Homeschooling for everyone?

Question

i am far too young to even think about children (22) but i have been thinking that if i do have children, i would like to school them. ideally id like to keep them in elementary with other children, but once in middle school, id like to teach my children history My way, with facts that are true and history that is not obscured and sugar coated. basically, do you think it will negatively affect their intellect if i teach my children my points of view, which are that of a sociology major, to accept others and to learn the history of all the oppressed from this country?

just curious on what others who home school think of it.

Answer 1

Each state has guidelines for homeschooling. Look into that part when you start. In my state I can homeschool mine, but "Jane Doe" three doors down cant'.

Homeschooling is certainly not for everyone. In most families the kids and mom (or dad) need a break from one another during the day. There is less opportunity for that with home education. Everyone has a learning style. You'll need to be prepared to adapt. If little Johnny understands and learns better verbally, be prepared to read more to him and discuss rather than having a lesson he can sit at the table and accomplish.

Also, the kids can be very different. There is no way I could homeschool my son, but we learn things together informally. I can have fun teaching him about words (reads oh a higher level than his grade) but he is hyper. He has so much energy that he needs the physical interaction with peers.

There are organizations that help with socialization. Some areas have homeschooling clubs and get together to take field trips, etc. Yahoo and MSN and Google groups designed to network resources.

Since you aren't there yet, slowly gather info, pay attention to how the law changes. If you look at the long term you'll have a better idea whether you want to go for it. And you can always change your mind. It's a lot of work, but you have time to decide - use it wisely and you'll feel good about the decision when it comes time.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Definitely sounds like a good idea. They're your kids, and you have the right to teach them by your values and morals. I think everyone should homeschool!

Answer 3

I think that if that is what you want to teach your kids then you should keep them at home.  All subjects are taught in different ways in different schools by different teachers and in some cases by different books who were written by different people.  You are just using your knowledge to teach it a different way.  So how would this be bad? As long as you don't slant history to fit what you think happened and not just teach the facts and remember there are always two sides to every story.  You don't want to breed contempt for any one group or idolize another either. Teaching history can be fine line to walk when stepping out of the norm.  I would be concerned about your talk of waiting until middle school though.  By that time kids have already learned all those bad habits and have gotten that public school attitude and had history.  If socialization is the major concern and that is why you wouldn't keep a child home from the beginning that is silly.  Find other mom's to do field trips with or have park days or join a support group.  Their are scouts, 4-H, and park and rec departments.  People who say HS kids aren't socialized are just ignorant of the subject.  We don't lock our kids away and forbid them from having friends.  Just the opposite...in my experience they usually have to many friends and activities and not enough time.

Answer 4

The fact that you are aware you would be teaching them from a "point of view" means you can have some great discussions with your children about what other people think as well.  Home schooling becomes a way of life/a way of thinking and you will begin to find "teachable moments" where you can point out, for example, what they're hearing on the news is accurate/inaccurate, or what Uncle Bob says about Iraq is fact or opinion.  Imagine what it would be like if you had a personal tutor who was always with you and carried what you were learning during "school hours" into your daily life so you could see that what you were learning from books does apply to real life?  That's what homeschooling can do for your family.

And just to toss it in there - I would encourage you to consider homeschooling your children even in elementary school.  I have been so blessed by the time I've been able to spend with my children while they were young.  We've done all sorts of cool field trips, park days, classes with other kids and activities and reading at home that we wouldn't have had time for if they were in school.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Answer 5

I think the things your children learn in public school, ie social skills, how to work in a group, how to solve conflict, etc, are all important. I would suggest putting your kids in public school, but doing what my parents did- go over what i was learning in school, and let me know that textbooks aren't always factual.

Answer 6

Just for the record, the first 4 answerers (yo', deadly_conscious ( a.k.a. DiGi ), Julie M Member and  #1 bossman) are NOT homeschoolers and don't seem to know what they are talking about. The "they won't learn social skills" argument has been put to rest many times on this board...if you are concerned, look at those questions.

But on to your question:

First, whether or not you homeschool, you should start teaching your kids that not everything they read, are told or hear about is true. You should also start telling them your points of view at younger ages: whenever the Civil War comes up in conversation, you should tell them interesting stories and/or things that present your views.

If you want to homeschool, you can't just do history: when you homeschool, YOU are in charge of your children's ENTIRE education. You can get others to tutor them, but you have the ultimate responsibility. Homeschooling is also a lot of work on the parent; it requires a great deal of time and commitment. If the only thing you are interested in is imparting knowledge and offering your opinions on one subject, it kinda sounds like you shouldn't homeschool. You should just be a loving, communicative parent who takes an interest in your children's education.

Edit:

To #1 bossman

I apologize for assuming that you weren't homeschooled. I did make a good faith effort to check what you had said before on this topic, but your Q&As were private and your bio had no description relevant to that point. Furthermore, since marimar specifically mentioned that she was "curious on what others who home school think of it", I would think anyone falling into that category would identify themselves, if only to show her why she should give their answers more weight.

I also made the judgement based on the fact that she was interested specifically in how potentially homeschooling her hypothetical kids would "affect their intellect", you chose not to answer that, instead choosing to bash many parents ("just because you can have children doesn't mean that some people should have them") and make the same old erroneous claims about socialization. Yes, some parents who homeschool do not teach (and/or expose their kids to) proper social skills, but, as has been discussed here ad nauseum, 1-most do and 2-assuming that public schools necessarily do is inaccurate.

And just a sidebar: While I mean no criticism of your parents, having a PhD is actually a suggestion that they would not make good teachers. According both to sources in the literature and to new reasearch being done by my brother (in education theory), people who get PhDs are more likely to have the personality traits that make them good researchers and students, not the traits needed to be successful teachers. This is a major problem with our higher education system as universities try to serve the two masters of research and educating new students.

Answer 7

not sure . but i tink its beter 4 them to learn from schs n not ur own way

Answer 8

Well you can teach them what you like but on tests they have to provided answers the teacher excepts to see or they will fail.

OK on a science test if it asks how old the Earth is and students don't say 4.5 billion years, but instead says 6,000 they will get that marked as a wrong answer.

So if your history gets your child a bad grade in history because they answer things differently than the teaching book says, that's YOUR fault.

Answer 9

Personally I believe by the time they reach middle school they; the children are often times set in their ways, and home schooling will become much more difficult unless the child is the one wanting to home school, since the children will have been conditioned to do "school", and may be afraid of loosing their school social circle.

With this I mean it will take a while to get them to think differently, be self starters/thinkers, as well as be independent learners of the schools methods of instruction.

They do not see that real friends will be their friends even if they are home schooled, and that home schooling provides them with many more social opportunities because they will have the time to "socialize".

To achieve your goals they; the children; need to learn from the beginning that schooling, and learning are not the same.

We would not choose any form of conventional schooling for our children until they are ready to go to college, or trade school; if that is their goal.

When it comes down to having full say over the content of curriculum that you can use for your children, you are right, that is a major plus.

I for one do not believe in revisionist history either, but history is only one of the many area's that home schooling provides a much better quality of academics.

You have plenty of time to do the research, and there are many web sites where you can get plenty of information; I wish you well.

Good luck.

http://sandradodd.com/unschooling

http://ulfaq.home.comcast.net/~ulfaq/ULf...

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Click on the purple box.

http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/

Answer 10

have you seen some of the parents out there? do you really want them educating their own children? just because you can have children doesn't mean that some people should have them....just think how some of these kids would turn out looking at their parents......

not to mention the lack of socialization and ability to be prepared for the real world and the people in it.......

you haven't seen all the questions from those who were home-schooled on here lamenting the fact that they had no friends, no social skills and were generally unprepared for life in the real world?

bad idea.....only those who have parents who are educated enough and certified by their state should be doing this, if even them....it would just produce alot of unhappy, unadjsuted, socially inept people who had no coping skills when they were thrown headfirst into the big bad real world with all the idiots that are in it

Answer 11

i understand what you're saying.

BUT

i think it should be your children's

choice once there old enough to

decide if they want home schooling

or not.

maybe wait till freshman year?

Answer 12

Why wait? Why focus only on that one subject?

HS isn't for everyone, but for those who it is right for, it is a tremendous boon. Keep researching and planning. You may find HS is right for you, or you may find a charter school that teaches history in a way you find more accurate. The important thing is that you have made the connection that your children's education is your responsibility and your prerogative. Good for you.

EDIT: The socialization argument is a dead horse. HS kids have plenty of opportunities to develop great social skills and have active, happy social lives.

Answer 13

Ultimately, the decision has to be based on your childs needs, interests and willingness to learn from you.  You can always supplement the work she is doing with the information that you want her to know.  Then she'll get the best of both.

Answer 14

We love homeschooling. Our younger kids (ages 6 and 9) learn at their own pace. Learning is very active in our house-- it's not just books and notes, it's hands on, it's educational videos, it's immersing ourselves in the library for a day, it's taking classes in everything from puppetry to robotics to engineering to art. It's volunteer work and field trips and making projects and doing experiments. It's going to hands-on children's museums and botanic gardens and zoos and historical landmarks and camping trips all over our state. It's learning from REAL books-- not watered down text-book versions-- it's discussions and internet research and always seeking answers.

We're part of a co-op where my kids take classes once a week, then there is chess club/library on mondays, lego club every other Friday, karate class at the community center mon & thursday nights, sunday school and playing in a religiously diverse church, wednesday afternoon park days with other homeschoolers, monthly wood shop and monthly yu-gi-oh tournaments and monthly library reading programs. Then there are friends houses or riding bikes outside or the park or Chuck E. Cheese...

--Socialization? Hardly a problem.

My 17 yr old started taking college courses at age 15; she volunteers in a lot of different things, writes a lot-- has 3 full-length (unpublished but finished) novels under her belt already-- reads A LOT, has her core group of girlfriends through high-school (all in college now) that giggle together and endlessly text message each other. She gets involved in her community and is starting to get involved in politics a lot, excited about her first time at the polls this coming November.

She works (volunteers) with the elderly a lot-- she learns history from people who witnessed it, from those whose grandparents helped build this country or who lived in others... She's got that bohemian spirit, too, is a self-proclaimed "theater geek"-- both going to and being on stage or volunteering behind stage-- and has quite a knack for sign language. She plans to study it and become an interpreter for theaters and shows.

And she talks to me-- we talk about religion, politics, gardening, our favorite TV shows and movies... we recommend books to each other and discuss them. She includes me in things, shows me her writings and asks me what I think about things and tells me what she thinks; oh, she likes her space, don't get me wrong, she IS a teen, but in our home, parents aren't "the enemy." We go out for coffee or to see Shakespeare in the park and spend hours discussing the performance.

Basically, we love it, it's been a wonderful journey for the last 9 years and wouldn't change it for a thing.

Answer 15

Homeschooling for just one course wouldn't work. First of all, it's the schools wouldn't allow you to do it--and by enrolling them, you've signed a contract that says that they are in charge of your children's education during school hours and you are agreeing to their curriculum. If it were for half and half (half of the courses at home, half at school), some are more open to that, but for a single course? Can't see it happening.

Second, even if they did allow you to, your kids might have history at 10am one day, 1pm another day, then 11am the other day--are you really going to go get them for that hour on those different days to teach them? Where would you teach them? There's no way a public school is going to say, "Oh, okay, you don't like our history course? You can use our library to teach them the history you want to teach them." They also would not be simply excused from those classes for you to teach them after school.

If history is the only thing you want to teach them, you could supplement at home with your own view of history.

If you actually meant that you'd do full-time homeschooling, I see no problem with it. My children have always been homeschooled and might always be homeschooled. They have active social lives, are learning and progressing well and are happy.

As for your question, would it negatively affect their intellect? No. They're going to learn someone's opinion one way or another. Ideally, you'd show them how to find a variety of opinions and compare and contrast and have them figure out what they believe.

Btw, why do you think you are "far too young" to even think about having children? I had my first at 23. I was not too young. Just because it's a trend to have babies after the age of 30 now doesn't mean that you're too young if you have them earlier.

Answer 16

I am not home schooled but I like the idea of yours.

Answer 17

Your reasons to homeschool seem perfectly ok with me.  

(Glurpy is right though, you need to have a plan for all classes, not just history, but if your motivation is driven by your desire to teach history this way, you can easily add the other subjects as well.  We all have one area where we are the most comfortable and enjoy.  This love of learning can and will be instilled into your chldren - but they may not have the love of history that you do.)  

I went to public school and homeschool myself and I homeschool my children.

Don't listen to the folks who say that kids that are homeschooled lack the opportunity to socialize and work in groups.  If people take this thinking to its logical conclusion, then the main purpose to go to public school is to socialize children and have them work in groups - rather than provide children a quality education.  

(Does anyone else think about people who socialize their dogs to get along with other dogs so they can go to a dog park when they hear this "argument?"  I do.)

Homeschooled children are very social, they learn to work with people of all ages, they aren't just bodies filling a seat in the classroom in a public school.  There are homeschool clubs, co-ops (where you can go and share teaching responsibility on subjects or just hang out and play), in our town there is even a place that is for homeschoolers to go during the day to be with other homeschooled kids, called the Homeschool Hangout.

There are homeschool scout troops, park days, field trips, you name it!

Even my in laws who would attack me on a daily basis about homeschooling my girls all based on this socialization misconception, have come around realizing that they are being well-educated and have far surpassed their cousins (who are near to the same age) who are in public schools.  They see that my children's social skills are far more attuned to the accepted norms of society than the cousins who learn their *ahem* social skills from watching 25 other kids in a public school all day.

Prepare yourself now, since the decision to homeschool is like taking on a career as mother and educator all wrapped up.  Talk to other homeschoolers around you (google homeschool club and your city), and know that by homeschooling your children, you have the strongest interest in their success in life.

Good question!

Answer 18

My daughter is schooled at home. She went to public education all through elementary school. Then when she entered middle school she expressed to me she wanted to be schooled at home. (my daughter learns a little differently then the rest of the kids and takes a little longer to understand) The kids were constantly making fun of her so much so she would get sick from all the stress. So I found a distance learning public charter school and we did that for 2 years---then I homeschooled her myself for 1 year, now she's in 9th grade and we have her in Connections Academy learn at home online school. For this year, her longtime elementary friend who went to public school all this time except for this year, is now doing the Connections Academy with her. They both like it because they can work ahead, have their own schedule when to do it, more freedom, less distractions, and they both plan to go to work in the next few months when their 15. They both mentioned how they'll have an advantage over other students because they can work about any schedule they want due to the fact they can do their school-work about whenever. Their social skills have not been hampered at all. They get out with neighboring kids their age, plus the friends they made in elementary school are still around along with the friends my daughter's friend had while in middleschool. In our situation it has been a positive thing.

Answer 19

i don't seem to like it because, at school they teach by following

the syllabus which every child in the state/country learns during that year.

plus it will give them more of a social life as well as giving them communication skills