Why are homeschoolers so.....?

Question

Why are so many of the pro-homeschooling posters so judgmental and intolerant?

People ask for the negatives of homeschooling and the majority of the posters say their are none. The posters who do suggest problems that can arise are told they are wrong and no one ever has any problems.

Why do so many homeschooling parents here insist on negatively charecterizing ALL children who go to school and teachers?

I understand that some homeschoolers have been judged negatively for their choice, but that is no excuse to turn around and judge others unfairly. I understand that some homeschoolers have had negative experiences with school, but that doesn't make all schools bad or school a bad choice for all students. Insisting on a 100% positive view of homeschooling is no better than insisting on a 100% negative view of homeschooling.

Some posters seem so intent on making homeschooling look good that they make it look terrible.

Answer 1

i know but after looking deply into it  think homeschooling is a better choice for me cus u get that one on one teaching u wud very rarely get in a public or private school

Answer 2

I was a home schooling mom, and while I am not trying to be judgmental in any way, for our family there truly were no "cons" to home schooling.  I also realize that as individuals are different, no one thing is going to work for all people.  If the public school system works for you, great, don't fix what isn't broke.  Some home schoolers may have "social problems" but so do some public schoolers.  A lot of that depends on your personality, not on your education choices.

Answer 3

Wow, you've got a lot of feedback on this one.

Due to my lack of attention and time, for that matter, I haven't read all of the responses.

I believe what makes homeschoolers "judgmental and intolerant" is the response that they're given. People looooove to come on here, and try and bash homeschooling saying that kids are "unsocialized" and discrediting people's abilities. First off, as far as I know, this may be wrong, us homeschoolers don't go on the other pages and bash the public schoolers for going to a public school. Second off, they give the homeschoolers a reason to put up a wall of defense against those who come in here with negative responses, especially since they come in with a closed mind and have nothing to back them up. (this is generally speaking...there are ALWAYS exceptions to everything)

I had other things to say, but my head is kinda spaced. I'll just add that.

Answer 4

I think you'll find if you look around at other sections, it is NOT just the homeschooling section where people are passionate about their opinions. Nearly every section has rampant thumbing (lol!), so it's not just homeschoolers.

To answer the questions, I don't think we're intolerant of opinions. We are intolerant of people who present their opinion as fact, who blame homeschooling for problems when it's usually parenting (bad or good) that is causing the problem.

I've never seen anyone negatively characterize ALL public schoolers. There are some generalizations, which perhaps is unfair if people don't want generalization about homeschoolers. However, there are many more incidents of say, bullying in public schools, than there are of neglected homeschoolers. There are greater incidents of drugs in school than there are radical Christian homeschoolers who never let their kids out of the house.

As for turning around and judging others unfairly, it's not just some homeschoolers that are being attacked. People get online here every day and say that ALL  homeschoolers are bad parents. That ALL homeschooled children never leave the house. That ALL homeschoolers won't be able to socialize or compete in the adult world. None of which is true for MOST homeschoolers. I don't insist on 100%, but I do expect that it appropriately reflect homeschooling, which is probably around 97%.

Homeschooling is great. However, we're working against a huge lobbying firm to prove it, since the NEA is constantly saying how bad homeschooling is. Media is constantly presenting homeschoolers are uncool nerds who can't even dress themselves. None of that is true. The fact is that homeschoolers usually learn as much or more than public schooled kids (http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/20... Fact is that they are usually more politically involved and socially appropriate after graduation (http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/20... Fact is that there are nearly two million homeschoolers in the US, and you couldn't point them out in a line up. So if we're defensive, it's because we're constantly defending ourselves from the public at large, public school workers, and our families even. Every unaddressed falsehood on this list is something that could come back and bite us. So, we do address it now. And it doesn't look terrible to anyone except those who are against homeschooling to begin with.

Answer 5

I am homeschooled. Ppl think we do it b.c we think we are better then everyone else, that is SOO NOT the reason. we home school b.c we disagree on some of the things that other schools are doing. like taking God out of it. we are just like everybody else, but we just learn at home where we can get more out of everyday. i am in 8th grade and doing 3 highschool courses, and i couldnt do that anywhere else. It is all the way you think about it.

Answer 6

I don't think we're judgmental and intolerant; we're sick of being told that we're selfish, whiny losers (like mystery so nicely did the other night) and that our kids are socially retarded (I can't even count the number of times I've seen that) because we homeschool.  Sometimes, this gets us further up on our soapbox than we should be.  I've been there before, and I've either apologized for it or edited my post as a result.

If you'll look back on the original "what are the cons" post, you'll see that I even supported you.  What you stated are possible cons, and they were posted as such.  You'll also see that I, along with many others, posted that there are downsides that are dependent on individual situations -- there just aren't any that have been found to exist across the board, that are inherent in homeschooling itself.

I have never negatively characterized ALL children who go to school or teachers, and I never will.  My parents are teachers, and darn good ones.  I gladly send my son, alone, to their house in another state every summer and spend weeks beforehand telling him of all the great stuff he can learn from them and their friends while he's there.  He thinks it's really "cool" that they're teachers and that they've spent their adult lives teaching kids.

However, I have negatively characterized the schools IN MY AREA, as they are mediocre.  They have a huge dropout rate, drug and violence problems, and graduate kids who can't read or count change.  The football team rocks, though, which categorizes it as one of the "best" schools in the state.  (Yep, I live in the southern midwest, and football is king.)  I've actually had teachers, both public and private, tell me that my son is better off homeschooling; he has academic and health needs that the schools in my area can't even begin to address.  All but two schools in our metro area (500,000+ people) were placed on the NCLB watch list the first year it came out, and many are still struggling to retain any sort of funding.  Why on earth would I send my son there?

If we lived in an area with great public schools, I'd definitely consider it.  If he wanted to go, I would not hesitate to send him to the school system where my parents teach - where I graduated from - but circumstances are such that we can't move at the moment.  Private school is not an option financially, and he thrives through homeschool, so...we homeschool.

If we're so judgmental, why does my 10yo make and deliver gift baskets to some of our local schools to thank the teachers for what they do?  He doesn't even go there - why should it matter to him?  It's because he sees what their job involves, and that it's largely thankless, and he wants to thank them for teaching his friends.

As far as judgmental...that's a fine line.  As glurpy said, people in general are judgmental, why is it that homeschoolers should be exempted from that trait?  Sorry, but I've seen judgmental comments on nearly every forum here, at least those that ask for opinions or beliefs.  Been over to R&S lately?  Wow...bring a flak jacket.  It's almost impossible not to have a dissenting view at that forum!

I agree with you - homeschooling is not right for everybody.  It's not right for every child, every situation, or every family.  However, it's not a last-ditch choice, either.  We get really tired of seeing the "send ur kid 2 skol or theyl be a social r****d" comments (funny how every one of those comments can spell "social", but nothing else), and we get equally tired of rants about how homeschooling means that we are mean, ignorant, selfish, controlling fools who refuse to let our children step from the confines of the house.  Are those not judgmental and intolerant views?  Yet we get blasted with them on a daily basis, and when we fire back, we're told that we're...yep, judgmental and intolerant.  We come on here to answer questions about something that we're intimately familiar with, because it's part of our lives.  Why should we have to deal with rants and, let's face it, stupid comments ("let ur kid go 2 skol or theyl be tards", that sort of thing)?

I'll be one of the first to say that homeschooling is not for everyone and that it's not perfect; however, I'll also be one of the first to stand up for the right to do so.  My parents - longtime public school teachers, at that - taught me to do that. :-)

Answer 7

Please look up the definition of intolerance and the definition of opinion. Intolerance does not mean correcting logical errors. You seem to think that the errors you and other present are opinions, but they are not. Let me demonstrate:

Opinion: I don't like peaches.

Error: Peaches are poisonous.

I would be intolerant of you opinion if I berated your dislike of peaches. It would be wrong of me to say, "Everyone likes peaches. If you don't you're a freak". However, if you told me that you did not like peaches because they are poisonous, I am not being intolerant by telling you that you are wrong. You still do not have to eat peaches. I completely accept that their taste is not to your liking. I can even accept that you have an allergy that makes peaches poisonous to you, but that does not make a peach a deadly fruit. I will continue to correct you and present information that contradicts your belief that peaches are poisonous. Do you get it yet? Your beliefs are not sacred. Further, they are erroneous. They can and will be questioned. If you can't back them up, you should not attempt discourse in a public forum.

Answer 8

"Why are so many of the pro-homeschooling posters so judgmental and intolerant?"

Homeschoolers are people, too. Why should there be the assumption that they would be less judgemental than the general population? There are many judgemental and intolerant anti-homeschoolers. How come you don't address that? I am not excusing the behaviour, just feeling that it's somewhat unfair to be singling out one group when another group is doing the same thing.

"Why do so many homeschooling parents here insist on negatively charecterizing ALL children who go to school and teachers? "

Why do so many non-homeschoolers insist on negatively characterizing ALL homeschooled children? If you can answer that, it'd be the same answer to your question. It's going to boil down to some psychological/sociological insights. Furthermore, why do those currently homeschooling insist on negatively attributing their problems to homeschooling when the problems are the result of their family or themselves and not homeschooling?

" Insisting on a 100% positive view of homeschooling is no better than insisting on a 100% negative view of homeschooling."

Totally agreed! If you follow the threads a little more and really read all of the answers, you'll find plenty of accepting homeschoolers who agree completely with you. Those who are on the other side, who are more judgemental, may be sticking out more at you, but keep in mind what I said above: they are people, too, and just as there is judgementalism in the general public, it'll exist among homeschoolers, too.

As for the kid who said he dislikes homeschooling, he's been around a lot and we've tried and tried to get him to look at it all reasonably and he can't. He does nothing but complain, yet stays homeschooling. He blames homeschooling when if you go into it further, he's had major issues with his parents; isn't even living with them but doesn't seem to be living in a better situation. His problems are beyond homeschooling, which is why he is given thumbs down--he doesn't see it as HIS situation in general is bad. He can't even fathom a truly great homeschooling situation because he's tied homeschooling so much to his dysfunctional family living. I'll be the first to say that a dysfunctional family should not be homeschooling!!

The reason the one homeschooling mom is getting thumbs down about not homeschooling younger children is because she is making the assumption that younger homeschooled children don't do things with other kids, don't play at playgrounds, etc. (If that's how she would homeschool younger children, then I agree, *SHE* shouldn't be homeschooling younger kids.) This is FALSE, and erroneous information will naturally get a thumbs down. Do you believe her information is correct? Given we spend a good part of our summers at playgrounds and we do things with other people all year round, I can not accept that information as correct. Given my son broke his wrist during a playground visit with a bunch of other kids, I can DEFINITELY not accept that information as correct.

I just checked out your other response. I think the thing is it depends on how the question is being interpreted. When I see the question, "What are the cons of homeschooling?" then I think UNIVERSAL cons, cons that are a part of homeschooling itself and not due to region, family, etc. I suspect I'm not alone. What you listed was quite thorough, but not very universally applicable to homeschooling. Besides, what the girl really wanted to defend was negatives to defend why you shouldn't homeschool in Toronto. (?!)

Answer 9

God Bless you for that Kate; the same thing that happened to you happened to me and I asked a question about a girl who had been homeschooled all her life and wanted to go to regular school now and it got reported. The lack of tolerance, the spitefulness, the anger, the cold implacable judgments that rule this forum are just beyond the pale and honestly, it should be removed from the site altogether as ti is nothing more than a forum for hate and meanness. I have never encountered such a horrible group of people in all my years on the Internet and someone really needs to take this forum away since obviously they cannot control themselves and the worst of it is, these people are teaching their kids the same hate and intolerance, which is even more alarming. They run roughshod over anyone who disagrees with them in the slightest. I pity their children.

Let's see what we can do about removing this forum altogether as it is now, it is useless.

Ironically, the one nice person here is Glurpy who is at least tolerant and kind to people even when there is a difference of opinion. I say ironically because she is the leader/head of this forum, so there must be some other kind tolerant people too.

P.S. I hope they don't gang up on you and report you for asking this! Beware! and kudos to you for doing so!

EDIT: GLEE, you're a perfect example of the hubris and lack of tolerance so prevalent on this forum...thank you for underscoring those points.

Answer 10

From what I have read, most of the home schoolers on here are not intolerant of people who are not home schooling.  We do not go on the public school section and put down the people there for their decision to send their children to public school.  We do defend ourselves when others say things that are not true.

A thumbs down can simply mean,  "I disagree with you."  It doesn't have to mean, "You have no right to believe as you do."   Sometimes a thumbs down is given if the person spouted off a bunch of garbage rather than answering the question.

The child who doesn't like being home schooled has every right to believe that, but many times he acts as if his experience is the only one that counts.  There are many children  who do like it.  Their experience counts too.

Also, many times when someone brings up a bad example of parenting they call it a home school  problem.  The problem is not about home schooling, it is about parenting.  These bad parenting examples exist in public school families as well.

Answer 11

That’s odd.

Last time I checked there are pros and cons to everything.

Home schooling is great. I love it.

This is my second year. I find it easier and I learn more.

But it’s not as "problem free" as one might think. There are many problems, just as there are in any school system.

For instance I finished one class over a month ago and my teacher didn’t grade my work or final exam till yesterday, which severely set me back in the rest of my courses.

But over all I must say I feel that is was the best choice for me, not for everyone but for me.

Answer 12

I respectfully disagree with your position in this question and with your answer that prompted this question.

If you regularly follow along in this Q&A section, you will notice that many, especially the regular contributors, readily acknowledge that homeschool is not right for everyone.  They also DO NOT bash public schools, teachers or students - many are former teachers, are related to current or former teachers and are the product of public schools.

We have experience with private, public and homeschooling (my son as student and myself as a teacher in all three settings).  We have direct experience with both really good and really bad public school teachers and schools. I do not have a problem with public schools per se. I do have problems with the public school *system*.  Can you convincingly argue, without using subjective opinion, that it is fine and working well?

Regarding your answer and the links you provide: 1) The last one does not lead to a homeschool related article and regardless it is a blog and personal opinion page; 2) the first and second links are to published papers that require purchase in order to read the full text and both are opinion papers.  One of the two is even specifically categorized as an opinion paper.  

You are entitled to your opinion as are the writers of those articles, but valid research and data would be more useful and meaningful than opinions that presumably agree with your own. Opinions are available for any side of any argument.

The *facts* are squarely on the side of homeschooling in terms of academic accomplishment and social maturity. But, do not infer from this statement that I am in anyway bashing schools, teachers or students.

So, you post opinions that research shows to be invalid and you are challenged on these opinions and you get upset?

Follow along and see how often an innocent HS question is responded to with absolute vitriol with no attempt at all of providing a constructive answer.

For example: a recent question had a typo and bad grammar / Internet shorthand.  Here is a sample of one of the many nasty responses: "i suggest going to an actual school, as homeschooling has made u retarded..."

You have at least two grammar errors / typos in your post.  If you happened to be a homeschooler you would have been quickly labeled as uneducated, retarded, socially inept, etc.

Another recent question along the lines of "how does homeschooling work" received responses such as:

"homeschooling, i think the reason parents decide to homeschool is because their way overprotective, and thinks their kid will get brainwashed into doing drugs or because the parents are evangelical-n***s.

homeschooled kids are dumb and anti-social, it's the truth."

Look at just about any genuine question here about homeschooling and you will find about half the posts are in the same league as the two examples above.

---

I think what happens sometimes is that homeschoolers get bashed and trashed so often that we do sometimes overreact to posts that are perhaps well intentioned.

You also say: "Why do so many homeschooling parents here insist on negatively charecterizing ALL children who go to school and teachers?"

You are going to have to point some of these out to me because I cannot find "SO MANY" homeschool parents here negatively charecterizing [sic] ALL children who go to school and teachers.

Judgmental and intolerant? I'd encourage you to follow along in the HS section and look at each Q&A set objectively and then reconsider which side appears to be more judgmental and intolerant of the other based on written responses.  As far as thumbs down goes, people use that to express disagreement and does not translate into intolerance.

Answer 13

Please tell me at what point in time after we leave high school are we surrounded and interacting ONLY with people our own age?  This is the main thought behind my ANTI Public school stance, not to mention the countless hours spend unsupervised or standing in line....  I am admitently anti public school because I was certified as a teacher and then furter as a behavior management specialist, so i had a chance to see what was happening behind the scenes with some children who were VEry real threats (physical, emoitional and sexual) to other students and teachers....

I believe that public school has been taken over by parents happy about not paying for child care.  I have never seen so many 3 and 4 year olds in "school" before... parents are on waiting lists for public school preschool when their child turns 1 because they can't wait  to stop  paying for day care... it makes me sick.....

Homeschool by no means is perfect and it quite hard in fact because I don't have expertes or someone else to defer all decisions to (like a principal or superintendent)... and beyond this there are issues we deal with in behavior that i feel would not be a problem at school because of social pressue...

HS has it's cons, but they are VASTLY different than PS in my opinion... for the kids who say HS is boring and they don't get out much etc.. do you REALLY think their parents say you are not allowed to participate in ________?  Did it occur to you that perhaps they have been naughty and have lost priviledges of participation in groups outside the home?  or that they are the shy type and as such their parents never thought to ask them if they wnated to be a cheerleader for the community basketball team?  I hate it when people come on here and make such categorial statements.......

I can make a generalization about myself or someone else, but I can't expect or demand that someone else consider it a fact or even comment politely to it.... I think we all need to get some thicker skin and some confidence and decide what we are doing is good for us ( or not) and adjust accordingly... sheesh

Answer 14

The KID you spoke about is the unknown and he comes in here to say how horrible his HS is every chance he gets. He doesn't get to go out or he has no friends. Honestly, in my opinion he's a whiny little snit.

There are soooo many people who come here and say how bad HS is because there is no socialization (the main reason). Well they are wrong plain and simple. Why do we give thumbs down? Simply because the statement is a gross stereotype. It is completely and utterly false.

As for all of us who do give reasons to avoid PS at all times well here's a thought. Most of us have had experience with the PS system and find it to be severely lacking in education, morals, and overrun with corruption. Some of us find that sticking a child in a room full of kids their ages with 1 exhausted adult isn't what socialization is about. There are reasons you wouldn't understand unless you were to open your eyes and scrutinize the public system. For me personally I pulled my kids out to protect them after all the school was doing a lousy job. My daughter was assaulted 3 times on the school bus and NOTHING was done because the principal didn't want to deal with the child's mother. Last thing anybody wants is to be accused of being prejudiced. They also don't teach our beliefs instead they tout Evolution as fact when there is no hard proof to make it so. I'm not talking about micro evolution (small changes) so do freak out on me. You can breed a wolf into 1000 different varieties of dog but it's still a dog. Never has it resulted in a cat.

As for the cons of HS I have been doing this for a little over a year and have not found one. The only thing that could be considered a con for us is the cost but even that can be changed to a pro by looking at the whole adventure as an investment in time and money.

I don't think I'm intolerant but then no one does. I try not to be but at the same time you must understand that it goes both ways. If you show your self to be intolerant of HS (on this forum) then expect people here to be intolerant of you.

One more thing about the question you referred to. The girl's  logic was horrible. I didn't even bother trying to answer because I wasn't going to offend a child. Why is Home School bad in Toronto? OK not exact wording but if HS is bad in Toronto then is it good else where? Why only one city? If she was going to ask a logical question about then it should encompass the entire subject not just for her city. Also there is very little evidence on HS being bad for anyone! I've looked and had a hard time finding it. People around the world successfully HS and the children do wonderfully. They grow up to be well adjusted adults who know more about the world around them than their PS counterpart. Why? Simply because they have been in the world interacting with it since they were born. They weren't shut up in a classroom being talked at all day. Oh yes I remember high school.

True education encompasses both sides of an argument. You must teach all sides and then let a child make up their own minds as to what to believe. Public schools don't do that they tell the child what to believe. They spoon feed information from a very young age. They are taught not to question what the teacher says because it is written in the text books it must be true. Even if it was proven wrong in the 1920's if it's in the books it's a fact.

Answer 15

I just want to make a note, you act like giving someone a thumbs down is stifling their opinion, but you don't seem to realize that giving a thumbs down is, in itself, just an expression of an opinion.  It is a way to show that you disagree with that answer, that your opinion is different.  It does not remove the person's answer from the board or ban them from Y!A.

I think that often the reason homeschoolers disagree so completely with the statements against homeschooling is that they are often made in such general terms.  Rather than coming on and saying, "In some cases homeschooling is not a good idea."  People will sometimes say, "I think homeschooling is a bad idea!"  

Now, when I talk about traditional school, I don't say that I think its a bad idea for every kid.  I don't even say I think its a bad idea, I just say that I have chosen a different option.  If asked about an individual situation, I might say that homeschooling would be better, but I don't make blanket statements.

I do sometimes point out that statistically homeschoolers score higher on their SAT's and report better satisfaction with life as adults... those are statistically true.  Of course, anyone who knows about statistics knows that this does not mean that all homeschoolers turn out smarter and happier than their public schooled counterparts.  If people assume that because of the statistics it is because they do not understand how statistics work, that isn't my fault.

Honestly, I can not think of any cons to homeschooling as my family is doing it.  Perhaps there are families who can point out some, I can only base my opinion on my family and the 50 or so homeschool families I know, and we are all very happy with the decision and our children are fine.

Answer 16

I can only speak for myself, but I only homeschool my 7th grader because when we moved she was miserable in her new school.  It is huge, the kids are much more "mature" than her, and there is a violence problem.  She went to public school her whole life and did wonderful, but the first part of this school year was very, very hard on her and I decided to pull her out after Christmas break.  I have a 5th grader that is still in her school and is thriving, and I will not pull her out.  I also have a 3 year old at home, and when it is time he will go to school and I am sure he will do wonderful.  For us, it is just what my older daughter needs now.

So my experiences have been that most homeschool people that I have met have been very helpful and welcoming. I will say that in my area anyway, when I try to set up social meetings with anyone it never works out.  The kids are different than my daughter, and they have nothing in common.  She loves current music, movies, tv shows, WII, her cell phone, clothes.  I had a group of 12 area homeschool girls here for a bookclub meeting and most of them could only talk about curriculum.  Most did not listen to music let alone play a PSP.  I am not saying that is a bad way to be, it just isnt us.  So, in that respect it has been difficult.

On the other hand, my neighbor who is a teacher thinks my daughter will "miss out" if she doesnt go to public school for high school, and will regret it.  It took my husband and I a long time to make this decision and what finally made it for us is that we realized that our daughter is never going to be the prom queen, or run for student president, or even go to anything on the social side of high school.  She is just too shy, has always been, and always will be, and that is fine. She is awesome the way she is and we are very proud of her.  She will excel in life I am sure. I truly believe that public school for her was doing more damage than anything else at this point.  The length of time we homeschool is always up to her. If she wants to try high school, than I will support her. I only want the best for her and what makes her the better person in the long run.

I again, can only speak for myself.  I respect other peoples decision to do what is best in their situation.  I am all for public schools, but I also am all for homeschooling if that is what is best for you and your child.

Answer 17

People give thumbs down to answers they feel are invalid. Is it right for people who have never homeschooled and maybe only know one or two homeschoolers to imply that homeschooling ALWAYS or even MOST OF THE TIME will ruin your social skills or provide a poor education? Is it right for people to say that homeschoolers can't get into good universities or have to get a GED or go through an acredited program in order to be considered for a selective university when this is absolutely untrue? This website is for givng answers to questions. If no one asked for an opinion, don't give one. If you do and you're giving it based on uninformed assumptions (Assuming makes an A S S of U and ME) of course you're going to get a thumbs down because you aren't giving a valid answer. People need to realize that thumbs down isn't a personal attack. It is someone who feels they have more and better experience with the subject saying "No, this answer doesn't seem valid." ANd frankly, saying that homeschoolers can't make friends as easily, miss out on things, spend all their time in their houses, can't go to real universities, have to get a GED or use an accredited program, get a substandard education, and must be miserable is no more valid than saying the same about all public schoolers.

Answer 18

It's me, your lovely friend from last night.  Ok, I admit.  I got on my little soap box last night and nothing was getting me off of it.  I failed to mention that all the things I was saying in response to your 'cons' were not just applicable to me.  They were the same answers hundreds of other homeschoolers would give you.  And (probably) unlike you, I do know hundreds of homeschoolers and don't need links to prove a point.  I can just call friends to find out how they feel.

You think that homeschoolers are judgemental and intolerant, but why can't you accept the fact that overall, the majority of homeschoolers love homeschooling and are doing a great job.  I am being honest when I say  in my personal experience, there were no cons to homeschooling.  And I know others who feel this way too.  Why is that so hard for you to understand?

How seriously would you take them if a student came to you complaining about how unfair life is and how much they hate public school.  Would you say, "Aww, you poor thing.  Let's homeschool you instead!"  Probably not.  You would most likely tell them tough luck, stay in school.  That is kinda what happens here when people get on and complain about how homeschooling ruined their life.  Give me a break.  You don't become a bitter person like that over night.  It happens when you can't let go and move on.  That's why I give them a thumbs down.  Just because they had a bad experience does not mean they can get on here and tell everyone else that "homeschooling is bad and will ruin your life" because it doesn't work that way.  

I was upset last night because you gave some poor girl all these 'cons' about homeschooling.  Obviously she does not care to figure things out for herself because she was giving her speech today.  I just hope that 1)there is not a Q&A session after her speech, and 2) there is not a homeschooler in her class.  Becuase she is going to look like an idiot with the information you gave her.  If if the cons you gave her were just 'possiblilites', isn't that like making assumptions or (gasp!) generalizing things?  The last time I checked, most speech teachers require that you use real/true facts in a speech.

Answer 19

Pro-homeschooling posters are so judgemental and intolerant for the same reason most posters are judgemental.  They have their own opinions and most questions and answers go beyond fact into opinion.  

Obviously some people have problems homeschooling,  but they tend to be related to dysfunctional family situations not homeschooling.  So, I don't see homeschooling itself as the problem.

I agree that sometime trying to make your side look good backfires.  And I'm sure I've been guilty of this myself ;)

As for your post on the cons, maybe I should edit there, but I do think you made a couple of reasonable points.  There are homeschool parents, who would volunteer at schools if their children were enrolled.  (I'm one of them.)  

It can be expensive.  This isn't necessarily so, but for a low income family there could be difficulties.

Lab equipment can be expensive.  We have had to be creative about this in my family and also relied on Community College.  

Higher math and foreign languages can also create issues.  My family again, relied on outside sources for this.  

I wouldn't say those things are really negative about homeshooling, because in the end I think my kids had more experience with the sources we found than I had in public school.  However, it did cost and we are fortunate that it wasn't an issue.  Some families have to be more creative.

And yes, there are people who shouldn't be parents at all, and they shouldn't homeschool.  

The rest of the stuff is just wrong or immaterial.  

Yikes!  I abhor long posts, so I'll quit now :D

EDIT:  Did I miss the proper protocol lesson on the thumbs up/down voting?  I thought it was completely subjective... voting if you like or don't like the answer for ANY reason.  It is judgemental by its very nature, but  how does it show intolerance?

Answer 20

I am a homeschooling mother, and just as I want others to accept my choice in educating my children I can accept others choice to educate their own.  

That said, when a question is asked about the cons of homeschooling, the majority of replies are from people who have never been a homeschool student or parent.  They simply state something ignorant (meant in context of the definition, not an insult) such as "the children will be socially deprived", or something circumstantial, at best, such as "my cousin's neighbor's friend homeschooled and the children were behind".  

I would be open to hearing about and discussing any true cons.  The FACT is, studies have proven that homeschooled children are better socialized than their homeschooled peers.  It is not okay, in my opinion, to let someone who is interested in homeschooling their child be led astray by the ignorant answers that their child will be socially deprived when it is simply not true.

I could ask the same question in the form of "Why are so many of the pro-public schooling posters so judgemental and intolerant"?  They are quick to attack homeschooling, which the majority truely know nothing about.  Why must they perpetuate stereotypes?

I have no negative thoughts of the majority of public school children.  They must be educated, and that is certainly an option for their education.  There are some-only SOME, but that is enough-that I do not want my children exposed to.  However, that is not the primary reason we homeschool).  I also have no negative thoughts of the majority of public school teachers.  Most are good, some are excellent, some are poor.  They do what they must in the environment they are in (teaching a large group of children).  They have a degree to teach those large groups of children.  And, "so many" of them can not accept that homeschooling works without the teaching parent having that degree and have the same stereotypes about homeschooling that you are accusing us of having about teachers.

EDITED TO ADD: My point is proven by an answer above me.  This question had nothing to do with the social aspects of homeschooling, yet the answerer assumes that because a child is homeschooled they have never played on a playground.  PLEASE!  My children have NEVER attended public school, yet they visit a variety of parks and playgrounds regularly.  They are not "stuck in the house all day".  Those stereotypical assumptions are what get the anti-homeschoolers the thumbs down.

Answer 21

Because for many homeschoolers, we don't consider homeschooling something we do for a few hours per day or a few times per week. Homeschooling is a lifestyle... it can be really difficult to separate pros and cons, especially when you like your lifestyle.

If I asked other parents "what are the cons about sending your child to school?" I wonder how many would come up with any... I mean, if their kids are getting a good education, they might be able to come up with some things that aren't perfect in the school system, but few that would be considered "cons" if they are overwhelmingly satisfied with their choice.  

And for those who might come up with some (especially if those that do are homeschoolers who are just spouting out some of the worst things and ideas they've ever heard of but had no actual experience in school), I am willing to bet that others will dispute those things as "across the board" cons because they have not experienced them.

Answer 22

In my experience as an educator in the past, I found that some people that are home schoolers are doing so because they believe they can do a better job than school teachers.  

But under it all is another consistency in thought.  Simply put, they think they are better than other people, and this is where the attitude comes from.  It's almost a sort of fanaticism and even a little facist that they think that anyone else educating their kids is unacceptable.  

Quite a few home schooled kids end up with odd behavior patterns and undeveloped social skills as a result.  They have a tough time overcoming those deficiencies and often have more trouble with overall success than publicly educated people.  Of course, this is ok.  Afterall, these people believe they are better than us.

Answer 23

Agreed....

I dislike homeschooling, and don't like what it has (Most of it) done to my life....

I just like to share with others that it's not so great as so many people say it is, I think it's great if it works for others, but I think it is wrong in alot of ways....I love to see everyone give me thumbs down, it's like what they don't want to hear is a problem, it's like every time I try to bring up the Bible with people, and talk about how so much in the Bible is so dumb, and contradictory (Even though I'ma Catholic/Christian) they change the subject, and/or tell me something that they really know nothing about, it's like they're scared of what could true, the unknown....

I honestly think, when you really think about it (From my opinion) there really are no "Pros"....

But I wouldn't deny the fact that it works, and is great in alot of situations....But I don't like the fact it's so put out there as good, when I know that in alot of ways, it truly isn't....