Home Schooling?

Question

What are the benefits of Home Schooling? I am in Australia and they dont have it here unless its for a reason, illness, disability etc etc.
I would think that going to a school would be of more benefit to the child, to be educated by professional educaters, and for social skills.
I know just in general, in my own life that I wouldnt have time to do it properly, with all the other day to day things that go on.
Just asking for opinions, as I know nothing about it?

How can you keep a close eye on how they are doing, if they only have a yearly exam?
What happens if they fall behind, do you have to wait until the end of the year to find out?

As I said.........I'm merely asking questions, its not a choice/ option in Aust.

Wow, the schools over here are absolutely nothing like the way you describe the ones in America!

Answer 1

as with anything, there are pros and cons

you have your own circumstance and you have to go with what is best for you, and your children's education

local laws and if they acknowledge the home schooling is another point

in US home school is considered private tutoring and a private school

lots of resistance, kids learn quicker and often enter college by 14 or 16 and then a junior, and are done with grad school by 25 and are off on a head start in life

however this means at least one parent becomes the tutor and takes lots of time to provide the other aspects of education, social developement and dealing with peers

I HS'd my kid for a bit and he stopped socializing with his peers or they picked on him because suddenly all the one on one teaching advanced him and his friends are now 4 and 6 years older, but the public school system places him on age not ability so when he went back he did not fit

they say try private schooling (very expensive) as the public schools seemed to be more about behavior and social things than education, preparing my child to be a soldier and putting him through military academy like programs, stiffling creativity and promoting herd mentality

they say "we care about what's good for your child" and they feel they know best. Only parents can claim that, and eventually the child will know.

all I did was give my child the environment to freely choose and then ran with it, and he learned at own pace and in his time

they call that unschooling

but good luck, it's gaining in popularity as schools in US are failing and not advancing kids even at thier own pace, the kids come home with behavioral discipline slips and that's all they remember, about in school detention or expelations, etc

cheers

Answer 2

Well, I have some experience with this subject. I was home schooled since the start of fourth grade. And I think that it works allot better for several reasons.
1. You get more one-on-one attention from the teacher.
2. The teacher you get in homeschooling will have around at least a 90 percent more likely to care about you.
3. You get a better working knowledge of the thing that you might want to do in life.
4. I've heard that home schooled kids are better prepared for college, and to have a good education.

I will admit that the social reasons for "public schooling" has some merit. However that's why parents that do home school there kids need to get together and make things for them to do so that they can interact with each other.

Answer 3

You might do a bit more research. On several of the gifted homeschooling lists that I'm on there are several homeschoolers from Australia. It is not as common as here, but it is happening and not just for illnesses or disabilities.

I feel that as a parent it is my responsibility to make sure my child is getting an adequate education. If that is not available at my local school than I need to make the sacrifices necessary to see that it happens. As for social skills, it is also my responsibility to prepare my child to interact with the world and I have found that much easier with homeschooling as well. She has time for many more extra-curricular activities and time to spend with her friends and family.

Answer 4

For the teacher who insults all homeschoolers - it is very difficult to get a person to understand that which their paycheck depends upon them not understanding.

You don't have to test more than once, because you know your student when you homeschool. Testing is there because teachers don't know their students and need an ostensibly objective way to judge them.

Testing, falling behind, learning certain things at certain times in a certain order - this is all the 'school' way of thinking.

Thomas Edison's mother saw what school was doing to her precious son after only a few weeks. She yanked him out. I doubt we'd still all be living in darkness if she had left him in school - but it would have taken another person, raised free of the nonsese of institutionalized 'education' to invent the light bulb.

You think Thomas Jefferson had tests from his tutors? No. You think Leonard da Vinci did? No.

You don't need a test to know how your child is doing at something - you just have to talk with them, observe them.

But really, until you are removed from an insane situation that you participate in, it's hard to see just how insane it is. It was like when I realized after high school that I could buy any style shoe I wanted. No one cared. It was quite liberating. But not nearly as liberating as never ever having been put into those conformity factories at all!

Lots of religious freaks 'homeschool' but the teachers here will be happy to know the religious freak homeschoolers are the ones who use desks, curricula, testing, regimentation - they love it! Also - the religious are no longer the majority of American homeschoolers - and the fasting growing group of homeschoolers are the UNSCHOOLERS! School is dead, learn in freedom.

Answer 5

i did an article many many MANY years ago where I interviewed a young boy who was being homeschooled. personally he loved it.

The pros are that generally you get to go at your own pace, you have a bit more freedom to go out into the community and learn about different things/people/places. Theres also a bit more control over content.

The cons are that some of the social opportunitys are missed, and if the child goes to college its a big adjustment to be around that many people and to learn what to do in a classroom setting. There is also missing Junior prom and Senior ball which are memorable milestones in people's lives.

I would suggest trying it out for a bit to see if it suits, and getting the childs imput as to weather they like it or not

Answer 6

1. More mature, responsible, and socially adept children.
2. Better education.
3. Uncompromised religious and moral foundations.
4. Personalized instruction for deeper and more interesting learning.
5. A bunch more in the articles I list below....

Here's a site giving info on homeschooling in Australia: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Australia.htm.

Answer 7

Home schooling allows a parent to decide exactly the curriculum that they want for their child. I have seen this done well and poorly. If a parent has an agenda that is not really in the best interest of their child it can be a sad thing. I've seen parents who are hatefully racist keep their kids home and teach them eugenics. Most parents who homeschool thier children, however, are highly educated and are wanting to control the education that their children recieve. I have seen it done very well.

Answer 8

My friends are from Australia. They home-schooled while in that Country.

www.HSLDA.org has information on many places besides only the USA.
www.NHERI.org is full of information and statistics about homeschooling.

A parent can keep a much closer-eye on a student when the student is at home. My children do their math, writing and reading under my watch. Our interaction is much more profitable when they are at home.

A professional teacher is only someone who gets paid to do your work.

Answer 9

I can tell you now, you will get MANY answers from PARENTS OF HOME SCHOOLED KIDS who will dispute everything you said, and believe that kids are much better off at home, alone with the parent.

This is garbage!!!! YOU have it EXACTLY right.

Parents of home schoolers hate the idea of public schools, because they think THEIR KID is special and different and they DO NOT WANT them to interact with other kids who might upset them, in any way at all. This is not logical. A child must learn to socialize with everybody, not just other home schoolers, and not just once a month.

For them to think they "know better": how to teach, is ridiculus. Teachers are called professionals for a good reason. They are highly educated, screened, able, capable, caring, INTELLIGENT, and EXPERIENCED (which the home school parent choses to ignore) with the age level of the child. They really do know what is normal and what is not. And they know much much more than any parent ever will.

Be prepared for their hostile assault on your sensible question. They are very conceited people. And they overprotect their kids. And they HURT them by doing so.

It's getting ridiculous, these parents.......

Most home schooled kids end up watching a lot of TV and playing their videogames, alone. They have difficulties adapting to "real" life, and many cannot read or write well. (Look at answer above, from Jarod R!)
Many people home school due to RELIGION, not education. And that is bad. Religion belongs in church, not in schools!

Answer 10

There is no need for 'professional educators.' Most of the time, they mess things up - destroy creativity, initiative, and feelings of self-worth.

The socialization of school is typically more harmful than not - the peer pressure to consume, to be materialistic, to form cliques. In America, school peer pressure includes the pressure NOT to appear smart. Pretty counterproductive.

Also, this is an artificial environment where you are segregated with only people of your own age, with one lord and master who has total control of you. Most of the rules of the institution are their to serve the needs of the institution, not of the kids.

You don't want the time to 'do it properly' - if by that you mean doing it as the schools do it. They do it all wrong, totally, horrifically wrong.

We unschool and our children are brilliant, self-motivated, curious, creative, clever, polite, hard-working, self-confident, vastly different from the schooled children their age. I don't have a curriculum, I don't 'teach' them anything. We live and learn. We share our passions.

My dad had taught me to read long before I began school. For my kids, they were taught to read at home, too. It's very easy - as long as you don't do it the stupid school way.

Ugh - when I think of the ridiculous questions my poor niece had to answer about a great play last spring. The questions seemed intentionally designed to drain all interest in the play out of the students - it tried to rob the play of all its power. It was utterly bizzare. I kept saying - these are not the questions they want you to answer, c'mon!
But, alas, those were the questions... My boys see many plays as well as read them, discuss them endlessly with mom and dad and friends, act them out, put them on, read about the times and context of the plays...

Far better life skills are gained by actually living in the real world than by being shut up in segregated classrooms with people from your own neighborhoods. Far better to be meeting people of all ages, walks of life, interests, perspectives. Far better to get out and start doing things, rather than reading about them, broken down into ridiculous segments, followed by a quiz of meaningless questions.

Our kids are 13.5 and 9. We treasure them and they treasure the very nice life they get to lead. And, since it matters to some people, they blow the tops off the standarized tests the state compels them to take yearly.