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I don't have kids but if I ever do I would consider homeschooling them. Public schools today are out of control. That 'zero tolerance' nonsense, too much kids getting involved in sex and drugs at younger and younger ages, Tests, tests and more tests. Common Core? No thanks. The Government will not control my future kids' education.
I think those are all valid reasons, but the fact of the matter is that our education system for better or for worse is built around standardized testing. If a homeschooled child is to ever go to college, s/he's going to have to take the SAT/ACT. And any post-graduate education will require even more testing (GRE, MCAT, LSAT, bar exam, etc.) So it's pretty much unavoidable. I'm of the opinion that you might as well just accept it early on, but YMMV.
If done correctly, yes. I've met people who were homeschooled who are exceptionally bright, talented and personable. I've also met people who were homeschooled and who are very poorly-adjusted and not nearly at the academic level of their peers who attended public or private school. It is a huge commitment and must be well thought-out. Equally important as the education itself is the socialization factor, as school is typically one of if not the most important agent of socialization for children. Basically, the kids should not be spending all day every day at home. The parents need to make sure they are interacting with other children whether it be through sports or other extracurricular activities. Otherwise there may be a risk of problems down the line.
You're right. It depends on the parent. Homeschooling doesn't guarantee a child a good education. Neither does public or private. There are poorly-adjusted kids at public schools too.
Just because you had trouble with teachers does not make all teachers bad...
Drama? No. Realistic? Sure is.
Don't you get it? I'm not basing my posts off just MY experiences. Look around you. Read the news. Talk to real public school teachers. Most of the good ones are unhappy with how public schools are becoming.
I think those are all valid reasons, but the fact of the matter is that our education system for better or for worse is built around standardized testing. If a homeschooled child is to ever go to college, s/he's going to have to take the SAT/ACT. And any post-graduate education will require even more testing (GRE, MCAT, LSAT, bar exam, etc.) So it's pretty much unavoidable. I'm of the opinion that you might as well just accept it early on, but YMMV.
I have met several homeschooled kids that are going to universities in CA. One is attending UCLA, and the others at UC Davis. Very good schools. They were homeschooled by their parents and tutors, as well.
Eyes are wide open!
Not all schools are bad; not all experiences will be like yours.
In my area, we demand, and get, quality for our kids. We expect nothing less.
So the bottom line is that, even though we considered/investigated private schools and home schooling for our kids, we could not have done better than our public school system.
I know plenty of people who homeschool, but it's not for us. We chose Catholic school, although I believe our kids would have got a decent education from our public school.
Interesting thread, my son had a friend who was a lazy student, screw up and basically useless other then being a nice and polite kid, but when it came to his studies and school, the best was behind him, he gets hurt and is out of school for the better part of a year, gets home schooled and returns to High School the following year and is a change man, the kid applied himself and graduated with his class and moved on, I personally believe that home schooling saved his high school career and placed himself on the straight path.
I have met several homeschooled kids that are going to universities in CA. One is attending UCLA, and the others at UC Davis. Very good schools. They were homeschooled by their parents and tutors, as well.
I believe it. Like I said before, I've myself met very bright and accomplished people who were homeschooled. My point was that standardized testing is inevitable. My prior point was that homeschooling is effective if done properly. Those kids had to take standardized tests just like everyone else and evidently their parents did a great job of making sure they were well-equipped to succeed.
You're right. It depends on the parent. Homeschooling doesn't guarantee a child a good education. Neither does public or private. There are poorly-adjusted kids at public schools too.
Interesting article. While I agree that to a certain extent a children's personality/temperament is just "how they were born" I don't think the importance of socialization should be understated. In many ways it is the mechanism by which a child finds his/her own identity and acclimates to cultural norms.
I do agree with your other point - public/private schooling does not necessarily mean a child will be well-socialized. But there's a better chance of it when the children are interacting with other children on a regular basis than when they aren't. At the end of the day a child's success often depends on how committed and involved the parents are, whether the child is homeschooled or attends public/private school.
My kids attend online school which I see as a compromise between public school and homeschool. They still take standardized tests (at a local testing center). My oldest daughter is free of the negative interactions with classmates that made school unpleasant for her.
People suggested to me that my daughter wouldn't learn to deal with problems in life if she didn't learn to deal with classmates, but the things that were happening at her school were extreme...someone threatened to kill her in 3rd grade, and she was sexually harassed and groped by several different boys in 4th grade. Those are problems that even an adult would have trouble dealing with and the school was unable to prevent the problems.
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The Government will not control my future kids' education.
