Wouldn’t it be better to try to supplement your children’s home schooling ....?

Question

with an education outside of the home so that they can get many perspectives?

Also, it is really unrealistic to think that one or two people (the parents) could possible do all of the more advanced education (junior high and high school)? I just worry that the home school kids are missing out. This isn’t particularly meant to offend.

Answer 1

while some do home school to limit their childs perspective, that needn't be the result of homeschooling.

many junior or high school teachers are not experts in the subjects they teach, but majored instead in education. there are many options for home schoolers to learn the higher maths and sciences which may be beyond their parent's scope.

Answer 2

1st half of question: No it is not necessarily better. Some students are hindered and distracted by too much "outside" influence. Many people do *supplement* but it is probably not in the way you think -- they do not need a public gov't run group system to find high-end resources.
2nd half: As to your assumption that they are not getting many perspectives: Our children are not secluded or hermitized away from other people. They often have contact with other people. This is especially true since they are living, playing, working, shopping, talking and associating with the *real world*. The people that are also teachers in the children's lives are grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, bosses, friends, professionals, amateurs, etc. etc. etc. Some are paid to teach music and many other things to the student.

Unrealistic? No, it is not unrealistic for a child to have the opportunity to master every aspect of math, writing and reading in the first 12+ years of education. Mastery of these basics can and will enable the student to learn anything and everything necessary to receive advanced college credits. They are thoroughly prepared to go into college and into the workplace. It doesn't take even 2 people to work with the child. ONE parent can guide and direct for an entire 12 years of basic education and they can and do achieve great levels of success.

Thank you for your concern but please don't worry.

The statement "missing out" leaves more questions such as "On what?". They don't have to miss out on the important things in life. What are the important things?
Educationally I would say the most important things are learning how to study with a view to accuracy in math, coherency in writing and comprehension in reading. Academics are very important to most home-schoolers and they are very diligent to see to it that nothing is *missed*. Socially they might miss out on the negatives that come with peer-pressure. But they do not miss out on having friends and activity. They actually have more time for pursuing independent interests. They are not bound to a classroom while they sit and wait for others to be ready to move on. They can complete a lesson without being interrupted by a bell or by a school shooting.

Junior high and high school is not as advanced as you may think. Less than 50 years ago 8th graders were completing work that is now done in college.

Learning HOW to study is ultimately more important than the material that is covered. The material is secondary -- it is also important and must be chosen with great care.

A child is capable of progressing at a remarkable rate when allowed to practice and polish study skills every single day.

I am more concerned with how many things they will miss if they are not at home.

Answer 3

Most people that Home school do have outside help every once in a while, some don't need it. We usually purchase full curriculum's that also include TA DA, an answer key and explanations so we can lead the child without being an expert. In this day and age, a teacher being an expert at what they teach is exceptional. They do pretty much the same thing we do, only in mass.

We have joined a co op to especially benefit our older child with things like Biology with Labs, more in dept history, public speaking, etc. She will be going to our community college for her Junior and Senior Year of HS, so I think we have done fine giving her all she needs. Wow, two years of her life not waisted sitting in school, she will graduate HS if she stays on track with an AA degree.

BTW, socially my kids excel. Sometimes I wish they weren't so busy! They have great friends and are active in community and sports.

Answer 4

It is NOT unrealisitic to think that 2 people could provide all your kids need to know. Socialization is an OLD cop out. My kids get plenty of it! I attended public school and I am sorry to say that my education Suffered for it! I never needed to take anything with chemistry or higher math classes. I did graduate with a 3.5 grade average and several scholarships but only lasted in college for a few weeks. I didn't need college. As for my children when I sent them to public school they were AHEAD of their age and when I finally pulled them out they were struggling and had fell behind because of 2 teachers who supposedly knew what they were doing...... I did what I was suppose to and more but they didn't do their job!There are so many options out there that socalization and lack of access to certain studies is a lame excuse. If your child has an interest in something if you can't teach it most people know someone who can. The homeschool coops usually cover a lot of those things. My kids are interested in animals and art. We also have music lessons. So very easy to take care of but if they were interested in other things I would do my utmost to find a way for them to learn it. You can't tell me that Public Schools have better equipment and labs. I have been there and seen it! I have used the "junk"! It is usaully 20 year old technology and half the time it don't work. The internet is a great way to find information and lets not forget the curriculum.....It usually covers everything the public schools do and MORE!!!!!

Answer 5

To answer the first part about "many perspectives"....My son, who is 9 and has been HS'ed since he was 4, is out in the *community* most days. He's not in some artificial social setting with 30 other 9 year olds. Nope, he's going to doctor and physical therapy appointments with me, discussing at length what the doctor is doing or the parts of the body the therapist is working on. He's at the library discussing his most recent novel with the head librarian. He's doing community service for missionaries in India. He's at the park helping younger children learn how to master the monkey bars....on and on and on.

To answer the second part....my husband is a licensed, professional, electrical engineer. Do you know how many more hours of high school and college math he had than the typical middle or high school teacher? LOADS! Even with my B.S. in a management field I had more math than they did. I had more science also. I had roommates in college who were education majors and their coursework was so much more simple than mine. The only place it varied was in all the psychology classes and classroom management techniques they learned. Well, guess what? *I* know my children just fine thank you and I don't need anyone to teach me how to manage them. I know their learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses better than any teacher trying to do the same for 30 children *ever* could.

FWIW, my son just turned 9 and he's doing Algebra I. I was advanced in middle school and allowed to take it in 8th grade. So at a minimum, my son is 5 years ahead in math. How would that work if he was in a public school 3rd grade classroom? Also, he just took the EXPLORE test (given by ACT) and he scored better than 90% of 8th graders. How is he supposed to fit into a "normal" classroom?

He is not missing out at all. He has karate, math club, science club, and chess at a homeschool co-op. The courses are taught by professionals. He does indoor and outdoor track & field, cross country, bible club, cub scouts, volunteer work, extensive field trips (more than a 1 or 2 hour "pass" through a museum like most school groups), and so much more. He can actually carry on a long conversation with a docent at an art, history, or science museum. He was offered to help teach *public schooled* kids at the children's museum.

I'll get off my soap box, because I know you didn't want to offend. Just take all the positive comments to heart and try to understand HS'ing a lot better.

Answer 6

Co-op is a great way to accomplish this. This has worked well for many. In our co-op, the parents with degrees or experience in certain subjects will teach and share this knowledge.

There is also college lecture series, authors speaking at libraries, good plays and productions, and of course, the internet.

There are also many ways to help a child gain many perspectives. One is missions. This not only educates kids about other cultures, but gives them practical skills to help others.

Lots of perspectives can also be found in extended family. Have a child interview Grandparents about their life, hardships, trials, joys and sucesses. Much valuable information can be gained, as well as a new respect for other generations.

My son has been homeschooled and can interact with adults, kids his own age, and younger kids. I know you did not mean to offend, but we don't keep our kids at home in a box! The world is the classroom.

Answer 7

For some families, yes, it would be better to try to supplement. For us, though, I don't see the point. I think my children get the better side of things by not being in school 7 hours a day, most of that time at a desk, then having to come home and do homework for an hour or so. I think my kids have it better not wasting so much time, learning just as much (or different or more) and having time to be kids.

How is an education outside the home going to give them "many perspectives"? The curriculum is designed by the government. The homeschooling parents I know aren't one-minded and do present different perspectives. I even know hard-core Creationists who teach evolution. Are you that one-minded? Would you limit your child's views to just your own? Or would you avail yourself of a multitude of resources and come across different perspectives that way?

Just to give an example: I read a part of "Story of the World" yesterday on the pharoah Thutmose and his daughter. We then looked up some information on the internet and found different versions of the same story. Which one is truly accurate? It's a wonderful question for kids to ask themselves.

Besides, just how many different perspectives do you need to teach reading, writing, spelling, math, geography and science (I'm talking things like meterology, basic physics, chemistry, plants...) I think you are thinking of historical perspectives. Is the perspective taught in school really that different from your own? Do school kids ever really learn their parents' perspective?

No, it is not unrealistic to expect parents to be able to handle more advanced education. The problem is people think homeschooling parents stand in front of their children and present all the information to them. This is a faulty notion. Homeschoolers make use of books. The kids use the books, they learn from the books, there are often answer keys, if parents are really stuck on helping their children with something, they find someone who can. For those who are really stuck, there are complete programs or correspondence. Homeschoolers get high school diplomas all the time, do well (often better than public schooled kids) on SATs and get into fine colleges. What are they missing out on in their advanced studies?

Please don't worry about homeschool kids missing out. Those I know aren't missing out on anything except having their lives dictated by an ever-longer school day (it used to be kids would go to school for about 3-4 hours; now 6.5-7 is common and schools here have actually been slowly increasing over the past 10 years--add 10 minutes a day this year, then add another 5 minutes a day a couple years later and so on), by a strict routine that does not allow them to go to the bathroom without permission, to get a drink without permission, to have to go the pace the teacher has decided, to not have time to explore their own interests...

I'm a former elementary teacher and my dh has taught jr. high for years. We think about what our kids would be missing out on if they were in school.

Answer 8

I was home schooled from second grade and I wouldn't trade the experience if I could.

My aunt taught basic grammar and arithmetic to my siblings and I, However after long division we stopped having classes. Technically we were dropouts by the fifth grade.

After we stopped actually having classes we had alot of free time. It was filled with chores mostly, but also traveling. Once I was 15 I got a job working about 30 hours a week lifeguarding. I always had a job, full and part time, until I decided to go back to school.

I started college at 17 with NO SCHOOLING PAST FIFTH GRADE. I passed an entrance exam into a community college and got an AA with honors (which the local high school paid for). I took a year off and got a job making 20K in 6 months, then traveled and chilled out for 6 months. I went to a university last year where I got a 4.0 including engineering classes like physics, chemistry, and calculus.

The perspectives I gained (to me) were invaluable. I had some bad jobs (like digging ditches) working alongside men whose youths had long since past and it really gave me insight into how beneficial a college degree can be. But also I learned through my relentless chores and jobs a solid work ethic.

Bottom line, staying out of high school I think was good even considering the social aspect. I still was socially active by doing sports and working with people. I formed a close circle of friends who I still have. And I apparently didn't miss anything academically because I am doing good in an engineering program at Texas A&M.

Answer 9

1) Majority of homeschoolers are involved in 2 or more outside activities.
2) Most K-12 curriculums can be taught by any thinking adult, and some are basically self-teaching. (Teaching Textbooks math, for example)
3) MY homeschooled teen is learning from a variety of sources and by 16 will be attending college (dual enrollment) part time. His 17yo homeschooling friend will have 30 transferrable community college credits by the time he's 18--think of the time and $$ saved!

People who spout off against homeschooling usually don't know much about what we do.

It is offensive, but we're used to it. ;-)

Answer 10

If homeschooling is done right it does include many perceptions. I personally wouldn't want my child to be unable to form their own opinions or to be narrow minded.

We tried homeschooling and have decided that it is not for us and our daughter will start public school this Fall. I just can't handle the pressure of having her entire education resting solely on me.

We were involved with a Catholic homeschool group, that was okay with the exception of one mother who taught her kids that being Catholic is the ONLY "right" way to believe and she refuses to let them interact with non-Catholics! Believe it or not she was raised Baptist!

My husband and I decided that we want our daughter to have a wider range of experiences and interactions than we can give her by homeschooling. We will be after-schoolers, what that means is that we will supplement her public education here at home. Helping with homework, explaining things to her and providing her with extra opportunities to expand on what she will be learning at school.

I know that there are many homeschooling families out there that make sure their kids are getting a great education while encouraging them to have plenty of social interaction, it's the ones that don't that give all homeschoolers a bad name!