Why would you homeschool your kid?

Question

I just really dont get it, and I know you homeschool parents may get sensitive with my question, but I would just like to know. I think that you get more social skills being in a public or even a private school. You need those skills to survive in the real world, and I dont understand how staying at home all day with your mom or dad learning stuff helps with you social skills.

Answer 1

I ask you: which social skills do you think my children aren't getting that they would in school? Please be super specific!

I'm a former elementary teacher and saw the 'social skills' at our schools here. I would like more for my kids than that. I also saw how tied everyone had to be to the government curriculum and there was little room for individual rates and interests.

You show your ignorance of homeschooling right away by assuming that homeschooled students only stay home with mom and dad. Most homeschoolers I know participate in all kinds of things with other people. There are park days and field trips with other families and clubs and parties and play dates and lessons (art, music, swimming, karate, gymnastics, competitive sports...) and more. Not to mention that spending lots of time with your sibling(s) means lots of social interaction, having to work together, having to work out problems, negotiating, sharing, etc. and have an adult role model instead of 30 other same-age kids as role models means kids are more likely to learn better social skills because they are learning what adults do and not what immature kids do.

BTW, by saying that you need to be in school to learn enough social skills means that many US presidents did not have enough social skills. Do you honestly believe that? Not only that, you are saying that most people of the past did not have sufficient social skills.

Answer 2

My son attended public school when he was in kindergarten but when he entered 1st grade it came very clear that the public school system was not working. People get so wrap up with the social skills when it comes to homeschooling, like public school is some kind of right of passage that our children need to go through. I believed for a long time that homeschooling was not right way of educated a child but when I had my own children and put them in the public school system I finally got why they do what they do. Homeschool parents are the most committed people you would ever met. They have to take the time to teach their children and take the criticism of people like you. The government tells you this is the only way you can educate your child and everybody just accepts it because changes scare people. We are all smart, intelligent people who can make choices on our own. If one day the government told you that they were bankrupt and no longer can provide public school, I believe we would go on and our children will continue to learn and thrive. You need to sit down and talk to homeschoolers and homeschool parents and then maybe you can understand why our passion for teaching our children is so great. There are many children in public school who have awful social skills and I was one of them. I attended public school from kindergarten to 12th grade and my social skills are pretty bad, would they have been better if I was homeschool I don't know, but I know it would not done me any worse. Thats my 2 cents!

Answer 3

The best part about homeschooling is that you can control all the social interactions your kid has so that they are positive. The worst part about homeschooling is that you can control all the social interactions your kid has so that they are positive.

The socialization has been the "yeah but . . ." issue of homeschooling since its inception. But the homeschooling community has developed many ways of dealing with it.

Some homeschoolers belong to a co-op, where parents who are good at math may teach four or five kids and another parent who's a history whiz teaches four or five kids history (or they may hire a tutor).

Many school districts allow homeschoolers to attend extracurricular activities that the schools offer (sports, drama, etc).

There's also scouts and other clubs. Ballet, karate, and art classes.

And in high school many homeschoolers find that local community colleges are very welcoming.

Most homeschoolers find it easier to be social with adults than kids though and many are not exposed to negative influences until they hit college.

Some homeschoolers do struggle a bit with socialization, but the vast figure it out pretty quickly. Quite frankly I think it's healthier than some of the Bullsh*t you have to put with in high school that passes for socialization.

You homeschool your kid because they may do better in a non-traditional school setting. When I went back to school I had to be bumped up to eighth grade to repeat the work I'd done in sixth grade. I went back to homeschooling my last few years of highschool and had two years of college under my belt by the time I got my HS diploma.

Ability to travel was another reason my family homeschooled. My dad was a pilot so we flew for free. We could go to the Grand Canyon to study geology, or to Williamsburg to study history.

As a homeschooler I could be done with an entire day's worth of school by lunchtime and take the rest of the day to explore the woods out back. When my friends got home from school we'd all play together. And I didn't have to go back until dinner because I had no homework.

The biggest backdraw I have suffered as a result of homescholing is not social (my sister and I both are socialized remarkably well - boy doesn't that make us sound like wolves that have just been released into the wild?). It's that I can't study at a desk. I can barely work at a desk. If I actually have to study something I can only do it on a couch, on the floor, in an armchair, or someplace else that isn't a desk.

I hope this answers your question.

By the way James M - the reason that there aren't more homeschoolers in the professional world like you mentioned? At 25 I am at the front wave of homeschooled kids. Most are younger than me. You'll be seeing a lot of us homeschooled kids in professional fields soon.

Answer 4

No offense, but why not?! Kids have different learning styles and who knows better how to teach a child than their parents? Also, a common misconception is that homeschooled kids are antisocial. Maybe some are, but all the homeschooled kids I've ever met (including myself) are happy, well-adjusted, normal kids. Homeschool groups allow kids to interact with other homeschoolers, take field trips and do classes together. Kids can also interact at the YMCA or youth group activities. There is absolutely no reason for a homeschooler to have bad social skills. Besides...do you really go to school for social skills? Nope, I'm pretty sure it's to learn.

Answer 5

a home schooled kid doesn't necessarily stay home all day. they are out in the real world relating to people of all different ages.
there are myriad opportunities for socializing...sports, clubs, theatre, the park, the neighborhood, etc.
Homeschooling families are free to travel, and older home school kids can take college classes and apprentice in various capacities. they can volunteer to work with the elderly, the environment, or other causes which interest them.

I home school because I want my kids to be literate and well read.
I home school because I don't want Exxon or religious fundamentalists determining my kid's science curriculum.
I home school because my three and a half year old is already reading at a second or third grade level, and I don't want him to be held back waiting for others to catch up, or to get left behind in other subjects in which he's not so strong.
I home school so that my kid can spend an hour listening to or making music if he wants. If he wants to spend an entire day dismantling a TV no one will stop him.
I home school so that if my kid can run around outside when he's restless, and work when he's focused.
I home school so my kid can learn Irish or Japanese if he wants, not just Spanish or French.
I home school so that we can read real books, not dry, sometimes erroneous school textbooks, or so that we can do research and make our own books on a subject, like the Waldorf schools do.

Answer 6

who says we stay at home all day? i have homeschooled my kids for 4 years.i rather they were home than in the public school with so much violence and peer pressure.have you seen the kids today?they are rude,mean and most parents do not care where the kids are.way too much freedom.i am not saying all the kids are bad but there is way too much freedom given to kids and they are hanging aroun swearing,having sex,doing drugs and smoking.also we do not stay at home all day.my kids are very much into library volunteering,chess club,game day,field trips and get togethers with other homeschool families.the field trips are arranged by us homeschool families.we have also done for fun a potluck cookout and the kids hung out all day playing volleyball and going swimming.we also have hadart classes,and done charity work to teach the kids the helping of others.so much more i could put down but it would take all night.hope this clears things up a bit.

Answer 7

We felt we had no choice. I've told our story many times (sorry all you others), but here goes: my son was in preschool for 3 years, then in school for Kindergarten and 1st grade. In Kindergarten, the teacher asked me to tutor his reading or she would hold him back a grade. He was already a head taller than the other children, and having done my research it is not recommended to do that with dyslexic autistic-spectrum children like my son. Then in 1st grade, I was asked by her to tutor his math and handwriting. Then at the end of 1st grade, they (IEP panel) asked me to preteach his language arts. At that point, I would be homeschooling many of his subjects in the evening (I was working full-time) and weekends. My son was crying and having stomach aches at school every day during 1st grade. He was asking us to homeschool him. I asked my husband if we should and he said,"Do we have a choice?" That's how I felt too.

Homeschooling was a relief. My son became more relaxed and his social skills actually improved I think because of that. My dd we just homeschooled from the start, and her social skills are much better than my son. She didn't pick up some of the negative social skills, which are what you often learn in school. She is outgoing, gregarious, etc. We just went to a huge party with hundreds of people this weekend, and she had a great time playing with all the kids, helping herself to drinks and food. I don't think anyone realized that she was homeschooled.

Having taught in public school, you really don't learn that many positive social skills. Spend a day or two, and you will see what I mean. They spend the majority of the day reading/doing worksheets/etc. They socialize at lunch but that is scary re: social skills. You would lose your appetite! Playground time used to be a great time to get some social skills, but they've cut back on that (at least around here) to fit in extra time for standardized testing.

Homeschoolers don't stay at home all day. They do field trips, classes and sports with other homeschooled kids, and lots of activities, church groups, etc. They have just as much socializing as school kids, if not more, although with a wider age range of kids.

Answer 8

My kids are plenty social. They have more time to BE social. They aren't spending 8 hours a day cooped up in a classroom. Then they aren't spending at least 2 hours on a bus. And they aren't spending 5 hours on homework. Hmmmm....go to school and have no time for anything? Or stay home, get your learning out of the way in 3-4 hours and spend the rest of the day socializing? I think I made the right choice.

Answer 9

I think home school kids are far more advanced socially than the average public school kid. They usually can talk with adults about adult subjects not just video games, music and sports. Allot of the social skills they learn in public schools are a detriment not a advantage. How to cheat on tests, copy home work, buy drugs, talk back to teachers, etc.

Answer 10

It maybe easier on some families to home school. Crime and safety is a big reason some parents do it. Medical conditions may make it hard for some kids to go to public or private school. Some parents just prefer it.