home schooling opinions?

Question

do think the parents that elect to home school there children are taking away the ability to co-exist with other people in the later years of the childs development...

i understand some parents have no other choice in this matter due to the geography in which they live. This is not aimed at you !

Answer 1

The results both in survey and personal opinion show that home schooled children are able to co-exist.

They are not limited by being in a group of same aged people. They are not limited to interaction that is controlled by teachers in classroom. They are allowed to be individuals and not a clone or worse, a person who is wounded from resisting being made into a clone.

The 'socialization' issue is a myth.

I know many home school students and many public school students. I work in a public high school. I home school my son. I meet students from both areas who are very socially graceful.
I know of more public school students who are not prepared for real life experiences and who are not able to co exist.

Answer 2

Your son is very lucky to have such a loving mommy. I yanked my DD from the PS after the Assistant Principal had the nerve to barge into our house claiming that I was 'harboring a truant'...my daughter had been in the hospital for two weeks with severe Bronchitis. We had several run-ins with the woman over my daughter's medical problems (Lukemia,Asthma,Venom Anaphalxia)----they actually had the gall to tell us that instead of being able to go out and play at recess she would have to spend the time in the Front Office (even though she carries an Epipen), but were forcing her to do outside PE minus her inhaler and epipen. "If she gets bit or has an attack the teacher or aide would bring her to the office." After TWO asthma attacks, the stunt with barging into my home and then my daughter going into Cardiac Arrest from an insect bite (they had taken her epipen from her and claimed it was a dangerous weapon), I told the school system they could take their system and choke on it. AND all this happened the first 3 months of school. We have now Homeschooled for going on 4 years and DD is happy, healthier and eager to learn and actually enjoys learning. When a child is at ease then the child learns better and when the parent is not stressing over how the child is learning (i.e., understanding what the teacher said, bullies, etc) the home is a happier place. The old saying " If momma is happy, everyone is happy; If momma ain't happy then God help you". Now the real bright side: There is only about 2 weeks left in the school year and then your son will never have to see those 4 walls again. Good Luck on your journey, it's well worth it. P.S. if he gets interested in other States, there is a great program called Flat Travelers that can make learning Geography fun.

Answer 3

Hello,
Let me share a typical homeschoolers week.
Our school is very active in the community, church and neighborhood.
We have some sit down work in our class room. It is a small part of the day. The students deliver senior meals to the elderly and handicapped. Our students do chores on a working farm one day a week. The students help at the feeding program during the summer. Go swimming at the public pool.
The students in our school make friends very easily. Have taken a train trip through the Rockies. Love people.
So to answer the question about co-existing with other people later..."They may have trouble co-existing with people that only want to be involved with only people their own age or people that are stuck in just a "normal life". The homeschoolers I have met are "movers and shakers" in the things that interest them. They are motivated by themselves.
Hope this helps you with any concerns you may have if this was the reason for the question.
We choose to homeschool so we can include God the creator in our education.

Answer 4

Hmm..do I think that parents who homeschool their children are taking away the ability to co-exist with other people? No, I most certainly do not. If anything, look at the type of "co-existing" that is going on in schools. Kids getting mad and shooting up the place, killing their peers and/or their teachers. Public (or private) school is not the place for children to learn how to co-exist or socialize. In fact, I think it's obvious that it's a terrible place for children to learn how to socialize. They are grouped by their age and expected to learn social skills from kids who are the same age? That makes absolutely no sense to me.

Whereas, homeschooled children are often out in the real world, interacting with people of all ages where they learn how to socialize (or co-exist as you say) in the real world...not some classroom filled with kids their own age.

I guess people think homeschoolers lock their kids in the basement with workbooks all day or something, LOL!

Answer 5

Well, that question really has no definitive answer, because every child is different. Sounds lame, but as far as homeschooling is concerned, it's really true. I was home schooled for a few years and I hated it because I wasn't with my friends, but I became a much more confident person because of it. I still spent time with lots of friends, but the pressure was different. I didn't take the crap from people that I use to. My 3 siblings are the same way, we're all extremely social and we're not weird, if that's what you think will happen. I use to think of home school people as those who had really long hair and wore really long jean skirts and spoke in a special sibling language and had no other friends...lol...but I'm nothing like that, so I guess that stereotype doesn't really fit anymore. If you keep your kids locked up and encourage that behavior, then sure they'll have problems. It all depends on the parents. I still played sports on the local school teams and went to parties. I refused to hang out with the kids in the home school association cause a lot of them really were weird...lol...My mom never kept me away from people, she just chose to take some of the pressure off of me so I could grow as a person. Believe me, I hated it at the time, but as I look back I understand why she did it.

Answer 6

Are you implying that schooled children *do* have the ability to co-exist with other people? If so, then maybe you should Google "Columbine." :oJ

Prior to the 1852, there were no compulsory attendance laws in this country. So, before the late 1800's most people were schooled at home. They did fine, socially, which is why we are all here now (they grew up, got married, and begat all of us!) Abraham Lincoln was homeschooled, and he seemed to be pretty good with people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_education

Instead of worrying about how social homeschoolers are, maybe you should look at the alternative: how well are the schools "socializing" people? Do people learn in school how to put others first, love others who are different from them, be kind to weaker people, to have integrity, and to fight for what is right? In school, do the teachers teach the students how to hold an intelligent conversation, how to make friends, how to keep friends, how to make up after an argument, how to forgive, how to get along in spite of differences, and how to respect the beliefs of others? That's what I teach my kids at home, and that's what I call "co-existing with others."

I'm certified to teach in the state of Texas, and I've been a classroom teacher, so I know that none of the above are taught in the schools. They simply don't have the resources. They don't even have the time or wherewithal to teach the simplest of virtues: gentleness, kindness, respect, politeness. Basically, the best they can do, with what's given to the teachers, is to hammer in as much material that will be on the state assessment tests as possible, and try to keep the kids alive and healthy. But, they can't even do that, as we all know. :o(

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/schools/
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/US/School_Violence/
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/07/01/health.lunch.reut/index.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,147179,00.html

Answer 7

First - tell me where you got the idea that children who are home schooled lack the ability to co-exist with other people?

Yes - there are extremes --- those people who shelter their children from the world around them, but that goes deeper than a homeschooling issue. Those children will be messed up because their parents shelter them from everything - from knowing anything about the real world around them.

Homeschooled children are some of the most well adjusted children I know.

Answer 8

I'm still amazed at how many people think homeschoolers lock all their doors and windows and never let their children outside. Honestly is that what some of you people think?

As I wrote in another question these are some of the things my kids are involved in with other homeschoolers in the community:

gym class, swimming, swimming lessons, dance class, film school (where they write, produce, set design, act, edit their own films), soccer, musicals, drama productions, field trips, etc. They are usually with 30-40 other kids of all ages and backgrounds.

Most hs'ers involve their kids in all sorts of programs. I know in the States a lot of kids head to their local public schools for sports programs.

They meet people at the grocery store, swimming pools, malls, neighbourhood just like any other child.

Just because they do their book work one-on-one with a parent doesn't mean they don't know how to co-exist with other people.

Teeby - my guess is that a lot of the kids in the national spelling bee (homeschooled or not) are on the autistic spectrum and have Asperger's Syndrome like my son. That is the reason for their social skills, lack of eye contact and memory skills. Not because they are homeschooled.

Answer 9

I think it really depends on the parent. If a child is going to be home-schooled, the parent must take an active role in making sure their child is properly socialized. For example, make sure your child is active in a youth group of some sort. Church youth groups, boy scouts & girl scouts are great ways to do this. I think homeschooling is great but I also think some parents forget how important it is for their children to be around other children on a regular basis.

Answer 10

Why would it?

Yes, there are some people who keep their kids away from social situations, and there are kids who just plain aren't social by nature, but these kids wouldn't be socialized if they were in school. It takes a lot more than being in a room with people to be "socialized".

Many homeschooled children have better social skills than their classroom counterparts, for the most part. Our kids have the opportunity to take classes with kids of differing ages and backgrounds - rather than being in a homogenous setting all day long. They have the chance, as they get older, to work in volunteer and apprenticing settings where they learn real life skills, not just what's in the lesson plan. They are involved in real life every day as they learn alongside their sibs and parents.

Much of the time, these are students that don't go back into the public school system, so they are not the students that are usually thought of homeschooling is mentioned. Most of the comments I have seen on here are of the "I knew this kid who went back to school, and..." or "the homeschooled students who came into my class were...". The students about which these comments are made are generally the students for whom homeschooling either wasn't done properly, or it just wasn't right for them.

My child, along with hundreds of other homeschooled kids in our area, is involved in so many "social" opportunities that he asked me to scale it down so he can have some downtime! He's active in co op classes, Scouts, church activities 2-3 times per week, sports, clubs, volunteer opportunities, and playing in the neighborhood and at parks with local kids. He can read to toddlers at the library and talk to adults on an intelligent level.

Although he does prefer the low level of distractions he gets from homeschooling, he is able to function quite easily in a classroom. It's just way more efficient to be able to do things at his own pace, and I don't see the point of making him suffer through the poorly implemented schedules at our local schools.

There are a good number of schools that are excellent and don't have as much empty time in their schedules as others; unfortunately, such a phenomenon doesn't exist in our district.

Please understand that true homeschooling does not stick kids away from society, huddled over a worksheet or computer all day. True homeschooling is a lifestyle of learning, and those who homeschool have learned how to help their kids learn in many different ways, including *gasp* social situations. Promise, our kids aren't lacking :-)