Should I home school my son?

Question

With all these shootings, does it make sense to just live a little more frugally and home school my son?

Answer 1

Thumbs up for home shooling; however, make sure you evaluate all the pros and cons and weigh them before you make the decision. Safety alone is not a reason to homeschool unless you and your child are living in constant fear. Remember that anything can happen at home too, fires, burglary, etc...

Anyway - we homeschool, we made the decision because we didn't feel that school was providing what we needed and we were loosing a sweet child to negative social influences. This was our first year homeschooling but in few months we are convinced that homeschooling works. My daugher is back to her old self, has gotten back her love of reading, is incredibly independent, has time for extra activities, eats healthy each and every day, and has greatly increased her assessment test scores (we don't need these in our state but we had a lot of disagreement from family and wanted to test just to see where we were and ensure we were heading in the right direction).

The best past is that her attitude and demands are gone, she loves being home, we can go anywhere we want (and try to do weekly trips to the zoo, plays, museum, parks, etc).

The most important thing in my opinion is commitment on your part (and for an older child agreement and understanding). If you are committed to teaching your child (regardless of your level of knowledge and contrary to what others feel you need in terms of degrees or other pieces of paper) you will succeed at it. There will be hard days and easy days, but with commitment you both will get through it.

Good luck

Answer 2

Go for it! When my oldest was in public school she was struggling. She was passing the tests for everything but Math and HATED writing! They suggested we hold her back for second grade and we did. It was not making a difference she still struggled in math and still hated writing. After we pulled her out we did some experimenting and found that she is a visual learner. She also needed the one on one that home school provided her. She is now a very happy 5th grader and refuses to even think about going back to public school! As for "mavis scientist" I would like to see the studies that show home schools to be "at least 40%" behind in social skills. From the studies I've seen not only do home schooler excel in academics (the reason we send kids to school in the first place) but they are also usually more social. After all homeschoolers have the world to socialize in while public schooled kids are taught by their peers in a brick and mortar school that they practically live in. They don't get the interaction with people of all races and ages that home schoolers get just by being part of the real world.

Answer 3

Just like glurpy said, it shouldn't just be the fear of shootings for your decision to homeschool your son. It should be based on a decision to give your son a better education, and if your a Christian, a better foundation on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.

On the question that I answered directly before this one I gave a brief overview of the differences between public schooling and homeschooling. I will give you the link for that instead of trying to put it all on here too. I hope you'll take a moment to view it! There are several good answers on that one as well. :)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlyYBHOBglJuavAIqKXrDhjsy6IX?qid=20070416141749AA1UHEL&show=7#profile-info-vzS1orsMaa

I have many great homeschooling resource sites on my Y!A page. If you do decide to look at some of the websites that I have I would encourage you to look at the book "Safely Home" that Vision Forum has. It explains the history of the different types of education, and is one of the best books I've ever read!

God Bless!

Answer 4

I wouldn't base your decision on fear. But I would not base it on the fact that some people think (think being a keyword) that homeschoolers are socially awkward.
Really, it depends on how you would handle it. If you handle it right, they will get plenty of socialization, and (if it is right for them), they will thrive. There are plenty of groups to get involved in, and there is an abundance of curriculum that needs to be sorted through.
You need to do a lot of researching and thinking before you decide anything. It is a big decision, and (depending on your son's age) a huge commitment. (If your son is a little bit older, you can make it a little bit easier by using a correspondence course.)
If you have any questions, I'm sure all of us homeschoolers/former-homeschoolers would be more than happy to answer your questions.

Answer 5

It would be a good idea. Some kids learn better while home-schooled because they can learn the way that's best for them. They can still be social too. Just because they are home-schooled doesn't mean they are cut off from the world.I was home-schooled for k-6th and I can say I learned a lot better then than when I went to public school. Though home-schooling because your afraid of school shootings is a bit odd, it's a good idea.

Answer 6

Homeschooling is a decision to make after a lot of thought, prayer, reading, and discussion with people. First, look around the community at the support systems for homeschoolers, find one that you would fit into, and visit. This is the perfect time of year to consider it. You can visit the co-ops, hybrid schools, and other available groups and read about curriculum. Then you will have June to make your final decisions, July to prepare, and you can begin your adventure next school year!! My children attend a Hybrid school, and it was by far, the MOST positive decision I have ever made for my children. I am so glad peoples comments and fear did not stop me!!!

Answer 7

I would ignore all the comments from people based on their own preference against homeschooling. When you actually look up the statistics on it, NO ONE can say it's a bad idea for everyone. Of course each family is different. It works great for us, my kids have much more opportunities for social interaction, despite what others think. I think it's worth looking more heavily into. That's how we were originally taught, before the government intervened and forced parents to send all their kids to one place to learn in 1850. Google homeschool and you'll find many many sites on the subject. Ultimately this choice is yours, but don't let negative nancy's on here tell you that you shouldn't teach your own children, if you have the desire to and have the organization and passion then you'll do wonderfully.

Answer 8

Yes you should homeschool your son. You will have a lot more control over what your son learns whether you want a certain religious slant on his education or not. Also, your relationship will probably be better with him than if he went to school. I have heard of lots of people that had great relationships with their kids until they went to school. Then their kids turned mean to the parents. Expect lots of criticism from your relatives though. But don't give in. Try to homeschool you son.
To start out, try to find a homeschool support group in your area. The one that I am a part of has activities for the kids so that we kids can have the ever important socialization that we supposedly miss.
Hope this helps!

Answer 9

If your son would like to homeschool, I would definitely recommend at least trying it out for a year. I was homeschooled and I am very glad that I was.

As for living more frugally, I don't think that will be necessary... it's entirely possible to homeschool on a very limited budget.

Answer 10

Home schooling will not protect your child from the dangers out in the world. Every time you and your family step out your front door bad things might happen. Not to mention the prevalence of domestic violence and the like...Look into the home school programs your community offers and with that information make an informed decision. Also, don't forget to think about the long term and when & how your child might re-enter the mainstream school options in your area. Good luck!