Homeschooling

I've never been in favor of homeschooling because it denies children of some important life lessons. Of course home-schooled kids kids can learn social skills anyway but there's much children learn by interacting with other children from many different backgrounds. So why not opt for a hybrid system? Give them some homeschooling and let them go school anyway?

 

Homeschooling denies them nothing unless you choose it to. They still interact with people.. of all ages, not just their own age group. In fact, I would argue school denies them far more. But then, my thoughts are all over these boards somewhere. Definitely do a search on here and you'll see a lot of discussion. Just keep in mind, the nay sayers have no experience, just inaccurate assumptions. Homeschooling is what you make it.. it opens far more doors and offers far more real world experience than school ever could. There is a world of help out there for you if you need it too

 

As a traditionalist, I still prefer the old school where the pupil leaves the house and enters a classroom full of his classmates. My reason is for the socializing aspect that the child learns particularly in the formative years, i.e. ages 5 to 15.

But homeschooling is not bad at all especially when convenience is taken into consideration. In fact, the terrible traffic in Metro Manila is giving parents a good reason to home school their children in order to spare them of the wasted time on the road every school day.

 

Well I know St. Francis and other schools offer home school programs, but I heard that they are more expensive than the traditional way of schooling, so if you can take on the work of being your child's tutor then I guess it's up to you.

 

I think it's an awesome option. To me, school is nothing but a mandatory place of education. Its importance is overrated. Extremely overrated I'd say. Moreover, some teachers really make me sick. I don't want anyone from my family to interact with them. It's just a waste of time and youth. Boring.

You all are talking about socialization. Well, yep. It's no good when a child only sits at home and you're the only one he/she talks to. Instead, he/she should be constantly involved in other activities where he will be able to interact with other children of both ages. Sport, music, art classes are great.

 

I have always been interested in how the whole homeschooling thing works. I have never known anyone who has done it or gone through it so I really have no vantage point. I am curious as to what sorts of studies there are as well out there about the results and things like that when it comes to students and their education.

 

In my opinion, traditional schools are overrated and they are there mostly to keep kids busy so parents can have peace and quiet. From my experience, their goals aren't to educate, but just to function as a business like a daycare. They don't really care if your kids learn anything, they are there just for their paycheck. The only thing good about schools is the social interaction, but you can just find that for free and even have better management of who your kids are influenced by. I don't think homeschooling is the perfect alternative nor do I think traditional schooling is the worst, but as long as you know what the schools are missing then you will be in a better position to provide it.

 

I've been considering homeschooling for awhile now ever since I found out from my aunt that a Christian church in our province is offering home schooling. All I'm going to have to do is pay for the materials and bring my son for exams. That would save me money on needless school activities and transportation when going to school. The only downside of this is he'd be cut away from the only place where he has friends to play with and some of the lessons like mathematics would be a challenge for me to teach unless I hire a tutor for him. School is practically the only place where he sees other kids his age to hang out with so I'm kind of torn.

 

Homeschooling is a viable option and a good one. However, you must be completely dedicated to the task and put effort into it. I also recommend some of the online homeschooling programs as well to help if you choose to go that course. A few people have mentioned the lack of socialization that people often fear when they home school. Please don't worry about this! There are plenty of places like church and playgroups for children to gain social skills. In fact, most areas, particularly those that lack decent schools, have home school associations that have events and gatherings that address this very thing as well as provide support for parents who are new to homeschooling.

 

Like others have mentioned homeschooling can turn out to be the best option, but the effort required to get the most out of it can be formidable. Growing up home-schooled myself, I saw a lot of really smart kids getting a personalized education and end up realizing the greater part of their academic potential, but I also saw parents who didn't give their kids the attention they needed (these tend to be the parents who complain after their children are held back when they inevitably grow tired of the experiment and re-enroll at a public school).

It can be done affordable though, especially if your town has a nice community built up with secondhand book purchasing options. And the social aspect is not much of a deal if there is a club or community of some sort they can stay involved in, sport or otherwise.

 

I personally don't have any experience with homeschooling or know anyone who is home schooled but I know there seems to be a negative connotation about it. It's like if a kid is known for being home schooled, he/she will be instantly regarded as someone who is weird or a freak by the other kids. I think being homeschooled also takes away the child's opportunity to interact to kids his own age and she might miss out a lot of experiences and learning opportunities.

 

Have to jump in again and repeat that kids that are homeschooled have more opportunities.. for actual socialization, for real life, for outings and gatherings.. for pretty much everything. And if kids find them weird, that's the type of people those kids are being raised by and it should be brushed off. Who wants friends like that anyway? Judgement is learned. My kids are homeschooled and their schooled friends have always been envious of them to be honest.

Sitting behind a desk, not being allowed to speak for more hours than any child should have to sit still is not socialization or opportunity. It's unhealthy; mind and body.

 

With all the stiffness and flaws modern schools have. Homeschooling is a great idea but definitely a challenge for both parents and children. You have to juggle between the time spent in your full time job and the education of your child to successfully teach a subject. You need to identify the interest and strengths of your child and focus the education towards it. Is also beautiful experience that will allow to develop a friendly relationship with your own child.

And in regards of socialization. Do you think that modern schools have a healthy social environment? The only good thing about school as a environtment to develop social skill is to hope your kid will learn to choose his/her friends well. Because, they are going to be exposed to all kind of people out there, from spoiled abusive brats to decent well mannered children.

 

My sister is completely into homeschooling. Her kids are still not quite ready to start school but she is already preparing everything so she can homeschool them. In Germany, homeschooling is forbidden but in other countries, such as USA, it is allowed and I think it is great that parents have that opportunity.
One of the main reasons my sister prefers homeschooling is because she does not have much faith in the US school system and in a way I do not blame her. I think it is definitely possible to educate your kids but also see it as a great challenge.

 

For some kids home schooling works and for others it doesn't. I think it depends on your child. If you think you can provide a better program for your child and cover the curriculum that is a good start. You child would have to be motivated to learn and have you as their teacher. I know a lot of parents who have difficulty helping their kids complete homework let alone an entire years study. It can provide a lot of friction in the family. Attending regular school is also a way to help your children socialize and develop their character. They will be put in positions where you are not their to help guide and they will learn to sort out difficult situations with their peers. It's good learning for later in life. Personally I feel the benefits of going to school with other kids and learning empathy, tolerance, acceptance, integrity are so important that even if the school system were not as good as I expected I would just supplement with other material at home.

 

I didn't realise so many people are against home schooling. My daughter starts kindergarten this year, and I am not fond of the area and school district where we reside. We cannot afford to move yet.. We are homeschooling my daughter and I believe 100% it will benefit my childs education by doing so. I can go at her pace, not everyone elses. There are tons of things to keep your child involved socially too!

 

"empathy, tolerance, acceptance, integrity"
At school??????? Lol.

 

I think home schooling is great. My neighbor home schools her daughter. My cousin home schooled her daughter. I actually tried but after a 1/2 year, I did not feel like I was doing an adequate job and I became afraid that they would suffer in the long run. So I put them back in public school. My daughter, who was 6th grade, took right to it. She absolutely benefited from the half-year off. My son, 3rd grade had become very accustomed to doing his lessons on a flexible schedule and he had a terrible time acclimating back into the public school environment. So yeah, think it through, take it seriously!