To homeschool or not to homeschool?

[SoCalSkins]

Forcing radical religious indoctrination is tantamount to severe child abuse in my opinion. Shielding kids from ideas and information is not a recipe for success in our society.

 

Here is a great article from the perspective of home schooled kids and the growing backlash:

 

http://prospect.org/article/homeschool-apostates

[MEANDWARF]

It all depends on both the child and the school system in your area. My kids were attending schools in our area that was not making the grade(so to speak). We ask each child if they wanted to stay home and be homeschooled. My oldest preferred to stay in school mostly because she wanted to hang out with her friends. Despite getting into some trouble in her junior year, she eventually past with a h.s. diploma. Our middle child preferred to stay in the public school and despite having aspergers. He past and now is attending a local Technical school studying auto-detailing. Our youngest chose homeschooling after being bored in class and some bullying issues developed. Last year he told my wife that he had learned more from her in the last few months than he had in the public school system. Now he is preparing to take his G.E.D. and plans to attend college for computer graphics.

Whatever choice you make, it must be a 100% commitment from everyone involve.

[Zguy28]

Forcing radical religious indoctrination is tantamount to severe child abuse in my opinion. Shielding kids from ideas and information is not a recipe for success in our society.

 

Here is a great article from the perspective of home schooled kids and the growing backlash:

 

http://prospect.org/article/homeschool-apostates

You mean as opposed to government-based indoctination?

Anyway, point, counterpoint.

http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2012/06/01/home-schooled-teens-ripe-for-college?page=1

[Larry]

I wonder if at least part of people's mental images of home schooling is because of the limited times they hear about it. 

 

Kinda like the folks who point out that, the only time people hear about polygamy, it's some guy in a compound in Texas who's founded his own religion, declared himself the Son of God, shacked up with 12 women, having sex with all of them, killing off the male babies, and having sex with his own daughters. 

 

I'll confess that, when I think of home schooling, I think of somebody who wants to teach his kids that all blacks are thieves, all gays want to kidnap children, evolution is a myth created by Satan, and that America was founded to be a Christian theocracy. 

 

In short, somebody who doesn't want to educate his child.  It's somebody who wants his child to grow up ignorant, and he's afraid that, if he lets the kid see the world, he'll figure out that Daddy's lying to him. 

 

I know that it's a terribly negative attitude.  To blacklist a whole group of people with such an incredibly negative mental image.  But I confess, it is there. 

You mean as opposed to government-based indoctination?

Please, provide us with some examples of this "government-based indoctination" which you seem to believe is so rampant.

[Fred Jones]

You can get a good education at a private school, public school or at home.  A quality environment, quality teacher (s), and a student motivated to learn is really the bottom line.

 

Regardless of location, provide a quality curiculum, involvement in sports and other activities like music/band, clubs and stuff, and make sure they develop the social skills to be in the big world.

 

You can fail at all three places, and succeed at all three places.  Be there after school, provide rules and structure, be involved and be a part of their lives.  Lastly, if you home school, make sure you teach them everything and don't remove certain books or parts of history that you may not agree with.  Let them decide.

[MEANDWARF]

Please, provide us with some examples of this "government-based indoctination" which you seem to believe is so rampant.

I'm too lazy to do the research on that, but can you show me a school system teaches both Evolution and Creationism as theories only?

[SoCalSkins]

Lastly, if you home school, make sure you teach them everything and don't remove certain books or parts of history that you may not agree with.  Let them decide.

 

Let's not be naïve about the primary driver for homeschooling in America which is indoctrination into religious fundamentalism. Pretending that ideas in conflict with those teachings will be taught with any level of sincerity and without bias is laughable.

I'm too lazy to do the research on that, but can you show me a school system teaches both Evolution and Creationism as theories only?

 

Evolution is as much a theory as is gravity.

 

Teaching religious philosophy alongside science as equivalent is exactly why it is child abuse.

[MEANDWARF]

Forcing radical religious indoctrination is tantamount to severe child abuse in my opinion. Shielding kids from ideas and information is not a recipe for success in our society.

 

Here is a great article from the perspective of home schooled kids and the growing backlash:

 

http://prospect.org/article/homeschool-apostates

Notice how the public school system went downhill since they took prayer out.

[Larry]

I'm too lazy to do the research on that, but can you show me a school system teaches both Evolution and Creationism as theories only?

Notice how the public school system went downhill since they took prayer out.

Wonder where people get those negative opinions about home schooling, and the motives of the people pushing it.

[Zguy28]

I wonder if at least part of people's mental images of home schooling is because of the limited times they hear about it.

Kinda like the folks who point out that, the only time people hear about polygamy, it's some guy in a compound in Texas who's founded his own religion, declared himself the Son of God, shacked up with 12 women, having sex with all of them, killing off the male babies, and having sex with his own daughters.

I'll confess that, when I think of home schooling, I think of somebody who wants to teach his kids that all blacks are thieves, all gays want to kidnap children, evolution is a myth created by Satan, and that America was founded to be a Christian theocracy.

In short, somebody who doesn't want to educate his child. It's somebody who wants his child to grow up ignorant, and he's afraid that, if he lets the kid see the world, he'll figure out that Daddy's lying to him.

I know that it's a terribly negative attitude. To blacklist a whole group of people with such an incredibly negative mental image. But I confess, it is there. Please, provide us with some examples of this "government-based indoctination" which you seem to believe is so rampant.

I'm glad you realize that there is a prejudice against homeschoolers in our society. Whenever you think of homeschool in a prejudiced light or hear somebody else, just substitute the word "gay". That will get you through it. "Watch out, you might catch teh homeskool!"

Anyway, Larry, are you saying that the government run school systems (or you can substitute parents who homeschool here; two sides of the same coin) don't promote and ingrain in our children (AKA indoctrinate) the values that the government feels is what they want them to learn and live by?

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Let's not be naïve about the primary driver for homeschooling in America which is indoctrination into religious fundamentalism. Pretending that ideas in conflict with those teachings will be taught with any level of sincerity and without bias is laughable.

Evolution is as much a theory as is gravity.

Teaching religious philosophy alongside science as equivalent is exactly why it is child abuse.

Let's not pretend the public schools don't do the same things and that you aren't a hypocrite. some on the Right have the same type of fundie attitude as you do. Doesn't make you or they any more right.

Wonder where people get those negative opinions about home schooling, and the motives of the people pushing it.

I'm wondering the same thing regarding SoCalSkins and the good Senator from Ohio. Wonder where the WND folks get their ideas that folks want to make homeschooling illegal and destroy Christianity? Look no further.

[chipwhich]

I wonder if at least part of people's mental images of home schooling is because of the limited times they hear about it.

 

Larry, if you are a parent, it's not limited to when you hear about it.  A number of my daughters friends went on to be home schooled.  All of them were from what I would consider for religious reasons.

[SoCalSkins]

Belief in religion will become a minority view within the lifetime of children in school today in America.

 

Putting children in a disadvantage by perpetuating  a bronze age philosophy is abuse.

 

The religious will be mocked and ridiculed in mainstream society with greater frequency as the years pass. The tipping point is coming and the religious will have to flee into their bubbles. Too bad these parents are so selfish and self-centered that validating their false beliefs without letting their children make their own decisions will come at the expense of their children being unable to function within mainstream society in mid-21st century America.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Do NOT homeschool your kids. I went to a community college out in a rural area. A lot of the students there were homeschooled. And almost every single one of them was weird. Ditto working at Dominos. There were two brothers and a sister that worked there, all homeschooled. All weird. I really think homeschooled kids miss out on a huge part of their development and learning how to be a normal part of society. I can't advise against it enough. I really think it does a disservice to the kids

[Zguy28]

Do NOT homeschool your kids. I went to a community college out in a rural area. A lot of the students there were homeschooled. And almost every single one of them was weird. Ditto working at Dominos. There were two brothers and a sister that worked there, all homeschooled. All weird. I really think homeschooled kids miss out on a huge part of their development and learning how to be a normal part of society. I can't advise against it enough. I really think it does a disservice to the kids

I bet I've known a lot more homeschooled kids than you. Wanna bet on it? And I'd say they aren't weird (however you ignorantly define that). In fact I'd bet the percentages would bear it out that they are proportionally better adjusted these days than the products of government schools. I had the pleasure of stumbling across a movie called "Mean Girls 2" this morning. I have a sneaking suspicion that it at least has a grain of truth in it regarding public HS. No thanks. I'd rather my kid be called "weird" by you than be called "normal" according to today's American culture.

Belief in religion will become a minority view within the lifetime of children in school today in America.

 

Putting children in a disadvantage by perpetuating  a bronze age philosophy is abuse.

 

The religious will be mocked and ridiculed in mainstream society with greater frequency as the years pass. The tipping point is coming and the religious will have to flee into their bubbles. Too bad these parents are so selfish and self-centered that validating their false beliefs without letting their children make their own decisions will come at the expense of their children being unable to function within mainstream society in mid-21st century America.

Been reading Voltaire? It wasn't true in his day, and isn't now. We are growing and will slowly convert your children. You should be scared, your children will catch the Christianity. Take solace in the fact though that it will be by their choice.

[Zguy28]

Larry, if you are a parent, it's not limited to when you hear about it.  A number of my daughters friends went on to be home schooled.  All of them were from what I would consider for religious reasons.

Yet religious reasons doesn't equal fundamentalism or abuse of some kind. But if anybody actually reads the blog link I posted, what do you say about this?

Moreover, if the rare case of an abusive homeschool parent can serve as an indictment of homeschooling, why can’t the more common case of a sexually abusive teacher serve as an indictment of public schools? By this politician’s own logic, all government schools should have been shutdown long ago. In fact, there was a 2004 study titled, “Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature,” commissioned by the Department of Education. It received no attention from anyone, but the findings were terrifying: nearly 10 percent of all public schooled students had been raped, abused, or sexually harassed by teachers.

TEN PERCENT.

That makes the sex scandal in public schools many, many, many times more prevalent than the abuse epidemic in the Catholic Church. It’s not even close, actually. The Hofstra researcher who conducted the study had this to say: “The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests.”

And homeschool kids are the ones at risk?

But yet its wrong to want to protect my children? I would argue that it is almost negligent or abusive to send your kids TO public school based on those numbers. But I won't. And people got rowled up by the military saying 2% of their members were sexually abused. the Public schools is 10%! Wow.

[SoCalSkins]

Been reading Voltaire? It wasn't true in his day, and isn't now. We are growing and will slowly convert your children. You should be scared, your children will catch the Christianity. Take solace in the fact though that it will be by their choice.

 

Evidence does not support your position. Those without any religious affiliation are the fastest growing segment of American society and the greatest growth is in Americans under 30.  The trend is undisputed and matches the rest of the western world in economically prominent societies. http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/

 

Just like views on gay marriage and marijuana usage, it will be a slow change then a rapid snowball effect once it hits a tipping point above 40% of Americans.

 

In the ever connected society, isolation will not enable an environment for success for children shielded from the rest of society.

 

The death of religion in America is coming, just a matter of when you choose the coming mainstream view on it or retreat in a bubble. The time where the religious were revered and respected is at an end.

 

I would love for my son and if I have more children in the future to interact with your children or children with religious views and exchange ideas. That is where the best learning comes from. If he chooses to take on those beliefs on his own, I will be fine with it. I will certainly enjoy arguing with him as he gets older if he holds those views and challenge him on it, but any informed choices he makes, I will be okay with. Perhaps the only exception will be if he roots for the Cowboys.

[Zguy28]

Perhaps the only exception will be if he roots for the Cowboys.

Then we must stone him to death.

[Larry]

Pointing out that your 10% statistic includes "or sexually harassed", which can include things like the gym teacher telling a kid that he runs like a girl. And MAY be counting two students making out as sex abuse.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

I bet I've known a lot more homeschooled kids than you. Wanna bet on it? And I'd say they aren't weird (however you ignorantly define that). In fact I'd bet the percentages would bear it out that they are proportionally better adjusted these days than the products of government schools. I had the pleasure of stumbling across a movie called "Mean Girls 2" this morning. I have a sneaking suspicion that it at least has a grain of truth in it regarding public HS. No thanks. I'd rather my kid be called "weird" by you than be called "normal" according to today's American culture.

 

Ok, lets bet on it.

 

But seriously, I'm just sharing my experiences. I mean it's to the point where I can tell if a kid was homeschooled. They just aren't right. They don't know how to function in society. They missed out on a HUGE part of their social development by skipping school and staying home. I don't know how that's even disputable. 

 

And you're basing your opinon on "Mean Girls 2". So....

[HeluCopter29]

Part of learning is being around your peers constantly and developing real world skills which, in my mind, you can only get at a school.

 

Unless your school system is Compton or Detroit bad, don't even consider it

[Zguy28]

Ok, lets bet on it.

 

But seriously, I'm just sharing my experiences. I mean it's to the point where I can tell if a kid was homeschooled. They just aren't right. They don't know how to function in society. They missed out on a HUGE part of their social development by skipping school and staying home. I don't know how that's even disputable. 

 

And you're basing your opinon on "Mean Girls 2". So....

Got it. You can tell. I know a guy from Lynchburg who can tell if a person is gay, just by looking at them. He can also tell if a person is criminal just by the color of their skin and the hoodie they have on. Sounds absurd I know. But that's what he claims (not really, I made that up for your sake). On the other hand, when one looks at society today, with what is considered of value, it might just be a good thing to not be "right". In fact, maybe that's the point. They are different.

Part of learning is being around your peers constantly and developing real world skills which, in my mind, you can only get at a school.

 

Unless your school system is Compton or Detroit bad, don't even consider it

Hence why more and more homeschoolers are forming/joining co-ops. And for the religious one's we also have church youth groups etc.

[Slateman]

I was homeschooled. I do not recommend it.

 

It's a grind. It's a grind on your kids and you. When you wake up, it's immediately getting ready for school. Then you have to actually be teaching. Teaching in an environment that is very familiar to the child and easily causes distractions.

 

This is a huge commitment. Plan accordingly.

[Zguy28]

I was homeschooled. I do not recommend it.

 

It's a grind. It's a grind on your kids and you. When you wake up, it's immediately getting ready for school. Then you have to actually be teaching. Teaching in an environment that is very familiar to the child and easily causes distractions.

 

This is a huge commitment. Plan accordingly.

It is what you make of it.

Pointing out that your 10% statistic includes "or sexually harassed", which can include things like the gym teacher telling a kid that he runs like a girl. And MAY be counting two students making out as sex abuse.

Very good point and very likely part of it. But still, way more than 2% that caused outrage on here regarding the military.

[Slateman]

Eh, I think you'd be better off sending your kid to public school, taking the money you would have spent on private tuition and buying some tutors, and then putting the rest in a college fund. You get your kid to work hard enough, they get put in AP programs. They get in to good college. Now they can pay for that college without suffering from crippling debt when they get out.

[Elessar78]

I'm sure there's some situation where homeschooling is the right choice, but in most cases it's probably not. 

 

Socialization: the new counter argument by homeschool proponents is that homeschooled kids are not isolated. Their parents now link up with other homeschooled kids to create some socialization in their lives.

 

The problem with that is that it's still self-selected—kids won't encounter people who aren't approved by their parents the way they would in a "normal" school. You won't encounter other viewpoints about life, religion, political affiliation, socio-economic classes, etc. That's the aspect of socialization that homeschooler don't get. 

 

Curriculum:

This is another fad in the thinking of homeschoolers popularized by some kid on YouTube recently. Apparently, homeschool kids get to choose how they learn about the world through the prism of their interests. So for instance, they're interested in bugs they'll learn art by drawing bugs, biology by dissecting bugs, English by reading about bugs, and Math by adding and subtracting bug themed problems. 

 

But do you see the problem with this? It leads to a very narrow world view. Education is about broadening horizons and learning about things that you wouldn't encounter on your own. If this mode of thinking persisted we'd still be teaching an agricultural based education. 

 

To base the foundation of one's education on what one's interests are at age 5 seems silly. 

 

But I'm not unbiased. I hate the concept of homeschooling because, to me, the people that want it are narrow minded and intolerant. They want to protect their kids from the (perceived) evils of the world. I hate it because teaching is a skill and parents not educated in it are probably doing their kids a disservice. If your kid has a learning disability that the schools cannot address, sure. If your kid is being savagely bullied, sure. Yeah, it's my own brand of intolerance.