Homeschooling

hoagy · Joined: 10 Sep 2008 Posts: 2

I'd like to know how many parents out there are homeschooling their children or considering doing so. What are your thoughts,conserns etc. I am in the 4th year of homeschooling my children. I have a boy who is 14 and a girl that is 10. I was against homeschooling at first my wife tried talking me into for over a year before I finally agreed.With the way public schools are now and the fact that they are not getting any better reassures us that we have made the right choice.

a.w.omyn · Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Posts: 7

chungc90 · Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Posts: 3

I think homeschooling is a great idea; provides personal attention to children, allows easy access to children; security. However, my concern is with the social health of the child. Public schooling allows children to interact with each other.

a.w.omyn · Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Posts: 7

patrol71 · Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 32

As a former public school teacher, I would have to agree with the previous post. There are other alternatives for children to be able to interact with each other. I don't think it's wise that public school serves as the only means of socialization for children anyway. I personally am against conforming to societal norms for the purpose of "fitting in". Although there are many schools doing an excellent job, I personally think its best when a child can spend more time with parents--especially at a young age.

Just my two cents... Smile

sovator · Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 7

I have to respectfully disagree. Public schools can be a very traumatic experience but the social interactions are far more diverse and enriching than a child might experience in the home or even parks. It might be fine while your child is younger and can play and interact with other children that aren't in school yet, but when those other children begin attending school, who will your child get to interact with? Perhaps on the weekend and after school but while your child is at home, the other children are at school forming social bonds and friendships. It's hard to fight the biological survival mechanism still buried deep within our brains and it's quite conceivable that the other children who all know each other already could ostracize your child who is the only one that doesn't attend school with them.

Also take into consideration that your child would be excluded from field trips, school functions, sports and dances. Even if your child would participate, would your child be accepted? Interacting with your peers is a valuable life lesson that may be greatly diminished by homeschooling. Learning to cope with different personalities and situations is a great asset for life. We all know the real world is far from fair.

While the academic edification at public schools may be lacking, they still serve a vital learning and socialization purpose. Your child's learning could always be augmented by tutoring and discussions with you after school. I can't imagine how different my life would be if I didn't meet the friends I have in public schools. Although I readily admit that I can never know if my life would've been better had I been homeschooled.

a.w.omyn · Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Posts: 7

My children are involved with a homeschoolers only play group that meets at a local park at least once per week. There are a couple hundred children present, along with parents and club leaders, class teachers, etc. So, they won't be ostracized for being homeschooled, as all the peers they are interacting with at these functions are also homeschooled.

Within this larger group, my children are members of the "Snow Fairies" (a group for little girls that participates in crafts, inventions day, potluck parties, games, field trips, etc.). So, they play with the other kids in the park, then go to their snow fairy meeting, do their arts and crafts, invent something, bond with other little girls their age, go play with other kids, and so on. As those bonds grow, since those children are also homeschooled, we meet with those kids on other days during the week; go to the zoo, go to the movies, have a sleep over, etc.

And this is within one group. There is another near my home that I may also get them involved with. This group and that one offer way too many opportunities to list, but I'll throw out some of the ones that I'm interested in for my kids; picture day, creating a "yearbook" of sorts, science club, chess club, girls groups, boys groups, field trips, dances, Halloween parties, Christmas parties, Valentines day tea party, sign language classes, Spanish classes, etc.

These kinds of groups are all over the place, most are free to join (just provide your own materials, or materials to share with the rest of the group, when it comes to certain clubs, classes, or activities), and most do not require that you only go with their group. As such, you could feasibly keep your homeschooled child busier with social activity (with just other homeschoolers their age) than the majority of publicly schooled children.

My kids have had more sleep overs in the last couple months than I had prior to the age of 12, and the eldest is only 6. So, I don't think their socialization is suffering.

"Interacting with your peers is a valuable life lesson that may be greatly diminished by homeschooling. Learning to cope with different personalities and situations is a great asset for life. We all know the real world is far from fair."

Yes, which is why homeschoolers tend to fare better in real life, than their publicly schooled peers, when it comes to socializing. For more information about studies that have been done, go to
http://learninfreedom.org/socialization.html.

THtweety · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 5

I have been considering homeschooling my kids for a long time now and have done some research regarding this. When you are new to homeschooling though I have found that it can actually be very overwhelming. I am learning however, so hopefully we can start soon. I have to agree with the way the public schools are now that this will also be the right choice for us.

dimoy · Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 6

I believe homeschooling is the future. I mean just look at the schools now, the materials are mostly outdated and the system is still mostly the same 10 years ago. I think children should be taught a new way, add new subjects ( like global warming or business ) and remove some if needed.

My son is only 4 years old and will definitely go online or home schooling in the future. Smile

WaffleStomp · Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 20

Personally, I feel homeschooling should be done up to a 1st grade level, then its time to send your kid off to school. Public/Private school gets kids socially healthy, Thats where the kids start to develop liking for the opposite gender ( or the same gender ) and begin to have boyfriends/girlfriends and socially interact out of school and in school. Homeschooling is a good idea for Preschool/Kindergarten though, as those are the grades where children learn most communication/sharing/life skills and most teachers for preschool/kindergarten are off their whack.

krazy12766 · Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 5

I dislike home schooling alot

Miss Crystal · Joined: 27 Sep 2008 Posts: 8

I home school two of my children, the third one will start next year. We love it! We live in a big city and the schools here are out of control. There are a lot of famous people that have been home schooled, and it is said that home school children learn more than most do in public school. I would not do it any other way, especially in this day and time.

Seraphim · Joined: 15 Oct 2008 Posts: 6

Schooling is so much more than academic education. It is such a hard choice we as parents have to make between a sub-par education in public schools or a better education at home with little to no social stimulation.

My child is only three, but I'm already wondering about this question. There are so many possible negative implications with either choice. Homeschooling is definitely an option I am considering now, though.

amxc18 · Joined: 15 Oct 2008 Posts: 5

It's very important to factor in what options are available as far as homeschooling in your local community. Where I live personally, the High Schools in our immediate area are really run down, and frequently have problems with students engaging in violence, drugs and alcohol.

Not only this, but the teachers seemed to be picked up right off the streets. I would often see teachers having "relationships" with students, being racist and vulgar, and even doing drugs themselves.

I personally quit public education my sophomore year and got into homeschooling. The program I selected was run through the state and allowed me to complete courses for credits online. I actually even took drivers ed online and completed all the written assignments on my computer.

Six years later, I have my license, have never been pulled over, have a high school diploma, and am working at a respectful hospital in ITS.

It's very important to make sure that the homeschooling option you go with is reliable, in that you won't find yourself or your children unable to earn credits. Things like bad communication between the teacher and the student can really halt progress.

cmicheli · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Posts: 5

Personally, I agree with homeschooling and plan to begin with my oldest child next year. A lot of people have made good points about the socialization children receive at school, but honestly, I don't want my children having a lot of those experiences. Yes, the real world is often unfair, but since when did it become a bad thing to shelter our children from some of the horrors of life?

I know that not everyone lives in middle-class suburbia, I know that not everyone has the same privileges and opportunities, but should my family refrain from exercising the privileges and opportunities we have simply because others don't have them? I don't want my children growing up in an environment where 'sex, drugs, and rock and roll' are acceptable, and even endorsed as a legitimate lifestyle!

If you have the skills and smarts to teach your children what they need to know at home, I say go for it.

medabiggnrfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2008 Posts: 5

I personally find homeschooling to be bad for a child. Though a child will have a strong education, their social abilities will not reach the standards of most other people who are used to public schools and places. Making friends in the real world will be much harder on a home schooled child because they aren't used to being around people.

I believe a strong education is important, but so is having a social life. When your shy and you see everyone having fun and your the odd man out, its not a great feeling. Attending a public or private school gives children the chance to socialize with others than the people at home.

So all in all i find home schooling to be a bad choice for a child.

Kinguk · Joined: 18 Oct 2008 Posts: 4

I would love to homeschool my children as I feel our system is very outdated. Expecting students to sit in desks while listening to a lecture by a teacher is no longer effective. Our children have changed and as a result, our school system needs to as well. Also, our government (here in Canada) has closed numerous schools (and counting) and our teachers have had to go on strike every year for the past four years (or so) to get better wages and smaller class sizes. If our government values our public school this way then so do I. It is for these two reasons that my child will never see the inside of a public school.

There are great alternative schools that take a child-centred approach that I am definitely leaning towards but, ideally, I would love to homeschool. I have not done much research on homeschooling yet (as my first child is just one!) but am wondering how you balance homeschool and your life. There is so much I would love to do with my life (finishing my degree in Child & Youth Care and working in a great, rewarding field) that I feel homeschooling would require me to sacrifice something that I feel I need to do. Is it possible to do both? Obviously, there will be a lot of sacrifice, but I'm still debating how much I am willing to give up.

So, my question is, if both my husband and I are onboard and involved with homeschooling,would it be possible for me to work at least part-time? And anyone who could recommend some quality information to start my homeshcooling research on would be greatly appreciated!

TAJINDAR · Joined: 26 Oct 2008 Posts: 29

More and more parents are taking over their children's education with help from the Internet and each other. But critics worry kids aren't getting what they need.so its better to get your kids go for their schooling internally and them be practical in their life.

missamanda1981 · Joined: 13 Nov 2008 Posts: 10

I haven't read any of the previous posts, I'm about to sign off in a minute. I just wanted to share that I am homeschooling my children. They are 5 & 3- and I'm so excited about it! Good luck to you!

coach_angela · Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Posts: 5

I homeschooled my middle stepchild for one semester. She was in 4th grade and was struggling in her remedial classes. Also, socially, she was in the shadow of her older sister.

After only one semester of concentrating on the 3R's, she rejoined all mainstream classes.
Socially, she is doing much better and making friends and holding her own.

The homeschool experience helped her tremendously socially by building her self-esteem. Her exposure to other kids of all different ages in the homeschool support group did wonders, as well.

I highly recommend considering homeschooling for one semester or one year to struggling kids who have great potential but just need that extra attention to get them on track.