You hit the nail on the head. I've referred to the public schools as assembly lines in the past; a generalization for sure, but intended to point out that a bureacracy cannot be thought of as a substitute for involved parents. Parents need to "steer", even if their children are in the PS full time; if this was done by even half of parents, the PS would be a vastly different place.
Hi, I'm new here and I might as well just jump in with both feet! I have three children, all are homeschooled -- ages 11, 6 and 3-1/2. I have homeschooled all of them since day one with a couple of exceptions. My son (11), was in public kindergarten for about 4 months because of the birth of my daughter (who had a difficult start in life and screamed constantly!). The few months that he was in kindergarten was a nightmare and this school was in a small Iowa town of 150. The teacher was a bully. She did not like the fact that he wrote his name in cursive (maybe she couldn't???). When I was finally able to homeschool him again, he had to "re-learn" everything he had learned as a 4 year old because all they did for 6 hours was color. It was a terrible experience and he still remembers it.
Anti-homeschoolers? Our parents were totally against it in the beginning. How did I deal with them? I would point out a kid with pink hair or earrings or nose rings or eyebrow rings and just ask the innocent question, "Is that whom you want your grandchildren to socialize with?" Another sweet question is "Were you allowed to 'socialize' during school? I had to be quiet during class."
Other reminders are with socialization breeds peer pressure. I don't have any facts to back up this assumption; however, I would bet that there are less homeschoolers involved in drugs.
Now, after 7 years of homeschooling, our parents agree that this was the best choice and actually compliment me in regards to their capabilities.
To the gentlemen educator who stated his concern regarding some homeschooled children not being properly educated by their parents, I can only respond by saying that I can point to a lot more children who are not properly educated in public school. I went to public and private schools. I had great, adequate and downright poor (shouldn't have been allowed in the door) teachers. I chose to homeschool prior to having children because I believed they would be better served then spending all day, 5 days a week, in a public institution in which they have to pass through metal detectors, be used as targets, deal with gang members, or have drugs offered to them. None of those things happen in our home. I am able to nurture them 24 hours a day. I also have the privilege of seeing their faces light up when they "get" something. What a joy! I love what I do.
One final thing...When my son was in 2nd grade and was required to take the Iowa Basic Skills Test, the counselor said she had never seen another child complete it so quickly and perfectly.
Thanks for letting me stand on my soap box for awhile -- Carla
"To the gentlemen educator who stated his concern regarding some homeschooled children not being properly educated by their parents, I can only respond by saying that I can point to a lot more children who are not properly educated in public school.
AMEN!
Public schools: big hole to throw money down into never to see a return on investment.
Gary
Bluegrass Music ...
Finger-pickin' good!
Great to see this thread 'alive' again!
I figure this is one issue that'll only be won one convert at a time. On the one hand, the argument is made that 1) professional teachers are better teachers, and 2) that kids need socializing. On the other hand, I believe any reasonably educated (or dedicated) adult should be teach a child, though maybe teaching 30 or 40 takes special skills. Plus, I figure kids probably don't need that much socializing, which is why I keep mine locked in the root cellar.
Actually I made the last bit up. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Now, I'm willing to admit that home schooling doesn't guarantee the best and the brightest, but I can show that public schooling rarely delivers.
The odd thing is, the biggest arguments the wife & I have been having on this subject is with my oldest, who was home schooled and got in to a presitigious university, etc., etc..
Aw heck - he has to complain about something!
Stick his butt back in the root cellar, he'll come around! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Brian -- Almost all of the kids my wife and I are so impressed with we wish we could adopt have been home schooled...and most by parents without your credentials. They are invariably well read, well adjusted, think before blurting out the first thought that comes to mind, able to hold their own in adult conversations, and not caught up in the fashion/consumerism merry-go-round. They are as a general rule more responsible young citizens, and do more to help their community than the mass-produced output of our local school system...which is rated tops in the state.
No comparison in our book! Keep up the great work.
Pete
Hey all,
Good thread, lots of great folks here, there is hope for America with you all home schooling. Our own experience. We home schooled both our boys from the beginning through high school. Neither set foot in a school until they went to university. One is getting his engineering degree at Penn State the other wants to be a writer and is finishing his degree at University of Tennessee. Each earned a full scholarship, so daddy doesn't have to pay for University. The common socialization question is rather silly if one thinks about it, after all, it's not as if we have our kids locked in a dungeon where they have no social interaction.
I always answered that question with another question: "who would you rather have teach your kids their social skills, you or a perfect stranger and a few hundred clueless kids?" Who is going to love and pay attention to your kid more than you? Schools are designed primarily for crowd control, not teaching. Gee, how did society exist for thousands of years before the relatively new phenomenon of public school? People fear what they don't understand.
paul
A question for the home schoolers - How do you deal with the "no schoolers" who say they are home schooling. I've probably met less than a dozen home schoolers in the last few years and out of all of them, two were definitely "no schoolers". They just seemed to expect that their kids would learn without being taught anything.
I'm not anti-homeschool at all, but I do think that just like with public schools there should be a mechanism to ensure that the kids aren't being educationally shortchanged.
"...just like with public schools there should be a mechanism to ensure that the kids aren't being educationally shortchanged.
Uh, what mechanism is that? Can't see it from my house! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
"How do you deal with the "no schoolers""
There are a lot of flavors of "unschoolers"....some are just using different methods of training, or starting the kids a little later. There are also instances of outright neglect. This is a hard thing to think about, but it is the parents' responsibility to raise their kids right, not the public school or the Feds.
Personally, I observe far more parents abusing their kids through lack of discipline and demonstrating that materialism and self are the priorities that matter most. Far, far more than any other behavior by any other group.
It is the "norm" that concerns me greater than a relatively minute alternative group.
Interesting point.
Round these parts, a home schooler is supposed to meet at least every year with somebody from the local school, such as a principal, or vice principal.
The reality is, that it is virtually impossible to get these characters to meet with you, and at best they spend a few minutes on it.
I figure they view home schoolers as 'out of sight out of mind' and somebody else's problem. Unfortunately, this is not good for kids who are supposed to be home schooled but who are not.
So, we live in a society where parents don't read to their kids, don't encourage them to do homework, and so on. It might be worse if these kids are supposed ot be home schooled, but I believe responsible homeschoolers do a better job than public school teachers.
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