Public School System??!!?

Question

I homeschooled 2 kids through graduation.. I have one child using cyber school.. and I have a 9 and 10 yr old who have been in public school since day one. We live in a fantastic school system (so I hear) but I seriously can't see much in the way of positive things about public school...I basically hate the public school system and was wondering if any other parents feel the same way and have just had enough???

Answer 1

There are an estimated 1-2 million children in the US alone who are homeschooling. I would say that more than half (possibly even 3/4) of the homeschooling parents I know had at least one child in the school system before deciding to homeschool. I was teaching in the public school system when I first had thoughts of homeschooling.

I'd say you are definitely not alone in how you feel.

And to the previously homeschooled student who says that no social life is homeschooling's downfall: no, no social life is the downfall of a parent who doesn't make sure their child gets involved with others. The homeschoolers we do things with and my children DO have social lives because we make sure of it.

Answer 2

We have a relatively good public school.  I work there as a classified employee.

We decided to home school two years ago.  I wanted to home school because the teachers had 'given up' on my son and said he was performing at his potential.  My husband agreed to home school because he drove a bus and saw the disrespect from the students which was not corrected by their parents or the school authorities.

School is not what it was when I was a student many years ago.  I think that public school needs major revision.  Many school systems are realizing this and giving students options such as Early College and specialized schools.  Technology has made it possible for us to specialize for our own children without jumping through the hoops to get in the specialized programs.  

The ideas that home schoolers are sheltered and disadvantaged are hogwash.  The people who give answers like that need to read and get up to date with the times.  

Public school is not the only way to learn.  In our family, it is not the best way to learn.  I do, however, enjoy working at the public school.  The students are very entertaining.

Answer 3

It's not fair to shelter your children from the world and  the every day doings of children who go to public school. If there is nothing wrong with the school system besides what you think personally, then why not? Of course every parent thinks that their way is best, but really--COME ON! Why keep your children away on something that is just a matter of opinion? It's pretty selfish actually but very understandable. Keeping your children away for too long can be destructive if you suddenly choose to put them in public school. It's more likely that they get lost in the groove socially and educationally because the teacher doesn't exactly teach it like mommy does than not, cuz they stayed away so long. If  you choose to change your mind, you should do it now rather than later, while they still have a chance to be sociable and learn like the majority of the student body.

Answer 4

of course that is one of the reasons we home school

Answer 5

I agree.  It's much like a prison or Army Boot Camp.

Answer 6

We pulled my son out of the public school system early on...  teacher wanted to label him as ADD/ADHD. Long story made short, with no support from administration and the teacher starting to cover her backside with lies, we pulled him immediately. After a successful but pricey time at a Christian school, we decided that homeschool was the option to try next . Over the years, he has learned leadership skills, ~true~ social skills and an understanding of academic time and when to enjoy social activities.  Academically, he is at or above grade level. He has learned to enjoy learning.  Socially, he is fine... social, active and 'normal' (whatever that means!) participating in scouts, sports, group activities and even a prom.

IMHO, I dislike the public school system because it takes away the responsibility of parents to be educate their children.  I don't believe it is the government's place to educate children at taxpayer expense.  As public schooling won't disappear anytime soon, parents should have a choice of academic opportunities to fit to their children, from traditional brick and mortar, online schools, parent led education or unschooling.  We chose to homeschool because it fit our child the best.

P.S. My son is not ADD/ADHD in any way.  In a school system that drugged about 25% of the students, we took great issue with this 'diagnosis' from a teacher and her attempts to get him labeled and drugged. It was time to walk away.

Answer 7

I had enough of the public school system and I pulled my 14 year old out. I did it because school is about education. Socialization is fine, but socialization isnt going to get her into a top college. Home school works for her because she stutters adn was unmercifully teased and bullied. She can focus on school. She goes to school for band and golf and has friends that way, plus neighbor friends.

Answer 8

Well, socialization doesn't mean being able to only relate with your age-group peers...so I'm not real sure why that keeps coming into the discussion.  Socialization doesn't mean anything of the kind.  It means being able to function in society, to relate the people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests/beliefs.  I really don't see anything in the public school system that fosters that ability, but almost every homeschool kid I know is able to do it.

When I hear people say that "homeschool kids are socially unable", what I hear is that "homeschool kids feel uncomfortable at first around kids that are all alike, that expect everyone to act as a group".  At least, that's how my son feels.  He's kind of tired of the classroom kids that he comes in contact with not accepting him right off the bat because he's not exactly like them.  (He's starting 5th grade.)  However, the several hundred homeschool kids that he knows accept him just fine (and he, them) even though they may be nothing alike.  They can pick up a basketball game wherever they go, even if they've never met the kids around them, just off of the common ground that they accept each other until given a reason not to.  They are also able to play with babies and read with preschoolers, to play and talk with middle and high schoolers, to answer and be respectful to adults, and to sit and talk with or read to a senior citizen.  There are close to a thousand homeschool families within a 45 minute radius of my house, and I have yet to meet one hs kid that doesn't fit this model.  Not socialized?  Huh, could have fooled me.

So yes, I'm tired of the public school system in our area.  I also live in the "best" school district in our part of the state, and my son already does better academically than the majority of the 8th graders in ps.  He is also able to both follow his own interests and function with a large range of people.  The only people he doesn't function well with are those who decide not to accept him.  If they decide later on to accept him (and can show him that they're serious), he'll be their friend.  If they can't, then he doesn't really want to be their friend, because that's not friendship.  Silly kid, what's up with that?

I'm also tired of the teachers who aren't able to handle anything other than kids who fit their teaching style...which our school system seems to abound with.  This can be seen by the huge amount of Ritalin activity in our area.  Unless ADD/ADHD is contagious, there is just no way that THAT many kids can have it.  My son's teacher (when he was 6.5 and bored in her class) actually *demanded* that he be medicated...on the *second day of school*...because she didn't know how to deal with his boredom.  Sorry, I'm not doping my kid up on a drug that can cause him to hallucinate or have psychotropic episodes, as according to his doctor and several professors he does NOT have either one, simply to make a teacher's day go a little easier.  Her job is to cause my son to learn, and if that's just not in her worldview, I'll teach him myself.

Of course, our school district *does* take state in football three years out of five...which is why it's considered the "best".  A majority of the teenagers are quite scary, and the dropout rate averages around 20% annually, but the football team *rocks*.  Yep, I want my kid going there...

So I agree with you - I just plain don't see the positives, at least in my area.  There are some schools that are really great.  My parents teach in one - and honestly, if my son was to go to school, I wouldn't much mind sending him there.  Unfortunately, it's 850 miles away, which is sort of a long commute.  :-)

I had enough, which is why I pulled my son out.  I see nothing positive in our school system, which is why I'm keeping him out.  He has access to co op classes (he has his pick from over a dozen co ops within a few miles of us), sports (homeschool team playing in the city league against the public and private schools), band, choir, field trips, game nights, Scouts, AWANA, park days, clubs at the library during school hours (so tons of homeschool kids come)...I don't see that he's missing out on anything.  And he feels darn lucky to have the opportunities that he does, so he's careful to learn from them and not to waste them :-)

Answer 9

We believe parents should have the freedom to choose any form of education they deem best for their children.

There is room for all forms of schooling; home school, public, private, private Christian, charter, or virtual.

On a personal note;  we do not believe in placing children in any type of conventional school until they choose to go to college.

Answer 10

I tend to agree with you.  While some might love it and disagree, I don't like the Public School system for my kids. I homeschool them, so it isn't an issue.  Now, I am glad the Public School is there for those who need it, and I am not saying it should be shut down, but I don't intend to put my kids' education into their hands.  :-)

Answer 11

im not a parent but im a highschooler who has been homeschooled and goes to public school. although i liked being homeschooled, i like public school more because i see my friends and i can make more friends. when i was homeschooled i had absolutely no social life, and i really didnt like that. thats homeschools downfall. i do agree that the public school system isnt perfect, but i just try to do my best with it every day.

Answer 12

We first started considering homeschooling before our twins (our oldest children) even started Kindergarten. At the time, we were living in a HUGE city (populations appx 1.5 million), and there was always school violence all over the news. At that point, it was a safety issue. We couldn't see sending them to school and not knowing if they were going to make it home or not.

Before they actually started school though, we ended up moving to a TINY town (population of less than 400). At that point, we felt safe sending them to school, so they went to Kindergarten and 1st grade there. And while it was a very good school, and the staff was GREAT, there were still things my children were exposed to by the other students that I would have rather not had to deal with.

The summer after 1st grade, we moved to a bigger town, and transferred them to the school system in this town. We had heard wonderful things about the school system here. They went to this school for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Every year, we were faced with more and more situations that made us go back to considering homeschooling. 4th grade was the real "straw that broke the camel's back", and we decided there was too much going on in this school system that we just were not willing to expose our children to anymore.

Now I look back and would love to be able to change the way we did things. I would love to have been able to homeschool our children from the beginning instead of having them exposed to all of that for so long. But at the same time, having had my children in public school before, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we are doing the right thing by homeschooling them. Had they never been exposed to the public school environment, I feel like I may have doubted my decision to homeschool more.