What are your thoughts on homeschooling?

Question

Please state whether you are feminist or not. I'm very interested in the views of both sides.

Thank you!

Rainbow: Indeed, I am. I've missed the interesting dicussions here. My pregnancy has been quite tiring lately, thank goodness I only have two more months to go...lol...I guess. Then the real work starts.

Answer 1

It's as good as the teacher.

My bf was home schooled (high school) by his grandma, who is now 89, retired navy nurse, mother of 5, widowed when my bf was born. He turned out to be pretty smart. Common sense and patience are probably the most important lessons he learned from her. As far as socializing, he socialized with the neighbors' kids just fine, so he is quiet social - and he's still friends with them to this day.

So, how is pregnant life treating ya?...

(still a feminist)

Sorry, but I have to add - what the hell would he miss if he had gone to high school?... Prom, peer pressure?... I didn't even go to prom.

Answer 2

I don't think there is a "one size fits all" answer to this. I think homeschooling is a benefit in some ways and a detriment in others. If a child is in a crowded school or is more intelligent than his peers and gets bored easily and can't get enoungh personal attention to the end that he starts not doing well, yes, I support home schooling. But only if a proper curriculum, educational setting and tutor can be established in a home environment.

But on the other hand, school is also a place where children learn social skills by observing each other and interacting with their peers. I know there are other times kids play and come into contact, but it's not the same as when the child is in
s large group setting with other peers.

Each parent has to decide which is the priority for their child, which may not be suitable for another child. I just don't think you can expect a blanket answer on this question.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "feminist". I don't think humans are limited to only two genders, male and female, and I believe in equal rights for ALL citizens, but I don't support those that achieve their means through militant ways.

Answer 3

I am homeschooling my children and I will name the reasons why

first: non of the schools in my state have passed the NCLB and they are so very far behind other states its sad.
by the second grade we are a full year behind N Dakota can you imagine how far behind they will be by the time they reach 12th grade??

second: to many teachers are getting into the positions to abuse, or promote their own agenda and ideals. ( I speak from experiance I had several teachers that only wanted to teach their ideas and not the approved course.)

third: My children are very active and I do not want any one to put them on meds, and make them some doped up dummy taking space in a chair. I believe children should have energy and should be very active. (I have had several of my friends children told by the school they would not be allowed back in the classroom until medicated)

forth: the statistics are so much better for home schoolers than public, the stats first go to private then home school and at the very bottom of the pile (very bottom there is a very wide gap) the public schooled.
I can not afford private so home school is my next available option to give them the best advantage possible.

Fifth: I have never met any home schooler that had any social issues as the parents make very sure to put them in sports and other activities getting them out and with friends.
Mine will be no exception.

It is every parents choice on what to do with their children and how they will be educated for those that said it should be out lawed home schooling is the very essence of freedom, should we become a policed or government run society??
Whether you choose to or not I have made my choice for what I see as best for their future and future college prospects.

Answer 4

My viewpoints don't really lean either way on the feminism issue. However, I do have some thoughts on the home schooling issue.

There are cases where chlidren are pulled from school or schooled at home from the start for valid reasons and there are some reasons that I don't feel really support the option. Living in a sub-par school district and being able to give a better education at home is a valid reason for home schooling. However, this choice should be backed up by testing statistics from the national BOE, not just the opinion of the parent/guardian. Also, in those cases most children are simply sent to a private school that has a better academic record. If the child lives in an area where violence is prominenent and school or the commute to and from school becomes hazardous then home schooling is a valid option. In all home schooling situations I feel that the teacher should be qualified and should properly enforce the curriculum provided. It is also vital that home schooled children be given plentiful opportunities to socialize with other children. One downfall of home schooling often lies in the lack of social skills developed by children who do not experience the classroom environment. However, this can be supplemented with sports and hobby clubs where the children get to interact with others on a regular basis.

On the side of NOT home schooling my main issue lies in that many home schooled children do not develop proper social skills and often do not "fit in" with other children their age. It is also harder to explain to a college recruiter that a student was home schooled but is still well-rounded. Though it may not matter once college is over, having a good GPA and a list of clubs and team participation is high on a recruiter's list. I feel that while the learning opportunities may be great for a home schooled child, there are many things learned in the classroom that are never taught by the teacher. I have met and befriended many home schooled children and adults over the years and though they are all polite and seemingly intelligent, most seem a bit awkward and have a hard time interacting in social situations.

The question is a very personal one and is probably a hard decision for a parent to make. Personally I would not home school my child unless one of the reasons I spoke of (bad school district, violence) was prominent in my community. I gained too much from my time in school to ever want to deny my child those aspects of development and environment. As a gifted student who skipped a grade I still feel I was able to gain more education in my highly-rated school district than my mom could have given me at home and she agrees. My mother actually struggled with the home schooling option because I was developmentally advanced but decided I would get a much better social experience by being out of the house and around other students, teachers and the publi on a daily basis - and she was right.

I hope my viewpoints were useful and I am axious to read the other responses! Great question!

Answer 5

My own opinion is that children need interaction with others to learn how to socialise. I learned a lot from school, not just academically, about how to get on with people and I made friends that I've kept my whole life. There is a risk of homeschooled children feeling isolated and being singled out as different by others their own age.

I'm not judging anyone who does decide to homeschool their children; i'm sure there are also benefits to the arrangement and every child has different needs. But personally, I wouldn't homeschool my children.

Answer 6

Well, my opinion is that the public school system is a joke and shameful. I don't get this opinion randomly, I am informed. My career was as an educator when I worked and I have many friends who work in the school system.

I now have two children and I became a stay at home mom when my first was born.

I did consider home-schooling her when she became school age. The reason I didn't is because I felt that there would be things she would be missing if she were home-schooled, and only one of them was social interaction.

Children need exposure to influences outside of your home to properly thrive.

So, what we did was to bite the cost and put her into private school. Both my children (who are much older now and close to moving onto college) have spent their entire academic careers in private school.

Because of my decision to stay at home with them, this has been a financial hardship but we have made it work nicely and I can see that it is an investment worthwhile.

They are outstanding humans both and excellent scholars. I could not be more pleased.

My very best female friend does home-school her oldest and for them it is working out very well. She has him in boyscouts and he is active in their church and he is on a baseball team so he does have outside social activities.

She sends her two youngest to public school though.

We have had many conversations about this topic. We have both found what has worked for us and our children and that's what you have to do too.

Read and ask questions, inform yourself and go with your instincts.

No matter what you do, it is a benefit to your child if your are very involved with their day to day school work and school life. Good luck.

Answer 7

What does feminism have to do with homeschooling?

I've been reading a lot/researching into the pros/cons of homeschooling... it's seems both sides are always biased (for example, any public school teacher will probably tell you why homeschooling is bad; any homeschooling parent would tell you public education is bad)

No one can really answer what you're looking for... Google like mad and do your own research; At least that way when you arrive at a decision you can feel confident in your choice.

Sorry I didn't offer any real answer, but it truly is a decision you need to research and make yourself.

Answer 8

Yes I'm a feminist, but that doesn't mean I'm your brand of feminist, so I'm not sure if that's helpful for you.
I am intending to homeschool my daughter. I don't think it's right for everyone, but I think it's right for us. I intend to follow the classical method as described in Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer's book, "The Well Trained Mind" with quite a bit of Steiner based stuff while she's young. That'll also be supplemented by our SCA (historical re-enactment) stuff.
Homeschooling, if it is done properly, has many advantages over institutional schooling. What constitutes "properly" is an individual thing, however. I can't really think of any negatives. As soon as you mention homeschooling, everyone will jump up and down about socialization. That is only an issue if you chain yourself and your kids to the kitchen table all day, every day. Not many people do that! There's a whole world to participate in. The other problem homeschoolers tend to run into is that people generally think of education as something that happens in a classroom from 9-3 and don't think anything else counts. A homeschooling family will see pretty much everything as educational. Another thing is that people will know one homeschooled kid who was an anti-social jerk, and paint all homeschoolers with the same brush. Or worse, they've "heard of" someone like that. People tend to forget that schools also turn out badly socialized kids. Teacher training is mostly about how to organise large groups of kids, so a teacher certificate isn't necessarily going to help you homeschool your kids. A parent can always go and read up on pedagogies etc if they feel the need.
If you want to see lists of reasons people homeschool, read the archives in the homeschooling section. Some people have given very detailed answers, including myself.

Answer 9

I feel if you can get the home schooling great! But being in school with others it great for the socializing part which gets in the way of actually learning...I wish my parents had the money to home school me. I had a some problems and blanked out during exams even though i studied and had good grades with class work. I'm neither a feminist or not ....I just have this personal opinion;)

Answer 10

Homeschooling is like most things in life: it is what YOU make of it.

A large % of the Scripps Spelling Bee winners are home schoolers. I have a home schooled friend who got a full scholarship to an Ivy League university at 16. Another became a Registered Nurse at 17. Two others graduated at 16, with honors, and started their college careers 2 years early.

I have also seen home schooling disasters becaue of lack of discipline, focus, and motivation.

While home schooled students (and parents) have more responsibility, they also have greater control and flexibility (as shown above).

Many of the home schoolers I know also use their flexibility to do volunteer work (and have excellent social and communication skills), which would be far more difficult in public school.

Bottom line: Like most things in life, homeschooling can be a blessing or a curse; it is what YOU make it.