Has anyone here grown up homeschooled? Here's my story; share yours.

Hi, I thought I would ask this because I am curious. There is a lot of writing on the net about homeschooling your children, but much less (that I've seen, anyway) about being homeschooled. I'd like to just ask for general opinions, particularly of other people who grew up homeschooled, but of course participation of all and sundry is welcomed. I'd also like to share a bit about my own experiences and opinions.

I grew up in a remote part of Western Utah in a very small community. There was a public school within driving range but my parents didn't hold with its values. My parents were part of a small Christian intentional community that later broke up but most of the people involved have stayed in close contact. We moved several times but never lived in a larger community until I was a teenager. When I was an infant and a young girl, I lived surrounded mostly by extended family and friends who were mostly part of the same Christian community.

My father took charge of our education (both me and my brother). First of all, I think he is a brilliant man who means the world to me and I feel privileged to have grown up under his instruction. My mother also helped. He got completely certified by the state and took an education course in night school, but I think most of it he figured out by himself as he went along. I will try to describe the curriculum a bit.

When we were very young (like nursery/kindergarten) he started by getting us used to the idea of doing different things at different times of the day. This is the beginning of an idea of “classes” I suppose. We would spend part of the day listening to stories he read us: Bible stories, but also stories from world mythology, like the classical Greek and Roman myths, the Norse myths, and some of the basic outlines of history. Then he’d ask us about it. Part of the day would be “nature time” where he would show us stuff about the desert. He was preparing to teach us desert survival, which came later. Part of the day would be “unstructured play” where we could do whatever we wanted, and part would be “helping others” which would be doing some chore around the house, or sometimes visiting a sick person in the neighborhood or going to clean trash off the road, etc. That was the most basic first division.

When we got to grade school the curriculum was English Grammar, Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Art. This went from 6:00 AM – 12:00, and then we’d break for lunch. In the afternoon we had Bible study or another religious theme, and then we would go to do team sports or athletic events in town with other children. This was our chance to socialize with others. After that we were required to come straight home and do homework, plus chores. Sunday was church and Bible study all day. Saturday was a day off most of the time, but as we got older my dad pushed us to do more desert survival work.

By the time we got in high school we had “electives” but my father rewarded and punished us based on our test scores. It was a complicated time but really fun. Fortunately both me and my brother always, always loved reading and writing and we got into pretty complex stuff in those years: A lot of classical history (Greek and Roman), a lot of the “great books” of European and American lit. We had computer studies a lot, and my dad also gave us very cool “current events” classes based around reading news articles, debating the issues, trying to argue different sides, consider the situation from different angles.

For science we did all the requirements, but to be honest I think this area was limited. Stuff like complex lab work, for example, was impossible. I think this was the weakest point in my education, but I’m trying to fix that on my own these days.

I think all in all it was a very good upbringing. When I got out in the world though, I started to realize it’s a bit unusual. It was very strict, which I associate with a “job well done,” but wider society seems to frown on strictness and actively cultivate the slouch, the laziness. People celebrate laziness and ignorance! This is why my father kept us in the wilderness so long, I understand…and yet it’s heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking.

My dad is also a true Christian, a patriot, and a believer that “TSHTF” is right around the corner. He made an effort to teach us “straight-edge” but the tinfoil-hattery crept in around the edges for sure…for good or for ill. I grew up with Bill Cooper on my dad’s radio in the background, and Art Bell, and the NWO, SHTF, and TPTB…Some people might think that’s a “screwball” way to grow up, but I think a lot of people on ATS can at least see the value to growing up with survivalist parents.

I moved away from home at age 18. I decided not to go to college, although I’m fairly confident I could have handled it. I think the regime my dad put us through in high school was probably more challenging than many college curricula, to be absolutely honest (Maybe minus the science/tech stuff). I also have trouble socializing because we watched almost no TV and I don’t get many of the in-jokes, cultural references, even the way people act. Coming from a Christian intentional community makes me a bit “off key” in a lot of situations. But I’ve been living away from home (with some other girls) since I was 18, so I’ve had chances to make “normal” friends. And I have. I have a lot of good friends, Christian and secular alike, homeschooled and not. My parents and family are nearby, too, so we remain in close touch.

Well, that‘s my story. Any feedback welcome, or share your own story…

reply to post by Partygirl


I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading that. I felt at times envious. I grew up in what would appear to be the opposite environment and conversely, my parents seemed half hearted in their attempts to manage our education. My spouse's parents were more involved and seeing how he and his siblings are, I often wished I had been micro managed a little more. I really feel like it held me back in life in the earlier years. But thankfully, maturity takes care of a lot of that. I find not knowing the cultural references infteresting too. A lot of them were probably useless anyway. Your lucky! Your dad sounds amazing!

reply to post by Partygirl


I might suggest that you read THE LEIPZIG CONNECTION by Paulo Lionni. You will begin to understand what you avoided and what the rest of us have been exposed to. People like Rockefellers and the Skull & Bones have been at work for some time doing evil damage to our minds. Its time we all do our homework and call these people to justice.

The'school system' is something alot of people never recover from.You are lucky.So did you break out all crazy with the guys like lotsa home school chicks do?

reply to post by theovermensch


Heh...nooooo....not yet anyway I'm a good girl.

I have high standards for guys so I tend to be alone most of the time....

Okay, I don't want to sound arrogant, but home-schooling sounds completely rural, even archaic for German ears. We have a public school system which is according to PISA-tests not the best in the world but achieves okay-ish grades - and home-schooling is strictly forbidden with some very limited exclusions, mostly based on extreme religious based causes.

Sure, it was fun having dad explaining the world - how did he have the time? Did he get some money extra from the gov for this?
But I for myself would only be able to explain arithmetics, physics and other natural scientific classes and would SUCK teaching languages, history or advanced grammar (German grammar, that is..). Maybe my pupils would be able to reach about midschool-level. I studied, reached a degree..

I really don't want to sound arrogant, have to say it again, but are you really adequately educated? Do you really think that home-schooling is enough to go to college? It does sound weird for me, being schooled at home for my whole live, it's like "Son, thats a tree over there." "okay".. Sorry, I have that scene from the Simpsons on my mind, where Marge is homeschooling Bart (think he flunked one time too often out of school or something like that) and that episode was completely unbelievable for my eyes, that such a fragmentary education would be acclaimed by state, colleges or even high-schools..

reply to post by Partygirl


Thats really hot that you are a 'good girl' I bet there is a bad girl in there somewhere.You did say 'yet' .Its good that you have high standards though.

reply to post by ManFromEurope


You know very well you sound arrogant.Its almost as if you are going out of your way actually

Originally posted by ManFromEurope
Okay, I don't want to sound arrogant, but home-schooling sounds completely rural, even archaic for German ears. We have a public school system which is according to PISA-tests not the best in the world but achieves okay-ish grades - and home-schooling is strictly forbidden with some very limited exclusions, mostly based on extreme religious based causes.

Sure, it was fun having dad explaining the world - how did he have the time? Did he get some money extra from the gov for this?
But I for myself would only be able to explain arithmetics, physics and other natural scientific classes and would SUCK teaching languages, history or advanced grammar (German grammar, that is..). Maybe my pupils would be able to reach about midschool-level. I studied, reached a degree..

I really don't want to sound arrogant, have to say it again, but are you really adequately educated? Do you really think that home-schooling is enough to go to college? It does sound weird for me, being schooled at home for my whole live, it's like "Son, thats a tree over there." "okay".. Sorry, I have that scene from the Simpsons on my mind, where Marge is homeschooling Bart (think he flunked one time too often out of school or something like that) and that episode was completely unbelievable for my eyes, that such a fragmentary education would be acclaimed by state, colleges or even high-schools..

Well, perhaps you can judge from my writing and reasoning on this site how I have turned out. I have over 600 posts here so feel free to check them out and draw your own conclusions.

It is a fair question to wonder how practical this is. First, as for how my father could pay for this, as I stated we lived in an intentional community (look it up if necessary) which was Christian and anti-materialistic in nature. Everyone helped out, every family grew food and had animals, everyone had a skill they worked on, and people did odd jobs in the surrounding community to make hard cash, plus we would sell jams, jellies, honey, some crafts and furnature, etc. It was a very bountiful life, actually! Since everyone worked together, men like my father spent four or five hours a day doing really hard work, then they had time to devote to education of the children, prayer, leisure, self-improvement and so on. Work and school could be combined: While he was working on cobbling shoes, say, he could also deliver a lecture. My mother also helped. A lot of what we did was silent reading and repetitive drills. I think it was fairly rigourous...especially compared with what most of my peers have gone through in your vaunted "superior and urbane public schools."

You are correct that it is light on the sciences but guess what -- not everyone in a society needs to be a scientist! A healthy society needs many types of people... including the rural people you so disdainfully look down on. I'm sorry all you can muster are analogies with a crude mass-culture cartoon like "the Simpsons" -- I thought you were here speaking with the might and thunder of European Civilization as angels on your rhetorical wings...and you pull out "The Simpsons"? Forgive me, but your mental cosmos must be improverished indeed, hobbled with crude cliches drawn from mass-consumption media.

I think being a debt-free, hard-working, non-materialist survivalist with strong faith is better preparation than many who went to college and now find themselves in a nightmare of debt slavery and joblessness. Again, yes, the world needs engineers and neurosurgeons but that doesn't imply everyone in a nation can or should have these aspirations.

My two cents, nothing personal...

reply to post by theovermensch


I'm sure it sounds arrogant - but I can assure you that most Germans would or do think the same as me about home-schooling. We see it as a secluded separatistic way for (for example) religious loonies trying to protect their children from the "wrong-thinking" outside world.
Well, thats one of the few examples homeschooling is allowed here in Germany so when there is some report in the news about homeschooling there will nearly always be shown some family in handsome, yet primly clothes, holy cross on the wall, bible open on every table.. An unusual sight for secularised Germans.

My own schoolish background assures me that a proper teaching needs trained teachers to guarantee an educated pupil.

Originally posted by Partygirl

Originally posted by ManFromEurope
Okay, I don't want to sound arrogant, but home-schooling sounds completely rural, even archaic for German ears. We have a public school system which is according to PISA-tests not the best in the world but achieves okay-ish grades - and home-schooling is strictly forbidden with some very limited exclusions, mostly based on extreme religious based causes.

Sure, it was fun having dad explaining the world - how did he have the time? Did he get some money extra from the gov for this?
But I for myself would only be able to explain arithmetics, physics and other natural scientific classes and would SUCK teaching languages, history or advanced grammar (German grammar, that is..). Maybe my pupils would be able to reach about midschool-level. I studied, reached a degree..

I really don't want to sound arrogant, have to say it again, but are you really adequately educated? Do you really think that home-schooling is enough to go to college? It does sound weird for me, being schooled at home for my whole live, it's like "Son, thats a tree over there." "okay".. Sorry, I have that scene from the Simpsons on my mind, where Marge is homeschooling Bart (think he flunked one time too often out of school or something like that) and that episode was completely unbelievable for my eyes, that such a fragmentary education would be acclaimed by state, colleges or even high-schools..

Well, perhaps you can judge from my writing and reasoning on this site how I have turned out. I have over 600 posts here so feel free to check them out and draw your own conclusions.

It is a fair question to wonder how practical this is. First, as for how my father could pay for this, as I stated we lived in an intentional community (look it up if necessary) which was Christian and anti-materialistic in nature. Everyone helped out, every family grew food and had animals, everyone had a skill they worked on, and people did odd jobs in the surrounding community to make hard cash, plus we would sell jams, jellies, honey, some crafts and furnature, etc. It was a very bountiful life, actually! Since everyone worked together, men like my father spent four or five hours a day doing really hard work, then they had time to devote to education of the children, prayer, leisure, self-improvement and so on. Work and school could be combined: While he was working on cobbling shoes, say, he could also deliver a lecture. My mother also helped. A lot of what we did was silent reading and repetitive drills. I think it was fairly rigourous...especially compared with what most of my peers have gone through in your vaunted "superior and urbane public schools."

You are correct that it is light on the sciences but guess what -- not everyone in a society needs to be a scientist! A healthy society needs many types of people... including the rural people you so disdainfully look down on. I'm sorry all you can muster are analogies with a crude mass-culture cartoon like "the Simpsons" -- I thought you were here speaking with the might and thunder of European Civilization as angels on your rhetorical wings...and you pull out "The Simpsons"? Forgive me, but your mental cosmos must be improverished indeed, hobbled with crude cliches drawn from mass-consumption media.

I think being a debt-free, hard-working, non-materialist survivalist with strong faith is better preparation than many who went to college and now find themselves in a nightmare of debt slavery and joblessness. Again, yes, the world needs engineers and neurosurgeons but that doesn't imply everyone in a nation can or should have these aspirations.

My two cents, nothing personal...

No worries, I'm certainly not offended - our worlds intersect in so little ways it's nearly incomprehensible for me - living on your own from the fruits of your own land. Impossible for me and really most of all Europeans. What about taxes? Hmm, if you don't earn money, you don't pay taxes, of course, I see. *thinking*

BTW: I hope you aren't offended, too, it's nothing personal but curiosity about homeschooling.

Simpsons? Hey, sorry for too much western civilisation But they do stick to your minds, even years after..

No, I don't frown apon farmers, it was just a wrong phrase. I intended an emphasis on "outdated, archaic".

My rhetorical wings are like the wings of a sparrow, I did say something about "SUCK in languages", didn't I?

Okay, you want some deeper thoughts. How about these:
- Is it possible to reach a educational level sufficent for better colleges? I doubt that. Are there counterexamples?
- Would you as a an archetype of homeschooled person deem yourself teached highly enough about things outside your environment?

- Where do you see advantages for homeschooling?
- What did you find missing?
- Considering that social activities were confined to physical education, I would think that there are only a limited number of ways to find friends outside your community. Is it possible that this was an intended effect by your family/community?
- I see a problem in overeducating in bible-studies. Of course, thats completely private and none of my business, so I have no problems with you declining answers here - what was the point in those intensive bible-studies? Keep in mind, I'm highly secularized and have no way to compare your bible-studies to the average amount of religious education in the USA. Would you say that your bible-studies were above average, both in intensity and quantity?
- I have no problem with rigid learning. We have some privately owned and gov. accredited schools called "Waldorf-Schule", which is the complete opposite to rigid learning ("Education Toward Freedom").. I'm no fan of that!

Learning should give us the tools to fulfill our lives, give us the essential basic knowledge as a base for further specialized learning. These tools should be adequately sharp and useful. Is this possible with the inevitable limited knowledge of a single teacher?

reply to post by Partygirl


That was a nice read.

I have a couple questions because we have toyed with the idea of home schooling our kids. It would be a little different than your situation, wouldn't be as much survival orientated, and my wife is actually a teacher (or was, but now stays home with the kids).

I know it is quite easy for home school kids to get into college (two years at community/junior college..and transfer to any school you want)...I think in some ways it is a more logical path. But you said you didn't go that route. So I was curious as to what certifications or any type of documentation of your education you have. Did you get your GED? Are there other types of certifications you can get from home schooling?

Also, what type of job are you doing now, and what are your plans for the future? Do you feel like home schooling will be a road block at all for any plans you have for the future?

That's all really...thanks for the insight.

Originally posted by ManFromEurope

Okay, you want some deeper thoughts. How about these:
1- Is it possible to reach a educational level sufficent for better colleges? I doubt that. Are there counterexamples?
2- Would you as a an archetype of homeschooled person deem yourself teached highly enough about things outside your environment?
3- Where do you see advantages for homeschooling?
4- What did you find missing?
5- Considering that social activities were confined to physical education, I would think that there are only a limited number of ways to find friends outside your community. Is it possible that this was an intended effect by your family/community?
6- I see a problem in overeducating in bible-studies. Of course, thats completely private and none of my business, so I have no problems with you declining answers here - what was the point in those intensive bible-studies? Keep in mind, I'm highly secularized and have no way to compare your bible-studies to the average amount of religious education in the USA. Would you say that your bible-studies were above average, both in intensity and quantity?
7- I have no problem with rigid learning. We have some privately owned and gov. accredited schools called "Waldorf-Schule", which is the complete opposite to rigid learning ("Education Toward Freedom").. I'm no fan of that!

I numbered your points above and will try to answer briefly below.

1. I don't know; as I said, I think I could have gotten entrance to a college. My SAT score was high. College preparation was never the goal of my educational track, although my father wanted to be fair and school me well enough to go to college, if I chose to do so. I think the basic groundwork was solid. Also, I hear of people entering US colleges with abysmal grades and scores, hardly able to perform basic math, etc. I hope I'm better than that.
2. Not "highly," no. But "sufficiently," yes. More important to me, I am very at home in my environment, the desert, one of the lonliest, most inhospitable, yet beautiful and spiritually rich biomes on earth.
3. Advantages for homeschooling: Escaping a corrupt society and educational system. Crafting different types of minds.
4. Missing: This will depend on the person. For me -- lack of understanding how other people relate to each other, and the cultural subtexts. But to be honest I don't miss it much. Maybe as I wrote, in intellectual terms I feel I didn't get enough science, although we learned a lot of what you might call "practical ecology" plus horticulture, botany, basic agriculture, etc...
5. Yes, maybe. My interations with other kids were limited. I had mixed feelings about it. In some ways I was apprehensive and shy and didn't want to socialize much. On the other hand, the other kids were generally kind and at least polite to us. (Some of the boys in our community had a harder time...perhaps as boys are wont to do...there was some scuffling and childhood standoffs). Sometimes I felt restricted and wanted to have more to do with other kids. By the time I was a teenager, our community had fallen apart for various reasons and we moved to a larger community in a more "normal" enviornmnet. I think that was important because the teen years are crucial for socializing and I got to be a little more comfortable with that, around that time. Still, I spent a lot of time isolated, but actually to be honest I liked it. I always liked reading.
6. I think I received a solid religious education, yes.
7. Thanks, I will look into it. Personally I think education has lost its rigor and there is too much emphasis on subjectivity these days. I'm glad I had an education that emphasized the classics and lots of drilling, memorization, grammar, etc. It makes for a more orderly way of life, which makes for greater beauty, wisdom, and effectiveness in life, IMHO.

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by Partygirl

 

That was a nice read.

I have a couple questions because we have toyed with the idea of home schooling our kids. It would be a little different than your situation, wouldn't be as much survival orientated, and my wife is actually a teacher (or was, but now stays home with the kids).

I know it is quite easy for home school kids to get into college (two years at community/junior college..and transfer to any school you want)...I think in some ways it is a more logical path. But you said you didn't go that route. So I was curious as to what certifications or any type of documentation of your education you have. Did you get your GED? Are there other types of certifications you can get from home schooling?

Also, what type of job are you doing now, and what are your plans for the future? Do you feel like home schooling will be a road block at all for any plans you have for the future?

That's all really...thanks for the insight.

Thanks for your comments. Yes, I have a GED. I did standardized tests. I don't have any real certification.

I am currently a clothing-store cashier in a mall. I like it because it is so very normal and I feel like I am still trying to integrate with normal society. I guess my goals for the future are different than most people. I don't really put all that emphasis on money and materialism, I don't want credit, I don't have elaborate career goals. I want to focus on reading and writing purely for my own interest, like on ATS, and some learning via the internet, but these are not career-oriented. I really believe materialism corrodes the soul. I think I was spared a treadmill that a lot of people are on, the expectations of normlacy, and this is a great gift I don't want to throw away. So for the future I will focus on: Reading more, learning more. Praying more, seeking to get closer to Christ. Seeing to emulate Him and obey His teachings. To have faith, and to avoid pride and sin. Becoming more and more self-sufficient, more and more at home in the desert. Growing my own food, making my own clothes, but also with one foot in the real world, doing a humble job like I do now as long as I can. Focusing on finding other people who share a similar vision of what life would be. Hopefully, eventually falling in love and starting my own family. Trying to live in accord with the Will of the Lord. That's plenty of work for this short life!

reply to post by Partygirl
Your father was correct in home schooling,had I known what I know now of the American education system I would have done the same.That's the one do-over I wish I had,you and your brother probably came out the better for it.Hopefully parents will wake up to the government propaganda that's fed to our children and opt out of public school.

I too was homeschooled beginning in the 8th grade. From kindergarten to 7th I was in public school but due to a combination of panic attacks, general anxiety, and social anxiety my parents thankfully took me out of school and I was homeschooled online from then on. The school was still technically a public school but all the classes were online for me so it is like a homeschool environment with public school curriculum and teachers (all online, no books or face-to-face).

The teachers told me that homeschooled students found it much easier to be accepted into colleges because on average we have much higher GPA’s and performed better than average on the SAT’s. All of this I came to realize was true and am thankful that I did not have to stay in public school, once you leave then it becomes transparent of exactly what it is. Teachers blew whistles and everyone shut up, you had to walk a line of white duct tape on the floor to each class, and no touching (even high-five or pat-on-the-back) was allowed.

As I had lots of free time, because I have always been very quick with doing my school work and still maintaining A-honor-roll, and with this free time I spent it learning. I learned so much without any teachers and about things never taught in school; philosophy, politics, theology, conspiracies, and the like. It made me much smarter and kept me out of any possible trouble that usually comes with public schools.

Am I basically a ‘square’, you could say that if you want. Never touched drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, been in trouble at school, with my parents, or with the law. I attribute that to good morals established at a young age, avoiding the riff-raff while I was in school and being very independent and determined which was strengthened after I had become homeschooled. Often it is said that me becoming homeschooled was a very bad answer to my anxiety problems but I can handle it much better now than before and do not need drugs like a psychiatrist wanted me to take.

Would I recommend homeschooling your kid(s)? Absolutely, if you instill in them the right values from a young age this schooling will allow you to continue this while they evolve through their childhood and into their teens. It keeps them away from the riff-raff, encourages them to be independent and respectful, and they will even pursue education with more enthusiasm and a better grasp than if you let the public indoctrination center get a hold of them. As for a social life I guess that depends on the parent how involved in the community and after-school activities you want them to be.

Also I am currently enrolled in college (online) and love this too. Perhaps it is because I learn better when I teach myself, that makes me an 'autodidact'.

S+F

reply to post by Partygirl


Not only was I home schooled, I am self thought, and self learned.....Translation.... I failed school, and to lazy to get a GED, and no interest or reason in doing any other higher education stuff. .

You have had a very interesting childhood Partygirl, I would share mine but I would't want to bore you with all the details involved in me trying to do anything and everything in my power to escape learning stuff. Besides I like your story way better then mine.

Originally posted by galadofwarthethird
reply to post by Partygirl

 

Not only was I home schooled, I am self thought, and self learned.....Translation.... I failed school, and to lazy to get a GED, and no interest or reason in doing any other higher education stuff. .

You have had a very interesting childhood Partygirl, I would share mine but I would't want to bore you with all the details involved in me trying to do anything and everything in my power to escape learning stuff. Besides I like your story way better then mine.

Thanks for the comments...I'm sorry if you feel down about your childhood...go ahead and share if you want, that's what the thread is for. And remember...its never too late!

I don't think you have to worry about college so much unless you have a real solid plan (like being a doctor for example). You might find it useful to get your GED sometime.

Well one thing we have in common is that by being homeschooled we grew up outside...whatever it is. "The Grid of Thought Control" you could call it I guess. That's going to be more and more of an advantage in the future, I think.

I'm pretty jealous of your story to tell you the truth!

I'd have probably thrived if I was home schooled, thought about it many times. I wasn't though, and I think my whole education suffered greatly from the environment I was taught in, it wasn't a bad environment, it just wasn't right for me! I had practically zero concentration with work or around other people and I just couldn't get along with whatever was put in front of me, unless I was really really into something, then I had to know everything about whatever that was.

Anyway, long story short, on record I have no education at all! and practically everything I have learnt, has been self taught since I left the education system at 16, I get told by family and friends that i'm quite intelligent and they always come to me for answers to problems or help, but I have real low self esteem, no confidence at all and social anxiety issues! I don't feel intelligent at all, quite the opposite, and like I say on paper I am as unqualified as you can get! so my future prospects are looking bleak right now, but like yourself i'm quite happy to lead a non 'big career' chasing life and the solitude is something I need sometimes and I like it that way!

If I am lucky enough to have children, i'd honestly take home schooling into consideration!