My posts arrogant! Did you read some of the ones I got? The whole point was to get kids back into (either public or private) schools where they can enjoy such experiences as football, basketball, track, field hockey, golf, tennis, band, NJROTC, yearbook, newspaper, drama club, glee club, drill team, debate, proms, and making friends, as well as good education (and won't turn out to be little unsocialized nerds who have to sit at home 20 years from now during h.s. reunions).
Yearbook? I had an opportunity to do that with our homeschool co-op but scrapbooking is not for me. I played softball for six years even though I was awful at it. I was on bowling teams, chess teams, math teams... had biology labs with other homeschoolers where we fussed about dissecting fetal pigs and frogs... did a play once, put on scenes from Shakespeare... no prom but I didn't date anyone until I met my husband anyway, by my choice I might add, so I didn't care. Friends? Plenty of those though as a bit of a loner kid I preferred the company of Podkayne of Mars or the Interstellar Patrol.
Twenty years from now when my age cohorts are having reunions and calling high school the best time of their lives, I plan to be living the best time of mine.
Well, yes...but you opened the ball, so to speak. I confess, some of my posts were pretty arrogant, too...but humility begets humility, generally speaking, and you can use this to your advantage.
The whole point was to get kids back into (either public or private) schools where they can enjoy such experiences as football, basketball, track, field hockey, golf, tennis, band, NJROTC, yearbook, newspaper, drama club, glee club, drill team, debate, proms, and making friends, as well as good education (and won't turn out to be little unsocialized nerds who have to sit at home 20 years from now during h.s. reunions).
Your post gives me a chance to illustrate my point. Among all the heat, a few people have indicated that their personal experience with homeschooling is not consistent with your personal experience with homeschooling. You yourself have posted that you have seen numerous homeschooling failures; well, of course...your situation precluded you seeing the successes.
If you might withhold judgment for a moment and try to understand that there is another side to the story, this whole exchange can have a happy ending. Yes, we homeschoolers are well aware that there are homeschooling failures and even homeschooling abuses. You have been heard. Now, please, hear us...these failures and abuses are the exception, rather than the rule. There's another side to the matter. Can you try to see it, please?
Two years ago, (when I last taught) I was involved in breaking up three fights between 16 and 17-year-old ruffians, caught a half-dozen kids smoking the heathen devil weed in cars on campus, caught many more with tobacco products, and nabbed way too many to report cheating on my tests; and along the way I got plenty of "F*** Yous" and other abuse. But I was also able to help more than 80 graduate to college and, at last report, all are doing well there so that makes me proud of the job I did!
When we homeschooled my son he never once said "F*** you" to me, never got in fights or any of that other stuff. Nor did he turn out to be an unsocialized nerd! At age 25 he bought his first house, he got married to an absolutely wonderful girl and has more friends than I can count .....yup....he's just a homeschooled failure in your eyes.
That a way....to win FRiends.
Right out of the NEA playbook.
Ahh, there's your problem, Vern. You want to convince us public schools are better. But, you don't know enough about homeschooling and homeschoolers to have an even discussion.
Let me educate you a bit. (although I am not a licensed teacher, and do not play one on TV). In my area, there are at least 3 homeschool associations. These are groups of homeschoolers who come together for specific reasons. Music (both voice and orchestra), and a sports team which is recognized by our State's Athletic Division (means they play right along with the middle and high school teams, and are eligible for post-season play - even making it to almost state champs a few years ago). Other groups of homeschoolers share teaching duties. Some parents are weak (or don't trust themselves) in a certain subject, but are very comfortable with another. They trade teaching time with other parents whose skills complement their own.
Charity work, public service, dances (at the local schools), friendships....it's all there. Wait, we don't have cheerleaders and drill teams...but, like, I'm so TOTALLY OK with that! I certainly don't mean to sound harsh or condescending - and if it were later in the day, my composition would be perfect. But, you are at a disadvantage here. You want to convince us not to homeschool, but the only info you have is about public schooling (and it doesn't sound like it was too much fun). We, on the other hand, know about both public and home schooling. We are making informed choices. Just as we are teaching our children to do.
Neither SirKit nor I have attended ANY of our high school reunions. We moved away from MS the year after we married, and are just now fixing to return. My reunions were always held during a time that I just couldn't get away because we had little ones in school. I haven't seen those folks in over 35 years, and frankly, haven't missed most of them.
SirKit and I graduted the same year, though from different schools, but he said, with only three exceptions, he didn't like the folks he went to high school with when he was there, so why would he go through the time and expense to make a special trip to go back to see them. ;o)