What do you think of Homeschooling?

Question

O my word!!!

That is everyone's problem is that you think us homeschooled kids cannot socialize. Homeschooled kids get along MUCH better with people of ALL ages. I can get along with anyone if I try, and I've been homeschooled from the age of 5 and I'm now 15, so thats 10years.

Please think before you answer.

Earl D:

Algebra is in progress, Biology in progress, just about to start World History (Curriculum splits it into Geography then History), Geogrphy passed with flying colors (I cannot name every capital of the US, but that it because i did not have to learn them, because i am English, and America is NOT the center of the world). i can find any country on any map in record time.
English i have one 43pg. textbook left then i have finished. Etymology one 43pg. textbook left.

Let me ask you this,

Can you name every capital of Europe with looking at a map? Can you name every part of a frog without looking at a diagram? Can you answer an Algebra problem in your head? Can you name all the Prefixes and Suffixes?

If you yourself cannot do all of these, and more. Then i see no reason for you to question me in such a way.

I also Ice Skate, Trampoline, and Run. I love kids, and am great with them. I am also a prat-time tutoring assistant at my local Kumon Math and English center.

* i meant, Name all of the capitals of Europe WITHOUT looking at a map.

If you have anymore questions give me a shout, I love dealing with people just like yourself.

Answer 1

hello, homeschooling is great! :)

i've been homeschooled all my life and have graduated already and have no regrets :D i totally agree with you that homeschoolers actually socialize better than Most public schooled children--my siblings are all proof of it, and i know others who are very outgoing. i am outgoing too if i put my mind to it :)

plus i know many homeschoolers who enter universities--what one thinks is what one becomes, whether public or home schooled.

Answer 2

I just want to respond to those that talk about parents being qualified to teach the subjects. I dont agree that homeschooling parents need to know all about all the subjects their children need to learn. Homeschooling is not school. In school the kids are spoon-fed the information. The teacher stands in front of the room and 'teaches' the information to the class.
In homeschooling, once the child knows how to read and has good reading comprehension, the goal is not necessarily to have the parent spoon-feed everything to the child. The child can learn to get the information he/she needs. For example, there are many math books that explain how to work out the math problems. If the child can read and understand, he/she should be able to read the book, and learn how to do the math.. I think it's a good idea for the parent to learn the subjects with or before the child, to be a resource to ask questions, and so the parent can make sure the child is doing the work correctly. If they get stuck and dont understand something, there are other resources to go to, such as a friend who is good at math, Yahoo Answers etc. In many ways, i learned more from homeschooling my daughter than i ever did in school.

Answer 3

Although my child goes to school (at the moment) within the family there are various children being home educated. The oldest one is just starting at the local grammer school sixth form to do 4 AS levels. She is well grounded, very well educated - could run rings round most of us and always keen to learn.

We are not a well off family and money is tight so most subjects have been tought by family members.

The scope home education give in the way you teach your child and how they learn is wonderful. We did not have English, geography or History lessons but would look at something that interested us and draw all subjects into it. ie, Ancient Greece - looked at the geography of the islands. Used Santorini to look at how natural events can disrupt lives which took us onto the Minoans, experimenting how to make tidal waves, archeology, reading some greek myths and ancient Greek writings and, on the child's instigation, learnt ancient Greek - which she is still learning because she loves it. We also looked at Pythagoros which brought some maths into it. This turned into a massive project which she still adds to from time to time. We also did the same with Egypt and English history. She nagged to learn Latin - which helped her when in Italy - she picked up Italian within a week and speaks it like a native now.

At 17, she helps her mother run a business - including the paperwork etc. so is learning even more here.

I think the best part is that she is not scared to try anything new because her friends are not doing it. Through home education she has learnt that it is up to her to get what she wants out of life. She is not materialistic, does not worry about what 'labels' she wears and is a normal, happy child. I look at the kids at school and they are so despondant, worried about looking silly if they do not follow the crowd. act 'big' to cover their insecurities and are way behind educationally.

It is absolute rubbish to say home educated kids cannot comunicate with others. We have a house full of kids at the moment - from various schools and between the ages of 10 to over 20 (the biggest kids of all!) B. is never in! She's swimming, round friend's houses, going on various outings and having a great time.

Of course there is always going to be the 'loony left' home educators, same as there are the lot who put their kids in school and allow them to ruin every other child's chances. There is good and bad in both system.

Answer 4

Homeschooling can be done well if the parent is qualified, but it can also be done poorly. I have known six home-schooled children very well - only one of them got much of an education. The parents of the other four just slid through, and the kids end up paying the price.

So on the whole, I'm not in favor of it.

By the way, the one child that I said got a good education went into private school in 6th grade, because her mom though she should have the interactions of formal schooling. Her mom is a former elementary master teacher.

Answer 5

Individualized education is what a democracy is supposed to be all about. Instead, the U.S.A. has followed a strict Prussian model, the Volksschule, for over 150 years. The damage this totalitarian, militaristic, and MONOPOLISTIC system has had on both our culture and our idea of democracy itself cannot even be estimated. Both our children and our democracy are priceless, and the idea of 'one size fits all' schooling is an abomination on the face of this nation only matched by slavery.

But education is now the single largest employer in the United States, and the second largest granter of contracts only superseded by the Defense Department. The corporate monopoly of public schooling will not go down without a fight; that fight has to start with the majority of the parents of this country. Home schooling is an important first step, but we need to completely dismantle the current education system and start from scratch if we are to regain our democratic ideals.

Answer 6

I think homeschooling can be great depending on how a family goes about it. There are so many potential advantages in homeschooling over other forms of school. But like I said, *potential* advantages--homeschooling doesn't automatically mean that there will be one particular outcome. It all depends on how it's done.

As for other people's responses: good grief. I hope to raise my children to be a little more open-minded. Did your parents raise you to be so closed-minded or was it the public/private schools you went to?

*I have actually studied sociology and child psychology/development. Nothing that I have learned from my studies has indicated that homeschooling in itself would interfere with a child's social development. However, there are some definite statistical correlations with the development of certain social problems related to the enforcement of public schooling, especially since having changed the system to be single-grade classes.

*I am neither a religious freak nor am I paranoid. My husband and I chose homeschooling because our experiences teaching in schools had us think we must be able to provide better than that for our kids. My children are also not "social retards" and have at least the sense to not belittle people they don't know.

*"Exposure to the normal world"? School is not normal. There is so much more to life than sitting in a desk surrounded by people your age for 12 years of your life!

*"Face the big wide world"? My children are in the big wide world all the time. They make purchases, talk to librarians and store clerks, meet new kids and adults, take lessons, play at playgrounds, participate in community activities...They live in the big wide world all year round instead of just the summer months, the way schooled kids do.

*Personally, I think it's a shame that so many parents are quick to hand over the raising and educating of their children to a government institution.

Answer 7

My son is at nursery and I am so disappointed with the education system, I am thinking of homeschooling. At age 4 he can already read as good as most 10 year olds and write too. I am degree educated and think that I could do as good a job as the education system giving him 1 to 1 support. Everyone bangs on about the socialisation thing but my son gets bored with most of the kids his own age and I think it's healthier for him to choose his own friends with similar interests rather than be forced into socialising with kids he doesn't like.

I think home schooled kids would have a better education just because it is tailored to them as an individual rather than to the bulk of a class.

Answer 8

I am dubious of homeschooling because I don't feel that the majority of parents are truly qualified to teach on all subjects, especially as these subjects become more and more complex. That's why in school, as courses become more complicated, classes tend to rotate around and teachers only teach a few select subjects within their field of specialty and training.

I also think homeschooled children are burdened with more to prove if they wish to enter college. In addition to taking an SAT or ACT, they will likely need to furnish additional detailed transcripts of their studies. Because there are no clear cut rules, colleges may have additional requirements before accepting a home-schooled student.

In the end, I think that parents choosing to homeschool must do so with the utmost care, or else they risk doing a serious disservice to their child's education.

Answer 9

So, what are you skill levels

Age 15

That means at least ALGEBRA, can you beat that. Already have Geometry and Trig!

That means Biology 1 and 2

That means World History, did you learn about the Mercantile System, Feudalism

That means Geography, can you name the captials of every state in the US

How many countries can you find on the map

If you are ABOVE this level then you are ABOVE the average US high school sophmore.

If you are below this, you need to study more.

Answer 10

We Love it! I was home schooled as a young adult and found more time to focus on my interests and was able to continue into college at 16. No wasted time! I home school (unschool) my 3 children and we all enjoy this. They are able to spend as much time on a subject as we like and all have plenty of time for there sports and social life. My children take part in civil organizations and martial arts. We are not religious at all and didn't begin home school because of issues with the public school. My children have always been advanced and we do some classes with the gifted unit at our college here. I think we have enough social rejects from our public school system, that those people should worry about theirs and leave MINE alone.....We are doing great, we love life and think you should live each day to the fullest, why waste 8 hrs a day to be taught at when we can learn through living?!!! Bless You!

Answer 11

I teach my children at home & love every minute! I removed my eldest from state school because she got detention for incorrect spelling. It was actually the teacher who was getting it wrong! What chance do kids have if that's what they're up against? My 2nd child at the age of 6, was actually at school for longer every day than her Daddy was at work! She then had homework to do while Daddy could relax.
State schooling is too rigid for younger children. My children socialise with all ages and still hang out with their school friends. My 3 yr old is also ahead of his friends just because he is here while I teach his sisters, he reads basic words and can spell family & pet names. How can that be a bad thing?