Why homeschool?

Question

why do people homeschool there child?
I love the idea but i just want to know what is so great about this concept.

Answer 1

Actually, my nephews are home schooled. Contrary to popular belief, they meet several times a week for social functions and group learning with other home schooled kids. They are far from lacking in social interaction.

The real advantage comes from the fact that public school teach to the average. The whole "no student left behind" concept has lead to teaching for standardized testing sake, not for learning sake. The Singapore method for teaching mathematics, for example, is far superior than the US public school method, but politics and inertia will prevent the public schools from changing. Home schooling doesn't have that problem. My nephews are performing at the 90% or higher in math 2-3 grades above them. It's not that they're little Einsteins, it's that they are taught to their level, not to get more money by passing a nationwide test.

As they move to concepts that are somewhat beyond my sister's ability to teach (like calculus), they will spend more and more time in group learning with other home schooled kids, but always in very small groups and hand-picked so that all kids benefit. I think home school is the best way to ensure your child gets an optimal education.

Answer 2

Why NOT homeschool? Why send your kids to public or private school. I mean, really. Why? Don't just take someone's uneducated opinion, but really research your options.

I think yours is a great question and one more people should be asking. I was such an in-the-box thinker for so long and just thought that my kids needed to go to public school because...well.. that's just what you do. I think we should really research all of our educational options when we're raising our children, not just do the most popular thing because everyone else is doing it.

On a more personal note, homeschooling is the best option for our family right now. My children have very full, social lives, and are thriving academically. They are not under unnecessary stress, but are learning, and are actually at or well above grade level in every subject. They have lots of friends all different ages which, by the way, is much more of a real world experience than being surrounded by 25 people their exact same age 35 hours a week. They have plenty of time for drum, and piano lessons, and sports teams. They are with their peers for a science co-op that we're involved in, church, and AWANA, as well as numerous other activities that we participate in. They do not WANT to go to school. They know they have it made, and we're having SO much fun!

There's just so much more time to be creative and learn to think independently when your not under the burden of a conventional school schedule. Christopher Paolini, for example, began writing the novel Eragon when he was only 15 years old. He had been homeschooled his whole life, graduated early, and then wrote the beginning of this amazing trilogy. Eragon, the motion picture based on Paolini's novel, is currently in theatres.

I'm just so thankful that we have educational choices to make in America. Their are so many people worldwide who would give anything for their children to just be educated. That we have several educational options is really a good problem to have. Too bad we can't just all get along and respect each other's choices.

There was a time when I felt sorry for homeschooled kids. I taught public school, and I believed with all my heart that these well-intentioned parents were robbing their children of a very important part of their childhood. I've been on the other side of this issue, but now I've seen the light. I was so narrow-minded before, but I hadn't researched the issue to form an educated opinion. I now believe that it's really hard to knock homeschooling if you know enough about it!

Answer 3

What is great? How long do you want to read? ;)

Great things about homeschooling:

*You do the raising of your child during their formative years instead of a different strange adult each year.
*Your family will probably end up closer than if the kids were in school.
*Your children get to work at their pace and not a teacher-mandated pace.
*Your children get the help they need during the crucial time to master basic skills.
*Your children do not have 30 other immature "billboards" advertising how to be each day. This means that your kids will probably be less likely to want whatever the latest thing is; they won't be adopting attitudes that it's uncool to be smart or play with your younger sibling or hug their parents in front of others, nor will they think it's okay to ostracize somebody because they don't meet up somehow to the clique's requirements.
*Your children are unlikely to be bullied or be exposed to bullying on a regular basis (although there may still be things that happen at local playgrounds, but it's not daily and your kids are much more likely to seek you out and gain assistance or advice).
*You can coach your children more in social skills rather than simply having other kids the same age provide the primary feedback.
*You can set your own schedule. This isn't only a daily schedule, but even in terms of family trips that may not work well during the public school year.
*If you're sick a day, a week, two weeks, it's not a big deal.
*Your kids can have more time to be kids because they're not in a school for 35-40 hours a week and having to do homework on top of that.
*You will always know where your child is at academically and will never have any surprise phone calls.
*Because your children aren't growing up in a mini-society of all same-aged children, they don't gravitate to only same-aged kids. They have a greater opportunity to interact with a variety of ages.
*Also, at least for my kids, because they meet strangers much more often than they would in public school, they just don't think it's that big of a deal to do something with some new kid.


There's so much more, too!

Answer 4

Hi. I'm home schooled and this is why. We are actually more polite and well behaved. And in our curriculum, we learn things that public schools don't learn until a year or two later. For example: When I was in the 1st grade, I took an achievement test. I did not get any help at all from my mom. I got 99% which is the highest. They left comments that said that my brain level was up to 4th, 5th, and 6th grade level! I am in the 6th grade now. Don't believe ANYONE that tells you that we don't get any socialization. I have tons of friends that are homeschooled, go to public school, and private school. Infact, my 2 friends that go to public school are gonna be here any minute. I'm in EVERY activity there is. Tennis, Home School Band, Home School Gymnastics, Home School Tennis, Karate, Piano, and Saxaphone.

Answer 5

You got some really good answers!

The "concept" of homeschooling is this - it's a flexible tool for learning and living in the world. Like any tool, it depends on what you want to use it for, as to whether it's "so great" or not.

For our family, it just made sense. We have a clear list of goals of what we want our kids to learn before they are out on their own. We have a clear list of goals on how we want to live our day to day lives. And we have a clear sense of who we are. Knowing all this, we are able to say with conviction that the choice to homeschool is the right one for us.

We considered a lot of different educational options. And they were all appealing in their own way. But, from all the choices, this was the right one. And looks like it will be for a while. We're really happy, the kids are happy and we have lots of good friends from all over the place (not just homeschoolers). So, in that respect, I think we made the right choice.

That said, I don't believe in trying to convince anyone to homeschool. I strongly believe that in order for homeschooling to work, the family has to really want it to work. It's not like you can just bring your kids home and then tell them "have fun" while you go out to bars. It's serious business. Also, if one is not philosophically and psychologically ready to take on this life change, it won't work.

So, although I'm a huge homeschooling advocate, I don't sugarcoat the realities of homeschooling and education in general. That's why I tend not to give straight answers to these "what's good, what's bad" about homeschooling questions. Because each person is going to have their own perceptions on the value of education and what it's for. Depending on that, the answers will vary. And even time will change those opinions; experience and maturity can change our perspective on the choices that we have in life.

So, if you want help on certain concepts on education and what the different arguments are, I think that's a valuable discussion to have. Just touting off pros of homeschooling is not really all that useful tho. It's divisive and doesn't lead to critical thinking.

If you want to know what's great about homeschooling - surf the net. You will automatically gravitate towards the topics that you're stuck on. And you'll automatically gravitate towards the opinions that help you figure out your own opinion of education - which, is the most important thing anyway.

Here's a good place to start your research, although just a quick search on Yahoo will get you started too.

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com

Good luck!

Answer 6

I'm a senior in high school this year and have been homeschooled all my life. I really love it. Here're a couple reasons why:

The schedule is so flexible.

You can work at your own pace and you aren't always waiting for the 25 other people in class to catch up.

You are really tight with your family (this doesn't mean you don't disagree, you're just a lot closer)

The curriculum is pretty much endless. If your kid's into carpentry in 4th grade, teach him carpentry, if your kid's ready for chemistry in 7th grade, go for it. There is no one size fits all with education, and homeschooling recognizes that.

We are socialized. lol : ) Contrary to popular belief, homeschool kids get plenty of social time. The only difference is social time is separated from school time so it's more efficient.

You don't have to worry about bullies, drugs, crazy people with bombs, or mean cliques.

It's a very wholistic style of learning.

Answer 7

Well, in most cases it really depends on the child and their personality, and whether they have the option to homeschool. In many cases, it could be because the parent's or children aren't satisfied with the curriculm at their public school, or want to get ahead in certain subjects. It could also be because they want to spend quality time, or on a completely different note, are troublemaker's who need one on one attention. Many disabled kids are also homeschooled.
In conclusion, it really depends on you or your child's personality. There are lots of homeschoolers out there, so don't worry about becoming insocial or unfriendly.

Answer 8

I personally would NOT homeschool but I know several people who choose to do so..I found a pretty cool web site with some of the pros and cons..Here is what I found..Hope it helps you..I guess a person can argue both sides of this coin?

Advantages of Homeschooling
Parents are with their children all day.
Parents know and understand their children, and are influential in their lives, even as they enter the teen years.
Homeschooling prevents premature parent-child separation, avoiding inappropriate pressure on children.
Children are allowed to mature at their own speeds, no "hurried child" syndrome.
Parents and other adults are the primary role models for homeschooled children.
Homeschooling provides positive and appropriate socialization with peers and adults.
Homeschooled children are largely free from peer pressure.
Homeschooled children are comfortable interacting with people of all ages.
Homeschooled children view adults as an integrated part of their world and as natural partners in learning.
Family values and beliefs are central to social, emotional and academic development.
Family life revolves around its own needs and priorities rather than the demands of school.
Homeschooling creates/maintains positive sibling relationships.
Homeschooling promotes good communication and emotional closeness within a family.
Research shows that the two most important factors in reading and overall educational success are positive home influence and parental involvement; homeschooling provides both.
A child's natural thirst for learning is nurtured, not squelched, and learning becomes a lifelong joy.
Each child's education can be tailored to his or her unique interests, pace, and learning style.
Homeschooling children have time to pursue their special interests and talents.
Homeschoolers enjoy unlimited educational resources; the world is our classroom, and resources abound in the community.
Homeschooling provides a high adult/child ratio for the student.
Homeschooled children become independent thinkers who are secure in their own convictions.

Answer 9

I like the fact that my kids can learn all the sides to any given story, not just the PC version the school puts out. I like that my kids can learn at their own pace, not the one laid out by the government. I like that my kids can take any subject the enjoy learning about as far as they want and not have to stop after the unit in the text book is over. I like that my kids can get up and stretch their legs and go to the bathroom whenever they need to and not have to ask permission. I like that I can pack up my kids and travel to see a historical site without having to miss school or schedule it around a school holiday. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.

Answer 10

I am homeschooled because my parents were convinced that I could get a better education, and also they have control over what I learn. I currently am learning Latin, Greek, Logic, and other subjects that I wouldn't be able to learn in public school.