What if you decide to home school your children (SAT, high school, paying)

[juniperbleu]

Originally Posted by 925mine

Thank you. I read what Wikipedia has to say. It also says it is almost exclusively awarded to schools in the wealthiest communities.

In general, I'd agree. Although, my guess would be this often has to do with the fact that wealthier areas have more money to spend on the schools and on the specifics of getting the blue ribbon. It's a lot of paperwork and fairly labor-intensive on behalf of the administration, so many don't bother. However, if you're looking at a particular school district it can help to look into the blue ribbon schools just as an idea of which ones might be better.

The middle school I mentioned is in inner city Philadelphia, and an exception to the wealthy schools.

Originally Posted by 925mine

As for the WEIRD. I don't doubt a bit that there are weird kids who have been homeschooled, but HAVE YOU BEEN TO A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL LATELY???? Weird is not exclusive to homeschool, BELIEVE ME

Don't doubt that (yes, I've been to a public school lately). A lot of the "weird" I referred to in the homeschooled kids dealt with a lot of social awkwardness, as well as aspects that I believe were influenced by religion (i.e. a promise to not kiss anyone until he was married, frequent references on how we were going to hell....but we're still good people, he just won't see us in heaven).

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

Don't doubt that (yes, I've been to a public school lately). A lot of the "weird" I referred to in the homeschooled kids dealt with a lot of social awkwardness, as well as aspects that I believe were influenced by religion (i.e. a promise to not kiss anyone until he was married, frequent references on how we were going to hell....but we're still good people, he just won't see us in heaven).

I think this brings up the issues of socialization and learning to be around other adults and kids. Kids do tend to repeat what they hear at home, including those at public school. But the PS kids learn a little earlier, I think, to keep some of this to themselves because of the diversity at most public schools. Even if a school is not diverse racially, there is a diversity of opinions there, and the kids learn to deal with that constructively (most of the time, anyway).

[juniperbleu]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I think this brings up the issues of socialization and learning to be around other adults and kids. Kids do tend to repeat what they hear at home, including those at public school. But the PS kids learn a little earlier, I think, to keep some of this to themselves because of the diversity at most public schools. Even if a school is not diverse racially, there is a diversity of opinions there, and the kids learn to deal with that constructively (most of the time, anyway).

You're probably right. It just amazed us how he and others would say things like that, thinking it was perfectly fine and in no way insulting (by the way, we were 17). Put him in a 4th grade classroom and he would have had a fist in his teeth pretty quickly. Not that I'm condoning violence at all, but I feel that if he had exposure to other views earlier on he would have learned a less offensive way of expressing himself.

Again, I also don't know if this sort of thing had more to do with homeschool or religion.

[925mine]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

You're probably right. It just amazed us how he and others would say things like that, thinking it was perfectly fine and in no way insulting (by the way, we were 17). Put him in a 4th grade classroom and he would have had a fist in his teeth pretty quickly. Not that I'm condoning violence at all, but I feel that if he had exposure to other views earlier on he would have learned a less offensive way of expressing himself.

Again, I also don't know if this sort of thing had more to do with homeschool or religion.

Religion is my guess. I'm sure, in his opinion, you'll have lots of company down there in HELL. It's scary how easily brainwashed children can be. We, as adults, have to be careful how we teach them.

In a conversation a year or so ago, I told my then 13 year old daughter, that I could make her believe anything I wanted her to because I am the person she trusts above all others. She recognizes this as true, and knows I would never abuse that trust.

A lot of people abuse that trust their children have in them, and get the children to parrot what the parents believe. The children don't understand what they are told isn't always true, and can be very dangerous.

Something in the Reader's Digest a number of years ago:

A newly married young woman invited her parents over for dinner. As the mother watched her daughter prepare the ham for baking, the daughter neatly cut off the ends and placed it in the pan. The mother asked why she did that. The daughter replied, "Because that's the way YOU always prepared it." The mother got a good laugh. She told her daughter, "That's because I never had a pan large enough to put a ham in whole!".

Children learn more by what their parents DO than by what their parents SAY.

[kaching_03]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I think this brings up the issues of socialization and learning to be around other adults and kids. Kids do tend to repeat what they hear at home, including those at public school. But the PS kids learn a little earlier, I think, to keep some of this to themselves because of the diversity at most public schools. Even if a school is not diverse racially, there is a diversity of opinions there, and the kids learn to deal with that constructively (most of the time, anyway).

I don't think public school kids learn any earlier. I think they learn in direct relation to how well they're taught. If you are good at teaching your children in creative ways, then they will do fine. It is the children who have parents or homeschool teachers who are really out of their league who get into trouble. I know it is scary and so overwhelming.If you do decide to try homeschooling and it doesn't work out for you, then you can always send them back to public school.

[Charles Wallace]

Originally Posted by skbs

To each his own... but in all honestly I do not understand the concept of home schooling... unless one lives in the middle of nowhere and the nearest school is an hour away... or you live in a VERY HOSTILE neighborhood and you are afraid of drive-bys or physical harm...I don't understand why a parent would deny their child the experience of an education among their PEERS...

Because an education among a child's peers is not always in the best interests of every child. It's in the best interests of some, and I have confidence that most parents will make the best choices for their individual children. However, for some children, being with peers is a devastatingly bad idea, particularly for those children who differ sharply from the "norm" or the perceived norm because of special needs, giftedness, behavior, or a host of other sensitive factors.

Moreover, some parents consider that peer education may not be the best thing even for a child with no special needs. They may be justly concerned about bullying, peer pressure, mean girls and queen bees, and may not want their family's values undermined before they've really had a chance to take root.

Finally, many parents enjoy the experience of teaching their children and it's hard to argue with a teacher/pupil ratio of 1:1. Not even the best private schools in the country can offer that kind of instruction.

I am not trying to attack... I just would like to understand how the parents on here, who homeschool, teach thier children to interact with OTHER children outside of the home on a daily basis... I think it is a crucial part of learning how to interact with others and become decent citizens... learning to socialize face to face is a very important need in the growth of a child...

As with most parents who homeschool, our child does engage with other children on a frequent basis -- through our worship, through child care at our gym, through birthday parties and Christmases and family get-togethers, and through homeschool co-op groups. Also, what our child also learns to do is to be exposed on a daily basis to people of all ages, not just people of her own age, which is ultimately more of a realistic engagement with the interactions she'll have when she's grown up. Since when do you or I or anyone only hang out with people our same age?

There was a girl who went to college with me... she was home schooled and had a very difficult time adjusting to college life and socializing... she ended up moving home and commuting because she found campus life too stressful and caused her great anxiety... I cannot even tell you what became of her because she never stayed to chat with other students...I just don't see how home schooling prepares students for the real world...

Anecdotal evidence isn't really worth much -- and of course, a sample size of one doesn't tell much of anything either way. We all know plenty of public- and private-schooled kids who experienced precisely what you're talking about with reference to the homeschooled girl. Perhaps she would've benefited by public school, but possibly not. Really, there's no way to tell.

The better data would be to look at colleges' attitudes toward homeschoolers, because they're in a better position to look at how homeschoolers perform as a larger group. Colleges and universities, including Harvard, Stanford, and others, are very welcoming of homeschoolers and have found that their performance generally exceeds the average (which is partly why they're so welcoming).

Again, I am not bashing, I am genuinely interested in learning how a parent goes about preparing thier child for the real world...for the college experience... if they aren't among their peers and in a social environment...

I think many people would argue that there are a variety of ways to prepare one's child for the "real world," and that one's own family is, indeed, part of that real world. Others might argue that compulsory mass schooling is a relatively recent, modern invention, a social experiment that's only been around for a short time, whereas homeschooling (or home tutoring) has been the educational method of choice, at least for the wealthy who could afford to do so, for thousands of years. Still others might contend that school itself is an artificial environment, artificially isolating children by age and zip code, and creating an artificial hierarchy, a caste system of jocks and geeks that doesn't exist in the "real world" where geeks actually do quite well, financially speaking (think Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and others), while jocks don't tend to be at the top of the pack beyond their youth (think O.J.).

***No matter what, though, there are many valid ways to go about raising a child. Homeschool is not a one-size-fits-all solution either, but neither is public school.

Anyone care to explain their routine and how you go about it? I think it would clear up a lot of stigmas in the whole Home School Debate... Thanks

I would, but I have to go. Possibly later?
Hope this helps.

[michiganmom48]

WEll went to meeting today because my daughter had an IEP for speech in MIchigan and they if needed have to transfere. Well they want to put her back in KIndergarden they wouldn't have passed her here. I'm not saying that she didn't have to work on things, They said because she was passed in Michigan to first grade we can keep her there but they basically said she won't pass. Her brother is also in the first grade there . I 'm not sure what to do I know she is going to feel so defeated.

[RebeccaLeigh]

I know that there were times that I wished I had been home-schooled. And I know my mothers would like to home-school my brother. A school setting is not right for everyone. At one point, I wanted to be a teacher and went to college for it, and what I saw and learned is that a lot of times in a large class a teacher has to tech for the children in the middle.

And that means that children that are really smart, or that children who have trouble, tend to get stuck. I think public schools can be wonderful, but they are not right for everyone. And tend to feel that are parent knows what works for their child, so I would just say go for what you feel is right for you and your children.

[2girlsand2boys]

Originally Posted by skbs

To each his own... but in all honestly I do not understand the concept of home schooling... unless one lives in the middle of nowhere and the nearest school is an hour away... or you live in a VERY HOSTILE neighborhood and you are afraid of drive-bys or physical harm...I don't understand why a parent would deny their child the experience of an education among their PEERS... I am not trying to attack... I just would like to understand how the parents on here, who homeschool, teach thier children to interact with OTHER children outside of the home on a daily basis... I think it is a crucial part of learning how to interact with others and become decent citizens... learning to socialize face to face is a very important need in the growth of a child...

There was a girl who went to college with me... she was home schooled and had a very difficult time adjusting to college life and socializing... she ended up moving home and commuting because she found campus life too stressful and caused her great anxiety... I cannot even tell you what became of her because she never stayed to chat with other students...I just don't see how home schooling prepares students for the real world...

Again, I am not bashing, I am genuinely interested in learning how a parent goes about preparing thier child for the real world...for the college experience... if they aren't among their peers and in a social environment...

Anyone care to explain their routine and how you go about it? I think it would clear up a lot of stigmas in the whole Home School Debate... Thanks

I think a very important thing to point out is that homeschoolers have the opportunity to interact with people of ALL ages, not just children who happen to be born in the same year as them-- AKA: peers. My kids have experiences on a regular basis with children and adults of all ages. Who are your friends that you spend the most time with? Are they all exactly your age, or are you friends with them based on similar interests and such? It should be no different for kids!

I get so sick of hearing the socialization argument about homeschooling! This is our typical week: dance, tae kwon do, swimming, gym, homeschool American girl history class, violin, piano, Sunday school, and that doesn't even include playdates! I also teach a toddler music and movement class an hour a week that my oldest daughter volunteers in. Too much social activity is usually our problem-- not the opposite!

I am confused about how you think that being around peers prepares you for college or adult life? How does a school setting prepare you for real life? As an adult, I am not expected to raise my hand and ask permission to go to the bathroom, and I am free to think and learn anything that interests me. I am not bound by the chains of institutionalized education and neither are my children. We learn what they are interested in learning and focus on the basics of math, spelling, and reading. Even if there are some discrepancies in what they have learned compared to their public schooled counterparts, the same could be true for a child that moved to a different school in the middle of the year.

Really, how much do you remember learning about through your years in school? We just read a book about Roger Sherman for our "homeschool". I had never heard of him before and I can assure you that not knowing about him has not hindered me once in 30 years.

You obviously have very narrow-minded ideas about what homeschooling really is. One of the reasons that we choose to homeschool is so that my children are free to think outside the box and don't have all of their original thoughts sucked out by teachers in a school setting! You were obviously not that lucky!

[skbs]

Originally Posted by 2girlsand2boys

I think a very important thing to point out is that homeschoolers have the opportunity to interact with people of ALL ages, not just children who happen to be born in the same year as them-- AKA: peers. My kids have experiences on a regular basis with children and adults of all ages. Who are your friends that you spend the most time with? Are they all exactly your age, or are you friends with them based on similar interests and such? It should be no different for kids!

I get so sick of hearing the socialization argument about homeschooling! This is our typical week: dance, tae kwon do, swimming, gym, homeschool American girl history class, violin, piano, Sunday school, and that doesn't even include playdates! I also teach a toddler music and movement class an hour a week that my oldest daughter volunteers in. Too much social activity is usually our problem-- not the opposite!

I am confused about how you think that being around peers prepares you for college or adult life? How does a school setting prepare you for real life? As an adult, I am not expected to raise my hand and ask permission to go to the bathroom, and I am free to think and learn anything that interests me. I am not bound by the chains of institutionalized education and neither are my children. We learn what they are interested in learning and focus on the basics of math, spelling, and reading. Even if there are some discrepancies in what they have learned compared to their public schooled counterparts, the same could be true for a child that moved to a different school in the middle of the year.

Really, how much do you remember learning about through your years in school? We just read a book about Roger Sherman for our "homeschool". I had never heard of him before and I can assure you that not knowing about him has not hindered me once in 30 years.

You obviously have very narrow-minded ideas about what homeschooling really is. One of the reasons that we choose to homeschool is so that my children are free to think outside the box and don't have all of their original thoughts sucked out by teachers in a school setting! You were obviously not that lucky!

Considering I am a NYS Teacher, I guess I wasn't that lucky... sure... what can I say... shucks...
again, wasn't out for a fight... but I guess others are...I have been put in my public school place I guess...