Can someone explain this to me?

Question

I'm an unschooled teenager who doesn't get the idea of school-at-home homeschooling.

By this, I mean the people who have a curriculum, school hours, sometimes even a 'school room' with desks and a blackboard, give their kids homework and grade their papers. With all that time and energy, it's got to be exhausting for the parents, it takes time away from the kid to hang out or pursue a hobby, and frankly I don't think it's good for the kid for the people who give him grades to be the people he lives with.

Even with all that aside, what's the point? Just send your kid to school, or if you're religious, find a Catholic school.

I know I sound kind of hostile but I really just want to know.

If it makes any difference, I went to school for five years.

Look, I support homeschooling, since I do it, I'm just saying that particular method doesn't make sense to me.

I know I said Catholic school, but whatever. Baptist school. Yeshiva. Religious school.

Answer 1

I think I can answer this. We never used desks, but I definitely had a very rigorous curriculum, lots of homework, and I practically killed both my son and I with worksheets and homework our first year of homeschooling. He was busy doing lots of work, and I was spending hours planning and grading work as well.

Why? Because I felt so much pressure the first year of homeschooling to be the perfect teacher and to teach him everything, and not to miss teaching anything. And the truth is you can't teach everything, and you especially can't teach a child everything in one year, and especially I just kind of figured out at some point that I was just trying to do way too much. Plus I had scheduled my ds for half a dozen social activities, lessons, and sports because I wanted to make sure that he was getting plenty of socialization. I was just feeling so much pressure that I had put on myself not to screw this up! I wanted to make sure my ds was getting 100% of his socialization and academic requirements. But in trying to be the perfect homeschool mom, I was actually really messing up. So towards the end of my first year, I started loosening up.

Thank goodness, and homeschooling became so much easier for my son and I, pretty much all the rocky patches were gone. I worked on making homeschooling more fun and enjoyable and pleasant, and started tailoring our hs curriculum to my children's interests. The children have more free time now to just goof around, and we're not just rushing around to homeschool activities all the time. We just choose a few of their favorite activities; instead of half a dozen.

Answer 2

I am in 12th grade and have been homeschooled since 1st grade. i don't sit in a special room with a blackboard and I don't think that other people that don't homeschool are not as good as me. Yes, i sometimes feel like there were things i missed out on, but at the same time i know that the education i got at home through my program was excellent and has helped pave the way for an exciting future.
Let me ask you a question if i understand correctly then you have never been to regular school anyway so why is this even relevant to you

Answer 3

As a teenager, you don't see a parent's point of view. You won't understand until you are a parent yourself making the same decisions. Right now you see the time that you want to "hang out or pursue a hobby". Yes, homeschooling parents do get exhausted at times and do put in tons of time and energy to give their child the best possible education, but that is by choice and out of love! My kids are homeschooled and still have plenty of time to "hang out" AND have their own hobbies. As for the grades, why do you feel that it's not good for the people that live with you to give you the grades? As long as your work is honest, and mom or dad are giving you honest marks, then there should be no problem! No parent is going to want to hurt their own child by giving them A's if they deserve D's or F's. As for your question "What's the point?" you won't understand until you're grown up and a parent yourself, THEN you'll get the point. Also, not everyone is Catholic sweetie. Your question doesn't sound hostile, but a little immature, but then again, you're still a teen! ; )

Answer 4

Curriculum is important for a comprehensive education in a society where you will find yourself competing on standardized exams to get into college, etc. It ensures you do not miss any of the topics taught in standard education and found on standardized exams.

I used curriculum, worked at my kids' pace and gave tests. I did not grade them per se, but looked to see if they understood the basic concept or if we needed to review that topic.

Unschooling sounds good in general to many people. Perhaps some people do well with it, but the only "unschooled" homeschoolers I know did not learn anything. They played video games and watched TV.

I feel that most parents need curriculum as a guide for what should be learned at each grade level.

Grades are needed in schools to justify the educators, but it does nothing but stress out the kids. Homeschool parents may choose to keep grades, and in some states it is required and they must be turned in to either the state or an "umbrella program" that governs them. Overall, that is a preference. I chose not to do it. It is not required in my state.

The only thing required in Oklahoma is that you school 180 days a year... and that can be any 180 days you want. We schooled year round, taking breaks when we wanted to do something else, and of course on holidays. An attendence record should be kept in Oklahoma, just in case someone challenges if you are educating your child. The state can ask for the attendence records, but nothing more. There was a state supreme court case many years ago that established parental rights in the education of their own children.

Anyway, I see your point, but given that many "unschoolers" simply are not being educated, can you see that many parents need a curriculum to follow, or notthing gets taught? That is not to say that no one does it very well. But what do you use as a guide to ensure that important information is not missed?

Sue

Answer 5

Homeschooling isn't all that bad. Some family's do it because they want there children to stay away from all of the bad things in this world, and I'd say that's a little over protective myself. But if you are religious, it doesn't mean that you are catholic. I'm a Christian. I've been home schooled my whole life. And as a role, most home schooled kids are smarter than public schooled kids because they have individual attention from their parents, or their teacher. I'm not saying that public schooled kids are dumb... I would never say that, but homeschooling is a great way to teach your children the proper education. There are a lot of different ways to teach your children. And should I ask.. Why do people put their kids in the public school? Why not home school? You can have a better education, and a better relationship with your family.

Answer 6

WOW! I can see from some of the other answers that a lot of people don't know what unschooling is.

Following the classical model of schooling, we do more formal, traditional schooling in the younger years, working our way up to independent study (or unschooling) in the high school years. Neither of my boys would do ANYTHING if we unschooled (yes, we've tried). For that reason, I require them to complete daily assignments in English, math, reading, science or history (alternating daily), logic, geography, and a foreign language. Honestly, my sixth grader can get through all of that in less than four hours, leaving the rest of the day free for him to pursue his own interests.

As they get older, they are given more independence to choose what they want to study in history and science, but I feel they need a foundation first in order to know what's available.

For a self-motivated child (first grader or tenth), unschooling may work, but for my kids, it just doesn't. If it works for you, that's great. But please don't put down my choice to school in the way that works best for MY children. That is the very REASON we homeschool.

Answer 7

Everyone has a completely different approach and attitude toward homeschooling, and most of the parents I know (myself included) do what works best for their particular children in their particular circumstances at that particular time.
Unschooling would never work for my children because it does not fit their personalities. Neither would many other things.
But there are some aspects of what you discussed that my kids do like.
My second grader loves those old fashioned school desks.
But he also likes my kitchen table, and his regular desk in my office, and the couch, and the floor in his bedroom.
Yes, I do grade papers, because we are in a teaching co-op and because I truly like to know what my kids are doing, and I am free to do so. It is not a burden because I choose to do it. I also grade papers because my daughter is in highschool and she wants to go to college, so we keep records.

Please do not judge others simply because they don't do things the same way you do.

We get enough nonsense, hatred, judgment and condemnation from people that know nothing about homeschooling.

We don't need it from those who do.

Answer 8

Some parents think they can do a better job of teaching their kids than the local school system can. If they have poor schools, they may be right.

Some parents don't want to send their kid to what might be a dangerous school. Maybe they live in an inner city, or the school has lots of gang or drug activity.

Some parents might feel that the schools teach concepts that run counter to their beliefs - evolution vs. creationism, for example.

And some may just have social phobias that make it hard for them to go out in public, so they stay home, and do the same with their kids.

Answer 9

I just think its a matter of perference. If a parent has the time and is willing to homeschool their child, then why not? It beats sending you kid to school only to be shot at. In the past few months we have heard the stories of people shooting up schools. It's sad to say but it's not safe anymore for kids to go to school and I am not the only that feels this way. If I had the means and the time I would definantly homeschool my kids.

Answer 10

Just as home schooling is a CHOICE, so is the way we teach. I have researched the different styles of home schooling and have chosen unit studies are best for us.Every family is different. I am "religious" and do teach from a Christian curriculum but am not Catholic. We are in a small town with very little choices. If there was a private Christian school around here I would strongly look into it.

Don't home school families get enough judgment from people who don't understand our choice to home school? Just because a family doesn't home school like my family, I still accept their choice to teach as they feel is best for them.