Homeschooling

[Vance]

I searched and couldn't find any about this topic so I guess it is ok...?

Parents/will-be-parents/Ad'ers, what's your opinion of homeschooling? And why?

I always think that homeschooling is wonderful idea for my future kids. I sure as hell hope that my lover/future wife will agree with my opinion or make some kind of agreement If yes she do

 

[Roadrunner]

One of my sisters is home schooling her oldest child who is 5 now...(she's has four with two of them being twins). She does it for various of reasons and I do respect her beliefs and reasons...although, I did ask her about why she was doing this, a couple of reasons such as with the type of influences that is being portrayed in public schools nowadays which she felt that was something she could keep her children from being overly expose to...(of course, eventually they'll be exposed to such bad influences in other public places), having the security and assurances of her children being 'safe' while in the home instead of in the school. She doesn't abhor (hates) the school system, in fact, my other sister is a high school English teacher and both of my sisters are real close--

There is a city wide rapid growth where she currently lives with the home schooling program and many of these parents get together for certain meetings, functions, field-trips and social gatherings where the children can interact with others--

For myself, I can see many good advantages to having children being home schooled, although, for some parents, that option might not be so readily available during times where the financial crunch is felt for which both parents work in order to meet the vital demands of family life. If I had a choice in the matter and the options presented before me whereas I could feel greatly assured that home schooling would do more for my children in the long run than the school system could ever possibly provide.

A good thread Magastu and one that is steadily gaining more and more attention of families across the country!

 

[Beowulf]

If at all possible, I would go with home schooling because the children get superior education that way.
Children who are home schooled consistently get higher scores on the SAT tests.
If home schooling is not possible, then private schools are the answer.
Public schools SUCK!

 

[Tousi]

I think home schooling is great if ya know what ur doing......

 

[lostintexas]

Great Thread!

Hope it will generate a good response.

 

[VamPyroX]

I don't like the concept of home-schooling. It can create a lot of problems for kids who are home-schooled. When they go to school, they meet lots of people and make lots of friends. They learn to work with others and have different parent figures to deal with... the teachers, counselors, and principals. When they stay home, they don't meet people or have anyone that they have to listen to. As a result, it becomes difficult to make new friends since no one has seen these kids for years. Another reason would be that these kids don't grow up learning to respect other parent figures... only their own parents. With that, they go out and only listen to their parents... no one else.

I've got a few friends who were home-schooled. Two of them grew up home-schooled because their parents were very religious and didn't believe that their kids should be going to public school or anywhere. The only friends they had was me... because my mom was friends with their mom. As a result, they only played with me... no one else. As for their education, the learning process was pretty limited because of their parents' religious beliefs. The sister was my age and the brother was a couple years younger. Several times, they would come to my house and see me doing my homework. After seeing the work I was doing, they said that my school was being too harsh on me by making me to homework this difficult. They were a few grades behind me. One-third of the education they got at home was religion. Come on, do you really think it's necessary enough to reduce their education status just so they can "understand God" better? I don't think so.

I also know one guy who was home-schooled and his brother went to regular school. The home-schooled guy went to college and had a hard time catching up with everything in school because it was a big jump in learning. He also had a hard time making friends. The other guy went to college and was already far a head. In fact, he was two years ahead than his brother, but he's only two years younger. He also made ten friends in one week. Now, I see the first guy struggling with his grades, homework, projects, time management, etc... while the other is out having fun and doing everything perfectly well.

 

[Tousi]

Vampy, good points but my support of home-schooling is limited to the first 2-4 years of school age and then off to either public or private schooling.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Yes, I´m agree with you totally, Vampy!

Magastu, you create your thread really good.

I searched the information over homeschooling because I find it interesting to know anything pros and cons. I didnt know much about this until I learn from you, Magastu. I found out that Germans do not support it. I has the feeling that I has to agree with German law to consider it as illegal.

Why?

I feel that "Homeschooling" is a misleading phrase. It means that the homeschooler stays home and is taught by their parents who are not qualified to teach high level subjects. It would misleading homeschooler education with wrong informations/skill eg. I dont beleive to hide my children from the world but learn to face pros and cons over enviroment/world.
The private, public and boarding school does have anything to educate the children what homeschooler doesnt have. I beleive there´re disadvantages of home education are:

• The parents must be willing to earn a "sweat equity" in their child's education. A lot of time and effort must be spent on teaching their children.
• Parents are not trained teachers or dont have any skill thru high school. Any parent has strengths and weaknesses, and unlike public or private education, where a teacher can expert in one subject, a parent-teacher must teach all subjects.
• The parent must teach several grade levels, which requires still more preparation and co-ordination.
• Few families have the resources to provide science laboratories or other technical items.
• Some colleges or businesses may not accept the home educated student on a par with the public or private/parochial educated student.
The reason why I dont support homeschooling because it´s not good education level enough for homeschooler. I think private, public or boarding school are good for both the children and parent because the parent need a break and the children gets to be around with other kids and children are learning how to socialize, get along with others and follow directions. To learn how to respect and receive educations from different teachers like history, math., English, forgiegner languages, etc etc etc! I can image what my children become if I have them homeschool alone to educate? Answer: isolation, poor education/skill....

I will add some information and link soon which I found some interesting information.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Homeschooling cons can be managed instead of accepted as signs of defeat and turned i

http://www.pagewise.com/homeschooling-negatives-cons.htm


When searching for information on homeschooling, it is very easy to find information on all of the positive aspects of homeschooling. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to find any negatives. This list is not meant to scare you and prevent you from homeschooling, but to offer you real life cons to homeschooling your children.

• Burn out: Parents who takes on the responsibility of instructing the children can literally wear themselves out. This happens by not taking time alone for you, and assigning yourself a full time job that has no beginning and end. To prevent homeschool burn out, schedule regular vacations and holidays from homeschooling. Also, take some time to go out alone and re-energize yourself.

• Adult social isolation: lack of child socialization is the biggest myth in the argument against homeschooling, but it has a modicum of truth attached to it. It is the adult in the homeschool relationship that can become isolated. Having no one emotionally support his or her decision to homeschool can be very lonely and difficult. To prevent such isolation, join a homeschool support group.

• Financial burden: In order to homeschool, it is very likely that one parent will give up their ability to add money to the family budget. A parent my leave a high paying job, or put their home business to the side in order to homeschool their children. Remember that your kids will be children only for a season. Once they are out of the house, you can go back to your work and start saving for retirement. At the same time, you can simplify your life requiring a smaller income. You can also find creative ways to continue to make passive or part time income from home. In addition, homeschool curriculums can very expensive. This does however balance out, as you will not have to pay the hidden costs associated with pubic schools.

• Loss of public services: If your child has special needs, you may not be able to access them for free through the public school systems without giving up your right to homeschool. You will also have to find other options for sports and other enrichment programs. Look to your local community centers and churches for other options.

• Possible legal consequences: Many parents over the years have found themselves in legal situations where their right to homeschool has been challenged. As you homeschool your children, keep documentation that shows your child is progressing in their home situation, even if your state does not require it. Also be aware of who you complain about homeschooling stresses to. Most often, a family member or friend will cause a legal situation to escalate.

• Full-time commitment: Homeschooling is not a part time job. There have been single parents who have been able to both work and homeschool successfully. However, in order to do it well, you need a strong support system.

• Personal sacrifice: To homeschool, you will have to give up things that bring you joy. You can only fit so many activities into a block of time. Do not try to find personal fulfillment in homeschooling, although such fulfillment can be found. Basing your personal fulfillment through homeschooling will only put pressure on yourself and your children. Save your personal goals for a later date when you are no longer homeschooling.

• Responsibility: You alone are responsible for all aspects of your child’s upbringing. There is no one to blame but you if your child does not learn or if your child ends up dysfunctional. Therefore, you must model what you want your child to become. This will be difficult, but you must always be on your best behavior, because if you are not, your child will pick up your worst habits and traits. Remember, they are watching no one but you for their examples of adulthood.

• It can get messy: Having kids home all the time means having a messy home all the time. It will be difficult to find time to clean. You will need to get used to having a less than perfect home between the “home-economic” classes, and the science experiments.

While there are many cons to homeschooling your children, you may have noticed from the list that they are more like challenges than warnings of doom. Homeschooling cons can be managed instead of accepted as signs of defeat and turned into victories.

Liebling))´s opinion: The reason why I am not for homeschooling but I respect you or others who are for homeschooling.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Homeschooling Illegal" Declares German School Official

http://www.home-school.com/news/germany.html

Seven homeschool families in Northwest Germany are being forced to enroll their children in public school. The Paderborn County school board has levied fines against these families and ordered the children to attend school by Monday, January 10, or the police will forcibly take them to school. Any resistance by the parents will result in the removal of these thirteen elementary age children from their homes and into state custody!

Despite the lack of state recognition in Germany for homeschooling, these families pulled their children out of public school earlier this year to begin teaching them at home. Their primary reason, as Christians, was to protect their children from the humanistic and godless values being taught to their children in the public school.

While the school district responded by stating that homeschooling is illegal, the parents' maintained that their fundamental rights as parents would be violated if they were forced to return the children to public school. All of the families obtained excellent packaged curriculums from German correspondence schools, and demonstrated to school officials that their children were receiving a proper education.

Heinz Kohler, the county education director, dismissed the families' beliefs, stating, "you and your children are not living in isolation on some island but rather in an environment posing intra- and extracurricular situations where you'll have to accept that your world view will be curtailed." Mr. Kohler further explained that homeschooling could not be allowed as "children should not be encapsulated or kept apart from the outside world. In these cases, the parents' rights to personally educate their children would prevent the children from growing up to be responsible individuals within society..."

German homeschoolers have seen much persecution in recent months, and this action by Paderborn County affirms that the problem has not been solved. The United States has been blessed for many years with the freedom to homeschool. Germany does not have this freedom. If American homeschoolers do not try to help "the least of these," then who will aid them?

REQUESTED ACTION

1. In order to help these seven homeschool families in Germany, we urge you to call or write to the German Embassy immediately and give them the following message:

"The seven homeschool families in Paderborn County should not be forced to return their children to public school. A parent's right to direct the education of his children is a fundamental right that should be protected. We request that you urge Heinz Kohler and the county school board to drop the pending fines against the families."

We encourage you to rephrase this message in your own words and include a few paragraphs in your letter describing the benefits of homeschooling to your family. It would be best not to include the word "homeschool" in the subject of your e-mail, as that will make it too easy for the embassy to filter it out. The whole family should participate in this project of writing letters to the German Embassy. This is a great educational opportunity for your children to learn the importance of the freedoms we have in the United States and how easily these freedoms can be taken away.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/Germany/200405050.asp



Attacks on German Homeschoolers Continue


German homeschoolers continue to face harassment for homeschooling. However, because of the generosity of American homeschoolers, the fight continues.


We recently received a report from Richard Guenther, Director of the German legal defense group, Schulunterricht zu Hause e.V. (Schuzh).




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Schuzh has many cases pending at this time. Let me mention a few that are very important for German homeschoolers. The names have been changed to protect the families.

Meyer's - The case against the Meyer family, who contested the shameful and ungodly content of the curriculum in school, was taken all the way through the German court system, losing at each level and finally at the Federal Supreme Court. Having exhausted the German court system, Schuzh has submitted the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.


In the meantime, the state has levied another charge against this family, for not complying with the mandatory school attendance laws. The new charge was struck down by the lowest court.


Stein's - The Stein family was charged and taken before a criminal court for contesting the explicit sexual content found in the school worksheets. The lowest court found in favor of the Stein's. The state appealed and the case was heard by the next highest court, where the state won the appeal. The judge ruled that these worksheets were in the acceptable range of decency and therefore the content was not against the conscience of the parents. A Schuzh attorney immediately appealed.


Goldermann's - The homeschooling Goldermann family, a Christian family, was contacted by school authorities and asked to send their children to school. The Goldermann's worked out an agreement with these authorities allowing their children to be administered a national achievement test. The children aced the test! The response of the authorities was that the children should be in school because they would set a good example for the children in school to follow. The Goldermann's politely refused. It was then discovered that the Goldermann children did not like witches. A psychiatrist was then employed to learn why, even though the answer is that it's against their Christian beliefs. As it now stands, the Goldermann's have been heavily fined and the state has placed a lien against their home. If they do not pay the fines, their home can be taken away from them. A Schuzh attorney is handling this case.


Homeschooled children are sometimes assessed to be mentally ill. If this doesn't work to remove the children from their parents, then the parents are also accused of being mentally ill.


Recently, a judge ruled that fundamentalist Christians are not protected by the constitution. No definition was given of a fundamentalist Christian. The constitution guarantees citizens freedom of religion and conscience. The courts are now ruling in school cases that we have a freedom from religion and not a freedom of religion. This is openly and unarguably against the original intent of the constitution.


Our court system is similar to the court system in America, with the Federal Supreme Court being the highest in the land. The difference in our system is that when a case is lost at a lower court, it may be appealed to a higher court, all the way to and through the Federal Supreme Court. However, this requires significant financial resources. The state can afford to continue to litigate a case even when the court decides against the state. To fight the state drives the average family to their knees financially.


State authorities continue to levy fines against families in an attempt to force them to comply with the mandatory school attendance laws. There are two kinds of fines:


1. Bussgeld - This fine may be contested by the family who can ask for a court hearing.


2. Zwangsgeld - This fine may also be contested but only to the one who issued it. If the one who issued the fine denies the family, they must pay it or else the father must go to jail. There is no recourse for the family when they receive Zwangsgeld. This fine was always reserved for extreme cases. Now we see it being used more and more often against families who cannot, because of religious and conscience reasons, comply with the mandatory school attendance laws. With this fine, the family either pays the fine, or else the father goes to jail or else they must flee the country. However, whether the family pays the fine or not, the state can immediately take action and assess a new fine. These fines are not small amounts. In the state of Bavaria, there are presently three families hit with Zwangsgeld totaling $96,000.


Schuzh normally does not charge the families they represent because of the high fees involved, which average families cannot afford.


Families hesitate to take the step to homeschool. It is only when they have exhausted all other avenues, i.e., to argue with the school authorities regarding content and methods, that they take this step. Consequently, the majority of our members are in need of legal help.


Schuzh is at a very critical point. We have accomplished much in the last 5 months, sponsoring two national homeschool conferences, one at which HSLDA's Dr. Michael Farris attended and was our guest speaker. We have two fully equipped and manned offices. We have 10 attorneys throughout Germany representing our clients. We have two cases pending before the European Court of Human Rights.


We are busy lobbying top politicians in Bavaria. We continue to draw a very friendly press, articles being printed in national newspapers and magazines with interviews aired on radio and television. One Schuzh member family has been invited to participate on a national TV talk show in June. However, our funds are no longer enough to continue our efforts. We desperately need financial support from America. If anyone has the means, we would be so thankful for your donations. You will find on our website (www.schuzh.de) a membership form that allows you to become friends of Schuzh members. Please join us. As a result of our efforts, we are gaining a very powerful voice. We must keep up the momentum. The homeschooling movement in Germany needs us and we need you.


God bless,


Richard Guenther
Director, Schulunterricht zu Hause e.V. (Schuzh)

 

[Liebling:-)))]

http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/washingtontimes/200006140.asp


American home schoolers aid European counterparts: German parents risk jail for teaching their own children


By Andrea Billups
The Washington Times
June 14, 2000


Home-schooled students and their parents in the United States are coming to the rescue of their brethren in Germany, where home schooling is nearly illegal and several families are being threatened with jail.


They have begun a phone-calling and letter-writing campaign directed at officials at the German Embassy in Washington in an effort to encourage that nation to legalize home schooling.


To home school in Germany, parents must meet the same requirements as public and private schools, making it difficult, not impossible for families to teach their youngsters at home, said Chris Klicka, a senior attorney at the Home School Legal Defense Association in Purcellville, Va.


“Home schooling in America is way ahead of the rest of the world, and the rest of the world is looking to the United States as a leader in this thing,” Mr. Klicka said. “We’ve got the statistics to show that it works and we’ve had the legal battles to show that parents want it. We care about this around the world. We want to export our freedom.”


Conditions for home-schoolers in Europe are much the same as they were in the United States 15 years ago, when the movement was in its infancy, Mr. Klicka said.


In Switzerland, for example, parents must be certified as teachers to home school. In France, families must be approved by school officials to home school, and their efforts are supervised with many in-home visits, he said. In the Netherlands, it is illegal.


In Germany, despite government efforts to quash home schooling, an estimated 500 families are actively doing just that, with a growing underground network of home educators who hope to carry on without arrest.


Mr. Klicka is working with lawyers in Germany to put together a similar organization like his in their country, and will return in July to help them organize. There, German home-school families as well as home-schooling American missionaries living abroad have been threatened with steep fines and imprisonment.


“The families being prosecuted desperately need our help,” said Mr. Klicka, who received an impassioned letter from one German home-school leader, Helmut Stücher.


“A consolidated effort and international pressure are truly the only way to force the rigid German authorities to concede,” Mr. Stücher wrote, asking for U.S. support. “The state ministers of family and education will then surely have an open ear for our situation.”


In the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, one father of 11, Johan Harder, who tried to home school his children, had his house ransacked by German authorities in March, Mr. Klicka said. Police broke through the man’s living room window and turned his home upside down as several of the children hid in the attic or jumped out windows for safety.


M. Harder’s 11-year-old daughter was taken from her home and placed in a local school, he said. She was escorted to classes by police for the next two weeks. Mr. harder, who says sending his children to a secular and humanist public school would violate his religious beliefs, is facing imprisonment of fines of $250 per day per child if he continues to teach them at home. His case remains unresolved.


Mr. Klicka said the efforts of U.S. home-schoolers could have an enormous impact on whether home-schoolers in Germany will win their freedom. About seven years ago, a similar U.S. letter-writing campaign helped change the minds of on foreign government where home-schoolers also were persecuted.


In 1993, South African parents Andre and Bokkie Mientjies were sentenced to two years in prison for home schooling their children. After U.S. home-schoolers barraged the South African embassy with letters and calls, the Meintjieses were released from jail. Soon the South African Parliament began considering the issue and home schooling was legalized.


Mr. Klicka also was successful in working with lawmakers in Ireland to amend a bill that would have required Irish home-schooling parents to submit to a home visit by a social worker who would assess whether children were “progressing emotionally, mentally and physically.”


Mr. Klicka hopes similar progress will be made in Germany.


That is why the organization is calling on families here to write letters of support together, describing to German officials the benefits of learning at home.


“This is a great educational opportunity for children to learn the importance of the freedoms we have in the United States and how easily they can be taken away,” said Mr. Klicka, who says the 1-week-old campaign already has touched a chord nationwide. “What home-schoolers in the United States do makes a difference in other countries.”


Officials at the German embassy did not return a call for comment Friday from The Washington Times.


Copyright 2000 News World Communications, Inc.
Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times.
Visit our web site at http://www.washtimes.com.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Where homeschooling is illegal...

Homeschooling is illegal in Germany. Here's a sympathetic article profiling one homeschooling family. There's even a mom-and-kids-at-the-table picture. ;-)

A truancy officer notified the Beckers that he would have the children picked up and escorted to school if needed. "But my husband said, 'There are four children, so you need four policemen who will stay outside the four classroom doors'," Becker explained.


The obligatory "dissenting opinion" is pretty funny (and quickly disposed of), too:

Experts say that kids who don't go to school aren't socially-adjusted and lack assertiveness and the ability to deal with conflicts. But, Becker sees the positive aspects.
"They have the freedom to learn," she said. "They don't experience learning as something restrictive, as a constraint that you want to escape from as quickly as possible."

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1438867,00.html

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons for homeschooling in the 12th grade. We list these here for your convenience since many parents are considering homeschooling their 12th grade children for the first time. This is by no means meant to be a complete list but just a few main considerations.

PROS:
1. The extra one-on-one attention that homeschool kids get from their parents helps to build a stronger relationship, greater communication, and an opportunity for the parents to instill more principles of character and values into their children.

2. Teaching at home protects your kids by avoiding exposure to the widespread disciplinary problems, wrong behavior, sexual promiscuity, and filthy language that is common these days among kids in both public and private schools.

3. Homeschool schedules make more efficient use of time since it eliminates the down-time that all school kids experience in their daily routines such as traveling to and from school, moving from class to class, and waiting while the teacher gives extra attention to explain concepts to the slow learners in the class or to deal with the disciplinary problems in the class.

4. Homeschool kids get a better education as demonstrated by national test scores which show homeschool kids consistently outperform both public and private school kids.

5. The flexibility of homeschool curriculums enables concentrated study in subjects that need extra attention either because the student is weak in a subject or because the student has a special interest they want to pursue.

6. The flexibility of the homeschool schedules allows for participation in extra curricular activities or even taking trips that school kids would have to miss.

CONS:
1. Some college admission boards are still not very friendly to homeschool kids. However, this problem has diminished significantly in recent years as more colleges have recognized the accomplishments of homeschool kids and many even seek enrollment from homeschool kids.

2. Homeschool kids do not get school credit for their work. Requirements for getting school credit for homeschool work varies by state. In most states, it is easy to get school credit by hiring a record keeping service that is authorized by the school to give credit. It is usually a good idea to start using a service like this from 9th grade and up.

3. Some people say homeschool kids do not get enough interaction with other kids their age. However, by participating in a local homeschool group, homeschool kids can participate in a lot of group activities such as athletics, activities such as homeschool day at the park, and even special classes that meet once or week or so just for homeschool kids. Of course there are also other activities beyond just the local group, such as boy scouts, girl scouts, ballet lessons, county league athletics, and other activities that would be available to all kids whether or not they are enrolled in a school.

4. Homeschool kids do not have access to school facilities such as the library or computers or science lab equipment. However, these facilities can be found outside the school system by using the public library or home computers (since you are reading this page, you probably have a home computer with Internet access). Science lab equipment is accessible by taking science classes for homeschool kids which are available in most metro areas.

http://www.deafhomeschool.com/essentials/decision/prosandcons.html

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Homeschool Secrets

Here is link, then you can read everything.

http://www.mo-media.com/homeschool/

When you buy Homeschool Secrets™, you'll get the concise, easy-to-read, instantly downloadable book, including-

Should You Homeschool?

Pros of Home Schooling

Cons for Home Schooling

What Curriculum is Best for Your Child?

Popular Suppliers

Personal Recommendations

Finances

Scheduling

College and the Future

How to Save Money for College

Outside Evaluator

 

[Beowulf]

Nevertheless, studies show beyond any doubt that homeschooled children score MUCH HIGHER on tests than thoise attending public schools.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200410250.asp

Of course our USA goverment DETESTS homeschooling because it robs them of the chance to cram propaganda into the children's heads.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

I hope my information over pros and cons is okay to add here.


This is my opinion for not support homeschooling.

 

[VamPyroX]

1. The extra one-on-one attention that homeschool kids get from their parents helps to build a stronger relationship, greater communication, and an opportunity for the parents to instill more principles of character and values into their children.

Can you say, "mama's boy"?

2. Teaching at home protects your kids by avoiding exposure to the widespread disciplinary problems, wrong behavior, sexual promiscuity, and filthy language that is common these days among kids in both public and private schools.

Seeing breasts, hearing profanity, and being punished is something we all gotta learn somehow.

3. Homeschool schedules make more efficient use of time since it eliminates the down-time that all school kids experience in their daily routines such as traveling to and from school, moving from class to class, and waiting while the teacher gives extra attention to explain concepts to the slow learners in the class or to deal with the disciplinary problems in the class.

That's life in the real world. We all gotta learn to deal with it. When you're running a business, not everyone is the same. Some might be extremely good at what they do and some might be slower than normal. If these kids stay home getting all the attention they can get, they might be getting spoiled by that attention and should learn that others need the attention as well. As for going to and coming from school, that's the same in the real world. We drive to work. We drive from work. Everything needs a little sacrifice.

4. Homeschool kids get a better education as demonstrated by national test scores which show homeschool kids consistently outperform both public and private school kids.

Hmm... I find that hard to believe. Sure, they might do better... but will they be able to work well with other people? I'd rather have a guy who can add/subtract and work well with everyone than a guy who can explain the Theory of Relativity and not know how to say "hi" to anyone.

5. The flexibility of homeschool curriculums enables concentrated study in subjects that need extra attention either because the student is weak in a subject or because the student has a special interest they want to pursue.

That's what tutoring is for. You want to get better? You work harder!

6. The flexibility of the homeschool schedules allows for participation in extra curricular activities or even taking trips that school kids would have to miss.

What extra curricular activities are we talking about here? Are we talking about going to Six Flags? Are we talking about going to the movies? What fun is doing these things when those kids have no friends to enjoy it with. I'd rather be going on the roller coaster with my friends than with my mom and dad. Sure, the kid might feel wonderful that he's able to go out while the others don't. But then again, the kids will realize that it's no fun cuz they aren't with their friends. Oh, wait. I just realized something. Since these kids are home-schooled, they have no friends. When they have no friends, they stay with their parents all the time. When they stay with their parents all the time, they become "mama's boys".

1. Some college admission boards are still not very friendly to homeschool kids. However, this problem has diminished significantly in recent years as more colleges have recognized the accomplishments of homeschool kids and many even seek enrollment from homeschool kids.

Uh oh... we've got a problem here. Sure, they're smart. But those kids are probably the only ones walking across campus who can't even take a second to say "hi" to other fellow students.

2. Homeschool kids do not get school credit for their work. Requirements for getting school credit for homeschool work varies by state. In most states, it is easy to get school credit by hiring a record keeping service that is authorized by the school to give credit. It is usually a good idea to start using a service like this from 9th grade and up.

Do you really want to waste your time to find a service like that to do it for you?

3. Some people say homeschool kids do not get enough interaction with other kids their age. However, by participating in a local homeschool group, homeschool kids can participate in a lot of group activities such as athletics, activities such as homeschool day at the park, and even special classes that meet once or week or so just for homeschool kids. Of course there are also other activities beyond just the local group, such as boy scouts, girl scouts, ballet lessons, county league athletics, and other activities that would be available to all kids whether or not they are enrolled in a school.

These are usually once-a-week or twice-a-week things. Do you think it's worth having your kid meeting other people or his friends only once-a-week or twice-a-week?

4. Homeschool kids do not have access to school facilities such as the library or computers or science lab equipment. However, these facilities can be found outside the school system by using the public library or home computers (since you are reading this page, you probably have a home computer with Internet access). Science lab equipment is accessible by taking science classes for homeschool kids which are available in most metro areas.

There you go. You never get to experience what others do.

 

[gnarlydorkette]

When they go to school, they meet lots of people and make lots of friends. They learn to work with others and have different parent figures to deal with... the teachers, counselors, and principals. When they stay home, they don't meet people or have anyone that they have to listen to. As a result, it becomes difficult to make new friends since no one has seen these kids for years. Another reason would be that these kids don't grow up learning to respect other parent figures... only their own parents. With that, they go out and only listen to their parents... no one else.

... but I do believe that being able to attend public/private school for at least a year or two helps children and young adults interact with others than their home schooled peers and siblings, be "toughened up" to face the real world (i.e., facing criticism, learning how to cope with bullies, realizing not everyone will like you, etc.), be part of a school team or club, and even go to the prom.

Amen. The utopian idea of raising your child the way you want it to be just totally clash with the reality that your child has to encounter someday as they leave your home-schooling services. Now, I am not an advocate nor oppontent of home-schooling but in my experience with several friends who actually graduated as home-schoolers (I mean, they just NEVER NEVER enroll or attend a public school until they finally have to go to public colleges because their parents don't have the "license" to teach college materials.)-- they lack in the tools of social and mutual understanding. They are so isolated and they don't understand the diversity or anything that is different from what they have seen from their home. VERY narrow-minded and difficult to be friends with because they expect you to act a certain way that you are not ready to take on-- dependent, clingy, not acting according to social scripts-- like blurting out a comment that is discriminating in front of an offended person and thinking it as a "prefect normal to express such opinions". Also many home-schoolers finish at an early age and this put them in a vulnerable spot to be enrolled in a college at age 16 or 15 where they will be blown over by the sex, booze, and mean teachers.

MANY parents are not properly prepared to teach children. Many parents cannot handle to talk about sex with thier children, how the hell could they handle the biology subject of male/female anatomy which leads to explanations about sex for their teenagers? It may be a different issue if the parents ARE teachers/educators but the point is that they are biased in educating the children because you don't expose your children to broad and varying opinions and teaching methods to prepare you for the reality and the COLLEGE! You won't have your parents holding your hands while you sit through a course in college where the professors may curse, use vivid teaching methods or totally NOT clear. How could the home-schooler survive in this stimulus? They are over-spoiled to expect everything to go their way or at least compromised for their sake. Sorry-- the world doesn't care about what you are learning!

BUT-- I am only against the notion of home-schooling the teenagers and adults. If you are SO worried about public schools corrupting your children then make sure you are invovled wiht their lives so you can know what they are seeing and reminding them that not everybody are "good" in this world et cetera. This will ensure your children's security and less prone to fall "in a wrong crowd". Public schools are NOT the problem today-- PARENTS' INVOLVEMENT ARE THE PROBLEM. Home-schooling is a way but not the best way for EVERY child.

I do consider homeschooling my children in their early years so I can ensure they learn to read and write instead of placing them in an educational system where they may fall through the cracks because of their deafness or lack of funds or just simply a lousy teacher. As I laid the foundations for my children and their educational background, I am setting them out to the wild where I will follow closely and keep a close eye. Let the children learn how to LIVE.

Don't cover them under your wing too long. Soon, they will forget how to TRY FLYING on their own.

 

[TweetyBird]

I don't like the concept of home-schooling. It can create a lot of problems for kids who are home-schooled. When they go to school, they meet lots of people and make lots of friends. They learn to work with others and have different parent figures to deal with... the teachers, counselors, and principals. When they stay home, they don't meet people or have anyone that they have to listen to. As a result, it becomes difficult to make new friends since no one has seen these kids for years. Another reason would be that these kids don't grow up learning to respect other parent figures... only their own parents. With that, they go out and only listen to their parents... no one else.

I've got a few friends who were home-schooled. Two of them grew up home-schooled because their parents were very religious and didn't believe that their kids should be going to public school or anywhere. The only friends they had was me... because my mom was friends with their mom. As a result, they only played with me... no one else. As for their education, the learning process was pretty limited because of their parents' religious beliefs. The sister was my age and the brother was a couple years younger. Several times, they would come to my house and see me doing my homework. After seeing the work I was doing, they said that my school was being too harsh on me by making me to homework this difficult. They were a few grades behind me. One-third of the education they got at home was religion. Come on, do you really think it's necessary enough to reduce their education status just so they can "understand God" better? I don't think so.

I also know one guy who was home-schooled and his brother went to regular school. The home-schooled guy went to college and had a hard time catching up with everything in school because it was a big jump in learning. He also had a hard time making friends. The other guy went to college and was already far a head. In fact, he was two years ahead than his brother, but he's only two years younger. He also made ten friends in one week. Now, I see the first guy struggling with his grades, homework, projects, time management, etc... while the other is out having fun and doing everything perfectly well.

BINGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO i agree with u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!