How can homeschooled kids be properly prepared for college?

Question

How are parents, who themselves are not highly educated, possibly educate their children better than teachers? Don't kids suffer disadvantages from failing to be exposed to multiple viewpoints, classroom competition, social interaction, and independence?

Answer 1

Well, homeschool parents are, fairly often, college educated. Those who aren't, are often self-taught themselves and realize the benefit of an education.

(Please know that I highly respect teachers.  I am a teacher's kid, grew up around teachers, and have a large amount of respect for what they do.  The following question is aimed much more toward the logistical limits of a classroom education than toward the ability of any given teacher.)

How can a teacher, who sees a child for one (or a few) hours a day, and has anywhere from 25 - 160 other students to educate, possibly teach my child better than I can?  Are they able, logistically, to completely tailor a curriculum specifically for my child?  Are they able to stop their lesson and help him with one concept that he doesn't understand until he's gained mastery, and are they able to skip over unnecessary "stuff" once he's gained mastery?  

Honestly, as much as they would like to be able to do this for each student, they can't.  It's physically impossible.  However, I can.  He's my one and only student, and I *can* tailor his curriculum to what he needs, when he needs it, and in the format that he best understands.  

How are children, who are grouped together in age and neighborhood demographics, sitting in a room (or set of classrooms) 6-8 hours a day being exposed to actual society?  They have the viewpoints of multiple teachers, but only one, per year, per subject.  They get science from one point of view, literature from one point of view, history from one point of view...you get the picture.  The only other points of view that they are likely to get, until college, is that of whatever authors they are assigned to read (assuming that they actually do read their assignments...which, judging by the Homework Help forum, isn't terribly likely.)

Homeschool students, on the other hand, have the ability to choose their instructors.  They can research various points on their own, and contact different people to teach them about these points.  This isn't because they're any smarter...it's because they have the time to do so.  They can take college classes (because they have the time to do so), they can research various points of view (because they have the time to do so), and they can either interview or intern under people who are experts at whatever they're learning about - because they have the time to do so.  Because they are not limited by classroom logistics and lesson plans, they actually have a better chance of being exposed to multiple viewpoints.

As far as classroom competition...many homeschooled high schoolers are taking college classes - like at college.  They have classroom competition, but without all the drama of high school.  Elementary and middle school kids have the option to take group lessons, co op classes, and other such things that teach them how to function and compete in a classroom.  (Classroom competition is definitely a beneficial thing...but there's no reason that it has to be in place 6-8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 9 months out of the year.)

As far as social interaction: it blows my mind how many people (not saying you, but people in general) still think that because the word "home" is in homeschooling, that our kids never leave the house.  Homeschoolers, in general, are able to partake in many more opportunities (social ones, at that) than their classroom counterparts...because they *have the time* to do so.  Our kids take lessons, co op classes, are active in clubs, perform community service, are active in church, and are out in society every day.  All of these activities have social interaction in common.

It's been proven through many studies that homeschooled students and adults (again, statistically) are more independent, and at a younger age, than their classroom schooled counterparts.  Homeschooled students are often raised to take responsibility for their choices, their actions and words, and their education at a young age.  

My 10yo, for example, already chooses over half of his curriculum.  We sit down a couple of times a year, I lay down the law on what he WILL study, and we choose the rest together.  He gets a say in pretty much all of his curriculum and is responsible for completing his work each day.  He is independent in over half of his subjects and the rest we do together.  He is well above grade level in most subjects and enjoys learning.  (Many of the high schoolers that I teach in private classes are also pretty much completely responsible for their classes.)

Seems to me that that's what colleges are looking for...respectful, organized students who know how to be responsible for their own education, who don't need a prof standing over them to make sure they do their work; students who know how to function in a variety of social situations, and who have already been exposed to and researched a number of viewpoints.  They want students who already know how to think, how to form opinions and defend them, and how to structure their time to get ahead.

I'm not saying that these traits can't be learned in public school -they most certainly can and are - but they are the foundational basics of most homeschools.  Because homeschooling is a way of life, and these traits are what that way of life are built on, homeschool students are often uniquely equipped to take on those challenges at a college level.  Could be why so many colleges are actively recruiting homeschoolers, eh?  :-)

Answer 2

Just....WOW.

You make the INCORRECT assumption that homeschoolers are NEVER around others...the ignorant assumption they are all holed up in their homes.

WRONG!

My homeschooled kids ARE exposed to multiple viewpoints.....on the DEBATE TEAM.

My homeschooled kids DO have competition......at the various competions (from spelling to science to art) put on by their co-op.

My homeschooled kids are HIGHLY independent. They each have their own checking accounts and jobs for the older ones, and are responsible for their own volunteer work. My oldest had NO problems handling the ENTIRE college application process ALONE.

You also assume that we (the parents) are not educated.....you are basically saying the public school system did a poor job educating us. Therefor, according to you, we should CONTINUE to send our kids to an educational system that we know FAILS?

Uh, no.

Basically, you are wrong, these kids do NOT suffering, and you obviously based that conclusion off of your inability or lack of desire to actually get  information instead of stereotypes.

Have a good day!

Answer 3

For the homeschool parents who don't feel confident or educated enough to directly teach their children at home, there are numerous programs available.  For example, my mother didn't feel adequate to teach chemistry or geometry, some of the higher level courses.  We used Abeka out of Pensacola, FL.  They have a video program that teaches children to listen and take notes instead of just reading and

answering questions.  They have options of buying experiment kits with which to follow along with the class.  If needed, they have a 1-800 hot line for any questions that might come up.  Abeka is just one avenue.  I work at MU; we have a HS diploma program.  BYU (Brigham Young University) also has a similar program.  Calvert is quite advanced material, but they have a similar set up.

I was homeschooled for 11 years (graduated a year early, as did my sister) and went to college right after graduation.  I had no troubles keeping up; instead I found community college boring.  As a side note, I'm not brilliant; I'm a good student and study very hard for my grades.  After my one year of community college, I took a 7 years hiatus and just worked full time.  However, I just started back on my degree through an evening/online program.  The work required for college is nothing compared to what I had in HS.  Abeka and my parents standard's were  extraordinary compared to college!!  In all the college level courses I've completed thus far (some in class and some online), I had one of the highest, if not the highest, grade in the class.  I feel that I was more than prepared for college; it is a breeze compared to my homeschooling days.  

Now that I'm older, I realized how much my mother sacrificed and just exactly how dedicated she was;  I respect her so much more.  On that note, homeschooling is not for the feint of heart.  The parent has to be strong and determined.  The choice to be directly responsible for your child's education is one of the biggest, most important decision you'll ever make.  If you , the parent and teacher, are wishy-washy or haphazardly teaching, you're not doing your job.  Children need guidance, especially the younger ones.  If you give your child a good basis, a strong foundation of independent studying, the farther in home study you go, the easier it will be.  

Multiple viewpoints were not an issue.  Again, this is up to you as the parent/teacher.  Will you allow them to think for themselves?  My parents encouraged debates.  They loved for me to pull out a book and show them something based on fact.  They would do the same to me.  They tried to guide me, but in the end, I made up my own mind.

I've heard so much controversy over homeschoolers being socially inept.  That's a bunch of baloney!  I'm a quite person by nature; I'm a hermit and a loner.  However, I work with the public day in and day out; I'm excellent at my job (and have the promotions to prove it).  I have numerous friends; not fair-weather friends, good true friends.  My sister, on the other hand, is the most outgoing, spunky person you'll ever meet.  I have yet to meet a homeschooler that is truly socially inept!  Quite they may be, but don't let appearance discredit them yet.  They'll probably blow you away!

Independence....that's something the parent has to instill.  My parents made me buy my own car; even though I bought it from them.  By 18, I was paying rent to live at home.  Independence...that has nothing to do with homeschooling.  Working at MU I meet more publicly and privately schooled students who can't make a move without first consulting their parents, usually for a credit card number.  I've been financially and socially independent since I was 18; that's includes my continued education.

I hope I've answered your questions.  Homeschooling can be a wonderful, worth-while education.  Indeed, it can be better than other options.  It's up to the parent!  Don't expect the student to do everything on their own.  You set the example; you set the pace; you make sure they keep up with it.

Answer 4

I'd like to answer your questions, but first I'd like to correct some of the concerns you pose:

Parents not highly educated-- how do you know? Statistics show that more than half of homeschooling parents have a college degree or higher.

How parents can educate better than teachers-- there are some studies on peer tutoring that show it is highly effective because of the one-on-one attention and the student being able to go at his own pace; these things seem to outweigh the need for teacher expertise. This applies to homeschoolers. In addition, people who have taught in schools as well as homeschooled (like myself) are aware that homeschooling is an entirely different educational model; many teaching strategies that are necessary to teach in schools do not apply to homeschooling, or work well in a homeschool environment.

Failing to be exposed to multiple viewpoints-- homeschoolers can be exposed to different views through reading and watching educational programming. In addition, many homeschoolers take classes or pursue various activities outside of the home.

Classroom competition-- as a former teacher, I believe that classroom competition can more often be detrimental than beneficial. Children who do not start off well out of the gate do not always try harder, but can become despondent, begin to hate school/learning, and even give up trying and just try to get through the years. Their self esteem can suffer and they can develop a negative attitude all because they couldn't get the gold stars. Homeschoolers generally learn for learning's sake, and the intrinsic value of education is not as often lost on them as on their public schooled peers. Their self esteem remains intact longer because they learn at their own pace without being compared to others, and they can be proud of their achievements not because they came out on top, but because of a sense of accomplishment. While it is good for homeschoolers to engage in some kind of competitions, it doesn't necessarily have to be part of every learning endeavor.

Social interaction-- school is not the only place for socialization-- it's not even the best, IMO. Homeschoolers generally have a great deal of time to devote to many activities, such as classes, co-ops, sport teams, 4H groups, scouting, sunday schools, library reading programs, volunteer work, etc... not to mention just going outside in the afternoons and on weekends to play with the neighborhood kids or on the playground. There is more than adequate socialization. I personally believe that quality is more important than quantity.

Independence-- homeschoolers are generally independent learners because they are at an early age given the responsibility to decide what they learn and how they learn it. They are given a more active role in guiding their education and tend to become self-motivated and self-reliant learners.

This brings me to the point, to answer your question, that college educators and admissions officers site about homeschoolers-- they find that they are not only eager learners, but they have less trouble adapting to the college classroom and taking on the responsibilities because they are used to being self-reliant and independent when it comes to their education.

On a personal note, I know that my daughter had no trouble adapting to college. She had just turned 15 when she began taking classes through a dual-enrollment program; she has a 3.8 GPA and with all the credits she has racked up will be earning her AA degree just a few short months after graduating 12th grade as a homeschooler.  

Many homeschoolers in our community take this route and are quite successful. Many colleges are not only accepting but actively recruiting homeschoolers, siting the success rate of homeschoolers in college as their reason.

Answer 5

As a high school teacher, I saw several students homeschooled students come to high school for specific coursework...namely the advanced sciences, math or arts courses which would have been extremely costly to provide at home. or require expertise.  At 16 or so, these students had never attended school before and there was no problem.  Many went in wide eyed the first day, but after the intimidating first day, were regular students or better.  Homeschooled students are generally more self-reliant and confident than kids in the school environment.  There self-esteem hasn't been dragged through the mud with unnecessary competition and social interaction from maladjusted students and teachers.

Answer 6

they do but some care bout education so they learn themselves

Answer 7

Because once a child has been taught the basics they can usually teach themselves more advanced things.  

Its also not fair to assume that no homeschooling parents are highly educated, some are and some aren't.

If you really wonder about college prep.  just look at statistics. Homeschoolers ARE prepared. Whether everyone understand how they get that way or not, they repeatedly demonstrate that they are well prepared.

Answer 8

How can public-schooled kids possibly be prepared for college? The presentation of knowledge and expectations are completely different, which is why so many freshmen suffer the first year away from school. For once, teachers don't care if they do the work.

In my experience with dozens of homeschooled children, they are much more advantaged with being able to work independently, learn on their own without being forcefed knowledge and taught to the test.

Teachers are not more educated that parents. They are educated in mass education, not necessarily in more academic arenas. They are taught how to follow the curriculum that schools provide, they are taught how to apply tests, they are taught how to do group think and discipline. Trust me, I started a teaching program at the state university, it did not help at all with academic knowledge.

As for the disadvantages listed, I know very few homeschoolers who are actually at HOME. LOL! They learn competition, interaction, independence and multiculturalism the same way that people have for millennia, by being out in the real world, dealing with real people. In fact, I'd wager that it's more useful than the artificial socialization that exists in school programs

Hope this helps

Answer 9

Not all parents aren't highly educated.  I'd say that those parents who homeschool their children are smart and wiser than most.  It has been proven that homeschoolers have excellent social skills and make better grades than the majority of publicschooled children.  Just because you learn at home doesn't mean you can't participate in sports, competitions, and enrichment classes.  School isn't about dating and having a good social life, it's about learning.  You learn a lot more responsibility in the home atmosphere and most homeschoolers are better prepared for the world when they reach college than immature, rebellious, pregnant publicschoolers.

Answer 10

How can Home schooled Kids get ready for collage?

   By doing school, my older brother who has been home schooled all his life is now in collage. And there are no problems.

How can Parents who are not well educated themselves teach there children?

By using books and curriculum's. It is totally possible.

Do home educated kids suffer disadvantages?

  Actually I think that public schools suffer disadvantages not homeschooling kids,

1. they are with a lot of kids there age all day, so it can be kind of hard to concentrate on school.

2. They are with kids there age all day while homeschooling children  interact with kids and adults of all ages in groups, and there own family, now which one is more like the real world?

3. Public Schoolers can be limited to stay at the same pace as the class room while home schooled children can go at there own pace, faster or slower, which ever helps them learn the most.

That is my personal opinion.

Answer 11

Lots of research out there showing that:

1) Percentage-wise, homeschoolers are far more likely to attend college.

2) Homeschoolers, on average, tend to do better on standardized tests than do their schooled peers.

There are these neat things called textbooks out there. You might have seen them: they use them in schools. These textbooks are also used in distance learning programs. Do you question the ability of a student to learn from a distance learning program? There are lots of programs out there designed to teach, even if the parent knows nothing about the topic: math, sciences, foreign languages... There are also lots of things called books that people can learn from once they know how to read; they don't have to wait for someone to "teach" it to them.

How homeschooling parents, many of whom are actually rather well educated, can possibly educate their children better than teacher is that the parents are able to provide the assistance a child need, able to provide the time a child needs--or allow the child to accelerate where appropriate--and the parent simply cares a whole lot more about the child's success than does the teacher. There's a growing amount of research showing that the relationship between teacher and student can have a HUGE effect on the student's success; there is a definite correlation between the success of students and the level of bonding with their teacher.

Please tell me how many different viewpoints you need to learn math? Physics? Chemistry? How to read? Where countries in the world are? The bulk of what's in school is not about viewpoints. Who told you that? Sure, there can be some different viewpoints for history, but all it takes is to take out a few different resources from the library or look up different sites on the web and you'll have plenty to talk about. Same thing goes for how to write an essay or anything like that. Besides, there are homeschooling groups, many of which hold classes and clubs where the kids get to discuss their various viewpoints. They also hear plenty of different viewpoints when at homeschooling activities because they hear what the adults are discussing.

Classroom competition is actually a negative. It does not help kids cooperate and be willing to help each other out, which is the kind of adult we would like them to be. There's a wealth of research out there on that.

Social interaction is available elsewhere than in school. In fact, if we stick to what social interaction really means, homeschooled kids are interacting most of the day with their own family, then there are all the various activities going on with homeschool groups, community clubs and lessons and more.

Independence? Homeschooled teens are among the most independent kids I know. They are given responsibility for their learning, they are allowed to get jobs--which many do, and during the day while other kids are in school, they set up all kinds of things... I'm not sure how sitting in a desk being told what to do, even when you're allowed to go to the bathroom, is supposed to be training for being independent. Independence is built upon by giving over responsibilities. Any responsible parent can teach this to their kids regardless of where the kids do their schooling. Has nothing to do with school at all, but parenting.

Answer 12

Question 1: The same way public school kids are properly prepared for college.

Question 2: I am highly educated. I graduated from public high school but my real education came from life long learning.  I read. I understand.

I can educate better than a certified teacher because I know my son better.  I can help guide one child rather than trying to guide 150 a year. (25 in a class times 3 classes a day times 2 semesters a year)

Question 3: Homeschool students are exposed to multiple viewpoints, group competition, social interaction and more independence than public school students.  

Thanks for asking.

Answer 13

Well first you show your lack of knoweldge of homeschooling.

90% of it is done with course studies made by PHDs teaching in universities.

Some of the homeschool supply companies have been doing this since 1903

And most homeschoolers who once public schooled find the Penn Foster tests to be very difficut to pass.

College studies have show that homeschoolers on the average are 2-3 grades ahead of public schoolers and 1 grade ahead of private schoolers.

We have one 16 year old homeschooler here on this forum that got accepted by Stanford.

We have one 17 year old 12 grader who has finished ALL her AP courses and credits but the PUBLIC school will NOT release her and let her go to college.

They insist she remain in school taking study hall until the end of the year, even though I repeat:

SHE ALREADY has ALL the credit necessary to graduate with the college major and finished ALL her AP courses.

Her SIN was finishing all her required courses by 11th grade and being 17 and in 12th grade.

So they --  the US PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM -- is forcebly making her stay in school in home room, study hall, baby history (she's already taken Civics, Economics, Statistics, Calculus), baby English and PE for one full year because LAW says you have to finished 12th grade to get a diploma.

It's not how many credits you finish.  It's physical age and physical grade.

So put this in your pipe and smoke it, PUBLIC SCHOOLS are holding YOU back 2 or more years and HOMESCHOOLERS are getting into colleges at age 16

Ivy league schools make SPECIAL SEPARATE room for Homeschoolers.  In otherwords they are on a different tier than public schoolers and when the public schooler quota has been met they are still taking homeschoolers.

Live with it.

This is factual.  It is documented.

Oh, by the way were you aware Dr. Condoleze Rice was homeschooled for 6 years!

Answer 14

kids when homeschooled suffer many disadvantages.

firstly they do not get the exposure that kids in school are exposed to..also they are isolated from the entire group in school and so when they go to colleg their mral and confidence will suffer a blow and hence they are unable to cope up with peer pressure in college

Answer 15

I personally know a woman who was home schooled who is in graduate school for chemistry.  College was easy for her.

By not highly educated you mean they don't hold a graduate degree?   Believe me, there are some good teachers in school and there are some really marginal teachers in school.

Parents are willing to spend extra time making sure their children are learning.  They know their child's strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else.  Homeschooling is not done in a bubble, there are groups and activities to participate in with other people the children's age.  Not only that, they can learn those subjects which they are interested in to a much greater depth.  

I wish I was in a position financially to home school my children.  As it is I supplement their education and exposure as much as possible with many books, trips to museums and zoos and national parks.

Answer 16

Given that the way universities teach has far more in common with the way most home-educated kids are used to learning, maybe the question should be: 'How can public schooled kids be properly prepared for college?'

|How are parents, who themselves are not highly educated, possibly educate their children better than teachers? (sic)|

Actually research demonstrates that children from families where the parents failed to finish high school achieve better educational results if they are home-educated than if they were to attend school.

Do you know how many teachers are teaching subjects in which they themselves only have high school level qualifications? It's a not insignificant number.

|Don't kids suffer disadvantages from failing to be exposed to multiple viewpoints, classroom competition, social interaction, and independence?|

No. There are 'multiple viewpoints' in books, articles, websites, journals, research papers, newspapers, magazines, radio programmes, television programmes, friends, neighbours, family members etc etc.

'Classroom competition' does not exist in my country's public education system.

Social interaction? My parents would love me to have *less* social interaction, heaps less social interaction, as they struggle at times to keep up with me and my social life (in addition to simultaneously keeping up with the social lives of my home educated siblings).

Independence? Are you kidding? My parents employ a number of people to work in their businesses and the one thing they'll tell you is that it is the kids who went to school who just stand around expecting my parents to tell them what it is they should be doing and when they should be doing it!!

Answer 17

//How are parents, who themselves are not highly educated, possibly educate their children better than teachers?//

To answer this for yourself you should actually do some research into homeschooling. It seems your working from some assumption that homeschooling is just school-at-home minus some advantages of school. You're actually comparing apples and oranges and don't realize it.

//Don't kids suffer disadvantages from failing to be exposed to multiple viewpoints//

Do your research. You're making baseless assumptions about what homeschooled kids are and aren't exposed to.

// classroom competition//

Is that always a good thing? Do you have proof that it is and that homeschoolers should attempt to emulate that or bemoan the fact that they can't reproduce it?

// social interaction//

More baseless assumption and...

//and independence?//

...Yet more baseless assumption.

Does nobody actually bother to research something anymore before they decide to make weird statements about it?

Angie - People generally get called on it when they make ridiculous statements or ask ridiculous questions that have nothing more at their core then tired stereotypes.

Answer 18

Just to see the results, I started a question worded just like yours...

"How can homeschooled..."

Y!A displayed 724 similar questions.

A quick perusal of the answers to the similar questions would have answered you.

Why do you ask this same question when it has already been answered so many times?  Why does it even matter to you?

Plus... where did you get the idea that homeschooling parents are not highly educated?  Many that I know are current or former teachers themselves, some are college professors.

What multiple viewpoints are you talking about?  The viewpoints from teachers who are similarly trained?  Textbooks that are, at least in part, evaluated based on political correctness?  Students all from the same general location grouped by same age?  

Classroom competition?  You mean competing for grades? All the homeschool parents I know are looking for mastery of subjects not a particular grade.  

What social interaction are homeschooled students missing?  A half-hour at lunch, a rushed 5 minutes between classes?  

Independence?!!!  

What independence opportunities are homeschooled children missing?  Being told by a stranger when to sit, when to stand, when to speak, when to be quiet, when to go to the bathroom, when to eat, etc.?