opinions about home-schooling?

Question

- THE GUARDIAN -


Wednesday 8th May 2035
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Over Half of the Children in the USA are Home-Schooled
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Studies undertaken by the Phoenix education think-tank 'Socrates' revealed today that from analysis of national census records, over half of the children and adolescents aged between five and eighteen in the United States are now home-schooled. 'The results are much more eye-opening than we thought,' commented John Sessions, CEO of Socrates, 'our result reveals that 52.4% of American children are now educated at home. We'll be running more studies to find the cause of this phenomenon, but as of yet, results are inconclusive.'

The widespread growth of home-schooling in the US was first brought to the World's attention in the 'New Scientist' magazine, which predicted in 2006 that current trends would ensure that by 2035 approximately 50% of American children and adolescents would be educated at home.

The Phillips Administration has been monitoring the situation carefully. A Whitehouse spokesperson told The Guardian 'The President and her government are doing all they can to monitor and regulate the situation. Although one is able to educate their child at home, as is their Constitutional right, they must be aware that children need to learn certain things to become productive members of society.'

Answer 1

I find it very doubtful that half the children in the US are home-schooled. Home-schooling is fine with me, as long as there are dedicated parents involved, and the children have plenty of socialization opportunities. A big thing that you learn in school is how to interact with other people.

Answer 2

I was homeschooled until I was 17, when I started college. Neither of my parents had any special qualifications to teach (God bless them both). In fact, once I got to highschool, I pretty much had to teach myself everything! My mother picked out all the books and materials I used, and basically, in my highschool years, she would simply hand me my books and tell me when to be ready for my tests (and she gave HARD tests)! She left everything to me. I didn't have a problem with any of that though. When I was younger, my mom taught me how to do thorough research, and this prepared me well for independent study in highschool. I learned at an early age that getting my homework done and learning was my own responsibility. This is such an important thing for kids to learn, but many public school children miss out. It was a very proud moment for my whole family when I received early admittance to college!

As far as socialization goes, I was involved in different homeschool groups in my area, and had the opportunity to play with other homeschooled kids all the time (some of whom, I am still friends with today), and in highschool, I became very involved in the 4-H club. I'd like to mention that no homeschool student I was friends with ever pressured me, or made fun of me, the way some of the public school kids I knew did. They were more mature than that. And it's true, what buttercup mentioned, that I never had to deal with all that ridiculous sex-ed, or the politically-correct nonsense. I had a very happy childhood (though unconventional, lol), and I felt very thankful that I had been homeschooled once I got to college and was able to see what a great preparation for independent study and the workforce it was. I would recommend homeschool to anyone who loves their children, and is able to do it.

But to remark on that article, I find it very hard to believe that over half of all the children in the US are homeschooled. I mean, I know there are a lot of us, and I know that, as the quality of education in our government schools declines, the number of homeschools grow, but I'm not so sure that homeschoolers account for half of all school children... hmm.

Well, hope that provides a little insight!

Answer 3

Those dedicated parents who home-school are
wonderful and their children far exceed the public
schools. They are educated on the reading,
writing, and arithmetic and the things children should
be learning instead of "politically correct" junk, being
brainwashed as to politics, learning sexual things
they need not be worried about yet, and don't have to
worry about dressing like all the other kids.

Answer 4

If the parent doing the home-schooling has the patience I think it's a great idea. In general home-schooled kids score higher and progress faster in there studies. As for socializing, that can be done in church, at the beach, around the neighborhood, etc. There are many venues to fill that.

Answer 5

I wish I'd had the desire to home-school my children, but back in the '70's that was a rarity. Everytime I meet someone who is home-schooled I find that they are polite, interested and interesting, and well-spoken. It is a wonderful way for a parent to truly teach their values to their children. AND, they won't be using profanity they never learned at home when they get off the school bus at the end of their first day of kindergarten.

Answer 6

I enjoyed abode training. It unfold out a brilliant style of doors for me. I went to public college till the tip of 8th grade. I went to public college for a week in 9th grade [in basic terms till I grew to become 14 so i could sign up into Penn Foster]. i'm graduated now, i've got not even celebrated my fifteenth birthday yet. i'm taking some college classes, I also have a job, and confident I do have an fantastic social life yet i don't understand the different abode schoolers in basic terms my friends from public college. the clarification i began Penn Foster is via the fact my brother [he's 19] is a single father and needed somebody to be with my niece mutually as he labored yet he did not believe everyone else yet my mom and dad and me. I wasn't compelled, and my mom and dad pronounced despite i needed to do substitute into effective with them. It substitute into completely nicely worth it. :] human beings have a brilliant style of generalization, and comments on abode schooled toddlers. the main important one being that they've no social life that's an entire lie. greater advantageous than maximum abode schooled toddlers do. I went to public college with this woman, that had no social life. She did not communicate with everyone in any respect, it substitute into like she substitute into mute. That exhibits those that the two way, you've a social life and be abode schooled and whether you bypass to public college it is undemanding to not have a social life.