How many parents home school?

**Computer Ed** · May 10, 2005, 04:26 PM

Okay the question could be better worded I am sure. I would like kids that are homeschooled and their parents are not on the forum to pipe in, the public school ones as well. If you where home or public schooled obviously as well.

**Carsomyr** · May 10, 2005, 04:29 PM

Oh, whoops, I didn't read all of the text and I voted for public schooling. I'm not a parent.... but I went through public schooling.

**Clearchus** · May 10, 2005, 04:29 PM

What about private schools? Is this for homework or something?

**Computer Ed** · May 10, 2005, 04:37 PM

Just curious..

**MyFriendPeter90** · May 10, 2005, 05:42 PM

I think that generally home schooling is bad for children (my cousin is home schooled and just spending a little time with him you notice negative effects). I am in public school (middle school, or junior high - w.e u wanna call it) and i guess my school is good. Apparently my school district is supposed to be great or something, but i loathe this whole place (long island). I used to live in DC until i was 7 and a big reason we moved up here was schools i think. Anyways, i guess my school is a good one (the high school i will be in next yr is supposedly really good but i have doubts). A lot of my teachers are complete ****** idiots and most of the kids are just typical long island ignorant morons, so i guess they have to dumb stuff down for them. I generally dislike school because i dont get to choose what i "learn" about and most classes i am just incredibly bored in. I guess that i am different from all the others in my school because i like to learn things outside of school, only i like to choose to learn things, not have dumb crap forced on me that i usually already know. For example, i see NO point in english class, we just read dumb books that have no meaning, we dont learn anything, atleast i dont. I really just hate school and i see it as basically pointless and i "play hookey" a lot. Im hoping high school will be atleast remotely interesting.

**htp'** · May 10, 2005, 06:08 PM

I'm gonna guess you're my same age paul judging by the 90 after your name. I'm telling you man, I use to skip to, don't, no matter how pointless it seems. You'll lose interest and fall further and further behind. I tell you from experience, get over the rebelling ****** and just go.

I go to a public school this year, but next year I'm transfering school districts due to a family move. The school I'm in now has 300 kids per grade, and the school next year will have 50. I guess it'll be like a private school.

Personally I'm undecided on this matter, I'm not even sure I'm going to have kids, but if I will, they'll probably be going to a public school depending where I live/the quality of the public school. If it's absolutely horrid, I'll probably transfer them out. I think homeschooling kids makes them prone to anti-social negative behavior.

**MyFriendPeter90** · May 10, 2005, 06:34 PM

Well its not like i skip school every other day or something i just need a break every now and then.

edit: im assuming u think i was born in 90' because of that number but its totally random, this username is just because i was listening to the song "My friend peter" by Alkaline trio so i just made it my name (random i know) but then i just picked 90 randomly, however i was born in 1990 and im 14.

**Wicked** · May 10, 2005, 07:17 PM

I'll probably put my kids, if/when I have any, through private school for the first few grades (up to junior high perhaps) to ensure a good grounding in their subjects, then put 'em in public school to toughen up a bit and get them used to working with kids from different backgrounds.

I got luck/unlucky in some ways, my family is actually quite wealthy, but my parents were independent enough to make their own way in the world, and thus didn't have the money to put me through private school during the applicable age, granted, I went through some seriously crap schools at times, but due to moving around a lot (my dad was in the military for a good while) I ended up being the new kid on the block quite a bit, which didn't always work out too great, turned into something of a bookworm until I was around 12, and I still can't get enough information crammed into my brain, so no matter the quality of the school I could usually figure the subjects out on my own.

However I'm hoping not to have the same kind of nomadic lifestyle, at least not while my kids are young, and I can't depend on my kids naturally having the same hunger for learning of all kinds, so at least the early part of their education will be private if I can afford it (pretty likely, I'm kind of a cheapass=most money ends up in the bank/stock portfolio, and I'm planning on waiting on having kids until I'm through with college).

As for home schooling though, I suppose you could say I had some of that, my parents are both well educated, and they took a lot more of an interest in things like my homework than I see many parents doing, plus my mom in particular liked to do her own course assignments for things on top of what the school ordered, some of which used textbooks & materials developed for home schooling, which were, I have to say, quite a bit better than the equivalent public school textbooks I've seen, provided the parents are truly dedicated to it I can definitely see that it has it's advantages, even in something like home assignments like my parents did to supplement regular school work.

That would probably be something I'd use with my own children, plus it's pretty fun, as you can find things your kid actually gives a crap about, and focus on them, IMO pretty much any learning is good, even if you don't use that specific area on a regular basis it teaches discipline and a broadens their view, in some cases they'll start to like things they completely hated provided it's arranged in a interesting way.

However public school would definitely take over for the last 4 grades, if not even earlier, you can't teach common sense and the ability to work with others, and of course common sense is usually learned by doing something stupid, I'd rather have them do goofy crap when I'm in a position to help out (and have legal authority to do so, things like drug addiction come to mind from personal experience), sure, they *might* end up going to the extremes I went to, but hopefully with my own knowledge of that I'll see the signs, and I sure as hell have no problem with enacting draconian measures if the situation calls for it.

My main thing is a well rounded education in life, not just 'book smarts', street smarts (more accurately called common sense...) are just as important, if not more so in many situations, and the two put together are quite formidable. So...I'd basically try to roll all 3 into my kids’ education, Public, Private, and Home schooling, they all have good & bad points, but I think most of the bad would cancel each other out.

**Justinian** · May 10, 2005, 07:30 PM

Originally posted by MyFriendPeter90@May 10 2005, 05:42 PM
I think that generally home schooling is bad for children (my cousin is home schooled and just spending a little time with him you notice negative effects).

I don't see how that can be blamed on homeschooling. It's like blaming school murders on playing shooters. If someone has something wrong with them, putting down their problem as being due to something like homeschooling or shooters is just trying to wriggle out of admitting they have 'negative effects'.

I'm homeschooled, and have been all my life. Not once set foot in a public school (well, I have, but not to learn there). :cool All the home schoolers I meet are generally much more funny, intelligent and interesting then public school kids, not to mention more mature.

I could just be lucky though.

**MyFriendPeter90** · May 10, 2005, 08:01 PM

Originally posted by Justinian@May 10 2005, 08:30 PM
I don't see how that can be blamed on homeschooling. It's like blaming school murders on playing shooters. If someone has something wrong with them, putting down their problem as being due to something like homeschooling or shooters is just trying to wriggle out of admitting they have 'negative effects'.

I'm homeschooled, and have been all my life. Not once set foot in a public school (well, I have, but not to learn there). :cool All the home schoolers I meet are generally much more funny, intelligent and interesting then public school kids, not to mention more mature.

I could just be lucky though.

I agree with a lot of what you said about them being more mature and prob more interesting but what im referring to is that it creates dependance (not in all kids) on their home and only their home, they dont have that experience of school and the whole environment there and they lack social skills usually and will not be prepared to deal with problems with other people as well as a public school kid might be.

**Computer Ed** · May 10, 2005, 09:07 PM

What social skills do you feel they lack? How to deal drugs, how to sneak knives into schools? I mean what skills can they not leanr from other sources. Home schooling does not mean cut off. My kids are part of a home schooling group. They take field trips and hold various events.

In fact home schooling opens up some really interesting aspects. My kids have been on an archeological dig, had a sitdown with our state Senator, took part in a limited program allowing the kids to see live scientific underwater experiments, where part of a limited group of kids that formed an e-congress to teach how to draft, debate and pass bills.

For socialization they have many friends that are in public school that they see every day. They have an active youth group at their church and work with some of the seniors around time, their idea believe it or not.

Home schooling cuts nothing off for the children, it gives them a world of gain.

If you feel home schooling kids are missing out on something please be specific...

**meh_cd** · May 10, 2005, 09:17 PM

From what I've seen, many home schooled kids = slackers (due to their parents not being responsible). My cousin is homeschooled as well, and to put it nicely - he's as dumb as a doornail.

**Gelatinous Cube** · May 10, 2005, 09:24 PM

Were I to have kids, I wouldnt have the energy to homeschool them. But if I did, i'd work hard on it at teaching them all kinds of ideas and things, and letting them form their own opinions, and specialize and whatnot. For example, if I had a kid, and homeschooled him, and by age 10 it turned out he absolutely loved math and wanted to do nothing else, I would focus on that. Who knows, maybe he'd be the next einstien.

Unfortunately, most Homeschooled children have parents who are either A) Lazy, or B) Try to impose very specific views (usually it's either hippies or fundamentalist christians who do this--both turn out equally bad).

**MyFriendPeter90** · May 10, 2005, 10:27 PM

Originally posted by Computer Ed@May 10 2005, 10:07 PM
What social skills do you feel they lack? How to deal drugs, how to sneak knives into schools? I mean what skills can they not leanr from other sources. Home schooling does not mean cut off. My kids are part of a home schooling group. They take field trips and hold various events.

In fact home schooling opens up some really interesting aspects. My kids have been on an archeological dig, had a sitdown with our state Senator, took part in a limited program allowing the kids to see live scientific underwater experiments, where part of a limited group of kids that formed an e-congress to teach how to draft, debate and pass bills.

For socialization they have many friends that are in public school that they see every day. They have an active youth group at their church and work with some of the seniors around time, their idea believe it or not.

Home schooling cuts nothing off for the children, it gives them a world of gain.

If you feel home schooling kids are missing out on something please be specific...

what i meant is that they miss out on the experience of dealing with a whole 300 or w/e kids all the time in a school setting i just think that kids should experience that for alteast a couple years in middle school or high school. I do think thats great how you do the homeschooling with your kids though.

**Dr Zoidberg** · May 10, 2005, 11:01 PM

I went through a public primary school and private highschool/college. I think both have their plus & negatives but at least discipline can be enforced to a better degree and higher standards of work obtained at a private school.

**htp'** · May 11, 2005, 04:26 AM

Originally posted by Computer Ed@May 10 2005, 08:07 PM
What social skills do you feel they lack? How to deal drugs, how to sneak knives into schools? I mean what skills can they not leanr from other sources. Home schooling does not mean cut off. My kids are part of a home schooling group. They take field trips and hold various events.

In fact home schooling opens up some really interesting aspects. My kids have been on an archeological dig, had a sitdown with our state Senator, took part in a limited program allowing the kids to see live scientific underwater experiments, where part of a limited group of kids that formed an e-congress to teach how to draft, debate and pass bills.

For socialization they have many friends that are in public school that they see every day. They have an active youth group at their church and work with some of the seniors around time, their idea believe it or not.

Home schooling cuts nothing off for the children, it gives them a world of gain.

If you feel home schooling kids are missing out on something please be specific...

Well, I agree with you here. It doesn't mean they're cut off but many of the homeschooled kids I know don't go outside or do anything. They don't really have much interaction with people besides their mom and dad. Which might be a good thing if you're worried about them selling drugs and trading knives?

I'm not questioning what your kids do either, just simply saying what I've seen first hand.

**smack** · May 11, 2005, 05:44 AM

Because not all homeschoolers are required to register, it is nearly impossible to get an accurate count. About 350,000 children were being homeschooled. That estimate is now closer to 2,000,000. That's roughly 2% of the school-aged population of our country! A dramatic increase in applications from homeschoolers are being reported by colleges and universities as well. There is no question; homeschooling is growing.

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**Computer Ed** · May 11, 2005, 06:09 AM

Originally posted by Gelatinous Cube@May 10 2005, 08:24 PM
Unfortunately, most Homeschooled children have parents who are either A) Lazy, or B) Try to impose very specific views (usually it's either hippies or fundamentalist christians who do this--both turn out equally bad).

These are very inaccurate assumptions. Mosty homeschooling parents could not be called lazy, it takes a lot of work to homeschool your child. While I am sure there are some, such as some wierd lady that claimed her kid was home schooled afetr he was picked up for skipping schooll for like 6 months, the vast majority are far from lazy.

As for the specific views, this is very old school. In the early days of home schooling religion was a major driving force, today it is education. The local group of 500+ home schooling families did a survey a year agao and keep accuaret stats since. In this group 87% started homeschooling becuase the public school was not providing an adequate education to their children. This is the major growing trend now..

Another trend that is not getting discussed is the lead home schooling kids have entering college. Home schooling kids tend to score 20% higher on the SATS. Colleges have changed their home schooling policy for admittance and even the Ivy league schools not only welcome home schooled kids but actively recruit them.

As for interaction, my kids have interaction with many different people each day. By noon they have ended class and they then do many other things. Like I said they have volunteered their time with seniors in the area so they spend a lot of their early afternonn with that.

Thiers friends typically get home by 3:30 so they then spend time with them until usually 7:00 PM or so.

Many of the myths about home schooling I feel are actually created by the public school system. You see schools get their money based on the number of kids attending. This means that if a family pulls their kids for home schooling the schools lose money. Local schools in my area get almost 10K per kid per year. Pulling my 3 kids pulled 30K from the local school system. See the issue for them?