Would you consider home schooling your children?

Question

I have friend who does. They meet up with other families and have various "clubs" to cover different subjects.
Just wondering if the advantages out weigh the disadvantages, in your opinion?

Answer 1

We homeschool too! As you can see most of the negative aspect of HSing is that ignorance is abundant. For us I feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by far. I wanted to have children and want them to have the best education! I don't feel that I need a babysitter in the form of the public school system.

My dd really wanted to go to preschool and so I found a highly recommended private Montessori school that we were paying almost $400.00 a month for 2 days a week. Week 2 she was moved to the Kindergarten /1st grade class (only 4) because she was soo advanced. I had planned on sending her there for Kindergarten as well. She began to have behavioral problems and I finally pulled her out of there. I feel that we had been HSing since birth but had planned on sending her to a private school. Since that preschool incident have chosen to continue with our homeschool path. We belong to a couple of HS groups and do some classes and field trips together. I really have come to not like the word HOMESCHOOL because we are never at home but always out at a class or other outing. She is with children for hours at a time at least 4 days a week. For those that only point to the socialization...remember when you were in school...I remember quite a few socially retarded kids and they had been in public school the whole time!

Answer 2

I think HS has fantastic advantages BUT as someone who was homeschooled (I am now 63) and trained as a teacher (18 yar in Primary Schools) there may be disadvantages. By the age of 9/10 I had read all the Rider Haggard books I could and all the Sherlock Holmes (except the last one which I did not want to read where he goes down the waterfall). When I finally went to school everyone called me 'the professor'.

The problem I had was in dealing with other children, I was fine with the teachers but I found a lot of children uncivilised (it's because a lot of them are actually!). They baffled me and I didn't really fit in. Oh it was OK by the time I went to Uni and I am having a v enjoyable life, PhD in Mech Eng, post doctoral work in Chemistry, Director of a large Arts Centre, and school teacher in a deprived area all fascinating, but I am convinced there is a problem here. It took me a long time to find my feet with my peers.

It is probably better these days as it is easier to network and find groups, but dont take the prob. lightly

Answer 3

I do homeschool my children and I do believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

I frankly see few disadvantages for us. We have a lot of contact with people from outside the family, we live in a large city with a lot of homeschoolers and can plan group field trips and classes and more during the day--there are even organizations who have set up programs specifically for homeschoolers, we have a stable family and we are committed to giving our children a good education and environment in which to grow up. The primary disadvantage is people's ignorance and stereotyping, as you can see by some of the responses in here.

Answer 4

I know several families who have chosen to home school their kids. Mainly because the parents felt that the school wasn't meeting their childs needs and the children were unhappy. I admire these families as they put a great deal of effort into making sure their children receive the correct teaching, balanced with life skills and experiences plus making sure that the children have ample opportunities to socialise. I don't think that home schooling is the easy option. Far easier to drop them at school and pick them up at the end of the day, while in the meantime you either been to work to earn some extra pounds or had a bit of me time.

Answer 5

I certainly would, if I had kids, which I don't. But I can see the advantages of letting them go at their own pace, being able to explore the world outside a school setting, getting more one-on-one time with the person doing the classes (parent or other), and of course not being in danger in a public school setting as so many are today. Parents also have more say in the values taught to their children.
There are ways to make sure homeschooled kids are properly socialized etc. and I think it's a positive trend. And who knows, the position of "governess" may return, creating jobs!

Answer 6

I did.

I first considered home schooling my children before I even started my family.

My husband and I married in 1980. We discussed the option of home education before our wedding!

Three years later when our first son was born I had already been considering everything about home schooling. By the time he was two I had done quite a bit of research and started to seek out and meet other families that were already home-schooling.

Home-school has been our LIFE for the past 20 years! I consider home schooling my children every time I wake up and every time I go to bed.

We cover all of our basic academic subjects at home. After the children finish their studies they are free to roam about the house... ;-). They work, play, visit with friends, tend to chores and spend time in their hobbies.....etc.etc.etc.

My at home scholars are nearly done with their basic education. As a matter of fact two of them are already grown and out of the house. One is married, the other is in college. Another is at home and working part-time. The youngest studies and builds things.

If I had to start over? Would I consider doing it again?
ABSOLUTELY! It is the best.

Answer 7

Definatly, I've been homeschooled since Kindergarten and its been a great education. Also, contrary to popular belief, homeschooling does not mean that your kids will have no social skills, especially now with the movement growing so exponentially.

Answer 8

I homeschool my two children, and I feel that it is definitely the best option for our family. I love the time I spend with my children, and I have rarely wavered in my choice to stay home with them. The only times I have wavered was due to the negative comments made by some family members. Luckily, I have never given in to their influence. My children love being taught at home.

Funnily enough, the same negative family members was recently complaining about some bullying done to my cousin's children at their public school. I don't think she caught onto the irony of the situation.

Answer 9

School's about more than just learning: it's about socialising, and being part of a larger whole. It's also about the discipline of turning up every day.

Also, lots of the learning experiences of school can't be adequately replicated at home or even in a "club" unless you have everything from a forge for metalwork to a fully-equipped chemical lab.

And finally, it isn't economically viable - if you're intelligent enough to school your children adequately across a range of subjects, you'd almost certainly be better off getting a job and using the money to put your child through private school.

So unless your local school is really bad, I personally wouldn't consider it.

Answer 10

After 5 years in public school I knew had to do something different for my son.Home schooling was one of the option we had and ultimately choose.It is the best decision I could have ever made.My son has improved greatly.While not for everyone,home school has been wonderful for us!!