School homeschooling?

Question

how long can a parent home school a child ? do you feel that this is as satisfactory as what a teacher/school would do ?

Answer 1

Until they're finished; which is to say that until they've reached their educational goals or until they reach a point beyond which they're unable or unwilling to continue for whatever reason.

Since all parent/child homeschool relationships are unique, and all teacher/school situations are different, whether one mode would be more or less satisfactory than another would require a case by case analysis.

Having said that, a home education approach can offer opportunities that the traditional school cannot match. One on one attention and very individualized instruction, non-didactic approaches to subjects normally taught via lecture and textbook, flexibility in scheduling, and so forth. A parent that chooses to home educate has a greater investment in the individual child's success than the public school teacher does; while the school teacher supposedly has been trained specifically to the role of teaching. Often, the homeschool can provide the student/child with 'real world' interactions that cannot be achieved in a classroom, for example a homeschooled child might be able to attend governmental functions such as legislative sessions, city council meetings or even courtroom trials and observe the workings of government first hand, where the traditional school's ability to provide such field trips would be significantly less, and in some cases, non-existant.

Research on academic outcomes is inconclusive and suffers from self selection and other biases, but typically indicates that, for the majority of homeschooled children for which data is available, better outcomes for homeschoolers.

A frequently raised objection to home education is that the child/student misses out on important "socialization," or what might be termed social training or indoctrination that occurs within the traditional school. This idea is based on two assumptions: that the traditional school provides this type of "training" in some designed form; and that the home education environment does not. Both of these assumptions are questionable, and assuming that they are true begs the question of whether this type of social indoctrination is truly desirable and who decides what the "curriculum" will be.

The people who work in the public education establishment tend to overwhelmingly lean toward the political "left" and will tend to teach those things that are high on their values list. The system itself is based on Socialist ideals. While this is not "wrong," it doesn't provide a balanced view of the political and social spectrum to the student. A home education approach can provide either a more balanced view or it can provide a view tilted to the right wing. (It will provide the student with the parents' view in most cases.) This can be either a plus or a minus, depending on the extremity of the parents' views and their committment to them.

Answer 2

There's no set time on how long a parent can school their kids, up to graduation if they want. It's actually MORE satisfactory than what a teacher/school can do, for many reasons, but the most noticable are that a parent has their heart invested in their kids and more willing to do what it takes to make sure that child is understanding the work and not just taking the tests. Teachers are doing it to get paid, have too many students to worry about one child who might not really be understanding the concept, and have the pressure of making sure the state tests are passed. And, a mom works one on one with her child, so the child is more apt to really learning concepts. They can take as long to learn what they need to before moving onto the next concepts, which helps with retention. A child who is homeschooled, because it's one on one and there are fewer distractions, has more time during the day to pursue things they are interested in, feeding the love for learning.

Answer 3

A parent can homeschool a child in legal terms from K-12 or 1-12, depending on the laws where you live.

Some parents find they can't do that many years. Many find they can.

Since I homeschool, yes, I feel that it is as satisfactory as what a teacher/school would do, or can be, depending on the parent. I'm a former elementary teacher; I was very aware of my own limits and those of other teachers in the school. There is nothing that can compare to an education provided on a more individual level.

Answer 4

It is legal to homeschool your child from k-12 in the USA. I taught school from k-12. I saw what really happens and I saw and experienced how our hands were tied in certain situations. Teachers have been getting a lot of pressure from the principal to the school boards because of declining test scores. We would stress so much to the parents when little Johnny would not do his homework or when Suzie was absent for so long, that they needed to help their child catch up. All to no avail. I would call in parents of highschoolers. After the third letter and threatening to suspend little Johnny, only the dad would show up. Mom was too busy. Dad would tell us..good luck, we haven't been able to control Johnny since kindergarten! Yes this is a true story with just the name change to protect the student.

I figured if I could teach a bunch of Johnnies, why couldn't I do the same for my own? Hence homeschooling. I have never looked back and help as many moms and dads as I can.

Oh and I read in another post about saxon math not having teachers manuals...look again. I have been using saxon math for years and each level has a teachers manual and an answer manual. They have also come out with a soft cover edition of their books and manuals and are sold as a package for homeschoolers! (Yes, after we paid astronomical prices for the complete hardcover set to every year)

I feel that homeschooling is way above satisfactory because of the freedom you have to completely personalize a school program for each one of your children.

I homeschooled all 6 of mine and plan on it for my 3 grandchildren.

Last, but definantly not least, you just really can not put a really good interesting program in place alone. You really do need to communicate and interact with your local homeschooling group.

Answer 5

A parent can home school their child clear through twelfth grade. All they need to do is once they are done go and get their GED. Yes I do feel that his is as satisfactory as what a teacher/school would do, only if the parent is motivated to make it so. In a typical classroom the ratio is approx. 20 or more to 1. At home your child is guaranteed 1 on1 time. As a homeschooling mother I am finding that my kids don't have to go to school for as long and they are actually academically farther along than the kids their grade level and age in the school system. My kids love the fact that they don't have to spend all day at school and get so much more kid/play time. We do also make sure they get their socializing time by letting them do outside stuff like dance class, soccer, music lessons, sleep overs, all the normal stuff "normal" kids do.
But again how well it works completely depends on the parent.

Answer 6

A child may be homeschooled till the end of their Senior year in High School if so desired, but fair warning....check your State Homeschool laws as certain States have been known to require a Parent/Teacher to have a certain type of degree for the higher grades (Tenn. is one of them).

It is true that homeschooling does NOT work for everyone. As long as the parent has a good head on their shoulders and is willing to do the legwork then there is no problem. That is why there are Co-ops-----to spread the knowledge around.

We love homeschooling and as long as I live my daughter will NEVER see the inside of a Public or Private school again. Trust me you don't want me on the soapbox when it comes to the Education System.

Answer 7

Wow, outstanding question. My youngest son was in middle school, when he was robbed by knifepoint on the school bus, for his $4.00 in lunch money. I found out that the school had had several teachers get punched, stabbings, robbery, cars broken into and this is by the middle school students.
Violence had gotten so bad, I couldn't take a chance with his life.I didn't have any formal training & I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I couldn't have done it without the support system I found online. Yahoo answers is good for moms that homeschooling, but do seek online and local support. I found help at the county library was great for that. Teachers there helped get us thru a "plan" to be able to study what was needed for the diploma test. It was the best thing I ever did. All the needed study material was there, and other parents were there for support and discussion groups for career planning really opened up the options for these young adults.
Below is a website that also offers online courses, support groups, news letters and other helpful tools. Hope it helps!

FYI:My son did get his GED and is now about to enter the US Army. As a older teenager he hated the home schooling, wanting friends and socializing. The other parents in our group had parties, celebrating birthdays, and such. He had his first girlfriend and plenty of friends. We even got together and did a "yearbook" of such. It took 5 years to complete and pass the test. But he is a stable, healthy, hard working, owns his car, has good credit, and now a graduate. I have never been so proud of him!

Answer 8

It is legal in all 50 states to HS for the duration of the child's education. Each state has its own laws on the structure of the 'school' and what is required of the teacher.

In some cases, HSing is the best option for the children involved, in others it does not work out. Depending on many factors children can receive a great education in public school or while being homeschooled. The opposite is also true. The public system could be doing a disservice to a particular student, as well, homeschool might hinder some.

At this point, I believe I can help my child learn better than anyone in our school system. She thrives with one on one learning. She is bright beyond her years and would be wasting the majority of her day in school waiting for others. She is very social, there is nothing I could do to stop her from conversing with others. If the time comes that I feel she would do better in our public school system or benefit from being there we will change things.

When my other daughter is a little older we will decide the best route for her to follow.


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I wanted to add that I have nothing but respect for teachers. It is a job that I would not do with other people's kids. The majority of them are wonderful people and do a fine job. Teachers have to handle many children, all of different backgounds and learning styles. In such large groups, the kids who need the help or cause problems get the attention. There is not enough time to get to everyone. This is just a failing system that needs help. I have an issue with a blanket education that is one size fits all. People are not like that. My daughter doesn't fit into the parameters of that type of education.

Answer 9

I'm a senior in high school, and I have been home schooled since 9th grade, so I've seen the difference between public school and home school. I think that definitely home schooling your children is as (or more) satisfactory than what teachers/schools can do. Plus, you get to spend quality time with your children, which, I think, is more beneficial in the end. As to your first question, I think a parent can home school a child their whole life. Just make sure that they have other ways of getting the social interaction that they need.

Answer 10

A parent can homeschool their children for as long as they want. Some state require a certain amount of time, for example, my state states that homeschooled children should do 4 1/2 hours of school work a day. I get more work done in this time fram than I would at a regular school.