homeschool...??

Okay, I have this question and I hope I dont offend anyone.. but,

is there anyone out there that homeschool's their children? and why do you do it?  I mean, what was the determining factor for making the decision NOT to send them to school to go through what most children go through?

I wonder about that also. It seems like to me your child would be missing out on sooooo many life experiences by being home schooled. School was something I will always remember, the good and the bad. I learned alot from that time and made alot of lifelong friends. Some of my best memories are from school. I also wonder how a teacher in my state has to have a masters degree to teach, but a parent is qualified to home school? Doesnt add up to me. I think if their is a health or medical reason, home schooling is ok. But otherwise I feel kids should go to school and enjoy the experiences they get out of it while they are learning.

I think if you put as much time into helping assure that they are getting the most out of there public education then all should be well.  I think some parents home school to keep them hopefully away from the drug scene?  Or perhaps they just want that kind of relationship with their children?  I have always had this theory........no amount of education really teaches the young how to be prudent with money...teach them life skills that will ensure a bright future for them.  I have known ceo's of companies horribly in debt and high school drop outs WEALTHY...go figure

i would think that an important part of going to school is learning how to be a functioning part of society... i just don't get it.... but i'd love to hear some reasons.

i had a friend growing up who could read when she was 4. so she got to kindergarten and they were like "this is A, this is B" so her mom pulled her and homeschooled her and then did the same with her brothers. all three are very intelligent and went to good colleges. they are all successful. having said that though, they were also very very socially awkward growing up. the brothers still are. personally, i think kids miss out by being homeschooled. i know a lot of people disagree, but that's my opinion. kids can't be sheltered forever, and if they spend their whole childhood and teen years home with their parents the real world is going to come as quite a shock! 

My son is only 7 months old, but my husband and I have been talking about home schooling.  Some of the reasons we are looking at it are:

1- absolutely despise the high school in the area- it's really, really bad.  Huge class sizes, lots of drugs, thousands of students.   

2- the education in the school systems are really not that great.  The rate that children are taught at now a days is indredibly slow.  A home-schooled child can learn what the "average" high school graduate has learned by the time the home-schooled child hits about 13.

3- there are so many people home-schooling their children these days, that it's like a little "community".  Sometimes 5-6 "families" get together and one parent will teach all 5 or 6 kids a subject.  And there are special organizations and clubs for specifially home-schooled children to help them adapt social skills (most home-schooled children used to lack some social skills- this isn't the case with children being home-schooled now).

4-  home-schooled children are able to learn through a more "natural" environment... for example, going to a arboretum to learn about trees/shrubs, or going to museums to learn about history, learning music and arts...it's more hands-on learning instead of just stuff from a book. 

These are just a few of the reasons why we are considering home-schooling.

I guess it all comes down to what you want for your child (and what you can afford to do, not everyone can homeschool their kids because of work).

If you want your child to grow up like...normal...people, then public school works.

But, if you want something better, home school probably gives them a better chance.

lori...I know you didn't mean this... but your comment about, "growing up like...normal...people...."  that's kinda mean..   who's normal anyway?  normal as compared to who?  :)  I know you didn't mean it to sound like that....

but it's true about what you want and what you can do.  My husband has an excellent job, and I'm able to stay at home and raise my son- so home-schooling is an option for us.  It's not always an option. 

I dont think that being socially awkward has too much to do with homeschooling. I know plenty of people who went to public school who were socially backwards including my brother and me.

Many kids are isolated at school and from homeschooling however others are not. Many kids get out a lot and go on field trips with other homeschoolers and are fine I have known a few homeschooled kids and they were not socially awkward at all in fact they were very mature, socially aware and seemed to enjoy it. One girl was telling me most days they had finished school work by noon and then she got to go to museums and parks untill her school friends came home and then she would go over to play with them or they would come over to see her. She was also involved in horseback riding, went to camps and did gymnastics so it was not exactly an isolated existance. I do not believe that a sweeping generelazation can be made.

There have been studies done ( I heard them on Dr. Phil a long time ago and dont remember the link) that there is no difference socially in fact from kidnergarten through middleschool kids did slightly better socially if homeschooled  however they did slightly better socially after that if they went to highschool. I would love to see more research but I do think it is importnt to remember that shools have not always been around and are not in every culture and humans have been able to socialize just fine in many different enviornments all around the world.

i think that there have been some interesting points raised.

i think that there should be some way of regulating who gets to homeschool and who doesn't -- my mom has a learning disability and wouldn't have given us a good education. my neighbors down the street were poor and unemployed and i think the only things they could have taught their children from homeschooling was how to draw welfare checks.

but there were smart (usually VERY conservative) families in the area that homeschooled.... it just seems so.... weird. sorry, but that's how it feels to me.

Hehe, i wish there were regulations for things like that! People teach their children lots of things! ....some grow out of it and start learning for themselves (then they just realize their parents are nuts)...while...others cant, and thats too bad, they never get a real chance.

We have homeschooled our children and are still finishing up with the youngest.  Initially, we wanted to provide an environment that would build good habits, strengthen their faith, and challenge them academically.  Before even a year had passed, we also found that the scheduling freedom that we had was a huge side benefit.  We were able to take trips (vacation and serving others) that would not have been possible otherwise.
Our oldest just graduated from college.  She had a bit of a transition socially to college life that some of the schooled kids did not have.  I think the point is that she was prepared to adapt to a new situation and did just fine.  She did very well academically, by the way :-)

A great website on homeschooling is http://www.nheri.org/

I wouldn't tell everyone to homeschool.  It has been great for our family. 

I would seriously do it if I could still remain sain, that is the ONLY reason I don't. There are always homeschool groups in every town and city that get together for sports and field trips, making pals etc. Online schooling is totally accepted by universities and I have never met more polite respectful teens in my life, I have schooled my kids in two provinces and elementary and middle, a couple of them (we moved twice) and encountered like ONE compassionate teacher (I can take bad info, just the delivery is cruel) and mean, swearing, rotten kids who hit and manipulate, and my kids are NOT nerds. I am not satisfied with their progress and have to be in constant communication with the teacher to know what assignments they have or they get behind, I honestly might as well homeschool.

This is a cool conversation. I too think it just depends on the parents, what they want for their children, and also on what type of environment the individual child thrives in.

I have a question for those out there who have homeschooled your child. Was there ever a time when it was difficult for you to teach certain subjects, especially when the child got into high school levels?

I am just trying to imagine my mother teaching me AP calculus :). My mom is very, very intelligent but she has repeatedly told me how hard math was for her. Even as young kids we always went to our dad for math help.

I am just wondering if it is difficult once the kids are in the upper levels of high school knowing that as individuals we all have strengths and weaknesses, and those are often different between parent and child.

This is indeed a great topic.  My family likes the public school system but we have to be in honors classes.  We value the social skills that comes with public schools.  My husband went to private schools and he learned a lot more than I did.  At first, he really insisted on sending our future offsprings to private schools.  Now he actually thinks public schools are a better choice because of people who go to private schools can be rather snobby and unpleasant (granted we live in a good neighborhood with very good public schools).  But now I do see the point of private schools.  At times, I really wish that I had the chance to learn more in high school.

Now on the topic of homeschooling, I agree with the fact that they can learn much more and be exposed to much less drugs among other things.  But even with some families having a little community, there just isn't enough socializing to me.

I homeschooled my 2 girls from the time they were in kindergarten until 5th grade for the oldest and 2nd for my youngest.  The reason I stopped was because we moved to a small town and I had to return to working full time.

I don't want this to sound racist but the reason I started homeschooling was because the part of Tucson we lived in at the time my kids were little was predominatly hispanic.  The elementary school was 3% white and my kids would have been taught in spanish and english was a "2ndary" language for most kids.  I don't know why in an American school english wasn't the language taught in but that's the way it was in the early 90's.  The middle school the kids would have gone to was a joke.  The teachers wore bullet proof vests and their job was just to break up fights betweent he gangs.  My husband worked for the fire dept and they wouldn't respond to calls in that school without the sherriff being with them and going in first. 

When we moved to this small town we had the kids enrolled in a charter school that was for "transitioning homeschooled kids to a school enviroment".  The parents had to volunteer one day a week in the class room it was K-8th grade and multi age classroom.  My youngest went there 2 yrs before she decided she wanted to try public school so in 4th grade she started public school.  My oldest decided when she was in 8th grade she wanted to come back home and homeschool.  Since she was old enough to do alot of the work herself she homeschooled until the 10th grade when she decided she wanted to try out the high school to be with her friends - so we let her do that.  She decided in her senior year to drop out and got her GED in a month since all her friends had dropped out already and she was tired of the high school "cliques" and politics. 

My youngest went to highschool for 9th and one month of 10th then when she turned 16  in Sept we let her drop out also and she got her GED 3 months later. In AZ you can drop out of school at 16 and don't have to enroll or register as homeschooled. I wish now we never had sent her to highschool because it was there that she began getting involved in drugs.  

I don't think she would be where she is now if it weren't for that damn "Peer pressure"  I know my oldest because she wasn't into the school scene to begin with and enjoyed the company of all ages from youngsters to adults and the elderly she grew up to be a wonderul young lady but because the younger one didn't have the years of growing up with more adult influences she fell into the popular kids but they arent necessarily the better kids. 

While homeschooling the kids I think we made more effort making sure they did have lots of "socialization" with society vs with just "kids".  We belonged to a support group and I was leader of this support group for the last year we lived in Tucson.  We made sure the kids did sports/ dance or what ever else they wanted to do so they could make friends.  I think the stereotyping of homeschoolers not getting any socialization is crazy.  I much preferred the socialization my kids received as homeschoolers than those they got in schools.  My girls were best friends until they entered public schools then they just seemed to learn from their peers that you aren't suppose to get along with your siblings. 

Sorry to ramble so long. 

My daughter went to public school her whole life, but when she hit middle school it got really bad.  The "drama" and cliques were unbelieveable and the peer pressure. To the point that her grades significantly fell.  And from the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades the school continued to pass her each and every year with her consistently having 3 to 4 f's and them being in her primary subjects. (eng, math, science, history).  Once in the 9th grade she was so far behind, and couldnt catch up and the school drama got even worse. (other girls picking on her, jealous of her, etc).  So I pulled her out of school and began homeschooling her myself.

It was definitly a challenge, but it was well worth it.  She had a year to grow up and mature and a year to catch up on several years of not learning, or not really being taught..  She went back to public school last year and has tested high on her yearly exams and also maintains a 3.0 gpa, (which is great considering she didnt have a 1.0 before)  Although the drama and the cliques are still real bad, she has thus far managed to try to stay out of it and focus on her grades. Im really lucky so far that she hasnt succumed to the peer pressure because we live in a small town where there is nothing to do and I can honestly say that probably 75% of the teens or kids here end up pregnant or on drugs....

I dont think homeschooling is for everyone, but I do think that some schools do not take the time to really invest in the children or their education.  Not like a parent would.... If I had it to do over again, I would definetly do it again....

Just my 2 cents...

I am a public school  teacher and have been since graduating college 16 years ago.  I have 2 special needs kids and truly wanted to home school them.  Unfortunately, I am the breadwinner, so I couldn't quit.  I can totally understand homeschooling every time my kid comes home from school (mind you,  I teach there) and have to explain stuff.   Such as last week when my 9 year  old  daughter asked me what a lesbian was, and why did so and so at school call the female gym teacher one.  And what did holding the middle finger up mean and why is it bad.  The list goes  on and on.  I would love  to shelter my kids from those aspects of school.  I am quite capable of teaching my children at home.  Most folks here homeschool because of religious reasons.  A few because our small town is not very pro-education.  Also, there are weirdos out there who shoot up schools, bad teachers/administrators who have been passed around that like little kids and teenagers, all kinds of horrors.  So I hope that my 2 kids' negative experiences at school make them somewhat wordly in that they are able to handle themselves as adults.  I hope that we are safe.  I hope I answer their why is the middle finger bad, what does gay mean in a matter  of fact sort of way that allows them to feel they can come to me and ask and yet I can instill our morals and values (don't use slurs, don't swear, etc.)  Of course, it makes me sweat!!!  I think parents always worry and always second guess.  Good luck!

My best friend growing up was home schooled, because her parents were afraid the public schools (or any group outside of their church) would make their children into evil heathens. She was a really sweet girl, but extremely socially awkward in most any situation. Sure she had the same education as everyone else when it came to books and stuff but just really didn't know how to act around people.

I was homeschooled for two years, 7th and 8th.  My siblings were 'out' of school for longer.  We all went to high school which was great.  We all did well in sports and found our niche.

Benefits:
1- I'm self taught.  We were handed math books my mom couldn't understand.  I first public math class was Calculus. I was a year ahead of my peers and I did fine. 
2-I read more books.  I had a whole college list to make it through.  I didn't just read To kill a Mockingbird.
3-Self Starter:  When I was done with my homework I could do pretty much whatever I wanted.  I got done quick.
4-More time with my family.  We could vacation any time we wanted.
5- History was more indepth than the schools basics.  Our mom college bought books for us to study.
6-healthy food and living.  We ate oatmeal for breakfast and no junk food for snacks.  I ran and swam alot. Because I liked to!

Socially?  I think it was better.  As a teen, I never got drunk, stole the car, developed an eating disorder or even got close to a pregnancy scare.   Friends?  When we were 'out' of school,  the neighbor kids would hang at our place.  In school I was fine.  I was a work-aholoic so I was in every sport or comittee possible.  I learned to never leave people out. I made more friends this way.  Which leaves me vulnerable as not looking cool.  But who the hell cares?  High school didn't matter.  Education did.

Homeschool will realign your kids to have an education and basis that YOU as a parent will prescribe.  My actual education may have more indepth than my peers, but I grew more in maturity than my friends because of the nature of the proram.  Very self-reliant, self-starter, self- taught, very happy with self (well most days.)

How did I fair educationally?  Excellent.  Got into an excellent college of my parents dreams.  Also was offered scholarships from state schools. 

Now ask yourself?  Do  you have time and money for this?  Mom was a stay at home and you have to buy books, computers, materials, field trips all yourself.

|'ve been home-schooled all my life, (10th grade now) And I don't mind at all.

Sometimes I wish I went to a public school for the social aspect of it. But when I hang out with my friends who go to school, they talk about their friends, (Who sound really shallow) 0r talk about thier crushes, then |'m like, "Psh.. |'m not missin` anything."
And I don't care. All is good. And socially, |'ve been getting more involved because of work.  | don't feel deprived at all.

Although, I have been around some other home-schooled kids who seem way too sheltered. You wonder how they'll even make it in the world when they get older. 0r there's the super intelligent home-schooled kids, who are really well educated, but they're so awkward when it comes to a social life.


So yeah, |'m glad |'m home-schooled anyway. My Mum's Super-Woman! >.<
(No, srsly.....!!)