Why would you home school (employment, pros, versus, districts)

[Sam82]

I won't turn this into a home-school debate. To answer the OP, I don't believe that a good distict or highly rated schools mean that much.

I had a family member in a wealthy, highly-rated district. To make a long story short, her schooling experience was a disaster. Her mother pulled her out in elementary school and home-schooled her until she finished high school. I think that the mother made the correct descion. I think that home-schooling can be great for some.

I'm a teacher. I support any parents right to home-school. I would be somewhat concerned if the parent did not have a college education, but it's not my call.

I also agree with Mamma Mia that there are social advantages to sending a child to a "real" school. However, a dedicated home-schooling parent can overcome these challenges.

I do think is good for children to experience different teachers. Everyone does things differently. Every teacher has strengths and weaknesses. If a child has the same teacher all of their life, I can see how this would be a disadvantage, especially once the child enters college.

[drjones96]

I'll tell you why my wife and I would NOT home school. We do not trust ourselves to give our kids an unbiased, quality education.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Mamama Mia

I would not home school and I'm an educator. I really believe that the life lessons learned at school cannot be replicated in a home setting. Cooperation, learning to adjust to various adult personalities and expectations and learning to negotiate with peers are just a few of the experiences that should be a part of a child's development. I believe in educating the whole child and that is best accomplished in a school environment with a certificated teacher who is teaching a curriculum tied to state standards.

As a family of educators and many of my educator friends & coworkers who homeschooled, (while teaching as 'certified') I have to disagree. Especially on the 'various adult personalities' subject. I have hired many home and public schooled students for customer facing and interfacing jobs, the homeschooler's win out by a strong majority. It is quite similar to hiring a farm kid verses a TV raised kid. If you want to have 'repeat' customers, value customer service, not have to instruct every little detail, and be able to leave someone in control while you're away, you best leave it in the hands of a homeschooler. Homeschool kids I know went on to be strong community leaders and had a significant edge in dealing with adult personalities (of various types). My own kids were nothing special, but each were asked to be academic tutors for multi-aged students at the Jr. College that they were attending INSTEAD of High School (thank goodness, for that program !). They finished university at the honor's level (As did most Homeschoolers I know), and are off to post grad studies after a few years in the trenches.

This is not a battle that will be won. Do what's right... you get one chance. then POOF, they are gone. (and you certainly will have not made all the CORRECT decisions). I support both sides if the situation is agreeable, but in many cases there is a clear choice. Choose what is best for Junior's life-long-learning prospects. otherwise.... Choose - "Dairy-Farm-Boarding-School"

[Sam82]

Originally Posted by janb

As a family of educators and many of my educator friends & coworkers who homeschooled, (while teaching as 'certified') I have to disagree. Especially on the 'various adult personalities' subject. I have hired many home and public schooled students for customer facing and interfacing jobs, the homeschooler's win out by a strong majority. It is quite similar to hiring a farm kid verses a TV raised kid. If you want to have 'repeat' customers, value customer service, not have to instruct every little detail, and be able to leave someone in control while you're away, you best leave it in the hands of a homeschooler. Homeschool kids I know went on to be strong community leaders and had a significant edge in dealing with adult personalities (of various types). My own kids were nothing special, but each were asked to be academic tutors for multi-aged students at the Jr. College that they were attended INSTEAD of High School (thank goodness !). They finished college at the honor's level (As did most Homeschoolers I know).

This is not a battle that will be won. Do what's right... you get one chance. then POOF, they are gone. (and you certainly will have not made all the CORRECT decisions). I support both sides if the situation is agreeable, but in many cases there is a clear choice. Choose what is best for Junior's life-long-learning prospects. otherwise.... Choose - "Dairy-Farm-Boarding-School"

I personally believe that a child can turn out just as great if the parents are willing to get involved with their child's education; as well as supplement what is being done at school. No one said that all learning has to take place in school.

[Charles Wallace]

Originally Posted by drjones96

I'll tell you why my wife and I would NOT home school. We do not trust ourselves to give our kids an unbiased, quality education.

That's fair enough. Not all public school teachers will give your kids an unbiased, quality education, but I think we can all be confident in saying that with a variety of teachers, there will be a variety of both biases and levels of quality, so perhaps things will ultimately even out in the end.

[Aconite]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

I know the difference (but there is sometimes a fine line). There have been quite a few court cases on this. I'll agree there are "lazy" parents in the public school venue. But do you not think there are also "lazy" parents claiming the "homeschool" card as their kids sit around and watch TV all day?

Since every homeschooler I know is against any type of homeschool regulation and vehemently protects their "right to homeschool" (which I understand), I'd like to know how you (or the other homeschoolers on this thread) propose that we protect (and properly educate) "homeschool" children whose parents do not have the skills to educate their children as you have. Or, do you feel that every parent has these skills? Or, do you feel that it is not a societal obligation to ensure that its' children are properly educated? I am interested in your opinion (without attacking public school) as this, to me, is one of the biggest risks of the homeschool movement.

I think there is certainly a risk of uneducated children, no matter the venue chosen-- though I'd wager probably fewer exist in private school than either public or homeschool simply because of the financial motivator for the parents.

Our state requires registration with the district, and records kept. We can either let the kids take standardized tests or have their portfolio evaluated by a licensed teacher. Realistically, though, there will always be a range of competence-- and no, I really don't have a suggestion for 100% success in weeding out incompetent homeschoolers.
I don't have a solution, either, for the kids like T, who was in my son's third grade class-- strolled into the classroom about 9:30 (an hour and a few minutes late), never turned in homework, rarely did classwork. Mostly slept in class (he boasted of being allowed to stay up late every night, which would follow). I don't really think that crappy parenting is the fault of, or cured by, the educational venue. I know we as a society would like to think it is, and we ask the schools to do a number of things that are the parents' job-- but judging by the teen pregnancy, gang,drug, and alcohol rates, we're asking the impossible.

I do have a solution for weeding out incompetent teachers, but that's a whole 'nother thread (and anyway, my heavily union-affiliated ancestors would spin in their graves). And it's probably no more foolproof than the county's attempts at weeding out bad homeschoolers. As they say, the moment you invent something fooproof, someone invents a savvier fool.

[Aconite]

Originally Posted by Mamama Mia

I would not home school and I'm an educator. I really believe that the life lessons learned at school cannot be replicated in a home setting. Cooperation, learning to adjust to various adult personalities and expectations and learning to negotiate with peers are just a few of the experiences that should be a part of a child's development.

We get that at co-op. We don't get the baloney boats at lunch, the bullying, the peers discussing visits by CPS, or the "you'll go to Hell if you don't love Jesus" speeches (all of which were part of their third grade year in public school), but I think the kids can manage to negotiate their way into adulthood without those.
They do kind of miss seeing the gopher tortoises in the PE field, though, I'll give the local elementary that.

[Aconite]

Originally Posted by janb

Choose what is best for Junior's life-long-learning prospects. otherwise.... Choose - "Dairy-Farm-Boarding-School"

I think there actually is one of those-- isn't Olney Academy in Ohio a working farm as well as a Quaker boarding school?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Aconite

I think there actually is one of those-- isn't Olney Academy in Ohio a working farm as well as a Quaker boarding school?

There are plenty of farm / ranch boarding schools in OR, ID, MT, WY. Some by necessity (in the boonies) and some are for handling kids that can't deal with the 'diversion' of public schools. Some are country schools that are bringing kids from Asia 'to-the-farm'.

I had several friends that 'boarded' at ranch schools and went home on weekends. You learn to behave real quick, and it is very self disciplined by the peers (who are there for an eduction, not to 'dink around'.)

I just used the 'Dairy farm threat' for my kids because it meant 7 days a week up at 5am, and smelling like manure all day, then no after school sports, cuz you have to milk again until 8pm. We stayed at some dairy farms during homeschool field trips just to keep their 'reality' index high. It was fun, but one Vermont farm started milking 300 head at 4 AM, they weren't to keen on that!

Kinda played out the same way when I made them each design and build a house before 10th grade. They HATED that, but it kept them focused on getting through school (for fear of having a hammer and shovel planted in their hands for life), and their homes delivered enough equity to pay 4x their student loans. (They had to pay 100% of their college, which they weren't too keen on either, but at least they weren't changing majors, or graduating only to 'find themselves' at McDonalds). Life is not fair, nor is it a pleasing fare, but we each need to pay the fare. (possibly by going to farrier boarding school , that was another option)

Now if the public schools were like the place we lived in Asia, where each teacher had 40 kids from 8AM-12pm, and 40 more from 1pm-5pm + mandatory Saturdays, things might be different (those students are NOT disruptive, or 'whack'- they are gone, and cannot rejoin school...hint: School is considered a privilege / honor). The kids are 'streamed' in 5th grade to 'academic' or 'vocational' track. Kids suffer ulcers in the 5th grade due to the stress of being a pauper for life and causing family to 'loose face'.

We (USA) have it so cushy...
Our US friends who put their kids through that free public edu in Asia, each got full Ivy league scholarships cuz their kids aced the ACT and SAT, and spoke 4 languages, and were proficient at piano (a requirement to pass 5th grade). They now have nice jobs in International leadership positions.

edu in the USA is SO BEHIND....

[Huckleberry3911948]

mucho unreported rape and assault in public schools.
there is so much dirty swept under that carpet i i need snowshoes to walk on it
voucher sooner the better.