Homeschooling

[LadyOfMystery]

This thread idea just popped into my brain so I thought I'd post it and see where it goes. Here are a few questions to get the discussion rolling:
Were you homeschooled? Did you like it? Why/why not?
Would you homeschool your kids? Why/why not?
If you have kids, did you homeschool them? Why/why not?

For those of you who didn't go to homeschool, would you ever homeschool your kid? Why/why not?

And any other thing y'all can think of for this thread please feel free to add it.

 

[Obzocky]

Yay, homeschool thread.

Were you homeschooled?
Yes I was

Did you like it?
Loved it.

Why/why not?
I got to spend most of my time playing with mud and animals, in a perfectly valid educational format sort of way. I loved meeting new people at the group meetings, I liked the fact my parents took me to all of these wonderful places of worship and managed to let me see the wonder of the world in our own backyards. My sister went to standard school and her experience doesn't really appeal to me.

Would you homeschool your kids?
I would want to. At least until they were 11, after that they could make up their own minds whether to continue at home or go to a standard school.

Why/why not?
I think children need to be children, to have time to run around and play, to be free and get actively involved in family life. I'd hope that it would provide them with experiences they can utilise later in life. I don't know, I just have a vision of experiences I want them to enjoy before they go into the world of work.


I love the concept of homeschooling, I would hope it would be on the cards in the future and I would hope the whole experience would be a combined utilisation of the homeschool networks in the area and our own strengths. Even if the children have to go to a standard school I hope we can afford to send them somewhere I feel would give them the best possible experience. I'm very strong on them not going to the schools i've seen my sister and her friends go to, I don't want them to come back with this dislike of reading or not understanding why they're learning something. Until they hit the teenage years I would want them to have access to as many things as possible, art and history, math and geography, I would want them to experience them not from a classroom but from a practical point of view. Seeing, feeling, doing, living.

 

[Andrew12]

Were you homeschooled? Did you like it? Why/why not?


No, N/a


Would you homeschool your kids? Why/why not?


Probably, have you seen public schools...ugh.


If you have kids, did you homeschool them? Why/why not?


n/a

For those of you who didn't go to homeschool, would you ever homeschool your kid? Why/why not? probably.


public school isnt that great.

 

[Andrew12]

YouTube - Tim Hawkins - A Homeschool Family

 

[thegospelisgoodnews]

It depends if your a Christian, the bible makes it perfectly clear that we are to raise up our children in the way they should go, sending them to a place where they are taught they evolved from monkeys is a blantant error as a parent, not to mention many of the other teachings that go on there too........witnessed first hand the results of homeschooled kids, and hands down they are smarter more respectful and just all around better kids. the first thing public schooled parents will bring up is "your kid will be socially retarded" ......lol well just think what kind of kid you want your kid to be socialized with, do you want your kid to be socialized with kids who are deviant and full of rebellion, who hate God and love wickedness. And in this socialization would you be fullfilling your obligation to raise up your children in the way they should go.

 

[FaithPrevails]

Were you homeschooled? Did you like it? Why/why not?

No, I wasn't. Private school until 3rd grade - public through HS.

Would you homeschool your kids? Why/why not?
If you have kids, did you homeschool them? Why/why not?

I would homeschool my kids, but am not in a position to do so since I work FT during the day.

For those of you who didn't go to homeschool, would you ever homeschool your kid? Why/why not?

See above.

 

[Fatally.Yours]

Were you homeschooled?
No, it's not really the done thing here.
Would you homeschool your kids? Why/why not?
Absolutely not. It would be important to me that any children I have learn to socialise.
If you have kids, did you homeschool them?
Don't have any.

 

[LadyOfMystery]

I was homeschooled, and I loved it. I will homeschool my kids and be a stay at home mom. I got a lot of socialization and feel it's a stereotype about homeschoolers that we're unsocialized. Because I'm not speaking for all homeschoolers, Im sure there are some who didn't get socialized but that has nothing to do with the homeschooling itself, it's because of whatever reason their parents chose. I had a ton of opprotunities, we had prom just like everyone else, get togethers for Holidays, my parents took me on field trips, and with homeschooling you can be mobile and let your child learn things as they're happening which is a great source of education. I don't feel smarter than anyone else, but I do feel like I got a great education by being homeschooled. I would never put my child in public school at all, even if they wanted to because I feel that the education they would get in public school would not be what God would want them to be taught.
My cousins were homeschooled but the youngest of the 3 wanted to go to public school when she turned 16 so she went and lasted 2 weeks. The first day some girls pushed her into a bathroom and accused her of looking at one of theirl girlfriends and made threats to her. Not a happy environment at all. Now of course I know that not all schools are awful, but I wouldn't want to take that risk with my child(ren).

 

[thegospelisgoodnews]

Were you homeschooled?
No, it's not really the done thing here.
Would you homeschool your kids? Why/why not?
Absolutely not. It would be important to me that any children I have learn to socialise.
If you have kids, did you homeschool them?
Don't have any.

And it shows! "socialise"....socialize......I tink an edjumacation is impotent too, socialization is apart of life, It can't be avoided unless you live in a cave. The question should be, are the average kids actually the kids you would choose to socialize your kids with? Get the national statistics of what kids are doing today and see if its what you want your kids to be doing.

 

[FaithPrevails]

thegospelisoffensive...take a long, hard look at the little flag above the post you quoted and then see below. I think maybe an edit is warranted (and an apology) on your part.

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

Definition of SOCIALISE

British variant of socialize

 

[explodingboy]

Were you homeschooled? Did you like it? Why/why not?

Nope, it's not a big thing in the UK.

For those of you who didn't go to homeschool, would you ever homeschool your kid? Why/why not?

It wouldn't be my ideal, though I would certainly put a big emphasis on out of school learning (which considering me and my partner are both massive geeks shouldn't be too hard to achieve at all)

I would consider homeschooling if they had real trouble, but again I'd be willing to work hard with the child in mainstream education before taking such an extreme step.

 

[Bryne]

It is definitely a mistaken belief that homeschooled kids are not socialized. They are just socialized in a different way. They often interact with people outside their age group more than traditionally schooled kids. And in life, we don't just hang out with people the exact same age as we are. We have to learn to get along with people of all ages. Real life isn't much like school life at all.

To answer the questions.

I was not homeschooled.

I homeschooled my daughter for a few years and really enjoyed it.

 

[SyntheticPaper]

I wasn't homeschooled. I wish I had been, but oh well. I would say that once I got past the basics of learning to read and write and such, I definitely learned more (and more useful things) outside of school.

When I worked at a public library I spent a lot of time with kids that were both public schooled and homeschooled and I definitely preferred dealing with the homeschooled kids.

Yes, this is an exaggeration, but not THAT much of one.

Public schooled kid: "[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] I have to read a book, which is the shortest one on this list? Well, I don't know where they are! Why do I have to look them up, isn't that your JOB?? All these books are stupid, I don't want to read anything. Fine, I'll take this one. [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] THIS BOOK SUCKS!!!" Generally this is the one and only time you would ever see them. This person could be any age from middle school, up to a senior in highschool.

Homeschooled kid: "Hi! I need to find a new book to read, have you read any of these? Which one is best? Oh, do you have all those to put away? I will help you after I pick out a book, no, actually I will help you now! *random chatting about anything that might have been going on in the world*. Mom is here now, I have to go, I will talk to you tomorrow!" I was not too much older than them at the time, but they were just as social and chatty with people of all ages.

Now, obviously this was an exaggeration and a generalization. There were a lot of smart and nice public schooled kids as well, but there were so many that absolutely HATED to read, hated school, hated talking to anyone outside of their tiny little group of friends (which makes me wonder about the whole “socializing” aspect of going to a public school, because I remember when I was in school I hardly ever saw anyone being social with anyone outside of their own friends, which was usually not any more than 3-4 people, if that many). The homeschooled kids on the other hand were smart, well spoken, had no problems talking with people of any age (younger, their own age, older, it didn't matter). I really can't remember any homeschooled kid that fit the negative stereotype of the unsocial weirdo. Of course maybe there were some that were so unsocial that they wouldn't even go to the library.

Still, the ratio of smart, well adjusted, social kids was actually much higher for the homeschooled kids that I knew than the public schooled kids.

 

[Amber.ly]

Were you homeschooled? Did you like it? Why/why not?

Yes, my entire education.
When I hit the teen years, I wanted to go to a private school. For the fact that I wanted to be part of a debate team, do school politics and be a yearbook staffer.

But I have to say, if my parents had sent me to public, I would not be nearly as well educated, adjusted and well, alive

Would you homeschool your kids? Why/why not?

I'm not sure I will be able to send my kids to a public school. The system is so flawed and there are so many negatives, I don't think I could do it

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

Were you homeschooled?

Yes, I was. From third grade to 12th.

Did you like it?

I hated it.

Why/why not?

It was in essence a mask for abuse and mediocre educating in the name of avoiding worldly indoctrination.

Would you homeschool your kids?

Possibly and under certain circumstances.

Why/why not?

Homeschooling can only be properly done if both parents are 1) Agreeable to it, and 2) Are emotionally, spiritually and materially capable of it. If one parent balks, give up the idea. If I'm agreeable to it, but my wife isn't, then it won't work and shouldn't be done. If I'm not agreeable to it but a wife is, then it can't and shouldn't be done.

Public schools in many instances do seem to be a poor choice, but they're not the only choice. Plus, plenty of brilliant and even Godly people have made it out of public schools. Christ went to what was likely to be very liberal and ungodly synagogues and he turned out okay because his goal was God the father and His glory.

Personally, I would prefer to home school up until about 10 to 13 years of age. All the while being close to some kind of home school group that offers group teaching and activities. At a certain age, a public or private school should be looked into where they can become responsible for their more frequent interaction with others, become leaders, become examples and etc.

And any other thing y'all can think of for this thread please feel free to add it.

In my experience with fellow homeschoolers as I grew up, they were intellectuality intelligent and well spoken (I hate that phrase, "Well spoken", as a result of homeschooling). However, they (we) were very adept at manipulation, knowing how to behave to appeal to the adults. They (we) were bootlickers who attempted achievements to merely appeal to their own social circle. They (we) were arrogant about their station in life. In some cases, we appeared emotionally retarded... because some of us really were.

Manipulators? Man pleasers? Arrogant? Foolish? And we were supposed to be different from the world? We just wore more "respectful" clothes and could use larger words. In essence we were the same as the public schooled kids. I believe the problem was that public school was the anti-goal. Any time you define yourself by a negative (we won't be like those ebil public schoolers!!), you tend to end up looking frighteningly like that thing. Just like you can't drive a car by focusing on the ditches to the left and right, you must focus on the positive and make the destination your goal. That can and has been successfully done via public schools, private schools and home education.

The argument that I often here use in favor of homeschool is that the public schools are so bad. It seems like a straw man argument to me. One thing being bad does not prove that another thing is good. One thing being bad doesn't automagically make another thing intrinsically better. "Guns have been used in violent crime! Let's get rid of guns!!" is attacking the symptom and not the problem.



Anyway, in spite of home schooling being so royally abused in my household, I'm not against it but it has given me a more responsible mindset towards it. It's not the panacea that many in the fundie camp seem to think it is.

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

And it shows! "socialise"....socialize......I tink an edjumacation is impotent too, socialization is apart of life, It can't be avoided unless you live in a cave. The question should be, are the average kids actually the kids you would choose to socialize your kids with? Get the national statistics of what kids are doing today and see if its what you want your kids to be doing.

I wrote up a response to the above post - noting the hilarious irony of someone calling out another person for poor education over a misspelling that was not, in fact, a misspelling - but then realized that the poster exhibits classic troll behavior.

I hate it when I get troll-rolled.

YouTube - RickRoll'D

 

[Nienna_Lady_of_Tears]

While I had lots of outside activities such as sports, choir, speech and debate, and other things, my family used their homeschooling to shelter me from the world and things that my peers at church were into. I have never been able to overcome the hurdles of being able to connect with my peers as a result, as I grew up without a TV, computer, video games, and no music except hymns and classical music. Every year past 18, they came up with some "reason" that I was not able to graduate yet. The "Courtship Craze" wasn't good enough for them. Since neither dating nor courting are mentioned in the Bible, it wasn't Biblical enough.

I eventually graduated at age 21... when they found someone to arrange me in marriage with. He was 40. He had similar interests to me and seemed like he would genuinely care for me... that should make me happy, right? Also apparently my "education" was no further than 8th grade level, although I had taken some college classes in music and PE, as my family would say is fitting for a woman. My family did not approve of further education for young ladies because they believed it was the man's full responsibility to provide everything for his wife. Thus, I am now 28 years old and have never held a job.

I eventually ran away and became homeless to be with the one I loved. I met him at university (which I was able to transfer into without taking ACT or SAT because of those music and PE credits), which my family begrudgingly sent me to because the man they wanted me to marry required that I spend at least one semester in a university several states away so that I wouldn't regret not having that experience.

My family did everything they could to separate me from my love. We survived a 5 year long distance relationship with NO contact whatsoever, except when I could sneak to the public library and email him there. However my family soon stopped letting me out of the house except to go to church. Eventually I got money from a friend who knew my predicament and this allowed me to run away. I was almost 27.

Nowadays I'm back at the university where I met my husband. He's disabled, I am so behind in my education that I had to drop out of college, but he's a student. We're living on his disability check of less than $700 a month because I can't get a job because I don't have a GED and I've tried to pass it three times already.




While I will say I have many acquaintances whose homeschooling went well, and their parents ultimately did decide to let their children make their own choices in regards to belief, I also know acquaintances who have much of the same sad story.

I'm not as much against homeschooling as I am for homeschooling reform. I think that if a family homeschools then they sould be required to enroll their child in at least one public or private school activity a week. This would allow those who are trained to look for child abuse to recognize where there is trouble and for the child to speak out against their parents if necessary. I also think that if the child is raised well outside the realm of "normal" for our society (meaning the child doesn't have at least an operational TV, but not necessarily cable in their home, or has no internet access or anything else that is suspect of ultra religious beliefs) then further investigation should be made into that family's beliefs and rearing of that child. Sure, they might be able to interact with their fellow homeschoolers who are raised pretty much the same way. But what about the kids at church who are not homeschooled?

To this day, I have a hard time watching ANY movies that are not animated, because my family believed that movies were of the devil and I was not allowed to watch them. While I have been able to move past this point with music (I like gothic metal, and have turned Goth myself, which shocks my family) it's been much more difficult to learn to enjoy movies. I still don't have a TV, and it's been hard to branch out in my reading choices because all of my books were pre-read for me. If it had ANY romance, violence, crime, evil, etc. it was ruled out for me as an option to read. That left practically nothing. How can you have a book without a climax? How can you have a story without characters personal battles, even?

So I'm left a perfect mess. In addition to all this my family believed in eating a vegan, raw food diet, and seeing a naturopath for all of their medical needs. So I literally got no fat in my body except for church potlucks, and then my body would hoard it. My hormones were non-functional. I was 215 pounds. When my husband started feeding me food with *gasp* fat, I lost 60 pounds and my period finally came for the first time, at the age of 27.

Later on I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and a learning disability.

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

Your story is moving. I have a similar, but still less abusive experience. I heard eerie echoes of my own self in what you spoke of.

I'm not as much against homeschooling as I am for homeschooling reform. I think that if a family homeschools then they sould be required to enroll their child in at least one public or private school activity a week. This would allow those who are trained to look for child abuse to recognize where there is trouble and for the child to speak out against their parents if necessary.

A network of detecting abuse is a good idea. Normally it would be the very societal structure that the uber fundies shun. Friends, family, churches and etc. are supposed to be that warning system that can cry for help on behalf of those who can't. However, when a group becomes so sequestered that they turn away from all accountability and only surround themselves with people who enable their behavior, that's where the darkest secrets lie.

To this day, I have a hard time watching ANY movies that are not animated, because my family believed that movies were of the devil and I was not allowed to watch them. While I have been able to move past this point with music (I like gothic metal, and have turned Goth myself, which shocks my family) it's been much more difficult to learn to enjoy movies. I still don't have a TV, and it's been hard to branch out in my reading choices because all of my books were pre-read for me. If it had ANY romance, violence, crime, evil, etc. it was ruled out for me as an option to read. That left practically nothing. How can you have a book without a climax? How can you have a story without characters personal battles, even?

Consider reading about post traumatic stress syndrome as well as researching the stories of others who have been abused. Be prepared for a shock though. When you finally make the realization concerning just how terribly you were abused, you will have a flood of emotion that is insurmountable. Just go with it. It's part of the healing process.

So I'm left a perfect mess. In addition to all this my family believed in eating a vegan, raw food diet, and seeing a naturopath for all of their medical needs. So I literally got no fat in my body except for church potlucks, and then my body would hoard it. My hormones were non-functional. I was 215 pounds. When my husband started feeding me food with *gasp* fat, I lost 60 pounds and my period finally came for the first time, at the age of 27.

Later on I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and a learning disability.

You have been through much. Very much. Do you have any kind of support? Look online for survivors like yourself. People who were abused in the name of Christ, but learned differently. Learned better of Christ.

I must reiterate this: Look. For Survivors. I know of a few places that you could look online. Read books about abuse survivors. Read their blogs. Email them. Talk to them. Go to group sessions. Something, just learn more about this. It will be scary and very sadenning, but sometimes you have to feel the sting of the needle before the antidote gets into your system.

 

[Cassielaven]

I have never been homeschooled, but my christian friend and her siblings were homeschooled. She very sociable, in fact she is more sociable than I am. I used to think people who were homeschooled grew up to be anti-social. After I met my friend in college, and she told me she was homeschooled my beliefs about it went out the window. After going to public schools, magnet schools, and fundamental schools, I am amazed at how much she have learned being homeschooled. She is one of the smartest people I know. She made me wish I was homeschooled. The school system where I live had a very poor education rate. I think it was one of the reasons why her mom started homeschooling her and her siblings. There were very few schools that were good and of course you have to take a test, have good behavior, or money to attend these schools. When I attended public school my first two years in high school, It felt like being in the movies of "Lean on Me" and "Dangerous Minds." The students were out of control. Students were fighting with teachers, students walking out of class while teacher are teaching, turf fights, setting garbage cans on fire. I mean it was bad. I was not used of seeing things like this, just on television. Than my mom had transfer me to a fundamental school (because I kept cutting school) which was a lot better. Sorry for going off subject, but I think homeschooling is a good idea. At least they wouldn't have to worry to much about peer pressure, what kind of teacher is teaching your children (child molester), and you know where your children are (not cutting class because of bullying, etc). There is a big misconception about homeschooling, and the main one about the children turning out to be anti-social which is not all true. There are lots of people who went to public school, private schools, catholic schools, etc. that are anti-social.

 

[Fatally.Yours]

And it shows! "socialise"....socialize......I tink an edjumacation is impotent too, socialization is apart of life, It can't be avoided unless you live in a cave. The question should be, are the average kids actually the kids you would choose to socialize your kids with? Get the national statistics of what kids are doing today and see if its what you want your kids to be doing.

I'm British. That's how we spell it here.
Also, the public schools over here are generally ok. Everybody I know has survived British public education and come out relatively sane at the other end.