Is It Time To Think About Homeschooling?

In the words of one home school family, “We’re not teachers, we’re learning facilitators”

As a very uncertain future rises to meet our younger generations, there probably has never been a better time to contemplate the kind of system that holds our children captive for the majority of their waking hours every weekday of the school year for 12 or more years, often against their will.

Do you ever wonder how much more a child could learn in a personalized (home) environment where the instructor’s attention wasn’t divided among 20 to 30 students with constant distractions and disruptions and where standardized, boring text books seem to them, often correctly so, to hold little real value? How much more could a child learn if soaking up knowledge became a way of life rather than a designated “seasonal anomaly” followed by a three month vacation during which the lessons are generally forgotten, requiring a period of “refreshment” the following season?

What does education often do? It makes a straight-cut ditch of a free, meandering brook. Henry David Thoreau

Children are not identical little widgets whose minds can be manufactured and molded into an acceptable shape and then moved forward on conveyor belts to a final destination where they are packaged and shipped off to a suitable employer. They’re each distinctly different (even if they start out to be very short) meandering brooks, each with specific interests that can serve as lynchpins in generating a desire to satisfy their natural curiosity and get them wherever they want to go. Parents just need to take the time to listen to them and talk with them, to develop and flesh out those interests, provide them with stacks of books and information to help them discover whatever it is they want to find. And we might even learn something new along the way into the bargain. Why else have children at all?

Or is it simply a matter that public school is what our parents did to us and it turned out okay to one degree or another, so that’s what we do to our kids? It simply isn’t turning out okay for too many kids in this brave new world of bullying and depression and pharmaceutical drug pushers.

Long before the incident at Sandy Hook, parents complained that their children were/are not receiving an adequate education in the public schools. They have generally tolerated this because they’re too heavily taxed to fund government run education to strike out on their own private educational adventures with their youngsters. But students are the ones who end up paying the highest price by being put on the conveyer belt of passing grades despite failing test scores. We all have a good idea of why that happens.

But now, since Sandy Hook, with the possibility that children at school will be surrounded by heavily armed security guards, conceal-carry teachers, national guardsmen, or military types packing weapons, this might be a good time to take another look at what the real cost will be to the kids. Teaching institutions will become de facto prisons where caged students will still be expected to function normally and excel. These are mutually exclusive, except for mind numbed robots.

In the words of one former home school graduate, “School would have been like solitary confinement in a maximum security prison.” And this was said before the presumed need for heightened security with more locked doors, more cameras, more backpack searches, more metal detectors and even potential wanding to enter a class room or cafeteria. How long will it be before going to or returning from the restroom is cause for a pat down? How long before a child is tazed or worse for making a wrong or sudden move?

Surely some people will find all the tightened security acceptable or at least a necessary evil, but whether or not the government ever manages to remove guns from the hands of law abiding citizens, only a fool would believe that criminals will not continue to have access to weapons or that they would all suddenly become good guys and end their criminal ways. If you have doubts in that regard, look at Mexico. Look at Chicago.

Parents often assume, without any real idea of how homeschooling is done or what the rules are, that its just too hard, they have to work, they’re too busy, they’re not well enough educated themselves, or simply that they have too little patience. And in many cases this is so, it isn’t for everyone.

But does anyone ever ask their kids what they think about the idea before writing it off as impossible?

In 1980, home schooling was illegal in 30 states. Now, it is legal in all 50 states with about 1.5 million to 2 million children being homeschooled in the U.S., roughly 3 percent of school-age children nationwide, according to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics.

In the same study, it was found that between 1999 and 2007, the number of homeschooled children rose 77 percent. The actual number may be even higher because not all parents who home school report information to the government. However, the general consensus is that the stigma associated with homeschooling is gone as it becomes more and more mainstream.

In public school about $10,000 is spent on each student, each year, as opposed the $500 spent on the average homeschooled student.

branford.patch.com...

Ask 10 families why they home school, and you will get 10 different replies, but the
article below, "55 Reasons to Home school", probably includes most of them. The other
articles express diverse opinions as to the benefits of homeschooling. Maybe one of
them will echo your sentiments, address the concerns that have lead you to consider
homeschooling, and help you decide if homeschooling makes sense for your family.

www.homeschooldiner.com...

Finally, I suppose people most often wonder if there are any official resources that can assist in such things as deciding on the proper curricula, finding out what the state requirements are or offering general support information. Fortunately every state in the US offers all of the above for parents who choose to investigate the possibilities:
eho.org...

Yes. You can't send your child away for ten hours a day where they are molded by other people's beliefs, and expect them to grow into the person you want them to be.

Originally posted by jasonl1983
Yes. You can't send your child away for ten hours a day where they are molded by other people's beliefs, and expect them to grow into the person you want them to be.

Exactly. But that doesn't stop anyone from expecting it and then being disappointed beyond all measure in their later years. If we have to pay for mistakes, at least let them be our own.

homeschooling is great if you have the time, money and ability to do so... so for most people who work 1-2 jobs and both parents work how do you homeschool ur kids? at night while you are sleeping to wakt up at 4am for your first job?

I have a feeling that homeschooling will soon be outlawed.

Originally posted by AnnKoontz
I have a feeling that homeschooling will soon be outlawed.

All of the states support it. The law reads kids must attend school, not where. Of course that doesn't mean much anymore.

reply to post by dc4lifeskater


Like I said, its not for everyone. But if your kids are having trouble with a particular subject there are some terrific learning tools and games that you can find online to help them catch up and get ahead, particularly math and english.

Public schools are a good place to expose your kids to any of the following: coarse language, physical violence, sexual harassment/abuse, lying and social intrigues, and drug abuse. I went to public schools myself and feel like it prepared me better than if I had gone through my education believing that people were fundamentally good. I still don't like what kids have to go through at public schools, however. If I ever had children I'd want something better for them.

Cyberschooling is great.

It's 10x better than home schooling. Not sure what state you're in, but some states give your child the computer.

All the lessons are online. Classes are self-paced.

Plus the classes keep getting better and better. They keep adding new classes.

And you get to spend time with your kids instead of having them be programmed all day.

I greet You!

We had home-schooled our sons, and we thought that it was the best for them, then as they got older and asked to go to a public school, to learn to inter-react to other children their age, they found out how it really is, not saying all kids are dis-respectful.
Our sons found out that to be respectful was not "Kool" or to be attendative in class was frowned upon by the other kids in class, it was a learning experience for them.
The learned to adapt, to be able to determine that they live in many facets of life and many ways all around them. Its kind of like, when do you shelter them kids too much, and then be unable to deal with others around them.
Now, they want to be home-schooled, again due to recent events in other schools.

Originally posted by sconner755
Cyberschooling is great.

It's 10x better than home schooling. Not sure what state you're in, but some states give your child the computer.

All the lessons are online. Classes are self-paced.

Plus the classes keep getting better and better. They keep adding new classes.

And you get to spend time with your kids instead of having them be programmed all day.

Absolutely true. I know kids who have gone this route and they're all working and happy. Most homeschoolers depend on computer courses to some degree, some to a large degree.

reply to post by frazzle


I agree with homeschooling, but I really think that cyber-schools will be the next big thing. A teacher could host a webex type meeting, and 10 or so students can join. For parents who have to work all day, many put their younger kids in day care already, so why not hire some "teacher's aids" to sit in and babysit for a few hours in the comfort of your own home. That's just an idea for people who cannot stay at home to begin with....or trade off days with friends. Many women are starting to stay home again anyway with gas prices, day care, and parking so expensive.

reply to post by fictitious


55 reasons to homeschool.
www.waldsfe.org...

While I was putting this thread together I ran across someone who agrees with you and I think that's a great idea.

There is also a trend toward co-op homeschooling where small groups of parents take turns teaching the children and/or hiring tutors to assume some of the responsibility.

branford.patch.com...

Nice thing about this web schooling and virtual classroom is that you could gain exposure to really good teachers without having to physically move your family across the country. Also love the co-op homeschooling, as you could gain/lose a good or bad teacher quickly and without having to deal with a teacher's union.

reply to post by jasonl1983


The internet IS a virtual classroom ~ although it can be abused, too.

A lot of people are hands on learners so they need physical "tools". There isn't a one size fits all, but there are so many sizes available that there's no reason for anyone to go uneducated anymore, they mostly just need someone to point them in the right direction.

My feelings on this are very basic, very simple and brutally honest.

- Some parents can make this work far better than any public or even private school is capable of.

- Many parents can do a decent job and be equivilent to a public school (excluding the worse performing of course).

- MOST parents, I believe, would go beyond simply doing a disservice to their kids by this and actively harm their development and advancement to develop into well reasoned adults ...even to the widely varying degree public schools can define that for an outcome.

Over the years with my Son and his autism, I've run into both extremes. All I'd say is please please, to those considering doing this .... Think it through in a REAL way and not a 'what you wish it would be' way. Similar time in effort, work and study to the real classrooms........can the prospective parent handle that? Equally important in MY opinion, can the prospective parent pass the same grade requirement testing across the Elementary/Middle levels AT LEAST that the kid would/will? If not...how can a student teach what they don't know themselves?

If all of the above comes out to be positive? Then by all means... The homes where it works produce some of the BEST kids these generations today have, IMO. .....but fail means the kid never gets a second chance and you've doomed them. Just something to think about.

Ive homeschooled our kids for several yrs. It's expensive and its work.. and it's great. I spend maybe 2K on their materials and lab equipment a year. For social interaction and the rest of their schooling I pay for tae-kwon-do, gymnastics and private violin lessons. They are co-ops for field trips.. bunch of kids together. We do leanring dates as well as play dates. There is homeschooling ( reading classic comics and learning basket weaving) and homeschooling ( giving the kids a TRUE superior education). My oldest in her high school yrs went half at home and advanced classes at the local community college. Now she is in college.

I first decided to homeschool due to the fact that the school in the area we transferred to was almost 2 yrs behind the previous school, violence ridden, and sub par. The private schools were simply a place where the kids who were expelled went to with vouchers. Then when the middle daughter had her liver transplant, it was the only way to keep her education continuous.

Good luck! Oh, and not all programs cost what ours did. I knew the kids could do it and we did all advanced classes so naturally the curriculum and materials were more expensive.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

All I'd say is please please, to those considering doing this .... Think it through in a REAL way and not a 'what you wish it would be' way. Similar time in effort, work and study to the real classrooms........can the prospective parent handle that?

Yes, that's why I included a few links for those interested in "investigating" the potential (or something like that )

And you're right, its not something you'd want to do on a whim, its hard work. But if you have kids aren't they worth it?

reply to post by Advantage


A great big thumbs up to you ~ way to go!!

reply to post by frazzle

Well, my Son is in public school...so how do I answer that? lol... A rather sticky question when put that way.

My wife and I are realistic. We are among those who just know and admit up front that we don't have the temperament or the patience to be educators, even on the level of 1. Teaching him life skills, morals, values and a variety of other things is a joy and a basic part of parenting of course. Taking on the full load of what has to be properly covered over the length of his school years? I think in our specific case it's a favor to him that we've been honest with ourselves. A couple friends of his had parents who I don't believe were ...and burned things pretty hard on their way out of the district as well. Those kids? I feel bad for. They'll be lucky to be functionally literate by 18.