Why do you homeschool?

sciencenerd · 04-08-2007, 07:41 PM

What are your reasons for homeschooling? Was it your choice or your parents? and what is your experience so far?

andrea mallarino · 04-10-2007, 02:02 PM

i think home schooling keeps the person from experiencing what a real school friend is and have a many teachers as friends. school has many things to teach not only academically but also about life, and u learn these by experiencing with people around you... but im not sure if i am right, it would be nice if a homeschool person tells me about how it actually is

dis-grace · 04-10-2007, 08:43 PM

-"real school friends" aren't any less real than non-school friends
-I have teachers and professors as friends; they just don't happen to be *my* teachers and professors, which actually makes friendship more possible since there isn't a power imbalance
-life has many things to teach about life; school doesn't have a monopoly on that

I homeschool because I'm better at teaching myself than my high school teachers were at teaching me -- but I'm ready to get back into a classroom situation with college.

logisticslord · 04-10-2007, 10:20 PM

that's an insult to high school teachers everywhere!

danas · 04-10-2007, 10:29 PM

logisticslord...
That's right!

danas · 04-10-2007, 10:43 PM

I'm being unfair. I should elaborate.
Many teachers are dedicated and do their best. But of course they don't know you and your interests/needs as well as you do. They couldn't. And if they did, they have maybe 5 classes of 20 students each. They couldn't respond to your individual needs even if they wan't to do so. Not their job.
In my family, I made sure my kids went to school and then let them decide whether to home school. They all decided to home school.
A note on teachers and "friends". I think one poster confused being on friendly terms with being friends. Friends do things like sending each other Christmas cards, meeting for coffee or cocoa, and calling each other out of the blue to "touch base". A teacher who does such things is indeed a "friend".

maributt · 04-11-2007, 09:37 AM

my parents chose to homeschool me beginning 4th grade - i was to young to have a say in the matter.

however, i did really, really want to try high school at 9th grade, but my parents wouldn't let me.

i'm glad that they made that decision, because one thing i've discovered about myself is that I learn best studying things by myself (this after trying to take some classes).

in regard to life skills, it definitely helped me. i've learned more stuff that normal people haven't and i also have a lot more time to reflect on things and improve.

snowinginc · 04-11-2007, 01:11 PM

For me, it started as my parents choice in 2nd grade. I went to private school for 8-9th and after moving to a rural area I am homeschooling again. At this point the quality of my education is higher than public school and at least equal to the private school. Homeschooling for me is tougher than public or private school, but is it more flexible and my parents take what I want into consideration. I plan to take classes at cc this fall along with homeschooling. We have taken trips to D.C, and NY city, as well as many other places as a family and homeschooling is flexible enough to include these activities. I am in our homeschool group speech club, and the educational & social opportunities as well as field trips available through the group are extensive. I did enjoy being top of the class (competition!)in private school, and also the nice teachers. I think homeschooling is a good and viable option to public or private schools, but it's not for everyone. If you are self motivated or/and have involved parents, you can excel.

dis-grace · 04-11-2007, 08:48 PM

danas -- do you mean me? And what do you mean by "friend"? None of my friends have quotation marks around them, thanks. ;p

I guess I just meant that I'd rather have professors and teachers as friends than, well, professors and teachers -- at least as a high schooler. Like you said, a teacher can't know what I need as well as I know it. Having profs/teachers as friends rather than people who are in charge of me allows me to take their advice without being limited by their own limitations. Besides, everybody is more fun when you throw coffee/cocoa into the equation.

However, I'm definitely ready to get back into a classroom atmosphere in college.

danas · 04-11-2007, 09:53 PM

Nope. It was in response to post#2 in front of you.

dis-grace · 04-12-2007, 05:26 AM

Oh, okay! Sorry.

(well, sort of -- assuming you meant me ((I'm so egocentric, aren't I?

)) sent my stream of through down interesting paths, so it's all good...)

RightBehindU92 · 04-13-2007, 11:48 PM

The first time, 7th grade, it was my mom's decision. I didn't care either way...

The second time, again in 7th grade, it was a joint decision. I hadn't been back in school for a month but the commute time + 7 hours of homework brought down the few good points of the school I was at.

The 3rd time, 8th grade, was a decision that I was alright with, my parents resigned to and it was either homeschool or face being put in a group home because I was ditching school so much...or getting thrown out of class. I hated that school.

I've been homeschooled again since 10/05. I might be trying public school again this fall, though.

WatchMeShine · 04-15-2007, 01:25 PM

Here's my take on homeschooling; for some people it works, for others it does not.

I do believe, however, that a student should be able to expirience "high school" and than make the choice if they would like to be home school or not. As a high school student, I always thought being home schooled would be good because you learn a lot of stuff that you'd never be able to learn in a high school setting just because there are too many kids (atleast at my school), not enough individual attention, etc. I do, however, believe that there are many things in high school that help people grow and that you would never be able to get outside that type of setting. Everyone that I have met that switched from "home schooling" to "high school" are all very different. Some people are very strong in their beliefs. Some are extremely smart. Some are utterly stupid. Some have great self-esteem. Others end up entering the high school setting and are unable to really keep their feet on the ground and turn to drugs/the wrong gangs/etc.

So, I believe that everyone should get some type of "high school" expirience before college. Once you learn a little bit about it, than you can switch back. I agree that there are many things home schooled kids are able to learn that non-homeschooled kids are not able to (just because theres more individual attention, etc.) but I think that there are many things that MUST be expirienced in high school as well. Middle and High school are important times in a person life where the person they are/are becoming really begins to come out. High school challenges people to see what they're really made of. This does not have to be "high school" exactly, but there should deff be A LOT A LOT A LOT of contact with kids ones own age. This means sports teams, etc etc.

Corroborator · 04-15-2007, 02:07 PM

Every homeschool kid i've ever met has been friggin weird with no social skills whatsoever.

moonie9091 · 04-15-2007, 02:27 PM

corroborator- when I first read your post I thought it was just another stupid generalization, but when i really thought about it, I have the same sentiment. I have never been homeschooled, but I think that high school offers a interesting social experience that nothing else can compare to. I think that if parents choose to homeschool their kids, they run a risk (a small risk, i must say) of hindering their social growth. I only know a few homeschooled kids, and I'm sure that the vast majority of homeschooled kids who have very competent social skills, but the kids that I know that do not attend a school are unable to communicate with others in a normal manner, and that the ratio of homeschooled kids with less than adequate social skills is higher than those kids who attend a regular school.