# HomeSchooling Your Child



## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

This was on another thread so I thought I'd bring it up on its own thread.

What do you think about home schooling and do you have any kids your home schooling?

I have a grandchild who will be home schooled this year.


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

I have always felt like it was a bad idea. As someone who spent most of my in Catholic school and a few years in public school, it was always really easy to tell which kids had been home-schooled. The kids who had been home-schooled are always very awkward and lacking in social skills. They frequently just do not know how to interact with other children. 

I understand why it would be necessary to be prepared to educate your own children if there is a societal collapse. However, I feel as though people are setting their children up for failure by denying their children the opportunity to adjust to learning with others outside of the family unit. I can also understand that people would like to tailor what their children learn, but again, if their children are not learning the subject matter and style of education of the greater higher education system, they will not perform well in college.

I don't think that it is a good idea. Relate it to something else; think of the first time that you tried to rebuild an engine using only a Chiltons manual. Those manuals might give you a general idea of what to do, but there is generally a lot of mistakes and fumbling before you are competent enough in a skill to tackle it single-handedly. In addition, you may make mistakes which wind up being more difficult to fix than the original issue. Now, consider fumbling around with your child's education. Is that something that you really want to fumble around with?


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## mdmdmd (Apr 21, 2011)

I have 4 school-aged kids and have thought about homeschooling quite a bit. I have several friends in my area who homeschool their kids and do a good job of it (most are in connection with a parent controlled co-op, so they get plenty of socialization). However, I have decided not to for two reasons-- 1. There is an excellent Christian school nearby and we are fortunate enough to be able to afford the tuition for all of our kids. 2. I am not sure if I have the patience to teach my kids every day. I also see that they respond well to people who teach in ways different than me.
I am totally open to homeschooling my kids if circumstances change, or become extreme, and totally respect anyone who decides to go that route. It just isn't the right road for us at this time.


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

I am homeschooling 5 out of my 6 children. The baby is a bit young for 'official' homeschooling! LOL! I LOVE it! My kids love it also! They were in public school for 4 years and after one year of homeschooling I asked them if they wanted to go back to public school and they all said NO WAY! My 15 yo DS has one more year of homeschooling and then he will be going to the local vocational school for electrician. My 14 yo will be going for mechanic when he is old enough. My 12 yo will be going for welding when he gets old enough. My 9 yo wants to be a baker and wants to open his own bakery. My 6 yo DD is leaning toward being a beautician but she is not entirely decided yet.


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## joyfulheart (May 7, 2011)

UUGH. I homeschool all 3. My kids are perfectly NORMAL. 

The whole stereotype about how homeschooled kids aren't able to socialize is total BS and absurd. Frankly, it's people making those kinds of comments that have me usually avoiding such threads.

Each story is different. Our local Public school-- one of the "best" in the whole city, tried to eliminate reading, writing, math, etc... because he wasn't learning by their terms. Well, duh-- he's dyslexic. Brought him home and within one year he went from a pre-k reading and writing level (in 3rd grade at that point) to ABOVE grade level. 

If I had kept him in there, he would have eventually graduated high school without being able to read or write. Yeah, that's not gonna happen.

Fact is, nobody can tell my kids are homeschooled, unless we mention it. They usually act surprised by the fact.

My kids are socialized, better than many around here that ARE in public school. The idiot kid next door, in 6th grade cannot tell me what a verb is. So hows that great education he's getting?


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

I agree, no one can tell my kids are home schooled either unless we tell them.


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

joyfulheart said:


> UUGH. I homeschool all 3. My kids are perfectly NORMAL.
> 
> The whole stereotype about how homeschooled kids aren't able to socialize is total BS and absurd. Frankly, it's people making those kinds of comments that have me usually avoiding such threads.
> 
> ...


I suppose I should have specified that the Catholic schools all seem pretty solid; I wouldn't send a child to a public school, either.

As far as your kids seeming normal . . . I hope they truly are. I'm just saying that most of the time when I meet a kid who seems a bit "off", very often it will come out that they were homeschooled, and everyone goes, "ooooh. That makes sense." Sorry, I am just going off of my experience. Simply playing the odds, there must be a few anomalous kids out there who turn out well-adjusted.

I sincerely do not mean to offend anyone, but education is a subject about which I very strongly.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

We homeschooled all seven of our kids and loved it. The last one 'graduated' last year and the oldest is 30. They're all successful, happy, well-adjusted kids adults, 6 our of the 7 are married and have produced 7 grandchildren so far. Some own their own businesses. 

Turtle, I went to public grade school and Catholic High school. The big difference I saw is that the Catholic school kids had more money for drugs, alchohol, and cigarettes! 

None of our kids are awkward. I think it helps nowdays, for some anyway, that there are active Home School groups. Our kids were able to be in plays/musicals, science fairs, sports, field trips with other home school families, etc. 

While the last of our kids were in 'High School' homeschool there were 14 kids on our five miles of dirt road, and all but two of them were home schooled. They spent so much time out playing and goofing off with the other kids that if it hadn't been for the hours of schooling I'm not sure we'd have seen much of them, except that our place was often the hang-out place.

The important thing, Meerkat, is that you/parent/whoever take it seriously. It is a committment. The early years are the most important. They must learn the foundation of education: Reading, writing, and math. Seriously. If they don't get the basics of reading and writing/spelling, and simple math, it's almost impossible to get the rest of education later. 

The nice thing about Home schooling is you KNOW where the child is at, education-wise. You know if they can read or subtract or whatever. Our kids got straight "A"'s because they didn't move on until they mastered what they were working on. Some kids started multiplication at a younger age (we're talking months, not years!) than some of our other kids, for example. 

I loved learning with our kids Some things like science had a lot of new information since I was in school! The 'disturbing' thing was seeing things in their history book that happened in MY lifetime! Wow, was that weird! Cool, too, to be able to say "Hey, I remember that!"

The 3 of our grandchildren that are old enough for school are being home-schooled now by their home-schooled parents. 

It's been a good experience for our family.

BTW, talking about "kids who seem a bit 'off'" turning out to be homeschooled...I think a lot of us can identify with certain attitudes that indicate a kid is a public school kid!


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

School is'nt what it use to be.What they teach most kids have no business knowing.
Most of history taught is half truths and outright lies.Full of agendas and socialism.Making weaklings of boy and bullys of girls.
My daughter did'nt realize how much school had changed since her grown daughters were school aged.No 7 yr. old needs to learn about sex. 
School should have stuck to academics and left the raising to the parents.


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

We home-school our son; he goes to a co-op, so he gets his socialization. He is also in scouts and plays sports at the Y. He was in a private school until we moved and we had to place him in public for one semester. We pulled him out because the teachers had no vision and no initiative, and he was literally in tears from boredom. My daughter, on the other hand, we started off in the public system and we'll keep her there until and unless the B.S. starts. Luckily for us, we got a lottery-placement into a charter school, so the quality will be higher due to more direct parental involvement. That's my experience. YMMV.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

kyhoti said:


> We home-school our son; he goes to a co-op, so he gets his socialization. He is also in scouts and plays sports at the Y. He was in a private school until we moved and we had to place him in public for one semester. We pulled him out because the teachers had no vision and no initiative, and he was literally in tears from boredom. My daughter, on the other hand, we started off in the public system and we'll keep her there until and unless the B.S. starts. Luckily for us, we got a lottery-placement into a charter school, so the quality will be higher due to more direct parental involvement. That's my experience. YMMV.


 I see you live in my hometown.I don't know if your black or white but i can tell you that most schools in Atlanta are out to destroy the black family'imo.
Ever read the 'SCAM'by Jesse Lee Peterson?How the Black Leadership Exploits Black Americans.Unles you live in Buckhead or some other high dollar area you may wan to check up on what they teach your child.This goes for any school in any state but especially ga.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

We plan on sending our 2 year old to public school. My mom works for our school district and while they may do a few things I don't agree with overall the school district seems to be relatively normal. 

That said, we have a neighbor who homeschools her 10 (ish) year old daughter. They live on a small farm and buy hay from us. We are becoming pretty decent friends with them and I find that a great thing because they are wonderful people. Gave us tons of advice when we were learning to can. Anyway, their daughter is one of the most well adjusted, polite, kind, caring young ladies that I know. She is courteous and respectful and is wonderful with my son. Also she is extremely intellegent.

This girl can walk up to any chicken, turkey, whatever on their place, pick it up, and carry it all over the yard. 

So while (at this point) homeschooling is not something we are looking into, I'm certainly not opposed to it and I'd go that route rather than private school if the public system does turn out to be nuttier than squirrel poop.


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

IMHO homeschoolers can't be generically stereotyped any more accurately than any other group of people.

My SIL was homeschooled as were all his 7 siblings (they used the high school for chemistry, sports, etc) and all of those kids are well adjusted, successful adults -- in both their personal and work lives.

On the other hand, my oldest daughter, who is a PA certified teacher, does PA Dept of Ed home school certifications for homeschoolers during the summer (PA requirement). Most kids she evaluates are doing better than public school kids academicaly and socially but there are some glaring exceptions. What determines those glaring exceptions? The parents. 

The most common homeschooler disaster in our experience comes from the "enabler" parents. They will always have an excuse for why little Johnny didn't get his school work done. These Moms and Dads have poor parenting skills and continually allow themselves to be manipulated.

In short, dedicated, intellectually honest -- sometimes tough -- homeschooler parents almost always get the most out of their kids.


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## crazychickenlady (Jun 30, 2011)

My husband is a college professor and he finds that the homeschooled kids coming into his classes are much better prepared to do what it takes to learn and do well in his class than the public school kids. Many of the other professors we know say the same thing.

We also homeschool our son and he is 15, starting his second semester of college level classes, has learned to play drums, lead and bass guitar (mostly on his own), picks up periodicals such as Discover, Popular Science, and Education Technology ( to name a few) and reads them cover to cover. He reads history, science and current event books, articles, etc. just because he wants to. He decided to stop eating meat unless it was raised and slaughtered humanely all on his own, after he read about the meat industry. That was 2 years ago and he is very firm in his belief that animals deserve to be treated humanely. (Makes it hard for me to plan a meal sometimes, but I respect his decision).

When I pick him up from his college classes, he is hanging out with the kids who are anywhere from 2 to maybe 10 years older than him, having real conversations and getting along just fine. We belonged to a homeschool support group for about 5 years and he had parts in plays, took classes from other parents in a variety of subjects, belonged to cub scouts, 4H and other groups...his socialization has never been a problem.

He had no problem scoring very high in the college level range when he took the placement tests to start college. He has also taken the college exit exams that my husband brought home (out of curiosity). He scored higher than most kids who have earned their Associates degree.

I have taken a very laid back approach to homeschooling Joe. If he doesn't seem to be ready for a subject, we table it for a year. I have made sure that he stays up to speed in math and English, everything else just falls into place.

I agree wholeheartedly with those who say, it all depends on the parents and how they handle their child's education. I have seen people who take 'unschooling' way too literally and do absolutely nothing to teach their children. And I have seen some parents who are way too regimented and make learning a chore for their kids too. There is a balance and you have to remember that each child is different and needs to be treated as an individual.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Some teachers and parents caught between a rock and a hard place.Many times the teachers who want to teach are blackballed by the others.Some parents have all they can do to care for kids and can't home school.
But those who live above their means and put possession above their kids don't have their childs best interest at heart.
In the news today another radical agenda is being pushed on our youth"Steers,Queers and Engineers'google it.Social engineering is not what education should be about.
teaching lies to minorites only causes more division and civil strife.Now many blacks and other minorities are attacking others in schools and in the streets.Being fed hate,lies and half truths is deadly.Since the schools cvame out with all this crap young black men actually live longer in prison than on the streets.Thank goodness some are waking up to the hustlers,but it may be too late and too little.When a 12 yr.old black boy is beaten to death for making good grades and 'acting white'something is terribly wrong.This kid parents did everything right,father was a good man who stayed with his family,then loses his son to thugs trained by the very schools he paid taxes to support.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Meerkat said:


> This was on another thread so I thought I'd bring it up on its own thread.
> 
> What do you think about home schooling and do you have any kids your home schooling?
> 
> I have a grandchild who will be home schooled this year.


I don't think it's a good idea. A lot of parents do it because they want to shelter the child from society. I think it's better for them to learn how to deal with other kids their age. The earlier they can do that the better. Otherwise by the time they're 18 they're a lot more naive than other kids their age.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

BillS said:


> I don't think it's a good idea. A lot of parents do it because they want to shelter the child from society. I think it's better for them to learn how to deal with other kids their age. The earlier they can do that the better. Otherwise by the time they're 18 they're a lot more naive than other kids their age.


 You can teach your child about things yourself.Not some stranger who may not have the kids best interest in mind.
Because of the breakdown of society by the radicals schools are no longer safe for innocent children.
When I was in school the worse thing was chewing gum,talking or throwing spit balls.The subjects were academics,not social propagandas and agendas.
Demonstrting to a child how to have oral and anal sex is not something most parents would sign up for. It makes me angey to even think about one of these people peeling a banana to show my 5th grade grandchild how to perform oral sex.This crap and much worse is going on now in many schools.
Somebody needs to speak out about the fall of this nation and indoctrination of it young.Now al boys have to do in school is say they are cross dressers and they can walk into any girls restroom or PE dressing room and have a ball watching them undress.This is'nt freedom,its bondage of the innocents.Wheres the freedoms to protect your kids innosence?


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## Skeeter (Nov 7, 2009)

BillS said:


> I don't think it's a good idea. A lot of parents do it because they want to shelter the child from society. I think it's better for them to learn how to deal with other kids their age. The earlier they can do that the better. Otherwise by the time they're 18 they're a lot more naive than other kids their age.


My kids are home schooled. (aparently I wasn't) My point is, Between scouts, soccer and T Ball,They are learning enough social skills to help them deal with society. They get a better, one on one education, than the 1 teacher to 20 kids that the public school deals with. Every situation is different,But for us ,Home schooling just makes sence.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

BillS said:


> I don't think it's a good idea. A lot of parents do it because they want to shelter the child from society. I think it's better for them to learn how to deal with other kids their age. The earlier they can do that the better. Otherwise by the time they're 18 they're a lot more naive than other kids their age.


It depends on what the goal is. If your goal is an 18 yo that possesses in depth knowledge about sex, drugs, & drinking, the public school system will get you that. If your goal is an 18yo with the sense to make positive choices for himself in these areas, find another option.

Call me crazy but our public school system's determination to discuss sex with young children is more than a little creepy to me.


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

BillS said:


> I don't think it's a good idea. A lot of parents do it because they want to shelter the child from society. I think it's better for them to learn how to deal with other kids their age. The earlier they can do that the better. Otherwise by the time they're 18 they're a lot more naive than other kids their age.


BillS, no offense but I'm guessing you don't have a whole lot of exposure to homeschooled kids. We have quite a lot of personal exposure to homeschooled kids and their parents. If I had to offer a percentage of success/failure, I'd put the number at about 90% of homeschoolers in our area are academically superior to public school, and at least equal socially. Half of the remaining 10% would be sunk regardless of where the go to school because of disfuntional parenting.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

tsrwivey said:


> It depends on what the goal is. If your goal is an 18 yo that possesses in depth knowledge about sex, drugs, & drinking, the public school system will get you that. If your goal is an 18yo with the sense to make positive choices for himself in these areas, find another option.
> 
> Call me crazy but our public school system's determination to discuss sex with young children is more than a little creepy to me.


 Its not politicle correct to tell it like it is.Most peopel can't handle the truth so they hate the one telling it.
Sometimes the truth is ugly and repulsive.Schools have become dangerous places,if they are'nt killing each other they are sc-----ing each other and all inbetween.Why wait till your child s hurt or brainwashed then speak out or make a change?
Some prisons are safer now than some schools,no more molesting going on them than in many of our schools .If you can't homeschool,then at least pay attention,ask questions and go to PTA meetings,if they still have them.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

For our family, homeschooling was the way to go ... :2thumb:


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

We've homeschooled 13 years now, graduated 3 with a 16yo left to go. I've been involved extensively in the homeschool community & know hundreds of homeschool parents & kids. When asked why we homeschool by nonhomeschoolers, the usual answers are academic excellence, safety, etc. Truth be known, those are the reasons we started homeschooling but the reasons we continue are completely different. We homeschool because we like spending time with our kids, they are awesome people. We wouldn't give up that time with our kids for anything in this world. We like not having a school schedule dictate what our schedule will be 9 months out of the year. We like that our teen daughters have a relationship with Christ & desire to follow Him. We like that our teens value system is "how far away can I get from sin" & not "how close can I get to that line between right & wrong". We like that our kids are raised in the real world experiencing real life, not confined to one building with folks their same age the majority of their waking hours. We like that our kids are celebrated as individuals with their own strengths & weaknesses. Yes, superior academics & safety happen & they are the acceptable answers, but they pale in comparison to the above stated reasons for most homeschool parents.

Regardless of what your choice is currently (never say never!), it's important to maintain the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children without govt interference for future generations. Rights are too easily given up but often require much suffering to get back.


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

tsr, you stated that far better than I could have.:2thumb:


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## TheAnt (Jun 7, 2011)

I moved around a lot and went to a lot of different public schools. Most were probably average but my high school was probably above average small town type. I knew both well adjusted and socially awkward homeschool types as well as public school types. I dont know if I will want to homeschool my children or let them go to public school -- depends on what is available to me at the time.

Weather you homeschool or not you need to be teaching your kids at home. The problem with most public schools is that the parents are just sending their kids there to be babysat. To obtain an education the student needs to know that they get out of it what they put into it -- there are things I cant teach my child but I can teach my child how to get information and how to evaluate what is being taught for things like bias, agenda, etc.

Bottom line, the parent (ultimately the child) is responsible for the childs education weather homeschooled or public schooled. My parents taught me to learn from anyone who could teach me... weather by good example or bad.


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## TheAnt (Jun 7, 2011)

tsrwivey said:


> We've homeschooled 13 years now, graduated 3 with a 16yo left to go. I've been involved extensively in the homeschool community & know hundreds of homeschool parents & kids. When asked why we homeschool by nonhomeschoolers, the usual answers are academic excellence, safety, etc. Truth be known, those are the reasons we started homeschooling but the reasons we continue are completely different. We homeschool because we like spending time with our kids, they are awesome people. We wouldn't give up that time with our kids for anything in this world. We like not having a school schedule dictate what our schedule will be 9 months out of the year. We like that our teen daughters have a relationship with Christ & desire to follow Him. We like that our teens value system is "how far away can I get from sin" & not "how close can I get to that line between right & wrong". We like that our kids are raised in the real world experiencing real life, not confined to one building with folks their same age the majority of their waking hours. We like that our kids are celebrated as individuals with their own strengths & weaknesses. Yes, superior academics & safety happen & they are the acceptable answers, but they pale in comparison to the above stated reasons for most homeschool parents.
> 
> Regardless of what your choice is currently (never say never!), it's important to maintain the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children without govt interference for future generations. Rights are too easily given up but often require much suffering to get back.


Well said! Sounds like you are doing a superb job with a focus on what REALLY matters.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Done both, kind of.

My oldest is 10 and we home schooled for three years. I couldn't do homescholling and work in our business, it like to have killed me.

I put them in my parish school, yes, catholic and we are doing OK.

They would rather be home with me and I'd rather be homescholling them, but really, my oldest is doing so much better in school. My middle son would probably do better at home, he loves attention and one on one time, he would thrive homescholling, my youngest, well, he doesn't care.

I will never send them to public school. I have my reasons. 

I think this decision should be made on various things, the school system you have to choose from, the kids personality, and if you are able to spend lots of time with them. I tried doing it all, and couldn't. Maybe in the future I will not have to work and as the kids get older, they may need to come back home, one or two may stay at the parish school.

There is no cut and dry answer. Yes or no, I don't think anyone can say.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

tsrwivey....that's one of the best statements I've ever seen, and we should be waving it around like a motto!

"*Rights are too easily given up but often require much suffering to get back.*"

Very well put!


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

joyfulheart said:


> UUGH. I home school all 3. My kids are perfectly NORMAL.
> The whole stereotype about how homeschooled kids aren't able to socialize is total BS and absurd.
> 
> My kids are socialized, better than many around here that ARE in public school. The idiot kid next door, in 6th grade cannot tell me what a verb is. So how's that great education he's getting?


SAME HERE. Our three kids are the only kids in our neighborhood that play nicely, and are not glued to the TV & play video games all day.

The other kids (public school) in our neighborhood suffer from a plethora of problems....they are rude, lazy, impolite, self-centered, and unbelievably &#8230;umm, NOT smart. Our 11 year old is doing 8th grade assignments, and the thirteen year old across the street can't even add 27 and 17 in his head!!! He can hardly read as well. 

Too bad for those kids mentioned in the second post&#8230;. Our kids are far MORE social than the other neighborhood kids.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

My children were homeschooled and/or went to our church's one room school house for all of their schooling. Not only can they read and write, they are respectful, have self-discipline, and can formulate complete thoughts. 

My boys who are the oldest, both got into excellent colleges and have started in good careers. My daughter whom the public school said was too retarded to ever read or do things for herself, has learned to read AND has excelled despite her disabilities. 

All the "socialization" stuff is a crock. It isn't like homeschooled kids are kept in a closet. There are tons of activities out there. My boys played sports, were Eagle Scouts, and took music lessons. Both had jobs as soon as they could work. 

Ask any public school teacher, most of their day is spent trying to maintain control. Very little instruction gets done. Who wants their kids to be "socialized" with kids who have criminal histories and drug addictions?! The local high school here has its own police force! It was once referred to in a magazine as a "pregnancy factory". There is only a 60% graduation rate. Not the kind of influence I want my kids to have to deal with.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Kejmack, curious...if I remember correctly you were Mennonite?

Was the school "free" , outside of probably purchasing workbooks, etc? 

I send my kids to our Parish school, while of course it's accrediated, etc, they accept non Catholics and gosh, it costs so much....seems to me we could school our children for so much less! When I start thinking about all of this, I just want to bring them back home... Anyway....


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Parents need to know what goes on in many of our schools now.To think some of the ones teaching are parents themselves.I bet its really rough on them to have to teach the filth they do to children.:dunno:


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

DJgang said:


> Kejmack, curious...if I remember correctly you were Mennonite?
> 
> Was the school "free" , outside of probably purchasing workbooks, etc?


Yes, we were Mennonite (Beachy Amish). There is a charge for the school. It was $2500/year which could be paid monthly. The second child was discounted. Third and more were free. Children from outside the church were welcomed if they adhered to the dress code and rules of conduct.

The cost of the school was heavily subsidized by the congregation. Congregations see it as a responsibility to support the school. Our congregation paid the teachers. Some do not.


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## trekster777 (Jul 20, 2011)

Turtle said:


> I suppose I should have specified that the Catholic schools all seem pretty solid; I wouldn't send a child to a public school, either.
> 
> As far as your kids seeming normal . . . I hope they truly are. I'm just saying that most of the time when I meet a kid who seems a bit "off", very often it will come out that they were homeschooled, and everyone goes, "ooooh. That makes sense." Sorry, I am just going off of my experience. Simply playing the odds, there must be a few anomalous kids out there who turn out well-adjusted.
> 
> I sincerely do not mean to offend anyone, but education is a subject about which I very strongly.


Well you did offend a lot of homeschoolers with that "anomalous" remark and with your condescending remarks. You sound elitist at the least extremely rude (must not have been socialized properly in school). Have you taken the time to actually meet and get to know the home school community to be able to make an educated observation? More than a passing and uncaring look of just a few? Have you actually done unbiased research on the issue? Otherwise you are speaking from ignorance and are uneducated on the subject, especially someone who holds a belief in education so strongly. Are you qualified to judge their social "offness" and the cause (possibly a handicap)? Then your observations and judgments are not valid and arrogantly made.

The majority of home schoolers are normal kids and they don't have a "home schooled look" or "offness" to them. Some people have to home school their kids because public and private school cannot deal with the special needs of the child, which they say they can do better than the parent, but often times do not provide. Or these same people have been involved in their child's public/private school education and have seen the inferior nature of it and choose differently. From what I have seen, public and private school kids are the ones that need help. And their social skills are the ones that are "off", very self centered, poor work ethics, low morals, lack of motivation, entitlement attitude,rude, lazy, disrespectful etc. Are they *all* like that? No, I realize that there are a few who are not. More than that I realize a blanket statement like that is the same as the one that you made and I do not know all of them or their situations.

Most home school their children because education is top priority for them as well as their social development, and they feel very STRONGLY about it. I have many friends who are teachers (good ones) and they would love to have parents take the responsibility for raising their own children and be responsible for their education. The vast majority of home schooling parents are taking a personal and very active role in their child's education which is more than I can say for the vast majority of public/private school parents.

It is a government nanny conditioned and promoted myth that public schools are the "best" and most equipped to educate YOUR children and that you are NOT qualified to do so. Whether a child is in public or private school it still is MY responsibility to educate MY child. Yes teachers have degrees. That doesn't mean that they ALL are teachers. That doesn't mean that the government has the BEST decisions on curriculum, socialization (peer mob mentality) and even time management in the class. You make the assumption that every kid in public/private school is there to get an education. Most are there because they have to be and do the least to get by. There are a few who are there to learn and succeed, and they do.

There are people in the home school community that should not be home schooling for a variety of reasons. They are definitely NOT the majority, nor even close. There are more teachers and administrators that also do not need to be in charge of educating either. There are more public/private educated children who are less socially adjusted and who would score less on a standardized test than the average homeschooler also. People are individuals that have unique needs and no one situation fits perfectly all people. Or do all people have the same character, level of intelligence, abilty etc. You can find exceptions to all situations where groups of people are present.

You insulted those who do have the authority, the ability and the right to educated their children differently than you choose to educate yours. You judge without taking the time, effort and desire to find out the reality. How would you like it if someone judged your children's social adeptness, abilities and education level to the same standard that you use and the same way as you judge home schooler's? Would they be lacking? Do you hold others to a higher standard that you yourself do not meet? How would you feel then? Do you have the qualifications and ability to be a parent? Would you like someone else to make that judgement? Someone else might think you didn't. Works both ways.

Homeschooling is a valid education choice and provides the desired results - a well educated (morally sound for those who choose to focus on this also) and socially adjusted person.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

How anyone could calll what the dept of education has become 'school'is amazing to me.
Dept of indoctrination is a better name for these perverterd,violent mental institutions they call schools.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

The choice to home school or not needs to be based on each particular child, our son went to a small rural public school up to grade 8 and has home schooled since, For him it makes sence, he has learned personal responsiblity, some thing he could only learn at home , in public school(in my opinion) children are incouraged to behave like lemmings and not think for themselves, but to toe the "party"line.
Where in real life would someone work or interact with 20 to 35 people there own age? Most teachers although well meaning are liberal types and many have "little dictator"syndrom. 
If a child happens to fit into the public school system it might work for them or it they want to work in a factory. 
Weather a child gets their formal education at home or in a school, the general life skills and lessons most often are learned at home. Self reliance and personal responsibility are not usually taught in multi generation welfare homes.
In my personal opinion if the early grades can be spent in a decent public school it can be benificial.
A child who learns how to work through the problems at hand and finish things with their own directive will have a lot better chance in the future.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Turtle, you base your judgement of homeschooled children on ONE odd-ball? What about the odd-ball public students who become killers like the ones at Columbine HS in Colorado? 

My oldest son is an officer in the military. He was homeschooled. My other son is a paramedic. He was homeschooled. My youngest was deemed too retarded to learn anything. I homeschooled her and had a private reading tutor for her. She is now in a vocation ed program and will be a contributing member of society despite the "experts" and people like you who think that public education has all the answers. 

You say that you care strongly about education. Homeschoolers care even more. That is why they sacrifice to school their children at home. Homeschoolers are the ones that are excelling in the academic world. The National Spelling Bee was actually thinking about banning homeschoolers because the public schoolers can't compete.


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