Why do People Have a Problem w/ HomeSchooling?

Question

I was home schooled and i was far more Socially Popular
and had a Higher IQ than all my public school friends.

I dont see anything wrong with it as long as the parent
does it right.

Answer 1

People have a problem with it because they are over generalizing a few cases they know or because they are just plain ignorant.

The classic excuse for being against homeschooling is the lack of socialization. This is just ridiculous. Like dragonflypurity's comment. By having my kids homeschooled, they actually learn better how to interact with a wider variety of people outside the home than if they were in school. How is this possible, do you ask? We are with other homeschoolers, often different ones, at least once every week. There are always different kids and different adults each week to interact with. This requires far more social skills use than being with the same people every day. They also get coached as needed instead of just being thrown all together and being expected to figure it all out on their own. While there's something to be said for kids figuring things out themselves, be it academically or socially, expecting kids to figure out all social things on their own is just as harmful as expecting them to figure out all academic things on their own.

Her other comment about being trained, I speak as a trained school teacher, my training was excellent for teaching in schools but really did little for me as a homeschooling mom. You are not taught some magical formula for helping a child learn when you undergo teacher training.

Answer 2

Who am I to say another parent is doing it right or wrong? Home-schooling is right for the parents that choose it for their children. There are many methods out there that are wonderful. And there are many that stink -- but that is my opinion. Some of the *rotten* home-schools have still been far better than some of the group schools that I have seen. It all depends. A group school cannot remedy social ills nor fix family problems.

Parents are ultimately in charge of their own children. Not so says some of our gov't entities that choose to take away parental rights. If a parent chooses to raise a child to work forever at low paying jobs so-be-it. That's *THEIR* own future --- when they get old who's gonna take care of them? Well, the gov't seems to have programs for everything --- from welfare to medicare; babies to grandparents --- we choose to raise our OWN children to be the best that they can be. If homeschooling is the means we use to do it -- it does NO harm to anyone.

My 23 years of homeschooling has produced 4 fine citizens in our community. Their mode of education has been profitable in ways that money can't buy.

To answer the question: People have a problem w/homeschooling because they are either ignorant to the facts, jealous of the results or just flat out stubborn and they don't like "change". The face of education is changing!!!! And it is changing for the better.

There should never be "forced homeschooling" -- as there is now forced group school (compulsory attendance) in many areas. But I believe with all my heart that there should be complete CHOICE. If some people want group schools -- go for it. No problem from me but don't "require" everyone to go. If other people want one on one private tutoring -- okay! And if parents want to keep their children home and teach them all about everything they need to know to become successful adults then YES, that is what they should do.

I've said it before: Public schools should go the way of the real world and become businesses---- run with the consumer in mind and totally voluntary. The parent should be in charge (not the child.....).

Imagine having the choice to attend a gov't school, a private school, a small country charter school, or homeschool --- many of us do have this choice right NOW and we prefer to keep it this way.

Answer 3

I think that Home school is becoming a more accepted thing in society. There are also a lot more resources available for kids to get a quality education. I think the reason is has been a problem for some is those people (who I believe are now the minority) who in th past have homeschooled their children for the sole purpose of completely cutting them off from the world. Those are the children who don't get a quality education and in many cases they were in abusive situations and in a public school someone would have turned them in.

That is changeing as parents are getting frustrated with the lakc of quality education our kids are recieving in the public schools. Now we are seeing home school kids getting better quality education,exercising better social skills, and behaving better then their public school peers. I have even heard of homeschool kids gettting scholarships to Ivy League schools.

I think the key is that as more people take this option- and do a good job with it- then the stigma will go away.

For those who say kids in home school don't learn proper social skills, lets talk about the social skills I learned in public school. I learned that a person is not measured on the quality of their character, but on the cost and style of their clothing, designer clothes are a must. I learned that to be popular you had to become who someone else dictaced and behave the way someone elese wanted you to and so forth. I learned that it is wrong to stand up to a bully. I learned that it is okay to makeout with your boyfriend in the halls where everyone can see- when you are in 6th grade. I learned very vulgar language that I never learned from my parents. I learned that it is okay to make fun of someone who does not fit into the popular group. Heck you should be down right mean to them just because they are different. I could keep going, but I think you get the point. You need a much better aguement then Social skills to convince me that homeschooling is wrong.

Answer 4

You made an excellent point: As long as the parent does it right!! I don't have a problem with it persay, but my personal opinion is that school is a very important part of growing up. The relationships you make throughout a person's childhood whether they are good or bad make a person. I feel that there are more opportunities for a child in a public school as far as sports, electives, clubs, etc. to grow up to be a well rounded person. Not to mention all the advanced classes they have now-a-days is very helpful especially when starting college. I congratulate you on your achievements as a home schooled child. Perhaps (this is only a suggestion) that the public schools around you were not academically up to par as they should have been which could have had an effect on the way you turned out - please do not take offense to that comment as it was only a suggestion. I myself hated school & was glad is was over, but now as I am older (24) I wish I could go back & do it all over again & put forth my best effort.

For those homeschooled people that have excelled in school - grade school or college or both, I commend you!! I just feel you may have missed out on a lot socially & educationally.

Answer 5

Because they are ignorant & brainwashed into thinking that we are a cookie-cutter society that thinks & acts the same according to a preconceived idea of what the world is about. We are each unique creations & no government agency or social pressure should dictate how a person chooses to raise or educate their children. Here in America we seem to have the mentality that everything should be regimented & politically & socially correct in order to fit in! We think the Japanese way of life & TEAM players are the way to success, when, in fact, it is destroying our country from within. We seem to think having money & things equals happiness. We have forgotten about the spiritual side of people & if a child is going to learn how to be a good citizen, then they must have a spiritual awareness that comes from within. To go within, a person must learn how to be at ease with being alone & then they gain an inner strength that enables them to have a strong sense of self when they go out into the world. You can't develop this in a chaotic classroom of 30 children with a teaching staff that is employed to "mold" a child into complacency. We have a lot of molded people running around the United States that are products of a teaching system that is defunct & useless for anything other than creating a society of "worker bees", rather than a world of creative caring people who are happy with life itself.

Answer 6

I don't have a problem with home schooling as long as the child is still socially interacting with kids at other times. Protecting a child from the world is what I think could have long term effects.

Answer 7

Too many distractions at home, If homeschooling is that great schools should all be closed and let the parents do what they should do teach there kids not public schools. I dont see a problem with homeschooling but the parents are never home...... but we are in a differnt generation unfortunately. This is my personal opinion. When they took teaching away from the parents respionsibility and handed to public schools its never been the same.

Answer 8

Hey, EVERYTHING is religious! It just depends on what your religion is, and some people do not know.

Evolution is a belief--a religion. Creation is a religion, or belief--having one wife is a believe, or ten wives is a belief. Or morality is a belief.

You SHOULD teach your children your beliefs, or you are a dead-beat parent; for instance, I believe you should take a bath every night, brush your teeth twice a day and fix your hair, wash your clothes. Other people would only take a bath once a week. Do we state-mandate bathing?
YIKES! How about how much you should weigh? I don't think everyone should quit watching most movies--but isn't that each person's business?

Your whole life is actually what you believe. What you do proves what you believe. What you base your opinions on is your religion, or what you believe.

And our country has always offered liberty for each person to believe and worship God as they see fit. And this includes raising your own children with your beliefs.

Answer 9

its fine 'as long as the parent does it right'. i saw this story on dateline last night that made me sick. it was about these two little girls that are famous for singing hateful songs about white supremacy. they think Hitler was a great man and had good ideas. their mother thinks the same way and home schools them. She obviously is leaving out information and brainwashing them, because they think the holocaust was no big deal. In cases like this, home schooling can be used as an opportunity to brainwash a child. it all depends on the parents.

Answer 10

The only problem I have with homeschool, is parents being arrogant and thinking that they always know what's best. I hear about many kids who want to go to school, but their parents won't let them. They are forced to stay home, I think that's one of the worst things you could do whether your child is homeschooled or goes to PS, is not listen to them. You don't want them to resent you or regret anything.