I need sources about Homeschooling?

Question

I'm writing a research paper, and I'm looking for information about homeschooling. The paper will explore the positives and negatives of homeschooling, how it is sometimes misrepresented, and why it may be a good option for students. I also maybe need some success stories of homeschoolers.

I need quite a few links to websites, and maybe some book sugestions. Thanks!

Answer 1

A great place to start is reading John Gatto's book "The Underground History of American Education'.  He tells the story of how our present education system came about and why it is failing us now. Which is one of the foremost reasons many homeschoolers choose to take their children out of school.  This links you the book online.  http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/...

This site gives a list of highly visible homeschoolers past and present. http://homeschoolacademy.com/famoushomes...

Answer 2

Interesting research topic!

My cousin has homeschooled her kids all the way, but this is in British Columbia, Canada.

A useful website there would be:

homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/... - 55k -

I don't think there's any better place to start than the Google search engine (Sorry Yahoo).

Use the keywords:  homeschooling  + (province or state)

Once you narrow it down, call the individual school districts and ask to speak to the president or chairperson of the homeschoolers' associations......they will be happy to put you on to lots of success stories.

Answer 3

This site has links to almost every other homeschool website there is.  Hope it helps.

Answer 4

Just check your local library for books! Almost any book on homeschooling will have at least one section on the benefits. Some will point out potential difficulties for the family--which aren't necessarily negatives, though.

To do your research properly, YOU need to learn how to find the sources instead of asking people to find the sources for you. It's a simple matter of putting into a web search

homeschool positives

homeschool advantages

homeschool negatives

homeschool disadvantages

Whatever comes up, read it discerningly. If they make an assertion that is not defended in some way (by fully explaining, or it's actually well thought out and is likely or there are sources actually posted), really think about it and don't just automatically assume it's true.

One site I WILL give you is http://www.nheri.org/ . Full of research.

Answer 5

There are many different kinds of homeschoolers.  In the U.S. there are many religious home-schoolers, for example.  But Montessori and Waldorf and Unschooling are also favorite methods.  

We used the Oak Meadow curricula based on the Waldorf Method.  (oakmeadow.com)  We are not religious people, but chose to homeschool because the traditional, public and private schools were (in our opinions) so unimpressive and uninspired.  We had a good home-schooling experience, but it's not for everyone.

One of the main reasons some people disagree with home-schooling is because they think their children won't be 'socialized', or involved in sports, dances, clubs, etc.  But honestly, socialization had never been a problem for us.  My kids home-schooled at our home, but we met once a week with other home-schooled kids for play groups and art lessons.  We also belonged to the YMCA where the kids took swimming lessons, karate lessons and gymnastics, as well as an annual month of competitive sports like basketball and soccer.  We had many more 'field trips' than the average traditionally schooled student.  So they were very socialized!  The great thing about the WAY they were socialized is that the other children (and adults) they met were different ages, cultures, developmental stages, religious backgrounds, races and genders, so they met all kinds of people who've had many different experiences.  If they had attended the public school near us they would have only been exposed to children their own age in their own environment and neighborhood, for the most part.  If they had attended the private school, their socialization would have been even more limited as the children there would have been the same s*x, the same religion, the same age, the same cultural background - and they would have been part of this clique for 12 years.  That seems much more socially limiting to me.

That being said, a home-schooling parent has to really be there for the kids and be truly involved.  It was a full time job for me, and I had many lazy weeks or weeks of too much activity on and off for the first few years.  It was also difficult, at first anyway, to teach 3 kids with 3 different learning methods and 3 different personalities and 3 different age levels.  After a while we ironed out the kinks, but we had our difficult times, and there were many moments when I wondered if I was doing the right thing, or if I was up to the job.

I knew quite a few parents who decided to homeschool their kids without really preparing the children or themselves for it.  The parents who usually stuck it out with homeschooling and did well with it were the ones who decided to do it long before they started (usually long before their children were even walking) and learned everything they could about it, including the cost (time and money) before starting.  The moms and dads who had children who were having problems in a traditional school (failing grades, bullying, etc) and pulled them out to homeschool them without any preparation usually didn't do as well, no matter how good their intentions were, and their children suffered for it.  Some parents and some kids aren't meant for homeschooling.  I knew one mom who decided on 'unschooling' (which is a wonderful method if set up properly by involved parents) - but her method was to watch tv all day while her kids played computer games.  It wasn't a positive educational experience, and after a couple years she put her kids back in a traditional school where they had to start over 2 years behind the other kids their ages.  

Hope this helps, and good luck with your research!

Answer 6

I was homeschooled my whole life prior to high school, and I must say I consider it a success.  With homeschooling I was able to pursue my own interests and curiosity, and it has helped me value knowledge and learning.  I learned because I wanted to, and not because some school required me to.  You could say it got me hooked on learning :)

I attended public high school for ninth grade, and I was shocked at the apathy that the majority of the other kids expressed.  I think a lot of them had the joy of curiosity bored out of them by the limited, mundane school system, and since they didn't want to be there they just didn't try as hard and got lower grades.  

I got straight A's all through school, and I have heard many similar stories from other home schoolers (the valedictorian of my school was previously home-schooled).  I think that, although it might not be for everyone, homeschooling definitely has benefits, namely that it doesn't kill the joy of learning and fosters curiosity.  I think these are really important things to have when getting an education.

Answer 7

I home school my 3 children..I started when my son was removed from school when he was just 6 years old permanently. It has worked out great for us.