Home schooling: what's the deal?

Question

I've seen a few episodes of Wife Swap and have noticed that in the States lots of people seem to be home schooling, Are there no controls as to who can teach and what exactly they need to cover? Some of these families are teaching their kids absolutely zilch. (One which sticks in my mind: a family living in medieval style in which the kids learned how to make shoes for D&T and did folk dancing as PE.) What's your view of home schooling?

Answer 1

All I have time to say right now is please do not base your perception of homeschoolers off of some TV show.

More when I have time, one of my unsocialized homeschoolers needs to go out to meet her friends and needs a ride.

"Some of these families are teaching their kids absolutely zilch."

If that isn't forming an opinion, I don't know what is!

Answer 2

Reality shows, give me a break.

Home schooling is a wonderful educational choice for many families all over the world, not just in the USA.

It is legal in all states, and each state sets their own requirements.

Home schooling will always be criticized by those who oppose educational choice, because home schooling has proved to be academically sound, and the children being home              schooled consistently out preform those who are schooled in  traditional settings.

To learn more about home schooling visit these two web sites:

Home school laws, and requirements:

http://www.hslda.org/

Home school statistics, and research:

http://www.nheri.org/

Answer 3

Wife Swap is an insanely ridiculous show. It gives a bad name to homeschoolers and parents in general. If people were as quick to analyze parents who send their kids to public school as they do with homeschoolers, they would be just as appalled!!!

Homeschooling is great if a family makes it great. I saw the one episode you mentioned--I could not believe what a horrible impression the show was giving of homeschoolers. They seem to pick the weirdest families they can possibly find!

While I think it's a shame, to a certain degree, that some families are teaching their kids absolutely zilch; I suppose they are more likely to be the ones to fill the jobs most of us don't want (which we really shouldn't look down on because SOMEBODY has to do it). However, if the kids are being raised to have good character, they'll have a better life and bring more to those around them (not necessarily monetarily) than strictly following some curriculum could. Moreover, it is fairly easy to correct somebody's lack of education, esp. when they really want to, but it's VERY hard to change one's character.

We homeschool our kids. We are not weird, don't have strange clothes, do teach our kids, in academics and character. I'd say most homeschoolers I know are a lot like us.

As for what I think about the controls, I always waver. On the one hand, I do think some sort of monitoring can be beneficial, especially for parents who are just trying to hide something. Otoh, why the government's feeling of responsibility to offer an education became a requirement for all to be educated (not that they've EVER succeeded) is something I don't understand and I'm not quite sure I agree with it. Some say it was about getting kids out of factories. Well, a law could have been put in place and factories could have been monitored and the kids could have stayed home where they'd been for millennia. Where many were homeschooled and received an education.

Let's say a number of families don't give their children an education similar to those in public schools. What is the real wrong in that? Is it so wrong to not be aiming for the top, to not aim to be like others? To not raise your family in terms of future economic benefit to society? These questions aren't really to get an argument going, just things I wonder about.

ADDED: btw, it is estimated that over 150 000 children in the UK are homeschooled. That's a lot of kids for a place the size of the UK.

Answer 4

if parents want to s***w up their kids...they'll do it, homeschooled or not

Answer 5

From what I have heard, some parents who home school are concerned about school safety or perceived low standards.  Others are in a snit because the schools don't teach kids according to their own political ideology or religious views (usually fundy) - which the schools are not supposed to do in the first place.

Answer 6

People who prefer home schooling fall into two categories (well, there is a valid third:  people in places like Alaska who do not live near any school -- I'm not talking about them):  folks who seriously want a better education for their chidren than public school provides, and people who have such conservative views that they do not want their children to be exposed to public school.  Some, but not all, of the latter present a problem.

In general, according to published statistics, kids who are home schooled are better educated and compete better for college than kids educated in public schools.  (This is not to deny that some end up with a miserable education.)

Education is a state function in the U.S., and in most states there is a lot of control over home schooling, and often standardized textbooks have to be used, and standardized tests passed.  Other states are very laissez-faire.

I hope you understand that T.V. will usually show only the worst, most controvesrsial cases.

When kids are home schooled by a bright, highly educated parent in order to keep them away from drugs, negative influence of the consumer culture, and peer pressure to "dumb down" so as to fit in, it can be a very good thing.  I often see homeschooled kids on programs that highlight particularly imaginative and creative kids.  Often, they are particularly interested in preserving the environment.

LATER EDIT:  Please take the time to vote for Best Anwer from among the people who really poured their heart out for you and took a lot of time doing it.  (I posted early, and just tried to give you a good overview.)

Answer 7

The American view of homeschooling is that it is a constitutionally protected right of all parents to homeschool their kids.

Homeschoolers in America outperform both public and private schooled kids on all standardized tests.  Colleges now recruit them because they are better students and campus citizens.

No insult intended here, but do you really develop an opinion on a subject based on what you saw on TV?  If you were homeschooled, you would have researched the subject before asking the question.

Answer 8

A public school education is no guarantee that a child will learn much.  My brother flunked every class, every year, for 6 years.  After much fighting with adminstrators my father *finally* had one who was honest with him.  Public schools are only allowed to flunk a certain percentage of students each year to retain funding.  Any number of children over that percentage are moved on, regardless of whether or not they're prepared for the next grade.  If a child is held back, the school does not receive funding for that child for that year.

In Ohio this year, nearly 3/4 of the high school seniors did not receive their high school diplomas because they didn't pass the exit exam.

Trust me, however little you *think* homeschool kids are learning - public school kids are learning less.

Answer 9

They show disasters on TV.

Most homeschoolers aren't like that.

I'm learning plenty.

Answer 10

About 2-4% of all US school-aged children are homeschooled (somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 million students).  The number of homeschooled children is growing at approximately 7-15% each year.  Homeschooled children consistently outperform their publicly and privately schooled peers on standardized tests.  

The level of regulation varies from state to state but in the US, our government was established to ensure the individual rights and liberties of its citizens versus the "nanny state" often found in socialist nations.  Therefore, in many states, the regulations are minimal.

The homeschool community is incredibly diverse.  People like to stereotype homeschoolers as a bunch of right wing conservative evangelical Christians but in reality, it is full of:

liberals, vegetarians, peace activists, pagans, Wicca, Christians, Jews, Muslims, unschoolers, classical educators,    "normal" families, "weird" families, etc.  

The number 1 reason driving parents to homeschool is dissatisfaction with the academic quality/choices in public schools.  Other reasons include religious values, safety concerns, special needs of child, etc.  

When I first heard of homeschooling about 10 years ago, I thought it was weird.  So why am I now beginning my 4th year as a homeschool mom?

1.  US public schools still have some great teachers BUT the quality of the schools has declined.  Academic standards have been lowered, new teaching methods have been introduced which actually impede a child's academic development (integrated math, whole language approach used to teach reading, revised history, less frequent use of literary classics).  

2.  A small minority of citizens is actively working to remove any reference to God from schools.  Along with this comes the removal of any solid moral development during school hours.  Moral relativism has replaced natural law which once defined a universal view of "right" and "wrong".

3.  There are too many psychologists in the schools.  There's a lot of talk of a child's self esteem.  In an effort to keep anyone from feeling sad or inadequate, classic childhood games like tag and dodge ball have been removed from the playground.  

4.  A Kindergarten boy who gives a kindergarten girl a hug may be charged with sexual harrassment.

5.  Middle school boys engaging in silly, immature pranks (slapping the bottoms of girls in the hallway) are suspended (which is appropriate) but then arrested and thrown in jail for sexual assault.

6.  During a party before "Winter Break" (which used to be called "Christmas Break"), a 5 year old boy passes out "Happy Birthday Jesus" cards to his classmates.  (His teacher told the class they could bring cards to celebrate whatever holiday they celebrated at home).  He is sent to the principal's office because of concerns that he may have offended someone.  

7.  Colleges and universities are adding remedial math and writing courses for entering students because many high school graduates are poorly prepared for higher studies.

(I could list many more, those are just a few that came to mind)

I use a classical curriculum integrated with Montessori methods.  My second grade student is studying the following subjects:

- reading, grammar, spelling, handwriting

- mathematics

- science (we're focused on Earth Sciences this year)

- geography (which they don't really teach in public schools anymore)

- Italian

- religion

- history (ancient through medieval this year)

- art appreciation/history

- music appreciation

- ballet, soccer, painting (classes she is enrolled in)

My Kindergarten student does work in the following subjects:

- reading, handwriting

- mathematics

- science (Earth Sciences this year)

- religion

- history (ancient through medieval this year)

- art history/appeciation

- music appreciation

- soccer, painting (with other teachers)

- Italian

I also like reading old literary classics to the children so they  can hear both interesting stories as well as the beautiful use of the English language (something modern authors often abandon).    

We can cover more topics in any given day than a teacher with 20-30 students.  If they understand a concept, we can move on quickly.  If they are struggling, we can take as much time as needed for them to succeed.  We can cover a broader range of subjects at much greater depth than would be possible in a traditional school setting.  

You shouldn't form opinions about a particular topic based on "Wife Swap".  The TV producers aren't going to cast the average American family on that type of show.  Producers are looking for those families that really exaggerate the stereotypes.  It makes the show entertaining but it does not accurately reflect life in the United States.

Answer 11

What is required to be taught for homeschooling varies by states.  There is criteria on basic skills that need to be taught such as math, reading, etc.  States also do test kids taught at home, but that also varies by state.  In my state they test every few years--some I believe test yearly.

Answer 12

According to college reports the AVERAGE homeschooler (this amounts to more than 50%) is 3 years above public school in test results and 1-2 years above private school.  The failure rate is 20% or less.

The Failure rate, root mean squared, in public schools is 50% or greater.

20/20 recently did a profile called STUPID IN AMERICA which looked at the public schools.

It compared them to schools in Belgium, for example.

The average homeschooler (more than 35%) is getting into college at age 16 or 17.

Now, it takes a MOTIVATED STUDENT who is a SELF STARTER and a PARENT who supervises and uses the right materials.

Failure to do this causes ZILCH as you point out.

But in PUBLIC SCHOOLS ZILCH happens more than 60% of the time.  In Homeschool it is closer to 20%

In the Los Angeles City School district the top 10% is mostly PERSIAN, ARABIC and ORIENTAL

The lower 50% is White and to a degree black

The lower 30% is Hispanic

You have to learn to live with that statistics

I know WHITE GIRLS who graduated NY schools who think DENMARK is a city.

This is FACT and they have a NY diploma for high school.

Answer 13

My view of homeschooling is it is up to the parents and the kids to make it work.That TV show is really insane,so please do not judge us by that poor example.A most homeschooling parents,my mom is teaching me a bit more than "zilch".

Every schoolday I study the following subjects:

Math(algebra2)

history(midieval this semester)

science(chemistry)

music(piano)

English(Ivanhoe at the moment)

Geography

french

russian......

I'm sure I'm forgetting something.....cant think of it now anyhow.

To me you sounded fairly opinionated.....but hey,maybe you just didnt express yourself the way you intended to.

Answer 14

Every homeschool family is different.  The laws in each state are different.  Homeschoolers score higher than Public schoolers on standardized tests and College Entrance Exams.  Colleges seek out homeschoolers because they know that most homeschoolers have actually learned something, and are usually highly motivated as well.

My family doesn't live a Medieval lifestyle, but we are currently studying medieval times in History so my kids sometimes pretend to be knights.  When we were studying Ancient Egypt early last year we made models of Egyptian Death Masks, and the children ran around pretending to be Mummies risen from their tombs.  

I really don't see what is wrong with folk dancing as PE, though I wouldn't base my entire PE program around it.

My kids study traditional subjects, I have three children, Kindergarten, Second Grade, and 9th Grade.

My Kindergartner is required to study Phonics and reading and Math every day.  Although she isn't required to, she often willingly takes part in the History and Science and lessons her older brother has.   She also takes part in Art and science classes at a local co-op, as well as play groups.

My Second Grader studies:

Phonics and Reading

Math

History

Science

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

Creative Writing

My 9th Grader is studying:

Algebra 1

Physical Science (with Labs)

PE (at a Gym for the most part)

American Literature and Composition

Vocabulary

State History

Health

French 1

I choose to follow a fairly traditional course of study, although I do choose to cover the subjects in fun ways whenever possible.  However I don't think everyone should have to follow a traditional course of study if they don't want to.

Even those families who seem to study whatever they want usually do better on standardized tests than Public Schoolers.

Aside from that, a lot can be learned by what some would see as just doing whatever you want.  If you build something you must use math skills for the measurements.  If you decide you are interested in something and you read a book about it you are learning not only the subject matter of the book, but are also practicing Language Arts skills.  If you decide to immerse yourself in the time period you are studying (which might be what the "medieval" family was doing), you learn a lot about that time period, you also might learn some long forgotten skills like making shoes,  you would learn culture.  In the absence of modern conveniences you would learn how much this society depends on technology.  Most homescoolers don't get that involved in their History, but those who do usually don't live that way forever, in a few months they might be immersing themselves in the lifestyles of the American Pioneers.

Public schools in the US are among the worst in the world when it comes to academics.  Of course we are starting to explore other options.

Don't judge what you don't understand.  There is more than one way to learn.  School is not just about a building full of kids, real schooling takes place when a student is engaged and interested, real schooling takes place when the student loves to learn, real schooling can't be limited to the hours of operation at the local institution.  Real schooling, real learning, happens all the time when families are ready to engage the opportunities that come their way.

BTW There are homeschoolers in the UK.  The only reason there are not more is because the laws in the UK make it difficult, although not impossible to homeschool.  I exchange e-mails on a daily basis with several homeschoolers in the UK.

Answer 15

Wife Swap only shows the most radical cases of anything...they do it for shock value.  None of the families I've ever seen on there is representative of the majority in America (or anywhere else, hopefully).  We didn't form opinions of the UK by watching Monty Python or Faulty Towers, or the Far East by Kung Fu reruns, please don't judge us by Wife Swap :-)

I homeschool my son, partly for academic reasons and partly for health reasons.  Our school system is two steps from terrible (our local schools, that is), and they are both unwilling and unable to accomodate my son.  Here is a basic overview of our day:

Wake up, eat, shower, dress, etc.

Work on independent work - Language Arts, Math, Spelling, Greek, Spanish, Reading, Scripture study/memorization, etc.  This takes about an hour.  I am available to answer any questions or explain any concepts.

20 minute break.

Work on more independent work - see above.  About another 45-60 minutes.

Read aloud from a classic.  30-45 minutes.  Either that, or work on a unit study that has caught his attention or on a Scout badge.

Eat lunch, go for a walk.

Work on history - this includes reading and research, notebooking, lapbooking, cooking, and/or creating projects.  It can also include historical movies.  This takes about an hour.

15 minute break.

Work on science - reading/research, notebooking, experiments, reading and viewing movies online, etc.  This takes about an hour.

Writing - depending on the day of the week, this includes research reading, outlining, giving a short speech, writing a first draft, editing, writing a second or third draft and more editing, and presenting the final draft to Dad.

15 minute break.

Geography - research at library, online, or in our reference materials, lapbooking/mapwork or cooking/project in reference to what we're studying.

PE is taken care of through sports, as well as daily walks/runs.

Yes, some families are negligent in homeschooling; but honestly, from what I've seen, many more families expect the school system to completely take over raising their children, and provide little to no support at home.  In my view, that presents just as much, if not more, negligence.  My child is just that - my child.  I have the responsibility to make sure he receives the education that he needs and deserves, whether that is done in a classroom or at home.  I take that responsibility very seriously and work extremely hard to make sure he has every opportunity he needs.

The homeschool kids that I know - and there are about 1000 homeschool families within a 45 minute/hour radius of my house - are very well adjusted, well educated, and pretty darn independent and responsible for their age.  

Of course there are people homeschooling who probably shouldn't be...but oddly enough, those are the families that we get judged by.  However, classroom schooled kids and families get judged by the cream of the crop.  Why is that?

Answer 16

Home schooling is Great i was homeschooled all through elementary and middle school. There is no problem with home schooling your kids. Some people have a different viewing point , but they have never had the experience of being homeschooled. I dont have any problems with kids being home schooled. When i was homeschooled i got tested every month not by my mother , but by this homeschooling company. You still learn with homeschooling, when i reached highschool i got straight a's , and i still am.

Answer 17

i loved home school, i had a teacher/tutor come to my house every other day, she gave me piles of homework, but i really got caught up with the highschool, and i ended up  doing work for the seniors, its a great way to have work broken down for you, and to even move up in grades.