Why do people think that homeschooling is bad for a kid?!?

Question

If you look at the stats a lot of homeschoolers are smarter.
so why do people put it down?

Answer 1

Why? Because people think we isolate our kids and shelter them from everything. They think our kids are growing up without any exposure to other people, other ideas, knowing about drugs and all that.

They don't really know a lot of homeschoolers so they stick with stereotypes. Also, a lot of people, from my experience, seem to be very defensive about homeschooling, as though homeschoolers are attacking others for their choice of choosing public or private school.

Answer 2

I hear the previous answers and in some cases, they are right. However most people don't take the time to do real research. I was homeschooled ever since 2nd grade and have never had a problem with social ineptitude. Neither did any of the other homeschooled kids I knew, and I knew a lot. My parents saw to it that I had the chance to interact with a lot of people, adults and children as I grew up. I now have a job working for a credit reporting agency, where I professionally interact with people on a daily basis. Not to mention, my grades weren't too bad either. However it is all in people's perspective. Most people just have a negative idea of homeschooling because they rely on what they hear from others instead of researching it themselves.

Answer 3

Cuz everyone has opinions (or the public schoolers are jealous!)

Personally, I'd much rather homeschool my kids just because:
-I can keep track of their education
-I'll know EXACTLY where they stand so I can help them improve in specific areas
-I can teach them in a way that balances their own weaknesses and strengths
-I can instill genuine patriotism and a love for God in their hearts
-They have time to pursue and develop their own interests and talents
-They learn how to respect people of all ages
-They are generally independent and can do things on their own
-They can avoid all that stupid drama and not let that stuff hinder their character & personality

Homeschoolers may be a little socially behind, but that doesn't mean they can't communicate...and they do have friends. It's entirely their choice whether to have friends or not, and at school is not the only place where you can find them! They can get involved in community events, sports, church, travelling, etc.

In a word (or five), I think people have just stereotyped homeschoolers, and therefore say that that's the way they all are.

Answer 4

People don't understand it.

What they oppose is not homeschooling. It is what a few people will do while abusing homeschooling, and it is what the name implies.

They think you just sit at home all day with your textbooks, from 8 AM to 3 PM, then have your 2-4 hours of homework, then sit around at home all day. Spend Sunday all day in church, and Saturday you go and wander around in the basement. Hey, I'm homeschooled and I would oppose THAT.

If you don't go to school you don't get the experience of going to school. You don't get the positives and you don't get the negatives. People forget two things though: first, that it goes the other way. Kids in school are missing out on my freedom, increased social time, and ability to pursue my own interests. Second, and more important I think, is that that's how it works for everything. Live in Idaho? You're missing out on living in all the other 49 states. Live in Berlin? You're missing out on Munich.

Answer 5

I was homeschooled and had plenty of interaction with other children who were also homeschooled. Many homeschoolers are involved in co-alliances in which they meet certain times a month for events such as drama groups, cooking groups, shop.. and other activities that are organized by the parents involved.

Homeschooling is much safer and more direct to a child's education as it provides for more available concentration in any subject that the child might typically be lacking should he/she be enrolled in a public curriculum.
I was tested at the end of each marking period by the State of my residence (to ensure that I met the State requirements for my learning) and I always tested far above the State average.
I took the SAT and ACT and excelled in both.

So I do not think that homeschooling is "bad" for a kid.
Homeschoolers, on average, rate higher on educational testing that do children in public schooling systems.

Answer 6

Like the other options, it's got it's downsides.

Teacher may not be any good. Almost certainly cares the most, but may not be the best.

Take a look at your question. You say look at the stats. Anyone with experience using statistics in a meaningful way can show you how the statistics you cite (if true) can be easily explained away due to the number differences btw all the groups and are thus not very useful. Despite good intentions, with only one teacher, they kid may not learn as well and will only get one viewpoint. Unless a concerted effort is made to teach them how to keep an open mind, they're going to shocked when they hit college and hear stuff that contradicts what they've learned.

Another common complaint is the kid doesn't get the socialization they would at a regular school. Simply being away from their friends in a structured setting like a school does stunt their socialization skills somewhat, but of course, it all depends on how strict the parent is. If they make a concerted effort to make their kid interact with others, it's not a problem. Of course, many parents don't do enough (whether it's attachment to their child, fear of other kids, or simply time).

The complaints against home schooling are typically based on more extreme examples and generalizations, just like the reasons the home schooling proponents use against sending their kids to schools.

Not all public schools are bad, just like not all parents do a poor job of home schooling their kid. If you live in an area with poor schools or simply want to brainwash your kid, home schooling may be a good choice for you. If you live in an area with great schools, there's little reason to home school. It all really depends on the situation. In general (again, a generalization), private schooling seems to be the choice btw the extremes of public schools vs home schooling.

Answer 7

People bad mouth what they don't understand. That's all there is to it.

My homeschooled kids' best friends are in public school. I can't imagine why people think that homeschoolers totally isolate themselves from the world. I know numerous homeschoolers and NONE of them are like that.

Answer 8

There is a lot of negative info out there on hsing, and I have found it comes from people who are uneducated about hsing. Those who have looked into it extensively think it to be a good idea. I know of course that there are a few people who use hsing as an excuse to abuse or isolate their children, but they are the extreme minority, and there are a lot more who abuse their kids but send 'em to school. About the social interaction - school is not the only place to have that. Plus, there are TONS of kids out there in school who are socially inept but have no one to help them with it. Pay attention to the posts in other areas about high school students wanting counsel on how to make friends, then talk to me about how homeschooled kids are socially inept... There are plenty of kids in school that don't fit in well.

Answer 9

Because there are a lot of parents who wouldn't give it the attention it deserves. Also because socialization is extremely important to funtion in the real world. I'm for homeschooling as long as the parent is devoted and socialization is occuring somewhere in their lives, like a sports team or scouts.

Answer 10

Smarter, but generally they are socially inept. Being able to interact with others in their same age group in a relatively free environment will teach them much more about themselves than just being put in particular home-schooling social groups, which are much more artificial than public school. People put it down because of this, and the fact that nearly everyone who's ever met a home-schooled adult finds them to be really weird (due to long term social disconnections). Reinforcing the terrible US public education and encouraging independent analytical thinking is the best thing you can do, home schooling is not necessary to achieve a high intellectual level for your child.