Home School debate

[AUFred]

Re: Home schooling

I used to attend a church with a large number of homeschooled kids. Those where the parents took a genuine interest in educating their kids the results were pretty good. Those parents who used it as an excuse to sleep late and didn't challenge their children those kids were lazy like their parents. As far as social ineptitude I think it was not a factor. Some kids won't fit in no matter where they are.

 

[Butterfly]

Re: Home schooling

I realize that parents who home school don't want their kids exposed so they would not care

That is hogwash!
Not all people who homeschool do it because the don't want their kids exposed to whatever.

We are thinking about homeschooling, simply because where we live, the quality of education is not very good, and we don't want our children forced into pigeon-holes. Schooling where we live is very regimented, with lots of expectation to conform... and most children who don't fit the mold end up being medicated with Ritalin and the likes until they become compliant.

 

[itsmeJonB]

Re: Home schooling

I am indifferent

This seems to be a ridiculously touchy subject..

 

[Abcinthia]

Re: Home schooling

Question for everyone... how many of you were actually homeschooled or know people who are/were homeschooled? Because there seems to be a lot of absurd notions going around here on the subject, both in this thread and the other one.

I was home schooled for a few months when I was 9 by my nan when my family was homeless and I was living with my grandparents.

And I can honestly say I hated it. I learnt a lot and I loved that, but I was lonely as Hell. And then when I went back to the school I went to originally, I was ahead of everyone else and bored in lessons becuase I'd done the work.

 

[Jessica]

Re: Home schooling

And there's not socially undeveloped kids who have been in public schools their whole education?

:homo:

 

[Godsloveapples]

debate about disadvantages and advantages of home schooling, comparing to public schools

imma search for pros and cons.

you guys go ahead debate

I'll add some pro and con

Pro

*Can have school regardless of weather

Con

*no contact with other people?

Being home schooled doesn't necessarily mean that you can't have contact with other people. You can still go out and hang out with friends, you just wont be interacting as much with students as in regular school.

Pros
Can wake up whenever you want
Can study whenever you want
Can basically do whatever you want it's just that you need to have your homework done and turned in on your appointment time. \
You can graduate really early if you get all your credits done.

Cons
You have to teach yourself
You'll get a lot of times where you'd leave everything to the last minute and then do a bad job on it
Too much stress
Too much work

 

[Godsloveapples]

Re: Home schooling

Question for everyone... how many of you were actually homeschooled or know people who are/were homeschooled? Because there seems to be a lot of absurd notions going around here on the subject, both in this thread and the other one.

I started home school at 9th grade till 12th grade.

 

[captaincrumpets]

My sister is 14 and has just started home schooling because she got kicked out of school so many times for her uniform (thats right, because she wore trainers or because her tie was too short ._.). Even in the short time she's been schooled at home shes lost contact with most of her friends (save the one who lives over the road from us) and spends almost all her time indoors. When she does go outs, its with me when I'm off college and she sometimes says she misses school, if only because she doesn't see people as much anymore. So I think personally that while more work will probably get done if you're home schooled, the social side of it can be a real problem, as I've discovered with my sister.

Thats my input to this thread

 

[Peter Parka]

My sister is 14 and has just started home schooling because she got kicked out of school so many times for her uniform (thats right, because she wore trainers or because her tie was too short ._.). Even in the short time she's been schooled at home shes lost contact with most of her friends (save the one who lives over the road from us) and spends almost all her time indoors. When she does go outs, its with me when I'm off college and she sometimes says she misses school, if only because she doesn't see people as much anymore. So I think personally that while more work will probably get done if you're home schooled, the social side of it can be a real problem, as I've discovered with my sister.

Thats my input to this thread

And people wonder why schools seem to be failing, not surprising when they place more emphasis on what you wear than if you're actually learning stuff!:thumbdown

 

[Abcinthia]

My sister is 14 and has just started home schooling because she got kicked out of school so many times for her uniform (thats right, because she wore trainers or because her tie was too short ._.). Even in the short time she's been schooled at home shes lost contact with most of her friends (save the one who lives over the road from us) and spends almost all her time indoors. When she does go outs, its with me when I'm off college and she sometimes says she misses school, if only because she doesn't see people as much anymore. So I think personally that while more work will probably get done if you're home schooled, the social side of it can be a real problem, as I've discovered with my sister.

Thats my input to this thread

My school was stupidly picky about my uniform as well and they put loads of people in isolation so "they couldn't mingle with other students". Isolation was a joke. When I was in isolation it was for shit I didn't do or trucency and they put me in a room with the teacher's phone numbers :surrender

Oh I had fun

 

[Jessica]

some people on the other forum I'm on is not agreeing that home school can be good...

 

[Accountable]

Of course home school can be good. It can also be stupid. One of my special ed students left to be home schooled. I guess her mom figured she had enough experience with special education ... since she was in it herself as a child!

 

[Jessica]

I have mixed feelings about it

 

[Jessica]

also people do it for religion purposes....

 

[retro]

My take on it... as I alluded to earlier, I was home schooled. In fact, I was actually home schooled from 4th-12th grade. Some of the positives were extreme flexibility depending on circumstances. We could go on a trip and not miss any school. However, it also meant that often times when my friends didn't have school, I still did. I don't know about other families, but I know that even when I was home schooled, I still had to be up at 7am and start school by 8am. One of the nice things though was the fact that I technically graduated high school at the age of 16 when I passed my CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) and was able to start college classes. Unfortunately, even though I passed the CHSPE, my parents still made me continue to do school at home in addition to a couple of college classes.

For more complicated subjects like Biology and Chemistry, we had a school group, and the kids that needed to take those classes got together and were taught by a team of different parents. My dad, who is a doctor taught both Biology and Chemistry a number of different times, along with a few other parents who had similar scientific backgrounds.

As for me personally, I didn't like being home schooled at all. 90% of my friends went to public school, and so that's where I wanted to be. I feel that it somewhat stunted my growth in interpersonal relationships, in that I didn't have a lot of contact with other people outside of church events until I was older. My other issue was the fact that I couldn't play sports. Now I know that some of the rules have changed since then (I graduated in 2001, passed my CHSPE in 1999) but when I was in high school, home schooled students weren't allowed to participate in sports with the local high schools, despite the fact that their families still paid school district taxes. A friend of mine actually even successfully sued his school district to let him play on the Water Polo team there, but it was overturned due to liability concerns.

So, while I think that home schooling is a valid option for some, I don't believe it was for me. It was great for my brother who has ADHD and for my sister as well. Both of them liked it, while I had actually been to both public and private schools until 4th grade, and wish that I didn't have to change. I used to resent my parents for it, but I've gotten over that and realize that they were just trying to do what they felt was best. For my children, I would prefer not to home school, thought my ex feels differently (she was home schooled as well). But given that we're not together anymore and she's going to have to work, he will probably end up going to public or private school. I don't plan on home schooling any other children I may have, but I would be open to the possibility if my SO felt differently (which as of right now, she doesn't )

 

[Keight]

Pros - Better understanding of the work you are doing as there is no distraction from class mates
Not having to leave home to get to school
Doing work at your own pace as apposed to at someone elses pace

Cons - Not other people around you can get boring and no social skills are formed
Your mum is the authority when making final decisons about how long you work for
No understanding of an unsolved problem as your teacher is too far away

 

[anathelia]

My take on it... as I alluded to earlier, I was home schooled. In fact, I was actually home schooled from 4th-12th grade. Some of the positives were extreme flexibility depending on circumstances. We could go on a trip and not miss any school. However, it also meant that often times when my friends didn't have school, I still did. I don't know about other families, but I know that even when I was home schooled, I still had to be up at 7am and start school by 8am. One of the nice things though was the fact that I technically graduated high school at the age of 16 when I passed my CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) and was able to start college classes. Unfortunately, even though I passed the CHSPE, my parents still made me continue to do school at home in addition to a couple of college classes.

For more complicated subjects like Biology and Chemistry, we had a school group, and the kids that needed to take those classes got together and were taught by a team of different parents. My dad, who is a doctor taught both Biology and Chemistry a number of different times, along with a few other parents who had similar scientific backgrounds.

As for me personally, I didn't like being home schooled at all. 90% of my friends went to public school, and so that's where I wanted to be. I feel that it somewhat stunted my growth in interpersonal relationships, in that I didn't have a lot of contact with other people outside of church events until I was older. My other issue was the fact that I couldn't play sports. Now I know that some of the rules have changed since then (I graduated in 2001, passed my CHSPE in 1999) but when I was in high school, home schooled students weren't allowed to participate in sports with the local high schools, despite the fact that their families still paid school district taxes. A friend of mine actually even successfully sued his school district to let him play on the Water Polo team there, but it was overturned due to liability concerns.

So, while I think that home schooling is a valid option for some, I don't believe it was for me. It was great for my brother who has ADHD and for my sister as well. Both of them liked it, while I had actually been to both public and private schools until 4th grade, and wish that I didn't have to change. I used to resent my parents for it, but I've gotten over that and realize that they were just trying to do what they felt was best. For my children, I would prefer not to home school, thought my ex feels differently (she was home schooled as well). But given that we're not together anymore and she's going to have to work, he will probably end up going to public or private school. I don't plan on home schooling any other children I may have, but I would be open to the possibility if my SO felt differently (which as of right now, she doesn't )

Have you ever actually conversed with your SO about home schooling? Because you might find she's more on the fence than you'd imagine.

I think it can be good for the right person. On the downside, I see the differences between Nic and myself in that I *got* to do things like prom and football games and having an actual graduation, while he didn't. These may be minor things, but they're memories I'll never get to make again.

It takes a lot of motivation and a lot of work on the part of the parent to get their kids involved in other activities to ensure that they can still gain the much needed social skills they miss out on if they're home schooled in a way that never really grants them the opportunity to mingle with other children.

 

[captaincrumpets]

My school was stupidly picky about my uniform as well and they put loads of people in isolation so "they couldn't mingle with other students". Isolation was a joke. When I was in isolation it was for shit I didn't do or trucency and they put me in a room with the teacher's phone numbers :surrender

Oh I had fun

I went to the same school as my sister. If you couldn't be arsed to come in, you just wore black trousers instead of grey and you'd get sent home :3 Happy days

 

[bobbylite15]

The Pros
Educational Freedom. Most homeschooled students have the choice to study and learn what they want, when they want, for as long as they want. This is not to say that all the basics (and more!) aren't covered. But those basics may be covered at age six for one child, and at age ten for another, depending on ability, maturity, and interest levels. (Unfortunately, a few states do have unnecessarily restrictive legal requirements; in those states, educational freedom may be limited.)

Physical Freedom. After the initial shock of leaving the school system has passed, parents who homeschool say they experience a real sense of freedom. With their lives no longer revolving around school hours, homework, and the school calendar, these families plan off-season vacations, visit parks and museums during the week, and live their lives according to what works for them.

Emotional Freedom. Sadly, peer pressure, competition, boredom, and bullies — are all part of a typical school day. This can be a particular problem for girls. According to studies, self-esteem plummets in middle-school girls. However, similar studies of homeschooled girls have shown that self-esteem remains intact and that these girls continue to thrive. (Read A Sense of Self: Listening to Homeschooled Adolescent Girls by Susannah Sheffer.) Homeschooled kids can dress and act and think the way they want, without fear of ridicule or a need to "fit in." They live in the real world, where lives aren't dictated by adolescent trends and dangerous experimentation.

Religious Freedom. Many families feel their religious and spiritual beliefs are an important part of who they are. Homeschooling provides the opportunity for parents to incorporate their beliefs into their daily lives.

Closer Family Relationships. Just about every family stressed the important role that homeschooling played in helping them find time to foster loving ties between all family members. Teens seem to benefit enormously from this interaction, and rebellious, destructive behavior often begins to diminish soon after homeschooling begins.

Stability During Difficult Times. Whether there's a new baby, an illness, a death in the family, or another obstacle or transition, homeschooling helps families cope during challenging periods. Dauri, who homeschools her three boys, described how homeschooling helped her family adjust to a move from Europe back to the US, followed by another move across the country: "It was a great comfort that we homeschooled throughout the moves. It was a stabilizing factor in our otherwise mixed-up lives."

Well-Rested Kids. As more and more studies are illustrating, sleep is vital to the emotional and physical well-being of kids, especially teens and preteens. The effects of early morning classes can be devastating to many children, especially those who are not morning people. After realizing that lack of sleep and hours of busywork often left her boy in a zombie-like stupor, Haya has decided to try homeschooling: "My oldest (age 13), is up at 6:30 in order to catch the bus at 7:15 and start school at 7:30. He comes home at 3:00 and does homework — sometimes until midnight. He's often exhausted. I'm hoping that when we homeschool next year, the dark circles under his eyes will disappear and his real personality will emerge again."

No Busywork. Homeschooled children can accomplish in a few hours what takes a typical classroom a week or more to cover. In a recent interview, John Taylor Gatto, New York City Teacher of the Year and a 26-year teaching veteran, said that in many classrooms less than one hour out of each school day is spent on "on task" learning. No wonder these kids have so much homework. And that brings us to a major "pro" of homeschooling: No more homework!

I do believe in some of your pros, but being 15 and homeschooled till i was in 5th, i have to disagree on some. this may not be the same for all children, in fact i know its not, but i strongly believe that being in a school and an enviroment with other children is very benificial. i know that you might hang out with the wrong group, and that could change a persons view and i understand that, but if you try not to get in a bad group or get bad habits, you probably wont. your part about well rested kids, closer family relationships, and all the freedoms, i wholeheartedly agree with. When i was homeschooled, i got very bored very easily. i started losing focus on my assignments and could not pay attention in my lessons. I know part of this is because i live in a very very small town and there are not many activities for homeschooled children. I learned alot more in homeschool also. My mother taught me so much, and for a while until about 8th grade, school seemed easy, and it still is if i pay attention. i could read 'chapter books' when i started being homeschooled in kindergarden. im not bragging, because i owe it all to my mom, but i guess what im saying is that as long as a parent or guardian works with the child as much as they can, and maybe homeschools them the first year, that is all they need. i am in the 11th grade (i moved foward a year) and i have never missed the moments of being homeschooled.
Im not trying to go against what you are saying or anything, just saying what i feel from experience. Thanks,
QL

 

[Hans]

I didn't read the whole thread, but school itself is just too crucial to a childs life. I have met some home schooled children that have been normal, but it is very easy to allow a home schooled child to simply become shy and cut off from society due to the lack of social skills which the exposure to school offers. Not to mention that potential unfair advantage or problematic bias which comes with having a single teacher. Every person has bias in one form or another, having only one teacher will almost certainly have a rubbing-off effect on the student as a resut.

I guess it just seems like home schoooling only offers one or two advantage of allowing for more personalized attention and ensuring you dont have a dud teacher. That just seems futile in comparison to the perspectives, social skills, team work skills and skills that allow you to have a better understanding of the world. home schools just cant provide that in my opinon.