My husband and I have decided to home school our children because we do not feel that the public education systems are very good these days. When we were in public school the teachers spent more time trying to control and disipline the class or individual students then they spent teaching. I also feel that the public school system is too focused on passing standardized tests then on real education. And it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. (I have a 13 yr old sister in the public education system and I am appalled at her reading/writing skills!) My husband and I feel that education is important and we want them to have good and strong educations, as they are already very bright children and at three years old, my twins can already spell a few words. Since there are four of them, we're not very concerned about their social skills. My kids have great social skills already, and besides, the husband and I decided we are going to get them involved in other activities that they show interest in (such as music or sports or art) outside of a school setting so they can make other friends and explore their interets. We also live in a neighborhood with lots of families who have young children as well.

However, my mother is so ANTI home school that she says it borders on child neglect and that parents who home school are lazy and bad parents. Yet, she always comments on how smart my children are and she's amazed by how much they know. And I ask her where she thinks they learn everything from? She quickly changes the subject and gets angry if I tell her it's because I'm already home schooling them on a pre school level. She's convinced that public school is the best way to go and I'm horrible for thinking otherwise.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

I'm just looking for outside input to share with my mother because this is an issue she and I both get very heated about.

Thanks!

*EDIT* My kids already have Florida Prepaid set up so they can go to college when the time comes for that and my husband and I agree that we both feel college is important to their continued education so they can have good careers when they become adults.

Given the current conditions in the public schools, I would homeschool. Homeschooled children are not nelgected, their parents are not abusing them by keeping them out of the public school system. There are homeschool associations in many cities and towns, where parents and children get together for meetings, activiites, field trips, etc. I just do not see the downside of homeschool. That argument people throw at the parent about how isolated the child will be is not true, for the vast majority of children.

There was just an article in our local newspaper about local teen being accepted in Dartmouth and she was homeschooled! Parents who are dedicated to their children's education will make homeschooling work. Your school district will no doubt present you with a curriculum to follow and their standards. Find other parents in your area who homeschool and get involved in that network. There is soooooo much information and resources out there now to help parents. Thank heavens for the web! Lol

I congratulate you and your husband on your decision. Wishing you the very best and these are your children, not your Mother-in-laws, and it is your decision to make, not hers. Good luck.

I myself went to a public school here in Ontario, Canada.

I found it to be quite good.

But in the earlier years (Kindergarten – Grade 3), my mom would sit down with me every day after school, and go through math or english since she felt the amount of work done at school was not enough.

However, once someone has the basics down, the rest is just more stuff.

I can't speak for the Florida public education system, but I found it quite good.

Something else you should consider….can you handle being with your kids like that all the time?

My mom said while she loved us, she loved it when we all were in school so she had a bit of a break from us.

Perhaps you can keep them in school, but go over certain things with them everyday after school.

Also their ages should play a role in your decision as well. If they are teenagers, I think being in high school will provide a good experience, and even being in elementary school when they are younger provides a good experience, and a way to learn.

The only thing I have to add is for the later years of homeschooling. I have friends in my college that were homeschooled. They were going into the nursing program with me and it required Chemistry. However, the chemistry credits did not transfer so they had to take chemistry over again.

So, remember when you get up in the later years of school to find out if your particular homeschool credits will transfer.

J_9 is correct. I know several families from where I lived that did get their children enrolled in high school for the sciences like biology and chemistry. Always good to check those things out.

Look into some charter or magnet schools; they are great!

Don't forget to socialize your kids. I have seen many home school kids who were very smart but socially retarded. I personally feel it is better to send your kids to public school to learn how to socialize and spend an hour a day with them outside of school to actually learn what they were taught in school. Book knowledge is great but is useless if your as social as a house plant. Your kids though do what you feel is right by them, I know there are some public schools around here that I won't think about placing them in that environment.

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PixieMama agrees: There are 4 of them all under 4yrs old. Our neighborhood is packed with kids. They are very social kids. :)

Good that there are neighborhood kids, there is a show on one of the discovery networks about some congressman that has 16 kids that were all home schooled all of them have very visible social issues. It is a sad show to watch.

We home school and would not even consider sending them to public school, When we lived in Atlanta, we had school teachers and school officials tell us personally if we could get them into some private school or home school they would.

But while social issues can be one issue but not if you keep your kids in social setting, of course they do get ot miss out of the social issues of being bullied, being abused, being harmed by the system.

Except for some of the special programs I would not highly advice most larger school systems any longer.

** anyone with 16 kids, they should be socialised with that many other kids at home, that sounds more like parenting issues, not social issues.

But while social issues can be one issue but not if you keep your kids in social setting, of course they do get ot miss out of the social issues of being bullied, being abused, being harmed by the system.

I feel that's a lot of the problems with home schooled kids is that they don't know, what it's like not to have people looking out for there best interst. Being bullied and learning the proper way to deal with it is exactly why it's a good idea to send kids to public school. Life is hard and kids need to learn how deal with these hardships. Otherwise they react like a child does when faced with difficult situtations even though they maybe in their 20s.



** anyone with 16 kids, they should be socialised with that many other kids at home, that sounds more like parenting issues, not social issues

The reason it is social issues is because you have 16 kids who all grew up in the same house with the same parents who taught them all the same thing. They know how to socialize with each other but when if comes to dealing with people who don't think like they do they come up short. Also compare 18 people who they regularly talk to with 100 to 150 that a child who goes to public school will socialize with.

My son is 9 years old and this was my 1st year homeschooling him, he also has autism and it was hard in public school for him, he hated it and I hated getting the phonecalls everyday. My son loves being homeschooled and I do plan on homeschooling my 2 girls when they are old enough.
As for socialization in school there is not that much, you are sitting at a desk all day and the only time you can talk to people is at lunch. My kids go with me to the store and bank etc... and learn the real life skills they need and do not teach you in school, also my son does baseball and boyscouts for socializing.
Children don't have to be in public school for socializing :) I love homeschooling and the kids learn a lot better with the one on one teaching than in a classroom full of other children, teachers can not stop teaching when 1 child doesn't understand and when you homeschool you can. I will never send any of my kids back to public school again :)

Special needs children are different and do require special attention. Kids get more socializing in school than just lunch though. There are group projects, recess, P.E. and there is something to be said about the kid being able to understand that they can not disrupt group learning.

I suggest everyone that wants to home school their children talk to some older home schooled kids and look at what it does to them they become little more than mindless clones of their parents. Watch The Duggars : Discovery Health's The Duggars (http://health.discovery.com/convergence/duggars/duggarfamily.html) on the discovery health channel and watch the kids if you can't tell that there is something very wrong with those kids you probably should send your kids to public or private school.

As for socialization in school there is not that much, you are sitting at a desk all day and the only time you can talk to people is at lunch.

Sorry to hear about your son, but your above comment makes no sense. In school, I never sat at my desk and only socialized at lunch (or recess). The schools I were at always had group activities to facilitate learning. The teacher didn’t just teach and be done with it. So there is socializing in that as well.

Yes, most people try and make far too much out of the social issue of school, since sadly far too many pubic schools have become more social and a lot less school.

But if home schooling is done properly, there is no issue with social and the children have actually better skills, and far more education.

There are dance class, martial art class, organised sports. Some states require their public school systems to allow home school in school sport activities.
At least to me, there is no doubt at all, for the properly homeschooled child it is leaps and bounds better than public school, and still a lot better than private schools. ( and private schools are much better than the public schools)

But in the end it is up to the parents, since it takes a lot of work to be home schooled. One parent has to almost devote their entire life during the school years for the child's education, and it really takes two parents since one has to have a break and help with a lot of the instruction.
** although one parent can it is harder.

I agree that if done properly home schooling has the ability to produce better. I just doubt the ability of most parents to do it properly.

For instance Fr_chuck I bet you wouldn't teach your kids anything about evolution. While you may feel that evolution is not real and therefore isn't important it is the basis for many fields of science and while if your child wishes to be a priest he doesn't need to know that but he would be a severe disadvantange going into a college level science course.

Evolution as far as the short term bearing that plants within their type can change, or where man has changed the such.

And as the folly of mans teachings, it is included. As the same, since the truth of creation is not taught at public schools, children there are not taught a full range of all the possible ideas of how things were made.

And myself and our church attorney watched every text book carefully that my older children used in public school. The issues today go far worst than evolution, that is only minor to the things taught in many public schools.

All of my older boys, always answered their tests with the terms, as taught by some scientists and the such, but never as the truth.
Since it is not a proven fact, the school can not score against them for merely quoting what others say about it, They even added notes on T F questions as it is a theory not fact and the such.

But in general learning that man has no value on earth and no reason for life, is not a good thing for anyone, And I see no limit on anyone's future by them learning a better truth than what public school teaches.

Private school children have no problem in this either. And since college level classes are to challenge ideas I see no issue there unless there are an agenda in the school or teacher.

And actually in general, most home school score higher and do better in college than those of public school, just as private school grads do better than public school in general. ( there are always specific exceptions of course)

Truth should be based on evidence not ideals.

I think we have reached an impasse. I want to expose my kids to new ideas and new people that are different than themselves. You want to your kids to think like you do and hold on to ideas of the past.

Special needs children are different and do require special attention. Kids get more socializing in school than just lunch though. There are group projects, recess, P.E. and there is something to be said about the kid being able to understand that they can not disrupt group learning.

I suggest everyone that wants to home school their children talk to some older home schooled kids and look at what it does to them they become little more than mindless clones of their parents. Watch The Duggars : Discovery Health's The Duggars (http://health.discovery.com/convergence/duggars/duggarfamily.html) on the discovery health channel and watch the kids if you can't tell that there is something very wrong with those kids you probably should send your kids to public or private school.


LOL The Duggars... I don't think homeshooling has anything to do with why those kids aren't "normal", in my opinion they pretty much treat their kids like slaves, making them watch the younger ones as their own "buddies" and doing all the chores in the house and even having the older ones build their new house...
All I can say is from experience from when I went to school and when my son was in school about the socialization part, I know all schools are different in how they run and operate.
Also I must add that when my son did go to public school he was absent 31 days every year due to being sick with colds and flu's, prior to going to school from birth until age 5 my son had been sick a total of 3 times, and now that he is homeschooled he has not been sick at all and he still does interact with other children 4 days a week through baseball and boyscouts... I think homeschooling is a personal choice and it is something that takes a lot of time and thought, it took me almost a year to make a final decision about it and I am glad I did it :)

[QUOTE=michealb] Being bullied and learning the proper way to deal with it is exactly why it's a good idea to send kids to public school. Life is hard and kids need to learn how deal with these hardships. /QUOTE]

I took my son out of public school because of the amount of bullying he was suffering and I don't regret it. I home schooled him through 7th grade then put him in private school. He's now entering 9th grade.

All the same, I think that Michaelb has made an important point. Kids who are bullied and abused actually tolerate abuse better as adults. Scientific studies show that they are just thicker skinned and don't feel as much stress as people who have never experienced such treatment.

Also, socialization doesn't just mean hanging out with other kids. It also means learning how to give teachers what they want, how to learn from someone you may not like or admire, things like that. It means learning to sit still when you are bored out of your mind, saying what's expected of you even when you don't mean it. You aren't going to get that from your parents. I don't necessarily like all the ways that schools teach kids to conform, but it is something to think about. It's not like homeschooling has no downside at all.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

My older son just graduated from a public high school and my younger one was in private school for kindergarten, public school for first through 6th, homeschooled for 7th, and private school for 8th and 9th (coming up). After that I haven't decided yet. I wish I had put my older son somewhere else. But I don't think home school would have been a good choice for him.

Our public elementary school was great and I wouldn't hesitate to send younger kids to school. I think homeschooling is a lot of work and it's the rare parent who can bring all the resources to it that kids can get from a school with professional teachers.

Middle school was another story. The PE class had 45 kids and my son was tripped and humilated pretty much daily. The "rule" at school was that kids could only swear once per class period, which meant they swore all day long all the time and said other disgusting things. The teachers couldn't remember who said what and just ignored it all.

So I took my son out of school and kept him home for a year. I got to know him better, I feel like I conveyed to him some values that were important to me, and we became closer. And we've stayed that way even though he's back in school. He's also much happier and has a better sense of who he is, I think. He's less bothered by bullies. Maybe some of that is just growing up.

The year I home schooled was fun. We rented about 60 netflix documentaries and talked about all them. We still do that, the habit carried over. And the local school district had someone check up on our progress with math and so on. She was very kind, but I was shocked at how little they expected us to accomplish. I don't know about other people, but I would have a hard time covering all the different topics that were required. Over a period of 12 years, I know I wouldn't do it. I am a biologist and can teach basic science to my kids, but I don't know anything about world history or even how to teach math properly. I can do algebra, but that's different from teaching it. I remember struggling to explain things that were perfectly obvious to me.

Home schooling is a serious undertaking and I know people who have tried it and given up on it. And I know teachers who would NEVER home school their own kids, because it's too much work. I'm glad I tried it. No regrets. But I'm also glad my son is back in school now, where he's exposed to a Latin teacher who knows things I could never teach him. He also had a great math teacher who boosted his confidence and a good science teacher who loves the way my son's mind works. Those people give my son something I can never give him, a connection to other adults who have a unique relationship with him. He can learn from them AND me. He's also exposed to other kids and makes friends he wouldn't necessarily meet in our neighborhood. He has a wider choice of friends.

Pixie Mama, homeschooling is great, especially with four kids. But if I were you, I would plan to let them go to school for part of the time, maybe for first through third grade and then again in high school, something like that. That way,they can get the best of both.

I think one of the advantages of public school is not only "socialization" but learning to work with people of different ethnic backgrounds, beliefs and socioeconomic status, just like in the real world.
I think children will receive a good public education at school if the parents pay attention and "enhance" the subject areas that are lacking with worksheets, trips to museums, home experiments, etc.
Homeschooling is a good but tough choice, it means that you have little time away from your kids and little time with your husband. Remember that a healthy individual takes care of themselves first and everyone else later. If you can't/don't have time for yourself, the rest of the gang will suffer.

My husband and I have decided to home school our children because we do not feel that the public education systems are very good these days. When we were in public school the teachers spent more time trying to control and disipline the class or individual students then they spent teaching. I also feel that the public school system is too focused on passing standardized tests then on real education. And it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. (I have a 13 yr old sister in the public education system and I am appalled at her reading/writing skills!) My husband and I feel that education is important and we want them to have good and strong educations, as they are already very bright children and at three years old, my twins can already spell a few words. Since there are four of them, we're not very concerned about their social skills. My kids have great social skills already, and besides, the husband and I decided we are going to get them involved in other activities that they show interest in (such as music or sports or art) outside of a school setting so they can make other friends and explore their interets. We also live in a neighborhood with lots of families who have young children as well.

However, my mother is so ANTI home school that she says it borders on child neglect and that parents who home school are lazy and bad parents. Yet, she always comments on how smart my children are and she's amazed by how much they know. And I ask her where she thinks they learn everything from? She quickly changes the subject and gets angry if I tell her it's because I'm already home schooling them on a pre school level. She's convinced that public school is the best way to go and I'm horrible for thinking otherwise.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

I'm just looking for outside input to share with my mother because this is an issue she and I both get very heated about.

Thanks!

*EDIT* My kids already have Florida Prepaid set up so they can go to college when the time comes for that and my husband and I agree that we both feel college is important to their continued education so they can have good careers when they become adults.
Today was my 5 year oldsons 1 st day of kindergarten and he hasnever been to day careof pre k just me and him stay at home mom, he is very social and plays with his cosuins. I had to leave him today in kinder crying.. we went to bed early, he woke up ate breakfast, then got dressed, then we left early and walked in together. He asked me to stay, I said I would as long as I could. We sat in the room and I helped him get organized etc, then it was time for me to go, he cried and didn't want me to leave, I said I would be back not to worry. I handed him off to Mrs. White and left with a lump in my throat, being as strong and I could for him. And fell apart in the car, got a grip with myself and went back in to make sure he wasn't crying... he didn't see me I peeked in andhe was sitting on the floor with the other kids, while Mrs. White was reading. I know it will be a tuff adjustment for us both.. once he feels secure I know he will be fine.. one day at a time I am at home cleaning the house.. its lonely and quiet here. We will survive but IF WE Don't.. PLAN B IS HOME SCHOOLING EVEN FOR 1 YEAR? How do I go about doing this? Please help me. I am all for home schooling.. but don't know how... or where to start.


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I'm going to have to agree with you. Public schools these days are absolutely atrocious, and it sickens me really. I was homeschooled most of my life, though I had a few ventures in the public/rivate school world, but honestly... I don't think I learned nearly as much material or SPELLING/WRITING/READING skills as I did when I was homeschooled.

And the part where you said your mother was saying homeschooling parents are lazy... um, hello, that's like saying that teachers in a public school are lazy for choosing that profession. Homeschooling is a lot of work, especially for "busy" children. You go, girl! I plan on homeschooling mine.

First is due in Feb!

Well, I was homeschooled throughout most of my school days, except first grade, 8th, and 10th. Anyway, Ive seen many different outcomes of a homeschool scene. Sometimes parents homeschool just to completely shelter their kids from the world, and some parents are very lenient. It all depends really on how much time and effort you are willing to spend on your children. Some parents would let their kids get up when they get up, then start school, some would start righ at 8am, and some parents would even make their kis wear uniforms.
Anyway, I personally never found any drawbacks in being homeschooled. My parents enrolled me in many social homeschool groups, like the homeschool 4H group and CHEA (Christian home educators assoc.)
Faith Fellowship, and may others.
I plan on homeschooling my children, but upon high school age Im going to allow them to choose. I just think that the elementary school ages are such an impacting time on a persons life, I don't think I would trust strangers to do the job effectively.
Especially when you hold certain specific beliefs that the public school doesn't feel necessary.
Anyway, there are pro's and con's to either situation, but its mostly in the hands of te parents what type of homeschool life their child will hold.

I would rather be in a public school and be homeschooled. School is where you make your friends, learn about life, and everything. Im sorry but keeping your child protected from the world is not a good thing because when they do have to face it, it would be a lot more difficult.

If education is what your worried about, look in the newspaper and see what schools have good ratings. My school's classes are pre-college classes, even the basics. And your child can always go into advance classes and such.

School gives the child a chance to be on sport teams and socialize and go to dances. You seem to be like my mom where nothing but best when it comes to education but to tell you the truth, 2+2 will equal 4 any where you go. It just depends when you choose to learn it. Im taking basically all advance clases and I'm fine and being challenged.

If anything choose a private school or charter school. There are less kids to a teacher. That's why my mom did, I moved to a charter school when I was in second grade and there was about 10 kids to a class.

Not to be rude or anything but do you know everything about subjects? Do you know who the 7th president is? Sorry just some random question, anways teachers go to school for years and get updated yearly and know a lot about their topics.

That's my opinion

Of course a parent does not have the chioice to chose which public school they send their child to, that is decided by the government, by normally where you live.

Also most parents do not have the option for private or charter schools, first because they don't have the money to pay for it, and second many areas don't have charter schools.

And your teachers may be good, but a lot are not, a lot do the min they have to and some less after they have tenure and can not be fired.
When we lived in Atlanta, ( inner city) actual school officials told my wife and I, that if we had any option don't send our child to their schools) this was actually the people running and teaching in the schools.

And home schooling is not a matter of protection, than it is contoling what is taught, it may be issues of religion, moral values and more.
And many home school children have better education skills and interact in the real world better. Proper interaction can be done easy. And many states now have or are passing laws that require public school sports to allow home school children to be part of.

Oh well in Michigan we have something called School of choice and you can go to any public you want as long as its not full basically

So I guess it depends where you live

I'm 17, 18 in December and I've been homeschooled for almost a year now. I was having 6 hours of hw for 3 classes on top of a job and regular weekly church attendance. It was my decision and there is little I regret.

Here is my opinions based on experience:

- Consider the school they would be enrolled in. I was paying tuition to go to a better school so paying for a homeschool equaled out. It was a decent school but I knew that I could do better

- Socially I have a job (and had it while I was in public school), attend church and still hang out with friends. But I do think that younger kids need to be in public school. Even though you have four kids, they are going to have to learn to deal with other people. There is a difference between siblings and friends.

- Like you stated, it'll be necessary to involve them in other activities so they can shine in their indiviual ways. The thing I miss the most about school was my art teacher- she taught me the only things I've used so far :)

- If you choose to send them to public school, stay involved with the activies there also! My mom was always up at the school helping out with field trips, parties, etc.

- A big part of the decision is knowing your kids, which you seem to care for them a lot :D. If they are naturally shy around strangers then they should be in school for a couple years. Or maybe they don't respect other authoritative figures- that could prove to be a challenge also.

Hope this helped!! Good luck!

I agree with shy
The kids who go to school, for the most part, have the lazy parents because they leave it to the schools and the neighborhood to raise them. Many of them have no idea what their kids are up to or learning. Many teachers put their biased ideas into your kids heads.

I heard that if you want your kids to participate in an extra curricular school activity the school can not turn you down simply because you home school.

I am doing a research paper on homeschool vs public school and my original thesis was going to be about public school being better for the social aspect, but I cannot find any evidence that this is true. All of the research that I can find says that homeschooled kids are smarter and they have better social skills. I haven't found any evidence to back this up either, all I can really find is opinions, so I haven't changed my opinion although I am keeping an open mind.
The reason I think public school is better for the social aspect is because I know a few people who have been homeschooled, some for their entire life, and some only up until middle school, or even half way through elementary school. All of these people lack social skills and before I thought about this I didn't realize how important the social aspect of grade primary is.
A lot of the sources I have found for my research paper have not been helpful at all because they are opinions of defensive homeschooling parents saying "There is nothing wrong with my kid. My kid is not socially retarded, and if socially retarded is not knowing the latest trends, not having the peer pressures of drinking, smoking and doing illegal activities, not wearing the most revealing outfits and not being a slut, is it really horrible to be socially retarded?
In my opinion, this is my opinion it is perfectly all right to disagree I don't have enough research to back myself up but this is how I feel about this right now. That is not what being socially retarded is! There are good things and bad things about being homeschooled and public school and you have to look at the pros and cons of each. Every child will handle both situations differently and just because someone goes to public school it does not mean they will have to deal with all or any of the above issues.
Personally, for the social aspect I think that public school is better because the child has more opportunities to spend time with children who are his or her own age. If the child has supportive parents and makes friends with children with supportive parents alcohol and drugs and all of those issues most likely will not be an issue.

Home schooling sounds like a terrific idea, but it is exceptionally difficult. Curriculum, instructional issues, intellectual group interaction, cooperative and competitive learning, learning styles, and that's just the start. If you are committed to home schooling, contact the local chapter of the home schooling association in your area. They often provide advice, curricula, and opportunities for group "classes". Additionally, the state department of education often provides information and curricula for home schooling. Good luck to you.

I home schooled my 13 year old son for one year and enjoyed it immensely and have no regrets. But I also felt like it was a lot of work. I did it when I didn't have a job, so it was fine. But I knew I couldn't do it if I started working again and I put him back in school. Last week, he told me that there had been a small explosion outside his school and it turned out to be have been done by some teenagers from the home school community. I'm not saying this is typical, but if other homeschooling parents are working and not supervising their teens, I can easily imagine how this can happen. I've read that police say that kids get into the most trouble not on weekends or at night, but between 3 and 6pm, when they are out of school and their parents are not home from work... This is just another perspective, not meant to condemn homeschooling generally.
Asking

Another problem that I noticed recently with home schooling. Is that most people don't know that they are stupid. Not to say that all public school teachers are smart. They least always understand what is being taught. Lets face it though half of all people are below average intelligence and average isn't that smart.

My husband and I have decided to home school our children because we do not feel that the public education systems are very good these days. When we were in public school the teachers spent more time trying to control and disipline the class or individual students then they spent teaching. I also feel that the public school system is too focused on passing standardized tests then on real education. And it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. (I have a 13 yr old sister in the public education system and I am appalled at her reading/writing skills!) My husband and I feel that education is important and we want them to have good and strong educations, as they are already very bright children and at three years old, my twins can already spell a few words. Since there are four of them, we're not very concerned about their social skills. My kids have great social skills already, and besides, the husband and I decided we are going to get them involved in other activities that they show interest in (such as music or sports or art) outside of a school setting so they can make other friends and explore their interets. We also live in a neighborhood with lots of families who have young children as well.

However, my mother is so ANTI home school that she says it borders on child neglect and that parents who home school are lazy and bad parents. Yet, she always comments on how smart my children are and she's amazed by how much they know. And I ask her where she thinks they learn everything from? She quickly changes the subject and gets angry if I tell her it's because I'm already home schooling them on a pre school level. She's convinced that public school is the best way to go and I'm horrible for thinking otherwise.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

I'm just looking for outside input to share with my mother because this is an issue she and I both get very heated about.

Thanks!

*EDIT* My kids already have Florida Prepaid set up so they can go to college when the time comes for that and my husband and I agree that we both feel college is important to their continued education so they can have good careers when they become adults.
I got to a public school. I say ask the children what they think and maybe some of them might not want to be home schooled and some wo want to go to a public school. Try not to control them too much. I would prefer to be homeschooled cos I hate school because someimes the teachers spend more time on the peaople who they THINK need help than the peaople who Actually need it reallii x just saying x

I got to a public school. i say ask the children what they think and maybe some of them might not want to be home schooled and some wo want to go to a public school. try not to control them to much. i would prefer to be homeschooled cos i hate school because someimes the teachers spend more time on the peaople who they THINK need help than the peaople who ACTUALY need it reallii x just saying x

Have you asked your parents about homeschooling you? If you agreed to be self disciplined and maybe set some rules and goals that you would accomplish along the way, they might agree to let you try it for a year.

I agreed to home school my son for one year (he was 12 then and also hated his school) and it was great. We did history by watching history documentaries from Netflix and talking about them. Many school districts have programs supporting home schooling. They'll supply books and other materials, help you stay on track as far as state standards, stuff like that. You could look into it.
Good luck,
Asking

I agree with shy
The kids who go to school, for the most part, have the lazy parents because they leave it to the schools and the neighborhood to raise them. Many of them have no idea what their kids are up to or learning. Many teachers put their biased ideas into your kids heads.

I heard that if you want your kids to participate in an extra curricular school activity the school can not turn you down simply because you home school.

I respectfully disagree, both my children have been in the public school system and my husband and I have been involved with the school from the time they were in preschool. In the primary years we helped in the classroom almost every day or with school activities when necessary. We have always known their classmates by name and we are always on top of homework, activities, etc. There are many parents like that in our school, even those who work two jobs have time to help out.

Even now when the older one is in high school (private high school, that was HIS choice), we are still involved and on top of him regarding homework, assignments, emails, text messages etc. We have all his passwords to his accounts and check them periodically.

So having a child in public school can keep you quite busy if you so choose. Schools WANT the parent's help and it can be fun...

My step daughter is homeschooled by her mom. And while the mom seems to be doing a good job of teaching her, my step daughter seems to also have some social issues. THe mom runs a daycare so my SD is around lots of other kids. But she never wants to try anything new. When it comes to adults, she doesn't want to be around new ones. She quit one activity because the teacher left and she doesn't want any other teacher.

She won't play a sport because "What if the other kids are better than me?"

I don't know... I just think it depends on the parent. I think the key is getting them in extra curricular activities or enrolling them in a class or two at the public school. Like gym and music... that's what my step daughter was in until her mom pulled her out. But that way, they'd get to know more kids their age and who they also might go to school with someday.

I have homeschooled my kids and was very different from many of the parents in my area. For one, we did not do it for religious reasons (I'm an atheist), but for academic ones. I have children who were tested as "gifted", but the schools spent more time getting the children at the bottom to meet the basic requirements for state testing than they did making sure my children had any kind of challenging work. The NEA still functions under the belief that "smart children learn in any environment". Pulling them out once a week to do a dumb project is not any kind of enhancement. Gifted education in Georgia is a joke.

I also had a problem with the schools not teaching their own standards regarding science and social studies. When I started home schooling, I decided to start with the state standards for each subject and to then puchase any materials needed to comply with these standards. I was horrified to see what my children had not learned in school! My seventh grader had not even been told anything about Charles Darwin or evolution, even though the Georgia standards very clearly state that this information is required to be taught. Teachers avoid the topic like the plague, especially when the Secretary of State wanted stickers to be placed in science books to "warn" students that evolution is "only a theory". I wanted to push the woman out of an airplane and let her test the "theory" of gravity.

I was alarmed to see the letters that would be sent home that would have grammar and spelling errors in them coming from my children's teachers. And we live in a "good" school district! I actually sat in the class while the teacher went over vocabulary words and heard her tell the kids the wrong definition for the word "anxious"! Good grief! Had the woman ever picked up a dictionary?

My children are constantly exposed to people from all walks of life, from our friends who live in the city (and are two older gay men) to the religious nuts passing out fliers telling us we're going to hell because we don't love Jesus. My girls also have gotten an enormous amount of "sex ed" because they wouldn't have gotten any of it in school. The parents here keep their kids so sheltered, and they are in the public schools! Even my nine-year-old knows what the term "blow-job" means. She asked. I told her.

I guess mine have had the good experience of doing both public school and home school. But they languished under the tyranny of dumbing themselves down to fit in with other kids in public school. They were bored out of their minds because the rest of the class moved too slow, and their friends were never concerned with social issues. My oldest wore a pin that read, "Another straight person for gay rights", and got stares. They also didn't fit in because we weren't in church every week like everyone else.

But as far as a homeschooling support association, I'm on my own here. I refuse to take part in the local one that is church affiliated because it's the "dinosaurs in the Bible" sort. My kids have had enough exposure to that stuff, and we've covered that "thought process" in our comparative religion topic.

As far as your mother goes, tell her to butt out. I stopped speaking to my MIL over homeschooling. My children are her step-grandchildren, and she didn't want to meet me for the first 2 years I was dating her son because of my children. So she has no right to even have an opinion, even if she is a teacher. My mother-the-teacher wasn't too bad about it, but she beat the hell out of me when I was a kid, so I don't care what she thinks either.

They're your kids and screw what anyone else thinks. Whether it's home or public or private schools, whatever works for you and your kids is the right answer.

I just wanted to add that my husband has a PhD in chemistry, and I'm about to start working on a Master's Degree. I do know of parents who have no business trying to teach their kids because they need to go back to school themselves.

I especially think it's interesting to see parents who haven't mastered subject-verb agreement and can't even use lie and lay properly (among other things). If you asked them what a "subjective clause" was, they'd freak out. This is information any high school graduate should know, but most parents don't.

They have read that they don't need teaching degrees to teach their kids. Well, they don't, but mastery of their own language is definitely required. After all, if you can't do algebra either, then you shouldn't even consider trying to teach your kids. Many of them will puchase a curriculum that just lets the kid sort of "teach himself", and the parent has to do nothing but grade everything. This is the idiot version of homeschooling and not any better than teaching your children to be little robots. They need to learn to think for themselves and to have opinions that are different from yours. They also need to learn to question authority (it was inborn in my kids) and to always want to learn, without a teacher standing over them telling them to do a worksheet.

Just more of my opinions. I hate seeing children who are nothing but carbon copies of their parents, and it saddens me to no end to see children who do nothing but mimic their parents' opinions.

I respectfully disagree, both my children have been in the public school system and my husband and I have been involved with the school from the time they were in preschool. In the primary years we helped in the classroom almost every day or with school activities when necessary. We have always known their classmates by name and we are always on top of homework, activities, etc. There are many parents like that in our school, even those who work two jobs have time to help out.

Even now when the older one is in high school (private high school, that was HIS choice), we are still involved and on top of him regarding homework, assignments, emails, text messages etc. We have all his passwords to his accounts and check them periodically.

So having a child in public school can keep you quite busy if you so choose. Schools WANT the parent's help and it can be fun...


It sounds like your children have great parents.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

I'm just looking for outside input to share with my mother because this is an issue she and I both get very heated about.

Thanks!

*EDIT* My kids already have Florida Prepaid set up so they can go to college when the time comes for that and my husband and I agree that we both feel college is important to their continued education so they can have good careers when they become adults.

My wife and I homeschool our children. But we were both brought up through the Public School system.

It was our experience growing up in the Public School system which soured us to to the Public Schools.

I know most people harp on the "socialization issue", but our opinion of the matter is that in the Public Schools, children winding up teaching children how to behave in the world. That's called "peer pressure". If you think about it, that means that your children are being taught to remain immature.

Home schooled children who are well mannered and mature are looked down upon as "unsocialized". As though being well mannered and mature were a fault.

School is supposed to prepare children for adult life. It is not supposed to perpetuate immaturity. In the home school, your children will be socialized by you, a mature adult, who can instruct them in life and how to behave in accord with the law. Not in how to misbehave and get away with it. Not in how to dress sloppily.

Another wonderful side effect of home schooling. My children love each other!! Arguments and fighting between my children are few and far between. The older children can discipline the younger without hearing "your not the boss of me!" The younger children admire and boast about their older brother and sister and rely on them for a great deal.

In a recent youth group meeting at our Parish, the other youth were amazed that my son and daughter considered themselves best friends. Everyone else and I mean about 100 kids who voted said they despised their siblings.

Oh and unlike my own relationship with my parents. My children and I are best of friends. They don't hesitate to tell me anything on their minds. Nor do they shy away from telling their mother anything on their minds.

Sincerely,

De Maria

I would definitely encourage homeschooling! I have been homeschooled my entire life and I love it. I am a Junior in high school, I take two regular high school classes, I work two jobs, and I am currently taking twelve college credit hours. Part of being homeschool is the parents participation. The more you put into educating your child the more they will benefit. For instance, my mother and father have dedicated so much time to me and my five other siblings and we are all going to do something great with our lives. I am graduating next year with honors, a full year of college finished, a track scholarship, and 4-H scholarship. I am currently working for my Orthodontist as an Officer Manager Assistant and I teach private ballroom dance lessons. The parents participation, diligence, and patients is the key to your child's outcome and success. One thing that you may hear about homeschooling is that your kids will not have any social life. Not true! It all depends what you get your children involved in to what determines your child's social outcome. Like I said, I have been homeschooled my entire life and wherever I go, I am one of the most popular kids. Mostly, it depends on your child's personality. Also to add, my sister is fifteen and she is taking college classes with me. Just some advice, make sure you educate yourself fully before making the final decision. Homeschooling is a full time commitment. If you have any question about homeschooling send me a message. One last thing... a great curriculum is Abeka. I used that the whole timed being homeschooled, it is an advanced curriculum and is well worth the challenge. Hope this will help your final decision.

I personally would not home school my kids.There are a lot of subjects you cannot teach your child at home which they learn at school. I am not saying home schooling is a bad thing I could never have the time. I always help my children with home work and if there is problems in the school I like to go in and address these. But your kids sound like they are doing fine so good luck

My husband and I have decided to home school our children because we do not feel that the public education systems are very good these days. When we were in public school the teachers spent more time trying to control and disipline the class or individual students then they spent teaching. I also feel that the public school system is too focused on passing standardized tests then on real education. And it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. (I have a 13 yr old sister in the public education system and I am appalled at her reading/writing skills!) My husband and I feel that education is important and we want them to have good and strong educations, as they are already very bright children and at three years old, my twins can already spell a few words. Since there are four of them, we're not very concerned about their social skills. My kids have great social skills already, and besides, the husband and I decided we are going to get them involved in other activities that they show interest in (such as music or sports or art) outside of a school setting so they can make other friends and explore their interets. We also live in a neighborhood with lots of families who have young children as well.

However, my mother is so ANTI home school that she says it borders on child neglect and that parents who home school are lazy and bad parents. Yet, she always comments on how smart my children are and she's amazed by how much they know. And I ask her where she thinks they learn everything from? She quickly changes the subject and gets angry if I tell her it's because I'm already home schooling them on a pre school level. She's convinced that public school is the best way to go and I'm horrible for thinking otherwise.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

I'm just looking for outside input to share with my mother because this is an issue she and I both get very heated about.

Thanks!

*EDIT* My kids already have Florida Prepaid set up so they can go to college when the time comes for that and my husband and I agree that we both feel college is important to their continued education so they can have good careers when they become adults.
If you live somewhere in a Chinatown, where most of the students are Asian, don't bother with homeschooling. Asian parents are almost despotic with respect to discipline and education. Your kids will be in the right place.

If there are other minorities in the public school - just skip the public school.
Any school is as good as kids in that school - and their parents.

I don't like teacher unions, but, to be fair, it's not their fault that so many minority students are stupid and lazy. Except Asians, of course.

Also, here is a free advise for future teachers. If you want to become one of the best teachers, go to work in the school where most of the students are Asians.
If you want to be in the worst quarter with respect to results, go to work in a minority school.

My husband and I have decided to home school our children because we do not feel that the public education systems are very good these days. When we were in public school the teachers spent more time trying to control and disipline the class or individual students then they spent teaching. I also feel that the public school system is too focused on passing standardized tests then on real education. And it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. (I have a 13 yr old sister in the public education system and I am appalled at her reading/writing skills!) My husband and I feel that education is important and we want them to have good and strong educations, as they are already very bright children and at three years old, my twins can already spell a few words. Since there are four of them, we're not very concerned about their social skills. My kids have great social skills already, and besides, the husband and I decided we are going to get them involved in other activities that they show interest in (such as music or sports or art) outside of a school setting so they can make other friends and explore their interets. We also live in a neighborhood with lots of families who have young children as well.

However, my mother is so ANTI home school that she says it borders on child neglect and that parents who home school are lazy and bad parents. Yet, she always comments on how smart my children are and she's amazed by how much they know. And I ask her where she thinks they learn everything from? She quickly changes the subject and gets angry if I tell her it's because I'm already home schooling them on a pre school level. She's convinced that public school is the best way to go and I'm horrible for thinking otherwise.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

I'm just looking for outside input to share with my mother because this is an issue she and I both get very heated about.

Thanks!

*EDIT* My kids already have Florida Prepaid set up so they can go to college when the time comes for that and my husband and I agree that we both feel college is important to their continued education so they can have good careers when they become adults.

Academic Statistics on Homeschooling

Many studies over the last few years have established the academic excellence of homeschooled children.

HSLDA | Academic Statistics on Homeschooling (http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200410250.asp)

Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics
of Home School Students in 1998
Lawrence M. Rudner
EPAA Vol. 7 No. 8 Rudner: Home School Students, 1998 (http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v7n8/)

1998-99 ACT Average Composite Scores for Home Schooled Students by State
1998-99 ACT Average Composite Scores for Home Schooled Students by State (HSLDA | National Center Resource) (http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000002/00000221.asp)

I hope these stats help. I am not aware of any academic or psychological comparison between Public and Home schooled students in which the homeschooled students do not excel.

In my opinion, the two are simply not comparable. Public School teachers can't provide one on one attention without depriving the other 39 students in their class. Obviously, they try to do so, we've all heard the accusation of "teacher's pet" used against a student who excels in one program or another.

Nor can the Public School teacher provide the type of loving environment which only a parent can provide.

Nor can Public School teachers tailor the education to the child. They have to follow a program and if your child can't keep up, too bad.

In contrast, not only do parents provide a loving environment, but they have the child at home 100% of the time and can give almost continual one on one attention tailoring the program to the child.

Even homeschooling parents with large families (the largest family of which I'm aware has 13 children) give every child one on one attention when they give the elder children the duty of reading to and teaching the younger children. And that is wonderful to behold. Unlike Public School families where the elder children dislike their younger siblings. In homeschooled families, the children actually love each other.

Sincerely,

De Maria

>>>Nor can the Public School teacher provide the type of loving environment which only a parent can provide.

>>>Nor can Public School teachers tailor the education to the child. They have to follow a program and if your child can't keep up, too bad.

>>>In contrast, not only do parents provide a loving environment, but they have the child at home 100% of the time and can give almost continual one on one attention tailoring the program to the child.


For the vast majority of those who homeschool, this is quite accurate. Certainly there are those at the other end of the spectrum who are either ill equipped or disinterested to do an adequate job of it.

I have seen homeschooled students who have excelled, and those who have been woefully behind their peers, both academically and socially. As with any task in raising and educating children, you will have the proficient and the deficient.

If a parent is truly interested, and is adequately prepared, I say go for it. Provide your child with a wonderful opportunity for individual learning and exploration. If a parent is simply thinking they will homeschool because they can't be bothered to get their child to school on a regular basis, or think it is just sitting the child down with some text books, they will be in for a rude awakening.

There are pros and cons in both locations... much depends on the child's home life. For some, school is the only consistency they have in their young lives... the only place that they get a hug each morning... the only place where someone shows they care with consistent and meaningful expectations. Sadly, for some, it can also be a place where they find ridicule from peers, struggles with academics, and teachers who are overwhelmed with ever changing district, state, and federal mandates (often propagated by individuals with no or little experience in the field of education), and an ever growing societal need for dealing with unruely children whose parents have not fulfilled their roles. Much of what was once the domain of the parent and family has fallen onto the schools simply because of the increase in parents who are too busy with their own lives, and/or who have little interest in dealing with their child. The cycle continues to be repeated with each generation... alas, you reap what you sow.

In the right conditions, the advantages of homeschooling over public education can be numerous. However, there are advantages that can be gained from public schools as well. Once again, it often depends on where one lives, what the homeschooling and public school climates are like, family dynamics, and the individual child in question.

If you live somewhere in a Chinatown, where most of the students are Asian, don't bother with homeschooling. Asian parents are almost despotic with respect to discipline and education. Your kids will be in the right place.

I wouldn't say "almost" despotic. They ARE despotic, at least they used to be. (I'm not sure it's true anymore. Things change.) I am white and went to a public school where nearly everyone I knew was Chinese-American, and my parents never had to tell me to do my homework. I would have been too embarrassed to go to school without my homework. My junior high was mostly Chinese, and in 9th grade I was the only white kid in my class; everyone else was Chinese-American. At lunch, we spent most of our free time practicing for tests and I thought that was normal and fun. It was always obvious who had studied and who hadn't...

BUT I was never invited to their houses because their parents wouldn't allow white kids over. And no Chinese boy would even talk to me, let alone ask me out, so I grew up thinking I was unattractive to boys. One girl friend let me come over to her house. Now that we are grown up, in our 50s, she says she had to have a big fight with her parents for me to come over. She also says I'm a "hard-boiled egg"--white on the outside, yellow on the inside. Definitely partly true. I used to hear the white kids say--"Those Chinese kids aren't that smart; they just work hard." But my friends were smart AND they worked hard. I felt sorry for the other white kids, for being so lazy.

The downside of course was sexism. My friend's parents paid for her older and younger brothers to go to college but not her. On top of that, because of quotas, she had to have an SAT score 300 points higher than a white kid to get into UC Berkeley. Despite these hurdles, she went anyway, working her way through. Of course, my own white father was no different. When I got accepted to Berkeley, he also told me I couldn't go. (He wanted me to stay home and continue keeping house for him.)

For more on old-fashioned Chinese-American families, read "Fifth Chinese Daughter," by Jade Snow Wong.
Just Asking

[B]In contrast, not only do parents provide a loving environment, but they have the child at home 100% of the time and can give almost continual one on one attention tailoring the program to the child.

I agree with all the pluses. BUT, two parents cannot possibly know as much as the many teachers that children in schools come into contact. It's not like there is no downside at all to homeschooling. It has both advantages and disadvantages. My younger son is now taking Latin from a teacher with PhD in Classics from Harvard. There's no way I could offer to my son what this teacher can. His current physics, math, and history teachers are way better at teaching these subjects than I could ever be. And I can still spend time with my son teaching him my values and the things that I know about myself. So it's not like he doesn't learn anything from me just because he's in school.

I have sent my two sons to a combination of private school, public school, plus I home schooled my younger son for one year. Mostly, they went to public school. For elementary school, it was okay, but not for high school, where the older was in a class of 45 for second year algebra. Not okay! I think homeschooling the younger one for that one year was absolutely the best thing I could have done for him at that time. And I wish I had homeschooled the other one part of the time and been able to send him to a private school, but at the time, it wasn't possible. I respect home schooling and homeschooling parents. (It's not for sissies!) But none of these choices is a perfect solution. Homeschooling has some drawbacks and the biggest one is that no parent can be as good as the best teachers in advanced subjects such as science, math, and languages. I think the right choice depends on the schools available and the parents, and the kids too, of course. And of course, sometimes, parents CAN'T homeschool because they have to work. That's a reality too.
Asking

My husband and I have decided to home school our children because we do not feel that the public education systems are very good these days. When we were in public school the teachers spent more time trying to control and disipline the class or individual students then they spent teaching. I also feel that the public school system is too focused on passing standardized tests then on real education. And it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. (I have a 13 yr old sister in the public education system and I am appalled at her reading/writing skills!) My husband and I feel that education is important and we want them to have good and strong educations, as they are already very bright children and at three years old, my twins can already spell a few words. Since there are four of them, we're not very concerned about their social skills. My kids have great social skills already, and besides, the husband and I decided we are going to get them involved in other activities that they show interest in (such as music or sports or art) outside of a school setting so they can make other friends and explore their interets. We also live in a neighborhood with lots of families who have young children as well.

However, my mother is so ANTI home school that she says it borders on child neglect and that parents who home school are lazy and bad parents. Yet, she always comments on how smart my children are and she's amazed by how much they know. And I ask her where she thinks they learn everything from? She quickly changes the subject and gets angry if I tell her it's because I'm already home schooling them on a pre school level. She's convinced that public school is the best way to go and I'm horrible for thinking otherwise.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

I'm just looking for outside input to share with my mother because this is an issue she and I both get very heated about.

Thanks!

*EDIT* My kids already have Florida Prepaid set up so they can go to college when the time comes for that and my husband and I agree that we both feel college is important to their continued education so they can have good careers when they become adults.
Hi I am 13 and I was homeschooled until 4th grade. When I was young I couldn't learn to read, I would struggle with comprension but my mom still homeschooled me, she decided to stop teaching me to read for a while, and instead just read boooks to me, she said that I was a late bloomer and that it takes 5 parts of the brain to be working right to read at all! She said that by the time I was nine or ten I would be reading fine, and guess what when I started 4th grade in school, I began to read and it wasn't because of school I rember something snapping and now I read at collage level. See in schools they exspect all kids to learn to read at the same time, and it doesn't work thatr way. a
And as far as my social skills, I had a million friends in my neighboorhood I took ballet and acting classes not to mention my 3 brothers and 4 sisters. It is true that in school there are more kids to interact with, but the important thing is since they are with there parents a lot they are learning how to act in front of adult! And that is what we are raising them to be right? Now in some cases school is good and I think you should give your children the choice to go to school or not, I'd put them in schoola and if they didn't like it take them oout. And remember all you people who are freaked out cause your kids aren't reading, I am reading at college level, and I didn't read till I was NINE!

We have been homeschooling since my son was in kindergarten. We wouldn't think of sending him to public school.
Socialization issue---why send him to public school to be with the same age kids ALL DAY when they have the opportunity to socialize with all different ages all day long. Children have to learn to deal with all different ages when they get out in the real world. Why not start with homeschooling and teaching what you want him to learn. If your child has trouble with a particular subject in the public school, too bad, the public school doesn't have time to say OK let's stop for a day or two until everyone understands this area or that area. With homeschooling you can stop what you are doing until your child understands the material you are studying. When they master that, then you can move on to the next area.
You can choose the curriculum your child studies. We are getting ready to start 7th grade curriculum now and we have switched curriculums to tailor it to his particular needs.
My mom was totally against us homeschooling in the beginning. Now, she is so glad that we do after she hears what goes on in the school systems these days.
Good luck in homeschooling.

My husband and I have decided to home school our children because we do not feel that the public education systems are very good these days. When we were in public school the teachers spent more time trying to control and disipline the class or individual students then they spent teaching. I also feel that the public school system is too focused on passing standardized tests then on real education. And it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. (I have a 13 yr old sister in the public education system and I am appalled at her reading/writing skills!) My husband and I feel that education is important and we want them to have good and strong educations, as they are already very bright children and at three years old, my twins can already spell a few words. Since there are four of them, we're not very concerned about their social skills. My kids have great social skills already, and besides, the husband and I decided we are going to get them involved in other activities that they show interest in (such as music or sports or art) outside of a school setting so they can make other friends and explore their interets. We also live in a neighborhood with lots of families who have young children as well.

However, my mother is so ANTI home school that she says it borders on child neglect and that parents who home school are lazy and bad parents. Yet, she always comments on how smart my children are and she's amazed by how much they know. And I ask her where she thinks they learn everything from? She quickly changes the subject and gets angry if I tell her it's because I'm already home schooling them on a pre school level. She's convinced that public school is the best way to go and I'm horrible for thinking otherwise.

So my question is - for those who home school, AND for those in the public school system to share your thoughts and experiences and how you think it's positively or negatively effected your children? Or if you are a child who has been home schooled/public schooled - your thoughts are welcome too.

I'm just looking for outside input to share with my mother because this is an issue she and I both get very heated about.

Thanks!

*EDIT* My kids already have Florida Prepaid set up so they can go to college when the time comes for that and my husband and I agree that we both feel college is important to their continued education so they can have good careers when they become adults.
I haven't read ALL the comments, but it seems that a lot of people have given you a ton of info (some good and encouraging, others, just ignorance). But, one point that I believe that wasn't touched on and is REALLY the heart of your question is your MOTHER.

Her anger about you homeschooling your children is because she feels it is a backlash to her own parenting to you when you were a child. She sent you to public schools. She believed that she did a great job raising you. If you do not do the same as her, she takes offense, because TO HER you have said, "mom, I believe I can do it better.". Sooooooooooooo, let her know that you home schooling has NOTHING to do with the choice SHE made as a mother.

It is unfortunately a very HUMAN response to feel that everything and everyone should be the same-- call it jealousy, socialism-- whatever. Just reassure her that you raising your kids differently (ie. Homeschooling) does not mean that you think what SHE CHOSE for you was wrong.

Best of Everything to you and yours!

I agree with all the pluses. BUT, two parents cannot possibly know as much as the many teachers that children in schools come into contact.

That isn't necessarily true. No man is an island and by extension no family is an island either. There is such a thing as homeschool cooperatives. You would be surprised at how many skills ordinary people possess. Other homeschooling families are a rich resource into which we tap. We have homeschool cooperatives where parents and children with special skills share them with other parents and students.

In addition, although there are certainly many good and even some great teachers in public school, the law of probability dictates that most will be mediocre and some just plain bad. And we see that proved with the mediocre level of education which most children are receiving in Public Schools.

The results are clear, homeschooling is far superior in educating children to any other form of education.


It's not like there is no downside at all to homeschooling. It has both advantages and disadvantages. My younger son is now taking Latin from a teacher with PhD in Classics from Harvard. There's no way I could offer to my son what this teacher can. His current physics, math, and history teachers are way better at teaching these subjects than I could ever be. And I can still spend time with my son teaching him my values and the things that I know about myself. So it's not like he doesn't learn anything from me just because he's in school.

I have sent my two sons to a combination of private school, public school, plus I home schooled my younger son for one year. Mostly, they went to public school. For elementary school, it was okay, but not for high school, where the older was in a class of 45 for second year algebra. Not okay! I think homeschooling the younger one for that one year was absolutely the best thing I could have done for him at that time. And I wish I had homeschooled the other one part of the time and been able to send him to a private school, but at the time, it wasn't possible. I respect home schooling and homeschooling parents. (It's not for sissies!) But none of these choices is a perfect solution. Homeschooling has some drawbacks and the biggest one is that no parent can be as good as the best teachers in advanced subjects such as science, math, and languages. I think the right choice depends on the schools available and the parents, and the kids too, of course. And of course, sometimes, parents CAN'T homeschool because they have to work. That's a reality too.
Asking

And I agree with the gist of what you are saying. But for me, there is another benefit of homeschooling which outweighs them all. I get to teach my children my faith.

Unfortunately in Public School, they forbid religion. And my children's presence there for the better part of the day would severely reduce the time which I had to teach by example and by organized lessons our Faith.

But you are correct. Homeschooling is not for everyone. It takes discipline.

Sincerely,

De Maria

Children are going to be influenced either way, homeschool or public. I have children in public school and homeschool. I homeschool for different reasons other than peer influences, though that is a good place to start if you are looking for reasons. But the sad truth of the matter is, you can't stop your children from being influenced, you can only teach them how to handle the madness... what to stay away from and what to accept.

You make the choice.

>>>>The results are clear, homeschooling is far superior in educating children to any other form of education.

When done well, the results truly are wonderful... as it would be expected when you have one on one, or small group, instruction throughout the day. When not done well, the results are truly unfortunate.