Anyone a product of it?
...plan to have it for their kids?

Pros/Cons?

11/8/2006 10:39:13 AM

Con
-------------
Unless tempered with other extracurricular and social activities, your kid will be at a disadvantage when they finally do have to meet the public.
-

11/8/2006 10:42:08 AM

Pros
---------------
Everybody likes freaks

11/8/2006 10:42:42 AM

i wouldnt recomend it unless you're a crazy parent who keeps your kid locked in the house

11/8/2006 10:43:24 AM

Start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschooling

And not looking at research/facts, and IMHO, every person *should* have to face bullying / taunting / etc. negativity while in school. Parenting comes from helping them overcome those things, not shielding them from it.

11/8/2006 10:46:56 AM

Pro - If your kids are home schooled and they do well on standardized tests they have high acceptance rates into college.

Con - Most people that home school their kids have poor grammar and really aren't qualified to teach anything beyond basic arithmetic.

It really comes down to your reason for home schooling. Are you doing it because you live in a remote place or you feel that you can give your kids a headstart in life? Or, are you doing it because you think the world is going to hell in a handbasket and you think keeping your kids out of public schools will somehow shield them from it?

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 10:49 AM. Reason : s]

11/8/2006 10:47:22 AM

It only seems to have a more positive outcome (compared to public school) if you know you can provide a better education than the school system you're in. In Wake County I don't think that's true. In Surry county...maybe.

11/8/2006 10:51:14 AM

Its more of an idle curiosity to me at this point... but there is a high probability that I will move around a lot and might end up dragging a wife and kids along. If she is well educated, a good teacher and willing, I think it could be a consideration.

11/8/2006 10:51:35 AM

i knew like 4 people back home that were homeschooled

i wouldnt do it to my kids, but to each their own(or whatever that saying is )

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 10:53 AM. Reason : .]

Quote :

"dragging a wife and kids along"

damn you could at least TRY to sound enthusiastic

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 10:53 AM. Reason : .]

11/8/2006 10:52:55 AM

^^...especially considering that I may end up in a country where English is not the primary language.

11/8/2006 10:53:58 AM

well i hope your wife and kids like being "dragged" around

11/8/2006 11:00:39 AM

semantics

11/8/2006 11:02:18 AM

I was homeschooled for 6 years. Here's my take, and if you have any questions, PM me.

Pros:

If both you and your husband are college educated, you can teach your kids pretty well up through middle school, giving them an advantage in high school and beyond.

You can give as much attention as your kid needs in his weak areas.


Cons:

Unless you push your kid into a LOT of extra curricular activities, he will be underdeveloped socially.

If you're an idiot, your kid will be even dumber.

He won't be exposed to as many differing viewpoints as he would in a public (or even private) school.

11/8/2006 11:20:51 AM

were you underdeveloped socially? what problems did it cause?

i'm thinking... if i have a daughter.... i would PREFER it if she took her time developing

11/8/2006 11:27:37 AM

Quote :

"Unless you push your kid into a LOT of extra curricular activities, he will be underdeveloped socially. "

thats why i said i thought it was bad earlier

11/8/2006 11:35:44 AM

I did it for one year, and I have friends and relatives who did it longer. Most homeschooled kids I know are smarter than kids their age (probably because they're not being forced to stay at the same pace as everyone else), but this is certainly not the rule. I have one friend who was homeschooled his whole life and is actually below average intellectually. As for the social factor, most homeschooled kids are pretty much crippled socially by the time they're in high school.

11/8/2006 11:38:23 AM

Quote :

" I'm thinking... if i have a daughter.... i would PREFER it if she took her time developing"

We're not talking about racing off with boys and premarital sex....we're talking about being able to interact with people on a normal level.

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 11:41 AM. Reason : mistake]

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 11:43 AM. Reason : correction]

11/8/2006 11:40:38 AM

Growing up my neighbor was home schooled. She was 13 years old and liked to pretend she was a dog and play in the dog house..............................

I never kept in touch with her enough to know how she turned out but I can imagine her dog playing skills did not help through tough interviews later in life, she was wierd as shit. Make your kid go to public school AND ride the school bus. Those places are less than perfect, but so is the real world.

My ex girlfriend moved about 5 times growing up, went to public school (honors & ap courses in HS), and she is about to graduate with a double major, I would be willing to bet she will have a job waiting for her. She never seemed bitter about all the moves, made new friends each time she moved.

If your goal home schooling is to save your kid from having to leave friends multiple times also think about how if they are shut up in the house being home schooled they will never make friends anyway.

IMO parents who homeschool have no grip on reality and are trying to protect their children from a world that they will eventually have to face.

11/8/2006 11:44:27 AM

^^ya, was joking

11/8/2006 11:45:30 AM

Everyone I've met who has been homeschooled has been fucking weird, with only one exception, but she had TONS of social interaction from other activities.

11/8/2006 11:59:59 AM

Some friends of mine were home schooled through middle, but we lived on a street with alot of kids our age, so that I don't think their socail skills were affected.

11/8/2006 12:00:06 PM

however, in a lot of cases I don't think it's the homeschooling itself that makes people weird. It's their bat-shit parents that do it. If those same parents did send those kids to public schools, they'd be just as fucked in the head, but probably have a better chance of fixing it on their own.

11/8/2006 12:05:22 PM

i've had a few students of mine enter high school after being home schooled for elementary and middle school.
they all lacked social skills to some degree and its a hard adjustment.
i personally wouldn't do it to my own child. maybe homeschool for elementary but definitely not secondary school.

I only teach one content area. I couldn't imagine teaching all subjects. It takes a very skilled and extremely well educated person to succeed in homeschooling a child properly.

while today's public schools aren't what they used to be - they are represenative of today's society.

there are other options. such as magnet, charter schools, edison schools etc... depending on where you live.

11/8/2006 12:08:36 PM

I dont know that much about home schooling, but I do remember when kids who were home schooled came to my high school, they seemed so much smarter than everyone else. Also, because I was in the national spelling bee for 2 years (I can't spell that well anymore!), I noticed the schools most kids came from, and I'd say 40% of the high end of winners, or at least those that would last the longest were home schooled, and seemed as if they were much stronger in academics that I was.

11/8/2006 12:40:04 PM

there are an ass-ton of public schooled kids who have a severe deficit of social skills

don't forget to include gang members and other miscreants in that category. I wouldn't exactly call them socialized, mmmk

11/8/2006 12:44:56 PM

its really good

i was homeschooled and look how that wokred out.

11/8/2006 12:51:52 PM

^

There's your answer..... homeschooling should be outlawed!!!!

11/8/2006 1:11:33 PM

Everyone I have known that was homeschooled had a really tough time once they got into regular colleges because they were so far behind academically. It's impossible to teach the same amount of stuff done in high school and they also don't get the social interactions that help them cope with real life.

11/8/2006 1:44:58 PM

^not true. there are other homeschool kids you meet with and play sports

i was homeschooled and im a SOCIALIST

11/8/2006 1:51:20 PM

well, there ya go. can't get more social than that now can you

11/8/2006 1:52:19 PM

I have never felt that I got a good well balanced education from wake county public schools. I think there are 1-2 awesome teachers you always remember and that's it. I think home schooling is a great idea unti high school. I think you can give them a MUCH better education without burning them out if you have the dilligence and knowledge to support that desire.

However, I think homeschooling is a terrible idea if they are the only student. I think it should be a shared responsibility between multiple families. Have 2-3 families with same age children where parents trade off teaching duties. This way the parent isn't burned out teaching multiple subjects, the kids get social interaction, and you can focus on what the kids need to learn to succeed in the world... not have stupid plays about events that you don't understand the full ramifications of. Ever see a kids Thanksgiving play? Jesus christ... kill me now.

11/8/2006 2:18:19 PM

that sounds like some mormon commune shit.

11/8/2006 3:31:25 PM

big love

11/8/2006 3:54:19 PM

i think its funny that all these kids who are posing as "smart publically educated" individuals are scoffing at the "poor ignorant homeschoolers" and using anecdotal evidence as their sole conclusive argument.

gg public education. gg.

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 4:15 PM. Reason : s]

11/8/2006 4:13:04 PM

I was homeschooled all the way up to college, and I say that it was mostly good for me. I did have a lot of extracurricular activities, like Civil Air Patrol and playing ultimate frisbee for Chapel Hill HS. The Durham/Chapel Hill area also has a great support network for homeschoolers, so I've got friends through that as well. Both of my parents are college grads and my mother did all of the teaching, and I'd say that she did a damn fine job.

My only regrets as far as social crap goes is that I don't have any best friends, someone who I went to school with from start to finish, like a lot of my friends here at State do. Sniff. Also, it would have been useful to learn how to interact with girls as far as relationships go prior to arriving here. I would rather have looked like a fool back in high school than right now. But other than those two things, I'm fine socially and I laugh whenever people say "Homeschooled? How do you know how to communicate?" You'd be surprised at the amount of stoopid questions we get (or maybe not).

11/8/2006 4:32:35 PM

i will only say anectodally that i have never met a well adjusted homeschooled kid

this includes my own extended family

11/8/2006 4:34:09 PM

As an educator, I see a lot of problems with home schooling.

Most parents homeschool because they believe that they can educate their child better at home than the school system can, but that is generally untrue once you reach a certain point. Unless you are willing to bring in someone from the outside, a majority of parents are unable to adequately provide a well-rounded challenging curriculum beyond the middle school level. Even though I am far more qualified to teach my children at home than most parents, I would be hard pressed to teach any kind of advanced level mathematics because that is not where my training lies. Home schooling also presents a number of challenges when it comes to academic enrichment in upper level courses -- your average household isn't going to have the equipment or chemicals available to them to do most chemistry labs. And there are also challenges with taking AP classes because in order to be designated as "AP" a number of requirements must be met and the teacher must have certain qualifications.

Because of the difficulties that are out there at educating their children at higher levels, a lot of parents do not homeschool beyond middle school.

Unfortunately, homeschoolers do have a problem adjusting to a school setting. I don't think that I have to tell you about the social problems that can occur. Even if parents made sure to expose their child to other children and take advantage of all of the social events that there are for homeschooled children, there is still a certain level of social difficulty. They do not always know how to deal with peer pressure, bullies, and segmentation (cliques). And let's face it, a lot of parents homeschool for reasons of religion, morality, and to protect their child from the big bad world. Some homeschoolers have problems with their new found freedom and do not know how to handle the exposure to drugs, alcohol, and sex because not all parents address these issues practically before sending their teenager out into the world. I know of more than one homeschooler that went "hog wild" the second they were no longer under their parents' watchful eyes.

Besides the social issues, there are also academic issues. Sometimes the quality of their education is not up to par and they have to play catch up. They are not always use to a classroom setting or the structure of the school day and this can present academic and behavioral problems. Sometimes homeschoolers are far beyond their peers and end up being placed into classes with students that are far beyond them developmentally. I can tell you that High School Juniors do not appreciate having a 13 year old in their class. You would not believe that harrassment and bullying that can occur in this situation.

Those are just some of the big problems that I have with homeschooling. Homeschooling is not all bad. It can be very appropriate in certain situations: some problem students will go home for a year of homeschooling to catch up academically and deal with certain behavioral issues and come back strong. Homeschooling can also provide a good start at the pre-K and elementary level. It is certainly one way of morally, religiously, and politically indoctrinating your child and ensuring that other people's beliefs are not imposed upon your child. But unless you are a strong advocate for your child and take advantage of every resource that is out there for your homeschooler with all of the problems that you are up against in mind, its disadvantages and inherant problems out-weigh the benefits of homeschooling.

[Edited on November 8, 2006 at 5:26 PM. Reason : spelling. etc.]

11/8/2006 5:15:13 PM

Its kind of like how the kids that had a 10pm curfew alll the way through HS flunk out their first year of college.

11/8/2006 5:17:21 PM

Homeschooled kids are socially inept if their parents are socially inept. It's not that difficult.

11/8/2006 5:38:19 PM

i am a social butterfly

11/8/2006 6:05:28 PM

Quote :

"I can tell you that High School Juniors do not appreciate having a 13 year old in their class. You would not believe that harrassment and bullying that can occur in this situation. "

Sounds to me like the high school kids are the socialy inept ones. I can tell you that by the time I was a junior in highschool it didn't matter much what grade or age you were.

11/8/2006 8:10:55 PM

i'm sorry, i'm not a conservative nut christian

11/8/2006 8:22:37 PM

that's a stupid response....

11/8/2006 8:25:58 PM

there's no such thing as a stupid response
only stupid people

11/8/2006 8:36:07 PM

i think a greater diversity of experience and people helps for a well rounded education, but i can understand if the quality of the school is horrible.

11/8/2006 8:36:50 PM

green road community center has a home school kids program that last a few hours each day and teaches gym, art, nature, and cooking classes and the kids get to interact, but I think it only goes to age 8 or so.

11/8/2006 8:39:57 PM

I can't believe I read all that.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/03/cf.00.html

11/8/2006 10:08:16 PM

there are an ass-ton of public schooled kids who have a severe deficit of social skills

don't forget to include gang members and other miscreants in that category. I wouldn't exactly call them socialized, mmmk

11/8/2006 11:52:17 PM

Quote :

"Anyone a product of it? ...plan to have it for their kids? Pros/Cons?"

ADHD & deviant sexuality have been linked to homeschooling.

11/9/2006 1:32:11 AM

Quote :

"Unless you are willing to bring in someone from the outside, a majority of parents are unable to adequately provide a well-rounded challenging curriculum beyond the middle school level."

Then why do homeschoolers, on average, rip PS kids to shreds on the SAT?

Quote :

"Even though I am far more qualified to teach my children at home than most parents, I would be hard pressed to teach any kind of advanced level mathematics because that is not where my training lies."

Here is a major misconception - the parent doesn't have to be an expert to ensure that their children get the proper education in those subjects. Such problems can be solved in a number of different ways:

1) By the end of elementary school, and certainly by the end of middle school, a student should be able to teach himself the vast majority of the material in any subject. By that point, a parent can instill more than enough discipline, intellectual curiousity, and logic in the student for them to accomplish it almost entirely themselves.

2) Parents should learn these upper-level things alongside their children, and be able to help them navigate their way through it. This works far better than you probably think.

3) Pre-packaged homeschool courses are incredibly high-quality, on the whole, and are tailored (in higher-level subjects) for parents/kids in just this situation.

Most parents are not even close to "qualified" (by your definition) to teach their children the subjects covered in homeschool h.s.

But, somehow they consistently churn out graduates that are FAR beyond their peers in public schools (or private, for that matter). So, what does it say about your "qualification" when those unpaid, less-qualified, stay-at-home moms get significantly better results than you? Maybe being 'unqualified' (i.e. no government stamp of approval) isn't so bad at all.

But still, at the end of the day, if your reasoning leads you to believe that it is more difficult or rare for an average homeschooler to excel academically - then your reasoning must be objectively, empirically wrong. I could lay out a hundred reasons why your view of homeschooling is inaccurate, but the sheer numbers show your error far better than I ever could.

*No, I was never homeschooled.

[Edited on November 9, 2006 at 3:14 AM. Reason : r]

11/9/2006 3:10:20 AM