Why teach your child at home?
When asked why parents choose to home school their children there were many reasons given. Some of the reasons were giving their child a better education, religion, and avoiding poor school environments.
Advantages of Home Schooling
• Educational Freedom – Many students that are homeschooled are given choices to study subjects they want to learn about. With doing this they can concentrate how when and how long they want to study different subjects.
• Physical Freedom – The physical freedom is a big factor for some parents. They do not have to revolve their lives around school calendars. They can create a family schedule that works for them.
• Emotional Freedom – One advantage home schooled children have is dealing with the typical school bullies and peer pressure. Another advantage is that these kids can dress and think for themselves. They don’t have the constant worry about trying to fit in with the other students.
• Closer Family Relationships – Many parents expressed that by home schooling their children is made the family bond much closer.
Disadvantages of Home Schooling
• Time Restraints – Parents lives are completely turned upside down when they choose to home school their children. It consumes a lot of their time. Planning education activities from day to day can be draining for one person.
• Financial Restraints - For married parents, usually one takes on the full-time job and the other stays home to home school. This can be a big hit to a family’s financial situations.
• Being with your children “24/7” – Making the decision to home school your children means they are around all day long. There is no time off.
• Limited Activities – If a child does not attend a school it has limitations. Your child will not be able to join a school sports team or club. Also school related activities such as dances and events will not be in the cards for them. This can cause friendship restraints.
I personally am not a fan of home schooling. I think parents sometimes want to protect their children from the ups and downs of public schools and sometimes private schools. I strongly believe that a child should be placed in a school environment. Even though there are ups and downs that is how they learn. Children learn to be stronger, stick up for themselves and they learn from their mistakes. They need to be able to experience their youth but attending school events and having a group of friends inside of school.
http://school.familyeducation.com/home-schooling/parenting/29861.html
18 comments:
Hi Kristen! It's too bad you don't live in CA--I'd invite you over. I think it's probably hard to form a solid opinion about homeschooling if you've never met any homeschoolers. I'm sure you could meet some right in your city very easily! :)
Disadvantages of Home Schooling
• Time Restraints
• Financial Restraints
• Being with your children “24/7”
• Limited Activities
As a homeschooler I'd like to go over these. But first, you've never met any homeschoolers? Really? You have led a very sheltered life. There are homeschoolers everywhere. Next time you see a mom with her kids at the library during 'school' hours, or at the grocery store, zoo, museum; ask them if they homeschool, I bet they do.
Time restraints: believe it or not, it takes much less time for me to find out what my children need to learn and to implement it than it does for a teacher who is having to come up with work for 30 kids (and maybe even in just 1 subject area!) I have 4 children who have always been homeschooled, they are 15 (10th grade), 10 (5th), 7 (2nd) and 4 (Pre-K). I labeled them that way because if you've never met a homeschooler then you probably don't know that a child can be in any grade if you homeschool. They can be at, above or below grade level in any subject and we can teach to their strengths and weaknesses instead of pushing them ahead or dragging them along. Since I have never worked (which I'll go into next) and have always been a stay at home, home educating mom I'm not sure what you mean by 'lives are turned upside down'. Homeschooling is life, life is school so there is no life turned upside down. We school when and where we want and though we have a structure to what we learn, it is flexible. Yeah, life happens, kids go to the ER, people get sick, people die, car wrecks happen - that's why homeschooling is so great, it is flexible to wrap around any life event.
Financial restraints: okay I have only worked outside of the home before I had children, so about 2 years of my married life I worked. But then I had a son and yes, a baby changes everything; except, we had already determined that I would stay home and that we were going to homeschool. Whew! Two major items off the list I didn't have to worry about. Most homeschoolers can live off one income and here's a secret - most people can live off one income. There are things we can do without and things we don't need to live.
Being with your children 24/7: this is always brought up in regards to homeschooling and I have to tell you, if you hate your kids then yeah, it will suck to be around them 24/7. But, most homeschoolers don't despise their children, they don't want a break from them, they don't need someone else to teach them. I hear all the time about how patient I must be to homeschool my kids, that has nothing to do with it. I love them and though there are days when I pull my hair out, I don't ever want to send them away somewhere.
Limited activities: this one makes me crack up. If you don't know any homeschoolers then you don't know that we have this thing called 'socialization' licked. "Your child will not be able to join a school sports team or club. Also school related activities such as dances and events will not be in the cards for them. This can cause friendship restraints." Sorry to disappoint, we have a HS sports team (not to mention the rec center teams and church teams) for sports. Club? We have a drama club, speaking club, game night club.....Dances, events? Do you mean like Christmas parties, skate parties, Valentines parties, etc? We have that too. Personally in my family of 6 we: have worship dance every Monday, have Civil Air patrol every Monday, have park day every Wednesday, have girl scout meetings the 1st and 3rd Fridays, have presentation club once a month, volunteer at the library every Friday, volunteer at the airplane museum a few times a month or more on special occasions, have an exceptional kids meeting once a month, we also do co-ops with our homeschool group (I just had one Tuesday about US government), field trips with our homeschool group and family field trips (many times a month), plus Teacher's night out twice a month (that's for mom's only), Bible study twice a month (for mom), church on Sundays and I think that's it. It's not just me (although I admit I do a lot) homeschoolers are in book clubs, soccer teams, they take trips to the museum, do service projects (our group just sent 144 butterflies to the Houston holocaust museum), have park days, and on and on. There are some homeschoolers who are more homebodies than others, just like there are some public schoolers who don't want to be involved in sports or team activities (no one calls them un-socialized!)
So that's just my one homeschooling opinion and you can add it in to your pro's list if you want. Find some homeschoolers to interview, you'll find they range from shy to outgoing, active to passive, political to religious, busy to quiet and everything in-between - just like 'real' people
It makes me giggle when people who have no experiences with homeschoolers are so against them.
By the way, I went to public school. Played no sports, joined no clubs, went to no dances. By your standards public school failed to socialize me at all. My homeschooled kids, on the other hand, play T-ball and soccer, regularly visit a group at the park, hang out with a variety of neighborhood kids of all ages (not just the ones in the neat little age bracket for the classroom), and are about to join an art club on the weekends.
But then my life wasn't turned completely upside down by homeschooling either. It stayed exactly the way it was before. Having to set my schedule by the school's, getting up and down by the school's, and arranging my younger children by the school's needs - that would turn my life upside down.
I used to teach 5th grade, and was appalled when I heard about homeschooling. Now, twenty years later, I am homeschooling my son. Public school is fine for many children, but it is torture for many others. There are pros and cons to everything, and only the parent and child can know what's best in their individual situation.
Hi. I followed a link from justenoughblog.com about your entry here. You've already gotten several great comments. I'd just like to invite you to go a little deeper and talk to some homeschoolers before making a judgement. I'd be interested to read what you find out.
Hi Kristen,
I'm sitting with my laptop and two kittens my younger daughter is fostering for the Humane Society, while my older daughter plays sax (really well) in the next room. Homeschooling gives us the time and freedom to follow our interests (all of us): those interests (right now) include lots of music and art and and writing for one, animal and sports and science related stuff (we live at an observatory) for the other. Our lives would truly be turned upside down if we had to follow a school schedule: the bus roars by when it isn't even light yet, and the schools here assign lots of homework from elementary school on, as if the students have nothing better to do with their time than to keep plugging away on whatever the teachers were not able to accomplish during school hours, leaving little time for friends, family, or outside interests. It's true that my work opportunities are limited by my schedule. I work eight hours a week, but it's challenging stuff (GIS development and IT) that would burn me out if I were doing it full time. My work provides a welcome break from our homeschooling, and homeschooling provides a welcome break from my work. I also teach violin, which has turned out to be a source of really interesting friends for our family. Freedom to learn, freedom to associate, freedom from bullies and rigid one size fits all institutional expectations: all this coupled with the gift of time. We love it.
Deborah
Hi Kristin,
I am another homeschooler here and have been working on my MEd (if that makes a difference and I don't think it does). I think you covered the pros pretty well. However, while there are cons to homeschooling, yours need to be researched a little more. The first three are really just a reality of parenting. Most parents understand these before (or shortly after) becoming parents and homeschooling is just an extention of that. The last one is false. As other posters have said, activities outside of school are abundant. Families participate as personalities and need dictate just as in public school situations. In order to get an accurate take on the public school vs. homeschool debate, it would be beneficial to objectively interview families in each situation. Although you may have attended a public school (as I did), you'll find that it's much different from a parent's perspective. I appreciate that we have a choice in our country.
Hi, Kristin!
I'm another teacher-turned-homeschooler. I taught in public schools for seven years, but I've chosen to homeschool my 8, 6 and 3 year old children.
I would describe my top reasons for homeschooling as:
1. Fear that public school would stifle my children's impulse to learn.
2. Desire to avoid negative socialization and a "fish in a barrel" opportunity for advertisers to reach my children through peer pressure.
3. My belief that schools have become too bureaucratic and top-heavy to address my curricular concerns.
4. Desire for my children to interact daily with people of more diverse ages and backgrounds then they'd have access to in a classroom.
I earnestly believe that committed parents are as and often more effective than the average public school teacher. I also heartily agree with earlier comments that many Americans have a highly inflated sense of the "necessary". Many more families could get by one income than are willing to do so.
There are many great books available about homeschooling. I think it behooves all students of education to recognize homeschooling as the diverse, growing movement that it is. Parents do not have the luxury of taking the long view with regard to our current system. A system that does not work for our children right now, today, will result in unprepared adults. We are not willing to shoulder the burden of having failed our children.
A family that finds it has to supplement classroom instruction will quickly begin asking, "Why not just homeschool?" While my family loves to homeschool and is unlikely to stop, we meet more and more parents who started out as public school advocates and eventually left in chagrin. Most teachers are not "fans" of homeschooling. However, in the interest of job security, it's a good idea to recognize that the rise in popularity of any alternative to public school is a proverbial "canary in a coal mine". If public school was serving our families, we wouldn't be taking matters into our own hands.
Kristen,
Just remember when you are making judgments, that you should really have experience with those you are judging. I would love to say that I am not a fan of public school anymore (though my children have only been homeschooled since last March when we abandoned public school) but that would be a horrible thing to say about all of my family and loved ones who use the public school system. (Also for several family members who teach elementary, high school and college).
My point, if there was one, is that the world is made up of many, many types of people. The public school system did not allow for the social and educational needs of my eldest. The worries that this caused my husband and myself led to our choice to start this homeschooling journey. The absolute freedom and joy that we felt with son #1 led to us homeschooling son#2 as well. Now, while our friends in the neighborhood are walking home in the last 45 minutes of sunshine, ready to start their 30-60 minutes of homework (in grade school!) before dinner and bath and bedtime; my own children can enjoy their lives, having accomplished and RETAINED more information in a shorter period of time.
And strangely enough, there never ceases to be a time when we aren't entertaining children from the neighborhood or attending a homeschooling or scouting function... Pretty damn social, if you want to know the truth.
Kristen,
Glad you chose to investigate homeschooling..I hope what you learn will help you in your own educational style choices in years to come.
I am a working home-school mom. (Education Coordinator for a local Boys and Girls Club). I encourage you to meet some homeschoolers.
If you are ever in Texas..feel free to find us. If you want a brief glimmer feel free to check us out at shaggyboys.blogspot.com
We have found that our sons (ages 19, 16 and 15) have had many more opportunities to deal with a variety of people,on a regular basis, than most of their schooled peers.
I think you might be surprised to know that it is not uncommon to hear homeschooled teens say "oh..don't mind them..they go to school" when explaining entitled behavior in schooled athletes,etc.
..and yes, there are many homeschooled athletes as well.
I guess it depends on what type of attitudes you are looking for in socialization.
Hope you enjoy this journey.
http://highlandshomeschool.homeschooljournal.net/
Here's mine.
There are many more advantages to homeschooling, besides the ones that you listed. I'd like to address the disadvantages that you listed.
You say, "Parents lives are completely turned upside down when they choose to home school their children" - Honey, as someone who sent her son to public school through the middle of third grade - Public school is MUCH more disruptive!!! Once I kept him home, his sisters, his father and I had our lives turned back to right side up. We've been homeschooling for over 10 years and I'm not sure that I've recovered with the horribly disruptive life of the Schooled.
You write, "There is no time off. " Guess what - there is no time off, no matter how you decide to educate your children. Are you a parent? If so, then you know what I mean. If not - prepare yourself! Parenting isn't for sissies! There is no better job on earth, and it's a 24/7 job.
You write, " If a child does not attend a school it has limitations. " Ummm.... no. One of my children is a musician, and there's no way that she could do the things she does if she had to also attend school. It's so funny - one of the teachers called once, offering my daughter the "chance of a lifetime!!!" to provide background music at a reception at the school because, as she stated, "I know that as a homeschooler, she doesn't have many performance opportunities." As it turned out, she was booked up on that day - she actually has a very busy performance schedule, but this teacher assumed that she sat home, sucking her thumb. Oy. The arrogance of it all.
You write, "Children learn to be stronger, stick up for themselves and they learn from their mistakes." What makes you think that this happens ONLY in a school setting? It could be argued that the school environment is so artificial, that it actually thwarts the opportunity to learn from life's experiences. How old are you? I'm 50. I learned a long time ago that "real life" bears very little resemblance to the school environment. The skills learned for survival in the school setting are pretty useless in the greater world beyond.
You write, "hey need to be able to experience their youth but attending school events and having a group of friends inside of school. " Why? Because this is how you lived? How exceedingly narrow minded. I wish you could meet my kids. One is a thriving university student, and the other two are teenagers who are loving every day of their life. They never feign sickness so as to avoid a day of their "real life." How many "schooled" students need a day off of their life? Think about it.
Rosemary
This is absolutely ridiculous. This is not the type of behavior I would expect from adults who homeschool their children. Perhaps if you didn't spend so much of your time at home you wouldn't be searching the Internet for blogs about homeschooling. If you are so clever, you probably noticed that this blog is for a one semester course. This student is not blogging because she wants to discuss these topics with you, she is doing because it is required by her professor. Attacking this girl is extremely immature, and she probably could care less about what you have to say. She obviously does not agree with homeschooling, and she is entitled to her opinion. She stated that she has researched this topic, and formed a conclusion on her findings. It is very disturbing that people would target a college student trying to get through her semester, and believe me, your opinions are not going to change hers. It would be of your benefit to waste your time doing something else.
Allison B, the only attacks I've seen have come from you. All the rest of the entries have been lovingly urging this girl to look at the issue from another point of view. I'm sure if Kristen felt attacked in any way she would speak up.
Kristen, I do apologize if you felt attacked in any way.
@Allison B.
Perhaps the reason the professor choose this format is to expose his/her student to this sort of feedback. This is life, where negative feedback happens and can help us grow.
These comments aren't all opinion, many are factual and serve to set straight the misinformation published in the post as fact, (not opinion as you state). Many people see this ability to counter-argue as essential to protecting our chosen way of life. How do you know our opinions won't affect Kristen's? Other peoples' opinions have often changed mine. It's called being open-minded.
Either way, this is a public space with comments enabled, for better or worse.
@Kristen
My comment is not to argue counterpoints, as that has been done quite well in the other comments above. I would simply like to shed some light on my frustration with your post, (which is the same frustration held by many homeschooling parents when we come across posts such as this).
To people immersed in the subject, not only is your post frustrating because we see such misinformation on homeschooling published quite often, but it is damaging as well. The entry is damaging because it is posted as researched fact, (until the last paragraph), and could potentially garner a lot of traffic, including minds searching for truth in the quest to determine whether to homeschool or not. Fortunately there are comments, which hopefully get read, to offset the misinformation.
Better research would have your opening line state,
"...I had never met anyone that has been home schooled before."
Or at the very least an online interview or two would help if you do not have time for an actual meeting, (look how quickly people responded to the post). The point is, next time you may want to dive in and actually get to know your subject before posting your findings to the world as fact, whether it be for a one semester college course or a personal project.
Please, I implore you on behalf of those in the homeschooling community who do not experience the disadvantages you state as researched fact, if you find yourself assigned another post on the subject, either state the post as an opinion piece from the start, or conduct better research.
Thank you.
Now off to take my daughter to soccer practice.
My goodness. I certainly hope Kristen isn't offended by a bunch of parents who simply want to help her expand her views! Isn't that what college is about? If anything, it's WONDERFUL to write something and get feedback on it.
@ Allison. Please, hon. Please try to open your mind to the idea that adults can have rational conversations online without attacking other people. I saw no one above (other than yourself) who was attacking anyone else. I see the words of the other homeschooling parents as people who are imploring a future teacher of our youth to have an open mind.
It's pretty clear that you are in an Intro to Education level class, both by the topics covered on your blog, and by your writing skills.
It's also clear that while you may have looked into homeschooling, you did not actually do research. Your list of pros and cons looks like it came from a textbook.
I think it's ironic that you posted so positively about social justice and acceptance and speared homeschooling with your next breath.
And @Allison B., Kristen is no kid. She graduated high school six years ago. Relax.
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