New Nationwide Study Confirms Homeschool Academic Achievement

[Pippi333]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

Depends on whether that includes avoiding paid employment if you need it. My friend's husband would be a lot happier if she'd get a job. He didn't realize he signed up for her never working again when they had kids . He thought it was a temporary thing. Money is now an issue they fight over. So, this situation is creating stress for her family. Getting a job, however, will create stress for her as she wants to control every minute of her life. Then again, she gets stress either way, doesn't she. Stress from the arguments over money and her working with her defending her position claiming homeschooling is best for the one child she homeschools or stress from having to work for someone else.

Depends on how much control you insist on and whether your spouse is on board. Some want control 24 x 7. Some realize that sometimes they have to go to work andgive control to someone else. I'm not so into control that I need to control every minute. I don't feel a need to control every minute of my children's education. I don't find my sense of importance in control. It doesn't bother me to go to work where I'm working to someone elses standard. That's what they pay me for.

It sure appears as though your exposure to homeschooling families is limited, at best. You can't judge every homeschooling family according to your one friend and his wife.

Also, there are many of us homeschooling moms who teach our children AND have jobs. Myself included.

And no, we don't personally homeschool for religious reasons, or to control our children, etc., etc. And yes, we've dealt with public schools for many years (my oldest just graduated from public h.s. last June and went on to a local university), so my knowledge base is not limited to nothing but a homeschool experience.

I don't know WHY p.s. teachers seem to take homeschooling as such a personal attack. All I want is a good educational environment for my kids, and we couldn't make that happen in p.s. Some teachers are dedicated and fantastic, some are mediocre, and some are awful. Surely, you must know that. The same must certainly be able to be said about homeschooling parents, as well, I don't disregard that fact.

But many p.s. teachers (the ones we've dealt with directly, and the ones I've personally encountered online via message forums and blogs, etc.) come across so hostile regarding homeschooling parents, it just baffles me. Why begrudge us for wanting our children to excel? If we wanted that in your p.s., you wouldn't be complaining. oh wait, maybe you would.....I know we personally dealt with several p.s teacher and admin staff who go on and on about parent involvement, but then behave with this attitude towards parents like, "When your kid is here, they are OURS. Back off". And that's across 3 states and 4 school districts, so it's not just one negative experience with one school.

Personally, if I lived anywhere near a private prep school, I'd be hunting down scholarships like a madwoman trying to get my kids that kind of education. But I can't (I left my career to stay home and care for my kids, and my job is now work-from-home, but it doesn't pay a third what my corporate job did), so instead I research and study curriculums and programs offered at those kinds of schools, and I work hard to give my kids the same educational exposure. I'm not hiding them away from the world on a farm (we are smack dab in the middle of a city) or forcing a religion on them, I'm just educating them. Why does that offend p.s. teachers so much?

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by Pippi333

It sure appears as though your exposure to homeschooling families is limited, at best. You can't judge every homeschooling family according to your one friend and his wife.

Also, there are many of us homeschooling moms who teach our children AND have jobs. Myself included.

And no, we don't personally homeschool for religious reasons, or to control our children, etc., etc. And yes, we've dealt with public schools for many years (my oldest just graduated from public h.s. last June and went on to a local university), so my knowledge base is not limited to nothing but a homeschool experience.

I don't know WHY p.s. teachers seem to take homeschooling as such a personal attack. All I want is a good educational environment for my kids, and we couldn't make that happen in p.s. Some teachers are dedicated and fantastic, some are mediocre, and some are awful. Surely, you must know that. The same must certainly be able to be said about homeschooling parents, as well, I don't disregard that fact.

But many p.s. teachers (the ones we've dealt with directly, and the ones I've personally encountered online via message forums and blogs, etc.) come across so hostile regarding homeschooling parents, it just baffles me. Why begrudge us for wanting our children to excel? If we wanted that in your p.s., you wouldn't be complaining. oh wait, maybe you would.....I know we personally dealt with several p.s teacher and admin staff who go on and on about parent involvement, but then behave with this attitude towards parents like, "When your kid is here, they are OURS. Back off". And that's across 3 states and 4 school districts, so it's not just one negative experience with one school.

Personally, if I lived anywhere near a private prep school, I'd be hunting down scholarships like a madwoman trying to get my kids that kind of education. But I can't (I left my career to stay home and care for my kids, and my job is now work-from-home, but it doesn't pay a third what my corporate job did), so instead I research and study curriculums and programs offered at those kinds of schools, and I work hard to give my kids the same educational exposure. I'm not hiding them away from the world on a farm (we are smack dab in the middle of a city) or forcing a religion on them, I'm just educating them. Why does that offend p.s. teachers so much?

I am a public school parent who has extensively researched homeschool (considered it for my own kids) and posted about this ad nauseam on other C-D homeschool threads...

I thought your post was well-written and I agree with much of it. However, I feel that there are also MANY homeschoolers (on this forum as well as from the co-op I joined) who are also hostile toward p.s. and it baffles me. (E.g. Aconite comes to mind with the constant talk of p.s. school lock-downs and class days filled with boredom and making paper footballs).

I think p.s. parents also get fed up with these, often unjustified, attacks on all public schools in America. Are there bad public school out there? Certainly - many of them. But public schools, like homeschools, come in all shapes and sizes. Many homeschoolers have had bad experiences and seem to stereotype all p.s. as failing cesspools.

My kids now attend one of the best performing public schools in the U.S. It is a blue ribbon gifted magnet school but it is still PUBLIC SCHOOL. The classes are small and mixed age. I know the EXACT curriculum they are studying. I also supplement with some homeschool materials. For us, public school is working. And for you, homeschool is working. Why can't we all just get along?

BTW, we left one of the best regarded private, prep schools in the city of Chicago to enter our current public school system. The curriculum at our current public school far exceeds what was offered (at $15K+ a kid) at our prestigious prep school. Things are not always what they seem... And private schools and Homeschool publishers tend to have large marketing budgets... I think there are a lot of stereotypes out there about schools and it is up to each parent to find the best fit for their kids whether public, private, homeschool, or a mix of each (which is what we've done).

[Pippi333]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

I thought your post was well-written and I agree with much of it. However, I feel that there are also MANY homeschoolers (on this forum as well as from the co-op I joined) who are also hostile toward p.s. and it baffles me. (E.g. Aconite comes to mind with the constant talk of p.s. school lock-downs and class days filled with boredom and making paper footballs).

I think p.s. parents also get fed up with these, often unjustified, attacks on all public schools in America. Are there bad public school out there? Certainly - many of them. But public schools, like homeschools, come in all shapes and sizes. Many homeschoolers have had bad experiences and seem to stereotype all p.s. as failing cesspools.

Thanks, and I agree with you about that....I, too, don't think it's fair to attack ALL public schools, as though they are one entity; in the same way that I don't want my homeschool judged according to all homeschools. we personally DID have poor experiences with several public schools (the one that turned out to be good was a huge, inner-city school in the L.A. district, surprisingly enough).

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

My kids now attend one of the best performing public schools in the U.S. It is a blue ribbon gifted magnet school but it is still PUBLIC SCHOOL. The classes are small and mixed age. I know the EXACT curriculum they are studying. I also supplement with some homeschool materials. For us, public school is working. And for you, homeschool is working. Why can't we all just get along?

that's all i'm saying, lol! i wish the same! i have no doubts there are some great public schools out there. but i'm really tired of p.s. teachers who always act as though there's no such thing as an excellent homeschool.

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

BTW, we left one of the best regarded private, prep schools in the city of Chicago to enter our current public school system. The curriculum at our current public school far exceeds what was offered (at $15K+ a kid) at our prestigious prep school. Things are not always what they seem... And private schools and Homeschool publishers tend to have large marketing budgets... I think there are a lot of stereotypes out there about schools and it is up to each parent to find the best fit for their kids whether public, private, homeschool, or a mix of each (which is what we've done).

i think it's all in the execution. money and materials aren't going to do much for anyone unless those in control of them distribute them effectively. it appears abundantly clear to me that the main reasons for failure in public schools are: teachers who hate to teach (so they don't), teachers who hate kids, teachers who are not functional individuals out in the world - let alone in a classroom full of children, and teachers who want to pursue sexual relationships with their students. no matter how good the money supply is, or how excellent the curriculum and corresponding materials are, there will be no success until these issues are addressed and effectively solved. which, quite honestly, i don't see happening any time soon. if ever. it may be addressed sufficiently at your specific school, but i have no reason to believe anything other than that just makes your school an exception to the rule.