homeschooling question?

Question

I am a mother of two who would like to homeschool her kids, I am getting alot of opposition from family members and am wondering why? If you are against homeschooling can you tell me why? Please do not say socialization, as this is an issue that can be dealt with easily.

Answer 1

Well, I am neither for nor against homeschoolinging. I just think those who homeschool have to take into consideration whether or not they are fully equipped to "educate" children.

We may think that it is easy to educate a kindergartner, after all what do they do but learn their ABC's and 123's right? Wrong. That was okay 20 years ago. Today, these five and six year olds are utilizing the computer, adding fractional numbers and writing essays!

Are homeschool teachers/parents really equipped to teach what is being taught in this day and age?

Answer 2

I think you're just going to have to grin and bear it and know that you are making a good choice even if nobody else gets it. Many people seem to be really convinced that there's something sinister about homeschooling, that you won't be able to teach them what they need to know, that they're not going to have any contact with the outside world. I'm half-convinced that most people think that homeschooled people actually spend all their time at home. Homeschooled kids probably, on average, spend more time out in the real world than public school kids do when they're not in school.

btw, I've yet to see a public school classroom of 5 and 6 year old kids writing essays and having to learn to type decently. I know very well what is in our school curriculum here and I can tell you that it's nowhere near that level and any parent who can read and write can teach their kids elementary level English for sure. And they're not adding fractions because that's not even done until grade 6 here!

Answer 3

We had the same issuse with my husband's family - how will they compare to the other kids, intellectually, socially, physically, psychologically? It took less than a year of homeschooling for them to see that we're not raising zombies - my kids are fully engaged in lots of activities (social and educational) and the family now sees how they have excelled beyond where they would be in public school (or even private) - yearly testing showing they are several grade levels ahead of their peers has eased any lingering fears. My sister-in-law is a teacher and she has been the most difficult to convince - in fact, she still 'tests' the kids whenever she sees them. Fortunately, she's in another state and only sees them about once a year.

Don't worry too much about what they think. You are doing what YOU feel is best for YOUR kids and that's all that matters. And don't worry that they're not learning all that the public school kids are at the same time. Many of the things PS kids "learn" early are taught to them before they are really ready to understand WHAT and WHY they are doing things - much of it is just rote memory (this is how I was told to do it, I don't know why!?!).

Answer 4

I was homeschooled, and we got opposition from family members and the biggest thing was they thought you wouldn't have enough socialization (which as you noted is easy to overcome, and I did fine). I turned out to be a well adjusted 20 something who works in a professional setting and did fine school wise.

Their second complaint was how can a parent teach their child when they may have not even gone to college or struggled with stuff like Algebra or Chemistry on their own, when they were in school. Of course, there's plenty of help online, in the books, or worse case scenario, you get a tutor for your child to teach the class.

So, don't let the opposition sway you. I never regretted being homeschooled. I feel it prepared me better for the real world, I was better educated and have a better appreciation for the arts due to my schooling than my peers.

Answer 5

Hi. I am currently homeschooled and have been for three years now. I love it because it enables me to have a job and do school at the same time and I love that. If you are wondering about a curriculum, I would suggest the Bridgeway Academy. It is a private-school curriculum that offers honors classes and is accredited. Colleges recruit from their academy and they have a list on their website of where their graduates have gone. I think it is 93% of their students go on to a 4 year university or college. This will be my senior year and I am planning on attending college in New England. Acceptance hasn't been a problem at all with this program because they offer such great programs. I strongly recommend it.

Answer 6

The parent does not have to be a college graduate to teach her kids. There are so many excellent programs home schoolers report the problem is sorting through them. And, the programs, at least any but the worst, tell the parent exactly how to teach each subject.

Older kids usually don't need teaching. They take the materials, and figure it out for themselves, and only ask for help when they are stymied.

There is one condition under which homeschooling is not a good idea. My daughter is a perfect example. She is somewhat excitable, and she and her little daughter have been known to exchange, um, shall we say, angry and hysterical shouts over nothing. Her husband decided it was not a good idea for her to be home schooling, and as much as I like home schooling, I agreed whole heartedly.

Let us say, "PERSONALITY CONFLICTS between parent and child would preclude home schooling."

Answer 7

Homeschooling is an issue that you need to decide for yourself and your kids...sometimes you just need to ignore your unsupportive family members and just do what you feel is right. I had to. You need to hook up and socialize with other like-minded homeschoolers in your area for some support. Do what you know is right and stick with it...there are always going to be people opposed to homeschooling.

Answer 8

I homeschool and can tell you that 'socialization' is brought up for three reasons:
*Public school parents want to rip on homeschoolers...to make them feel badly..becauase the PS parents feel like we hsers are saying "I make time for my kids, you don't. I love my kids enough to put them first, to drop everything" or "Public school is not good enough." We are not saying these things, but merely by saying you want to hs, folks feel put down and they arch their backs and jump on you.
**Lots of stupid tv shows that grab the EXTREME parent in ANY situation..like 'too religious' or "too satanic" or "too whatever'. So everyday folks see these freaky hs parents...who live to an extreme (kids work all day or play all day or live in the basement and never see anyone else) and they think we are all like that. They seem to forget that most of the crazy kids that take guns to school are not homeschooled, the teens in crisis or prison or detention homes are not homeschooled, the kids who hang themselves because of bullying or other intimidation are not any one group either. There are freaky parents everywhere.
**The number one reason: They don't know what else to say, but they hear "what about socialization" all over so they say it too.

Answer 9

Don't worry about what your family thinks and do you feel is best for your children. Socialization can been remedied by taking them out on play dates. Taking them to local museums to learn about history & science. Homeschooling has proved to be more than beneficial for children as they excel far beyond their public schooled counter parts. Go for it. Good luck.