Home Schooling vs Public School

[trulyliving]

I think it depends on the parent's motivation. i know some kids struggle alot to keep up in our "one-size-fits-all" mindset of public schools. though the more I see of this the more I see that alot of parents [mainly Christains] take the homeschool method as an attempt to hide their kids away from the real world. NOT good because that leaves the kid with an idea that there will always be an easy way out.... and there isn't always an easy way out.

Interesting comments. Although I also think that sometimes our perspectives change when we actually become parents. At least in my experience, I've gone through lots of changes in my perspectives about how to raise kids since I've become a parent. It's as if when you become a parent, you automatically come into wisdom, but at the same time, humilty when the responsibility is so overwhelming you feel like you're not sure you're doing the right thing. With the work and responsibilities that come with homeschooling, I don't think kids necessarily get trained to be accustomed to an easy way out any more or less than a kid in a public school....

Actually, what I get frustrated at is when parents judge each other. I know a parent who up to this day drops really low immature blows to me since I told her that I homeschool my son. It's as if the instance of the mention of homeschool, some parents get defensive and start listing arguments even though you're not saying anything further than "I homeschool my son"... it's so weird...or they ask why adn then argue with you about it....and it's usually folks who don't know much about homeschool that have such strong reactions against it.

 

[SonicBOOM]

Actually, what I get frustrated at is when parents judge each other. I know a parent who up to this day drops really low immature blows to me since I told her that I homeschool my son. It's as if the instance of the mention of homeschool, some parents get defensive and start listing arguments even though you're not saying anything further than "I homeschool my son"... it's so weird...or they ask why adn then argue with you about it....and it's usually folks who don't know much about homeschool that have such strong reactions against it.

yeah I can understand that. I don't think homeschooling is a bad thing. God knows alot of parents keep their kids in public school out of pride and arragence. Personally I disagree with the way things run in public schools. My thinking style growing up was so diffrent from everyone elses. So much so that I was labeled as "handicaped" for not fitting into the school's oh-so-perfect way of teaching. It took my parents YEARS [years of tourture for me] to relize that MAYBE the school was wrong... when they finnaly came to this conclusion, than it was already to late. I dropped out of high school and later got a GED. though if the school and my parents would've done a better job, than I might've graduated with an actul deploma.

 

[intricatic]

While I agree that facts and figures may have a significant weight, no amount of facts and figures would change my feelings on my children being home schooled even IF I had the luxury of being able to stay home and home school them. And I don't think facts and figures alone ever change peoples opinions. Just my opinion

That's a sweeping assumption to make, and I'd argue it's based on a faulty premise, although I'm really not sure what that premise is or why it's faulty.

Do you believe that facts and figures don't represent some quantification in the real world, or do you just think that a person's experience always trumps an objective criteria?

I'll give a caution here as I've been taken to be overly aggressive a few times the last few days, but I'm not trying to be offensive here, I'm just exploring your reasoning. I completely respect your opinion, I'm just curious about it.

 

[Verve]

I went to public school.

 

[Going Merry]

I hate school. I can teach my self better. Geeze I really hate health schools in particular

 

[wholigan11]

This is a different topic for the singles forum but I thought it would be interesting to get everyone's thoughts on the subject...

Were you home schooled or did you attend public school? If you were home schooled do you wish you would've gone to public school and vice versa? What do you think are the pros and cons of both? How do you want your children to be educated?

I have been talking about this subject with one of my friends that has children and I'm interested to get other thoughts on the subject...

I went to public school. Both of my parents worked so home-schooling wouldn't have worked out but I'm definitely home-schooling my kids.

Public schools are horrible. I don't want my kids to experience what I experience, but academically and socially.

 

[Miss Spaulding]

I was homeschooled and should I ever have children, my goal would be to homeschool them. Except for math...I'll gladly have them tutored in math because I'll end up in mental hospital if I ever had to teach it.

 

[wholigan11]

I was homeschooled and should I ever have children, my goal would be to homeschool them. Except for math...I'll gladly have them tutored in math because I'll end up in mental hospital if I ever had to teach it.

Understandable!

My problem would be science because I always did so horrible in science. But I think part of the reason was because they introduced way too hard stuff way too early.

 

[BayCityBomber]

That sums up one of the huge problem with homeschooling, especially for older children: parents trying to teach subjects they are in no way qualified to teach.

 

[SnowyMacie]

I was public schooled for 10 years, and private schooled for 2. The private school was Christian (unofficially Pentecostal) and was a horrible experience. My public school experience was okay, I hated it as much most kids and I don't really have much against them other than they should stop "teaching for the test", which is apparently an improving situation in Texas. I think public schools are a good idea because not every family can home-school or afford private school, well I'm not going to get into it.

 

[Blank123]

oh good this thread is back. I was just thinking to myself the other day, "I feel like making myself look superior to all others based on my background and preferences, and judging people based on theirs. I wonder how best to do that? "

and then this thread came back.

 

[Jupiter Drops]

This is a different topic for the singles forum but I thought it would be interesting to get everyone's thoughts on the subject...

Were you home schooled or did you attend public school? If you were home schooled do you wish you would've gone to public school and vice versa? What do you think are the pros and cons of both? How do you want your children to be educated?

I have been talking about this subject with one of my friends that has children and I'm interested to get other thoughts on the subject...

I was taught in public school all my life, and I think I would rather home school my kids or put them in good private schools than in public school.

The quality of public school education has gone way down in less than thirty years. Plus, the teachers have become very indifferent to their students' needs and issues. Here in my country, some of them are even teaching New Age meditation and thinking in many classes. I remember being taught these New Age stuff through elementary to high school, and a lot of teachers were so indifferent to us. Even voicing complaints didn't matter.

I think that if I ever have children, I'll either home school my kids for the first half of their education and then put them in high school. Or put them in a small private school that really focuses on their needs and education. It would take a lot of sacrifices, but I think that's worth it than leaving them up to people who are indifferent to my kid's needs.


Of course, I'm not sure if I ever want to be married...

 

[Miss Spaulding]

That sums up one of the huge problem with homeschooling, especially for older children: parents trying to teach subjects they are in no way qualified to teach.

I know maaaaany homeschooling moms, and the subjects they know that they probably shouldn't be teaching they have their children tutored in, or find some way of getting them adequately educated like they should be. Homeschooling has come a long way, BCBomber.

This is why I would never rely on my own knowledge of math (which I fully admit is very poor) in trying to teach my children. I know I would fail them in that subject. ...However, my mother (my teacher) never went to college and only knows minimal Algebra (though she does enjoy math), and miraculously all 5 of us kids turned out just fine, my brother most of all. He's graduated college and now has a job in politics.

The 'qualified' teachers in the public school system are a scary thought to me for many reasons...and I won't go into it because I can just tell you and I never agree. Lol.

 

[anewday]

Wasn't there another one of these threads a year or so back ? I went to public and private schools. I've taught in public and private schools. I have friends who homeschool their children and know of parents who pulled their kids out of public schools to homeschool them. I don't blame them for doing this, since the public school system needs so much improvement. Teaching is the most challenging thing I've ever done. It is so much more than being in a classroom with students from 8-3 (or whatever time it is). Overall I enjoyed my experience as a student and teacher in private schools more for various reasons, such as less testing, getting to know those around me better, I could actually teach the curriculum and not to the test, much less paperwork and less discipline issues, among others. I have lived and gone to school in several states, and honestly, its the effort I've put forth as a student and teacher that mattered more than the setting. I would homeschool as a last resort, and that is only because I have no experience teaching in that setting and I think any future kids I might have would drive me crazy if I was their teacher . Homeschooling can work as long as its done correctly .

 

[BayCityBomber]

I know maaaaany homeschooling moms, and the subjects they know that they probably shouldn't be teaching they have their children tutored in, or find some way of getting them adequately educated like they should. Homeschooling has come long way, BCBomber.

This is why I would never rely on my own knowledge of math (which I fully admit is very poor) in trying to teach my children. I know I would fail them in that subject. ...However, my mother (my teacher) never went to college and only knows minimal Algebra (though she does enjoy math), and miraculously all 5 of us kids turned out just fine, my brother most of all. He's graduated college and now has a job in politics.

The 'qualified' teachers in the public school system are scary thought to me for many reasons...and I won't go into it because I can just tell you and I never agree. Lol.

I'm not a fan of the public education system, far too many idiots and leeches looking for summers off.

Homeschooling can be done correctly, but far too often it isn't. In many cases the "improvements" in home schooling are just selling someone a version of the exact same curriculum. Of course, you admit that your knowledge of math is terrible and your teacher's knowledge of math wasn't especially strong. I honestly think advanced forms of math are a waste of time for the vast majority of students.
My belief tends to be that schools teach things that go beyond academics, like peer interactions. I'm not saying that every child comes out of a home schooling situation socially [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], but it does happen a lot.

 

[Rhye]

I was taught in public school all my life, and I think I would rather home school my kids or put them in good private schools than in public school.

The quality of public school education has gone way down in less than thirty years. Plus, the teachers have become very indifferent to their students' needs and issues. Here in my country, some of them are even teaching New Age meditation and thinking in many classes. I remember being taught these New Age stuff through elementary to high school, and a lot of teachers were so indifferent to us. Even voicing complaints didn't matter.

I think that if I ever have children, I'll either home school my kids for the first half of their education and then put them in high school. Or put them in a small private school that really focuses on their needs and education. It would take a lot of sacrifices, but I think that's worth it than leaving them up to people who are indifferent to my kid's needs.


Of course, I'm not sure if I ever want to be married...

Indifference kills me.

To change the topic a bit. I think I am qualified more so then 90% of the people I work with, but I don't have a job because of seniority, extensive budget cuts, and poor choices. There are days I just want to give up and walk away, but then more then half of that time I remember how much I love my job and how great I am doing it all.

 

[Toro]

I was public schooled til I was shipped away to military school, in hopes it would straighten me out, it made me worse.

The problem with a school isn't so much public, private or home, it is the teachers that make the difference in a school, it is the parents that make a difference at home. (mostly up to the parents though of course)

If I had a kid I would know their teachers and I would know what they were being taught. whether they went to public or private and obviously if they were home schooled I would know.

Sure I may have a busy schedule, but if I couldn't put those things aside to make sure that my kid was being taught right......... I wouldn't be doing my most important job, parenting.

 

[Miss Spaulding]

I'm not a fan of the public education system, far too many idiots and leeches looking for summers off.

Homeschooling can be done correctly, but far too often it isn't. In many cases the "improvements" in home schooling are just selling someone a version of the exact same curriculum. Of course, you admit that your knowledge of math is terrible and your teacher's knowledge of math wasn't especially strong. I honestly think advanced forms of math are a waste of time for the vast majority of students.
My belief tends to be that schools teach things that go beyond academics, like peer interactions. I'm not saying that every child comes out of a home schooling situation socially [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], but it does happen a lot.

Yes, it does happen, but not a lot like you seem to think. Take it from someone who has been around homeschooling all of her school days and is still surrounded by families who homeschool their children (my sister included). In the beginning of homeschooling I think this particular concern was much more evident, but as of now...hardly. And if it is, it's most likely because of the parents. There are 'Christian' homeschooling parents who take things too far by severely 'sheltering' their children so much that their kids turn out socially challenged and without many friends. These are the homeschooling parents who make the normal homeschooling parents look completely ridiculous in their choice to home educate their children.

All of the people I grew up with who were homeschooled and all of their younger siblings being schooled now that I observe have many, many friends and are very active socially. Again, like I said before, homeschooling has come a long way. There are a lot more options when it comes to home educating your kids than there was before.

 

[MacFall]

See my quote in Miss Spaulding's signature for my opinion of school.

If I ever have kids, I will give them the choice as to whether they want to go to school or not, once I believe they are intellectually and spiritually prepared for it.

 

[BayCityBomber]

Yes, it does happen, but not a lot like you seem to think. Take it from someone who has been around homeschooling all of her school days and is still surrounded by families who homeschool their children (my sister included). In the beginning of homeschooling I think this particular concern was much more evident, but as of now...hardly. And if it is, it's most likely because of the parents. There are 'Christian' homeschooling parents who take things too far by severely 'sheltering' their children so much that their kids turn out socially challenged and without many friends. These are the homeschooling parents who make the normal homeschooling parents look completely ridiculous in their choice to home educate their children.

All of the people I grew up with who were homeschooled and all of their younger siblings being schooled now that I observe have many, many friends and are very active socially. Again, like I said before, homeschooling has come a long way. There are a lot more options when it comes to home educating your kids than there was before.

I just don't believe home schooling prepares kids for peer interactions. Nor does it prepare them for institutional environments, like work places. School is the first place that most kids learn the world is bigger than mom, dad, and siblings. A home schooled child will have that realization years later most of his/her peers do.
I can see why a few highly educated parents might find it a more attractive option than a traditional school. For the most part home schooling looks to me like parents fumbling through a purchased course plan. A lot of which they might not understand very well themselves. Even a marginal teacher in a school has at least gone through the courses they teach so much there are no surprises in the material.
It just seems like is a fad that's sprung up among certain branches of Christians, and it has less to do with superior education, and more to do with just making themselves more strange. I just don't think denying kids the normal experiences of growing up, like going to school with their friends, playing sports, joining French club, and so on is the best way to prove your disdain for the devil culture.