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Homeschooling.
- Thread starter Despotar
- Start date
I can't comment on whether you learn as much as you would in school, but I know that a homeschooler would definitely miss out on many social experiences that go with public schools. You are limited to the friends you can make, and you wouldn't be able to participate in any of the school events (unless you are a date of someone's).
With online classes and stuff, you'll probably learn more than you would in a public school, but homeschooling has serious drawbacks that people need to consider (I did homeschooling for two years).
1. Your social growth is basically stunted completely. Adding extracurriculars helps but in all seriousness being homeschooled doesn't really help with your social aptitude at all. You might just end up browsing internet forums and being a huge dick to everyone. Heh... If you do this, try to get in as many clubs and stuff as you can. I joined a FIRST Robotics team that took homeschoolers, as well as a Quiz Bowl team.
2. You need to have a lot more self discipline than 95% of teenagers have in order to stay on top of things. If you can have parents and siblings on your ass about assignments, it can help, but it's far too easy to sleep in and play Pokemon all day.
1. Your social growth is basically stunted completely. Adding extracurriculars helps but in all seriousness being homeschooled doesn't really help with your social aptitude at all. You might just end up browsing internet forums and being a huge dick to everyone. Heh... If you do this, try to get in as many clubs and stuff as you can. I joined a FIRST Robotics team that took homeschoolers, as well as a Quiz Bowl team.
2. You need to have a lot more self discipline than 95% of teenagers have in order to stay on top of things. If you can have parents and siblings on your ass about assignments, it can help, but it's far too easy to sleep in and play Pokemon all day.
VKCA
(Virtual Circus Kareoky Act)
I've got a friend who was home schooled till about grade six, and he says he worked way harder while he was being home schooled because his parents knew what his assignments were and when they were due. I think it more depends on how strict your parents are, since once you get to high school, teachers stop giving two shits about you. I have never been chased down by a teacher in highschool to hand something in. My parents would definitely not let me sit around playing video games if they knew I had an essay due next week.
I'm saying if you are of Smogon age and are considering a fairly independent home school track you need self motivation or demanding parents.
My mom (or in my case, online classes) is a far better teacher than those at my local public school.
I was homeschooled through high school.
Most homeschoolers get interaction with other kids through homeschool group field trips that are organized by parents. While I'm sure a few parents choose to sequester their children from all other interaction, this can be healthier for them than going to a public high school where weak, ineffectual administrators and hamstrung teachers let them get bullied until they commit suicide (or get murdered by the "special needs [read: criminally violent]" kid.
Like all options, homeschooling has its advantages and its drawbacks, and the curriculum and activity involvement you choose are critical. If you can get one on one teaching with your child it makes a lot of difference. Some kids get into video curriculum and others have computer curriculum, but you really need to be a self-starter to do some of it.
As far as comparisons to other forms of school, considering public school is a laughable failure and private school is often expensive (and public school unions oppose all attempts at establishing vouchers or charter schools to drive up the cost element), homeschooling can provide a quality education at a relatively low cost if you set it up properly.
It isn't for everyone, but it should be encouraged, especially if you have a good system of checks and balances and know how to shop for curriculum and find other homeschoolers.
Most homeschoolers get interaction with other kids through homeschool group field trips that are organized by parents. While I'm sure a few parents choose to sequester their children from all other interaction, this can be healthier for them than going to a public high school where weak, ineffectual administrators and hamstrung teachers let them get bullied until they commit suicide (or get murdered by the "special needs [read: criminally violent]" kid.
Like all options, homeschooling has its advantages and its drawbacks, and the curriculum and activity involvement you choose are critical. If you can get one on one teaching with your child it makes a lot of difference. Some kids get into video curriculum and others have computer curriculum, but you really need to be a self-starter to do some of it.
As far as comparisons to other forms of school, considering public school is a laughable failure and private school is often expensive (and public school unions oppose all attempts at establishing vouchers or charter schools to drive up the cost element), homeschooling can provide a quality education at a relatively low cost if you set it up properly.
It isn't for everyone, but it should be encouraged, especially if you have a good system of checks and balances and know how to shop for curriculum and find other homeschoolers.
I agree with Deck Knight.
I was actually bullied by my third grade teacher; the work that she gave was easy, so I would finish it and then ask her questions about things I saw in the news, such as "How does cloning work?", etc. This must have made her feel incompetent, because she would yell at me and not let me do things the other kids would do, such as visit the library quickly before recess. She swore that I had ADHD, because;"Children at that age shouldn't be asking questions like that." Needless to say, a psychologist got a good laugh at it all, because I did not have ADHD. (Thank God that my mother took me to a non-school associated psychologist, or else I might have been put on pills that I didn't need.) Also, the teacher would call me a problem child in front of the whole class. For the next two years I was socially shy when I wasn't before, because I felt that I was a bad kid that had to shut up to "fix my problem child flaws". And yes, I actually did want to die.
Middle school and high school were also bores for me, and I wasn't challenged at all until half way through my junior year. That is because my teachers started letting me do extra work.
I really wish that I could have been homeschooled so I could have moved at my own pace and so I could have done more than the standard, boring curriculum. (Assuming that my parents knew what they were doing, etc etc.) Also, I'm not too social when it comes to complete strangers, so it wouldn't have been a huge blow to my social life.
So, I think homeschooling is a good alternative and that social standing is over-rated.
EDIT: The administrators were on my side after I started repeating that I was a problem child. Up until then, they were skeptical.
I was actually bullied by my third grade teacher; the work that she gave was easy, so I would finish it and then ask her questions about things I saw in the news, such as "How does cloning work?", etc. This must have made her feel incompetent, because she would yell at me and not let me do things the other kids would do, such as visit the library quickly before recess. She swore that I had ADHD, because;"Children at that age shouldn't be asking questions like that." Needless to say, a psychologist got a good laugh at it all, because I did not have ADHD. (Thank God that my mother took me to a non-school associated psychologist, or else I might have been put on pills that I didn't need.) Also, the teacher would call me a problem child in front of the whole class. For the next two years I was socially shy when I wasn't before, because I felt that I was a bad kid that had to shut up to "fix my problem child flaws". And yes, I actually did want to die.
Middle school and high school were also bores for me, and I wasn't challenged at all until half way through my junior year. That is because my teachers started letting me do extra work.
I really wish that I could have been homeschooled so I could have moved at my own pace and so I could have done more than the standard, boring curriculum. (Assuming that my parents knew what they were doing, etc etc.) Also, I'm not too social when it comes to complete strangers, so it wouldn't have been a huge blow to my social life.
So, I think homeschooling is a good alternative and that social standing is over-rated.
EDIT: The administrators were on my side after I started repeating that I was a problem child. Up until then, they were skeptical.
I feel I have a fairly unique perspective having participated in every major form of schooling in the US, so I'll bust chops for you guys :D
I feel the social interaction was not comparable and you can't really get that from field trips alone. Especially in the area of developing tolerance for others would I say it's a concern, as if you can't experience blacks, gays, etc. you may never learn that they're just like you and me!
This is a fringe case, honestly. I feel in bad schools in urban areas, this is more likely to be the case, but I would rather pull my student out if this happens rather than homeschool as a preventative measure. If you have clinical depression, going to high school might not be the best thing for you !.
I feel the social interaction was not comparable and you can't really get that from field trips alone. Especially in the area of developing tolerance for others would I say it's a concern, as if you can't experience blacks, gays, etc. you may never learn that they're just like you and me!
Again I want to say this is not the general case. Plenty of public schools don't suck.
6A9 Ace Matador
veni, vidi, vici, VERSACE, VERSACE VERSACE
good luck in life (Y)
that would sure suck for them
for someone who has never attended a public school, you sure have some pretty strong convictions about them.
Public schooling can definitely provide a quality education. Many of my friends and I who have attended public schools our entire lives currently attend top universities in the US. The social experience between the two isn't even comparable either.
I, too, have attended a private school, a host of public schools of varying local repute, and done several different homeschool arrangements. Attending public or private school is really optimum imo. There are ways to be socially competent and not attend school, but it's considerably more difficult, since school is a structured social environment that really provides some formative lessons on interaction with other people. However, with that comes some pretty nasty things, which is why I don't think people should just insta-knock homeschooling -- in certain circumstances, it's a warranted alternative. I don't approve of homeschooling kids to shelter them from adverse influences, though it's none of my business, since if anything it will just result in an overly sheltered kid, but in cases where the child is ill, the parents travel a lot, or the child is bullied / extremely depressed, sometimes it's necessary. (In my case, I developed depression so badly I physically couldn't attend school without breaking down.)
In Australia at least, there's an alternative called 'distance education', which is just correspondence school. In my state there's a school that takes care of mainstream distance ed; it organises meet-ups, group field trips, and assigns classes to kids. These classes have teachers who are fairly regularly available for phone help and who accept the work done in weekly batches through the post or mail. Textbooks are sent through the mail from the school library (which had a baller collection that I loved to borrow from :3). Oral exams are conducted on cassette tape / computer recordings / over the phone, and lesson stimuli is also sent with the weekly work batches (tapes, books, photographs, blah blah). It's a very organised system, but it takes a lot of organisation on the kid's behalf and can take ages to adjust to, since it's a very self-driven method of learning, though it's far more flexible. There's also radio school in another state for kids in remote desert areas, with video conferences on the computer.
So what I'm getting at is that homeschooling doesn't have to mean the quality of education suffers; the teachers that are employed to teach have degrees themselves, and if anything, I got more individual time with them, because I could call them during school hours / email them. However, I did not have the luxury of instantly summoning them, because they taught day lessons as well sometimes and had meetings, and if I needed something demonstrated visually for me, it was a lot harder. It also made doing science more frustrating! It does require a lot of motivation and effort, another reason I don't recommend it as an ideal option, because there's no one to make you do the work except your parents and yourself, and involving your parents in your school life can (from my experience) result in potential home conflict and a fractured relationship.
(Nice Drifloon avatar!) This is absolutely true, but there are basic social skills to be taught that attending school with other kids teaches better than any other environment.
You may laugh because it is assumed that a person has to be social, but how do you justify that assumption? Jumpluff is right about basic social skills being necessary (because it is impossible to get by with zero human interaction whatsoever) and about schools being very useful environments for this sort of thing, but it's not impossible to get these skills without attending a public or private school, and beyond the basic social skills, what else is necessary and why?
If homeschooling does require self-motivation, then that would help you prepare for the sort of work at college/university (if the student intends to go there).
Yea all they need is the internet....
This sums up all of my opinions on homeschooling. Another thing to consider is that the curriculum can sometimes be biased, if you're enrolled in something like a Christian homeschooling program. I started homeschooling this year and I noticed that all throughout the science and history textbooks there were notes about how God does this and God does that, and how he affected the outcome of certain things. Those notes really should have stayed with the Bible courses (of course this works both ways, it doesn't just apply to Christian homeschooling programs).
On the note of your social life, you have to give an extra effort to keep it, because sitting at home with mommy all day just doesn't qualify. Luckily this is the twenty-first century so keeping in touch with people is a lot easier than it used to be. Some schools also allow dual enrollment.
Homeschooling can be very beneficial if you have a head on your shoulders and not up your ass. Needless to say it's a lot less stressful, in most cases.
I have to agree with this. I've been homeschooled for 13 years, and I am social, I go to homeschooling groups, etc.
You may not get the constant exposure to kids your own age you get in school, but seeing other kids 24/7 may not be a good thing.
One of the nice things about homeschooling is the option to learn what you want. you hear school kids complaining about boring history class's, etc, but you can learn what interest's you, when you're interested. For instance, I love to read about the civil war, but if I'd been forced to read about it I probably wouldn't be half as interested or caring about it.
Their are drawbacks (Not as much socialization as you might want, etc) but it's not a bad way of life.
Good points except for the one in bold. No other country in the world can offer so much to everyone (assuming you're in the USA). Public schools take every child, regardless of background, and give them a chance not just to learn, but to pursue a form of higher learning and to break from their previous lives. In public schools you get to meet people from every part of society (learn to deal with everyone, not just the rich and affluent), take college-level classes (AP, IB, and anything to promote everyone to learn), and gives the kids a positive environment in which to advance themselves. Our public schools have their shortcomings (exacerbated by NCLB and financial issues, sometimes related to NCLB), but they take the kids from the pits of society and give them a chance to do something with their lives. While other countries come close, they cannot match the level of success we have had with the poorer classes. I wanted to go to a private high school but my parents made me come up with a reason to shell out money. I tried to explain that I would get a better education there, but they pointed to the statistics, the classes offered, and the social opportunities and convinced me to stay in the public school system, without even mentioning finances. I couldn't be happier with my school and I have taken higher level classes than I could have at a private school.
As to homeschooling, it too has its shortcomings but is a perfectly viable form of education. Your parents are a huge threat to your development, however, and usually results in helicopter parents in college (the worst thing for the student and the professors) or just a total lack of social skills. Done right, homeschooling is very effective.
Far more often that not, any random kid will want to be and be better served by it in life.
As with everything, it, as has been said many times before, got upshots and downshots.
Being at a UK grammar school a slightly skewed veiw than the rest, but i will say this. I feel if i had been homeschooled, i would never have become down to earth in the slightest, and lived my life niave and oblivious. I'd never give up the social interaction of everyday school, its valuable to me.
Also, school teaches valuable life lessons, such as there will be pricks wherever you go, quality of teaching can drastically shift your motivation and those above you can easily be brought down to your level if you reach to theirs enough.
Having said that, i'd probably be doing a lot more studious if i had my parents fully aware of my schooling, but perfectly certain the quality of teaching would be far better at a school (but thats just personal circumstances.
Being at a UK grammar school a slightly skewed veiw than the rest, but i will say this. I feel if i had been homeschooled, i would never have become down to earth in the slightest, and lived my life niave and oblivious. I'd never give up the social interaction of everyday school, its valuable to me.
Also, school teaches valuable life lessons, such as there will be pricks wherever you go, quality of teaching can drastically shift your motivation and those above you can easily be brought down to your level if you reach to theirs enough.
Having said that, i'd probably be doing a lot more studious if i had my parents fully aware of my schooling, but perfectly certain the quality of teaching would be far better at a school (but thats just personal circumstances.
the world at their fingertips.
I said I was homeschooled through high school, I was in public schools through elementary and middle schools. I never really fit in, so maybe for the lucky few who are social butterflies or inherently popular it's cool, for everyone else it's a mediocre shitfest at best, the kind of thing you make crummy musicals about.
It's becoming less and less fringe. We just had a case in Massachusetts where a nice suburban town (South Hadley) had bullying problems and a girl committed suicide because it was so intense and followed her even when she went online. The schools tried to deflect blame, the Massachusetts Legislature drafted the same toothless drivel they always come up with to make it look like they're doing something, and what people actually cared about it are only in the position to do more paperwork to accomplish the same non-response.
Nothing is going to make you more tolerant than hearing the black kids cluster together and say "Yo Niggaz my Niggaz what up Nigga!" and everyone else saying "lol that is so gay stop being a (BAN ME PLEASE)." Tolerance is generally taught by parents, not peers.
Perhaps, but even if you get lucky and go into the right neighborhood, public schools let down the people who are supposedly going to benefit from them the most. Anyway the thread is about homeschooling not public schooling so I'll cease, but it any event I don't think mass interaction in public schools is anything to write home about in and of itself. Plenty of people who go to schools are in the "out group" so the idea it's a guarantor of any social skills is suspect. Some people leave just as awkward as when they came in, possibly even more jaded. Sometimes the standards drop so low it might as well just be called day-care for teenagers.