Do homeschoolers and their parents look down on public school students?

Question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=At_DQRv_F70M2eNaRngImnfty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080104072627AARQU7q&show=7#profile-info-w9DvhTQ6aa

I never thought this was the case before, but I'm not sure now.

I know that this was a dumb question, but after reading some of the answers, I got the impression that homeschoolers and/or their parents look down on public school students. I know that public school is not always the greatest thing, but for some of us, that's our method of education.

I have attended public school my whole life, and as much as it hasn't been easy, I've never had much of a choice. I still use proper grammar, can do math, love to help others, and am my own unique person (how many teenagers can claim to be a walking Broadway encyclopedia? Very few, I assume).

Just curious if my assumptions are correct or if I've misunderstood.

Answer 1

I am home schooled and I have many friends who are public schooled. I do not look down at them at all.

  If some of those answers looked mean and nasty, it may be because some home schoolers are surprised, and tired of being called names that are stereotypical and many times not true.

  Of course some public schoolers look down at home schoolers, and though I have yet to meet one I am sure some home  schoolers look down on public schoolers. But most of the time what you see is just responses from surprised and upset home schoolers who do not look down at public schooling but wish that home schooling was not so frowned upon, especially for things that are many times untrue.

Answer 2

Of course they do.  I just hope they intend to home-church, home-employ, and home-medicate their fragile little darlins.

Frankly as one of those "hated" public school teacher, good riddance.  

lol ok, neg me down now!!!

Answer 3

Not at all. I don't have much respect for the PS system. But if anything I respect PS students MORE because they are able to learn in that environment. Almost all of my daughter's friends are public or private school students and I and my husband are both the products of the public school system. I can't very well look down on myself.

Answer 4

I answered that other question you referenced, and was probably a bit snappy then.

I do not look down on PS students but I do look down on PS as a bureaucratic system that often warehouses students, leaves them behind academically, doesn't inspire passion in its students, and hires ill-qualified teachers.

My entire community in general must have looked down on the system because when I was growing up, only students who could not succeed in a more rigorous academic environment even considered majoring in education in college ...  at least that was the reputation they got (many I am sure, undeservedly).

When I told one of my well-educated, classy friends we were homeschooling, she asked if we'd be stockpiling weapons in a bomb shelter somewhere, too.  THAT is the kind of bias homeschoolers face on a regular basis.

When I told my daughter's then- PS teacher that in our previous city we had homeschooled, she said, "What?  YOU?????!!!!!I cannot believe it! " because she has stereotyped homeschoolers and my being one of 'them' didn't fit into her little box.

Homeschoolers are defensive when pigeonholed I guess, probably much as any other misunderstood group of people.

Answer 5

I'd say a lot of homeschoolers look down on the public school SYSTEM. A lot of homeschoolers/parents have had really bad experiences with the system or are just really aware of certain trends. And looking quickly over the answers from the link you provided, I didn't see anything that specifically looked down at public school students, but did make negative comments about the system. There is a difference.

Answer 6

No.

Public schooled kids can do just as well as home schooled ones.

I've had a lot of public, private, and home schooled friends. They are all equal to me...even though some of them (not all public schoolers) couldn't carry on a decent intellectual conversation.

Answer 7

I can't answer for all homeschooling parents but as for me, no I don't look down on public school kids.  I know I tend to get a little defensive when people make assumptions about homeschooled kids but that doesn't have to do with kids in public school or homeschool it has to do with ignorant people.  Homeschooling was just the option our family decided to make.  Not everyone can or wants to homeschool and that is their decision.  Everyone does what they think is right for their children.  So no judgments here.

Answer 8

I don't think homeschoolers look down on anyone.

They are usually cool people who like everyone.

Homeschoolers just don't like public school, not the children who attend.

I went to public school and my homeschooled kid has done both-he is now back in PS. Now I am a homeschooled (online)college student.

When my son was homeschooled he had public school friends.

Answer 9

No, for the most part.

We do tend to get defensive when someone gets on and says we are purposefully damaging our children (as the referred to poster does). Are we supposed to just roll over? Oh wait, I forget, we're all Christian fundamentalists and we're supposed to turn the other cheek....what the heck am I doing on a computer? I'm going to go to hades for sure now!

Anyway, my sarcasm has been wiped clean and put away. To continue with the answer, we do defend ourselves when completely biased and unfair questions are asked.

Sometimes people get a little snippy because we KNOW that when you ask a question on Y!A it shows all the similar questions that have been asked. SO to continue to ask a similar question, rather than reading the previous answers and becoming educated, can be construed as inflammatory. So post it and get flamed. So sorry. You should read women's studies answers if you think homeschoolers get defensive.

Answer 10

I am a homeschool mom who went to public school. No, I think as a WHOLE we don't look down on the people.

But again, on the WHOLE I believe we do look down on public education.

Answer 11

I think you have to understand that those responses were a defensive reaction to an offensive question.  I don't think homeschoolers look down on public schoolers in general (though I can't say there aren't a few who are as anti-public schooling as much as that poster on your link is anti-homeschooling).

I think that when offensive accusations are thrown at homeschoolers, the point they are trying to get across is that public schools are not perfect places, that there are a lot of problem kids that are products of the system, a lot of kids who don't get a chance to reach their potential, and a lot of kids that fall into the negative aspects of socializing. Telling homeschoolers that homeschooling can produce academically and socially stunted children is, in effect, the pot calling the kettle black.

Think of what the reaction might be if a homeschool parent went to a school board and posted "schooled kids are (fill in stereotypical insults of your choice) and they should all be homeschooled!" Don't you think there would be a defensive reaction of people posting about how homeschooling can be bad? Would that mean every person on that board looks down on homeschoolers? Probably not, but in defense, they may say some very blunt things that could make it sound like they do.

Answer 12

If we did my kids would never have any friends as most of their friends are ps kids.   ps school, hs, etc are just different ways of educating.   We've choosen one way and PS kids have choosen another.  

I feel there's more contempt coming the other way as shown by the question you pointed out.   It was a platent attack on my children.   Saying they are socially inept and basically stupid.

Answer 13

I think this needs to be put in context!

Here is the question that you point to:

"Home Schooling?

i think home schooling damages a child by denying them socialization, making life long friends. learning how to respond to certain situations even experiencing bullies (ya cant get away from em) im referring to healthy children that can get around, walk, wheelchair,can communicate in any means possible. whats your take on home schooling?"

The responses were to this insulting attack on homeschoolers.

Go to the other education sections of Y!A (teaching, primary and secondary) and you will not find homeschoolers baiting public schoolers with questions like the one you reference.

If you follow along here, many times, answerers acknowledge that public school is the best option for some families and students.

So, the answer to your question is a resounding NO.  I think the evidence is clearly the reverse of what you postulate.

Homeschoolers in response to the "start a fight about homeschooling" questions do point out well known and documented problems with public schools - but not public school students in general.

***UPDATE:

I'd say that "Mr. R. Bowman" (aka teacher for now), makes the point for us.

Answer 14

No, I don't think so.

Personally I don't know anyone who goes to a public school. Everyone I know is either home-educated or goes to private school but that is not because we 'look down on public school students'; it is because there are no public schools here (the last one closed in around 1988).

If home-educators 'look down on anything', I'd say it is heaps more likely to be the public school system per se; what it represents - the politics, agendas, egoisms and all the other similar c**p that such organisations inevitably generate and which they (home educators) then see intruding upon their own/their kids' opportunities to get a timely, relevant and meaningful life-centric education.

Answer 15

I'm sure that some do, but I don't. I was home schooled until 4th grade and since then I have been in public school. I've never looked down on public school even when I was still being home schooled, but I defintally have to say I would go back to being home schooled in a heart beat if I could!!!

Don't worry, this isn't a dumb question. A dumb question is the question I asked about what M & M stands for :). Anyway, you can't really say if all home schooled children and home schooling parents think badly about public schools because even though they share a common way of education they are still individual. Just like not all public school students think home schooling is bad (though unforetentually in my experience I've learned a lot do believe this), not all home schooled people think that public schools are bad.

While I was being home schooled I attended dance classes, swim classes, I was on a T-ball team and a lot more so I was around kids who go to public school all the time. I never looked down on the other kids because they weren't home schooled like me. I got along with the other kids just as much as they all got along with eachother.

Answer 16

This kind of question is the exact reason why homeschoolers have to keep on defending themselves.  People ask stereotypical questions that just aren't fair.  Do you expect us to just sit back and take it?  We have just as much right to defend ourselves as you do.  Do you know how many public schoolers make fun of us and look down on us?  We have to make a stand and present the facts.  I do not look down on those who go to public school but I'm not a whimp who's just gonna hide away and give up.  I will not be treated like that.  Yes, it is true that some homeschoolers do look down on publicschoolers

but most just want to live their lives the way they choose without being harrassed.

Answer 17

Some may, most do not.

Remember many of us; the parents and grandparents that is; have also been educated in a conventional school setting, private, boarding, or the public arena.

Many of us, or our spouses are teachers, and hold teaching degrees, and we know the system from both sides.

We have through these experiences noticed  that over time; for several decades a slow, but steady decline in basic academics has crept into the schools, and seen the school system evolve from a place where a quality education was provided at one time into a social relief agency where in many cases academics were/are at the bottom of the list.

We believe in full freedom of choice, especially in the educational realm.

All forms of education should be available for parents, and students to choose from, and not one of these should be made mandatory over the other, nor should they be funded with government  funds in any way shape of form.

Having this type of funding has created a Trojan Horse through which local control over the schools, and the content they teach has been completely eroded, and is now no longer even a part of today's (public) schools.

Local, or parental control is a myth, and so the cry of, "parents get involved, these are your children, your schools", is an illusion.

Schools should be run as a business that provide a service, and by having to compete for students, and by providing a quality product (education) the competition would greatly benefit the students who choose to attend these schools.

Job security would then depend on the instructor's merits, not tenure.

Private, private religious, boarding, prep, charter, virtual, home schooling, or public schools are all viable options, and can provide a good education.

Since some of these, and currently the eyes are on the public school system (NCLB), because they receive an enormous amount of money to to do job, but are not doing their job in educating a large number of their students, it may seem that home school families are anti public school, but trust me most of us are not.

They/we are against the dismal job the system is doing in not providing the majority of our children with the education they deserve.

We simply want better for our children, and are willing to take a different path, and by doing so we are often criticized harshly.

Overall there are many great teachers in both the public, and private schools, and many students are trying to do there best to make it in spite of the system, but looking at the big picture, it does not look promising, and that is why many are looking for alternatives like home schooling.

Answer 18

I don't look down on them.

I don't personally view the public school system as being a very good system nor is it well run.  Most of the time it reminds me of a prison with guards and I can't fathom how people manage to learn that way, but some do (and some don't)!

But this has nothing to do with the students.

Answer 19

Some do, some don't.

There are several million homeschoolers here in the US, and they all have different opinions.

Don't know the numbers for other countries, but the homeschoolers in the rest of the world have their own opinions too.

Answer 20

yes

they think they are so much better than public schoolers

Answer 21

I can see where some of our answers - even my answer - could have looked that way.  If it did, I apologize.  That was not my intent.

Please understand that we get questions here that are phrased very close to "Why on earth would you homeschool your kids?  Don't you see you're a complete idiot and you're ruining their lives?  How stupid could you be?" and are generally backed up by uninformed stereotypes about socialization and how public school is an educational wonderland.  Sorry, I grew up in public school, and though I didn't have to worry about guns, it certainly was far from paradise.

To these, we do tend to lash out a bit, since we're being attacked with misinformation.  We say some things that are tongue-in-cheek (though in retrospect, they may not come across that way to someone who hasn't seen the previous dozens of attacks) that refute the question and its stereotypes.

If you go on the other forums, like another poster (I think ysn) suggested, you won't find us posting things about how every student should be homeschooled, and how could you poor, misinformed people consider sending your kids to public school.  That's because we don't believe that.  We don't believe that everyone should choose what we do, and that there should only be one choice - ours.  Yet, that's what we get on almost a daily basis on a forum set aside for homeschoolers to help each other (and to answer questions about homeschooling).  If anyone honestly has a question - like the one you've posted - we are happy to answer it honestly and respectfully.  When someone posts a baiting question, we're not inclined to be so respectful (though we'll still answer honestly).  :-)

We don't look down on public school students.  I can't say that we respect those who don't work to learn for themselves but come on here and attack us, but that has nothing to do with public school students in general.

You sound like a great student, and like one that would succeed no matter where you were educated.  You communicate well, you make it a point to learn about things that interest you, and you're respectful to others.  These are all wonderful traits and will get you far.  I'm glad you asked this question, and I hope this helps to answer it :-)