Home school vs public school?

zandrellia

On home schooling - it's entirely a personal choice and it's really not up to anyone but the parent (not even well-intentioned siblings) to make this decision. I home school my son. I have my reasons and they may or may not fall in line with the reasons of others. However, it's my choice and it doesn't affect anyone but my family.

The government can require my children to receive a certain standard of education, that is certain subjects, to assure the betterment of all citizens in a specific country. That's all the right I give them. To have a civilized society which can function together all citizens should have the rights to certain educational abilities - arithmetic, reading, writing, etc. Not every person who home schools has their child's best interest at heart, and it is in the child's best interest to go out into society with these essential skills. Therefore, it must be up to the government of a country to enforce laws which require all parents to meet certain requirements.

How the parents get there is (and should always be) entirely up to them.

KimmyEB

The last cluster of posts prove why religion is excluded from public education.

Do what you want homeschooling, though.

I am starting to see your point. Religion is a hot topic. When I was in High School we openly discussed religion and there were Protestants, Catholics and Jews in the class as well as a few atheists. Everyone's point of view was respected.

WOW! I wish I went to school where you did. :laugh: religious intolerance was encouraged by some of our teachers, a lot of our administration, and a lot of students, unfortunately.

KimmyEB

I want to address something that seems extremely prevalent in a lot of posts: children being social.

The common myths: Home-schooled children are anti-social, and public-school children are social.

They are simply stereotypes. As with all stereotypes, they hold a bit of truth in that people of this nature DO exist. However, none of us like to be lumped negatively in with a stereotype. Personal experiences are just that--PERSONAL. They do not apply to everyone. In a debate like this, they mean absolutely nothing.

I'd like to also throw this out there: There is such a thing as being too "social." There is also nothing innately wrong with being anti-social, medical problems aside for both.

Marla64

Indeed, Kimmy-- the "socialization" that sends some people apoplectic is another major reason why we home school. When my oldest was 3 years old, he was being taught the "F" word at our backyard fence by the children who would be his school mates. No, thanks. I'd like to have some control over who they socialize with, thank you.

I would also submit that the "social awkwardness" that some people criticize may be simply in some cases a wholesomeness and/or dare I say purity in some home schooled kids.

We're living in super sexualized times. We have parents who have no problem totally sexualizing their children-- Toddlers and Tiaras being a prime example-- dressing up little girls like tramps. we have high school girls dressing like tramps. Teenage boys with their pants halfway down their *kitten*.

Speaking solely personally, my kids got to school and couldn't believe what they were around-- what parents permitted, what kids talked about openly, what they do, what they drink, their language, and on and on and on.

So, do my kids "fit in" with that? No, thank God. And if they tried, I'd knock 'em upside the head.

macpatti

I'd like to also throw this out there: There is such a thing as being too "social."

Yes, just ask my mother. I received a comment on my report card once that said, "Patricia is being way too social lately". Got me grounded til the next report card!

Marla64

I'd like to also throw this out there: There is such a thing as being too "social."

Yes, just ask my mother. I received a comment on my report card once that said, "Patricia is being way too social lately". Got me grounded til the next report card!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

vicki81868

I'd also worry that the parents would let their bias color their education.


Teachers can do that too though, and frequently do, sometimes inadvertently, and sometimes quite intentionally. Schools are run by humans, with real human failings. Public school is not perfect. Neither is homeschooling.

Everyone has a bias. There is no such thing as neutral education. A person is going to teach according to their worldview and presuppositions, just as every curriculum is written with a particular worldview and presupposition. It would be very naive to think your child is getting some sort of neutral-unbiased form of education in the public school system. You just have to decide whose bias you want your kids to be influenced by.

flobee76

I'd like to also throw this out there: There is such a thing as being too "social."

Yes, just ask my mother. I received a comment on my report card once that said, "Patricia is being way too social lately". Got me grounded til the next report card!

Same thing happened to me too. sheesh!

Laura_Suzie

My parents letting me be homeschooled was the best thing that ever happened to me and I've never regretted the decision EVER.

A lot of people close to me (particularly friends) told me homeschooling was stupid and that I would have no social interactions and my education would suffer. I beg to differ. I learned a lot and strengthen my relationship with my parents. I also was able to do more extracurricular activities, which helped me figure out what I wanted to do career wise and meet lots of people with the same interests as me.

Now technically I wasn't stictly "homeschooled", I attended a charter school and went to my classes twice a week. The rest of my time was "independent study". If I ever have kids, they are definitely attending a charter school and/or being homeschooled.

JAGgirl47

I have two kids that I home schooled from age 4. We've had the kids involved in scouts, church, music classes, community based classes, co-op classes with other home schooled kids and have also participated in state funded charter home school. My whole focus was to pursue my kids passions and try to find the most interesting curriculum possible. Both of my kids are very social and love to be in the middle of the "action". This year I enrolled my son in public high school and the transition has been super smooth. He's made lots of friends and gets fabulous grades. I really think it was because we are very community oriented and focus on building relationships along with the learning experience. So I would encourage anyone who considers homeschooling to really look at that. My daughter is still being home schooled and I'm thinking we'll probably follow the same plan with her.

MegGirl1990

Again, I want to re-iterate that the most important part of a home school program is the parent's ability to keep their child on track and focused. Also, it's important to note that curriculums change all the time as well as state standards. To choose a program that is outdated and assume it's okay can be destructive. I teach language arts and science. I am only licensed to teach 4-9 grade. I would never be able to step into a high school biology classroom and assume I know what I'm doing. The same with algebra, calculus, physics, etc. To think that a parent without much of a college background can "teach" their child concepts that they themselves are not familiar enough with, is ridiculous. That's why teaching is a professional job requiring extensive training and retraining just to get and keep a license. It is far more complicated than what many parents think. Personally, I couldn't homeschool my own kids -- they'd drive me nuts.

Look at it this way - would you want someone without a medical license examining your child? Would you claim to know how to diagnose and treat your child's illness "at home"? A big risk, huh? Would you want your child's education to be put at risk?

^^^^No offense intended, but I do not agree at all. Some parents without a college degree may not be "qualified" to teach. But, parents have been raising their children far longer than the government funded school system has! Parents, who take homeschooling seriously, know that it is going to be hard work. My mother homeschooled me, along with my younger brother and younger sister. She didn't have a "college degree", but we turned out fine. I maintained a 4.0 throughout high school. And, before you say that this is because my mom was going easy on me, let me mention that I am maintaining a 4.0 in college, too.

Homeschooling is wonderful. Parents do not need to be certified teachers to teach their children. Raising, educating, and caring for their children IS THEIR JOB. They do not need to follow the state's curriculum. Rather they need to follow the state's homeschooling guidelines (which vary state to state). They do not need to confer with a "professional", unless it is required by the states homeschooling regulations.

The thing I loved most about homeschooling was my mother's ability to design my curriculum. I didn't have to be force fed what the government considers to be truth. I took History, Math, Science, Language Arts, etc, just like every public school kid. But, my mom was able to chose a curriculum that followed our beliefs.

I think depending on who you ask, you are going to run into people with biased opinions about homeschooling. I am totally in favor of it, but that is based off my experience being homeschooled.Make sure that the decision is being made in favor of the child. Some children do well in homeschooling environments. Of course, the parents have to be serious about it.

For some extra information about homeschooling regulations check out www.hslda.org

nikkiprickett

I was home-schooled from 1st to 8th grade, when I finally went to school I went a little crazy because I wasn't used to being around people my own age and got into a little trouble (nothing major just talking too much in class) but that was mostly for attention because people thought it was funny. But my mom also left me alone and I completed most of my school early...just make sure she has the knowledge and abilities to teach so she gets the same education as she would if she were going to school...also, spending all day everyday with just your mom could run into attachment issues as she gets older.

anyways...its hard to say for someone I don't know...if she's already socially awkward and has that bad of anxiety i'm not sure home-schooling would be a good idea. She needs to know how to interact with people in her life and home-schooling her would only make that worse....if she does decide to home-school her i would still say to be active with people her own age, now days a lot of people are choosing the option so there are a lot of clubs and organizations for people who are home-schooled so they do get that interaction, but she will DEFINITELY need to be around people to get over that anxiety.

csw92

I was homeschooled past the fourth grade after I was adopted and I was behind due to the consistent changing schools, I did fairly well; scored a 34 on my ACT, played basketball, have serveral friends, got a scholarship for college.

I might add that my mother didn't have a college degree but she cared about me and made sure I learned.

I'm also fluent in Spanish along with French, my mom felt it would be better for all of us kids to be able to speak Spanish fluently.

I don't think it's anyones place to say that people should or shouldn't home school, it's up to them how to raise their children.

VegesaurusRex

The government can require my children to receive a certain standard of education, that is certain subjects, to assure the betterment of all citizens in a specific country. That's all the right I give them. To have a civilized society which can function together all citizens should have the rights to certain educational abilities - arithmetic, reading, writing, etc. Not every person who home schools has their child's best interest at heart, and it is in the child's best interest to go out into society with these essential skills. Therefore, it must be up to the government of a country to enforce laws which require all parents to meet certain requirements.

Sorry, I disagree entirely. First, and most importantly, I do think a normal parent would have their kid's best interest at heart. Of course there are "crack hos" who could care less about their kids, and there the government is within its rights to step in. These are not likely to want to home school in any case.

As for standard education, if this means any more than math and English literacy, I disagree. The government has no right to tell us what to teach our kids. The government's point of view is rarely mine. I do not want my kids trained to think that the government knows best. We rarely get anyone running this country who is not an outright idiot or liar. In the upcoming election, I am voting for Ron Paul, whether he is running or not. I do not believe in Big Brother. I do not believe the government knows best.

VegesaurusRex

Again, I want to re-iterate that the most important part of a home school program is the parent's ability to keep their child on track and focused. Also, it's important to note that curriculums change all the time as well as state standards. To choose a program that is outdated and assume it's okay can be destructive. I teach language arts and science. I am only licensed to teach 4-9 grade. I would never be able to step into a high school biology classroom and assume I know what I'm doing. The same with algebra, calculus, physics, etc. To think that a parent without much of a college background can "teach" their child concepts that they themselves are not familiar enough with, is ridiculous. That's why teaching is a professional job requiring extensive training and retraining just to get and keep a license. It is far more complicated than what many parents think. Personally, I couldn't homeschool my own kids -- they'd drive me nuts.

Look at it this way - would you want someone without a medical license examining your child? Would you claim to know how to diagnose and treat your child's illness "at home"? A big risk, huh? Would you want your child's education to be put at risk?

^^^^No offense intended, but I do not agree at all. Some parents without a college degree may not be "qualified" to teach. But, parents have been raising their children far longer than the government funded school system has! Parents, who take homeschooling seriously, know that it is going to be hard work. My mother homeschooled me, along with my younger brother and younger sister. She didn't have a "college degree", but we turned out fine. I maintained a 4.0 throughout high school. And, before you say that this is because my mom was going easy on me, let me mention that I am maintaining a 4.0 in college, too.

Homeschooling is wonderful. Parents do not need to be certified teachers to teach their children. Raising, educating, and caring for their children IS THEIR JOB. They do not need to follow the state's curriculum. Rather they need to follow the state's homeschooling guidelines (which vary state to state). They do not need to confer with a "professional", unless it is required by the states homeschooling regulations.

The thing I loved most about homeschooling was my mother's ability to design my curriculum. I didn't have to be force fed what the government considers to be truth. I took History, Math, Science, Language Arts, etc, just like every public school kid. But, my mom was able to chose a curriculum that followed our beliefs.

I think depending on who you ask, you are going to run into people with biased opinions about homeschooling. I am totally in favor of it, but that is based off my experience being homeschooled.Make sure that the decision is being made in favor of the child. Some children do well in homeschooling environments. Of course, the parents have to be serious about it.

For some extra information about homeschooling regulations check out www.hslda.org

Hear! Hear! I couldn't agree more.

chickabee5

Hahaha I'm incredibly glad I found this lol I'm doing a research project for uni on home school vs public school!

JBsCrazyGirl

I feel I wasted a lot of time in certain grades,
mostly high school.

I feel as though I could have just met with the teacher, like on a Monday, have had them explain to me what needed to be done and I could have gone home and gotten the work done, that night, and turned it in and so on.

There are programs that allow you to do this. I wanted to be home schooled, but not taught by my parents. There are programs that you can communicate with teachers, or professionals, etc.. and get the knowledge you are said to "need".

I would explore, ALL, of the options, research them and think it out accordingly because the decisions made now will effect how the child will develop, and the next steps in education: middle school, high school, college, and the work place.

VegesaurusRex

Hahaha I'm incredibly glad I found this lol I'm doing a research project for uni on home school vs public school!

Message me if you want information. My kids have already been looked at in one Ed.D. thesis.

giggles7706

It depends on the child.

I was homeschool for a year in the 6th grade and hated every single moment of it. I'm not particularly social but I'm not a loner either. I hated not having friends and not being around anyone at all. I was literally in the house 24/7. I demanded to go back to school.

My brother on the other hand loved every second of it. He's okay with not being around a bunch of other kids. He was bullied and teased alot in school. My mom did put him in public school the year I was put back in but freshman year in high school, due to circumstances with bullying, my mom pulled him back out and homeschooled him and he got his diploma from a christain home school program. It was the right thing for him.

chickabee5

Hahaha I'm incredibly glad I found this lol I'm doing a research project for uni on home school vs public school!

Message me if you want information. My kids have already been looked at in one Ed.D. thesis.

Awesome, thanks a million!