Do you think homeschoolers are weird? Please elaborate.?

Question

Why or why not?

Answer 1

I really see two type of homeschoolers. Those who are really different and they would have been different in regular school too (and ostracized) and those who are very normal with dedicated parents.

They second group is better in communicating with adults and socialize well with other good children. They are kind and they are sometimes unaware of social trends and the "right" things to do to be "in". The things they don't understand are typically immature and childish habits developed by children and adolescents in the absence of adult supervision.

Answer 2

Well, I was educated at home all my life, and I think I've turned out alright. I mean, yes I'm weird, to some people, and to others I am normal. I depends on who you are, really, and what home you were taught in. The question that always bugged me was "but what about social activities? Don't you want your kids to be able to socialize?" "Kids who are homeschooled are socially inept." This is a stereotype. My brothers and sisters and myself have always been able to "communicate" well with anyone. Homeschooling takes away peer pressure, not social ability. We look people in the eyes when we speak, we speak with diction, and we have a lot of friends outside our little circle of "homeschoolers". Granted, there are some cases where children who were taught at home turned out a little "weird", but that's not the norm, I'd say.

Answer 3

I know some weird homeschoolers. But for the most part, they are superbly gifted and one still has learning issues (dysgraphia), so they would be weird in the public school system, too.

Actually, when I think of it, the weirdest homeschooled kids I know are ones who were pulled out of school! Oh, not entirely true--the weirdest one I know has always been homeschooled under a form of unschooling. However, all the while being weird, she seems to be a nice girl.

Most of the homeschooled kids I know are not weird at all. Unless you want to suggest that public schooled behaviour is "normal" and desirable. Then yes, they would be weird, because they talk to other kids they don't know and hug their parents in front of everyone and don't have a problem sitting down with adults and tend to be more polite...

Answer 4

To be honest, my 2 homeschooled autism spectrum kids are a little quirky. But my ds attended preschool and school for 5 years and he was just as "quirky" then! Also, my dh and I are a little weird sometimes and we were both public and private schooled and never homeschooled. So I don't know that schooling helps to prevent weirdness or whatever. Maybe there's a preventative shot or something, and we didn't get it!

Answer 5

Most are not weird. Some are, but most aren't. My mom lives and homeschools in Florida. She says there is a group down there who homeschools that is totally insane. I can't remember what their name was, but she says they are total religious zealots who have the boys dress in shirts and ties and the girls all dress like s luts. (short skirts, midriff tops, etc) She says that they want nothing to do with anyone who is not a part of their group.

Now, I homeschool in Kentucky, and I haven't run into ANYONE weird like that. I think the weirdest I ever felt at a playgroup was when I cracked open a 7-Up for my kids, and the other moms looked at me funny for not giving them organic apple juice. :)

Answer 6

Wow what a biased question!

No HS'ers are not weird.

I do however think that many HS'ers are highly intelligent and many highly gifted people do tend to be a bit "weird" in terms of how they are perceived by the outside world.

Similarly, children who have been HS'ed because they have conditions like autism or developmental issues that the public school isn't able to adequately address can be perceived as "weird". That has to do with whatever syndromes they are dealing with however.

I think the HS'ers that you know who are "weird" in your opinion would probably still seem "weird" to you if they were in public school. The difference is they aren't targets of harassment, frustration, boredom, ridicule, etc etc etc due to their weirdness on a daily basis at public school.

Answer 7

yes we are!!! (I was homeschooled through elementary and am homeschooling my own.)

I think there can be twenty different ways to arrive at the same solution to the same problem. (much to the chagrin of my high school math teacher and college engineering professors)

I think learning how to learn is more important than what you learn. (now don't jump down my throat, the three R's are covered regularly, because they are the vehicle to how to learn)

I think having friends that are 10 years my senior and 10 years my junior and my same age is a lot of fun and not nearly as boring as surrounding myself with people just like me.

I think spending a week studying a volcano just because it sparked my son's imagination is better than moving on to the next topic just because the lesson plan said we had to.

I think doing school in the park while the geese are in residence is extremely entertaining.

So I'm a little biased...I've just found that my perspective is very different and my tendency to want to be "normal" is less than those who were only schooled traditionally.

Happy questioning!! I'm looking forward to the answers to this one.

Answer 8

In a random sample, I doubt you could tell a homeschooled person from a "public" schooled person. There are many options for parents wanting to homeschool their children, including support and playdates. Homeschooled children actually have better opportunities to socialize. Instead of spending several hours dedicated to study and an accumulated one or two of open forum, they have a continuous flow between learning and discussion.

Answer 9

No. Being homeschooled just means that your education happened in a different building and most likely in a different mannor than going to public school. Education, or where you are educated does not make you weird.

Answer 10

No, homeschoolers are not weird. People have been living and learning in families since the dawn of time. It's the idea that you can only learn with and socialize with people your own age that's weird. "And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Where in the real world are people surrounded only by others their own age?