To homeschool or not to homeschool?

My wife and I are seriously considering it for our son. She was homeschooled for the first few grades and it gave her a big head start. Once her mom had two more it became too much and they all went to public school. Whether you and your wife teaching good at teaching should weigh in as well, because not everyone is cut out for it. There are curriculum out there to help out, too, not like you have to just wing it. The socialization thing I'm a bit torn on. There have been a few kids that I thought were weird that were homeschooled but just as many that were completely fine and well adjusted. You just have to do more stuff that allows for kids to be social.

Entirely anecdotal: My aunt and uncle homeschool their 4 kids. All four are bright and probably more advanced academically than similar age kids. My aunt puts ALL of her time into it and I have no doubt the quality of the education is outstanding. The kids are obviously not socialized properly. They are well behaved, but they do not know how to work within a group that is not the 4 of them. It's sort of (really) strange.

I am a product of the Loudoun County public school system. Based on my experience and seeing my cousins, I would never consider homeschooling. :2cents:

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Originally Posted by pjfootballer

A good friend of mine and his wife decided to home school their two daughters. I like his wife, but....how do I put this nicely?......I wouldn't sign her up for any Mensa clubs anytime soon. The woman can barely spell. I've seen her writing on simple things like a grocery list and I hope to goodness those two girls (10 and 6) are going to be taught well. I mean, she's not stupid, but she only has a high school degree and I wouldn't call her the brightest bulb in the world.

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I went to Fairfax County Public Schools. I think the word you are looking for is "stupid".

Are there any drivers other than promoting religion when homeschooling? Other than shielding kids from facts so they can be indoctrinated in a bubble are there any tangible benefits? Seems like child abuse to me.

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Originally Posted by SoCalSkins

Are there any drivers other than promoting religion when homeschooling? Other than shielding kids from facts so they can be indoctrinated in a bubble are there any tangible benefits? Seems like child abuse to me.

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I don't know if I'd put it like that, but most children that are home schooled that I know personally are taught by very religious parents who have no training as teachers. Obviously that isn't all of them, but it's a big motivation for a lot of home school parents. I don't understand why some parents with only high school diplomas and no special training think they can do a better job at educating their children than public school teachers who have lots of experience at dealing with all types of kids. Most home schooled children I know are all at least mildly socially awkward. Social skills are absolutely crucial for college and getting your career going. Don't get me wrong, I've known some booksmart home schooled children but they often lack practical knowledge/critical thinking skills. Think of the kids who memorized huge lists of words and spent hours on homework every night to get an A vs someone naturally smart who rarely studied for that same A. Public school educations can often be very good if your child is motivated to learn and sign up for the more challenging classes. Me personally, I went to a religious private school from nursery to 8th grade and went to public high school afterwards. My most impactful and intelligent teachers were all from my public school. I honestly believe a religiously based education can be harmful in some cases unless the school is ranked very highly academically. Your education in public school is often what you make of it. There are plenty of resources to succeed if you are motivated enough.

First off I understand your concerns and why you are considering this. That said, as someone who went to community college kinda out in the country where a lot of home schooled kids also attended, do NOT home school your kids. They are almost ALWAYS universally weird. You're on point with you concerns about social skills. It's like they miss out on that social conditioning part of life where they learn how to act in public/around other people. Honestly, I can't think of one home schooled kid I've met who wasn't just plain weird. I really, honestly think it does kids a great disservice to home school them.

Just my opinion from my own experiences.

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/il...l-average.html

Found this on some Christian site. It states that homeschool students score higher (22.5 vs 21.1) than their trad. counterparts. Which seems all well and good but, IIRC, 22 is well within the "deny" range of most decent colleges.

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Originally Posted by Elessar78

Another drawback, you can't date any of your classmates if you're homeschooled. At least you shouldn't.

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And sex with the teacher is a whole different mess.

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Originally Posted by Corcaigh

And sex with the teacher is a whole different mess.

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:ols:

Homeschool if you want a child to wake up one day in a world they don't recognize and is cruel and difficult. Adding to that burden is they are unprepared to deal with that cruelty that exists. My children attended a Christian school early on and now attend public school. I found that to be a difficult transition as the private school focused on religion and not science or math. So what subject is homeschooling going to miss out on?

btw , I think there is some excellent advice in here already.

---------- Post added April-12th-2013 at 08:17 AM ----------

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Originally Posted by Elessar78

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/il...l-average.html

Found this on some Christian site. It states that homeschool students score higher (22.5 vs 21.1) than their trad. counterparts. Which seems all well and good but, IIRC, 22 is well within the "deny" range of most decent colleges.

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And actually that average differential is not as high as one would hope considering you are paying to attend a private school. And the dregs lower the average of the public number. I found the advanced classes my kids take to be very challenging for them.

I was home schooled for most of my school-aged years and I would NOT recommend home schooling unless you or your wife are trained teachers. When I went to college, my academic skills were severely lacking because my mom did not work with my siblings or me in high school. We read our books and learned that way. I had absolutely no learning strategies in place when I went to college and had to learn how to study the hard way.

As far as the social aspect of education goes, get your children involved in sports, band, chorus and the like. That does help. Home school co-ops are also good and help children to learn how to interact with peers other than siblings.

If you're concerned about behavior issues, maybe you could try homeschooling for a year or so to get your child back on track. Ultimately you need to work with your child's teachers and implement a behavior improvement plan. If the teachers are not willing to work with you, try putting your child in another school. If the lack of quality education is an issue, try changing schools or school systems and get your child a tutor and WORK WITH YOUR CHILD ON THEIR HOMEWORK.

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Originally Posted by Elessar78

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/il...l-average.html

Found this on some Christian site. It states that homeschool students score higher (22.5 vs 21.1) than their trad. counterparts. Which seems all well and good but, IIRC, 22 is well within the "deny" range of most decent colleges.

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And actually that average differential is not as high as one would hope considering you are paying to attend a private school. And the dregs lower the average of the public number. I found the advanced classes my kids take to be very challenging for them.

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Originally Posted by SWFLSkins

And actually that average differential is not as high as one would hope considering you are paying to attend a private school. And the dregs lower the average of the public number. I found the advanced classes my kids take to be very challenging for them.

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nothing to do with private schools. that was home school vs. traditional (i.e. public schools). also, there are a lot of different private school "flavors;" some are there for kids with awesome grades, some for kids that haven't gotten it together yet, some for students with learning disabilities, etc.

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Originally Posted by dchogs

nothing to do with private schools. that was home school vs. traditional (i.e. public schools). also, there are a lot of different private school "flavors;" some are there for kids with awesome grades, some for kids that haven't gotten it together yet, some for students with learning disabilities, etc.

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Gotcha, see that now. I was basing it on my experience. I think for us we made the right call. I love our teachers and was taken back by their competence.

If regular school kids do homework, do homeschooled kids do schoolwork?