Home schooling sucks

[Cyrano]

Home schooling many be okay in teaching the rules/facts of math, grammar, etc.

But, subjects such as those aside, home schooling can't teach you to deal with differing points of view.

It can't teach you to interact with other human beings.

It can't teach you to negotiate with others.

It can't teach you tolerance.

And in subjects such as history, social studies, some scientific theories, and more, it doesn't teach you to Think/Reason/Analyze. (Unless, of course, the person tutoring you is among the greatest minds in the history of human thought.)

So, IMO, home schooling, (in most cases), is for indoctrination, not education. And I believe it sucks unless there's no alternative.

Think I'm wrong? Tell me why.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. I am biased (former teacher) but totally agree.

[vanlassie]

27. What makes you think they're "cloistered?

I know MANY homeschoolers. Non religious type. They are anything but cloistered.

[vercetti2021]

3. I was homeschooled

I liked it. I hated interacting with others. I still hate interacting with others. It was perfect for me. Being an introvert

[user_name]

4. Exactly what is your experience with homeschooling?

I ended up homeschooling a special needs kid for 8 years until he was ready to return to school. Most of the families that I met were also homeschooling special needs kids who were failing in the public school system. Smaller, more controlled social groups provided my child an opportunity to develop social skills in a suitable environment until he was ready to engage with kids in a public school environment. He chose to go back to school when he was ready and loved it.

I wouldn't advocate homeschooling for everyone, but many parents make huge sacrifices to homeschool their kids because their kids need something other than conventional school. We had a transgender child in our group who left school because of bullying and found a welcoming community where he could thrive. I find homeschool bashing offensive and ignorant. I don't bash teachers because schools can't address everyone's needs, but I can't tell you how many times I have been bashed by teachers for homeschooling.

[Tikki]

14. My special needs grandson is graduating from a traditional High School in a few weeks.

He is on the spectrum and has an intellectual deficit…They actually don’t go hand in hand in most cases.

His Counselor was his History Teacher for 4 years and gets a huge amount of credit for
my grandson’s success.

Because of the family dynamic it was very important my grandson go to a Public school
all through his education.

I am so very, very proud of him.

Tikki

[mopinko]

5. tell it to my son. magna cum laude bs, phd in math, social justice warrior.

or my daughter, who started as a server in a corporate restaurant, and worked her way up to her own store in 8 yrs.

i have never known a homeschooler that didnt get out into alllll kinds of social situations, just not the kind of twisted crap that happens in schools.
they dont just get along w kids there own age, they get along w people of all ages.


it's not the school choice that is fucking these people up. they're a tiny percentage.
it's growing up in a home full of hate.

[Laurelin]

11. Tell it to mine, also

A ballerina/Pilates instructor and a DVM.

Home schooled kids aren't cloistered. Mine grew up in Camp Fire, Girl Scouts, and 4H. They took ballet, played musical instruments, played soccer, and earned black belts. Those were just the activities with non- homeschooled kids. With the homeschool groups they did Theater, Theater tech, took field trips, had dances, proms, graduation parties....

Starting in middle school they did volunteer work, charitable and for state representatives. They worked on political campaigns, doing data entry, making phone calls, dropping off political signs, block walking.. they went to protests and lobbied state officials.

They were both active in church and Sunday school, again, with non homeschooled kids.

I homeschooled them because they are both dyslexic. Nevertheless, they graduated from flagship state schools, summa cum laude double major for one, magna cum laude with two degrees for the other.

From very early ages they were comfortable talking to adults and children. I think their social skills are far better than mine; I'm old but still shy.

I can't see much reason for passing judgement with no experience but whatever.

[JanMichael]

15. My nephews were home schooled by my drug addict sister so there's that

Both of them eventually ended back in public schools and by then both were behind at least two grades. I'll be stunned if either one gets out of community college intact. So the spectacular example that you used can probably countered by a thousand other ones they're just as bad as the one I just described.

Also the ones I know now are being home schooled by religious fundamentalists that love Trump so I don't really have a high hopes for those kids.

Home fooling is fab.

[mopinko]

17. they werent schooled, they were neglected.

and even if they'd gone to a school building every day, they would still have been neglected.
that's not about schooling.

[BlueIdaho]

6. I taught at the college level for 31 years

You are not mistaken. The vast majority of home schooled kids are socially stunted, suffer from tunnel vision and a lack of curiosity. Their parents did them no favors.

[mopinko]

20. and how about the students who came from crap public schools?

unless you want to make a decent comparison sample, you dont have a point.
the public schools churn out plenty of morons, and xtian schools worse.

[BlueIdaho]

23. Maybe my community college was different

We usually got the top 20% of high school graduates. 80% of our students were preparing to transfer to a University to complete their coursework. Sure there were many unmotivated high school kids, but my personal experience was that most of them only lasted a semester or two. Having taught for 31 years, I’m reasonably sure I have a pretty good handle on student performance. In the classroom, our high school students tended to outperform our homeschooled kids who found the transition to classroom education daunting.

The homeschooled kids that were successful came from affluent homes where one or both parents were college graduates and and the home schooling essentially became one parents full time job. They were the exception, not the rule. Most of our home schooled kids came from homes where the parents had taken their kids out of public school to avoid the communist indoctrination they were sure must be happening there. Those parents were lower middle class, deeply religious, and lacked the skills and guidance they needed to be successful educating their kids.

[Maraya1969]

7. I totally agree with you. I was very active in high school. Sports, plays music etc.

We even went on a trip with the band to Canada. I know this stuff is not for everyone but I would want my kids to have access if they wanted. My brother and SIL home schooled and now 2 of their kids do to. And they are big evangelical Christians. I have always thought they wanted to control their kids and not let them have a their own minds to determine how they wanted to live their lives. They wanted to produce evangelical Christians like themselves. And so far it has worked. And that is sad, as far as I am concerned.

[liberal_mama]

8. I think it depends on the individual child. Homeschooling worked out well for my family

My youngest child had to be homeschooled because he had asthma and he kept getting colds at school. Any type of a virus, even a mild cold, was a trigger for him to have a severe asthma attack.

I have two older children, who both went to public school. I tried sending my youngest to kindergarten and he missed half the year due to sickness so I pulled him out to homeschool him.

My sister homeschooled my nephew because he was so smart that she feared public school would hold him back.

My son is now 28 years old. He's by far the most intelligent and compassionate of my three children. He literally knows almost everything. He's active in democratic politics.

My nephew is now 27 and is a Harvard Law School educated lawyer who is also very active in democratic politics. He is working in NYC for a big law firm.

They both interact very well with others and have an abundance of tolerance.

We live in New York and it's actually pretty hard to homeschool here. A lot of regulations, quarterly reports, and standardized testing.

[Rebl2]

12. I think

there are some who do great with home schooling and others that don’t. My sister tried it for a semester years ago and her daughter did not like it and honestly I don’t think my sister did either. I think she realized she was not skilled enough and was hurting her daughters education. My niece is in her mid thirties and teaches at a private elementary school. I am so glad she went back to public school because I don’t think she would be where she is today. She seems happy with her job for now. She has been teaching for ten years.

[liberal_mama]

19. Well, we all know that some forms of homeschooling aren't good,like religious fanatic homeschooling

Also, some states have very lenient homeschool regulations and don't even require standardized testing.

However, it works really good for others. I think it depends mostly on the child and their intellectual curiosity. My son and my nephew were both very intellectually curious about everything.

I don't know if my two older children would have been able to succeed with homeschooling, as they didn't really have the drive to learn independently.

[dsc]

9. Home schooling can be done well but it is exceptionally hard to do so

First, there is a reason people train to be teachers. It is a hard job to do well, and the skills aren't universally transferable. I think I am a decent high school teacher, I would be a disaster as a kindergarten teacher. I am good for math and social studies, not so much for English and science.

Second, not all socialization is created equal. One of the things school teachers you, one hopes, is to interact academically with people whose ideas differ from your own. That is hard to do with home schooling.

There are some times when home schooling is a necessity. But those cases are rare.

[MyOwnPeace]

10. Ironically, the 'Grooming/Indoctrination' bogey-man

that RepubliQans are now pushing is most practiced by - wait for it - HOME-SCHOOLERS!
They (home-schoolers) have their list of why they don't want their kids in the public schools - and most of the reasons are because of the parents' beliefs that run contrary to what the general public accept and practice.
Another problem is that ANY parent can opt for 'Home Schooling' - no matter the 'educational background' of the parent. Yes, the district has the 'option' of not accepting the 'request for home schooling' - but it is rarely applied. So, you have a situation where teachers are required to have years of college training and education - but a parent (who may have finished high-school) can keep the kid at home and THAT is considered a 'qualified' education.
And another thing - states mandate 'Test Scores' - tests that some believe are used to prove that schools are 'failing.' Many, if not all, 'home-schooled' students are not required to take the same tests. Where is the 'proof' that learning is taking place?
If you have any doubt that there is a 'problem' with 'home-schooling' - just look at who was a strong supporter of it - and the former Secretary of Education - dear sweet Betsy DeVos.
The problem with that? Look at where her 'money interests' are - businesses that support the "PRIVATE SCHOOL INDUSTRY" - and yes, home schooling.

[Laurelin]

13. Testing is....

More about how well the institution is doing than how well the kid is doing. I always heard that standardized achievement tests are good at measuring how well you do on standardized achievement tests. Sounds true to me, even though my one real skill in life is taking standardized achievement tests.

(Forgot to add) what big money supports home schooling?

[MyOwnPeace]

22. Ha! Great 'definition' -

"Standardized tests measure how well you do on 'standardized tests!'"

"What money supports home schooling?"

It's more the effort to get money away from public schools - allowing people to send their kids to places they would prefer: private 'prep' schools - church schools - 'cult' schools - anything to get the allocated 'money-per-student' away from the 'public school' - you know, where 'your child' wouldn't have to be in a room with 'those kids' - or be taught how to be gay/trans/commie/'whatever-your-fear' is. If the 'option' is not there to send your child to a school that is not of 'YOUR" choosing - at least you would be taking away money that is used to support the public schools.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

26. I was always good at standardized tests.

For one thing, I'm a very fast reader and so could go through them very quickly. More than once I completed a timed test you weren't supposed to be able to complete.

Made me seem a lot smarter than I really am.

[kwolf68]

16. Much (not all) home schooling will end

When the public schools teach:

-American Exceptionalism
-Capitalism was given to us by Jesus
-We pray 3 times a day in school
-Science is for heretics
-Black slaves actually didn't have it too bad
-Liberals are enemies of the state
-All of the thousands of religions that exist are false except the one we decide

[jeffreyi]

18. Home brainwashing.

[Raastan]

21. Depends upon the parents and their pedagogy...

For some, it's fine; for others it's not.

Public schools certainly have issues, too. There are positives and negatives for each kind of schooling.

I'm a public school teacher and my wife taught at University. We chose to homeschool our kids. They are smart, curious, thoughtful, and logical. They understand more about stuff than most of the kids I try to teach everyday. They are not as social as most of my students, but I don't see that as a bad thing...

[AllaN01Bear]

24. home school and charter schools were a reaction to intergration so i dont have to

sit next to black and other ppl

[Chautauquas]

25. We did it for several years

and we did a good job. You're so wrong in saying it can't teach you to interact, negotiate, be tolerant, etc. Done in the right way, by the right people, it can be done successfully. The three kids we taught and raised moved onto public schooling when we thought the time was right, and all 3 of them are doing well as adults, in good relationships and enjoying successful careers.

[ornotna]

28. Seemed to work out ok here

https://www.theroot.com/19-year-old-poised-to-become-youngest-african-american-1848892760

Haley Taylor Schlitz is not only set to become the youngest law school graduate at Southern Methodist University ever, but she is also going to become the youngest African American law school graduate in the history of the United States, according to a news release from the university.

I mean, talk about an historic accomplishment.

Haley and her mother, Dr. Myiesha Taylor, published their book, The Homeschool Alternative, which shares their experiences with homeschooling and how Black families can blend a “homeschool mindset” into their children’s education.

In June 2020, a 17-year-old Haley ran for and was elected to serve as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, becoming one of the youngest delegates that year, according to her website.

Hat tip to malaise

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216671292

[Kali]

29. you need to add the word "some" to the beginning of your subject line

and likewise, some public schooling SUCKS too. ask plenty of jr. high kids how that socialization is going. look at what the public school-educated general public thinks and "knows" about most important issues. meh, your generalizations are not the best way to look at education.

[BarackTheVote]

30. I was home schooled

I think it worked out pretty well for me, but my parents did it because my dad’s work meant he traveled around a lot and we traveled with him as a family. Both of my parents are college graduates, one in the sciences, one in the arts, so bases were fairly well-covered. My own college career was pretty exemplary, with a decent number of academic awards and accolades.

That said, I have a big family, and a lot of fundie cousins who were home schooled and who are now old enough to home school their own kids. It’s like a Xerox copy of a copy of a copy at this point. I do think that’s a form of child abuse, and even though I think home schooling went pretty well for me, I don’t know that I would trade that for what it’s done to my cousins. I do think that at the very least, parents should have to get some sort of certification before they can home school their kids.