Why is there so much home schooling?

grandpoobah12

I have been really surprised by how many Moms are homeschooling in the U.S. . It adds the job of being a school teacher to being a Mom. All Moms and Dads are teachers.

I have noticed many bloggers cite being a Christian as their reason for homeschooling. Are there any non Christian based homeschoolers out there?

Is public school that bad now? I have heard they cut lots of music and p.e programs. I have often thought that the most difficult lesson I learned in school was dealing with other people. If one masters that skill then in life you really "have it made". You may say you learn to master yourself.

School was a place I learned so much, basics was only one thing. One needs a lot of coping skills to get along in the world. Being thrown in with a group of peers is a great way to learn those things.

So why all the homeschooling? Is this a fad? Is this the way of the future? What do the teachers think of this? I`d love to hear what you think?

mrsamanda86

If I had the patience to homeschool my kids, I totally would. As long as you make sure they are still socialized, it would be so much better. You don't have to worry about keeping your kid motivated when they have to learn at the same relative pace as twenty other kids, they can learn as slowly or quickly as it is upon themselves. My son's "recess" consists of walking in a circle in the school yard, it's a JOKE. I just don't think I have it in me to homeschool and never EVER get a break from them lol

jhmomofmany

1. Yes, there are many "secular" homeschoolers. There are also Christian homeschoolers who chose homeschooling for non-religious reasons.

2. Not all public schools are "that bad". Some of us just feel that homeschooling is "that good".

3. Socialization is a red herring. Spending time with family, friends, neighbors, and community members offers ample practice at coping skills and self mastery.

It seems to be a trend, but I wouldn't call it a fad as it has always existed (children educated in their home by parents or somebody chosen by them). And I hope it isn't "the way of the future" because parents need choices. Not everybody can or should homeschool.

Naomi0504

I have a list of my pros and cons for homeschooling on my fridge, mostly for when my mother in law comes over and starts talking her nonsense about homeschooling

A few reasons of mine: Common Core, state standards, standardized testing, etc. We are Christian and it does play a part for us. I don't think it's a trend. And I didn't realize how many homeschoolers there actually were in my small area until I went to a convention last year.

MinMin97

1. Yes, there are many "secular" homeschoolers. There are also Christian homeschoolers who chose homeschooling for non-religious reasons.

2. Not all public schools are "that bad". Some of us just feel that homeschooling is "that good".

3. Socialization is a red herring. Spending time with family, friends, neighbors, and community members offers ample practice at coping skills and self mastery.

It seems to be a trend, but I wouldn't call it a fad as it has always existed (children educated in their home by parents or somebody chosen by them). And I hope it isn't "the way of the future" because parents need choices. Not everybody can or should homeschool.

Brilliantly said!
I second ALL of this.

Alliwan

1. Yes, there are many "secular" homeschoolers. There are also Christian homeschoolers who chose homeschooling for non-religious reasons.

2. Not all public schools are "that bad". Some of us just feel that homeschooling is "that good".

3. Socialization is a red herring. Spending time with family, friends, neighbors, and community members offers ample practice at coping skills and self mastery.

It seems to be a trend, but I wouldn't call it a fad as it has always existed (children educated in their home by parents or somebody chosen by them). And I hope it isn't "the way of the future" because parents need choices. Not everybody can or should homeschool.

very much agree!

children are not identical in the way they learn. but the pulic school system only has the resources to teach one way and hope the slow ones get it faster and the fast ones can wait a bit for others to catch up.

Homeschooling allows flexability in learning styles and subject matter. It also allows for interactions with people of many different ages and backgrounds. your not just socialized with your peer group, but most homeschool parents make sure their kids get socialization everywhere.

My daughter has a very high IQ but is bipolar, was dx at age 5. She tried public schools and private school thru 3rd grade. Neither was able to keep up with her, and both wanted to keep her with her peer group instead of putting her in the grade she was best able to learn. So we started homeschooling. She's found so many outside interests. She was strictly homeschooled thru 8th grade, and is now in a distance high school, in honors and AP classes with a 4.0 GPA. She does 4H, volunteering, interns at the local library, does door-to-door volunteer work, helps out at the local homeschool group for kids in the elementary grades, helps work around our farm, has taught herself to sew and design clothes and is on her way to publishing her first book of poetry.

If she was going to school for 6+ hours a day, waiting for others in her peer group to learn waht she already knew, then expected to finish a few hours of homework a night, she wouldnt be able to accomplish all she is now, nor would her quality of life be as good as it is. She loves talking to people, is comfortable around any/all age groups and loves public speaking.

Homeschooling isnt for everyone. Its a serious investment of time, energy and sometimes money. You have to make sure you child is learning what they need to know, the 3 R's, how to socialize and connect with others and how to keep their interest and love of learning alive. Its a choice im thankful people have. Its not the only option, and for many not the best option.

dakotababy

If I was in the US, I would homeschool my kid. I would not want my kid being shot up by some psychotic person while getting a mediocre education.

I am Canadian though.

gertudejekyl

There is a lot of bad stuff promoted and accepted at schools now - you don't need to be a Christian to want to keep your kids away from it - but you have to pay the price. I did it for 6 months...then too hard, another family member got sick. School should be the 3 Rs but it is really social engineering out here in California...don't know about other places.....

MissingMyOldSelf

The new "trend" of bullying is having a lot to do with it. Plus, school shootings aren't exactly helping matters.

As for the socializing aspect, if you have art museums, local parks, craft stores and shops, etc, check into their homeschooling programs. In my area, we have a TON of places that have certain days where homeschooled children come in for socializing, and also for arts, crafts, gyms, etc. Like a local YMCA has weekly swimming classes for home schooled children only. And what's great is that parents can mark that down as their PE for their requirements.

Plus, I know the school district I live in allows home schooled students to join the music programs (band), and sports, but they still need to follow academic criteria to be allowed to participate.

I'm sure it varies from state to state, but my husband and I have seriously talked about it when we have kids.

mrsamanda86

If I was in the US, I would homeschool my kid. I would not want my kid being shot up by some psychotic person while getting a mediocre education.

I am Canadian though.

Because every school in the US has horrible teachers and gun toting criminals. Seriously???

randomtai

If I was in the US, I would homeschool my kid. I would not want my kid being shot up by some psychotic person while getting a mediocre education.

I am Canadian though.

Yeah.. ok. :yawn:

juniperfox

The percentage of home-schooled students across the United States is only about 4% of the total student population.

Lots of speculation going on in this thread, I see.

3foldchord

We are Christian homeschoolers who choose home schooling for non-religious reasons.
My bother was homeschooled 3 years, I was homeschooled half of fifth grade. I hated it and never had any intention of homeschooling, but public school just was not a good fit for my boys.

My older two are in college and I just have the 17 yr old that is homeschooled now. We are actually sort of unschoolers, I guess. (No curriculum, to tests, all child-interest led)

And for the record, I do not have some huge magical amount of patience. In fact part of the reason for homeschool was I did not have the patience to deal with public schooling.

Donald_Dozier_50

I have four grandchildren state another who are home schooled by my daughter. Her reasons, while we are a religious family, are for non religious reasons. She simply wants to be able to educate the kids with her moral values. Many schools have assumed roles to influence children with a low standard of morals which, to her, is completely unacceptable.

My wife is a Middle School teacher and has no concerns for home schooling where the parent is capable and actually does the job they have taken on.

hollyberry2012

I homeschooled. My son is 22 and in college now. Whew glad thats over!! What a job!! As for the reason: yes, I'm a Christian, but the reason I home-schooled was the teachers just didnt know how to teach children with ADHD. My son said it perfectly as a little boy. "Mommy, the teacher tells us what to do, but then she just wont stop talking,and I forget what she said in the first place." he was crying, I was fed up. He couldnt take the ADHD meds on the market...realllly bad side effects.

Turns out home-schooling was the absolute best thing I could have ever done for Him. As a single mother, it was also the hardest thing too. But he is one incredible young man, and over time and effort, learned how to control his severe ADHD. Whew!

nettasue35

I home schooled my son for two reasons. He had migraine headaches that cause him to miss a lot of school. The school district said that I need to have him tested for add. the doctor that tested him said he was not add and did not need to be on medication. the school said he could not come back to school without it. when I went to check him out the vice principal said that they had done a IQ test and he scored at the end of 5th grade.( he was in second) that he needed medication to bring him to the level of the rest of the class.

StheK

I am an atheist and I have a LOT of atheist home schooling friends. Not every kid is well-suited for a classroom environment. There is also a lot of concern amongst parents that our educational system these days does not share the same goals for children that many parents have. Funding has been so drastically cut, and decisions about how and what to teach have been so politicized, that the ability of teachers in this country to actually do their job of teaching children is greatly compromised. I tried public school, charter school, and private school for my son. He did not thrive in any of those environments. I really, really wish I'd been in a position to homeschool him- I think we both would have been much happier, and I suspect he would be much further along in figuring out what he wants to do with his life and how to get there.

We need a public school system, but it's got to do a better job than our current one. Until it does, those who can choose another route often will.

WDEvy

If I was in the US, I would homeschool my kid. I would not want my kid being shot up by some psychotic person while getting a mediocre education.

I am Canadian though.

Yeah.. ok. :yawn:

I am Canadian and I will be raising my kids in the US. This is a legitimate concern of mine.

spirit05

Living in Texas, homeschooling is better for lots of kids, mine included.
My twin daughter's attended public school in Arizona until we moved to Texas. We tried public school until 9th grade and chose to home-school them because they are both gifted and the education system in Texas is severely lacking. The school district admitted that they could not challenge my girls so I withdrew them.
Both of them graduated high school at the age of 16 and began college immediately. Aside from being the youngest on campus, they both made friends and enjoyed their college experience.

hollyberry2012

As for "socialization and intro to the world 101" Home-schooling is the BEGINNING of all that, but you will never grasp it, until you do it.

zephtalah

The reasons for homeschooling are just about as varied as the homeschoolers themselves. I have seen very religious and very nonreligious homeschoolers and lots in the middle of that. We homeschool for a variety of reasons, but one of the most important ones is their character. Children need lots of guidance and help in how to correctly respond to situations. The best teacher in the world can not (and it isn't their job) take time to deal with each attitude and improper response. As the mom, I make time to deal with it.

The socialization thing is a joke! It seems to be the buzz word for anyone who is skeptical of homeschooling. My children are out and about in real life with a loving adult to help guide them in their actions and responses to others. We go to museums, parks, zoos, science centers, stores, post office, library, church, etc. They interact with all types of people (age, race, income, intellect). I take the time to teach them how to respond, how to be polite, how to solve conflicts, and even how to respectfully disagree with someone.

P.S. The education part works well too.

Kasmira0004

In regards to the social skills argument of homeschooling, I will say that I went to public school k-12 and I'm the most awkward person you'll ever meet. Yeah, being around other peers sure did help me. Ha.

I do plan on homeschooling my kids for many reasons, though.

whitebalance

I think that many people who have no exposure to homeschooling have an incomplete view of the options and resources available to homeschoolers. The image of a kid sitting at the kitchen table alone all day, reading a textbook and completing worksheets Mom wrote for him, just isn't accurate. The homeschooled kids I've known spent lots of time out doing things -- visiting the local Science Center, taking "family field trips" to the state or national Capitol, taking workshops at the local university. Many of them participated in league sports with local high school, charter, or club ball teams; some sang in a performance choir, played in a local symphony, or danced with a studio. If anything, they got more social exposure than those who spent their days in a classroom with the same little group of kids all day. As to curriculum, several colleges offer free elementary and secondary courses; some offer not-so-free diploma programs. If I could go back and do everything over again (including that part where I had to have a full-time job to support my family and therefore didn't have the time), I would absolutely love to homeschool my kid. It would have been a wonderful way to engage his busy mind and support the outgoing nature that got stifled a bit in more traditional school settings.

StheK

I'd just like to point out that the chances of your child being shot in school are far less than them being killed in a car accident, or choking to death, or shot by a gun in the home, or pretty much any other way they might be killed. Purely from a statistical perspective, school is one of the safest places they can be- physically, at least (mentally is another issue altogether). If you don't believe me, feel free to look up the stats yourself.

AnchoredinHimfitness

This!

1. Yes, there are many "secular" homeschoolers. There are also Christian homeschoolers who chose homeschooling for non-religious reasons.

2. Not all public schools are "that bad". Some of us just feel that homeschooling is "that good".

3. Socialization is a red herring. Spending time with family, friends, neighbors, and community members offers ample practice at coping skills and self mastery.

It seems to be a trend, but I wouldn't call it a fad as it has always existed (children educated in their home by parents or somebody chosen by them). And I hope it isn't "the way of the future" because parents need choices. Not everybody can or should homeschool.

mikig1

i unschooled my 2 boys for a number of reasons. 1 being i felt that if i had to spend 5 hours fighting with them to do teacher assigned homework i may as well spend 5 hours homeschooling them. 2 my youngest HATED reading because the teacher assigned him juney b jones series to read. i let him choose what to read and it was a much easier fight for me to win ( he chose the red wall series and read every one as well as several other popular series ). and 3 when we got re sectioned into a new district and the first thing the new school asked was if i had them tested for ADHD even b4 their ages etc i knew that public school for my kids was over. it was hard, but we had 4H and the local public library and other home school families to share and socialize with. it worked for us.

dsjohndrow

Because we don't want to be indoctrinated, we just want our kids to learn.

Carissa145

Growing up, I was homeschooled and my sisters were too.

One of the main reasons for homeschooling is that the kid can go at their own pace. They also have opportunities that many public schoolers do not have, such as world traveling and being flexible with their times schedules.

All of my sisters are now out of college, and are very high up in the workforce. They were in honor societies in college and graduated with their bachelors/masters with a very high GPA-- almost a 4.0.

Even though homeschooling has worked out well for my family, most of the friends I had when I was younger who were homeschooled did lack in social skills, and were not always ready for college. This is the same way for public schoolers too, however.

While many do homeschool for religious reasons, academic reasons are on the rise in popularity, given how the public school system is falling apart.

dsjohndrow

If I was in the US, I would homeschool my kid. I would not want my kid being shot up by some psychotic person while getting a mediocre education.

I am Canadian though.

We home-school, not to make them safer, but because we don't want them fed a bunch of rewritten history, and political indoctrination. Our home schooled kids are very successful and get into great colleges.

grandpoobah12

I have four grandchildren state another who are home schooled by my daughter. Her reasons, while we are a religious family, are for non religious reasons. She simply wants to be able to educate the kids with her moral values. Many schools have assumed roles to influence children with a low standard of morals which, to her, is completely unacceptable.

Seems like that would be the other students and not the teachers or school teaching low moral standards. I am sure the teachers and the school policy are doing their best to teach good morals and patience to students.

grandpoobah12

Because we don't want to be indoctrinated, we just want our kids to learn.

Indoctrinated into what? The cult of personality?