okay, let's settle this?

Question

do you agree that home schooling is ridiculous...i mean how can it be fair as far as grades go and how could you handle never knowing more than your parents...

Answer 1

You will NOT settle this question HERE, as these parents are very CLOSE MINDED, and will never yield; even to any study or debate, they will always think they are doing the right thing. They are not very good parents in my opinion; but I assure you, they think the exact opposite: that they are the parents sent from heaven above and nobody is better than THEM.

And teachers are VERY aware of what is going on with home schooling, and they are VERY concerned about the future of our country and the future of these children! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Watch for their answers, you will soon see what I am talking about.

That is major difference between public teachers and parents. Teachers know they have faults, and are willing to learn from their mistakes. Parents, they think they have no faults, and everybody else is wrong. AND YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE THE WAY THEY THINK.

Answer 2

The last part of your question is illogical - if it were impossible to know more than your teacher, there would never be any new discoveries in the world (because that would mean you had learned something your teacher didn't know).

Many of the programs available for home education have very objective tests (the answer is either right or wrong, as on a multiple choice test) instead of subjective. So it is very easy to determine grades. My son once got a "C" on his math test, and he deserved it, because he wasn't even trying. I have no problem giving him a poor grade if he doesn't put forth his best effort.

The truth is... home educating CAN be a good option. Studies have shown that students who are/were educated at home not only perform better academically (in general) than their public or private school peers, but now we are finding that they are better socialized than their peers, are more active in the community (in general), and are better informed than their peers (in general). IF you're interested in the FACTS, check here:

http://www.nheri.org/content/view/176/53/

Dr. Brian D. Ray has been studying homeschooling for years and has recently (2004) completed a study of adults who were home educated and are now in the "real world" (entitled, "Home Educated and Now Adults"). His findings are worth a look.

I say home educating CAN be a good option because I do not believe that every child should be educated at home. Home education takes a big commitment from the parent(s) and not all parents are willing to make that commitment of time and effort to ensure their child succeeds in this environment. For those who do make that commitment, home education is generally better than the public or private schools.

Answer 3

I have a 12 year old son who couldn't read even at a Kindergarten level at the start of this school year.He can now read at a first grade level. He suffers for a seizure disorder that has left him brain damaged. He will never be the president of a company or even a burger flipper at McDonald's. He will achieve what he is able. My decision to home school was a long thought out one.My child will most likely never see his 20th birthday due to health problems.We learn something every day ,Most days, it maybe be a new word or something in history. My child doesn't have the ability to retain knowledge.So if he can read,I am Sam,then we made progress.Don't be so quick to judge,we all have our reasons.I just wish my son could form a question like you did one day.

Answer 4

It seems like the biggest thing people say about homeschooling is that the kids miss out on socializing. I have to disagree! I homeschool my children and I think that most homeschool parents will agree with me on this: Homeschool children are probably more involved in socializing than PS kids just because parents hear all the time that their child won't have social skills. Homeschooling my kids lets them participate more in extracurricular activities because they have more time to spend doing them. Also, they can participate in charity organizations more because they are "available" to do so. All school districts require homeschool groups to conform to the same standards of PS. My children are required to take the same standardized tests. Also, there are homeschool groups that meet where there are retired teachers that can help you teach your children if they get to the point that you cannot explain the learning fundamentals.

Answer 5

1) How hard is it for a person to use an answer key and grade a paper? Not very. So how is grading unfair?

2) My children will always know more than me about certain things. For instance, I could care less about mountains like K-2 and others. My son knows more about them, because he CARES about them and WANTS to learn about them. So he takes it upon himself to check out books from the library and go on-line to learn about them.

3) People who disagree with homeschooling usually have no clue what it entails, and should keep their opinions to themselves.

4) I have more education than is required of teachers these days, so what makes anyone think a teacher can do a better job than me?

5) I just read what Douglas wrote and I have to say, show me a report or study that has negatives about homeschooling in it. I want to see one in which the writer states negative facts OTHER than social issues. See, unlike in the public school system, my children are learning that there is usually more than one side to every issue. Rather than ONLY learning what is PC, my children will be taught to think for themselves.

6) The main reason school administrators and teachers (even retired ones) have anything bad to say about homeschooling is that THEIR LIVELIHOOD IS AT STAKE. Of course they aren't going to have anything good to say about it. What should they say? "Here, teach your kid at home so I won't have a job"? Think about it!

Answer 6

If you think that education is about getting grades and that no student ever knew more then his or her teacher, than maybe you should have been home schooled.

School is about LEARNING. Home schooling can suit kids for whom the standard classroom environment is stifling.

I worry about kids who are home schooled with the express intent of their parents shielding them from political or religious ideas that the parents find offensive.

Home school networks are getting pretty good at recognizing that students need social, sporting, and musical interactions that they might not get at home and then providing these.

Answer 7

I disagree. I have a friend who runs their family funeralhome. They have 7 children,they home school,one of which has graduated,& all are very nice respectful kids. Also our pastor & wife home school, their 4 kids+ can give them religious training, which by some unfortunat reason you can not do in public schools,because of some stupid people who probably flunked kindergarden !!!

Answer 8

No, what is ridiculous though are nosey busy bodies, making ignorant and bias judgements on a group of people who only have their childrens best interest at heart. People like Doug are offended, p*ssed at the world that parents can and are doing successfully what he needed to take in college to be qualified to do.

No one on this earth loves my children as my husband and I do. No one on this earth has their best interest at heart more than my husband and I do. No one cares more about their education than my husband and I do. Not even the most loving teacher, loves my children the way that we do.

For THOUSANDS of YEARS man has learned and grown without forced schooling. They learned to read, write and do math all in their own homes. Now that books and curriculums are available to even the poorest of poor, children can learn to read, write, etc. from their parents. ALL it takes is a loving parent, one that can comprehend and one that will give their child what they need in order to best learn, even if it means bringing in a teacher.

You all act as if there weren't schools that no one would want to learn and that is bullsh*t. Even in the early days of school, children were taught by CHILDREN who graduated high school, one did not need to go to college to learn to teach. Teaching is sharing your knowledge. Why does a child *need* a teacher to explain history when a great book can do the job? My 8yo dd has taught herself math, she is eight, if she comprehended and learned the simple lessons and has built upon them then why does she *need* a teacher? Maybe you need help and need a teacher to explain what it means to you but many children don't. College was and still is for higher education but one does not need a professional teacher, in order to be ready for college.

I want free-thinkers and you and Doug and others like you who want to see that right stripped away PROVE that you are not free-thinkers, nor are you for freedom. You probably would rather have children be wards of the state and to me, that is just as horrifying as the U.S. becoming a theocracy. You worry about fundamentalist christians? Then you've simply traded one form of fundamentalism for another, both strip a person of their individuality and uniqueness and turn out people equivelant to the Borg collective (one mind drones from "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), yours is just in a different guise.

Answer 9

No, I do not agree.... but then again, I've actually carefully researched this topic, have a degree in education, and I've witnessed first hand how wonderful this option is for many children.

Answer 10

Home schooled kids have advantages and disadvantages. Schools have just as many problems as home schooling, if you ask me. But, over all, a kid who's homeschooled misses out on a lot of social development that's crucial at that age.