Anti-homeschoolers, would you care to...?

Question

Reiterate how great the public schools are because I'm not coming across such great findings...

"The disconnect between real life and the high school experience and the absence of any real connection to peers and teachers causes many students on the margins to give up: More than 30 percent of U.S. students who enter high school never finish, according to a recent report by Harvard University's Civil Rights Project, the Urban Institute, Advocates for Children of New York, and the Civil Society Institute.

Minorities are especially hard hit. Although graduation rates for whites average 75 percent, only about half of African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans graduate. And what about the students who do walk across the stage? Only 39 percent go on to college, and a mere 18 percent will earn a degree within six years, according to the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems." Source here: http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=Art_1197&issue=nov_04

I

Notice it says that they have a DISCONNECT from REAL LIFE. I thought that schooling prepares one socially? So what could that possibly mean?

According to those of you against homeschooling due to lack of socialization skills? Pfft...fix your own house before trying to tell me how to fix mine.

psycmikev...you are making generalizations based on opinions and not facts. Do you know what a community is? It sure as hell goes outside of school walls. On my street alone we have two nice lesbian ladies across the street, deists next door, a Filipino family who have about 14 people living in one house, numerous elderly, I'm an atheist, my husband (undecided) and in a heavy metal band, my sons best friend is an African American Christian, we have in our neighborhood alone those of white, black, asian and mexican descent. The store clerks are white, black, mexican, filipino, asian, etc....we have culture and diversity coming out the ying-yang and these are people we run into on a DAILY basis.

I, on the other hand was public schooled my whole life in the town I was raised in up in Northern Michigan. Culture? Diversity? Non existent. Town of 1300 with one black man.

You also make generilizations about preparing for real life. I'm not surprised though, you need to fit in.

Answer 1

I believe you should consider the SOURCE of your quote above. Then read George Lucas' OWN experiences with public schools. He says he was often bored, and wanted school to be fun all the time. He offers this magazine in an effort to improve education, but in fact, you must remember HE HAS HIS OWN AGENDA AND SLANT on the matter.

One thing I have learned as a career long public school teacher, is that EVERYBODY (at least in America) has an OPINION about schools. Many loved school, many hated school, and everything in between. And the same broad range appears in every question you can ask about public education.

Perhaps you yourself are slanted or have your own agenda, or premises about public school, and thus you seek out negatives instead of positives regarding public schools.

I would suggest you visit several public schools and watch the learning that goes on. Then you might change your mind. Do not rely on the negative press or people with agendas to form your opinion. You should research first hand, and then you will see for yourself, that most schools are doing a tremendous job of teaching students.

I make one final quote of my own, that I have found to be true:

"Schools are simply a reflection of society."

Perhaps then you will realize how COMPLEX and DIFFICULT schooling has become.

Answer 2

Think that the ideal world would be one where the children are taught in the home and that they would learn in the home. In my home If I did not work we would not eat. For some reason that is important to the kids. I was never really good about being really patient with them even though I did stay home when they were little. I taught what a pre pre schooler should know but one of my kids would ot learn from me. When he went to school and had the influence of others to enforce what I had been saying it made him do better. My youngest son however would have done better if I could have kept him home and taught him but I don't think that I would have liked it. I applaud anyone who can stay at home and do this and do it so the kids learn.

Answer 3

I can tell you from experience that everytime we've gotten homeschooled kids returning to public school, they've had serious deficiencies in one or more areas that haven't been addressed at home. Usually, it's math, science, or writing, though occasionally, it's reading.

On one hand, if you homeschool your child or children, you can definitely improve the teacher/student ratio over the public schools. On the other hand, I've known a lot of parents who have put their faith in some sort of educational package that doesn't necessarily prepare their children as well as the advertising states.

A parent who is involved in their child's education is a parent who is going to help that child succeed whether the child is homeschooled or schooled in a public school. If you are truly involved in seeing that your child is learning, your child would probably succeed in the public school setting.

If you would take those students who are NOT succeeding in your statistics and find out how many have involved, concerned parents, I think you would find out exactly why they are NOT succeeding.

I am a public school librarian. Am I against homeschooling? Not necessarily, but I have seen very few parents who have the training AND discipline to make it work consistently. This does not mean you are not giving your child a good education. I don't know. However, as concerned as you are about your child's learning, I would think that you would also be a concerned, active parent, if your child was in a public school setting.

I would also suggest, if you feel that you are not qualified to help your child in a certain area, that you enlist the help of the public schools. Your child can usually attend one or more classes at school, and be homeschooled for the rest. For example, you could have your child take a lab science, such as biology or chemistry at school, but be homeschooled for math, English, etc. Or, if you feel inadequate helping your child with upper level math, your child could take algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, or calculus at school. You could also have your child take music or PE.

I have worked with parents in the past to make my library available to them and their children. My school is a small rural school, and parents who homeschool may find it easier to come here than to drive into town to the public library.

What I am trying to say is that homeschool parents and children do not necessarily have to be in an adversarial position with public schools. If it works for you and your child, great. It doesn't necessarily work for everyone.

Answer 4

Is it really that big of a deal to get so riled up and spend so much time making an argument?

I know plenty of home-schooled kids. Only 1 has friends =)

If you're worried about the kid not having friends, sign him up for athletics in the near-by school....except that would put the kid in the so label'd "drinking and drug using" situations...



Public schools aren't bad at all, its all dependant on how the parents and the child decides to take advangtage of it. The difference between home-school and public, is in home schooling...the parent forces the child to take the learning path.

Answer 5

While no one is claiming that even the best public schools are perfect, public schools are still better then home schooling. There are many valid reasons, from the social context, to the freer exchange of ideas, different belief systems, from political,religious and ethnic. None of these things can be covered at home. Your book smarts may be better, but you are behind in every other area that you need to survive in the real world. If home school parents would put that same effort into making schools better then everyone would benefit, instead everyone suffers.

Answer 6

Fix our own house before tellling you to fix yours?

Hello are you not the one asking ..no dictating your questions and opinons, and then, having a go at the opinions of others?

If this is the narrow mindedness that you teach your children, then God help them! If you teach your children to be disrespectful to others for having a different view on things other than your view.........then when they actually enter the real world, they are in for a HUGE shock!

Answer 7

Public school socialized me to drink, have sex, do drugs, and gave me a very average education.

I am clamoring for my child to reap the benefits too!

Sarcasm: Look it up.

Answer 8

No one cares, public schools suck.