Home school vs public school?

To the OP: If your mom wants to homeschool your sister, she should. There are plenty of homeschooling groups in each state, she can even check for homeschooling conventions, HSLDA, etc. I know plenty of parents who have pulled their kids out of public or private school because the systems were failing their children and the parents couldn't fight for the kids any longer.

I am homeschooling our 8, 4.5, and 3 year old children. First of all, I am NOT a certified teacher. Nope... not at all. I can however, teach my kids. I have several friends who are certified educators, but they do not have a background in every subject that they are teaching.

**SHAMELESS PLUG**
My 2nd grader reads at a 6th grade reading level. She is on level for math. She knows history, timelines, geography, and has studied nature and science since she could get down and watch a bug. She can identify parts of speech, has wonderful penmanship, and loves to make up stories. We study art, composers, music, poetry, and Shakespeare. I'd like to think that she has a well-rounded education.

Oh... and she's a great swimmer! Yeah, we actually take her out of the house in public. Surprise surprise.

My other 2 kids are bright as well. They have completely different learning styles from one another and I get to help them ENJOY LEARNING in their own way. Our son is a math wiz, understands spacial concepts, time, knows his letters and sounds, shapes, colors, etc. He sits in on all his sister's lessons so he can even tell me about William Wilberforce.

We never have to fight about school. They get up in the morning and pull their own books out and want to do school. Weird. They enjoy learning. It's not a fight.

My point is: learning at home isn't what people seem to think it is. My husband and I have been called to teach our kids at home and we are SO glad we are. There is PLENTY of socialization, PLENTY of conflict resolution, and PLENTY of learning...

And if I want to home school my kids, what's it to you what they learn??

This problem with this line of thinking is that then the movie Idiocracy is no longer just a movie... it turns into real life.. YIKES! :noway:

ETA: I was not trying to bash homeschooling, just pointing out the need for some standard of education

Perhaps you weren't trying-- maybe you're just good at it naturally? Yeesh.

So what you're saying is if homeschoolers don't let the government dictate what our children learn, we would be producing the "dumbed down society" depicted in the movie? Wow-- :noway: Rather harsh-- especially considering that our nation's public school kids are already getting our clocks cleaned by other nations.....kinda the reason many of us home school.

Who is to say the government should be setting those standards? Who gave them the power to tell parents what their kids should learn? They're our kids.

And if I want to home school my kids, what's it to you what they learn??

This problem with this line of thinking is that then the movie Idiocracy is no longer just a movie... it turns into real life.. YIKES! :noway:

I disagree. The last thing I want my kids to have is a typical education. They didn't have one and now they are reaching for the stars. I am delighted with how far off the grid we were. My kids are probably 5 years above their same age peers. And believe me, they are not geniuses.

Firstly, please see my edited comment.
Secondly, when I hear someone say "what's it do you what I teach my kid?" My automatic reaction is NOT to assume genius but to fear the worse.

Finally, obviously if your children are "off the grid" then I'm not talking about them when I mention the movie Idiocracy. Even if you haven't seen the movie, the title is pretty self explanatory.

My children are off the grid because of their off the grid education, not because of any great intellectual gifts. As I said, they are smart but not geniuses. And I probably would say something similar to "What's it to you what I teach my children," but probably I would say it a little more politically correctly, but none the less it mirrors my feelings. I have my own ideas of what is important and what is not. Perhaps the most important thing about my kids' education, or any kid's education is that they be treated as an individual, not like a cog in a machine. When my kids were interested in something they studied it until they knew what they wanted to know about it. My daughter wanted to know about marine biology, for example, so we went to Cape Cod as a family, and brought a friend with us, a girl who had majored in Marine Biology and was getting her Ph.D. She spent a week with my daughter exploring every possible habitat along the shore. When she wanted to write a novel, she did. When my son decided he wanted to put together a graphic novel, he did. He is still woring on it. Being as he is in law school he has to allocate his time carefully.

Please understand that I see how you would react the way you did. It is probably more a reaction to how it was said than what was said. But the idea behind it, that the parents sould determine what the child is taught and not the state, is a sound idea, and I strongly believe it.

And if I want to home school my kids, what's it to you what they learn??

This problem with this line of thinking is that then the movie Idiocracy is no longer just a movie... it turns into real life.. YIKES! :noway:

I disagree. The last thing I want my kids to have is a typical education. They didn't have one and now they are reaching for the stars. I am delighted with how far off the grid we were. My kids are probably 5 years above their same age peers. And believe me, they are not geniuses.

Firstly, please see my edited comment.
Secondly, when I hear someone say "what's it do you what I teach my kid?" My automatic reaction is NOT to assume genius but to fear the worse.

Finally, obviously if your children are "off the grid" then I'm not talking about them when I mention the movie Idiocracy. Even if you haven't seen the movie, the title is pretty self explanatory.

My children are off the grid because of their off the grid education, not because of any great intellectual gifts. As I said, they are smart but not geniuses. And I probably would say something similar to "What's it to you what I teach my children," but probably I would say it a little more politically correctly, but none the less it mirrors my feelings. I have my own ideas of what is important and what is not. Perhaps the most important thing about my kids' education, or any kid's education is that they be treated as an individual, not like a cog in a machine. When my kids were interested in something they studied it until they knew what they wanted to know about it. My daughter wanted to know about marine biology, for example, so we went to Cape Cod as a family, and brought a friend with us, a girl who had majored in Marine Biology and was getting her Ph.D. She spent a week with my daughter exploring every possible habitat along the shore. When she wanted to write a novel, she did. When my son decided he wanted to put together a graphic novel, he did. He is still woring on it. Being as he is in law school he has to allocate his time carefully.

Please understand that I see how you would react the way you did. It is probably more a reaction to how it was said than what was said. But the idea behind it, that the parents sould determine what the child is taught and not the state, is a sound idea, and I strongly believe it.

Rex-- :flowerforyou: God bless you-- I don't have a politically correct bone in my body. No matter how it was stated, my point I believe was clear.....it is not for the state to decide what my children learn. It is for me to decide.

And you know what? If I sent my kids to school, my kindergarten students would have been taught "whole language" approach to reading. Great-- let's put stickers on everything-- "PIANO" "DOOR" "DESK" and hope little Johnny can remember the word when he sees it, instead of learning phonics. You know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The 'education' system has tried to reinvent the wheel.

Every kid of mine has learned phonics and has read by age 5-- most of them by age 4. Idiocracy? Uh-- no.

What the state says is best isn't necessarily so. That's my job as a parent to decide.

The assumption that I'm turning out dopes because I don't march to the beat of the state's education department's drum is ludicrous, if not a wee bit offensive and insulting. We do it rather like you have said-- "classic" education-- or, old school, anyway. "Reading, writing, 'rithmetic..... Science, health, history, New Jersey history..... Rather sound, if I do say so myself.

we've done the public high school because I can't provide chem labs or biology experiments without spending money that I don't have-- I can't provide marching bands, choirs, basketball teams, football camps. Here in New Jersey, it isn't yet permitted for home schoolers to participate in school extracurriculars.

If things change one day, I still may want to send them.... There is something to be said for them to experience what's out there while still living at home, and under our guidance....we'll see.

Marla, I think Hillm and others are very well intentioned, but I don't think they have come across too many people like us, dare I say libertarians, before. I was in the Service during Vietnam, and I learned that, believe it or not, the government lies, and the government cannot be trusted. I rarely trust them. I rarely believe them. And even when the government has the best of motives, they usually manage to screw it up. As Milton Friedman once said, "If you put the government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there would be a shortage of sand."

I am sure Hillm and the other teachers are well intentioned, but they just have no clue where we are coming from.

ha-- I love the quote.

My husband and I are the same. It isn't to imply we're paranoid. I don't think they're out to get me or harm my children. I just don't think they know their *kitten* from their elbow about most things, especially regarding MY children.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.