Home schooling: Some of the Pros and cons

Stars and Stripes ^ | May 6, 2005 | Teri Weaver

[The Great Yazoo]

Home schooling: Some of the Pros and cons ...

By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes Pacific edition, Friday, May 6, 2005

Stars and Stripes talked to four Seoul-area families who home-school their children. They said they choose this method for a variety of reasons, some religious, some educational. They discussed their teaching methods, schedules, and belief that their children are benefiting from the choice.

None said their children lacked friends outside of their brothers and sisters.

Church, activities with other home-schoolers and inevitable time with the neighbors’ kids make up a healthy supply of friendships, they said.

The parents offered these advantages and drawbacks to home schooling for families who might be considering the option:

Advantages:

Small teacher-to-student ratio.

Family structure becomes tighter. Mom and dad know more about their kids’ lives. Older siblings become teachers to the younger ones.



Freedom to stress religious beliefs.



Freedom to schedule family trips and be flexible with other scheduling needs.



Learning time and playtime become intertwined. Because the classroom often is the dining room or living room, science projects become something to do on the weekends, not just in labs.



Each child can learn at his or her own pace, without falling behind or waiting for others in the classroom to catch up.



Freedom from peer influences, such as cliques, gossip or “class clown” antics.

Drawbacks:

Involves a full-time commitment from one parent. “It’s a very sacrificial thing and the bulk is on the mom,” one mother said.



Adapting to a new schedule and new roles can be hard for both parents and their children.



Home and school are intertwined; finding a sanctuary from either can be hard.



Winters can be long.



Some accreditation programs or state education departments request thorough testing and paperwork.



Choosing a curriculum that works for each child can be trying, in part because there are so many options from which to choose.

[BibChr]

I am a former opponent of homeschooling who for about the last 8+ years or so has been a fanatical proponent.

Anyone who can, should.

Dan

[George from New England]

Are you saying that the Christian school send the kids home with this outrageous material?

What was an art book doing in history class?

What state? What faith?

[The Great Yazoo]

My family could not even remotely be considered as the model organized family. Yet your experiences are totally different from ours.

We incorporate a lot of cooperative learning situations where the kids have to produce for other parents or tutors (math, science, writing, speech and debate, etc.). Our homeschool support group is awash with these resources.

Just a thought.

[Semi Civil Servant]

I guess I have mix feelings on the issue.

You shouldn't. "Home schooling" was completely accepted in this country prior to compulsory school attendance laws. As public schools declined and it became obvious that they weren't going to get better, a few "explorers" experimented with homes chooling. After they got wonderful results, a few more families tried it, at great risk, because of the laws on compulsory attendance. They were the pioneers. When homeschooling became legally safe, a much larger group, the settlers, took up the cause. Now, there are also the refugees -- people with trouble who hide behind the relaxed school attendance laws.

The girl in the second example would be no better off in public school. But there are hundreds of thousands of home schooled kids who would be much worse off if the movement had failed. Please don't confuse the refugee homeschool kids with the home schooled kids from serious families with functional parents.

[Paul_Denton]

Ever notice how "independent" "grunge" kids are. They all dress alike, talk alike, act alike. Some "independence!"

The so-called "in crowd." I have seen it first hand in my six years of publik skool (spelling intentional... was homeschooled from 7 to 12). It is like the borg: Any individualism and independance is not tolerated.

[The Great Yazoo]

I am a former opponent of homeschooling

When my wife and I first encountered homeschooling, we rolled our eyes and commented (to each other) that homeschooling was the oddest thing and that these homeschool parents were peculiar.

When we grew up, had to meet payroll, had to pay taxes, and had precious school-age children of our own about whose education we were concerned, the idea of homeschooling was no longer radical.

[tuffydoodle]

I'm in Texas.

The school isn't affiliated with any church, they just call themselves "a Christian school".

Yes, the history teacher, (not art history, just history) sent this garbage home. The teacher is a highly thought of "Christian" man and used to be principal of the school. I think he's a closet pervert.

I have no idea why they feel the need to teach art history in history class. The teacher defends the use of the book, saying he's teaching the kids what's not Christian art. I don't even know where to start with that idiotic idea, there are a million reasons why it's wrong. One of the parents at the school who is also fighting the use of this book has an art history minor and has never heard of Mapplethorpe so I feel certain we can all get through life without ever having to know that this "art" exists.

[The Great Yazoo]

I'll bet the sentiments expressed in your tagline isn't/wasn't met with acceptance, toleration, and love either.

[kx9088]

Let me further elaborate.

I think that along with influence from the parents, there needs to be influence from a social environment. I think it starts with the parents though, they are the ones that need to teach their children to think for themselves, right and wrong, that there are consequences for the decisions you make, etc.

[Paul_Denton]

I'll bet the sentiments expressed in your tagline isn't/wasn't met with acceptance, toleration, and love either.

48% of our nation's population already detests the sentiments and views of this site and its members, and member's tag lines, so it is no surprise lol.

[The Great Yazoo]

there needs to be influence from a social environment.

Are you at all familiar with what actually happens in homeschooling? I don't mean to insult but your comment evidences cliche and supposition rather than actual fact.

The fact is that homeschooling families typically participate in a myriad of social environments: we just make conscious efforts to maximize the beneficial ones while minimizing the negative.

[George from New England]

I think you should post school details and contact info so any freepers who wishes to get active, can. This is a global battle, one soul at a time.

Thanks.

[BibChr]

My first impression was colored by the first family I knew who HSed. They were basically better than everyone else, and not real "joiners" in our church. To me, it was just a manifestation of their own peculiarity, and feelings of superiority.

It wasn't until I had kids of my own, whom I first sent to public school, and my mounting horror at what was being done to them (brainwashing), and not being done to them (education). I also saw what they could be doing, when we saw the available curricula at an HS fair.

When I fell, I fell hard. (c8

One of the very best decisions we have EVER made, and one of the few that I have NEVER even WONDERED afterwards if it was the right decision — which, for me, is really saying something.

Dan
Biblical Christianity BLOG

[tuffydoodle]

I have given out the name and location of the school through freepmail from people who live in Texas and want to avoid this school. I also sent the information to every parent in my email address book. I've caused a ton of problems for the school already, I'm hesitant about posting names on a public forum. I don't think they could sue me for anything but I wouldn't put it past them to try.

[Osage Orange]

It's also a completely different environment, you learn how to handle social situations at a school better than at home.

Yeah....we HS'ed both our children from K-12..and we never let them out of the house.

[The Great Yazoo]

you have to keep a close eye on everyone while your kids are in public or private school.

In some ways Christian school is worse than public school because parents are lulled into believing the Christian school is a sanctuary from the outside world. It isn't so!

While your child's Christian school experience is extreme, you are fortunate that the event was so blatant because most instances of creeping secularism in the Christian schools are very, very subtle.

All of my children have been in Christian schools and the youngest is now in a Christian school pre-kindergarten program. At the end of the day, however, we ask ourselves "What is the best option for this child at this point?" In the long run, homeschooling continues to be the answer.

[TomSmedley]

All in all ... we are not unhappy with the results. It has been work, but it was worth it!

Our two oldest are in college. And we had time to enjoy them while they were growing up.

TIME is the biggest advantage to home schooling. Spares you a lot of those regrets about "where did the time go?"

[TightyRighty]

My husband has been trying to get me to homeschool. I wasn't quite sure about it until I tried to enroll my four year old in CA's school system. I took the time to highlight all of the failing schools in our school district and by the time I was done there were only about 15 elementary schools that were passing!!

The FINAL straw came when I called the district office to get some information and was told that low-income and non-english speaking children would have preference. Right then and there I knew Presley didn't have a chance. Even if she did get in - who were they going to be teaching? They would completely over look any child that spoke English because they would have to play catch up with all of the illegals.

[The Great Yazoo]

TIME is the biggest advantage to home schooling.

Time and love and effort and togetherness and teamwork overcome a lot of disadvantages. Compared to those attributes, the lack of a state-certified teaching certificate pales.

[The Great Yazoo]

They would completely over look any child that spoke English because they would have to play catch up with all of the illegals.

Public education in America is a bureaucratic machine responding to bureaucratic incentives.