cant argue against the effects of a social climate. The school you pick makes all the difference. The students make the school though-- find the serious students.

[PinkSugar]

I've been home-schooled, and been to christian, public and non-religiously affiliated private school. Personally, I think that homeschooling is great for young children, especially if you are a precocious, imaginative kid like I was. I was homeschooled until 4th grade and when I entered school I had few academic problems. We were involved in a homeschooling group that gave us socialization, and if a parent was highly educated in a certian area they would present to the group/lead a class/organize a field trip. For instance, we had a french class taught by a woman who had lived in France, and had cheerleading/gymnastic lessons from a woman who had gone through Olympic level training.

It is definitely not for certain types of families. You get what you put into it, and you need to put effort into keeping your kids socialized and active. If you know anyone who is considering it, make sure to tell them that they should look into a homeschoolers social/resource group.

[Xerces]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mPLHeBLgqI

[Dagaz]

As far as I'm concerned, it depends entirely on the reasoning behind the home-schooling. I can see where it would be useful with, say, gifted children who would otherwise be inadequately served by the school system; however, home-schooling for reasons of religious dogma is definitely harmful.

[Rhovanion]

Home schooling is not allowed in Sweden (where I'm from) and I fully agree with it. We have one national curriculum so all children study the exact same things. This is to ensure that all children are offered same broad and unbiased education regardless of your social, ethnic, political or religious background.

 

Religious home schooling is nothing but systematic brainwashing. As we get older, we come to the realization (often all on our own) that there is no such thing as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy or the Boogeyman. A supernatural deity should therefore be next in line of things we stop believe in as we develop our sense of logic and reason, but by forcing a child to stay in a state of mind it's supposed to outgrow, you're hindering the child's mental development.

 

I'm not against home schooling, but I am against biased, one-sided education.

[Xerces]

Home schooling is not allowed in Sweden (where I'm from) and I fully agree with it. We have one national curriculum so all children study the exact same things. This is to ensure that all children are offered same broad and unbiased education regardless of your social, ethnic, political or religious background.

 

Religious home schooling is nothing but systematic brainwashing. As we get older, we come to the realization (often all on our own) that there is no such thing as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy or the Boogeyman. A supernatural deity should therefore be next in line of things we stop believe in as we develop our sense of logic and reason, but by forcing a child to stay in a state of mind it's supposed to outgrow, you're hindering the child's mental development.

 

I'm not against home schooling, but I am against biased, one-sided education.

 

I would like to add that American home-schoolers complaining about the set "curriculum", could always teach their kid whatever they want in addition to the standard curriculum. Also, I agree with this post, very nice.

[SirPhoenix]

For me, the bottom line is what is best for the child. If they can learn better at home, and home gives them a better chance at success in life, then go for it.

[gypsy79]

It most assuredly depends on the children and parents involved. I learned muuuuuccccchhh more during the short time my parents homeschooled me than I did in public or private school. For some reason, it is much easier to learn in a nonviolent environment (sorry public schools, but mine was violent!) where instruction isn't aimed at the lowest common denominator.

 

No socialization issues during this time, either. Still hung out with the (nonviolent) kids from the local public school several times per week, and was sent to a hired teacher/tutor for one of my classes. Also socialized at work.

 

Edited to add: And, gasp, my parents were fundie Christians! Can you believe they never brought up religion during "school"? Lucky me--I guess they thought I got enough religious instruction after school and on weekends! :-)

[Phanta]

I learned a lot about watching other kids get disciplined in public elementary school. That was 9 years of yawn, except for the parts where I was bullied. I could have lived without that. Then I went to a private school that kicked my unprepared academic ass. Then I went to state university and yawned my way through suma cum laude.

 

If I have kids, it's home schooling or non-religious private school or possibly a public magnet school if it is high enough quality. Big maybe. In the meantime, I am a supportive resource to my homeschooling friends. In my community, secular homeschoolers are academically well-prepared (even taking college classes while public school kids are still in high school), capable of managing real-life skills, and well-adjusted to adult life--not the fake, wishful thinking world of the modern American teenager. Our community blends children of all ages in our activities, unlike public schools which segregate, creating even weirder teenage subcultures grounded in a very immature understanding of reality.

 

The whole public school system is bizarre.

[Rhovanion]

I just don't see who would be doing the home schooling where I'm from, if that were indeed an option. We haven't had any housewives or stay-at-home parents (apart from the year and a half maternity/paternity leave when you have a newborn) here in Sweden since the '60s/'70s.

[DesertBob]

I home schooled my daughter from about 3rd grade thru 8th, my son from Kindergarten through 3rd. My reasons at the time were partly religious, partly a product of my lack of being impressed with my own personal public school experience, partly a product of the fact that my first wife leaned heavily that way.

 

I would not do it again, given the choice. Too little to show for the gargantuan effort, and the public system was not THAT bad. Also I would generally not be in favor of it past the grade school level, certainly not past middle school, for most child / parent combinations. Plus I no longer have my fundamentalist mindset to put me over the top.

 

In addition I came to see that the parental dynamic is so different from the teaching dynamic that the two are very difficult to put together. I think teachers get more respect, particularly from middle and high school students, who are trying to differentiate from their parents anyway, whom they perceive as terminally lame.

 

Currently I'm engaged to a woman who is adamantly opposed to homeschooling. She feels that a college-educated, certificated teacher is far superior to the most dedicated and well-meaning parent. I don't really agree with that as an unqualified proposition, in part because of the general bureaucratic ineptitude of how public schools and even private schools are often run, low teacher pay and morale, tenure, the current test-obsessed approach to "learning", etc.; but as a general statement it has quite a lot of merit. At the end of the day her kids turned out at least as well as mine did, academically and socially; in significant ways I think they turned out better.

 

My daughter home schooled her two boys for a time but they went into a public (charter) school this year. The kindergartener is doing great, the second grader is struggling, gets bullied, etc., but it's hard to say it's because of home schooling, at least exclusively; he is also somewhat neurotic / anxious by nature and the family went through a divorce over the past couple of years. That's the problem with evaluating these things, it involves people and all their ambiguity and complexity.

 

My philosophy now is that nature trumps nurture almost every time, and society is way too powerful a force to completely negate through activities like home schooling. Your kids need to be raised in the Real World and need to cope with it. All that said, I don't judge people who choose home schooling. I understand the appeal. I just now view it as illusory and I would only consider it for a special needs child who was clearly ill-served by available classroom-style learning, combined with a parent with enough discipline and intelligence to do the teaching job.

[DesertBob]

I just don't see who would be doing the home schooling where I'm from, if that were indeed an option. We haven't had any housewives or stay-at-home parents (apart from the year and a half maternity/paternity leave when you have a newborn) here in Sweden since the '60s/'70s.

Rhovanion -- my maternal grandparents both came to the US from Sweden about 100 years ago so I am 50% Swedish and very interested in what my grandparents and mother and aunts and uncles on that side always referred to as "the Old Country". Are you saying that two-income households are the rule now in Sweden?

 

In truth, that's close to true here in the US, too, despite the fact that our media tends to portray it otherwise. As of 2003, only 7 percent of US households consist of a married couple with children in which only the husband works. The figure rises to 13 percent of households if you only considered households with married couples as opposed to all households.

[Rhovanion]

I just don't see who would be doing the home schooling where I'm from, if that were indeed an option. We haven't had any housewives or stay-at-home parents (apart from the year and a half maternity/paternity leave when you have a newborn) here in Sweden since the '60s/'70s.

Rhovanion -- my maternal grandparents both came to the US from Sweden about 100 years ago so I am 50% Swedish and very interested in what my grandparents and mother and aunts and uncles on that side always referred to as "the Old Country". Are you saying that two-income households are the rule now in Sweden?

 

In truth, that's close to true here in the US, too, despite the fact that our media tends to portray it otherwise. As of 2003, only 7 percent of US households consist of a married couple with children in which only the husband works. The figure rises to 13 percent of households if you only considered households with married couples as opposed to all households.

Do you know where in Sweden your grandparents are from?

 

Yeah, two-income households are definitely the rule here now. I don't know anyone whose mom or dad stayed at home. Sweden used to be really traditional in terms of gender roles and whatnot, but it changed in the '60s and '70s and the roles are almost reversed now or at least divided equal. There's no 'head of the household' anymore. Swedish men know that it's expected of them to do just as much of the housework (cleaning, cooking, laundry etc etc) as their partner. Swedish dads are allowed 16 months of paid paternity leave (the same amount of time as paid maternity leave for mothers).

 

Anything and everything you'd like to know about Sweden, just ask away (though maybe through PMs so we don't go too much off-topic in this thread).

[DesertBob]

Do you know where in Sweden your grandparents are from?

I have that info someplace, right down to the address, since a cousin researched it a few years ago, but don't remember the names (my grandparents immigrated to the US independently, before they met, so weren't from the same villages). Perhaps I'll IM you about it sometime. Sometime in the next few years I hope to visit Sweden.

 

In the meantime to put it somewhat back on topic, people in their 50s like me, and older, tend to be nostalgic for the "traditional" family structures of the 1950s that you describe but as I pointed out, even in the US, that world has in fact long since passed away. People with young children to home school would not have even lived during that era, so if they are doing it at all for nostalgic reasons it is very much second-hand idealism coming from watching classic TV shows and listening to their parents reminisce perhaps.

 

Older people who are honest will tell you that the "good old days" weren't really that good, anyway. And guess what, in the "good old days" home schooling was all but unknown and I suspect most any parent who came here via time machine from 1955 would probably be aghast at the idea, because they were all about fitting in and getting along and making nice and doing things like they had always been done. Free public education exists because it was something that society pursued as a dream and an ideal for generations, until it was finally achieved, systematized, institutionalized and enshrined in society. Home schooling used to be what people "made do" with, not some kind of advanced option.

[ghostchild]

I was homeschooled, except for a brief period during grades 3 and 4, as were my four brothers and sisters. All of us completed a highschool diploma and most went on to spend at least some time in college.

 

My Dad always said he wanted the best education possible for us. He believed that the public system could not educate us properly, and it was up to him and my mother to raise us right. in addition, they believed that public school was full of kids with "Bad Parents" who would be a bad influence on us all.

 

The reality of the situation was that neither of my parents were equipped to get five kids totally educated and ready for the academic heights my father wanted for us. By highschool I had dropped out of math, simply because I couldn't understand it well enough to teach myself anymore. When i reached the diploma exams, I discovered suddenly that I couldn't answer many of the questions and had no real idea how to write a formal essay. In Biology, I failed outright, since most of the questions were about genetics and my textbooks hadn't talked about genetics or evolution at all. However, since they had no doubt I would succeed in university, my parents, as my teachers, told the schoolboard I had perfect marks for in-class work in all my subjects, which barely brought my grades up high enough to meet a university standard.

 

My dreams for the future were basically in ruins, since without math and biology I couldnt become a marine biologist. I had to go for an arts degree instead, and even then never really managed to adapt or compete at a university level. eventually i dropped out.

 

So there you have it. my personal feeling about that? With my parents being who they are, I should have been public schooled from the first day of kindergarten. They weren't able to do it, and couldn't be realistic about that. Of course their intense obsession with xtianity took away from the whole attempt.

 

I've spent a lot of time since, wondering if i would home educate kids of my own, wondering whether public school really might be the best option, in a family with fully engaged parents focused on providing a good education. It seems clear that there are some real advantages to homeschooling, as well as some major problems. I cant say how a group of parents combining forces to educate their kids together would go, as I never met anyone doing that.

 

Advantages:

 

A home-educated child is freer to explore a love of learning. Of course this depends on parental teaching style but within a homeschooling environment its easier to tailor a curriculum to an individual kid's strengths and weaknesses. in early grades, avoiding textbooks and worksheets can help children develop a real love for learning-related exploration of nearly everything.

 

The level at which a child pursues any part of their education can also be easily tailored, so a kid can make huge leaps and bounds in subjects they love without being held back by slower classmates.

 

Children will meet more adults, and communicate them more as equals, depending of course on circumstances. It will feel far more normal for a homeschooled child to communicate with an adult than another kid, since they are unlikely to know many other children their own age. Most of their friends will be their parents friends, or librarians, music teachers, neighbors, the guide at the museum, etc.

 

Home-educated children also have a lot more opportunity to interact with the adult world in general from a younger age. they may accompany parents to work on occasion, but they'll certainly be visiting the grocery store more, and going with parents on more errands. beyond that, a homeschooled child usually doesnt have to wait for a three-times-a-year feildtrip to get out of the classroom. parents will often find it easier to engage kids if they make lots of trips out to explore and learn in a day-to-day environment.

 

 

Negatives

 

Conflict resolution will take far longer to learn. Adults simply will not engage in adult politics with a child, unless they are abusive, and so children will not be exposed to interpersonal issues with acquaintances and people who are not within their immediate circle of family and friends. This might sound like a good thing, but learning how to communicate with aggressive people or how to simply hash out a misunderstanding is really important to learn. Not all homeschooled children will be affected by this but it is seriously difficult to teach without a large group of peers (similar aged children) who they can interact with. A child who is less skilled in these areas will strugle when faced with hostile coworkers or neighbors, and this really does happen. It can also be harder to maintain friendships through conflict. every child needs to have these skills well grasped, and they take years and years of fighting and making up, dealing with bullies and nasty teachers

 

Perseverence is another major one. In a public school situation, children learn to carry out boring, seemingly pointless tasks for hours, with no immediate personal benefit. This sounds... highly unpleasent to most people, and in a homeschooling environment this is usually mitigated by parents feeding childrens individual interests and tailoring curriculi to each individual's needs. of course there will be some work that is unpleasant. you still have to teach arithmatic and spelling. However, children at school are often far, far better prepared for the daily grind, those mindless or boring or physically challanging tasks that directly benefit only other people. Most jobs suck sooner or later, even a brilliant career, and you need to hope your child will be able to deal with that instead of always immediately looking for something else to occupy their mind when things get dull. This is basically a conflict of your child's need to love to learn vs. the need to prepare kids

 

Parental ability to teach is absolutely critical. Once you're trying to teach higshcool subjects, the kid needs help and tutoring from someone with university experience in that area, as well as an ability to teach. They need this in pretty much *every* subject to have a solid education. This was not my experience, nor did I meet any other families who had this. One could hire tutors or place kids in classes to learn any subjects the parents don't know, but unless this is done, they will have an inferior education. Kids can't actually get themselves to a university entrance level, no matter what the unschoolers say, and no part of their education should be considered unimportant.

 

Ultimately I don't know. I think that with parents who did everything with a huge amount of preparation, focus, passion and love might possibly pull off something better than the public system can, but I think it would be very, very difficult. The more children, the more difficult this gets because your attention gets split in so many different directions.

 

Perhaps an equally engaged and passionate parent could support and help a child in public school to the same level. Parents should paly a huge role in their kids education even in public school of course, and the worst limits of that system might be mitigated by this.

 

P.S. I've never lived in america. I have no experience with an american school system, so who knows how well they can educate.

 

P.P.S I'm so sorry that this is so long. i got carried away...

[OpheliaGinger]

I have not read through the thread, so my sentiments were probably already stated by someone else.

 

I did my sociology paper on religious fundamentalism and education, and as part of that subject I briefly covered homeschooling. Yes, in compitent hands a child can do very well in homeschool but it is the fact that it is so underregulated that presents the most worrisome problem. New York has the most strict laws regarding homeschooling (treating it like any other public or private school) but there are other states that have nearly no laws concerning the education of a child; meaning, a child can be homeschooled and not learn shit.

 

Here is the segment of the paper that I dedicated to homeschooling:

 

Homeschooling is most prominent among the highly religious communities that reject the secular ideas that are taught in public schools; this is not a small group of people since there are roughly 1.1 million children being homeschooled as of 2003 (Nation Center for Education and Statistics 1). The problem lies in there is no standard by which a parent has to follow when teaching their children; parents only have to prove they have a curriculum if an authority were to check on the child. A parent is not required to join an official homeschooling group such as Gateway Christian Academy (depending on the state law, which varies wildly state by state) (US Legal); for example, in Utah one does not need to prove attendance, cover any subjects, have any qualifications, give any notices to any school board, or test the child, but in Tennessee one has to prove they attend for 180 days out of the year (four hours per day), cover general studies course, the parent must have at least a high school diploma or GED, submit a notice to a local superintendent notifying him or her at the beginning of each school year, maintain attendance records, and must administer a standardized test on grades five, seven, and nine (US Legal). Homeschoolers are not required to take any standardized tests nor do the parents have to be certified or qualified to teach any subject (Klicka), so, as a result, no actual good statistics are available since only a smaller than needed sample size takes a college entrance exam.

 

If a parent were to opt to join a homeschooling organization, they can opt to obtain their materials from either an accredited or non accredited Christian publishing house such as Bob Jones University, which is only accredited through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. Due to the lack of standards on the materials that can be taught, a parent can teach whatever they choose while leaving out any fundamental subjects that they may find objectionable. Blatant lies like, “America was founded on Christian principles,” or deceptions that can easily be perpetuated like placing a verse from the Christian bible in a box containing the American’s creed (Keesee, ix); this textbook even leaves out the Treaty of Tripoli.

 

[my solution]Setting up a nation standard for the basic subjects that are taught in public and private schools, along with requiring that all homeschoolers and the parents take a standardized test given every semester, can be an ensure that children are getting a rudimentary education in all fields; a parent needs to be certified in the most rudimentary subjects in order to be qualified to teach their children if they wish to home school, including that the parent must have at least a high school education. If a child is determined by a district’s board of education to be reasonably deficient in any of the academic fields (barring mental deficiencies) they should be put in either a public or private school (depending on the parent’s economy or choice). Attendance records and progress reports must be submitted to the superintendent of the schools so that it can ensure that a child is not spending his or her days not studying. Willfully excluding any academic information, even upon the basis of religious objections, should be classified as child abuse.