Home-Schooling?

[Calliope]

Well after reading the thread about the twin singers, differing ideas of homeschooling came up...

JonMikal and I have discussed possibly home schooling our boys but we are indecisive. We like the idea of teaching the kids at home for "safety" reasons but don't want them to feel sheltered either. We have read up on the fact that a lot of schools allow home-schooled children to still participate in extra-curricular activities and even interact with children during physical education and things like that. But, then, we also feel the children should be around other authority figures than just ourselves - since they won't be answering to us in the job force, etc. And we think it's important that the kids hear many different perspectives on things so they can come up with their own thoughts. I think we are leaning more towards sending them to public school, but we're still toying with the idea of home-schooling.

Anyway, I just wanted to get ya'lls opinion on this, especially those who have been home-schooled or are currently home-schooling their kids.

 

[JonMikal]

me, an authority figure?

 

['Daniel']

I whole heartedly disagree with home schooling. I think that school is not only for academic education. You learn so much more. How a person deals with a social situation is greatly determined by the social stiuations and interactions they had when they were young. School is a place where you have to learn tyo deal with being around mabny people. some you like some you hate. You have to learn to be civil and respect all. I think that besides the academic work which can be doen at home theo other things in school are invaluable.

I also have experinece of someone who was homeschooled for the frist three years of secondary school. (11-13/14). He was and to a lesser extent now socially inept. His social skills that are learned without you noticing at school were not fully present with him. I also think that children need to be around people their own age as they grow up. And experience the many different types of people in the world.

The home school life is isolated and false, eal life is not like it. i think it's a bad idea to homeschool your child. it can yield good academic results but if your child is smart enough they will get them at public school or home school.

 

[bace]

I think public school is the way to go. If you're raising your children properly at home, they should be smart regardless of school. Public school teaches something that homeschool could never do, and that's just plain simple human interaction.

Having said that, public can be very damaging to those children who aren't...well..."cool". Being in such a harsh enviroment without the right emotional tools to deal with it can cause permenant damages to ones psychi(sp?).

Home schooling should be done anyway. Here in Canada with my little brother and sister, it seems that government cut backs and tougher curriculum has forced a lot of homework on kids anyway. I've tought my little sis some pretty advanced math stuff when I lived with her. I would rather her learn from me than a teacher with a handbook, who really has no idea what they're doing half the time.

I just want my sister and brother to be confident individuals and it's hard to teach kids that when they aren't around other kids. If you can give them a healthy supply of both, then do it. But if you can't put in the time necessary to ensure your childrens well adjusted future, send them to school.

 

[Corry]

And I disagree with Daniel. Whereas that situation can happen, that is not the case of every home schooled child. Some parents who homeschool get their children involved in MANY activities and things that give them plenty of socialization....volunteering, play groups, sports, camps, homeschool groups, etc. My family happens to employ 2 people who were homeschooled, and they are very well adjusted adults now (in their 20's) who lead active social lives.

Edited to add: I'm not saying that homeschooling is the only way to go, but wanted to mention that the 'homeschooled kids are socially retarded' notion is definately NOT AN ABSOLUTE as some people make it out to be.

 

['Daniel']

core- This may be true but I think it's hard to assess once someones in there 20s. I think that it's easily reparible the effects of lowered social interaction. It just takes longer and so you can miss out in younger life on some fun. it's not always the case but frequently it is.

 

[Corry]

core- This may be true but I think it's hard to assess once someones in there 20s. I think that it's easily reparible the effects of lowered social interaction. It just takes longer and so you can miss out in younger life on some fun. it's not always the case but frequently it is.

Well, if you must know, this is a very small town, and I've known the older one (they are brothers) since he was about 7.

 

[jstuedle]

If you are able to provide a structured environment with proper, well rounded instruction, I would go for it. Our youngest daughter (now 23) came home from a day in the third grade and demonstrated how to put a condom on a pickle. This was 14 years ago and we tried to home school. At the time we were threatened with jail if we home schooled and didn't send the kids off . Today it's allowed in our state. I have talked with teachers that have quit teaching or retired and they all tell me the same thing. Half the day is spent on PC crud and there is little time left for the 3-R's. In our area a group of parents have gotten together and share in there home schooling responsibilities. One teaches science. Another math and so on. They have a couple of old mobile homes that they use as a community school house and these 4 or 5 families share in the school day equally. This provides the added advantage of socialization for the kids. You might want to look into seeing if other parents in your community are thinking about home schooling and propose doing something similar even if on a smaller scale.

 

[LaFoto]

A matter that I cannot even think to discuss since it is just not possible in my country to home-school children. We haven't got the choice. Children MUST go to SCHOOL. There is no other way.
And since I don't KNOW any other way, and my parents didn't and their parents didn't and my children don't, and since we all grew up into some good people and the children hopefully will, too, I can't find anything bad in school.
OK, I hated school at the time.
Everyone does when they are there.
But school is just THE thing to go to when you're a kid.
I can't think differently.

 

[terri]

Who the hell wants the little brats around all day anyway? I say, get 'em on that bus!

Oh....never mind. :mrgreen: Love kids. Love 'em!

 

[LittleMan]

Calliope,
I am homeschooled and have been for my entire life.
My parents started homeschooling my older brothers when they were about 7-8 years old. As soon as they pulled them out of the public schools their attitudes straitened out and they became a lot more earnest to study. A few years later my parents put them back into public schools because they both had to work and they just couldn't do it. Not a week after they started going their attitudes went down the hole and they were wrecks. (some were bored and some were just trying to keep up)

As you know each kid is different... some excel at math and sciences and some at art and languages. The one's that are better at maths are usually slow at languages/writing(and visa versa) which was the case for one of my older brothers.
So in public school he was held back for not being able to write very well while he was bored in math/science. When he started homeschooling he passed my mom up in the maths/sciences and learned on his own. He has now graduated MIT after Acing the maths/sciences portion of the SAT.

As for me, I am slow in math/spelling... although I do excel in science and art. So if I were public schooled I don't know how I would have ever learned anything... honestly... I think I would be a wreck if I hadn't have been homeschooled.

Like everyone above has mentioned, homeschooled kids don't get interaction with kids their age...
That's completely NOT TRUE unless the parents want it that way. There are homeschool co-ops out there that I was a part of from about 2nd grade through high school. They are places where you can go and have classes together with other homeschooled families and do things that maybe you couldn't teach your kids... like violin, painting, calculus, karate, etc...

Homeschooled kids not only interact with kids their age but with adults/younger kids where I see that public schooled kids tend to stay away from anyone not their age... Think of it this way, if everyone who is 14 hung around kids that are 14... how is anyone going to learn from their friends??? it's like the blind leading the blind...

Of course, there is a different set of rules for each state concerning homeschooling. Texas is the most lenient, in Texas you don't have to register your child or do anything with the school system at all. Other states require your child to take the school's tests. (each year?)

For homeschooling, as a mom you need to be able to get your kids to sit and learn. It's up to you to do this or only the one's with a certain personality will actually do it themselves. The others will fall behind in the areas they are not interested. You don't have to worry about them going slow in a certain subject because they will catch up and actually learn it as time progresses. (it took me FOREVER to get the concept of subtraction... lol)
One more thing I want to add... You and JonMikal have to be in total agreement or it won't work. That's the most important part of everything here... if you have that then everything else will fall into place.

It's a scary thing to dive into but it's well worth it if you have the time/commitment.

PS. My older brothers/sister have all graduated college.
One is working at a bank as a teller(moving up to manager), he also speaks Spanish.
One is married, graduated MIT and is now working out of his house here in San Antonio.(same job he kept through college)
One is now in the Navy and works on an Aircraft Carrier.
My sister is in Culinary school working towards becoming a pastry chef.

My two younger brothers, 12 and 15 are in the 12th grade along with me. (they kept up with me in school since the 5th grade so my mom let them stay up)
the 12 y/old builds websites and is a math/science genius.
the 15y/old builds guitars and is going to college for that as soon as he turns 17.

and I am typing this while I should be doing spanish... so I hope this helps your decision out some!

 

[LittleMan]

oh, and the homeschool co-op I went to wasn't a small one... it had 250 families and something like 400 kids.

 

[woodsac]

I personally have nothing to base my opinion on. I went to public shcool (I'm 33 now), and happily interacted with both private school and home schooled children. As long as the parents make sure that their children understand what happens beyond the front door, I see no problem.

Here are some facts:

1.2 million children taught at home

Last year, home-schoolers not only took the top three spots in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, but also won the National Geographic Bee.

The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 2 percent of all school-age children, some 1.2 million, are taught at home.

More than 10 percent of students that competed in the Spelling Bee are home-schoolers. 27 out of 248

Performance of home-schooled students on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). In 2000, the College Board reported they scored an average 568 on verbal and 532 on math. The national averages for traditionally schooled students were 505 and 514.

 

[jstuedle]

Oh....never mind. :mrgreen: Love kids. Love 'em!

I love kids, boiled in oil!
W. C. Fields

 

[Meysha]

I think it's an interesting debate... and I think the main factor in deciding whether to homeschool or not is the personality of your child. The same way you would pick a school based on your child's personality (I dunno if you're allowed to pick which school your kids go to in the states, but we're allowed to here).

There's also the money side of it too. While your kid is at school you could be out earning money if needed. But it'd be pretty hard I imagine to work from home AND home school your kids.

So again... kid's personality. I went to a public school from grades 1-7 (primary school) and then to a private high school (grades 8-12) and loved them both. But I don't think I would've liked my high school if I wasn't such an extrovert. It was a very pressured place, with lots of wealthy/snobby kids there who expected the world be given to them and they made life hell for a lot of other students. So having that outgoing personality helped me there.

My sister who went to the same highschool, didn't like it as much as I did mainly coz she couldn't cope with the type of people there. Snobs can be real bullies sometimes, and if you're unable to stand up/put up with that sort of crap, it can be a pretty hellish place. But unfortunately there wasn't the option of taking her out of that school... mainly because there was no other 'suitable' school we wanted to send her to.

Try: scholar.google.com (I think it's that) and search for some real Journal articles that compare home/public schooling.