Who Has Made The Choice To Home School And Why?

[syorker82]

Have you made the choice to home school your children and why?  What are the pros and cons of your decision?  Will you allowing them to return to public school?

[articx]

I do not have kids, but I think some of the pros of home schooling are:
- The kids are not teased for the clothes and shoes they wear
- The kids are taken away from bullying
- The parent is there to help the child(ren) beyond the schooling hours

Some people may say there is a lack of socialization, but the parent can arrange for their child(ren) to meet other home schooled kids.

[kapeh12]

My sister chose to home school her kids (she has 5).  Public schools in her area are a bit on the dangerous side, so that was part of the motivation behind deciding to home school.  Her kids are all very bright, well adjusted, have great self-esteem and are very creative.  They belong to a church and participate in several activities there, as well as having several friends/family with kids - so socializing is not an issue.

Some advantages are the flexibility - you control the schedule so if your family wants to take a day off from school to do something, you can.  The kids can work at their own pace, which is beneficial for them developing their learning styles - they don't have to feel like they are going "too fast" and get bored, or like they are going "too slow" and may feel there is something wrong with themselves not being able to keep up with others.  They can be okay with their learning pace without pressure.

Some drawbacks are (1) physical education - as home schooling doesn't have any formal physical education classes like many public/private schools, you'll want to include some activity to supplement that.  (2) You as the teacher needs to learn the topics enough to teach it to the child - for some this is a difficulty.  There are many organizations nowadays that provide reference materials and support forums to get assistance compared to a couple decades ago, so as long as you can get a support system for yourself to push through difficult subjects, that should be fine.  Example - there are occasions where my sister will get stumped on a math question and forward it to me for an explanation as I was our family "math whiz" - and I'm always happy to help when needed.  (3) Both you and the child need to be focused and get into a routine - in order for school to work at home, it's similar to telecommuters for work, you need to set up a schedule and location to consistently "hold class" to allow both of you to remain focused on classes and not be distracted by too many outside things.

Hope this helps.

[cgilliland09]

I do not have any school aged children any more but my oldest daughter has 3 (14yr, 13yr and 7yr) and she removed all 3 from the public school system last year and is homeschooling them herself. 2 of her 3 daughters have Learning Disabilities and the local school (we are a small town, semi rural) would not test, administer IEP or assist in any way, choosing instead to let the students fail and academically passing them. This is an unacceptable solution in my mind and a waste of tax dollars which is how the public school is funded. Any one else experience similar problems?

[coreyw87]

Well, I don't have children yet but me and my brother were both home schooled.  My mother actually worked for the school district and felt like they were doing a crappy job - we ended up being way ahead of our educational level when we were tested at the local community college so I guess it was all good and my dad was disabled so he was able to do the bulk of the homeschooling.

[ahunter300]

Do you feel cheated when you pay your taxes - and what can you do about it - are there any solutions

[syorker82]

My sister chose to home school her kids (she has 5).  Public schools in her area are a bit on the dangerous side, so that was part of the motivation behind deciding to home school.  Her kids are all very bright, well adjusted, have great self-esteem and are very creative.  They belong to a church and participate in several activities there, as well as having several friends/family with kids - so socializing is not an issue.

Some advantages are the flexibility - you control the schedule so if your family wants to take a day off from school to do something, you can.  The kids can work at their own pace, which is beneficial for them developing their learning styles - they don't have to feel like they are going "too fast" and get bored, or like they are going "too slow" and may feel there is something wrong with themselves not being able to keep up with others.  They can be okay with their learning pace without pressure.

Some drawbacks are (1) physical education - as home schooling doesn't have any formal physical education classes like many public/private schools, you'll want to include some activity to supplement that.  (2) You as the teacher needs to learn the topics enough to teach it to the child - for some this is a difficulty.  There are many organizations nowadays that provide reference materials and support forums to get assistance compared to a couple decades ago, so as long as you can get a support system for yourself to push through difficult subjects, that should be fine.  Example - there are occasions where my sister will get stumped on a math question and forward it to me for an explanation as I was our family "math whiz" - and I'm always happy to help when needed.  (3) Both you and the child need to be focused and get into a routine - in order for school to work at home, it's similar to telecommuters for work, you need to set up a schedule and location to consistently "hold class" to allow both of you to remain focused on classes and not be distracted by too many outside things.

Hope this helps.

Thank you all so much for your input!!!!  I think this question is very relevant to the way things are now.  So much is going on in the world and with the economy.  I know we can not protect our children from everything but every effort counts.  I am homeschooling my daughter and I'm not that great with Math it seems like Math has really changed since I was in school or could it be that I didn't like it then and most certainly not now lol.

[syorker82]

I do not have any school aged children any more but my oldest daughter has 3 (14yr, 13yr and 7yr) and she removed all 3 from the public school system last year and is homeschooling them herself. 2 of her 3 daughters have Learning Disabilities and the local school (we are a small town, semi rural) would not test, administer IEP or assist in any way, choosing instead to let the students fail and academically passing them. This is an unacceptable solution in my mind and a waste of tax dollars which is how the public school is funded. Any one else experience similar problems?

What you have said is sad but is true especially in small towns.  There are some small towns in the state that I live in that I believe are stuck in the 1960's!!  There is a saying that children are our future, but what exactly is our future going to look like if the proper training is not in place for them to learn?

[dodgers16]

   my sister is going to be having a baby, and after this latest viloent act at a school, she is really thinking about home schooling her kid when it is school age

[de3ik]

I was home schooled as a teenager and it was a good decision for me. It allowed me to work at my own pace (to some extent in that they did want the lessons in at certain time, but there wasn't as much pressure as at a regular school) and contrary to popular belief I was provided an excellent education. The lessons were not just cupcake courses and forced you to really think. Plus I wasn't subject to the environment of having to deal with negativity in class from other students or a negative influence. My mother handled the lessons so that worked fine.

However as the other member said there isn't a real P.E. in a gym unless you choose this. My physical education was what I could do at home. A lack of activities like sports teams and such are a drawback for those who may want these for their children.

The course I took was from Abeka. You can visit their website at http://www.abeka.com/homeschool/default.aspx

[vp44]

I home school my son. This is our second year of home schooling. My son was bullied and having a hard time in school with the kids treating him badly. I decided to take him out of public school for his safety. Also because it did not seem like he was getting a good education. He was being forced to learn at the level of the not so smartest kid in class and I was helping with furthering his learning anyways. I always go to the teachers supply stores and buy training material. Now it is provided for me through the home training school. I still buy some things from the supply store. As far as physical education we do things everyday either at the park or he joins me in my exercises. This year he will be joining the YMCA so everyday he will be around other children for a few hours a day. What I like about the YMCA it has security guards. I do not know if I will be sending him back to public school at the moment, because there seem to be a growing of violence. I am still out to lunch on that choice.

[gagesmommy2012]

my son is only 9 months old so i have had to make that choice yet but its somthing i think about all the time i have thought alot about home schooling i love the fact that i can control what my child is learning about since we are a christian family i also love the idea of spending more time with my son and knowing he is safe from harm my worrys though are that i wont be able to give him the same opportunities socially and educationally as i am not a teacher and i havent gone to school to be one

my problem with public school is they dont quite teach some of the things i would like my child to learn about and they teach somthing i dont agree with and they cant promise safty so there is my debate on both sides so i still dont know what i am going to do other than research my options more and try and find a common ground where my child can get the social interaction he needs as well as the kind of teaching that i am looking for   

[ricdsm]

We home schooled our son from K through 2nd grade. From grade 3 through 8 we put him in a private school.  Now in high school, he is attending a charter school.  We have made a decision to go with the best educational choice, no matter what the personal or monetary cost.

[Elder_J]

Im currently home schooled, but i think i want to graduate from a real high school.

[Tresbn00]

I chose to spend a lot of money on a Montessori daycare and moved to a different school district so that my children could attend schools that were ranked second in the state behind one private school.  This has worked in producing straight "A"'s for my daughter and all AP classes.  My son needs a little more guidance and I am aiming to have him go to the number one parochial/private high school in the state.  Both are testing off the charts and have made me extremely proud...as if you couldn't tell.  Another child that is competing with my daughter for valedictorian was home schooled but is socially inept and deals with stress in odd ways.  Could just be a coincidence but I will stick with avoiding home school.