Is homeschooling an effective method of education?

Question

Is homeschooling an effective method of education?

Answer 1

It's effective if you make it effective. Homeschooling can be done in a myriad number of ways. Just like parenting--is parenting an effective method of raising kids? Depends on how you parent, doesn't it?

Answer 2

Statistically it is far more effective than public school.  Of course it depends on how it is done, but generally speaking it is effective.

Answer 3

Home schooling maybe all right for learning, but I think when kids are in a school setting it is better because they are with other people and learn alot more in other ways, but there again to each their own.

Answer 4

It's been very effective for us.

No favoritism here. No student harassment and a completely safe environment. Our children do a greater work load with better results in less time without all of the c**p going on in public schools. Our history and geography lessons are covered for the entire planet, not just areas that stand out for history. We have so much of a curriculum here that our boys keep wanting more. We offer Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and French languages as well as multiple areas of automotive/diesel knowledge, home-ec, and survival skills based upon my wife and I and our training in the military, college, and high school.

Answer 5

Leaving the social interaction issue out of it, home schooling leaves the student with an extremely narrow world view.

One of the benefits of going to a school is that you are introduced to many different points of view, teaching styles, cultures, etc. This "education" is extremely valuable today, especially because of global nature of the world. Having your "parents" as your only teachers leaves you with an extremely narrow point of view.

Edit:

To Azathoth

"I know plenty of kids in school who have very limited views, but I guess that since they're in school, they're automatically more enlightened than me."

A perfect example of a home schooler. The point I was trying to bring up was tolerance. Your view shows the narrowed minded parochial view point of home schoolers. Tolerance is what is needed in this world and it is LEARNED from differing viewpoints.

Answer 6

i have been a secondary teacher for almost 15 years.  my opinion on home schooling is that i do appreciate it and there are many many success stories with it.  however, i think there is a time when a student needs the various opportunities a public shcool has to offer.  whether it be sports, foreign language, or other extra-curricular activities, the stude is much more enhanced by these possibilities.  the question is:  when do they take advantage of this?  that is for the parent and student to decide.

Answer 7

It depends on the child, the parents, the home environment, etc....   I think it may be effective for some families, but I think that there are some families that probably shouldn't participate in homeschooling.  Just as homeschooling can be ineffective, so can private and public school....  There are so many factors to consider and different children are going to respond to teaching styles and environments differently.  I have seen homeschooling be ineffective and negative, and I have seen it work also (but only in one family who did HSing until the middle school years and then enrolled their children in public school).

Answer 8

No. I am homeschooled and i do alot of things that are helping me through it. It will be fun!

Answer 9

I'm an unschooler.

I turn 16 in a few weeks.

My history and science courses are college level (through The Teaching Company) and I find them rather easy. My reading level has been above 12th grade since I was in 4th grade. I'm at grade level for math (trig) and am making pretty fast progress in Rosetta Stone German.

My parents are just the people who sign permission forms and have the credit cards.

I also have an awesome circle of friends.

I'd say homeschooling's been pretty effective.

To the guy who played the 'worldview' card: That's just a matter of parenting; homeschooling has little to do with it. I know plenty of kids in school who have very limited views, but I guess that since they're in school, they're automatically more enlightened than me.

Answer 10

It is indeed effective.  I would venture to say that it is probably more effective than traditional means of education, since homeschool students can learn at their own pace and in the style which best suits their needs.

--------------------------------------...

The answer above me is correct-sports, foreign language, and other extra curricular activities can enhance education.  However, the public school is not necessary in order to obtain these services.

My children are still in elementary school, and are learning foreign language(s)-more than one-long before it would be offered to them in the public school.  The earlier one is exposed to it, the more likely that person is to master the language and retain it.  How much do you remember from your two years of high school Spanish?  Not much if you did not use it regularly after the class ended.  If they are not interested in learning it, it is a waste of time and tax dollars.

By the way, while they have learned some basic French and Spanish, they are fluent in ASL and are currently learning Latin (a good foundation for learning all of the Romance languages) and Mandarin, neither of which would be a choice in the public school.  

Until you get to high school, most sports programs are within the community rather than a school program.  My children play baseball in our community.  They have also taken golf, tennis, swimming, bowling, gymnastics, karate...all without the aid of public school.   Some states allow homeschoolers to participate in their sports or other extracurricular programs.  Our state does not, but we also have a large community of homeschoolers and can play sports with them.

Extra-curricular?  Do you mean Chess Club, Piano lessons, 4H, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Library Reading Programs, Summer Camp, Educational programs at the Museum and Zoo, Science Fairs, Art Exhibits, Spelling Bee, Geography Bee...?  My children participate in ALL of those activities.  I am afraid that if they attended public school, they would not have time for any but one or two.

Answer 11

It is for my son.  He scores in the 99th percentile on standardized tests, even when tested 1-2 grade levels ahead.

Last year, as a 8 y.o. 3rd grader, he took the EXPLORE test from ACT.  It's typically a test for 8th graders.  My son scored better than 90% of 8th graders for his composite score and better than 99% of them in science alone.

So it's absolutely effective!  My son is now 10 and has always been homeschooled except for one year at age 4 at the public preschool (he was a peer model for struggling kids).

He just scored a perfect score in science(3 exams), for the second year in a row, in the Online Academic Leagues.  He will also come out at the top for Math Olympiad from MOEMS when he receives his prize next month.

My son is starting a college course on Meterology online today.  He will have a high school math and science in the fall also.  There is NO WAY he'd get that if he was stuck in the 4th grade at some public or private school.  He has total freedom in what courses he takes, and at what grade level.

PS - this is an interesting question for your first activity in Y!A.

ADDED for "apalking".  Do you not know there are MANY homeschool (and community in general) sports activities?  My son does weekly homeschool bowling and ice skating, takes Karate at HS co-oop and runs on three community track/cross country teams.

There are also LOTS of foreign language options for HS'ers.  My son uses Power Glide online.  Many libraries provide Rosetta Stone for free.  There are foreign language courses at our co-op.  MANY HS'ers learn Latin - how many public school kids learn *that*???

And as for extra curriculars - my son has MORE than his PS'ed neighbor kids:  Chess Club, Cub Scouts, Bible club, Math Club, Math Olympiad team, Contig math team, Online academic teams, Biology labs w/ a veterinarian, on and on and on...

Answer 12

Homeschooling is highly effective if you and your child can put effort into it. They're are often home-school groups where a child can socialize and blend in with peers, and a wide variety of athletics, community volunteering, and extracurricular activities to enrich a homeschooled child's education. In many ways it can far exceed what a child can do in a school system.

However, I would also recommend a combination of home-school and public school. Homeschooling from kindergarten through second or third grade can give your child an advantage. Children at those ages are often more interested in academics and can learn at a faster rate than children who must share a single teacher with twenty other kids. If a good elementary school exists, school experience can benifit a child after the after they have had intense one-on-one learning at home. Then, they can be taken out of the school system when in junior high or high school. That's about the age that teens start to pick up nasty habits from their peers and have a bad attitude. Taking them out of school and keeping them busy with academics and activities can help them to excel, and they can do well when they get to college. Teens that are homeschooled also have more job opportunities. They can work in the morning and do school in the afternoon. This can gain them work experience, and boost their knowledge of what it's like to live and work in the real world. Or, they can get involved in volunteering, working through a church group or at their local library or nursing home. There are so many exciting ways to get the fullest education possible, all you have to do is look around.

Answer 13

Absolutely! We homeschool and it has been far more effective for my child than public school ever was.

To some other answerer's in regards to the rubbish about lack of sports, languages and "worldview":

My child takes music and sporting classes. We have also studied Spanish and Sign language. Where are you getting your information?

Parents are supposed to instill values in their children. If they don't, who do you suggest should?

I do not recall a "world view class" in my public school years. I do remember racism, homophobia, sexual harassment, bullying of the poor, unpopular, unattractive and weak, casual s*x and recreational drug use being considered the norm. If that is the worldview you are referring to, then yes, my child is missing out. Somehow, I do not think I'll loose any sleep over it. Meanwhile, by picking on Az and trying to call her "intolerant" because she pointed out the your obvious logical errors you have exposed yourself as a twit. How exactly was she intolerant? You made a claim that homeschool produced narrow minded people, but public school did not. She debunked your claim. You even agreed with her logic. How exactly was that intolerance? I cannot believe you thought you were making a point. I'd say she handed your tush to you, but you actually managed to hand it to yourself.  In the future, try thinking things through prior to making an unfounded claim. Just because you suppose something to be true, does not make it so. That is called guessing or pre-judging. It takes logic and fact to make something true. That pre-judging is where the term prejudice originates. So, who is intolerant?

Answer 14

I was sort of homeschooled all through high school. I enrolled in a Charter or Cyber school. It was the best thing I have ever done. All the teachers were great and I received more extra credits for college than any of my friends that graduated from a public school. I am a big advocate on cyber school because it provides time to do other important things...not just 8 hours of school each day. I spent about an hour or two on school work during the day and I also had time to get a job! I really recommend it! Also graduation was great and we had all the things like field trips, prom etc.