Homeschooling - Good or Bad?

[treide]

Potentially another controversial topic.

I don\'t have kids, so I don\'t really have an educated opinion about this, but I tend to think that overall it is not a good idea. It seems to me that it eliminates important social interaction, and potentially dilutes the quality of the education.

Just curious what others think about it.

 

[Hinton]

As someone who was home schooled, yes, I missed out on a lot of social interaction. So much so that I still have trouble making \"small talk\" and often feel out-of-place in social settings.

Of course, I\'ve heard of home schools where the kids actually go to public school part of the time, so that can help with the social part.

On the upside, though, it does tend to put more focus on the academics and there are fewer distractions.

Like just about everything else, there\'s a good side and a bad side.

 

[Undave]

There were a couple of homeschool kids who used to come into GW while I was working there, always with Mumsy. They were probably at the worst end of the scale and I\'m sure that there are plenty of homeschool kids who do turn out quite normal but these two were amongst the biggast social misfits I\'ve ever seen (being in Coventry that certainly says something )

One of them was almost on the point of rolling around on the floor yelling \"LOOK AT MEEEEEEE!!!\" whilst Mumsy was talking to us and effectively ignoring him. The other just skulked in a corner directing what he probably thought were black looks at everyone. All he managed to do was look constipated... maybe he was.


I can honestly say that despite some really crap times at school I\'m damn glad wasn\'t home schooled. It\'s made me into the perverted sociopath that I am today (in a good way obviously :twisted: )

 

[Evil Dave]

Hmm... with the state of our schools here in the US, if I had children, I think I\'d have to either home school them or send them to a private school at least until high school.

 

[freakinacage]

i knew some home schooled kids who didn\'t know how to interact with people at all.

i struggle to a certain degree as i was alienated by the local kids because i went to a private school. being an only child made this worse and, like hinton, struggle with small talk etc. i find it a right pain in the arse. however i try to go out of my way to fores myself to interact and am gradually getting better. still can\'t talk to random women though but thats a whole other can of worms...

 

[treide]

Originally posted by Evil Dave
Hmm... with the state of our schools here in the US, if I had children, I think I\'d have to either home school them or send them to a private school at least until high school.

Agree, the status of public education in the USA probably justifies a thread alone!

I sort of went the route you mentioned - good private school through 6th grade, then public school. The private school background really promoted scholastic achievement, which I think was invaluable, and there was the sense of competitiveness instilled that probably is also somewhat lacking in a home school environment.

Transition to public school was rough in 7th grade, but I eventually found a group of peers that had similar interests.

Thanks for your perspective, Hinton. How many years were you homeschooled?

 

[Avelorn]

I think kids need to meet other kinds people. Both for social interaction and to understand other sets of beliefs etc. That is also why I think exclusive schools are a bad idea as well, whether by religion or by money.

It is of course important to note that cliques and groups forming at schools is a problem as well. And I do think it is a problem in adult life also. If we meet all the people we have prejudices about.

But I think it\'s an individual question as well and people taking part of other social activities like sports etc. might do just fine.

 

[Beelzebrush]

I think lack of interaction with other children and to some extent, the authority figures of teachers would be reason enough for me not to do it myself.

 

[Duende]

Originally posted by Hinton
As someone who was home schooled, yes, I missed out on a lot of social interaction. So much so that I still have trouble making \"small talk\" and often feel out-of-place in social settings.

I don\'t know about that, I went to public school all my life and am still socially awkward.

But I really think it\'s how the parents handle thier kids in being home-schooled is what really makes the biggest effect. They may miss out on school and classroom interaction, but that can be made up for by invloving them in other activites that other kids are invilved in, like Boy/Girl Scouts, a church youth group, or volunteer activities.

Personally, I think going to school is best since they need to learn how to socialize and learn with strangers, since they\'ll need to learn to work with strangers after the school years. Dealing with unknowns is a part of growing up. I think (just IMO) that homeschooling is best done for a limited time in cases that a child is faltering in the \"regular\" school, in order to catch up to the levels of children thier own age, or in cases of bullying that has gotten out of control.

But that\'s just my own opinion. :duh:

Geez, I\'m so reclusive now and I was public-schooled.. What would I be like if I was home-schooled??

 

[Onis Lair]

personally, me think home school much big bad mojo. I went to public school and i turned out about as well as i could, i got my issues after all. However i have a brother that has chosen to home school his 4 daughters and it\'s a baaad idea on his part. He\'s been out of high school for over 20 years, never went to college and his wife is a high school drop out. Hell i\'m not even sure how they are home schooling since they don\'t use any kind of school books. The girls have no interaction with any children their age other then each other and their cousins. hell the oldest girl is so antisocial the last time i saw her she would hardly speak at all and spent most of her time sitting alone.

 

[squig hunter]

I know 5 people all of whom were home schooled ho get on exellently in a social setting, I think that perhaps home schooled kids need to put in a bit more effort but they can be just as if not more active socially than other kids.

Squig

 

[uberdark]

i dont know if you guys have seen jesus camp but that movie tells me that it IS bad for some people. especially when they teach their kids that global warming isnt really real. other ppl do a wonderful job. our friends do it and their two children are wonderful and have all the same things in life that kids do in school. they both are thriving and doing well with their schooling. it honestly depends on the person.

 

[lizcam]

We home schooled Alex between 5th and 9th grade. We put him back into public school when he went into high school and just recently put him in independent study. There is a story behind this.

We live just over the boarder of Los Angeles county in Kern County. The schools in Kern County don\'t have as much funding as the schools in LA county so our local schools have very limited resources. Alex is dyslexic and the school had no way of coping with him. Being a rural school, they encouraged homeschooling here. Less drain on the resources. So when Alex hit 5th grade and could barely read at a 2nd grade level they suggested that we home school him with the help of the school district. After all, I was re-teaching him everything anyway and was at the time an at home mom.

We picked up his books from the school, did our own lesson plans and then took him to school to turn in work and post his grades. we did all the work but the school system got credit for him. It worked out really well until we started to get into subjects I was really rusty in. Then Mr C took over. We made sure that he got plenty of social interaction.

When he went back to regular school Alex did have trouble. His grades plummeted (not because we were easy on him. Bother Craig and I come from families of teachers and neither of us are easy parents) and he had a lot of trouble concentrating. He got on well with people but the classroom environment seemed to overload him and again he started having issues with his dyslexia.

This year, when it looked like he was going to flunk out of school completely, we put him into independent study. He\'s doing really well, acing all his courses now. He does the work on his own and goes in twice a week for testing. We don\'t grade any of his work and he\'s responsible for his own time. I don\'t think he could have done so well now if we hadn\'t home schooled him before. He\'s very shy but has lots of close friends. He says he\'s glad he was home schooled.

 

[fieldarchy]

Originally posted by Evil Dave
Hmm... with the state of our schools here in the US, if I had children, I think I\'d have to either home school them or send them to a private school at least until high school.

I don\'t know what your talking about. I went to a public scho . . . . ooooh shiny . . . <loses complete focus and prances off to follow the shiny>

 

[JesterzUSMC]

Depends entirely on the parent(s) and the child(ren).
But with the whole concept of \"no child left behind\" and my Marine training...My kids would be fine members of society, and I\'d make do the local sports, so the social interaction would be covered.
I was in public school, but most of my education was extra-curricular.

 

[wiccanpony]

Originally posted by fieldarchy

Originally posted by Evil Dave
Hmm... with the state of our schools here in the US, if I had children, I think I\'d have to either home school them or send them to a private school at least until high school.

I don\'t know what your talking about. I went to a public scho . . . . ooooh shiny . . . <loses complete focus and prances off to follow the shiny>

:duh:following Fieldarchy after shiny............

Home school has it’s good side and bad, all depends on the parents, how well educated they are, the help school districts are willing to give and the reason for home schooling.

My nieces when to public school and if they were having a problem with a subject they had tutors to help out at a low cost.

 

[Legacy Account]

Home schooling. Yeah right.

Trade a whole host of teachers who\'re specialists with years of training in their area, for a parent or parents who think they know better? I don\'t think so - not under normal circumstances anyway.

Kids need to start taking the knocks they receive at school sooner or later.

 

[Roger Bunting]

That\'s assuming the teacher\'s are any good. I had a few that were useless. They may have known their stuff but couldn\'t control the class. Oh what fun we had in chemistry, what with people making flamethrowers out of water pistols and other such things.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

A friend of mine home schooled her two daughters for 4 years, they were brilliant children but they suffered from what everyone is describing..they had no idea how to interact with other children..well with anyone other than their mother.

Their mother(my friend) was then offered a new job she could not refuse and the kids had to go to school. They were put in a good school, catholic I think but the youngest suffered such seperation anxiety from her mother that they had to put here through all sorts of therapy and medication. It was a mess.

I understand the schools may not be the best, but kids learn more in school then just school work, its when the delovope socially and create their personalities. A good parent whos concerned with their childs education can always make sure they do their home work and even make them do things like read books and do reports or even test them on math and other subjects.

Another home school horror story, when I was in college a girl my room mate dated for a while was home schooled..she felt like she fit in no where so badly by her sophmore year she drove her car 100mph into a tree and killed herslef. No it wasnt an accident as she left a note.

So yes I am very against it.

 

[Evil Dave]

Originally posted by Spacemunkie
Home schooling. Yeah right.

Trade a whole host of teachers who\'re specialists with years of training in their area, for a parent or parents who think they know better? I don\'t think so - not under normal circumstances anyway.

Kids need to start taking the knocks they receive at school sooner or later.

See here in the US there are no specialist teachers (except maybe in special ed.) they\'re just college graduates. It\'s one of the easiest course loads these days to get a teachers degree, there is no other training.
We also rarely get the best people for the job because the job pay is crap.

I grew up in the school system, my mom was a school secretary, and I have been watching the schools decline in education while the teachers are ending up having to raise the kids, teaching them morals, general cleanliness,etc.,etc., because the parents can\'t or won\'t be bothered to. You Brits think you have a problem with Chavs? Our schools are churning out thousands of them a year. Completely dependent on the state and quite a few will be for life.
You see, our schools are doing away with things like competitive sports, trying to get away from standardized tests, teaching our lovely little ones that everyone is special.
Then they get into the real world, get bit in the ass by reality, and have to realize that they aren\'t that special.

My little sister, who has a learning disability, made it to 8th grade barely able to read, but always got passed because she was a cheerleader.