What is your opinion on homeschooling?

Question

Do you think its a good thing or not? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Depends on the education of the parents and the ages of the children.  I've been in the teaching profession for 22 years and from my experiences, the home-schooled students are the least well-adjusted and find it difficult to transition to higher levels of education.  Of course, this is a generalization.  There are exceptions.  I would suggest that you research the concept carefully, speak to other parents who have done this with a high success rate and double-check with your local and state requirements.  Best wishes.

Answer 2

i say it is a good , because it dont matter where you are or where you learn , if you really pay attention on that so you still know and you will learn alot of thing than at school , if you really payattention DON'T MATTER WHERE IS IT! you stilll learn alot than at real school. thanks

Answer 3

I think that homeschooling done properly by loving parents is a GREAT thing!!!  Why?

1. Because nobody knows your child(ren) like you.  A 4 year degree in education is still 1 year short of my 5 year degree in my child.  LOL, once he is 6 I'll have 6 years of study in my child.  Seriously, one of the cons I sometimes hear is that kids should be taught by professionals who studied for that job...but the moment your baby is born you begin to study this very specific area.  No book in the world can tell me how my child learns better than my having watched him do it for years on end.

2. Because the number of terribly mannered, violent, illiterate individuals being turned out by the hundreds in public school says nothing positive about socialization to me; especially for the other thousands that are stuck having to navigate thier way through school around these other folks.  I don't think public school makes stupid kids or anything, but I see way more poorly socialized kids in schools than I see from the homeschool community.

3. Because the student-teacher ratio at home just can't be beat or duplicated in an institutional setting.  Through homeschooling; a student can learn at thier pace.  Not be held back because 25 other folks didn't get it when they did...and not dragged along when they are still really foggy about something because there is no time to help just that 1 person.

Now, the extra, that always seems necessary when talking about homeschooling.  I don't advocate child abuse and wish it could be totally eradicated.  But, until there is some definitive evidence that homeschoolers are found to be more abusive parents than public schoolers I can't accept this as an arguement against it.  I know too many abused children and thus far, they are all in the public school system.  I think that all people need to be vigilent and watch out for the children around them no matter how they are educated.  I think this can happen easily for the homeschooling family.

And I do know at least one child who was homeschooled that is just a little odd (by my outsider estimation); but I can't attribute that to homeschooling anymore than I can attribute all of my own oddities to public schooling.  Some folks are just a little odd, period.

Oh and for the record I'm NOT a homeschooling parent so I don't think I'm terribly biased.  I like to think of myself as well informed.

Answer 4

It's both good and bad.

Good because the child does get a better education, one on one teaching, you can set the pace if the child has a hard time understanding a lesson

Bad because the child loses out on socializing. Imagine later in life, the child is grown up and goes to a job interview and has horrible social skills..

I'm sure there are ways around that, like extra activities including joining a sports teams or the Scouts (girl or boy), dance classes, etc.

Just if you homeschool, make sure to include some social activities.

Answer 5

My children have learning disabilities so I chose to homeschool them, I have done this for 10 years and we love it.  Also thinking of homeschooling my grand kids it is an awesome legacy to pass on.  With all of the violence in schools we are running out of options.  Anymore questioms let me know

Answer 6

Depends on the parents and what they make of it. Parental  education level has little to do with the success homeschooled children can have. Some studies have shown this--it's what the parents put into it that counts. Ages of the children have little to do with how well adjusted or well educated they are; it's what the parents put into it that counts (but what parents put into it can be done in a myriad of ways and still be highly successful, including total unschooling--matching up to the child's needs, in whichever way, is what's important).

I think homeschooling is a good thing for our family: my kids are progressing well, they are happy, have friends, lots of activities, get complimented on their behaviour, they are close friends with each other, lots of family time...

I think homeschooling wouldn't be a good thing for my one bil's family--the mom really, really likes having that school time away from the kids and be able to focus on her business (and bil is not the type to ever be home full-time with the kids). They are great parents, but homeschooling just isn't for them.

So, you see, there isn't a blanket answer.

A lot of people are against homeschooling based on homeschoolers they've known they've met, but they can't possibly have known if everybody who's been in their classes or everybody they've been around was homeschooled or not. One homeschooled teen I know had been hanging around for a bit with a group of kids connected to her sports and one made some comment against homeschoolers. She had to defend homeschoolers and say, "Hey, I'm homeschooled!" They had no clue. "But you're not weird!" they replied. If it had never come up, they never, ever would have known. This same homeschooled girl found out after 2 or 3 years in a choir with the same kids that this one other girl was homeschooled, too. Nobody knew. But she came from a normal family, one that wanted to provide an education tailored to her a bit more, with a social milieu that was healthier. Any parent willing to do that will make homeschooling a good thing.

Answer 7

I haven't read the other answers (didn't want to bias my answer), so I may be repeating what others have already said.

Homeschooling is one of many options for schooling a child.  It works for many people, others it would be horrible for.

The decision to homeschool should be made on a case-by-case basis for each child/parent/family.  Some children NEED the interaction of a classroom situation.  Some parents may feel they NEED time away from their kids and would be resentful of this intrusion on their "me" time.

I believe it is good that homeschooling is an option, but whether it is good in a given situation depends entirely on the factors involved in that particular situation.

Answer 8

I can only give a biased answer because I home school my son right now, but I love it. I think home schooling is great when it is done well. It has many benefits and only a few negative aspects for me. We have hard days and easy days but the hard days are never bad enough for me to want to quit teaching my son. I get great joy from watching him progress and learn each day.

People are always shocked to know that we homeschool because we're no different than any others. It's not like one can even tell in a group who is home schooled and who isn't. That's a funny assumption though!

Answer 9

It's a viable alternative that has a lot of statistics showing it can work with the right type of student.

I learned to type at home with all my fingers before the age of 7 and that got me an A in middle school and also helped me with work and getting published as a writer

I learned musical notation and arragement at home and that helped me professional with artists and production and bands.

Most of what I am came from homeschooling, unschooling, private schooling and elementary public school English and Math, the only thing I got from Middle School was Plastics Shop

Everything else was  waste of my time EXCEPT for work in the High school Cafeteria in the diswashing room, which helped me get a neat job in the Army during Basic Training.

A tad of High School vocabulary also helped me.

Middle school and highschool was basically a waste of at least 4 hours a day of my time.

I learned 10 times more at home on my own than in school, which actually REFUSED to teach me advanced things because of poor grades and prequestists

Oh yea, one HS history course helped me, because the teacher let me run the 16mm projector and I got to learn that, but the AV center wouldn't take me because I wasn't an A student.

BUt the only reason I could run the projector was because I had 8mm equipment I worked at home!

Answer 10

In the Thesaurus "good" does some up home schooling, and most of the home schooled children I know real well.

good -- enjoyable, fine,excellent, great advantageous, beneficial, favorable, helpful, useful, capable, competent, skilled, skillful, dependable, reliable, sound, well-behaved, and several more words were listed

That is my not so unbiased opinion as to why; add solid academics, studying at your own pace, following your own interests, setting your own schedule, and I would have to ask, do you see a "why not"?

Answer 11

as long as the kid is homeschooled by someone who will teach them as well as a teacher, it is fine. but it may not be as social, so the kid should have a lot of time to find new friend.s -snicks

Answer 12

We've enjoyed it very much.

Our kids get to learn at their own pace, in a variety of ways and settings, and are enthusiastic self-motivated learners.

College prep doesn't seem to be a problem... I'm part of a huge homeschooling community, and most HSed teens around here start college early, around 15/16 yrs old. They tend to do well, too.

Socialization is also not a problem-- we have co-op classes, park days, a variety of groups, the local library has a number of activities during the week, we go to the playground & park & community center classes and children's museums-- the kids basically get out and take classes with or participate in activities with or play with others just about every day.

Most people who have poor opinions about homeschooling or who worry about things like socialization or transitioning to adulthood, I find, are people who have very limited experience with homeschoolers, usually having known few to none. Most of what they point out is contrary to what I have seen and experienced as a HS mom, involved in a large HS community with a couple of hundred families in our city alone.

Answer 13

Hi--I absolutely love it. It is so much better than going to school. You don't have to worry about getting to class on time through the preppy hallways, and you don't have to worry about submitting an assignment at a certain day or time when you do independent study home school. It has really helped me out since I have social anxiety and depression. I was suicidal every single night when I had to go to school--terrified. I am not suicidal no longer. =)

Answer 14

I homeschool my son. I have a bachelor's of science degree. My son is not a hermit. I formed a homeschool group in my town and we regularily have 15-20 kids attend our weekly events - we go to the YMCA to swim every week, we play volleyball, take field trips, go to the park together, etc. it's awesome! And, every child I know that is homeschooled around here is polite and pretty well mannered. I do not worry about the ill affects of having my child around any one of them - unlike the kids at the public school - bullies, sass boxes and loud mouth brats with parents that don't know how to parent their children. No thanks. My kids do not need THAT kind of socialization!

Not to mention, my son swims on a USA swim team 3 to 4 times per week and my kids attend sunday school every Sunday and AWANA as well. If anything, their social lives are too eventful.

Answer 15

homeschooling is a bad thing

first of all you will be cooped up in the house all day

u will have no friends and grow out to be a cranky old man or lady

not recive life experiences

bottom line it will turn u into a LOSER

Answer 16

I don't think it's good because the kids don't really get as much of a "social exposure"?...I guess...if that makes any sense. And when they go out in the real world they won't have the social skills that regular schooling gives you. Also they don't have such a big selection of classes.

Answer 17

I believe that homeschooling offers a unique situation in which a child can learn uninhibited.  They can learn in an environment that they feel safe and comfortable in.  They learn using one on one with the teacher.  They learn at their pace and can take extra time where needed.  And they can focus extra time on areas that are of particular interest to them.

I will agree that there are some homeschool families that are the stereotype of homeschooling.  We all know what those are, but they truly are just a stereotype and not all families are unsocialized and odd!

I believe that if you lined up the positives and the negatives of both public and home school the benefits to homeschool would far outweigh the others.  With that being said, I would also like to say that I DO NOT think homeschooling is for every family.  I know several that would scare me if they suggested they intended to homeschool!

It is an individual choice.

Answer 18

i think it is rather odd most kids dont want to be with parents but with peers plus it builds social skills

Answer 19

I think homeschooling presents marvelous opportunities for students in academic, personal and social realms.

First, a parent and child should enjoy each others company. Hating your parents or offspring is a modern concept. It is not normal or healthy.

   Homeschool is not solitary confinement. The students often participate in a myriad of extracurricular activities. I personally believe that social skills are best learned in the home where a child can model adult behavior, as opposed to a school environment where they model the behavior of other minors.

  We homeschool and my kid loves it! So do I!