Homeschool VS Public School

[Michał Kalina]

I consider homeschooling to be a very dangerous thing. IMO the children kept sheltered from interactions with their peers won't gain the necessary abilities to act in a group or deal with the conflicts. I think they will have difficulties with living an adult life.

This can be true, but does not have to be. It would be the fault of the parent homeschooling, not the idea of homeschooling itself.

There are tons of peer groups to participate in if you're in a community of people. There should be kids at the parish, kids at the local YMCA, kids in local sports leagues, kids in reading/study groups organized by a local library, etc. Finding a nice homeschool co-op can also help.

Meeting someone twice a week for two hours don't enables to make a true friendship. To really get to know anyone you have to spend with him more time without breaks (at least 5-6 hours). It's easy to control yourself for a while but you have to take of the mask after some time and only then real feelings are shown.

[Benjamin the Red]

I consider homeschooling to be a very dangerous thing. IMO the children kept sheltered from interactions with their peers won't gain the necessary abilities to act in a group or deal with the conflicts. I think they will have difficulties with living an adult life.

This can be true, but does not have to be. It would be the fault of the parent homeschooling, not the idea of homeschooling itself.

There are tons of peer groups to participate in if you're in a community of people. There should be kids at the parish, kids at the local YMCA, kids in local sports leagues, kids in reading/study groups organized by a local library, etc. Finding a nice homeschool co-op can also help.

Meeting someone twice a week for two hours don't enables to make a true friendship. To really get to know anyone you have to spend with him more time without breaks (at least 5-6 hours). It's easy to control yourself for a while but you have to take of the mask after some time and only then real feelings are shown.

I'm not saying that they should only be involved in those activities...because I agree with you whole-heartedly.

Such activities should be used as a spring-board for your children to meet other kids, who they can then invite over and vice versa, as well as planning things together with the other family/families. Does it take some extra work for the parents? Yes. Are the educational benefits worth it? If it's done right...absolutely.

[Maksim]

I consider homeschooling to be a very dangerous thing. IMO the children kept sheltered from interactions with their peers won't gain the necessary abilities to act in a group or deal with the conflicts. I think they will have difficulties with living an adult life.

This is the most common claim against homeschooling, but I have never found any evidence to support it.  Most evidence I have seen suggests that homeschooled children are (if anything) more involved in their communities and have equal or better social skills than their peers.

[ilyazhito]

As others have mentioned, we have our daughters in a nearby Roman Catholic school. The public schools are so bad that sending a child there should be a misdemeanor and we certainly can't sent them to a Protestant school where the folks gasp out "Graven images!" in terror whenever they see an icon.

And since all of the local Orthodox Churches are comfortably divided into the standard ethnic patterns, none have the numbers to start their own school.

What about the Greek academies in Chicago (Plato and Socrates), or are they just for MS/ High school?
Couldn't the OCA or other jurisdictions cooperate to create Orthodox schools?

[Robb]

I'm really suspicious of the whole homeschooling movement.  While I do believe that a parent has the right to educate their children as they see fit, I could personally never allow my children to be homeschooled (If I had any) or agree that homeschooling is the best option for kids.

The whole movement may have started out with well intentions (What movement doesn't), But it just seems as if they have been taken over by right wingers and cult like fanaticism and anti social attitudes. The verity fact that modern American homeschooling are so closely identified with the Protestant religious right should give any on of us a cause for concern.  I'd rather send any kids that come my way to a good private school then botch their education by trying to "do it myself".

[Quinault]

That would be a regional issue, not nationwide. The vast majority of homeschoolers in WA are actually non-religious.

[BoredMeeting]

....I could personally never ... agree that homeschooling is the best option for kids.

What if it can be empirically proved that it is the best option for an individual? Is there a point where facts could allay your suspicions?

[BoredMeeting]

As others have mentioned, we have our daughters in a nearby Roman Catholic school. The public schools are so bad that sending a child there should be a misdemeanor and we certainly can't sent them to a Protestant school where the folks gasp out "Graven images!" in terror whenever they see an icon.

And since all of the local Orthodox Churches are comfortably divided into the standard ethnic patterns, none have the numbers to start their own school.

What about the Greek academies in Chicago (Plato and Socrates), or are they just for MS/ High school?
Couldn't the OCA or other jurisdictions cooperate to create Orthodox schools?

That's the $64,000 question we should get answered!

[tuesdayschild]

...jurisdictions cooperate...

That's the $64,000 question we should get answered!

I think you answered it.   

A better approach is to get parishes in a metro-area to cooperate. Keep it local, and it might get done.

[FormerReformer]

I consider homeschooling to be a very dangerous thing. IMO the children kept sheltered from interactions with their peers won't gain the necessary abilities to act in a group or deal with the conflicts. I think they will have difficulties with living an adult life.

This can be true, but does not have to be. It would be the fault of the parent homeschooling, not the idea of homeschooling itself.

There are tons of peer groups to participate in if you're in a community of people. There should be kids at the parish, kids at the local YMCA, kids in local sports leagues, kids in reading/study groups organized by a local library, etc. Finding a nice homeschool co-op can also help.

Meeting someone twice a week for two hours don't enables to make a true friendship. To really get to know anyone you have to spend with him more time without breaks (at least 5-6 hours). It's easy to control yourself for a while but you have to take of the mask after some time and only then real feelings are shown.

FWIW I know education from each side of the issue, having attended public schools, private schools, and home school.  As far as socialization goes, I never really had close friends at any school I went to.  In elementary school the only times you got to know others was recess, in high school you didn't even have that.  All other time was spent in some sort of school activity, whether it be sports or plays or some other extracurricular.  Not exactly time for conversation and getting to know others.  The exception to this was junior and senior year when my private school was a ministry of my church.

My closest friendships during childhood were always with neighborhood kids or kids at church, no matter what type of school I went to.  Even in public school, when the neighborhood kids went to the same school they were always in different classes.  It was after getting home that I could spend a few hours with others without breaks.  It was with church kids that I went to camp or spent long hours of unsupervised time while the adults were otherwise occupied (and got into the most trouble).

Home schooling doesn't make for introverted anti-social adults.  Public schooling, on the other hand... let's just put it like this: I never hear of school shootings amongst home-schoolers (and home schoolers are far more likely have guns in the home!).

[Contarini]

I consider homeschooling to be a very dangerous thing. IMO the children kept sheltered from interactions with their peers won't gain the necessary abilities to act in a group or deal with the conflicts. I think they will have difficulties with living an adult life.

This can be true, but does not have to be. It would be the fault of the parent homeschooling, not the idea of homeschooling itself.

There are tons of peer groups to participate in if you're in a community of people. There should be kids at the parish, kids at the local YMCA, kids in local sports leagues, kids in reading/study groups organized by a local library, etc. Finding a nice homeschool co-op can also help.

Meeting someone twice a week for two hours don't enables to make a true friendship. To really get to know anyone you have to spend with him more time without breaks (at least 5-6 hours). It's easy to control yourself for a while but you have to take of the mask after some time and only then real feelings are shown.

But do schools promote real friendship? I don't see that they do. Homeschooling makes healthy socialization _more_, not less, possible. Of course, if parents isolate their kids, there will be some negative effects. There were in my case (I was homeschooled in the 80s and was very isolated much of the time). But still, I think that the problems I have because of homeschooling have been milder and easier to overcome than the problems I would have had in the public schools. I can't prove this, of course. But generally such studies as have been done don't seem to bear out the claims against homeschooling.

[Contarini]

I'm really suspicious of the whole homeschooling movement.  While I do believe that a parent has the right to educate their children as they see fit, I could personally never allow my children to be homeschooled (If I had any) or agree that homeschooling is the best option for kids.

The whole movement may have started out with well intentions (What movement doesn't), But it just seems as if they have been taken over by right wingers and cult like fanaticism and anti social attitudes. The verity fact that modern American homeschooling are so closely identified with the Protestant religious right should give any on of us a cause for concern.  I'd rather send any kids that come my way to a good private school then botch their education by trying to "do it myself".

This doesn't seem like a rational argument to me. The beauty of homeschooling is that you don't have to be part of a "movement" or jump on a bandwagon.

[Achronos]

Public school made me an anti-social introvert. That's not to say I condone home schooling, however one of the advantages I see with home schooling is direct attention to the student to make sure they are progressing rather than lumping them in with 30+ students which I'm sure the teacher doesn't care about, even on a personal level. Because isn't it natural for a parent to care about their kid and what they do? That seems to me to drive the parents more to help their kids succeed.

[Fr.Aidan]

There's a good, strong Orthodox Christian homeschooling movement, and the fruits I've seen are quite remarkable and worthy of our support.

Unfortunately, the government, which is overrun by criminals, takes your money from you and forces it to go to the government schools, which promote an agenda unacceptable to Christians, whether Orthodox or Otherdox.

The fact remains that, statistically speaking, homeschooled children do better at University than public-schooled children. Why would someone want his or her child to do more poorly at University, unless there's some overriding good reason?

[Catwell]

I am not actually a parent, but I have some insight on this topic.

I have been to both a protestant parochial school during my years in elementary and then to a public school for the rest of my time. I have also been home schooled. The transition was very tough, and I miss going to my christian school a lot - mostly because of chapel time and everyone was much nicer to one another. Anyway, home schooling is especially tough for people with busy schedules - but it is very rewarding in the end.

Hope that helped a little.

[HandmaidenofGod]

I think it is unfair to make broad-brush statements such as "Homeschooling is evil/the best thing since sliced bread" or "Public school is the devil's workshop/it's the best thing since sliced bread."

Every family has to assess what is right for them. I know of families who home-schooled their children, did a wonderful job of it, and their children are very successful in the world. I know of other families who home-schooled their children, and their 22 year old daughter struggles with basic arithmetic.

I went to Public school Pre-K through 12. My parents did a decent enough job of instilling Christians morals in me at home, so that my sister and I were able to traverse many of the so-called "evil pitfalls" of public education. We went to Church and Sunday school on Sundays, and had Bible study during the week. We prayed before meals, and prayed before bedtime. Nothing particularly magical about it.

Regardless of what a parent decides to do for a child's education, the point is that the parent needs to be involved. It is not up to any educational institution or learning system to teach a child morals and values. That has to come from the parent.

I know plenty of people who went to parochial school for all 12 years of their education, and are horrible human beings. Why? Because the values they were taught in school were not reinforced at home.

My parents were involved in my education; both secular and spiritual. If the parents are not willing to take an active role, then nothing good will come of it.

[primuspilus]

I think it is unfair to make broad-brush statements such as "Homeschooling is evil/the best thing since sliced bread" or "Public school is the devil's workshop/it's the best thing since sliced bread."

Every family has to assess what is right for them. I know of families who home-schooled their children, did a wonderful job of it, and their children are very successful in the world. I know of other families who home-schooled their children, and their 22 year old daughter struggles with basic arithmetic.

I went to Public school Pre-K through 12. My parents did a decent enough job of instilling Christians morals in me at home, so that my sister and I were able to traverse many of the so-called "evil pitfalls" of public education. We went to Church and Sunday school on Sundays, and had Bible study during the week. We prayed before meals, and prayed before bedtime. Nothing particularly magical about it.

Regardless of what a parent decides to do for a child's education, the point is that the parent needs to be involved. It is not up to any educational institution or learning system to teach a child morals and values. That has to come from the parent.

I know plenty of people who went to parochial school for all 12 years of their education, and are horrible human beings. Why? Because the values they were taught in school were not reinforced at home.

My parents were involved in my education; both secular and spiritual. If the parents are not willing to take an active role, then nothing good will come of it.

I agree. I know for us, if we put our son in private school or homeschool, it would ring the death knell for his education. Although I wish it was not true.

PP

[stpaulphilip]

My wife and I have four children and our homeschooling our two oldest; 5 and 10.  Our reasons are many for homeschooling.  We don't want to send our lambs to the wolves.  I went through public school.  I know the peer pressure, the bad habits picked up from other kids, the desire to be with every girl that looked good, etc.  To make a long story short, I took the broad way in my life and if it wasn't for Jesus Christ and the Orthodox Church I'd be dead.  My children are super social, have lots of friends in our small Iowa town, go to YMCA activities, my 10 year old is an altar boy at church, they aren't shy, and they are really smart (thanks to my wife), are learning how to play instruments, etc.  I don't understand why people speak about being worried for their socialization.  I don't want my children to learn how to socialize from heathen kids (sorry, just being truthful).  Plus, when they go out to work in the world, they aren't going to be working with a bunch of people their same age.  It will be a diverse group of ages and people groups.  I teach them the Orthodox faith at home, we have devotions every evening and my wife prays with them every morning.  My oldest scored in the 98th percentile in the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.  We are actually getting to raise our children and not the atheistic public school system.  For what it's worth, we also believe God created the universe, and I don't want my children to believe that everything was made by accident and humans are evolved pond scum.  God has been good to us and I pray for his continued mercy.  By the way, we use Classical Conversations, a program where the kids go to school one day a week with other homeschoolers and the rest of the week they study and do homework. 

[cizinec]

I agree. I know for us, if we put our son in private school or homeschool, it would ring the death knell for his education. Although I wish it was not true.

PP

I wish it were not true.  Some misguided fools will tell you that modern English doesn't require the subjunctive.  The subjunctive allows us to make subtle changes in meaning that would not otherwise be possible. 

[stpaulphilip]

There's a good, strong Orthodox Christian homeschooling movement, and the fruits I've seen are quite remarkable and worthy of our support.

Unfortunately, the government, which is overrun by criminals, takes your money from you and forces it to go to the government schools, which promote an agenda unacceptable to Christians, whether Orthodox or Otherdox.

The fact remains that, statistically speaking, homeschooled children do better at University than public-schooled children. Why would someone want his or her child to do more poorly at University, unless there's some overriding good reason?

Father, Bless,


I am in agreement with you 100%.  I wish that more Orthodox felt the same way!

Paul

[primuspilus]

I agree. I know for us, if we put our son in private school or homeschool, it would ring the death knell for his education. Although I wish it was not true.

PP

I wish it were not true.  Some misguided fools will tell you that modern English doesn't require the subjunctive.  The subjunctive allows us to make subtle changes in meaning that would not otherwise be possible.  

Feel better now? I'm glad you contributed that correction to this discussion  

PP

[Milica]

I myself go to public school, because both my parents work all day, so no one would be able to teach me.
I do know an Orthodox family who has homeschooled their eldest son since 6th grade and he is now going to Serbia to study medicine. My friend, from the same family, was homeschooled for one year. She was an average student before this (A's and B's, not in honors), but when she came back to public school, she gets A's and A+'s, and is now in all Honors classes. So, judging from what I've seen, homeschooling is effective.

[JamesR]

I did everything. I went to Private School for Jr. High because my father worked there and I got free tuition, I went to public highschool for one year and right now I am doing home-schooling so that I have more time to focus on my music career. Anyway, I think that a lot of the reasons for home-schooling kids are a bit stupid. Your kids are going to be exposed to wickedness at some point in their lives, and if you shelter them then you aren't doing your job as parents and are just making them weak for the future when you are no longer around to protect them. You have to toughen them up and prepare them for the world.

[primuspilus]

Anyway, I think that a lot of the reasons for home-schooling kids are a bit stupid. Your kids are going to be exposed to wickedness at some point in their lives, and if you shelter them then you aren't doing your job as parents and are just making them weak for the future when you are no longer around to protect them. You have to toughen them up and prepare them for the world

Aint that the darn truth. I also think  that home schooling to shelter your kids from "all that's out there" is a dangerous thing. My son sees things at school all the time, but we talk about it, and Im able to instill in him teaching about such stuff (drugs, sex, etc). IMHO, some, not all kids, that are sheltered from this stuff until adulthood can be of a detriment.


PP

[BoredMeeting]

Anyway, I think that a lot of the reasons for home-schooling kids are a bit stupid. Your kids are going to be exposed to wickedness at some point in their lives, and if you shelter them then you aren't doing your job as parents and are just making them weak for the future when you are no longer around to protect them. You have to toughen them up and prepare them for the world

Aint that the darn truth. I also think  that home schooling to shelter your kids from "all that's out there" is a dangerous thing. My son sees things at school all the time, but we talk about it, and Im able to instill in him teaching about such stuff (drugs, sex, etc). IMHO, some, not all kids, that are sheltered from this stuff until adulthood can be of a detriment.

There's a huge gap between protecting your children from wickedness during their developing years and "sheltering them until adulthood."

There's a reason why Christ didn't come immediately after the fall, after all.

[primuspilus]

There's a huge gap between protecting your children from wickedness during their developing years and "sheltering them until adulthood."

There's a reason why Christ didn't come immediately after the fall, after all

Dont get me wrong, im not bashing homeschooling. Im just saying that using homeschooling as a device to shelter your kids from "all that is bad out there" can really blow up in your face in a hurry, once these kids become adults. I know many families here that this has happened to.

PP

[FormerReformer]

There's a huge gap between protecting your children from wickedness during their developing years and "sheltering them until adulthood."

There's a reason why Christ didn't come immediately after the fall, after all

Dont get me wrong, im not bashing homeschooling. Im just saying that using homeschooling as a device to shelter your kids from "all that is bad out there" can really blow up in your face in a hurry, once these kids become adults. I know many families here that this has happened to.

PP

True. But there is still one very good reason for homeschooling that trumps all else: Public schools (on the average) suck when it comes to education.

[primuspilus]

There's a huge gap between protecting your children from wickedness during their developing years and "sheltering them until adulthood."

There's a reason why Christ didn't come immediately after the fall, after all

Dont get me wrong, im not bashing homeschooling. Im just saying that using homeschooling as a device to shelter your kids from "all that is bad out there" can really blow up in your face in a hurry, once these kids become adults. I know many families here that this has happened to.

PP

True. But there is still one very good reason for homeschooling that trumps all else: Public schools (on the average) suck when it comes to education.

On that, we are in 100% agreement. The only thing going for our schools is that the unions dont run them here yet.

PP

[Iconodule]

There's a huge gap between protecting your children from wickedness during their developing years and "sheltering them until adulthood."

There's a reason why Christ didn't come immediately after the fall, after all

Dont get me wrong, im not bashing homeschooling. Im just saying that using homeschooling as a device to shelter your kids from "all that is bad out there" can really blow up in your face in a hurry, once these kids become adults. I know many families here that this has happened to.

PP

True. But there is still one very good reason for homeschooling that trumps all else: Public schools (on the average) suck when it comes to education.

Can it be demonstrated that homeschooling (on average) provides a better education? Many learning support teachers in public schools will tell you that formerly homeschooled kids often end up in their rooms with IEP's.

[FormerReformer]

There's a huge gap between protecting your children from wickedness during their developing years and "sheltering them until adulthood."

There's a reason why Christ didn't come immediately after the fall, after all

Dont get me wrong, im not bashing homeschooling. Im just saying that using homeschooling as a device to shelter your kids from "all that is bad out there" can really blow up in your face in a hurry, once these kids become adults. I know many families here that this has happened to.

PP

True. But there is still one very good reason for homeschooling that trumps all else: Public schools (on the average) suck when it comes to education.

Can it be demonstrated that homeschooling (on average) provides a better education? Many learning support teachers in public schools will tell you that formerly homeschooled kids often end up in their rooms with IEP's.

It depends, I suppose, on various factors- first and foremost what criteria lands these homeschool kids in the IEP classes. Is it due to lack of actual knowledge, reticence on the part of the parents to file records with the state (some homeschool parents being driven by paranoia), does being homeschooled tag these students as "antisocial" and in need of specialized education, and so on.

Of course, the growing "no-school" movement (the hippiefied version of homeschooling), could also be a huge contributing factor.

[livefreeordie]

There's a huge gap between protecting your children from wickedness during their developing years and "sheltering them until adulthood."

There's a reason why Christ didn't come immediately after the fall, after all

Dont get me wrong, im not bashing homeschooling. Im just saying that using homeschooling as a device to shelter your kids from "all that is bad out there" can really blow up in your face in a hurry, once these kids become adults. I know many families here that this has happened to.

PP

True. But there is still one very good reason for homeschooling that trumps all else: Public schools (on the average) suck when it comes to education.

Can it be demonstrated that homeschooling (on average) provides a better education? Many learning support teachers in public schools will tell you that formerly homeschooled kids often end up in their rooms with IEP's.

If you look back to earlier threads on this post, or you can research it yourself, you'll find there are studies that show homeschooled students do as well or better than their public schooled peers in most academic areas.  And this is also the case in social catagories such as socialization.  Typically, I find that people who say bad things about homeschooling do so based on personal bias or innuendo, not facts or studies.

[vamrat]

If a parent is going to go to the effort of homeschooling their children, more often than not they care about their child's education.  I have heard from every teacher I have ever known (including a very nice one I went on a date with last night), that parents not giving a darn about their child's education is the number one reason they fail in public schools.

[primuspilus]

I have heard from every teacher I have ever known (including a very nice one I went on a date with last night), that parents not giving a darn about their child's education is the number one reason they fail in public schools

QFT

[Νεκτάριος]

If a parent is going to go to the effort of homeschooling their children, more often than not they care about their child's education.  I have heard from every teacher I have ever known (including a very nice one I went on a date with last night), that parents not giving a darn about their child's education is the number one reason they fail in public schools.

Definitely.  I deal with this everyday. 

[Fotina02]

If a parent is going to go to the effort of homeschooling their children, more often than not they care about their child's education.

Not necessarily. It could be some parents decide it's easier to keep kids at home rather than take care of transporting, feeding, clothing, etc. required to send their child to school, and then do little or no "schooling" at home either. The child passes the whole day idly. Is there accountability or standards required of the "home school" and parent/teacher? Some kids can fall through the cracks, I'm afraid.

[primuspilus]

Not necessarily. It could be some parents decide it's easier to keep kids at home rather than take care of transporting, feeding, clothing, etc. required to send their child to school, and then do little or no "schooling" at home either

This can also be true.

The child passes the whole day idly. Is there accountability or standards required of the "home school" and parent/teacher? Some kids can fall through the cracks, I'm afraid.

There is accountability. At least in many states. Here in VA, the homeschoolers have to pass a standardized test. if they dont, they're allowed a retake, and if they fail again, they are ordered into public school.

PP

[Fotina02]

Not necessarily. It could be some parents decide it's easier to keep kids at home rather than take care of transporting, feeding, clothing, etc. required to send their child to school, and then do little or no "schooling" at home either

This can also be true.

The child passes the whole day idly. Is there accountability or standards required of the "home school" and parent/teacher? Some kids can fall through the cracks, I'm afraid.

There is accountability. At least in many states. Here in VA, the homeschoolers have to pass a standardized test. if they dont, they're allowed a retake, and if they fail again, they are ordered into public school.

PP

That's good to hear! It should be required in all states just like teacher certification.

[BoredMeeting]

Im just saying that using homeschooling as a device to shelter your kids from "all that is bad out there" can really blow up in your face in a hurry, once these kids become adults. I know many families here that this has happened to.

PP

Have you ever seen the situation where the same sort of thing happened to a publicly-schooled kid once he/she got away from home for the first time?

At least with homeschooling, the idea is to present them with a model of behavior, including courtesy and respect, that appear to be in short supply these days.

I don't see it as a child-isolation theme since home-schooled kids tend to have high levels of participation in things such as sports camps and other youth organizations.

[primuspilus]

Have you ever seen the situation where the same sort of thing happened to a publicly-schooled kid once he/she got away from home for the first time?

Absolutely. I wasn't attacking homeschoolers, I was just stating that many parents homeschool their kids to keep them away form that and it rarely works.

At least with homeschooling, the idea is to present them with a model of behavior, including courtesy and respect, that appear to be in short supply these days.

Amen

I don't see it as a child-isolation theme since home-schooled kids tend to have high levels of participation in things such as sports camps and other youth organizations

It wasn't always that way. Many homeschooling parents I know (which are many) saw that their kids did not have the crucial social skills so they created co-operatives and camps and sports activities to be with other kids. It is working really well.

PP

[Fotina02]

Have you ever seen the situation where the same sort of thing happened to a publicly-schooled kid once he/she got away from home for the first time?

Absolutely. I wasn't attacking homeschoolers, I was just stating that many parents homeschool their kids to keep them away form that and it rarely works.

At least with homeschooling, the idea is to present them with a model of behavior, including courtesy and respect, that appear to be in short supply these days.

Amen

I don't see it as a child-isolation theme since home-schooled kids tend to have high levels of participation in things such as sports camps and other youth organizations

It wasn't always that way. Many homeschooling parents I know (which are many) saw that their kids did not have the crucial social skills so they created co-operatives and camps and sports activities to be with other kids. It is working really well.

PP

Homeschooling is great for the dedicated parent. But for the neglectful parents who discover they can "homeschool", it just means they don't even have to send their kids to school--the very reason for mandatory public schools. As in most of society, the dangers and risks are to the underpriviledged for whom laws are supposed to protect. OTOH, public schools are dangerous places. Who protects the underpriviledged child?

[Carl Kraeff (Second Chance)]

Seems to me that charter schools are a form of home schooling cooperatives, no?

[vamrat]

If a parent is going to go to the effort of homeschooling their children, more often than not they care about their child's education.

Not necessarily. It could be some parents decide it's easier to keep kids at home rather than take care of transporting, feeding, clothing, etc. required to send their child to school, and then do little or no "schooling" at home either. The child passes the whole day idly. Is there accountability or standards required of the "home school" and parent/teacher? Some kids can fall through the cracks, I'm afraid.

If the parents are that worthless, the kid won't do any better in public schooling.  Keep in mind that by "going to the effort of homeschooling" I meant that they were going to the effort of homeschooling.  If they are just keeping the kids at home and not teaching them, then they really aren't going to the effort of homeschooling them.  It's kind of like if a mother were "breast feeding" her children, and then just didn't buy them any sort of food and let them starve to death, she wasn't really breast feeding them in the fullest definition of the word.

[BoredMeeting]

I don't see it as a child-isolation theme since home-schooled kids tend to have high levels of participation in things such as sports camps and other youth organizations

It wasn't always that way. Many homeschooling parents I know (which are many) saw that their kids did not have the crucial social skills so they created co-operatives and camps and sports activities to be with other kids. It is working really well.

PP

This is also what I've seen first hand, yet the unfrounded complaint about the children being "isolated" is used as a cudgel whenever home-schooling is mentioned.

[Maria]

I don't see it as a child-isolation theme since home-schooled kids tend to have high levels of participation in things such as sports camps and other youth organizations

It wasn't always that way. Many homeschooling parents I know (which are many) saw that their kids did not have the crucial social skills so they created co-operatives and camps and sports activities to be with other kids. It is working really well.

PP

This is also what I've seen first hand, yet the unfrounded complaint about the children being "isolated" is used as a cudgel whenever home-schooling is mentioned.

Exactly. This unfounded opinion that homeschoolers are not properly socialized keeps being repeated so frequently that people naively believe it without doing any research on their own. Laziness rules.

Yet, in most public kindergartens children learn to spit, hit, and yell from the most shady characters in the class. In fact, in some kindergartens children are bringing marijuana and meth into the classroom. Did not one child bring a gun into his kindergarten classroom?

[ilyazhito]

I don't see it as a child-isolation theme since home-schooled kids tend to have high levels of participation in things such as sports camps and other youth organizations

It wasn't always that way. Many homeschooling parents I know (which are many) saw that their kids did not have the crucial social skills so they created co-operatives and camps and sports activities to be with other kids. It is working really well.

PP

This is also what I've seen first hand, yet the unfrounded complaint about the children being "isolated" is used as a cudgel whenever home-schooling is mentioned.

Exactly. This unfounded opinion that homeschoolers are not properly socialized keeps being repeated so frequently that people naively believe it without doing any research on their own. Laziness rules.

Yet, in most public kindergartens children learn to spit, hit, and yell from the most shady characters in the class. In fact, in some kindergartens children are bringing marijuana and meth into the classroom. Did not one child bring a gun into his kindergarten classroom?

Who! I never knew that. Although this conduct is illegagl, public schools seem to be following a double standard. They pay a lip service to education,  but do nothing that can actually be called educatyional.

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