Home school vs public school?

Homeschool programs containing curriculum decided by the state, monitored by teachers, and given by parents are the ONLY ones I approve of. The rest are dangerous and do not prepare a child for the real world.

Now, have I made myself TOTALLY CLEAR?

I'm sorry. But my children are MY children. They do not and have not ever belonged to the state. The CREATOR of the universe entrusted ME with their lives and souls. I, alone, will be held accountable for their upbringing, not you and certainly not the state. It is my duty to protect them from harm, to raise them to be conscientious, to teach them our beliefs, and to love them unconditionally. If they have all the "education" the world has to offer, yet their souls perish, all is lost. So, as far as I am able, I will protect their hearts, souls and bodies from the nastiness of the world until such a time comes that they are ready to take on the world themselves with firm foundations set in place. I will educate them in the areas that I believe are important to their upbringing, which for us not only includes math, reading, history and science, but most importantly, the Word of G_d.

My oldest will graduated college a year early, my 14 year old has written and published a book, my 16 year old teaches himself chemistry and gets straight A's on all his exams. I'm really not worried about hoping for your or the state's approval.


PS To the moderator, remember how someone complained about skimpy photos and everyone jumped on the person, claiming that we are all adults here? Well, the same applies to this discussion and I would hope that you will not delete my post simply because I shared my reasons for homeschooling my children. Thanks.

Aha - I see your point of view is based on religious principles. I'm curious to know if your science instruction interferes with your religious beliefs? I am not being snarky, but I really do want to know how the two are integrated into the instruction. I am Catholic but also an evolutionist. Fortunately for ME, the Catholic church recognizes evolution as a possible THEORY. And no, I am not going to turn this into a debate between the two, so please don't go there. I just want to know how you teach both simultaneously when both theories highly contradict each other.
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Although this was not addressed to me, I feel I should respond.

First, religious based home schools are fine, and my guess is they contain no more inaccuracies than non-religious public schools or religious schools. Everyone in our family does subscribe to evolutionary theory, and in fact my daughter is going to be majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (I should add, along with English.)

If you object to home schools that teach creationism, you should also object, for example to Catholic schools that teach the Caltholic version of history which gives a totally different version of history from the secular history books, particularly concerning the Crusades, the Inquisition, the St Bartholomew's Day massacre, etc, not to mention the early Christian church. Public schools for the most part ignore religion and religious ideas, so they are equally prejudiced in the opposite direction: they pretend the idea of God does not exist. Pedogogy of any kind cannot avoid errors. Sorry, but if you are about to say that one cannot learn physics if they are creationists, then I disagree. I strongly support a parent's to teach their children what they feel is correct, even if I personally disagree with it. Again, this is the essence of democracy.
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I think both should be addressed, because kids need to be able to ask and question both. I also believe if a person studies the bible, they should also study the Q'ran and other religious books. I'm all for a well-rounded, open minded approach to education. I can also say I do NOT give my opinion out in class to anyone who asks me "what do YOU believe or think?" That's a slippery slope when it comes to being a teacher. I might be opposed to or in support of things that go against my religion (because I have that right), but it's not a great idea to share those ideas if the focus of the school is different. Teachers in public schools have been fired for having bibles in their classrooms, or for quoting scriptures - and frankly, they deserve that because they are in a public school. Conversely, private school teachers shouldn't openly go against their faith's teachings -- for example, a private school fired an unmarried teacher because she got pregnant. I feel that's a fair decision as well.

"Homeschool programs containing curriculum decided by the state, monitored by teachers, and given by parents are the ONLY ones I approve of. The rest are dangerous and do not prepare a child for the real world."


Wow. Finally. Someone who was honest enough to say it. The STATE owns the children. The STATE has to decide what is taught to my children to make their education acceptable. Despite hundreds of years of parents educating their children, it is now only teachers who can truly validate a homeschool program.

I pray our country never comes to make your approval standards normative.

I just can't win, can I? Geesh. I'm OUT.

Well, when you express a viewpoint like that, how are people to take it? Personally, I understood what you meant, simply because it's what I've studied in the past. However, not everyone has had the "pleasure" of taking a college course in the history of education.

While every school, county, state, teacher, faculty staff, administrator, etc. is different, my beef with the public education, as a whole, is consistency. The state can try all it wants to, but it will never be able to make every student's learning consistent.

Also, I'm not a fan of big brother telling anyone how they must teach their child. I agree, for the well-being of the individual and the society as a whole, that basic things like reading, basic mathematics, grammar, writing, etc. need to be taught, there is no consistency otherwise. And there never will be. Otherwise, we'd all be able to take the same courses, at the same times. That just isn't possible. No matter how much anyone hopes for it to be otherwise.

I'd like Big Brother to be more involved in assuring that our children are getting the exact same quality of education they deserve and are entitled to receive. There is such much disparity in this country.

I'd like Big Brother to be more involved in assuring that our children are getting the exact same quality of education they deserve and are entitled to receive. There is such much disparity in this country.

I certainly hope you are joking. Those of us in the homeschooling community refer to "No Child Left Behind," as "No Chiild gets Ahead."

The last thing we want is Big Brother telling us what to think.

I certainly hope you are joking. Those of us in the homeschooling community refer to "No Child Left Behind," as "No Chiild gets Ahead."

Haha, never heard of it that way--I'm totally using that from now on! :laugh:

I have so many friends in my age range (I'm 25) who have been hurt, education-wise, by NCLB from when it first started. I can only imagine how bad it is today.

Learning about NCLB, FCAT (Florida's state-wide standardized test...aka: bunch of crap), etc....are really disappointing. FCAT is one of the biggest reasons, if not THE biggest, for why my friends are homeschooling in Florida.

As a certified, licensed school teacher, I am always concerned when parents pull their children out of regular school and say they will be "homeschooling" their child from that point forward. I will share my reasons below:

1. Qualifications/educational level of parents - Can a parent reach and teach their child the important things that child needs to know? Do they know what "developmentally appropriate" is for their child's age? Are the parents knowledgeable enough about the curriculum to present it in ways the child understands?

2. Is the curriculum relevant? Is the child learning what should be learned, versus what the parents want that child to learn? (some HS programs offer "revisionist" history, where important truths are conveniently left out - eg, slavery, holocaust, etc) There are certain skill sets/requirements all children MUST know in order to be well rounded adults. Slanted or inaccurate information can negatively affect a child's future.

3. Is the parent willing to sit by their child, invest the time, and hold their children accountable for their school work? Many parents nowadays have to work, and trusting their young child to stay home and do their school work all on line is a recipe for disaster. My daughter's friend is now being homeschooled (due to bullying) and guess what? This girl only gets 5 hours of weekly school work, which is less than one full day's worth of schooling. In a WEEK.

4. Schools provide the opportunity for children to learn HOW to get along with others, even if the children are being bullied. Instead of retreating into a "safe" world, it is better to learn how to handle the bullying and work on developing self esteem. Running away from it doesn't build self confidence, it only pushes the real issues aside.

I hope this provides you with some real information to make a very educated choice. I'm not anti-HS, I am against homeschool programs that end up causing more harm than good. Make sure your child is being monitored on a regular, weekly basis, by qualified school teachers, and is learning STATE curriculum standards. If those criteria are met, then a HS program should be okay overall.

Ditto to the above!

I certainly hope you are joking. Those of us in the homeschooling community refer to "No Child Left Behind," as "No Chiild gets Ahead."

Haha, never heard of it that way--I'm totally using that from now on! :laugh:

I have so many friends in my age range (I'm 25) who have been hurt, education-wise, by NCLB from when it first started. I can only imagine how bad it is today.

Learning about NCLB, FCAT (Florida's state-wide standardized test...aka: bunch of crap), etc....are really disappointing. FCAT is one of the biggest reasons, if not THE biggest, for why my friends are homeschooling in Florida.

Believe me, I totally support your concerns! I teach in a school that doesn't have to follow NCLB guidelines. I get to TEACH!

I think that's where the problem lies in getting big brother too involved... Crap like NCLB happens... But then I'm a firm believer of as long as students are learning the 3R's and are getting funding as they need it (not bloated)... then everything is gravy... I'm also a firm believer that the DoEd needs to go away (or at the very least have their role diminished)... But that's just me... because I feel that the educational needs are not the same in Massachusetts, as they are in Texas, as they are in Washington State, as they are in Alaska.... The results should be the same of course (having a literate society that goes on to be a productive member of society)... but the paths are very different just because of the social constructs within each state. Shoot, even the social constructs from city to township are different as well... That's why I am not a fan of standardized testing as it is either.

I certainly hope you are joking. Those of us in the homeschooling community refer to "No Child Left Behind," as "No Chiild gets Ahead."

Haha, never heard of it that way--I'm totally using that from now on! :laugh:

I have so many friends in my age range (I'm 25) who have been hurt, education-wise, by NCLB from when it first started. I can only imagine how bad it is today.

Learning about NCLB, FCAT (Florida's state-wide standardized test...aka: bunch of crap), etc....are really disappointing. FCAT is one of the biggest reasons, if not THE biggest, for why my friends are homeschooling in Florida.

Believe me, I totally support your concerns! I teach in a school that doesn't have to follow NCLB guidelines. I get to TEACH!

I've been looking for alternative places to start volunteering and (hopefully) obtain a career with, that don't have to work around NCLB, FCAT, etc. It's hard, but I'm hopeful!

Ok I did not read ALL the previous posts but I think I got a sampling.

I was a high school teacher in public school, my husband was homeschooled, and I went to public school. Here goes.

I plan to homeschool my own children, and will be putting in the necessary time and effort to make sure that education is well-rounded and will prepare them socially and academically for college. I do think that public educators for the most part are better trained than the average parent-- it's not just a matter of learning a subject matter but the fact that teachers are trained in the science of how to teach the material most effectively. However, public educators are overworked, stressed, and given far too many students and far too many required tests. Teachers are being stripped of their ability to use their education and creativity and instead states are implementing a much more scripted program. And while some students may actually get 5 hours of education at school, the more intelligent students will finish early and spend most of their time doing busy work. It's not the most effective use of time for students are work/learn quickly. In fact a large part of our principal's complaints about the staff was that there were too many students who weren't engaged for large periods of time.

My husband's homeschool experience wasn't great-- he had workbooks and textbooks, but he was on his own. He is dyslexic but learned to compensate on his own, since he didn't have anyone modifying material for him. When he got to high school he went to public school an was instantly confused. He didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to leave when he'd finished, and he was a couple of grade levels ahead so he was bored.

I went the public school route. I was miserable and had social anxiety. Nothing in public school helped that anxiety, and honestly the fact that I was constantly pushed to be "more social" made me more and more anxious. I didn't really get over it until college, which was much more laid back. Both myself and my husband have good careers and got good scores in college.

Is private schooling an option for your sister? Perhaps a school with smaller class sizes would be helpful? I agree that running away from anxiety doesn't solve it, but neither does pushing someone into a situation that makes them really afraid. Maybe whoever prescribes her meds could give you a better idea of what the best course of action would be.

I do not feel that Christian home schoolers should have to study the Quran, nor should Muslim home schoolers have to study the Bible. Since Christianity is the basis for Western Civiliztion, and the Bible is referenced in much of Western Literature, I think the study of both would be appropriate in public schools. Being a classics lover, I would also include study of the pre Christian classical world, particularly Greece and Rome. When I went to High School, fortunately, Classical Latin was required for the top academic track. I think understanding our civilization requires study of the most important books in our civilization including the Bible (but not the Quran - different civilization.) I certainly have no objection to the study of any religious text as a secular subject, but I would prefer the Bible since it is so basic to our culture.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

Many of our words, morals, laws, etc... are founded off of the Christian faith. That's just how it works when you live in the Western world. It doesn't hurt to learn a little bit about what Christianity believes, even if you're not teaching children it's necessarily true.

It would also be nice to teach kids a little about the First Nations people and their faith systems as well though.

It also doesn't hurt to teach children about OTHER faiths, because it leads to acceptance, tolerance, and the willingness to remain open minded instead of coming across as judgmental and exclusionary. Not to mention sanctimonious and self-righteous.

Im homeschooled right now and it works for me and I think if your mom made her go to school it would just make her nerves get worse, like my mom and dad always said like face your fears and it will get better and sometimes it will but when I was in middle school it just made things worse a child should not be nervous to go to school. There are programs where parents and kid that all homeschool meet and like go places because you need social skills as well and sometimes when someone is homeschooled those skills tend to be neglected especially if the reason you left public school was like because you were shy. As long as she likes it and she learns social skills it seems like it would be a good thing.

So I know I said I was out, but I want to put in my opinion on the religion thing:

I'm Christian. If I homeschooled, we'd have Christian education. But we would also be learning about the other major world religions: Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, etc. We are European-American, but we would also be learning about the histories of other cultural groups in our country, and around the world. I understand that in our society, white Christians are the majority. But there are countless other cultures that our children will encounter in their lives. No, we can't cover them all. But if we cover as many as possible, they will be more open-minded and accepting of differences. It's important to give kids a multicultural education, whether in public school, private school, or homeschool.

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

Do what you want homeschooling, though.

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.

I do not feel that Christian home schoolers should have to study the Quran, nor should Muslim home schoolers have to study the Bible. Since Christianity is the basis for Western Civiliztion, and the Bible is referenced in much of Western Literature, I think the study of both would be appropriate in public schools. Being a classics lover, I would also include study of the pre Christian classical world, particularly Greece and Rome. When I went to High School, fortunately, Classical Latin was required for the top academic track. I think understanding our civilization requires study of the most important books in our civilization including the Bible (but not the Quran - different civilization.) I certainly have no objection to the study of any religious text as a secular subject, but I would prefer the Bible since it is so basic to our culture.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

Many of our words, morals, laws, etc... are founded off of the Christian faith. That's just how it works when you live in the Western world. It doesn't hurt to learn a little bit about what Christianity believes, even if you're not teaching children it's necessarily true.

It would also be nice to teach kids a little about the First Nations people and their faith systems as well though.

It also doesn't hurt to teach children about OTHER faiths, because it leads to acceptance, tolerance, and the willingness to remain open minded instead of coming across as judgmental and exclusionary. Not to mention sanctimonious and self-righteous.

Doesn't hurt but there's only so much time and room in a classroom and I should think the religions prevalent in our society would be the ones that should take pride of place in the educational process.

That's pretty much how North Korea educates their children - they only learn about their own culture, and to heck with the rest of the world. And we all know how well North Korea has accepted and gets along with the rest of the Western world.

My gut instinct is to worry they wouldn't be socialized enough, however each kid is different.... However I've had several friends in college who went from homeschooled to a large state university (like the size of Notre Dame, Purdue, etc) and did not adjust well at all.

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