I have seen many fellow homeschoolers on this forum and wanted to see what people in general thought of this method getting a secondary education. Happy voting!

Farmerboy

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I choose the "equal" option because there are so many factors to consider. When we homeschooled- there were so many moments everyday to reinforce all that I was teaching. When we finally moved to a state with charter schools and we decided to put the kids in school, they were way ahead of their counterparts. Luckily the charter school met them where they were and let them continue from that point. Homeschooling also developed in them a sense of responsibility to get it done without me looking over their shoulder. On the flip side I've met other homeschoolers who's parents don't have it together and are completely dropping the ball to the child's disadvantage. As a child, I went from an elementary school in Ohio to Arkansas. I had mastered everything taught to me at the latter school the year before, in the Ohio school. When finally moving back to Ohio, the make up I had to achieve was tremendous. Two public schools, very very different educations. Once again, there are just so many factors.

Yes, If you can add or change one of the radio buttons, I'd like either this choice that cinderly proposed or one that says, "Sometimes homeschooling, sometimes public school is best." I've seen wonderful examples of both yet wouldn't say that they are equal. It depends on the parents, the student and the public option.

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Kate
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Hummm. I find the choice box a little tricky. Clearly, my "general thought of this method getting a secondary education" is that I feel it is best for MY OWN children. It really isn't for everyone.

I do think, that there is a need met by public education. I do belive that parents who desire to teach their child -and make a genuine effort to do so- ultimately are the best qualified to do the job because they are the most invested in the outcome. Strangers really are only marginally interested in your children's lifetime success. For some children, this is still better than their situation at home. School isn't always warm and fuzzy love of learning- and parents are not always caring and nurturing. Sometimes people just don't care.

I wouldn't DARE suggest everyone homeschool as the answer to the educational crisis in America. I know perfectly fine parents who didn't even bother to teach their child to tie his shoes because he would learn in school. <shrug> I did, afterall, stop my career to do this job- it is a serious undertaking for anyone, and should not be done so lightly.

I should point out, that the majority of homeschool are not homeschooling for academic reasons. That adds an entire perspective that isn't considered in the question.

Most of us here are already "alternative education" types who are doing "homeschooling" to earn our degrees. Just a slight shift when applied to children really.

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I would agree with this statement. My parents decided to homeschool their kids before they were even married because they felt that God had given the responsiblity to teach and train their kids to them and no one else. The thinking behind this decision has affected pretty much every area of our lives. We have taken a less traveled road and a sometimes made our own road! I believe that God calls different people to different paths, this one just happens to be ours.
I plan on homeschooling my kids and most of my siblings do as well (I am the oldest of 12 with the youngest being 3 so we will have to wait and see how things actually go!!)

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As a first generation home school graduate that has every intention to homeschool my own children (yet unborn), I firmly believe that home education fosters a spirit of learning that can scarcely be replicated in the public or private school system. Many of us here understand the benefits gained by distance learning and credit for life experiences, and we are relieved to have escaped the brick and motar prison sentence. Yet, the principles of distance education are also the back bone of homeschooling, such as individual inititive, the fact that knowledge can be gained outside the classroom, the ability to have the power of the purse, the desire to have control over your education, and being able to circumvent the sometimes helpful classroom experience that is more often a waste of valuable time.

Home education ought not be outlawed anymore than distance education ought to be outlawed. The public school experience is the shadow of the brick and motar university. While there are good teachers and "good" public schools (I live in a rural area where there are still some left) just as there are good professors and colleges, the very philosophy of the public school system, as it currently is, is one of protocol and not the holistic, inititive producing approach that other methods can afford. I didn't say that a public school system and brick and mortar colleges aren't necessary, I just said the very nature of homeschooling and distance education is often better than the alternatives. They both give more scope for the imagination!

With that, I must second Anne Girl. Many people that homeschool do so to allow their children the benefit of a godly, Christian education, and that definately tips the scale away from the secular public school environment as it stands today. While I do believe it to be the parents' responsibility to train and educated their children, I also believe they have the right to delgate this to someone else, if they so choose. Unfortunately, public schools have shirked their original intent. According to Dr. Benjamin Rush, signor of the Declaration of Independence, the leading proponent of the public school system in America, and a strong advocate of the Word of God being studied in publicly funded schools , declared, "Let the children who are sent to those schools be taught to read and write - - - (and a)bove all, let both sexes be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education - -" He understood the Bible truths from Proverbs and Galations that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" and that "where the spirit of the LORD is, there is liberty". So much for the "separation of church and state" myth.

I would estimate that the majority of people who homeschool, do so out of religious conviction first, and math and english reasons second.

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As a victim of the public school system, I married a woman who was a homeschool graduate. I think homeschooling is way better than the public system; however, it TOTALLY depends on the commitment of the parents doing the schooling. Personally, I've seen some bad examples of homeschooling and GOOD examples of kids from public schools. Everything being equal, I think homeschooling is better........because homeschooling caters more to the indidual student. Every kid is different in learning style, pace, etc. Though there are some great and committed teachers in the public school system, the material is set up in such a way that everybody is supposed to learn basically the same things. I don't think public school kids (generally) are truly taught to think for themselves. In my own experience, I know I wasn't. We were basically taught to swallow whatever it was the school taught....hook, line & sinker. Biology, for example....not once was the theory of evolution ever taught as such...a theory. In every aspect, it was taught as certified, empirical fact. Nor was the biblical view ever presented and the student given the option to choose for themselves which view seemed more valid. That's only one example.

Again, it all depends on the commitment of the parents. If parents aren't committed to their children's education, homeschool or public school...it won't matter, that child has already failed, unfortunately.

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This is almost exactly why my parents decided to homeschool me and my 8 other siblings. They chose homeschooling because they feel called by God to teach us as a family.

Me and all my siblings (that are old enough to know the difference) want to homeschool ALL of our children that we may have in the future. I can't even begin to explain the blessings and the well-rounded education my parents have given me and my brothers and sisters.

And people that say that as a homeschooler you don't get the social experience that public schoolers get... They don't even know...

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I totally agree with this statement. A lot of people talk about being open-minded and teaching our kids to be so. Then why don't we teach both Evolution and Creation in the public schools?

I believe in Creation. But, I have actually studied Evolutional THEORY. And fairly extensively too. Each person has the right to choose which one they believe in. It isn't up to the government to decide what is right or wrong. Especially since is is only a theory and not actual fact by any means. Teach them both, side by side, and let the the people decide for themselves which to believe in.

That is (in my opinion) why homeschooling can be MUCH better than the public schools. You actually have the opportunity to learn BOTH sides of ANY argument. You don't have that choice in public school. You are told that the government says this is right and this is wrong. You need to believe it also.

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I am 14 and the oldest of three. We have all been homeschooled the whole way. I also plan to eventually homeschool my children.

Most of the families I know homeschool out of religious convictions. On the other hand, I also know some families that homeschool because they don't like the school system or their kids didn't have enough time to pursue their talents/intrests while they were in the school system.
I can't think of anything to add to this.


I have seen this as well, and I think that it really gives homeschoolers a bad reputation.

It really strikes me as humurous when I hear somebody say, "But what about your social life?"!!!! I am so busy some of the time that my head spins! I am constantly talking to people. Also, public schoolers only have social experiences with their own age groups. They can't stand to be around their slightly younger siblings and will hardly even try to form friendships with older kids and adults. That is a pity because there is so much to learn from people that are older and wiser than you. My younger sister and I are best buds and do almost everything together. My cousins, who are older, have also been homeschooled the whole time. Regardless of our span in ages, I enjoy their company, which I partly attribute to our common experience of never being age seperated, and have learned a lot from their experiences!