An opinion survey on Home Schooling please?

Question

I would like to see others' opinions on home schooling. I think it's great for some kids, but a person I know has a kid they're home schooling, and the kid is an antisocial, sticky-fingered motor mouth who doesn't know when to shut up or when to listen to others...and I feel that one should be in school to be 'socialized' and learn to interact with peers. (btw: I have nothing to do with the kid except observation, and I'm not going to tell my friend what to do...just curious what others think.) Opinions?

Answer 1

As this is a more serious qwestion, Dragon will answer it more seriously.

I think that kids need to be in some sort of social setting, rather than alone all the time. It's important that they be able to interact with others on an equal footing. There were a few kids in my high school who came just for gym class and music classes, but were otherwise home-schooled. They stuck to themselves pretty much. School is a good thing, and if you think your child is not getting a good enough education, keep them in school, but get them extra-curricular tutoring.

And now we will be Dragon again. :) ♥

Answer 2

I think when they do homeschooling they should take full advantage of all of the programs in the area that involve other homeschooled children so they do develop some socialization skills.

But, i agree... i think that the best thing for the child is for them to go to public schools or private schools so they can interact with other children. They need to learn how to live in the "real world" i guess you could say. I don't really think that they are going to get the interaction they need from homeschooling...

But, i have talked to some people who know others who do it and they are really involved in the programs that i was talking about and it seems like they have a big community or something so they aren't as isolated as we think...

Just not something i would ever want to do... there's no way i could get my son to learn from me... maybe that's what the deal is with your friend, some people are cut out for it and some aren't.

Answer 3

Sometimes I think parents are just too lazy to teach their kids manners.

Regardless of whether their kids are in school or not. I've seen both types home schooled, and the most effective home schooling parents are the ones who are actually teaching their kids school work and common manners. All those things you're talking about are manners not reading or writing...so I think the parents need to put the book down and do some parenting.. Just my opinion.

Why is it the teachers' job to socialize these kids? I don't think school would make a difference with this case.

Answer 4

Well. I am home schooled..or sort of. Cyber School. This is my first year and I am in 9th grade. I admitt there is a huge change. Not one that I like, but my old school was not offering the education that I need to succeed in life. It taught very little. It seemed as though I got up every morning and went to school and hung out with friends. Teachers would try to teach then give up and let us talk. Now, the reason for my cyber school was my parents really. It is very difficult from going from public school to this. I am way less social, because I am out of the circle. Also, my best friend since 5th grade, has replaced me with someone new. She still talks to me but she prefers her now. Just cause she rarely sees me. Another reason for my lack of a social life is because I have a paper route I get up every morning at 5 and deleiver 45 papers. So the only night i can go over to someones house to spend the night is saturday. Friday nights I will go out with my bf which surprisingly I do have, and sometimes on weekends I will go places with him. The most amazing thing I have come to realize though...is how I was so popular and had so many friends....but so few stuck around when I left. It hurts to know who my true friends were. So if i may suggest, other kids in my cyber school have been home schooled since they started school, thats my suggestion. Don't let them go thru 9 years of it, then pull them out. It really hurt me to find out I really didn't matter to many.

Answer 5

I'm about 50/50 on this one too. In our community, there's about 15,000 population. The homeschooling families in the county(about 100) get together a few times a year for a big bash, so to speak. They also get together frequently so that the kids can have sports, a band, etc. This works really well. Most of the kids are fairly normal. Don't get me wrong. There's a couple families that are just weird. But, several of these kids have now graduated, are in college and doing very well, top of their classes. They are polite. They are essentially normal, maybe more so because they have morals, unlike so many in the public school system. Now, on the opposite side. I know one set of parents who have no clue how to teach their kids. They are doing terrible on their studies and their children are hooligans. It really just depends. My child is in a public school, but we live in a community that the ACLU hasn't touched yet. Our teachers have Bibles in the classroom for reference material. We have prayer at the high school graduations and at football games. They aren't forced to teach evolution as fact. They don't even teach about gay lifestyle. That's not for school. We need to be teaching our children how to read and write, not how to have sex with the same-sex. When they start messing with our school, my children will certainly be pulled out and home-schooled.

Answer 6

I think if the parents have the time to do home school thats great to spend the time with them and doing, but I think being in the school these days they will learn so much more and as well gain great friends while in there, I do not know if you ever saw the movie Jack with Robin Williams, but there is a child/man who had done home schooling and then went to school, look at what he gained the knowledge of education from the school as well gained great friends as well.

Answer 7

I think it has both advantages and disadvantages. Definately a disavantage from a social perspective. Yes, you can put a kid in extracirricular activities but there is something about socialization in a school atmosphere that I think a child needs. Educationally (is that a word?) I think it would be good because you can let the child advance at their own pace. Personally, I'm not for it but this is ONLY my opinion!

Answer 8

I think it all depends on what the parent's choice is frankly. I personally wouldn't home school my kids because I want my Daughter to interact. I see how she is at her daycare and that has motivated me to put her in head start next year. I am not one to have the drive to home school my child either. Now, if I had a child who misbehaved, wasn't really paying attention, and home school was the only way, then I'd have something to think about.

Answer 9

I think it's possible for home schooled children to lack some of the normal socialization skills unless the parents make a conscious effort to include that in their studies. (In subtle, non class setting kind of ways, like making sure they get out there, make friends, & interact.)

In any type learning setting, it's not just the teachers responsibility to teach from textbooks, it's their responsibility to teach the child about life. It doesn't matter if that teacher is the parent or not.

Answer 10

I homeschool my kids. They are not anti-social because of that. My son was the kid that everyone wanted to pick on while he was in public school, my daughter was very popular. I've seen kids with behavior problems, both in and out of public school. It is interesting that the main objection most people have with homeschooling is the socialization issue, as if the only social life one has is within the confines of the public school system.