What's so great about homeschooling?

[KCT]

I obviously have issues in this area! I try to love the home school parents, but their overall attitude that their kids need to be kept away from my kids is insulting.

Indeed it is. Please don’t think we’re all like that. —KCT

 

[leonie]

I have no beef with the kids, although I find they are awkward in settings with people their own age like sports teams. The other kids just say, ‘Oh (s)he’s homeschooled’ as an explanation to each other.

It’s the home school parents that get to me. If their kids are so smart and well adjusted, why are they hiding their light under a basket instead of shining like a beacon on a hill? We aren’t these superior kids in public school being a shining example for the rest of kids?

As for it could just be me? Of course. I obviously have issues in this area! I try to love the home school parents, but their overall attitude that their kids need to be kept away from my kids is insulting.

I just want to let those who are considering hsing that you will encounter some prejudiced people like this poster, but generally, people are very open and affirming about homeschooling.

And, there will always be people who want to question your motives and the results you have. Don’t let it bother you. The most important thing is to discern God’s Will, make the best choice you can make, and trust God to help you.

There will always be doubters and critics.

Homeschooling is not a cure all. It won’t teach your kids virtue or ensure chastity or make them Havard graduates. It’s just an educational/lifestyle choice that affirms you as the primary educator of your kids.

 

[carol_marie]

It’s the home school parents that get to me. If their kids are so smart and well adjusted, why are they hiding their light under a basket instead of shining like a beacon on a hill? We aren’t these superior kids in public school being a shining example for the rest of kids?

.

Homeschooling is a way of life. WHY should those parents & kids have to give up a lifestyle they obviously enjoy just to be a shining light in the schools? I say to each his/her own - whether it be home or public or private - who cares? I have enough to worry about with my own kids to be concerned with someone else’s schooling choice.

SOME h/sing parents probably think they are all that, just like some private school parents think they are too high flalutant to send their kids to the lowly public school. But I don’t think it has much to do about schooling choice - some people need to feel superior to others & if it weren’t about school, it would be about their kids’ atheletic ability or their child’s awards to whatever. It has nothing at all to do with h/sing - so don’t single them out. There are plenty of jerky people all over.

Am I allowed to say that?

 

[maryjk]

I have no beef with the kids, although I find they are awkward in settings with people their own age like sports teams. The other kids just say, ‘Oh (s)he’s homeschooled’ as an explanation to each other.

It’s the home school parents that get to me. If their kids are so smart and well adjusted, why are they hiding their light under a basket instead of shining like a beacon on a hill? **Why aren’t these superior kids in public school being a shining example for the rest of kids? **

As for it could just be me? Of course. I obviously have issues in this area! I try to love the home school parents, but their overall attitude that their kids need to be kept away from my kids is insulting.

If my son could shine in public school, I might just send him there. But right now at 6th grade age, he is doing 7th grade math, English and science. He has a 6th grade spelling/vocab book and 6th grade religion. We freelance History, so there isn’t a grade level for that. Do you know of a public school that would take him and let him shine in those subjects that he shines in? I don’t know of one. Our public school system doesn’t believe in “gifted” programs. To them everyone is “gifted.” Which really means that no one is.

Its not that our kids need to be kept away from yours. Unless yours are really nasty kids that are bullies and use really bad language. I am sure that they are not. Its that we believe that the best teacher for our child is their mother or father. Most of us know that it does not work for everyone.

My son’s best friend attends public school. There is another friend that lives on our street. We call them the Three Musketeers because they spend all of their free time together. There is no awkwardness with them, other than they want to be home schooled. They are all just friends. Same as my son’s home schooled friends.

 

[leonie]

Homeschooling is a way of life. WHY should those parents & kids have to give up a lifestyle they obviously enjoy just to be a shining light in the schools? I say to each his/her own - whether it be home or public or private - who cares? I have enough to worry about with my own kids to be concerned with someone else’s schooling choice.

SOME h/sing parents probably think they are all that, just like some private school parents think they are too high flalutant to send their kids to the lowly public school. But I don’t think it has much to do about schooling choice - some people need to feel superior to others & if it weren’t about school, it would be about their kids’ atheletic ability or their child’s awards to whatever. It has nothing at all to do with h/sing - so don’t single them out. There are plenty of jerky people all over.

Am I allowed to say that?

It’s hard to doubt another person’s perception, but to be very honest, I’m around a lot of hsers, and I’ve never heard one put down school parents or kids.

Most hsers don’t like the structure of school, and the social engineering that often occurs, and the peer culture that often develops with cliques, but never have I heard a hser infer that hsers are superior.

Of course, hsers think hsing is superior or they wouldn’t be doing it. Catholic school parents wouldn’t be forking over thousands of dollars for tuition if they didn’t think that it was superior. But, most parents are not interested in comparisons. Aren’t we all just trying to do the best for our kids?

I really think that the attitude that hsers are insular and prideful is a prejudice and not an accurate representation. And, I think if the poster spent quality time with hsers, he would find that that his perceptions are misperceptions.

 

[gardenswithkids]

…It’s the home school parents that get to me. If their kids are so smart and well adjusted, why are they hiding their light under a basket instead of shining like a beacon on a hill? We aren’t these superior kids in public school being a shining example for the rest of kids?

As for it could just be me? Of course. I obviously have issues in this area! I try to love the home school parents, but their overall attitude that their kids need to be kept away from my kids is insulting.

Don’t take it so personally if homeschoolers choose to homeschool. I doubt that any of them are simply trying to specifically keep their children from yours, (unless your children are bullies or drug dealers or such type, which I tend to doubt from your other posts.)

Many homeschooler consider the whole idea of placing any 20 or 30 children together with only 1 adult in a classroom an artificial environment for learning. That’s especially true in the younger grades when children have lots of energy to burn that must be stiffled or medicated in order to keep them sitting still at a desk for six hours a day. One thing I love about homeschooling is that my children have more time to be children since they don’t have to spend as many hours a day being “students”. Through homeschooling, my children’s education benefit from the natural energy and curiosity of childhood since they have greater freedom to learn according to their individual interests and personal development.

Why don’t I place my little “shining lights” in a public school classroom for the other children? That question presumes these same children would shine in a public school setting, and they may not. The public school teachers might likely place that basket over them if they dared speak the name, “Jesus”. Also, some people try to use public schools for indoctination rather than education, and such agenda may “blow out” their little candles of faith. I do hope my children will be lights for all the world to see, and I think that is more likely if we educate them at home where we pray and discuss God throughout the day.

 

[PaulinVA]

I just want to let those who are considering hsing that you will encounter some prejudiced people like this poster, but generally, people are very open and affirming about homeschooling. …

It’s just an educational/lifestyle choice that affirms you as the primary educator of your kids.

Prejudiced? Because I refuted your cut and paste post about how home school kids are so much better than the rest of the world? Because I presented my experiences with/opinions of home schoolers and you don’t like them?

You seem to be proving the whole thrust of my posts - home school parents think that they are better than public school parents.

I’m sorry, I really didn’t intend to attack you personally. I really am a nice person - go to mass every Sunday, first Friday when I can; confession regularly; NFP for 17 years. This is just one of those hot button issues that makes my blood boil. My wife and I made the choice to send our kids to public school to be a witness to our faith (to their classmates and to the parents/teachers we deal with) and I find that most Catholics just think that we are less holy because we don’t send our kids to Catholic school or home school.

I am still very interested to know what people’s motivations are for home schooling. Is it academic? Is it to control what your children hear/learn about? Is it to have a closer family?

 

[carol_marie]

I find that most Catholics just think that we are less holy because we don’t send our kids to Catholic school or home school.

And don’t you hate it when people make sweeping assumptions about you without actually knowing you??

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

You seem to be proving the whole thrust of my posts - home school parents think that they are better than public school parents.

Wow, one post out of this entire thread and that proves your theory? Those stats are more messed up that the previous quoted study

Malia

 

[leonie]

Prejudiced? Because I refuted your cut and paste post about how home school kids are so much better than the rest of the world? Because I presented my experiences with/opinions of home schoolers and you don’t like them?

You seem to be proving the whole thrust of my posts - home school parents think that they are better than public school parents.

I’m sorry, I really didn’t intend to attack you personally. I really am a nice person - go to mass every Sunday, first Friday when I can; confession regularly; NFP for 17 years. This is just one of those hot button issues that makes my blood boil. My wife and I made the choice to send our kids to public school to be a witness to our faith (to their classmates and to the parents/teachers we deal with) and I find that most Catholics just think that we are less holy because we don’t send our kids to Catholic school or home school.

I am still very interested to know what people’s motivations are for home schooling. Is it academic? Is it to control what your children hear/learn about? Is it to have a closer family?

Actually, I was just pasting an article I was handed today from my aunt. I wasn’t trying to “prove” anything. I thought it might help the op.

We homeschool because:

1. Our oldest son has social anxiety. He freezes up in school. He does well at home and in small social settings. Our daughter is a social butterfly. We don’t want her to have the distraction of peers around her all the time. Our ten year old we want to watch closely since he seems to be more tempted to bad behavior. We want to encourage him when he’s virtuous and catch him when he’s not.
2. We can provide education that Catholic oriented–emphasizing virtues, catechism, good literature, history from a Catholic worldview.
3. Our kids are subjected not to six hours of school to come home to 2 or more hours of homework. We have greater flexibility with our family time. We want our kids to do chores in the home–which they might not have time to do between activities, homework and school hours.
4. We want to be there for teachable moments.
5. We have seen young adults who were homeschooled, and we want our kids to be like them. Wow! these kids are awesome.
6. We don’t like the social engineering that goes on in schools. We don’t want strangers teaching our kids sex ed. We don’t want them to be Al Gore devotees.
7. We want our kids to read and imagine and have time for creative play. We don’t want all their time to be structured.
8. We want to know what our kids are learning and where they need help.
9. We don’t want to have to be compelled to do projects like science fairs and dioramas if we don’t think it’s a good use of time. We don’t want to be on deadlines where we as parents have to do the project to get the grade.
10. We want to know who our kids spend time with. We want to know the families they come from. We want to encourage virtuous friends and supervise play with friends who are still struggling with some virtues.
11. We don’t like the cliques that develop in school. We think that hsed kids tend to be more accepting of other kids despite their quirks. We don’t like the bullying that occurs. We don’t think being bullied makes kids tougher. We think it makes them scarred.

That’s a few reasons.

I don’t think my kids are superior in any way to others. In fact, there are many kids that I wish my kids would emulate. But, I do think homeschooling is (for now) the best way to educate them.

 

[PaulinVA]

Why don’t I place my little “shining lights” in a public school classroom for the other children? That question presumes these same children would shine in a public school setting, and they may not. The public school teachers might likely place that basket over them if they dared speak the name, “Jesus”. Also, some people try to use public schools for indoctination rather than education, and such agenda may “blow out” their little candles of faith. I do hope my children will be lights for all the world to see, and I think that is more likely if we educate them at home where we pray and discuss God throughout the day.

Thank you for your kind response after my impolite posts. I’m in an area that is hard to discuss.

My children don’t preach, but they do, I think, act in a way that is a good witness. And the volunteer work my wife does at their schools and the interactions with other parents and teachers is very important to us. We (okay, mostly she) get a chance to talk about where we go to church, what we believe, and I think that interaction is very important to other people to see Catholics as ‘normal’ people who treat them with respect.

When it comes to our kids, we are all fiercely protective, aren’t we? Well, in the setting of the public schools, when are children are at stake, letting teachers/parents/administrators see us Catholics as people who are firm but loving in our dealing with them goes a long way.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

The OP asked, “What’s so great about homeschooling?” from those who have home educated. And we each told her.

She did not ask for debate on pubic vs. parochial vs. private vs. home education.

I am sorry you feel that, in your area, home educators feel your children should not associate with your children. But as other have said, these are ther reasons we did it or do it. It is not to make you look bad. It is not to make your children look bad.

Why should all children have to be shuttled to the public school?

The public schools in your area, Paul, may be lovely. We have two districts in one small city-suburb. The one on one side of town is a Potemkin Village. The other has such a bad rating that it claims 90% of the students never see a computer outside of school, are never engaged in reading outside of school, and have parents who generally don’t speak English.

This is another good reason to home educate: All public schools are not created equal.

 

[carol_marie]

Thank you for your kind response after my impolite posts. I’m in an area that is hard to discuss.

My children don’t preach, but they do, I think, act in a way that is a good witness. And the volunteer work my wife does at their schools and the interactions with other parents and teachers is very important to us. We (okay, mostly she) get a chance to talk about where we go to church, what we believe, and I think that interaction is very important to other people to see Catholics as ‘normal’ people who treat them with respect.

.

It sounds like your family is a blessing to your school. That is wonderful.

We all get defensive when it comes to the choices we make for our kids. But a great homeschooling kid doesn’t take anything away from your daughter or her sounds like a good guy Dad.

 

[PaulinVA]

I don’t think my kids are superior in any way to others. In fact, there are many kids that I wish my kids would emulate. But, I do think homeschooling is (for now) the best way to educate them.

Thank you for answering - sorry for dumping on you.

Do you think those awesome teens are awesome because of home schooling, or because they have all the genes and environment to be awesome. I really don’t know. I certainly understand that people learn in different ways.

Your comment about not having to do science fair projects and other things you think aren’t important… I’ve always considered some parts of school to simply be, “You have to do it because I said so” kind of tasks, and it’s the grace and effort that the child puts into the task that is important. It’s a great preparation for work later in life.

I’m serious - Is all of the stuff that the kids put up with in school preparation for life? Or, should the kids be insulated from that until college or work?

 

[Kim_C]

I love all the positive reasons about academics, family life, flexibility, etc. that everyone posted, and I have found it all to be true.
Sometimes I am afraid to put this out because there is such a negative, visceral reaction that I often run into re: the prejudices people have about homeschoolers (could be the area of the country I live in). But I admit that a strong incentive for my homeschooling is that I don’t want my children to pick up what I see as indoctrination into a secular, reletavistic worldview that permeates the public schools, and, sadly, even many of the private/catholic ones, though to a less degree. Why would I work so hard to keep my children away from the garbage they would see on T.V. just so they can go to school and get the full description/play-by-play from their classmates? Why struggle to teach them to dress modestly despite the pop culture only to have 10 times the pressure because they are friends with really good kids whose parents have succumbed to very low standards which are now the norm?

Not to mention that I think the standard public schools are especially out-of-touch with the gender differences. My little boy really is a different learner and interested in different things than my girls. He needs to learn to be a man, and frankly, I think that a lot of the philosophy that our schools have embraced is counter-productive to him as a boy, let alone the faith of all my children. And don’t even get me started on the sex ed.

Yes, I know the schools are filled with good parents and teachers, and lots of good things happen in them. And I don’t avoid all these troubles by homeschooling. I don’t go for the isolated, bubble lifestyle. Still, I think that people underestimate, vastly, the negative effect of the ideas that currently dominate the culture. I am much better able to navigate my children through these by homeschooling, and I wish to do this while they are young and vulnerable.
I think I’m lucky I can homeschool, and I realize sending my children to school is not the end of the world and many students thrive there.
I spent 4 yrs. teaching in the Catholic schools, junior high,and 12 with the public, all grades. I saw a lot. I sent my children for a couple years to school, both public and Catholic. It had some good/some bad experiences, but mine are thriving much more at home.

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

I’m serious - Is all of the stuff that the kids put up with in school preparation for life? Or, should the kids be insulated from that until college or work?

**You seem to believe that homeschool kids don’t have to “put up with all that stuff”. Depending on their outside activities, method of teaching, any tutors or extra classes, not to mention having to put up with mom (or dad) 24/7 homeschool kids get plenty of preparation for real life.

malia **

 

[leonie]

Thank you for answering - sorry for dumping on you.

Do you think those awesome teens are awesome because of home schooling, or because they have all the genes and environment to be awesome. I really don’t know. I certainly understand that people learn in different ways.

Your comment about not having to do science fair projects and other things you think aren’t important… I’ve always considered some parts of school to simply be, “You have to do it because I said so” kind of tasks, and it’s the grace and effort that the child puts into the task that is important. It’s a great preparation for work later in life.

I’m serious - Is all of the stuff that the kids put up with in school preparation for life? Or, should the kids be insulated from that until college or work?

The projects I’m referring to are the projects that all my friends tell me that they have to do (or lead step by step) for their kids. It seems that many teachers design projects that are too complex for kids. I doubt their parents will be there in college or the workplace to help them with projects.

I like challenging projects. I don’t think parents should have to do the majority of the work.

We went to a family retreat for homeschoolers in January in which a lot of teens and young adults (some spouses and babies in tow) attended. I was flabbergasted. Brothers and sisters taking Adoration hours together, teens spontaneously organizing games for the upper elementary and middle school kids, kids in line for confession. Wow. At the time, we were talking about putting some of the kids in school to get me some relief. After watching a 19 year old young man organize and lead stations of the cross for 10 or so younger boys, I made a resolution to stick it out.

I don’t think school is a barrier to these kinds of behaviors. I just think hsing makes it much more possible for this.

And, the young married couples–all plan to homeschool their kids!

 

[psr13]

I have a question but please don’t take it the wrong way.

I think that many parents could teach their kids up to a certain grade level. However, lets be honest, we all have strong points and weak points. A person can be great at History and English but poor at Calculus. So what do you do in those situations? Do you get a tutor to make sure that your child gets the information that he/she needs. Do you let them figure it out on their own?

I always wonder about this.

I don’t have children but really hope to homeschool when I do. Some people are good at all the subjects. I’m one of them. It comes from my nerdiness. Yes, I am good at every subject, including high level math.

 

[Renny]

I am grateful for all of the perspectives & posts thus far-wow!
I continue to grapple w/the whole question of homeschooling, going from being very excited & sure to being scared & questioning my ability to do this well for one & for two-is it better for my kids?

I don’t look down on public school just b/c it is public school. I was public schooled & except for one shining moment in 4th grade, had no memorable academic achievements. I did excel in extra-curricular things, beginning in jr high & exploding in high school. I didn’t learn very much in terms of academics, although I learned tons as to how to win different types of things, like class elections, pep rallies, poster contests, public speaking events & the like. I was smart enough to not have to study & make fine grades w/o it. That I don’t consider myself exceptionally smart, that is one thing that concerns me about the public school curriculum. Granted, this was 20 yrs ago, but from what I see my 8th grader bringing home from public school, it doesn’t appear much has changed…
THERE ARE things I like about public school, one of them being there are lots of opprtunities for achieving & I feel pretty certain my kids would “win” stuff too-they’re smart, friendly and polite…
& I think this would give them a certain sense of accomplishment.
I really, really want my kids to learn & even in this great little private Catholic school here, I don’t feel my smart kids are being challenged academically. I don’t just want them to get good grades like I did & coast, I want them to learn…
I’m thinking the best way to do that is to homeschool & frankly, I’m a little sad at the good things they may miss out on in public or private school-maybe I just need to learn how to offer them those same types of opportunites & I’ve already learned a lot from the posts here…

One other thing I don’t like about my kids being away at school is the amount of what I perceive to be wasted/lost time…all is not wasted, I know, but from my own personal observation, much is. I would rather my kids be w/me, my husband or my parents, learning from us rather than chatting w/their friends-this is what my 9 yr old does when she finishes her work early-socializes-she (& our nearly 5 yr old son) were born knowing how to do this!!

Sorry for the lengthy post & thanks again for all the responses, good & bad!

If anyone has any experience in going to school or working while homeschooling, I’d love to hear it!
Renny

 

[Renny]

After sleeping a bit, I want to make a clarification to my 2 posts & that is this-our 8th grader is technically my stepdaughter, & as such, I don’t get to say whether or not she homeschools. Seeing the pressure she undergoes peer-wise is daunting.
That’s all I guess I have more for now-Renny