What do you think about home schooling your children?

Question

I am seriously considering home schooling my child when she is old enough to start school. Public school now days is just as scary as a subway station! I would like some opinions and facts on this topic. Thanks

I used to think about my child not learning how to interact with other children if I chose to home school, but then I heard about groups of parents that all home school their kids at the same time. I figured that if I got her involved with sports or girl scouts, then those activities would take care of the social interatcion part.

Answer 1

I plan on homeschooling my son and know several now adults who were homeschooled.

I think as long as you are dedicated to it and make sure you keep your child involved in social activities (homeschool groups, church, sports, dance, etc) than you aren't likely to have any problems

Quote from article-----In July 2000, the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think-tank, published an extensive report on homeschooling written by Senior Fellow Dr. Patricia Lines. She describes several controlled studies comparing the social skills of homeschoolers and nonhomeschoolers.

The homeschoolers scored as "well adjusted." In one study, trained counselors viewed videotapes of mixed groups of homeschooled and schooled children at play. The counselors didn't know the school status of each child. The results? The homeschooled kids demonstrated fewer behavioral problems. Dr. Lines' conclusion? "There is no basis to question the social development of homeschooled children."----end quote


QUOTE FROM 2nd ARTICLE----Significantly, this study also found that children who attended preschool at least 15 hours a week displayed more negative social behaviors as compared with children who stay at home.---END QUOTE

Personally, I see the way children are today, I teach teenagers at my church and a good friend of mine mentors young teens in our town (Christian and non-Christian) and I do not want my child socialized into that society, I don't see where any good can come of it.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

To be honest I considered home-schooling my children when they started because I too was terrified of all the horrible things you hear.

But through researching I also would be taking away a lot. Like, you've stated social interaction.
But also. 1. Learning from other students
2. Activities that schools provide
3. Tools for scholarships
4. Learning that a boss is going to be more than just mom and dad but teachers etc.....
5. Knowing the kids in your local community
6. And most importantly Tests to know where your child's knowledge stands.

And like you said I also heard about other families home-school but what if the parents are not people you "click with" or the kids not someone your kids relate to?

I know this sounds strong but remember how long can we really protect them from society?

Good luck to you and your children.

Answer 3

Your daughter is young, and our experience may not be very relevant to your situation, but here goes. We home schooled our granddaughter for 7th grade. Here's what I learned. The benefits are there is no tormenting by others kids, no stealing lunch money. No crappy food. No evil influences like drugs. No having to ride the school bus.

Detriments? No PE, or at least insufficient PE, even though she played soccer in one of the community teams. No interaction with others her age. She's mature for her age, but I thought more socializing with her peers, meaning other 13-year-olds, would be a good idea. Sleeping too late, largely because she never had to catch the school bus.

We used a curriculum from BY Univ., and I recommend it highly.

Should you have any questions, or if you want to discuss further, just e-mail me.

However, if your daughter is much younger and will go into first grade, I'd probably recommend you put her in regular school. Unless the schools in your area are really bad.

Answer 4

I honestly couldn't do it for a few reasons.
First, the homeschooled kids that I have met are not well adjusted at all. Most of them, (even the ones that belong to homeschooling groups and participate in sports) do not know how to interact socially. Another thing that I have noticed with almost all homeschooled kids is that they are very far behind what kids in mainstream or even public school are.
I am very much against homeschooling for those two reasons. The argument could be that there are extremely active homeschooling groups- but when you have 3 or 4 kids that don't know how to interact with eachother, what do you get? A group of socially inept kids that doesn't know how to interact with other kids.
I myself could never home school because I need my kids to be gone 8 hrs a day. It helps me to appreciate them and they me. I love summer vacation because I get to spend time with them and we do lots of different things but about 2 weeks before school starts I am most definitely ready for them to go back.

You are right, public schools can be dangerous, but I also think that we can't protect them from everything. I would rather send my children to school and have them be productive members of society and have them learn how to deal with stressful situations and understand what being in the real world is like than to have them home and afraid. I refuse to be afraid, and I don't want them to be either. Where does fear get us?

Answer 5

Great idea if you have the dedication to do it. You'd also want some options for her to get play time with kids her age and supplementary classes with other kids. I taught my kids at home and they were way ahead of their age school grades. They also took some classes/sports with other kids-- gymnastics, swimming, clay, ballet, karate, horse-back riding, soccer, art etc.
Some advantages, besides safety, of home schooling is the child proceeds at his/her own rate and the teacher-student ratio can't be beat! You are your baby's first teacher, and at least in the early years there is no reason to change that if you don't want to. Follow your child's natural interest in learning.
Half the time spent in public schools is wasted in just keeping order... As far as socialization is concerned, a diligent parent would want to superivise that to an extent anyway with young kids. There's a lot of negative stuff they get exposed to in schools that they just don't need to know about at a young age.
Good luck!

Answer 6

It would definitely be safer, that`s for sure.
If i was confident enough about my teaching abilities and patience, I would totally do it. That stuff with not functioning correctly in a social setting is absolute crap. Sure, you interact with other kids, unless you are a loner anyway and are picked on because maybe you don`t "fit it" with the cool kids. Maybe your parents don`t make as much money and the kids tease you for wearing your older brothers hand-me-downs. But wait, yeah, that is supposed to make you stronger, right?What a crock! Kids in schools nowadays are rowdy, spit, curse, smoke, have sex at age 13 and what have you. Surely not every kid, but if people want to tell me that it is BETTER to put their child in a public school and the only reason they give is socializing, i would simply tell them to get real and take a look around.
Good luck to ya! Do what is best for your child, not anyone else. Don`t get discouraged, but make sure it is what you want.

Answer 7

I think home schooling is a valid educational option, but you have to be dedicated to it. They won't have the socialization that is part of a classroom setting, but they can get soicalization through classes at community centers, organized sports, civic or religious organizations, etc. I don't really think it should be done to protect your child from the outside world, but for some families it works very well, most homeschool children excell in educational areas.

Answer 8

I can see some really positive things involved in home schooling as long as the parent was an active parent and they themselves were disciplined enough to follow a schedule.

I can also see some really positive things involved in private schools.

My children are in public schools and in grades 4 and 6 and although there are times when it is beneficial there are times when I really wish I could just yank them out and teach them myself. Especially when you are dealing with cruel teachers.

Answer 9

I worked with a woman who home schooled and both her and her daughter really liked it. Actually, the daughter was a head in her schooling. The daughter did do extra activities so that she could be with other kids, but I've only heard good things about it.

Answer 10

I don't like the idea at all...school is about learning as well as social interaction. I think that kids that are homeschooled lose out on a huge part iof life with not going to school