What are the "best points" and downfalls of homeschooling?

Question

For homeschooling families (home educator/homeschooler) only, please. Thank you.

Answer 1

I agree with a previous answerer who said that the downfalls are created by the parents. Many people say that homeschoolers have little or no social skills. There are a few that this is true of. In the past there was nothing the parents could do, but now, society has met the challenge.
When you homeschool, you can study at your own pace. If you don't understand something, you don't have a classroom full of kids pushing you forward. If you learn quickly, you don't have a classroom full of kids pulling you back.
You have the opportunity to take more extracurriculars, whether through a group, such as the YMCA, or a homeschooling co-op.
Homeschoolers are able to learn how to think for themselves rather than have, in many cases, the children they go to school with dictate what they think your children should believe. However, many homeschooling parents do the same thing. (A parents job is to inform and guide, not to dictate what the child believes. There is a very fine line.)
Columbia University conducted a study that showed that homeschoolers, on average, scored higher on college entrance exams than other students. Many colleges even seek out homeschoolers anymore.
Many homeschoolers are able to socialize with people of all different ages, races, backgrounds, etc. and feel comfortable socializing with them all.
There are many other benefits, but it could probably take a long time to list them all.

Answer 2

The benefits and downfalls really depend on how the parents handle the situation.

In my case, I was homeschooled for most of my life (minus two years at a boarding school). I was taught everything I needed to know. The best benefit, in my opinion, is not having to spend the majority of your day doing something school related. I think public school has become a babysitting center now. It doesn't take 6:00-4:00 to learn what you need to know. Homeschooled, I only have about three hours worth of work a day.

I went to a normal school for a couple weeks to see what it was like, and it was horrible. I had to get up at 6:00 in order to get ready and catch the bus, and most of the time at the school was spent doing nothing. Seriously. The teachers read out of the textbooks (something I can do on my own), or just chatted with the students for half the class. The math class wasn't long enough for the teacher to properly instruct all the students (one of my classmate's parents commented on how they had to teach their child math, verses them learning it at school). After school got out, I'd get home at about 4:00 (long bus ride). Then I usually had 4-5 hours worth of homework. I didn't have enough time to hang out with my family or friends, and when I did have an hour I was usually using it to take a shower.

The downfalls are all the parents' fault. My parents didn't find something for me to do that would socially enhance my childhood. I begged my mom to let me take Karate lessons up the road, mostly because there was a children's class, but she didn't want to pay for it. If you're not sending your child to a school with other kids, you need to put them in some kind of activity with other children so they can have friends and all of that. My siblings and I managed to get through years of homeschooling and still have social skills, but not all homeschoolers are so lucky.

Answer 3

I've been homeschooled for my whole life (I'm 15) and so have my 4 brothers and sisters...I think it all depends on the person. My parents take it one child at a time, we all have our own intrests and personality if I wanted to go to public or private schools I could but I've decided that this is what's best for me. I LOVE it! I get to study the things I'm interested in and have fun while I'm doing it! my friends are always unhappy about having hrs of home work to do and having no time to do what they like and how much they hate school, and I've never felt that way! That's right you did hear me say friends! I know alot of people that don't know any better think that all home schooled kids are anti social and not prepared for the real world but I am one and I know many! and I can tell you right now they are just as normal as anyone, we love to have fun and go out with friends just as much as anyone. Then there's the not prepared for the world stuff. Really, home schooled kids are actually more prepared for the world than the average public schooled child. If you think about it that makes sense because we don't spend all of our time in a class room interacting only with kids our own age. We're out in the real world getting real life experience, interacting with people of all ages. So when we are ready to go out into the world it's no shock. Home schooling isn't for everyone but it has given me and many others a wonderful education! And I'm very thankful that my mom took it on to give me a wonderful education.

Answer 4

For me, some of the best points are these:

*knowing what's going on in my children's lives
*giving them proper supervision (which doesn't necessarily mean constant interference)
*giving them an education that suits them better than what would probably happen in public school
*giving them a chance to be kids and spend lots of time playing and following their interests instead of spending 7 hours a day at school, plus another hour or so of travel time, plus homework time and supper time and bath time and it's now time to go to bed
*being close as a family--my kids are great friends because they get to do things with each other a lot and are not in an environment where the peer message is you don't play with younger siblings, especially if they are of the opposite sex; but they also have a great relationship with me and their Dad because they have time to spend with us doing things
*I have to admit it, not having my kids feel all left out about iPods and PSP's and stuff like that is another great point for me. They almost never watch tv, so don't see commercials, and the homeschooling kids they do things with don't usually have these sort of gadgets (or at least not with them at our activities) so they don't feel the need to have them to be like everybody else.
*I LOVE seeing how it's not a big deal to them to talk to kids of all ages. It's never, "Oh, but he's in kindergarten," or "But he's a high school kid!" It's just not a big deal.

Downfalls:
*Ignorant people who say nonsensical things about homeschooling.

Answer 5

I can't seem to think of any downfalls. I was a public school student until 9th grade so I can't complain.

Picking your own courses, electives, and activities is a wonderful experience. You learn what you're interested in, and still get all the knowledge you need. The socializing with other home-school students is enjoyable. We all have very enlightening conversations, and the other home-school students are very pleasant to be around. College admissions is a huge plus. Getting into high ranking Ivy league colleges isn't that hard for home-schooled students. They love accepting home-schooled children, even the colleges/Universities know we're excellent students. I love learning without the distractions, and I can't possibly say anything negative about home-schooling.

Answer 6

i think that its great but its hard to teach HS subjects. i do a home school co-op school for some class that would be to hard for y mom to teach herself

Answer 7

i was homeschooled for 2 years, 5&6 grade. pros:i study at your own pace, take however much time u want, and can even finish school before everyone else, and u dont have to worry about missing school or uniforms. cons:its boring, at least it was for me, u dont have many friends b/c lots of the kids ur age r in public school, parents cant always help u, mine didnt, and its really lonely. i begged to back to public school and i love it. it all depends on you.

Answer 8

its ok i am and i REALLY HATE IT!!! ITS SO BORING! AND MY MOM DOES ANY THING BUT TEACH ME! SO I HAVE SOME OF THE BOOKS AND I HAVE TO DO IT ON ME OWN!!!! I HATE IT EVEN IF MY MOM HELPED ME! AND I GO TO 6 AND 7TH PERIOD AT THE JR HIGH AND ITS O MUCH BETTER!!! DONT HOME SCHOOL!!!!

Answer 9

you get to choose what your kids learn
but when they get to college or th ereal world they have no social skills and no common experiences like thier teens

(friends fights gossip talking about hw boys girls etc

Answer 10

uh