Does having the same teacher and not being a number on a list hurt you in the real world?

Question

In homeschooling you usually have the same teacher for every subject and are in a very small class. In real life you are a number on a list. In any corporation or prestigious college you are just a number on a list so why not get used to it?

Conformity and hard work generally get you farther than creativity and uniqueness. Most jobs are in institutions and you follow policy regardless of your own opinion or idea. I understand there are exceptions to this like writers and musicians but it is a pipe dream to think you can make a career out of music.

Most people work real jobs lol

Answer 1

You're right. I did have the same teacher for all my elementary years, but around seventh grade I started teaching myself, was in co op classes taught by other homeschool parents and students, and took classes at the community college.  So when it was time to get into college I had had many different teachers.  And trust me, you do not want to be just a number when trying to get into college.  That will only hurt you.  (I was told that by my college admissions officer, just so you know.)

A large percentage of homeschoolers go on to own their own business because hello,  1) they are not used to being a number and don't want to get used to it, 2) they are creative and hard working, 3) someone has to employ all the numbers like you.  Just kidding.  But seriously, what's with the weird attitude?  I worked retail at a mall for years and even in jobs like that the creative people are always paid more, the people that are not content with being a number always get the promotions.

My full time job is as a private violin instructor.  I can't have many students now because I am still in college finishing up my music degree.  As a musician in the music business I can tell you straight out that you have no idea what you are talking about.  Guess how much my teacher charges for a half hour lesson?  100 BUCKS. For thirty minutes of instruction.  Say he teaches six students, six days a week (he actually has many more students, that is my schedule), four weeks a month, eleven months a year. Do the math.  You seem to be good with numbers.  It looks to me like he's doing ok, yeah?  Especially for only working three hours a day out of his home.  Oh, wait, that's what I'm doing too!  Yes!  I actually have a career in the music business and I am making decent money!  And my schedule will triple when I get out of school.  Why?  Because I have a waiting list of students who want to take with me.  And no, my parents didn't have the money for me to study with the best teachers or be in the best youth orchestras, I got those things through hard work and scholarships.

Most numbers work for institutions.  Other people work for themselves and hire the numbers.

Answer 2

You are very right.  Most people just grow up to be normal folks with normal jobs.  We can't live on the pipe dream that all of our kids will be composers like Irving Berlin,Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Anton Bruckner, Felix Mendelssohn, or Francis Poulenc; they were all home schooled.  We could shatter our children's hopes if we tell each one of them that they must aspire to be famous authors like Hans Christian Anderson, Charles Dickens, Brett Jarle, Mark Twain, Sean O'Casey, Phillis Wheatley, Mercy Warren, Pearl S. Buck, Agatha Christie, C. S. Lewis, or George Bernard Shaw; they were all home schooled.  I would have to shake my head at any home schooling parent who thought that their son or daughter could be in movies just because Charlie Chaplin was home schooled.  They might simply have children who grew to work in institutions, like you said.  Since all institutions have to be run by someone, I suppose they could try to become presidents of institutions like Texas A &M, Stanford, Columbia, or Princeton.  Wait, wasn't Frank Vandiever the president of Texas A & M?  He was home schooled.  Oh, and wasn't Fred Terman the president of Stanford.   He was home schooled.  Willam Samuel Johnson , the president of Columbia University, and John Witherspoon, the president of Princeton, were both home schooled, too.  I am sorry, Those are not good examples, are they?

I do see what you are saying, though.  We can't all apsire to be great leaders like those presidents of universities I mentioned or like the famous home schooled generals, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacAurthur, or George Patton.  Ten United States presidents were home schooled, but not everyone can be the president of the United States.  Not everyone is going to be an industrialist and philanthropist like Andrew Carnegie, another home schooler.

I am a parent and I can't begin to imagine that one of my children would be in the ranks of John Jay, John Marshall, or John Rutledge: all homeschoolers who became United States Supreme Court Judges.  They may not even be good at sports, like the world runner, Jim Ryan, or the world cup skier, Tamara McKinney (both home schoolers).  They may have lots of bosses over them like the newspaperman, Bill Ridell or contract for other people, like the photographer, Ansel Adams. Wait a minute...they were home schooled, too, weren't they?  Crum, I keep giving examples of successful home schoolers.  

OK, then let's think this out.  Maybe home schoolers know that lower student-teacher ratios statistically produce scholars who excel in school and in the workplace.  Maybe not every home schooling parent is trying to rudely mold his or her child into another home schooled statesman like Henry Clay, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, or William Pen.  Maybe they are just trying to give their children the best they can give them.

Now I know that not all parents are able to give that level of committment in time, talents, loss of a second income and so forth.  However, those who have taken on that sacrifice might just know that the odds are stacked in favor of their children.  Theie chldren may simply become average workers, but the statistics show that they will generally be more invoved in their communities.  Perhaps those parents would still be proud of the average worker who becomes an above-average citizen!  Could it also be that many home schooling parents are seeking to individually guide the work ethics of their children?  Perhaps they want, like most loving parents, simply to see their children do the best they can do.  It might be that their drive and determination rubs off on their kids.

After all, how do staff members of college and university enrollment offices choose from all those college applicants?  Guess what? The outstanding, self-starting, non-conformist will win every time.  Also, how does a boss pick out from amoung his many employees someone to honor with a raise?  You are right to assume that a hard worker is someone with a quality that will get him somewhere.  However, if that same hard worker is in line for a promotion alongside a hard working, creative person with a talent for bringing new and profitable ideas to the table, he will have to wait a little longer for that promotion.  The more you have to offer, the more you will sell yourself to clients, bosses, colleges and so forth.

Lastly, my son, age 15, has had at least ten teachers in the last two years alone.   Is my doctor-wannbe son destined to be the next Albert Schweitzer (you guessed it, Schweitzer was home schooled)?  I can't say if my son will be famous or not.  I don't care.  All I want is for him to stand up and embrace the world with everything he can give it.  I want him and his siblings to not settle for less than what they are capable of doing or to give less than what they are capable of giving back to others.  By not being famous, I suppose they become a number.  Many home schoolers have become famous, but that really isn't the point.  When those in the box are simply effecting a steriotypical union attitude, is it wrong to step out of the box and try to give more of yourself? Can it be that the attempt to do more and think more can be beneficial to one's success? By not being mediocre in their own abilities, home schoolers (or anyone else who dares to step out of the box) assuredly become more marketable!

Answer 3

You have kind of a sad view on the world.

*** "In homeschooling you usually have the same teacher for every subject and are in a very small class." ***

Many homeschoolers utilize a huge variety of outside resources such as coops, clubs and (community) colleges.  So, it is a general misconception that only mom or dad are doing all the teaching.

*** "In real life you are a number on a list. In any corporation or prestigious college you are just a number on a list so why not get used to it?" ***

That is certainly not true.  We have visited 3 prestigious colleges including the College of William and Mary and Vanderbilt.  Both of these pride themselves on small class sizes - that is a part of what makes them great colleges.

I've worked for several large corporations and I never felt or acted or was treated like a number.

*** "Conformity and hard work generally get you farther than creativity and uniqueness. ***"

Perhaps during the industrial revolution this was generally true although even then not universally true (think of all the immigrant entrepreneurs).

Lets see... Google is a fairly successful big company.  Here is an excerpt from their Jobs at Google pages:

"At Google, we know that every employee has something important to say, and that every employee is integral to our success. And where else can a newbie unabashedly and unflinchingly skate over a corporate officer during a roller hockey game?"

Plus, I have experience working at one of the largest high tech firms in the world.  Drones did not do well.  Independent thinkers who could deal with ambiguity and work with minimal direction tended to excel. <smile>

Find yourself in a job such as you describe (I admit - they are out there) - then you are free to find another or start your own.

Having an attitude like yours hurts you in the real world.

Answer 4

Most jobs require collaboration, creativity, unique abilities, hard work, a good education, and much more.

I know several kids that have been home schooled and their education was far superior to that of the institution.

In home schooling, you don't slide by, fall between the cracks, long term and short term sub that are not qualified or even know the subject.

Answer 5

nice one, lol

Answer 6

Wow, you have a very skewed view of life - you'll do well at a factory job that doesn't require you to think.  (Actually, my husband is a lead tech at a factory, and the people who don't care to think get fired quickly.  Being a mindless number lands you in the unemployment line.)

I've worked for several major corporations, and I've never felt like a number..."numbers" don't make it in to major corporations.  Resourceful, energetic, creative thinking problem solvers do.  So much for that theory.

In homeschooling, yes, your "class" is very small...but your *classroom* is extremely large.  Our kids aren't restricted to a 15x20 room, in their own cute little desk, with their lives run by bells for 3/4 of the year...they have the option to do and study whatever they want.  They take classes at co op (where they have - gasp! - different teachers for every subject), they take lessons, they shadow professionals in their daily jobs (one of my students shadows an MD several days a week), they start their own businesses, they have mentors in their field of choice, and they are actively recruited by colleges.  Poor, little creative, unique homeschool kids.  They're just missing out on life, aren't they?

Of course, once their school career is done, their classroom isn't.  They grow up learning from everything and everyone around them, learning to think and process rather than just believe blindly, and it tends to serve them well.  They tend to get higher grades in college, to serve in their community, to be more involved in politics, to start their own (pretty darn successful) businesses, and to have far fewer credit problems later in life (since they grow up learning to make do with what they can buy now).  Darn, they're pretty well screwed, aren't they?  You're right, conformity and lack of original thought must really be the way to go.

You have fun with that.  Meanwhile, homeschool kids and grads will work on building a business to employ you...oh, wait, they're likely to want employees who can think.  Scratch that.  Rather, they'll work on building a government that will support all the mindless masses...oh, wait, they're more likely to build a government that will encourage you to govern yourself (like our government was meant to be).  Well, anyway, you have fun with that.

Answer 7

Well, in real life, people usually have one boss for long periods of time.

PS You sound like a product of the public school system!

Answer 8

The only time I have ever felt like a number in my life was when I worked for Kmart and we had to respond to our "clock numbers." It went something like this "Clock 9 call 433." I hated it! That job sucked! Even as a public school student I was never made to feel like a number!

Small class sizes are great! I get to spend as much time as is needed on a subject! My kids can move at their pace and master a concept before they move on!

Do you get that in PS? Uh NO! What happens if the concept is in Math and you don't get it? Are you going to get the next concept? Not likely! Math builds upon itself the concepts are introduced one at a time and then built upon. If you can't add then there is no way you can understand subtraction, multiplication and so on.

Working hard gets you farther up the ladder. Conformity gets you ignored! You blend in. How can you show you are manager material if you never show yourself to be a leader? Or capable of independent thought? We need leaders in this nation not more conformist!