We homeschool. One of my husbands oldest daughters (by another marriage) was homeschooled and has now graduated from Hillsdale College and is working in the wine industry in California.
I redid high school on a home school curriculum which vastly improved my reading, writing, mathematics, and history knowledge. I’ve even picked up some Spanish which is handy every now and then.
I cringe thinking of what I was subjected to in the public schools and would NEVER do that to my own children!
>and makes kids asocial.<
Outside group think brainwashing .... Oh no!
Good education comes from good teachers not the institution
I was a skeptic, but after having kids in public schools, I see the logic of home-schooling.
My initial misconception was time - what parent has time for home-schooling?
In fact, my kids are in public JR. high school nearly 7 hours a day. I think at least half the time is wasted (probably more) - useless courses entirely, like “reproductive health,” and then time wasted in every class maintaining discipline, and countless explanations to the slowest kids in class.
I see homeschool kids who have so much time to be kids AND also who are at advanced learning levels.
We were able to better control who our daughter spends time with and help her make good life-decisions all through school.
Public schools are filled with kids you'd never let in your door - why would you want your kids spending 8 hours a day with them and being negatively influenced?
I wish I could homeschool.
I have a bit of a unique perspective in that my 2 sons, now 21 and 19, were homeschooled until 4th and 2nd grade until my late wife was too sick (cancer)to continue. After she passed away I didn’t have a whole lot of choice but to send them to public schools, which in my area weren’t all that bad.
If I had a choice, though, I would choose homeschool without hesitation.
Over the years, the main argument I have heard against homeschooling has been “socialization.” Anti-homeschoolers can’t argue results because homeschoolers perform as well or better than their public school peers, so they attach that stigma of homeschoolers being sheltered and anti-social. Then I remember what socialization meant when I went to school (cliques, bullying, fights in the halls, disruptive students, etc.), and I just laugh at their argument.
My daughter has worked at charter schools.
There are good ones and bad ones.
Some operators need to be purged and barred from
operating them.
We will all have to stand before God one day and give an account of the things we did, and how we discharged the stewardship of those things he entrusted to us.
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When people ask why we home-schooled our 3 children I am telling them the truth: We love them and could not in good conscience send them to the cess-pool of the public schools.
My wife is a great kindergarten teacher in a public school. She has taught hundreds of kids to read over to years.
My sister in law “homeschooled” her boys for three years basically sleeping late and spending the day doing anything but teaching. They are now back in public school far behind their classmates.
I’m torn on homeschooling because of her
I’m a fan of public school teachers and believe they work their butts off and do the best they can with the poor student material they have to work with.
But geezy peezy, the average per student spending per year in U.S. public schools is somewhere near $11k.
Just how much does it cost to buy a grammar book, an algebra text, a few examples of literature, and a pair of sneakers? And how difficult is it to use a white board, a computer screen, a stack of paper, and a text book to teach a kid math?
How many buildings in Washington or your state capital does it take for mom and a few friends to teach algebra and Shakespaere to little Johnny and Sally?
Mothers are inherently teachers. There is no subject from K thru 12 that cannot be taught for a cost of $20 to $100.
The state and society have told women that mothers can abandon their children to the state from 7:00am to 4:00pm so that they can empower themselves by going to work everyday for a boss.
What a big lie. What a national folly.
Every single homeschooled kid I know is way ahead of their public school counterparts.
We homeschooled our 8 before it was cool - ‘82 - ‘07. ALL considered by outside world to be unusually mature in every way - including socially.
5 of them have 8 degrees total, 2 are Phi Beta Kappa, 1 Summa Cum Laude with 4 simultaneous degrees (Computer Science, Math, Physics, Greek), 1 - “with distinction”, 2 - engineers. All 8 very successful in their careers - 3 didn’t want college, one a realtor who makes big bucks.
All the grace of God. Wife & I both former public school teachers, all kids educated from a strong Christian world-view, all serious Christians.....again, by God’s grace. Wife & I are good friends with all, and our country home is still the central hub of activity for the whole family - and extended family of multiple cultures and races.
God is good.
Homeschooling is no magic panacea. If the student is motivated and the parent is motivated and they devote the time to it then homeschooling will be successful. If they don’t then it will not. Same as with public schools.
I know young people who were homeschooled — very well, BTW.
I think it would be a good experiment to try encouraging parents on welfare to homeschool. If they are collecting public money and not working, they can spend time on their kids. At first this doesn’t sound good, because the parents probably don’t have the skills for teaching. But there are ways the communities could help. The benefit of this would be biulding stronger families in the poorest neighborhoods, and probably teach kids better than many crappy inner city schools.
The "asocial" complaint by many people is something we have heard all thirty-five years. It simply has never existed in any place that we have seen home schooling carried out.
Wherever we have worked in home schooling, parents get together. Fellowships of home schooling families tend to expand quite rapidly. Often the same families are active together either in one church, or in churches which are of like-faith. Activities and events are planned by parents and carried out: science fairs; music and art competitions (often churches with large facilities will offer space for this); field trips and road trips; games and some sports. . . . . none at taxpayer expense, by the way.
In the Christian environment in which we labor, families tend to be larger, often considerable larger, than the average American family these days. So when families get together it often turns into quite a crowd.
There is a higher degree of respect for adults and others in authority. There is a higher degree of politeness. The home school pupils admire and respect one another. There is great interest in science and technology, requiring math, and even in civics and government. More critical thinking and more Constitutional understanding as well.
In the State of Indiana there are at least a half dozen large well organized membership home school organizations that help with resources and activities.
It won't be long now before the youngest of our seven children will be finished and graduate. But we will be involved right on helping others learn how to do it conscientiously and do it well.
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It's no myth, but homeschoolers already know that.
Asocial, in other words they are not having sex with multiple other students and the occasional teacher.
My youngest will be graduating this fall and he was home schooled his entire life. He was accepted to his first choice of our prestigious state college in December. I anticipate he will do very well as he is self-motivated, and has mastered how to study/learn with minimal oversight.
IMO, most kids should be home schooled.