HOME SCHOOLING

[username]

Are you two unaware that a curriculum must be followed? It varies from state to state but there are requirements and the children must be able to pass state testing in order to pass their grade.

Yes but you need more than a curriculum. You need professional expertise to learn. What if you have a learning deficit? Or require special attention in certain areas? How would that even be identified? Ask any kids, or school age children they will tell you. Are home schooled kids smarter than kids that go to normal school? They will tell you no.

If you (Aussie) were the teacher, that would all be true but a lot of parents that choose to home school are exceptionally well educated themselves and certainly up to the task of teaching their own children as well, if not better, than the regular school system. Think of the teacher to student ratio. You think 1 first grader out of 25 is going to receive the same level/quality of education?

It all depends on the parent's abilities, discipline and adherence to a quality curriculum.

I wouldn't do it for all the Cheetos in the world but my cousin home schooled all 5 of hers and they're thriving, successful adults.

[sally]

People that home school are freaks. I don't give a fat fuck what your statistics say.

When people tell me they homeschool their kids, I think to myself I need to distance myself from these crazy mofos.

[HairOfTheDog]

Ok.

But do you think the fact that the crazy mofo freak's kids are testing better than public-schooled kids lends some merit to the contention that homeschooling isn't necessarily a disadvantage for the kid academically?

[aussiefriend]

Sally is bang on the money. Right there, what she said.

[sally]

Ok.

But do you think the fact that the crazy mofo freak's kids are testing better than public-schooled kids lends some merit to the contention that homeschooling isn't necessarily a disadvantage for the kid academically?

No, not really. They take the tests online which is a big difference from taking a written test in a school setting with a No 2 pencil.

[HairOfTheDog]

I could see that being a testing advantage for the home-schooled kids - especially if the kid's standardized testing sessions were monitored solely by the teaching parent.

[sally]

Everyone that I know who homeschools are weirdo bitches that don't like to do real work so they use homeschooling as an excuse to sit home and fuck off. They don't have to get up in the morning to take their kids to school and they get to sit their kids in front of a computer all day.

I obviously can't judge the entire country of homeschoolers on the few I know of, but I'd wager a bet that's the majority.

[HairOfTheDog]

Nobody in my family nor any one of my friends is a home school parent. I don't think I've ever met one, actually.

If that's why a lot of them are really doing it, they're missing the boat - IMO.

I loved spending time with my niece and nephew when they lived with me. But, Ill admit that sending them back to school after the weekend was a great thing for me. I could work uninterrupted, run errands quicker, and have some time to myself. I thought it was great for them too - learning with other kids, being outside part of the day, messing around with their friends...

[Maggot]

Sally is just pissed she can't do it. Homeschoolers should get a freaking tax deduction because their kids don't eat up 12,000.00 of the supposed school budget per kid per year.

[aussiefriend]

My child goes to a private school. There is no way any home schooling can compare to the education she is receiving at that school. Today they had swimming lessons, they have a laptop programme, and they identify gifted children and put enhance their talents, such as art.

[Duchess]

There is no way any home schooling can compare to the education she is receiving at that school.

Of course there is. A parent would put their child & his/her needs first. No matter what you pay, your kid does not come first in that school, she just doesn't.

[crash]

Like everything involving people, education is a case by case thing. In a public education system, curriculums are designed around an average students ability to learn, and set of guidelines that were decided by a percentage of the population. One size cannot fit all. Some kids learn faster, are if higher intelligence and some will have learning difficulties or special needs. In a perfect system, they get identified away from the average and lead to a path that fits their needs. Unfortunately, this does not happen a lot of the time. It is at this point the disconnect has changed. A lot of people these days are not of the belief that their child's education is one of their fundamental responsibilities. That if the child is falling behind/too far ahead yada yada that it is all the fault of the school and the teacher. It may be right. Kid may have an asshole teacher for a year; they're out there. But at the end of the day, if the parents don't take control, it's the kid who suffers most in the end. There are options i.e. Tutoring, external classes, teacher changes, extra homework etc. doing nothing but whinging about the school and the teacher and the system makes you the asshole as far as I'm concerned because you have stood by and let your child suffer.

The other extreme is to kid yourself that you know best and that you can educate your kids yourself. Sure, there are some talented individuals out there that are capable, but the numbers are not that great. Then you have to factor in personal biases, social interaction deficiencies etc.

When you build a house, you don't get one guy to draw the plans, design the structural, lay the concrete, put the frames up, lay the bricks, do the drywall, lay the tiles, build the kitchen, do the electric, put the slate tiles on the roof and do the plumbing. You get an architect, engineer, carpenter, concretor, bricklayer, plasterer, electrician, tiler, roofer, cabinetmaker, stonemason and plumber.

Same with your kids. Teachers these days are not just a teacher. They are highly trained individuals. Linguists, numeracy specialists, history majors, reading recovery specialists, ESL specialists, art majors, music specialists, behaviour specialists...need I go on? They are trained to pick up deficiencies, or gifted and talented, and treat it accordingly. It's very hard to imagine one person home schooling a child can provide equal or better to all that team of expertise, when it is functioning properly. The other side is your kid gets to be like everyone else. They learn to behave in a peer environment, where >80% of the normal workforce work.

But like I said at the beginning, one size never fits all and I'm sure there are examples of kids being better off at home. Just like there are examples of pretentious parents who fucked up their kids education when they bit off more than they could chew..

[Cynical Ninja]

Seems to be a lot of teacher hating and anti intellectualism going on over the pond. “Fucking hippy teachers and their pussy ass liberal and commie teaching unions! Trying to mould my kid into a liberal baby killing heathen!” Seems to be a sort prevailing attitude.

I dare say there are some people out there who could suitably home school their kids but they probably shouldn't anyway. Teachers are at the end of the day professionals in their chosen subjects after all. A history teacher will know more about history than me, a maths teacher will know more about mathematics than me etc.

Can a parent provide a better education than a school? No I don't think so my daughter does learn things from me but do I feel its my role to sit her down and educate her about everything? No I'm not that arrogant, even with two degrees I don't feel I'm qualified to fully educate her at all. I think parents that do are either a genius or deluded which do you think is most likely in all honesty?

If maggotyboo educated his kids at home they would probably turn out like clang.

Lol.

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't doubt that if it was my full-time job to teach my children at home, I could review and master the concepts of a solid K - 12 curriculum sufficiently to teach it, even if I hadn't any teaching experience. Based on what I've read, it seems that's the case with the majority of parents who choose to home school. Whether I could do it as well as a public school teacher would depend on the teacher - wide range of competence and experience levels amongst teachers in the system. It's a huge system, so that's to be expected. Some public school teachers would probably do a better job teaching the concepts in a way that would stick, and some not. I do think that the large ratio of students-to-teachers in most US public school classes is a disadvantage when it comes to individualized student attention and assessment (though that gap can be effectively filled in by parents or other means outside of the public school).

Home schooling isn't something I'd choose for my children or myself for the reasons I listed upthread, but two million parents in the US choose to do it and most of them produce students who score better when tested on content and college entrance exams than kids who attend public school. So, that apparently works for those households where subject mastery is the goal. Good for them.

If parents/guardians are engaged in their children's public education and fill in some of what they view as gaps in content or individualized attention at home, as I did, fine. If they have the money and believe that private school is a higher quality option than public school, fine. If they're committed and qualified to teach K - 12 curriculum content at home and choose to do so, fine. At the end of the day, if parents don't emotionally or physically abuse their children and raise them to be thinking responsible people who can contribute and carry their own weight in society, how they choose to do it isn't a real concern of mine.

[Maggot]

Seems to be a lot of teacher hating and anti intellectualism going on over the pond. “Fucking hippy teachers and their pussy ass liberal and commie teaching unions! Trying to mould my kid into a liberal baby killing heathen!” Seems to be a sort prevailing attitude.
The prevailing attitude is what you percieve.
I dare say there are some people out there who could suitably home school their kids but they probably shouldn't anyway. Teachers are at the end of the day professionals in their chosen subjects after all. A history teacher will know more about history than me, a maths teacher will know more about mathematics than me etc.
Just the other day a well learned teacher was saying that Vasco Da Gama discovered China. I had to correct her. She had to go and google it. This was at a Drama club supper the other day.Can a parent provide a better education than a school? No I don't think so my daughter does learn things from me but do I feel its my role to sit her down and educate her about everything? No I'm not that arrogant, even with two degrees I don't feel I'm qualified to fully educate her at all. I think parents that do are either a genius or deluded which do you think is most likely in all honesty?
When and if you get your Masters get back to me felix.

If maggotyboo educated his kids at home they would probably turn out like clang.
I would not attempt it but I respect those that do. The two twins that I know that are home schooled are now in college and I have seen them many times in soccer uniforms or going to band practice. The social aspect is not an issue in that situation.Lol.

It is you that has an issue with home schooling. I believe more one on one is better than more 30 on 1 as it is in a small classroom today.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

I don't know many home schoolers, but all the ones I know seem to be producing well educated kids that do very well on the standardized tests and are socialized just fine. No doubt there are some nuthatch folks out there who are messing their kids up worse than a public school can, but from the little I have seen of the whole that is an exception.
My impression is that most of the parents are home schooling their kids to keep them safe and away from the drugs, violence and idiocy that seems to be rampant in the public schools.
A week ago here I read in the paper that the school system and the NAACP or whoever has decided that there are too many black and hispanic kids being arrested to school, so what do they do?
They are decriminalizing most of the things the kids were getting arrested for....Hows that for good educational policy?
Home schooling your kids makes sense if you have the time to do it.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/educati...7136.story

[Duchess]

I don't know much about this but I'm thinking that unless one lives in an exceptionally good school district you are taking a chance with a public school.

[RaisingAPrince]

I don't know much about this but I'm thinking that unless one lives in an exceptionally good school district you are taking a chance with a public school.

We live in a VERY good school district and with just the one year my son has been in Kindergarten I can see the difference from where I went to public school (granted a lot of things have changed in 24 years). We choose where we live based on the school district and their ratings. Ours is ranked ""Excellent WITH DISTINCTION" rating from the Ohio Department of Education" which is the equivalent of an A+.

I agree though that public schooling is a gamble but you better believe I am on top of making sure my kids get the best education they can. I make sure homework is done and my son is excelling in all academic areas. I recently volunteered in the classroom and other parents were talking about how they hadn't even opened the assigned books for their kids and how maybe they should have listened to the teacher when she told them to work on sight words at the beginning of the year. Success of the children depends just as much as the parenting at home as the teacher in school.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

The schools here are very bad for the most part. Not a surprise considering how many shit bags there are here.

[username]

Everyone that I know who homeschools are weirdo bitches that don't like to do real work so they use homeschooling as an excuse to sit home and fuck off. They don't have to get up in the morning to take their kids to school and they get to sit their kids in front of a computer all day.

I obviously can't judge the entire country of homeschoolers on the few I know of, but I'd wager a bet that's the majority.

Unfortunately, I'd bet that's the majority too. But, there are parents that are capable of giving their kid an education as good as, if not better, than a school system.