Report: Homeschooling more widespread

Well for those who are on the fence or doubt homeschooling.....Just some links I had bookmarked already:

Home Schooling by State (with laws and more info)
Homeschool.com
Home School World
Homeschool Central
Home School Legal Defense

We homeschooled until 5th grade.
Then my daughter went to 'regular' school.
After the first week she said something very telling ...

"mom ... regular school isn't what I thought it would be. I thought I'd be learning something new every day, but I haven't learned anything yet'.

Originally posted by The Last Man on Earth
Yeah, but these also tend to be the people who whine like liberal girls when they stub their toes, ....

:shk: Oh lord .. you are sooooo wrong. :shk:

Get some social skills,

During homeschool my daughter was also on swim team.
It had practice 4 days a week plus swim meets on Saturdays.
She was also in Art Club which would meet every Wednesday at the YMCA.
She was also in a homeschool group that got together twice a month.

And NEWSFLASH -- there are 'social skills' that are learned in regular school and then there are HEALTHY social skills. There is a difference.

grow a pair,

Anyone who has been posting here for a while knows me and they know I'm not 'pair-less' :shk:

stop trying to make the world the molly-coddled fluff-fest you grew up in.

My daughters safety is what is most important - her physical and spiritual safety. Also - her education. Homeschool provides - VERY WELL - for both of those things. I won't have nimrods dragging her down ...

Some of us like competition!

My homeschooled daughter can run circles around you.
When she entered regular school she skipped a grade AND still gets all A's.
She is socially adjusted just fine - plenty of friends AND can hold her own.


Sounds like you are just jealous.

[edit on 5/28/2009 by FlyersFan]

reply to post by greeneyedleo


Good links.

Notice the last statistic in the article:

"Homeschooling has always been dominated by college-educated parents, but their numbers have grown since 1999, when 81.1% of homeschool parents had at least some college under their belt. It's now up to 86.3%. Nearly 7% of college-educated parents homeschooled their kids in 2007, up from 4.9% in 1999."

It's interesting to note that college-educated parents are more likely to homeschool their kids than the general public is. What does that say? I think it speaks volumes about the way those parents look back on their own educations.

In my case, I remember being incredibly bored in elementary school. I would have loved homeschooling. School was a drag. It was not a challenge at all and a waste of my youth. My time would have been better spent watching an ant hill in my yard or studying the dispersal pattern of dandilions, or lack there of.

I have mixed feelings about homeschooling, and they stem from personal experience.

Growing up, my lifelong friend was homeschooled throughout elementary and middle school. We were both intelligent children, and we were both invited into the 'gifted program' at our elementary school. His parents (for whatever reason) didn't want him to attend the program, and after a few months of it they pulled him out to homeschool him. I stayed in the public school system. Unfortunately, after a few years my friend started to change. He became neurotic at a very young age: he would get panic attacks; he was deathly afraid of things like germs, thunder and lightning, and crowded areas. He became extremely anti-social, and for awhile the only people he would hang out with were me (his friend since we were very young) and his cousin who lived with him. Eventually, his parents made the decision to put him into a public highschool, and within a year he had completely changed. When I attended the same highschool a year later (he was a year older than me), it was as if he had completely changed back into his old self.

Granted, he was extremely intelligent, and they say with intelligence comes madness. He was the only person I have ever known who was homeschooled, and I'm sure there are plenty of children who can go through with it and come out fine. However, I feel that a public environment such as public (or even private) school is essential to a child's social development. The change in his life after being in a public school environment was astronomical, he became his old self again seemingly overnight. He made dozens of new friends, met a girl, got a job, and went on to become very successful. I am certain that if his parents did not permit him to attend a real highschool that never would have happened.

Public school is a rough environment. Kids get bullied, they get picked on, they get discouraged. They are exposed to the harsh realities of life from an early age, and that is what is so critical about it, in my opinion. If I didn't attend public school, I never would have 'come out of my shell', so to speak. Children need to experience all of these facts of life firsthand. While homeschooling may be a more efficient learning environment, it is impossible for a parent to recreate the experience of a public school for their children. While they may be more intelligent, they will end up being less prepared for the real world.

I think the best thing for parents to do is, instead of homeschooling your children, let them go to public (or private if you're concerned about the failing public school system (who isn't?)) school, and then also foster a learning environment in your own home. The internet is a fantastic learning tool, and by giving children access to it you can greatly expand their horizons. Children who are growing up need to learn more than just Math, Science and English. They need to learn how to defend themselves, how to react to adversity, and most importantly, how to develop and handle relationships. If you deprive your children of this by homeschooling them, you are probably doing more harm then good.

Just my 2 cents.

We homeschool our kids for a wide variety of reasons. The biggest has been the failure of the system in our area. It basically takes all of our time but we love every minute of it. Watching the kids grasp a new concept that they have struggled with and knowing we were the ones to help them achieve that is an awesome feeling. It is what gets me out of bed every day and wanting to continue on this path. We are a white family but most certainly not rich. Probably the farthest thing from it.
Right now my husband is the only one employed but I did work fulltime up until December of last year. We worked seperate shifts so that helped with us being able to continue the home education.
We get ask a lot how we are able to afford me staying home with the kids. Trust me at first it was not easy. We really had to look over our spending habits. We started by dropping cable. Over a hundred a month for something no one was really learning anything from. We have an extensive movie collection and do add to it on occasion. YouTube is wonderful for things we really want to see. Ridding ourselves of cable not only freed some wasted money it freed up a lot of time. We only pay 30 a month for high speed internet and our phone together. We do have cellphones but keep them on the lowest plan possible. We shut off lights unplug appliances etc. We do our best to pay off medical bills when they come in to avoid late fees and if we pay when they come they knock off 10% off our bill. We cook most of our food from scratch. It takes time but it really is cheaper. We take the family out to eat at a nice restaurant once every 6 months. These are just the ones off the top of my head. The kids are always coming up with new and creative ideas to save money.
The kids are very social and involved in a wide variety of activities. I do believe social skills are important but there is some socializing that goes on in the public schools which most kids would be better off without.
Public schools do serve a purpose for many. There is a lot of kids out there who really benefit from what I consider the chaos of public schools. But there is a lot of kids who are being done a disservice by the public schools. I do believe there needs to be a wider scope of public schools as there is a wide variety of kids and needs of the different kids.

I think home schooling is great if a parent can take the time to educate their child daily. I also think there are some things about home schooling that may not be the best for some kids.

Going to public school gives a kid the chance to interact with his classmates on a daily basis and also makes them deal with a little diversity. Being in public schools can be an education of hard knocks but I think that can be good for most kids.

I can only speak from my personal experience but public schooling was enjoyable for me. My school district prided itself on GPA's, Graduation rates, and SAT scores, so I don't know what it's like to go to one that didn't give the students the best chance to excel.

Really I think both choices are fine as long as your kid is in a school district that gives a crap. I don't think there is any merit to the belief that home schooled kids have zero social life or social experience, that is just ludicrous to insinuate.

Only 27% of Aspiring Math Teachers Pass Math Tests

Yeah ... I'd really rather have these people teaching my child math.

Sorry, but I can do better than that. And I have.

Originally posted by Unit541
This was turning into a good, informative thread until you came in and wiped your feet on it. Yours is one of the more ignorant posts as of late, and indicates your obvious lack of knowledge on the subject.

I'm quite glad, but it was meant to be as satirical as it is serious.

Originally posted by Unit541What does "competition" have to do with anything?

Are you kidding? You don't think competition is an important aspect of growing up? Do you also think there is no point keeping score in a football game, just incase one side loses?

Originally posted by Unit541Who are you telling to grow a pair? The people who have the fortitude and dedication to take the education of their children into their own hands?

No, those people who are afraid their darling child won't be able to compete in a public environment. So, yes, actually.

Generally, I think a combination of both is best. I have serious reservations about what the child will be like if raised in an environment separate from their peers. However, public schooling is not as personalised and intensive as homeschooling, and so there will be a more general education given.

Originally posted by Unit541"Molly-coddled fluff-fest"? Are you implying that home schooled children are timid, sissified pansies?

Actually, yes I am. It's unlikely the parent's are going to give the child the physical education a public school would. Not all trials are bad trials; what character will a child build if they do not have to scrap with their peers? A spoiled, self-centric world view, in my opinion.

Originally posted by Unit541Is that because they spend more time learning, and devote much less of their cognitive capacity trying to be "cool"? Or is it because they get a real life education rather than spend 190+ days a year memorizing arbitrary facts like how many states are east of the Mississippi?

Cool? Who cares about that? You're accusing the wrong person, I don't even own a TV. I have no idea what 'cool' is.

So, exactly what qualifications for teaching do these parents have? How much training did they receive? How much do they actually know?

It is not a standardised method of teaching, and therefore wide open to personal faliures.

Concerned parents invest time in their children.

If your school district leaves much to be desired, then you turn to home schooling.

The schools that we sent our kids to were great and both are very successful.

We as parents invested our time with activities outside of school. If we were in a situation where the schools were sub par, we would have had to look at home schooling.

Schools today are under ridiculous pressure from every direction. People with severely disabled children who want their children mainstreamed. We have one parent in town who's child can not communicate, is in a wheel chair, has a full time aid for school, all paid for by the school district. The parent then insisted that other children be assigned to her child during recess so they could interact with her.

The problem is that the child couldn't interact in a way that a child could relate to.

These are the types of issues that school districts have to deal with that are time and money sinks.

It's no wonder that so many people are now choosing to home school.

I keep seeing a lot of people bringing up the socialization that kids receive while in a public school setting. How much of this in the public schools is actually a good thing for the kids? Lets see when my kids were in public school they were not allowed to talk on the bus because it was distracting to the bus driver. So they learned to sit quietly. Then they go to school put up their bags and coats and get in their seats to sit quietly and wait for the teacher to start the day. Finally get to learn a little something and its time to get in line for recess and bathroom breaks. 15 minutes of playing on the playground and back to the class to wait on the teacher again. Eventually going to lunch to stand in another line to get our food then to our assigned seats in the lunchroom only very soft talking then in line to dump our trays. 30 minutes on the playground then back in line to go back to class. Finally last recess and back in line again! A little more learning then back in line for the quiet bus ride home.
Now how much of that time is actually spent learning? My kids would get on the bus at 7:15 and home at 3:30 so 8 hours and 15 minutes and maybe 4 of that being taught something? And that is if everyone grasp the concept right off. My kids learn more in an hour now then they ever learned in a day of public school.
They have learned to wait their turns, how to make friends, how to deal with disappointment, they understand what it feels like to be knocked down by others etc. Trust me you do not need public school to experience those things. They are out there in the real everyday world as long as you are not keeping your kids isolated from the outside.

reply to post by mommy4life


The "social" card is the one that is always pulled and it's so out of line to pidgeon hole all homeschooled children as unsocialized.

My kids participate in the following:

Sunday school class
AWANA program
USA Swim Team
Warriors of Faith
Girl Scouts
Weekly group swimming with other homeschoolers
Monthly fieldtrips with other homeschoolers
Weekly trips to the nursing home to help the residents play bingo
Weekly visits to the animal shelter to help socialize the cats and dogs

If anything, we're too busy! USA Swimming is highly demanding of a child's time. I don't know how kids that spend the entire day in public school, then have the energy to go to swim practice for nearly 2 hours, M-F, and to then swim in meets on the weekends, at the age of 8. My kids would not be involved in USA Swimming if they were in public school. But, because we homeschool, I consider it a good outlet and a great place for the kids to make friends with other kids that are NOT homeschooled and maybe not Christians as well. My son is a dedicated swimmer and the best back stroke swimmer in the state, for his age. He wants to be in the Olympics. No way would that even be possible if he were in school all day. We typically finish school by noon (1pm at the latest) and the rest of the afternoon is usually his to play outside on the property, watch the chickens, etc.

Originally posted by The Last Man on Earth
It's unlikely the parent's are going to give the child the physical education a public school would.

And you base that assumption on ... what?
Answer - nothing.
Read and learn
The HSLDA has stats on how many out of school programs homeschoolers average. Stats on how many sports homeschoolers do. Etc.

When we were homeschooling the average was two out of school activities per week and one sport. Our sport was swimming so our daughter was in the water almost each day during the week. That's a heck of a lot more 'physical education' then the once-a-week-play-a-game-of-battleball that the public school in town had.

So, exactly what qualifications for teaching do these parents have? How much training did they receive? How much do they actually know?

Again ... go to the link. Most homeschool parents are college educated and are very capable of teaching their children just fine. No 'training' is necessary. It's not exactly rocket science. Also, many curriculums come with a day to day planner. Everything is already mapped out on what to do and when to do it.



[edit on 5/28/2009 by FlyersFan]

Originally posted by Ron Paul Girl
The "social" card is the one that is always pulled and it's so out of line to pidgeon hole all homeschooled children as unsocialized.

Yep .. it's the ol' standby for the anti-homeschoolers. 'your kid is locked in a bomb shelter and doesn't know how to socialize' Those that trot it out forget about the negative socializing that takes place in 'regular' schools as well ... drugs, gangs, rapes, abuse, Godlessness, etc.

Originally posted by The Last Man on Earth
what character will a child build if they do not have to scrap with their peers? A spoiled, self-centric world view, in my opinion.

:shk: My daughter wanted to be a librarian and/or a nun while she was homeschooled. That hasn't changed much since starting 'regular' school. The other children that we know who were homeschooled at the same time are NOT spoiled and self centered. If anything .. they are full of compassion and want to GIVE to the world .. whereas the kids in my daughters 'regular' school are the ones all talking about 'making money' and self centered things. I have heard only ONE of the children in the 'regular' school talk about doing something good for mankind.

Your opinion is based on ... NOTHING.

Do you even know any one who is homeschooled?

reply to post by FlyersFan


I really meant fighting. Unless you are abusive parents, which I assume you aren't.

Kids run around, they get knocked over, and they learn to deal with it. Everything the defenders of homeschooling have posted makes me think that the children will not really have the mental equipment to actually deal with the real world.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by Ron Paul Girl
The "social" card is the one that is always pulled and it's so out of line to pidgeon hole all homeschooled children as unsocialized.

Yep .. it's the ol' standby for the anti-homeschoolers. 'your kid is locked in a bomb shelter and doesn't know how to socialize'

Those that trot it out forget about the negative socializing that takes place in 'regular' schools as well ... drugs, gangs, rapes, abuse, Godlessness, etc.

Godlessness? Are you freaking kidding me? I live for Godlessness. Your God is the devil, don't you read your bible?

And, sorry, where exactly does child abuse most take place, again? In schools, or in the home with a "loved" one, or in a church with a catholic priest?

Originally posted by The Last Man on Earth
Everything the defenders of homeschooling have posted makes me think that the children will not really have the mental equipment to actually deal with the real world.

Then you haven't read the posts carefully enough.

Originally posted by The Last Man on Earth
where exactly does child abuse most take place, again? In schools, or in the home with a "loved" one, or in a church with a catholic priest?

In public schools.

Are you going to try to claim that homeschool parents are now a bunch of sex pervs?

Sex Abuse by Teachers Worse Than Catholic Church

According to a draft report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, in compliance with the 2002 "No Child Left Behind" act signed into law by President Bush, between 6 percent and 10 percent of public school children across the country have been sexually abused or harassed by school employees and teachers.

"So we think the Catholic Church has a problem?" she told industry newspaper Education Week in a March 10 interview.

To support her contention, Shakeshaft compared the priest abuse data with data collected in a national survey for the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation in 2000. Extrapolating data from the latter, she estimated roughly 290,000 students experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a school employee from a single decade—1991-2000. That compares with about five decades of cases of abusive priests.

Such figures led her to contend "the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."

Abuse in Public School Ignored

“[I]n both actual numbers and percentages, sexual abuse of children by teachers, coaches, and employees in public schools exceeds anything that occurred in Catholic institutions,” they continued, claiming that sexual abuse of children in public schools is still occurring in “significant numbers,” in contrast to Catholic institutions.

According to the Nussbaums, expert Prof. Carol Shakeshaft told Education Week magazine “The physical sexual abuse of students in [public] schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests.”

Sexual Abuse Statistics

I'm too lazy to check the links, so I'll just accept that I must be wrong on this one. However, I am still firmly of the opinion that you do lose a massive amount of social and physically important education by homeschooling.

And I did indeed read closely enough, you are just far too entrenched in your own mindset to change, so to prove I am not actually a fanatic, I will change the subject.

Originally posted by The Last Man on Earth
you are just far too entrenched in your own mindset to change,

.... says the guy who self professes to be 'too lazy to check the links' to educate himself on the truth of homeschooling.

I will change the subject.

Sorry bud .. the subject is homeschooling. Ya' can't change it.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

.... says the guy who self professes to be 'too lazy to check the links' to educate himself on the truth of homeschooling.

Did you miss the part where I conceded the point to you? Would you like me to re-post it?

Sorry bud .. the subject is homeschooling. Ya' can't change it.

And it was really a play on words of a quote from Winston Churchill...and I can indeed, by going to another thread.

[edit on 28-5-2009 by The Last Man on Earth]