Homeschooling Poll

[Grits and Shins]

Then where is your kid going to learn how to reload an automatic weapon or smoke from a bong?

 

I can teach them those things ... what I don't want them to learn in school is how to catch a bullet.

[AtomicCEO]

I can teach them those things ... what I don't want them to learn in school is how to catch a bullet.

 

Fair enough.

[muck]

The only folks I know who home school are my religious fundamentalist family members. Their reasons for doing so have little to do with education, and more to do with sheltering the kids from people who don't share their brand of faith. The kids are smart, but have all kinds of social disorders. I fear those kids will not do well in the real world... assuming their parents ever let them out into it.

 

 

Trying to "protect" your kids is (to me) a pretty asinine reason for homeschooling.

 

NOTE: There is a very big difference (to me) between homeschooling largely for "religious or character development reasons" than because "I don't ever want my kids to experience bad things" or "I don't want my kids to interact with people that have a different faith".

[darin3]

What sort of jobs are they? (I'm guessing that in general they are not all that high-paying--and I would be willing to bet money that a person who is fluent in Chinese will have a better chance to get high-paying jobs in the coming world economy than somebody who knows Spanish.)

 

Perhaps. Either way, it's ridiculous to exclude a candidate for a job based on the inability to speak Spanish. Low-paying or not. And yes this hits home for me - my wife is looking for an "administrative" type of job for a few years (while we figure out how she can get back into the "animal" business... training, kennel, etc.). I would say 60%+ of the "lower-paying" jobs all require Spanish fluency or at very least it is "preferred" (read: you probably won't get hired).

[yo mama]

Trying to "protect" your kids is (to me) a pretty asinine reason for homeschooling.

 

I agree. Learing how to deal with bullies, interact with people who are different that you, and coping with authoritarian beurocracy *other* than mom and dad (e.g., school admin) are skills people need to survive in the real world. A little experience dealing with those types of situations goes a long way once a kid is out of the nest. Plus, to an extent, I like the idea of "the system" roughing my kids up a little. You need a certain amount of toughness to make it in the world.

Edited May 2, 2007 by yo mama

[muck]

I agree. Learing how to deal with bullies, interact with people who are different that you, and coping with authoritarian beurocracy *other* than mom and dad (e.g., school admin) are skills people need to survive in the real world. A little experience dealing with those types of situations goes a long way once a kid is out of the nest. Plus, to an extent, I like the idea of "the system" roughing my kids up a little. You need a certain amount of toughness to make it in the world.

 

 

First, there are ways to get this sort of thing besides the public school system.

Second, I'm not sure that these sorts of things really apply to elementary and Jr. High aged kids; HS kids, maybe. College aged (17+) definately.

[cre8tiff]

I agree. Learing how to deal with bullies, interact with people who are different that you, and coping with authoritarian beurocracy *other* than mom and dad (e.g., school admin) are skills people need to survive in the real world. A little experience dealing with those types of situations goes a long way once a kid is out of the nest. Plus, to an extent, I like the idea of "the system" roughing my kids up a little. You need a certain amount of toughness to make it in the world.

 

 

Until homeschooling gets past the stigma of being associated with religious antisocial zealots, this sort of general assumption homeschool kids get none of this will always be made, incorrect as it is.

[yo mama]

First, there are ways to get this sort of thing besides the public school system.

 

I agree with you. But I never said a public school system was the only - or even the best - place to pick those things up.

Edited May 2, 2007 by yo mama

[yo mama]

Until homeschooling gets past the stigma of being associated with religious antisocial zealots, this sort of general assumption homeschool kids get none of this will always be made, incorrect as it is.

 

Then educate me/us on where my assumptions are wrong. Because if it's just a parent/child environment, I honestly can't see where I'm off base. Unless you've got a lot of bullies roaming around your home, you have an incredibly diverse population of children who don't normally interact with one another, and you have a formal system of beuracracy in the "school" portion of your home that is not only different from the non-school portion of your home but extends beyond "mom and dad."

Edited May 2, 2007 by yo mama

[Yukon Cornelius]

First, there are ways to get this sort of thing besides the public school system.

Second, I'm not sure that these sorts of things really apply to elementary and Jr. High aged kids; HS kids, maybe. College aged (17+) definately.

 

i would say they start at preschool, with the bullies, other adults and crazy kids

 

but i would rather have my kids in Montessori than public but i cant swing the 8000 a year tuition....

[Egret]

i would say they start at preschool, with the bullies, other adults and crazy kids

 

but i would rather have my kids in Montessori than public but i cant swing the 8000 a year tuition....

 

There's a Montessori public school in the district next to where we live. My wife now works in the district... we've got a couple of years before Egret jr. is of age. They have Montessori pre-school. We may try that first. He's quite an independent little guy. I have no idea where he gets that from.

[Big Country]

Either way, it's ridiculous to exclude a candidate for a job based on the inability to speak Spanish.

 

 

But you live in a narea, much like I do, where a very high percentage of the population speaks only Spanish. WHile it would be ideal to say, hey you there, go learn English, it is not realistic, so the smart businessperson is going to cater to this large consumer pool and have on staff employess that can communicate with this large base of customers.

 

WHile it may suck, business wise, assuming you are dealing with the public in any capacity, it makes a lot of sense to have employees that can cummunicate with the larger majority of your customers, and English only just wouldn't cut it in many areas.

[muck]

But you live in a narea, much like I do, where a very high percentage of the population speaks only Spanish. WHile it would be ideal to say, hey you there, go learn English, it is not realistic, so the smart businessperson is going to cater to this large consumer pool and have on staff employess that can communicate with this large base of customers.

 

WHile it may suck, business wise, assuming you are dealing with the public in any capacity, it makes a lot of sense to have employees that can cummunicate with the larger majority of your customers, and English only just wouldn't cut it in many areas.

 

 

Sort of like a bistro owner in Paris ... if they can't speak English, German, Italian and maybe something else, they probably won't get hired to work as a waiter ... simply because there are tourists from all over that will come in his shop and not be able to speak French.

[Yukon Cornelius]

There's a Montessori public school in the district next to where we live. My wife now works in the district... we've got a couple of years before Egret jr. is of age. They have Montessori pre-school. We may try that first. He's quite an independent little guy. I have no idea where he gets that from.

 

well from personal experience i would really check out the school some places go under the name Montessori but are not. be sure all the teachers have been trained buy a certified Montessori school and that the fallow Dr Montessori ideas.... ive seen some that are great some that are just play grounds...

[Caveman_Nick]

Trying to "protect" your kids is (to me) a pretty asinine reason for homeschooling.

 

 

JMO, this is a large part of what's wrong with our society.

 

If a parent is involved in their kids lives and cares enough to homeschool or get involved in other ways, that's terrific. If they don't want their children exposed to certain things until later ages, that's their right and their business. I think it's asinine to judge caring parents becuase their ideals of how they would like to see their children learn about the world don't fit with yours.

 

Schools in many areas are filled with drugs, violence, teachers that like to wax on life issues that have nothing to do with the curriculum that they are supposed to be teaching, and lord knows what else. If parents don't want their kids exposed to all that, and choose to protect them from it until they are older, why does that bother you?

[Egret]

well from personal experience i would really check out the school some places go under the name Montessori but are not. be sure all the teachers have been trained buy a certified Montessori school and that the fallow Dr Montessori ideas.... ive seen some that are great some that are just play grounds...

Yup, they're all certified. It's a great school (and a great school system too).

[idahov]

Charter schools are becoming very popular here, with hugh waiting lists. When we built our home, the school consideration was a big part of our decision. We ended up in a small town, with the bulk of the kids coming from rural areas. Class sizes are small, and every class has numerous parent volunteers that help out. My son is doing great, loves the teachers and school. We have several "waiver" kids whose parents do not live in the district, but like the school enough to drive them to school every day.

 

That being said, if I lived where my sister does, there's no way I'd send my kids to the grade school my nephew goes to. It all comes down to the type of families that are present in the school district. The kids my nephew hangs out with are plain scary, and are a direct result of a lack of parental oversight and interest. It would be charter school all the way in that scenario.

[Azazello1313]

Until homeschooling gets past the stigma of being associated with religious antisocial zealots, this sort of general assumption homeschool kids get none of this will always be made, incorrect as it is.

 

you think it's an unfair assumption that homeschooled kids, in general, have less exposure than public school kids to people of different socioeconomic backgrounds, bullies, bureaucracy, and the like? how could they POSSIBLY have as much exposure to those things?

[muck]

Then educate me/us on where my assumptions are wrong. Because if it's just a parent/child environment, I honestly can't see where I'm off base. Unless you've got a lot of bullies roaming around your home, you have an incredibly diverse population of children who don't normally interact with one another, and you have a formal system of beuracracy in the "school" portion of your home that is not only different from the non-school portion of your home but extends beyond "mom and dad."

 

At risk of putting words in Cre8iff's mouth ... homeschooling isn't about sitting at home and never going anywhere to interact with anyone else. Frankly, it's about being able to take care of the "books" part of education in a couple of hours (or less) and then getting out in the world to interact with nature and other people in the other time.

 

This "getting out in the world" time could be via one-on-one piano lessons (culture, plus interacting with another adult in a teaching setting), gymnastics (exercise, plus group dynamic, including potentially manic adults), volunteering at the animal shelter (dealing with life and death issues) and visiting the museum for weekly art classes (culture, plus either group or one-on-one dynamics).

[Grits and Shins]

I do believe that the public school environment lends itself better to teaching a child how to interact/socialize with a much wider variety of people than home schooling. It also teaches the child to adjust to a variety of teachers/teaching styles.

 

Both are valuable IMO.

[Azazello1313]

At risk of putting words in Cre8iff's mouth ... homeschooling isn't about sitting at home and never going anywhere to interact with anyone else. Frankly, it's about being able to take care of the "books" part of education in a couple of hours (or less) and then getting out in the world to interact with nature and other people in the other time.

 

This "getting out in the world" time could be via one-on-one piano lessons (culture, plus interacting with another adult in a teaching setting), gymnastics (exercise, plus group dynamic, including potentially manic adults), volunteering at the animal shelter (dealing with life and death issues) and visiting the museum for weekly art classes (culture, plus either group or one-on-one dynamics).

 

well, yo wasn't talking about just getting out of the house. i don't think piano lessons and museum trips really address what he was getting at.

[muck]

JMO, this is a large part of what's wrong with our society.

 

If a parent is involved in their kids lives and cares enough to homeschool or get involved in other ways, that's terrific. If they don't want their children exposed to certain things until later ages, that's their right and their business. I think it's asinine to judge caring parents becuase their ideals of how they would like to see their children learn about the world don't fit with yours.

 

Schools in many areas are filled with drugs, violence, teachers that like to wax on life issues that have nothing to do with the curriculum that they are supposed to be teaching, and lord knows what else. If parents don't want their kids exposed to all that, and choose to protect them from it until they are older, why does that bother you?

 

I'm not sure if you read all of my other posts in this thread or not ...

 

I think homeschooling is a great idea for quite a few families (not all of whom will actually consider it, though) ... including mine. We don't homeschool now, but are seriously considering it.

 

A friend of mine told me once ... and I agreed with him then and I do now ... kids need to be on the intellectual and "life experience" that would be akin to a game preserve (big boundaries, lots of terrain, plenty of opportunities to experience things and to make bad decisions ... not a greenhouse where they are tenderly placed in a pot of dirt, showered with water and sunlight and expected to grow ... so long as they don't ever leave their little pot.

[muck]

I do believe that the public school environment lends itself better to teaching a child how to interact/socialize with a much wider variety of people than home schooling. It also teaches the child to adjust to a variety of teachers/teaching styles.

 

Both are valuable IMO.

 

I believe this value you see is of greater import as kids get older.

 

IOW, it matters less that a 6yo has a private tutor (or is homeschooled) than it does that a 21yo is trying to get their bachelors degree from home (especially if the 21yo was not in a traditional school environment for their first 18yrs).

[Grits and Shins]

A friend of mine told me once ... and I agreed with him then and I do now ... kids need to be on the intellectual and "life experience" that would be akin to a game preserve (big boundaries, lots of terrain, plenty of opportunities to experience things and to make bad decisions ... not a greenhouse where they are tenderly placed in a pot of dirt, showered with water and sunlight and expected to grow ... so long as they don't ever leave their little pot.

 

 

Yup. I think, for the most part, children who are home schooled are too sheltered from the normal experiences of every day life. Learning to interact with a large group of diverse people on a daily basis is very important, as is learning to deal with being seperated from the parents and home.

 

No matter how many extra activities a home schooled child participates in they are never really are seperated from the parents/home.

 

I fully believe a child can be educated as well and often better in the home by the parent. I also believe that it is possible that children who are home schooled won't socialize as well and might struggle to interact with large/diverse groups.

[Azazello1313]

one undeniable trend we see in today's society is for people to withdraw from the society as a whole into more parochial, insulated sub-groups of people who are like they are. this is generally true across political lines, religious lines, socio-economic lines, racial lines. we are drawing the circles of who we trust and who we feel a sense of community with ever and ever closer in. i think the movement toward homeschooling is, in large part, both a symptom and a further catalyst to that development.