Home-schooling cons???

Question

I'm doing a debate speech on homeschooling... anyone know any disadvantages???

Answer 1

People will claim its non socialization however, when your homeschooled properly you are being taken to a lot of places to enter act with not only your own age group but adults. You learn to be able to handle situations better, and get good jobs because your not acting like a kid.

Home schooling can get expensive if you take correspondence courses especially at the high school level so you can get a "real" diploma.  

Another con is the Navy won't accept homes studies.. the other services will.. they lost my daughter because they were snobs that way.. their loss was an insurance companies gain and she is very happy there in a very good paying job.

My son went on to get his Bachelor Degree in Computer Science.. once you have moved on and gotten other degrees or work experience it really doesn't matter where you went to school its how you handle the job counts.

Answer 2

Cons...you cant let the school take the blame if your kids 'miss something' or if they aren't socialized.

The good side is, my kids are not socialized in the negative ways all the public school kids are.

Con...if you need special education help...it's free in public school.  At home, you need to find it yourself.

Con...I can't just dump my kids at the bus stop...do what I want to all day, then greet them for dinner and bedtime.

Con...They have one teacher.  Me.  Of course, some homeschoolers use co ops and family members and tutors for things, but for me, I wish they had more teachers.  This of course, can be considered a positive.

Con...My kids don't get smacked around, put down, terrorized, lied to, formed into a mental mold, scheduled to death and they don't spend time in things they already know while no child is left behind.  Oh wait, that's positive.  But strangely, some think it's a negative, all in how you look at it.

Answer 3

Not being around peers.  Research shows that children learn more and faster via other kids and their peers than through adults.  

Parent must be super responsible and educated...some parents try to home school due to social reasons (drugs, s*x, etc) and may not be the smartest or best people to be teaching.

Learning different points of view.  In a school, you have the opportunity to hear a variety of view points about things.  Not the same with home school.  You have no opportunities for things like what you are doing...a debate!  You only hear one side of the story.

Further, because you don't hear competing view points, your critical thinking skills could suffer.  You may not learn to be a critical thinker and how to evaluate different sides to arguments.  If you are taught to believe there is only one right way, or right school of thought, then you will not be able to evaluate different points of view very easily.

Not being around peers can impact more than just learning academics.  It can make it harder when a child grows up to 'navigate' the social situation.  You may have more difficulty compromising or being able to make and keep friends.

The child may feel isolated as they get older.  The child may start to exhibit behavior problems due to the fact that they long for more peer interaction.  They may run away or begin anti-social behaviors to lash out at their parents.

There is a reason teachers go to college and have to be certified and have a degree.  We understand that these people are probably the best teachers due to their education.  They have had classes on different ways of teaching (visual, auditory, hands on, etc.) and they understand development and the natural order and sequence of learning.  A parent may not understand these things and may not be the a good 'teacher'.

edit:  YOWZA!  15 thumbs down?  Hey...I don't think all above are actually a reality, I was just trying to help in a debate format.  I think all above would be excellent things to include in a debate.  Again, I don't necesarly think it's all true, I'm speaking from a debating format.  Sheesh!

Answer 4

There is none! I mean some people say cost No you can build a curriculum from library books for crying out loud! and Social skills are great!

HOMESCHOOLING IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

Socially disadvantaged?  What century are these people from who answer these questions that homeschoolers are socially disadvantaged?

Enough rant, now for my answer:

I don't have enough time and energy to keep up with my son's social life.   He is 15 and does not have a driver's license. (He has permit but that doesn't help me with my time limitations.)

That is the only thing I see as disadvantage.  He has many friends and plenty of interests.  We, his parents, just don't have the time and energy to keep up.

I am not sure how different that would be were he to be in public school.  I would probably be going to teacher parent conferences instead of taking him places with friends or to meet friends.  Being social kept him from learning when he was in school.  It also annoyed his teachers.

Answer 6

how do you plan to back up your "socially less developed" point?

Answer 7

The only real con is the same con the public schools or private schools have as well.  When done poorly, the child pays.  

The socialization claim is nothing.  Most homeschoolers are better socialized than their peer dependent peers in public school.

Answer 8

Not being able to socialize with other kids your age so making friends can be hard.

Answer 9

There aren't any true cons for the right family who homeschools. Some might say that usually one parent has to stop working to homeschool is a disadvantage, but many homeschooling families don't see that as a disadvantage. The 'social skills' argument can be logically shown to NOT be a disadvantage. The supposed superiority of trained teachers can be shot down as well. What naysayers see as disadvantages aren't.

The only true disadvantage I could think of would be in cases of bad families (abusive in one way or another, substance abusers, neglectful, just generally poor parenting skills) or parents who really just can't cut it for homeschooling, the act of homeschooling in itself is an obvious con for the children of THOSE FAMILIES.

ADDED:

Janis--if they were from another century, they would already know that they don't need to go to school to be well socialized. ;)

Answer 10

I know you want cons, but frankly, there aren't any.

I was homeschooled for 10+ years and private schooled the rest. I am not socially inept, in fact, I have a very large circle of friends. I am volunteering with a local historical society, My husband and I are Drama Directors in a local drama dept., we lead a singles and recently-married college age group in our church. We assist in a youth group, I substitue for a children's sunday school group, my husband plays in a christian funk-rock band, I assist in a local community fall festival, some friends and I are starting a volunteering group this month. We are going to help at Habitat For Humanity, Salvation Army, orphanages, shelters for battered women, crisis pregnancy centers, etc.

Plus, I am connected to a chinese-adoption group, I have hundreds of friends across the country, I love world-travel, I love learning, I love everything. Also....every last homeschooler that I know is exactly like me. 4 out of 5 of the people starting the volunteer group were homeschooled.

Why are you even bothering to debate it. We are not socially inept, we are not back-wards...WE HAVE LIVES!!!

Answer 11

Potentially a narrow view of the world, a narrow point of view, due to lack of interaction with other viewpoints. Of course, that's not true for everyone. You might want some statistics on that, or possibly personal interviews with home schooled kids. Better yet, have you heard of the Duggars, that one family of 17 kids who are all home schooled? E-mail them with your questions, because they love getting e-mail. Here's their website: http://www.duggarfamily.com/

Also, here's another website you might be interested in: http://ezinearticles.com/?Home-Schooling...

So I'm getting thumbs down because I mentioned the Duggars, or something? I know how people are prejudice toward them. I tried to answer the question in an unprejudiced way - I can't see how this would have rubbed people the wrong way. Even if your kids aren't socially disadvantaged doesn't mean it isn't like that for everyone. What I said was perfectly valid.

Answer 12

ok, I can give you some cons, and I homeschooled my four children for 6 years, so my answer is informed.  I absolutely hated it.  It was the most frustrating experience.  The most fun I had was the actual planning part, gathering materials, etc.  But spending 24/7 with all of my children was soul-crushing.  They had friends, we belonged to groups, but I was always involved in one group or another, and the constant contact wtih my kids, frankly, depressed me and left me feeling gutted inside.  They were all very active and social, bright and articulate, but there was NO time for ME, and I suffered for it.  A few hours here and there to browse a bookstore, go to lunch with other moms, etc, was never satsifying.  There was never any time to devote to any of my hobbies or interests, and I was exhausted nearly every single day and night, without relief.  There was just too much to do, supervise, organize, teach, conflicts to negotiate, discipline battles, you name it, and I BURNED OUT.

So there's a con right there, for all you pie-in-the-sky, self-righteous homeschoolers who wave the flag of perfection and piety, sometimes it just downright sucks.  I eventually put them back in public school, where they have excelled, and have suffered very little.  I, on the other hand, got a job I love, and I enjoy my children so much more.

Hope this helps!

Answer 13

1. Naivety.

2. Learn  not how to swear.

3. Would not get to witness violence on a daily basis.

Seriously though for a debate:

1. Would not get viewpoint interaction from a wide variety of piers.

2. Would not get to learn how to think uniformly with piers.

3. Well balanced planned meals planned by a dietician; breakfast and lunch.

4. Class materials not regulated by school district.

Answer 14

I agree with those who have stated that one key con is dealing with other people's uninformed stereotypes about homeschoolers.  

Homeschoolers also have to constantly monitor what's happening with legislation at a state and federal level.  We repeatedly  have to defend our rights session after session despite the vast research proving the effectiveness of homeschooling.  It seems like every session, new legislators arrive and begin proposing restrictions on homeschooling based on their own stereotypes or a those provided to them by one of their key sponsors, the National Education Association.

Another con is that our home takes on a "classic schoolroom" decor (lots of books/bookcases, art projects hanging all over, chalkboard in the kitchen, maps and timelines on the walls, etc).  It's a constant battle to keep the clutter under control while recognizing that educational supplies take space (sometimes lots and lots of space!).

As a mom, I don't get much of a break from my children.  They are wonderful but there are times when I really enjoy being alone for an hour.  I'm sometimes jealous of my friends who have hours to themselves each day (I could get all of my kids photos into albums, my house would be cleaner, I could spend hours pulling weeds in the garden......).

Overall, it is truly a blessing to be able to homeschool our children.  It can be stressful and exhausting at times but they are learning so much and they would never be able to cover all of the subjects we're studying in a traditional school setting, (it's too hard with 25-30 kids per class and all the administrative items to deal with each day).    

They have plenty of friends and are not socially maladjusted in the least.

Answer 15

kid becomes social out-kast and has no social skills nor friends

Answer 16

the child becomes a social outcast and has no friends they really dont get to socialize with their age group

Answer 17

You can't meet as many people and your social skills aren't as developed.

Answer 18

People say we are unsociable, but we aren't, no more than the average person, May be one disadvantage would be, public speaking, another the state will not fund a parent for choosin to homeschool, where as if they send you to public school then the school makes money everyday that you attend, they get funding for each student, therefore they make plenty of money each year. Another is I find it easier to work alone on a project, its the self starter thing I guess, I get up and do my work, without being told, so I guess inability to work with others, I have a hard time explaining what needs to be done, I feel I can do it alot quicker without having to tell (you) what to do. If you have anymore questions I will be happy to answer them. God Bless

Answer 19

I don't get free babysitting. That's about it...I mean, my life would be very relaxing if I was a sahm who got to send my kids off for seven hours a day. instead, we learn to work with each other and compromise...which isn't a bad thing.

They're smart, socialized, have tons of friends and lots of brains. We have more time to travel and spend less money on frivolities like fundraisers for school (instead it's fundraisers for scouts or band)

Answer 20

It is typical that the main con of homeschooling that was mentioned is socialization.  However, there are no recent statistics or studies that cite socialization as being a problem.

I was concerned about socialization when I began homeschooling my son last year.  He is an only child, and I am a single (divorced) parent.  However, that has not proved to be a problem.  He has taken community classes through the park district.  He participates in most of these classes and activities with public schooled students.  We have gone on field trips, go to the library often, and various other places for fun learning experiences.  Children's church is another place where he has the opportunity to be with other children.

Some people believe that it is impossible for a single parent  or working parents to homeschool effectively.  Yet, I know of many single parents and married women who work and homeschool.  In fact, there is an online yahoo group for those who work/go to school and homeschool.  Also, many single parents and married parents work from home or run businesses from their homes as parrt of the homeschooling lifestyle.  This too can be a learning experience for children--seeing their parents work and learning to run a business.

As a single parent, I would say that it is more challenging to homeschool if one has to work, but if one is committed to homeschooling and has an excellent support system, it can be done.

Answer 21

Disadvantages - serious ones are actually hard to think of

Otherwise -

can't skip school because the teacher would find out :)

- even when you are sick you usually end up doing some work

- it can be tough doing all your work while trying to keep up with all the other activities you want to do.

- your parents may actually ask you to go get a job to fill up your spare time

Answer 22

Social life adaptation deficiency , for instance

Answer 23

I would say the biggest disadvantage is the prejudice against it.  Just by reading the answers to your question, there an assumed issue about social problems of homeschoolers.  If homeschoolers really are so socially lacking, how on earth could so many people know them well enough to judge their social skills?  Homeschoolers would have to be quite social for so many to have met them.  Or is it rather a stereotype brought on by the narrow mindedness of people who can't see outside of their box in public school?  

I went to public school, and graduated over 20 years ago and yet no one ever seems concerned about where I am to find friends or socialize.  I truly wonder why.  

I'm sure there are other disadvantages to homeschooling that I can't think of at the moment.  But, this prejudice is just so annoying and constant that it is the worst part. Being pre-judged just sucks.

Answer 24

Umm...cons? Not easy to think of any off the top of my head.

If you homeschool, you may have to accept the fact that you won't see your floor again for a while as it gets covered with piles of books, notes, half completed projects, interesting articles cut out of newspapers or printed off the web that you know you're going to want to use in your learning at some point but have no idea when...etc.

Oh and my 5 year old brother wanted to go to school because he wanted to have his own book bag! Mum bought him one and he is now 100% happy and content to be at home with the rest of us, lol!

Answer 25

Yeah

There can be a lack of "Shop skills" plastics, fibre glass, electronics and auto shop

There can be a lack of Drama skills.  Theater and Music Choir.

There can be a lack of fine arts, drawing and painting.

There can be a lack of advanced Chemistry and Physics tools, such as lab equipment.

There can be a lack of Mass Communications such as Photography, Video, TV and Radio operations (high school radio stations or Video for Cable Access).

The Santa Clarita School District, for example, has a studio with Pro Tools for music recording and a complete S-VHS video produdtion and editing facility and they make Cable Access TV shows.

These are the common pitfalls, and NOT ALL SCHOOLS can cover these any better than HOMESCHOOLS CAN, but SOME DO.

Answer 26

All the homeschooling parents have done an excellent job with this question already, and so I asked my 10 year old.  He says:

l.    You never get to ride on a school bus and you never get to see what it is like to ride without a seat belt.

2.  You can't cheat ever, even if you wanted to, because Mom sees everything and somehow she knows when something isn't quite right.  

3.  When you know something really  "good" (arrrgh)  you can't sit back and enjoy your time drawing pictures while a teacher keeps teaching it over and over because Mom always finds something new to keep my mind occupied.  

4.  My playground is not as big as the one at the elementary school , and

5.  We have to drive really far to get to the library and they have one in the building.

Answer 27

Other people's ignorance and prejudice toward it.

No I am serious.  I've had this happen: I'd known someone for months, they saw my kids at least once a week and interacted with them all the time. They acted like they thought my kids were great, even complimented on how well behaved they were.  Then they found out I homeschool them, all of a sudden being "well behaved" turned in to "being repressed",  the advanced reading of one child must mean that I was too hard on her and never let her have any fun, the reason my son didn't talk during Sunday School was because he was overly shy, (actually it was because I had instructed him to not talk when the teacher was talking, and to raise his hand before speaking, and he actually obeyed me).  This person suddenly re-classified everything they had seen as a positive into a negative, my kids hadn't changed, the person was seeing them through a faulty lens. The lens of their preconceptions about homeschooled kids.

I have also had people ask my kids questions on every random topic that pop into their head, sometimes because they expected "little geniuses" and other times because they expected "little dummies".  Either way, no kid wants to spend their free time answering "educational" trivia, especially when some of it is not age/grade appropriate at all.  (One man asked my Kindergartener what 7x8 was, a Kindergartner!  It didn't matter to this man that she read at a third grade level, she didn't know at the age of 5 what 7x8 was, so she must not be getting a quality education!)

Here is one thing that is occasionally a disadvantage, but often an advantage: My kids are home during school hours.  This has occasionally been a disadvantage when my church has events during those times and only provides child care for infants because they assume everyone kids are in school.  It is often an advantage when we want to go a museum or science center, its much less crowded on Tuesday at 10:00 AM then it is on the weekend, (the same is true for grocery stores, department stores, etc.)

The only other disadvantage is time.  It does sometimes become a challenge to do all that needs to be done.  The schooling, the working, keeping the house, making the meals, not to mention keeping up my friendships, and now my blog!

For my kids, the only disadvantage is that they can't get out of doing their schoolwork!  If they get sick and miss a day, they just pick up where they left off the next day... wait, that might actually be an advantage even though they might not see that now.