Homeschooling?

[annegirl]

It really strikes me as humurous when I hear somebody say, "But what about your social life?"!!!!hilarious I am so busy some of the time that my head spins! I am constantly talking to people. Also, public schoolers only have social experiences with their own age groups. They can't stand to be around their slightly younger siblings and will hardly even try to form friendships with older kids and adults. That is a pity because there is so much to learn from people that are older and wiser than you. My younger sister and I are best buds and do almost everything together. My cousins, who are older, have also been homeschooled the whole time. Regardless of our span in ages, I enjoy their company, which I partly attribute to our common experience of never being age seperated, and have learned a lot from their experiences!

It is great to hear about you being best buds with your sister! I consider my sisters my best friends, my parents my top advisers and my brothers my personal body guards!! We sit around the table after a meal as a family and talk about politics and world happenings! We have a huge map right next to our dinner table where we point out different countries as we talk. My 3 year old sister can point out "The Rack" where her Sollie (my 22 year old brother) is serving, but her favorite country is Madacascar! (Don't ask me why!?!) Conversations with a diverse age range are great for a couple of reasons...the little ones learn that there is a whole wide world out there outside of their experience...the older ones learn how to explain something clearly and simply enough for a young child to understand. This is one of the biggest pluses I see about homeschooling. It gives us the ability to learn and discover as a family which draws us closer!

[Drummerboy]

I am surprised that there is a vote that homeschooling should be outlawed. Should we do away with the whole Constitution and 230 years of blood and sacrifice that our fathers shed for us so we might be free?

[cookderosa]

I am surprised that there is a vote that homeschooling should be outlawed. Should we do away with the whole Constitution and 230 years of blood and sacrifice that our fathers shed for us so we might be free?

>>

I wasn't suprised to see someone voted, but to not explain their position was puzzling. :confused:

[Matymus]

>>

I wasn't suprised to see someone voted, but to not explain their position was puzzling. :confused:

Yeah, it's definitely puzzling because I would be interested in seeing them at least expound on their position. It would be helpful.

[japprend]

My parents decided to homeschool me and my siblings to ensure that we received a godly upbringing and a solid foundation of Christian education, which wasn't even available in the local Christian schools. When they began, homeschooling was unheard of in our state. (We were always having to explain to people why we weren't in school!)

I loved homeschool because of the flexibility of designing my own courses of study and being able to choose my favorite textbooks to learn from. Also, homeschool allowed the extra time for me to pursue my favorite subjects in more depth: mathematics and foreign lanuages.

Also, our family did quite a bit of traveling. Since we were homeschooled, we could just take the books along and enjoy the benefits of traveling "off-season." As a family, we've been able to visit all fifty states, and twelve countries. Traveling together as a family, seeing God's wonderful creation, meeting people from around the world, and enjoying different cultures are experiences that add an extra dimension to our understanding of the world we live in.

All that said, as a tutor I've seen instances of the cases where homeschooling is not the best option. I live in Pennsylvania, where there are strict laws governing homeschooling. A lot of people complain about them, but we've always seen the law as a preventative measure to keep homeschoolers from receiving a bad name from the abuses that can definitely occur. In any state when parents are disorganized it can show up in the children's education. However, the beauty of homeschooling is that students, as they progress into their high school years, do learn to organize their own time schedules and structure their own learning, - something they eventually have to learn as adults in college. If a student WANTS to learn, he will, regardless of whether or not his parent(s) are able to stay organized.

[Farmerboy]

Soltran,
Would you mind explaining your position on homeschooling? Thanks.

Farmerboy

[ShotoJuku]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Navy"]It's a poll people, that doesn't mean one has to qualify their "vote" with an opinion but are entitled to do so if they wish or decline.

BTW: I participated w/out leaving a validation just like when I cast a vote on election day.
[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[soltran]

G’day,

Actually I have no problem expanding on my position of home schooling. I chose the selection that I did because it was an option and I thought it may generate more discussion.

I come from a time and place where home schooling was almost impossible and hardly even a consideration. My father was a school teacher and I went through the public education system in Australia. I believe that the combination of the public education system and my parents efforts on the home front prepared me well for my future. Having said that, I don’t really have a position on home schooling.

I believe the system I went through exposed me to the good the bad and the ugly. I had good teachers and bad teachers and learnt from both. From the good I gained valuable academic knowledge, from the bad I learned that life isn’t always fair or easy but it did help me prepare for the workforce where I have encountered good and bad colleagues and bosses. Over my educational life I was exposed to and learnt to deal with racism, sexism, bullies and all sorts of discrimination, much the same as I have encountered during the time since I have finished school. At school I learnt about being part of teams, both good and bad, much the same as I have found in the workplace. All in all I think the public education system prepared we well. I also believe that my parents also prepared me well both academically and socially.

From that you will probably think that I am for public schooling and against home schooling but that isn’t really the case. I believe academically, home schooling, when done right, can have a lot of advantages over the public system, however I do believe that home schoolers miss out on some of the social learning. By this I don’t mean that they don’t socialize or have a social life, what I mean is they are often shielded against or have limited exposure to the worst aspects of our society. This may seem like a good thing, but it can leave one ill prepared for what life and the workplace can throw at them.

I don’t really believe that home schooling should be outlawed but then again I don’t really believe in any of the other options provided either. I would personally opt for a balance between the public system and home schooling. Life itself should be a balanced learning environment where we learn at every opportunity that is presented to us.

So in essence, I chose the option I did because I knew there were a number of home schoolers on this forum and knew it would get a reaction.

Regards

[cookderosa]

Thank you for taking time to explain your vote. I am not debating, you'll see from my posts that I clearly do not believe homeschooling is best for everyone- only that it is best for my kids-right now. Believe it or not, I agree with parts of your opinion too.

soltran writes "I mean is they are often shielded against or have limited exposure to the worst aspects of our society. This may seem like a good thing, but it can leave one ill prepared for what life and the workplace can throw at them"

You are correct, but something to consider:
It is also true that a child who is shielded against or has limited exposure to the BEST aspects of society (and family, and education) will be ill prepared for life (and marriage, and college) and the workplace. We know this is true- sociology studies this.

[Matymus]

G’day,

Actually I have no problem expanding on my position of home schooling. I chose the selection that I did because it was an option and I thought it may generate more discussion.

I come from a time and place where home schooling was almost impossible and hardly even a consideration. My father was a school teacher and I went through the public education system in Australia. I believe that the combination of the public education system and my parents efforts on the home front prepared me well for my future. Having said that, I don’t really have a position on home schooling.

I believe the system I went through exposed me to the good the bad and the ugly. I had good teachers and bad teachers and learnt from both. From the good I gained valuable academic knowledge, from the bad I learned that life isn’t always fair or easy but it did help me prepare for the workforce where I have encountered good and bad colleagues and bosses. Over my educational life I was exposed to and learnt to deal with racism, sexism, bullies and all sorts of discrimination, much the same as I have encountered during the time since I have finished school. At school I learnt about being part of teams, both good and bad, much the same as I have found in the workplace. All in all I think the public education system prepared we well. I also believe that my parents also prepared me well both academically and socially.

From that you will probably think that I am for public schooling and against home schooling but that isn’t really the case. I believe academically, home schooling, when done right, can have a lot of advantages over the public system, however I do believe that home schoolers miss out on some of the social learning. By this I don’t mean that they don’t socialize or have a social life, what I mean is they are often shielded against or have limited exposure to the worst aspects of our society. This may seem like a good thing, but it can leave one ill prepared for what life and the workplace can throw at them.

I don’t really believe that home schooling should be outlawed but then again I don’t really believe in any of the other options provided either. I would personally opt for a balance between the public system and home schooling. Life itself should be a balanced learning environment where we learn at every opportunity that is presented to us.

So in essence, I chose the option I did because I knew there were a number of home schoolers on this forum and knew it would get a reaction.

Regards

I appreciate your honest answer. You definitely make some valid points. I think, like with anything, you take the good and discard the bad. You kinda have to do that throughout life. I've heard people bring up the socialization factor so many times regarding homeschooling. Yeah, homeschoolers, if done right, definitely get amazing social experiences, but without being exposed to so much of the garbage that's not needed. Now, that CAN be bad, if the parents don't at least let them know & prepare them for what they will encounter when out on their own. Case in point, my sister's ex-boyfriend from YEARS ago. He was raised in a strong, christian family. He wasn't homeschooled, but he did go to christian schools growing up. He was so extremely sheltered growing up that once he graduated high school & was out on his own, he went crazy. He got into drugs, promiscuous sex, tons of partying, etc. He later told me that he had NO CLUE that the world would be as tempting as it was, etc. So, I've seen people in homeschool environments grow up completely sheltered. I don't think that's the answer...I definitely think that it needs to be 'controlled exposure'. Expose them, to a certain degree, to what's out there & what they will encounter on their own and prepare them to meet that challenge head-on WHEN THEY ARE READY. I don't think kids are ready at 8 yrs old to handle alot of what they're exposed to in the public school. They're just not. That's simply when they're indoctrinated with all the junk that the public school system deems worthy & necessary. It's really not. At least, in my view.

I definitely liked what you had to say...you definitely have an interesting perspective and outlook. So...thank you.