Why is homeschooling bad??

Question

well. I have a debate. I have found many pros for it, but barely any cons. The cons I have found are the same one (the anti-social one). I need help. Please and Thank You.

Answer 1

Just wanted to add my support to what renee said!  I went to state and private schools for my entire education and hated it.  I knew long before I had a child that I wanted to homeschool, the socialisation thing is a load of rubbish.  So is this theory that our kids miss out healthwise.  Here in Western Australia homeschooled children are equally entitled to school dental schemes, swimming lessons etc.

*EDIT* For Max, how sad that you feel the need to try to scare people off homeschooling simply because you dont like it!  If you arent happy homeschooling then this is something you need to address with your parents/caregivers, obviously if you are so unhappy, you should be back in a brick school.  No one is saying that homeschool is right for everyone.  What we are saying is that brick school isnt right for everyone either.

Answer 2

I find some of these comments interesting because I have not encountered any bullying in the real world.  Difficult personalities?  Yes.  Unpleasantness?  Yes.  And to be honest, if you are going to encounter something in the real world you will encounter it while homeschooling. While homeschooling you ARE in the real world, not locked in your home.

I don't believe socialization is a negative of homeschooling.  Here is some information for you:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Here's some information on the pros and cons and disadvantages of homeschooling:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

I hope you are on the "pros" side of the debate because there aren't many negatives - that's why you haven't found any!  :-)

Either way, good luck!

Answer 3

There are many homeschoolers who are well socialized!

HOMESCHOOLING IS GOOD! There are homeschooling associations that you can get connected with and other social actiiviteis like sports and swimming and ballet etc.....

Answer 4

the cons are the government cant get their hands on you and indoctornate you to think as they wish you to

Answer 5

I've done homeschool and and I am sooo outgoing according to many. Homeschooling is very good

Answer 6

As my third grade teacher use to tell me.....

"Your not here in school to socialize".....ironic isn't it???

There is a difference between children BEING socialized and socialization.

Is it normal to herd children in a classroom like cattle?

To trap them with thirty other children their age usually of the same demographics and social standing for twelve years.

Then release them into the world and expect them to get along with coworkers who are different ages, races and from varying backgrounds?

If that were the case then why do corporations find it necessary to spend millions on diversity training every year?

We have the opportunity to "socialize" with families of varying backgrounds and religions. Not to mention my daughter can easily "socialize" with children a few years older and younger in Scouts.....church and cheerleading. She also has been exposed to children of varying disabilities where she has learned compassion, understanding and acceptance I guarantee your not going to find that in a traditional school setting where these children are often taunted and teased.

So that kinda blows the whole "S" question out of the water.

And thanks for asking us Homeshoolers / Cyberschoolers!!!

Answer 7

Often home schooling can deprive a child of interaction with their peers and adults. If they are with their parents for most of the day, they may turn bad later because often they are kept under a very watchful eye and when they get older, they get out on their own and everything is "cool" and "new" and then they don't have parents there to make wise decisions for them. They may become "druggies" or alcoholics because they didn't get used to the idea in school and they didn't have the freedom to make decisions for themselves.

      Oh, and did it occur to you that over half the people answering this question have only seen one side of this argument, not both, I have seen them both, because I have been both. You don't get a taste of what the real world is like because YOU'RE AT YOUR HOUSE!!! Not dealing with bullies or any people you have to be extremely patient with. You only hear about the real world from friends and movies. (Bosses can be bullies too.)

Answer 8

can't say it is all bad, some of it is very useful.

Answer 9

I'm sorry, but there is no logical reason to view homeschool as bad. For every case you find of a student floundering in homeschool, you will find 50 students floundering in public school. The truth is, what works for you, may not work for me. If anything, homeschool provides more opportunities to find the best teaching technique for any given student. Of course the socialization bunk has been disproved over and over again. If a homeschooler stays home in his jammies and never meets anyone it is because that is what he chooses to do. There is a plethora of activities and social outings available in every community. (Yes, El Guapo a plethora.)

The argument against homeschool that states parents can abuse their children if a government agency is not there to keep a watchful eye on their kids is just about the spookiest idea I have ever encountered. When did we start trusting an entity before an individual to raise children? I blame Lifetime and too many after school specials. I'm also taken aback at the idea that schools are more responsible for a child's health than that child's parents. Where do these ideas come from? It's a bit too Aldous Huxley for me to handle. BTW, my child’s optometrist says those school eye exams are useless and do more damage than good. They are only partial exams and not meant to take the place of yearly visits to the optometrist, yet many people assume they are and so eye health issues are often overlooked and neglected.

Answer 10

You won't find cons in your research, because far and wide, there aren't any.  Homeschooled children (on average) have been proven to test several percentage points better on standardized and college entrance tests, and they (on average) have been proven to have stronger, more mature social skills.  (The people who say hs kids "don't know how to socialize" are often saying that hs kids don't care to get caught up in the stupid drama that is found in public schools.  Personally, I don't see this as a detriment.)

The only cons that exist with homeschooling lie with the individual student and family.  Just like not every student functions well in a classroom, not every student functions well in a homeschool environment.  The social scene IS there, it's just not right there in the room with you; you do actually have to leave the house in order to find it.  If the student or parents don't take the time and effort to do this, then yes, the student will likely be bored.

With upper level classes, there are soooo many options available.  Math isn't my strong point, so I have a DVD-based curriculum with full phone and online support for my son.  I also have a good friend who is a math professor and who is willing to step in whenever I need her to.  When he gets older (he's currently 10 and in Algebra), he'll likely take courses through a local college.  For science, another good friend is a degreed scientist and helps me out whenever I'm stuck.  My MIL works at a local university with a very strong science department, so my son has access to many of the professors there.  I personally teach him the subjects that I am strong in, and I locate classes, resources, and instructors for those that I'm not so strong in.

As far as missing out on things - he plays city league sports against the public and private schools in town (his homeschool team wins the division and does well at tournament almost every year); there is a homeschool prom and graduation ceremony that is open to all local hs kids every year; he has the chance to meet our elected state and local officials face to face on an annual basis at Homeschool Day at the capital and annual field trips; he gets to visit many local businesses such as factories, TV and radio stations, restaurants, and offices to see how they're run; he gets to take a lot of classes that aren't available to ps kids, due to their schedules; and he gets to take advantage of community resources when there aren't dozens of kids waiting in line ahead of him, as he can go during the day.  He's really not missing out on anything.

(For the person who said that we're only seeing one side of the story - most homeschool parents today graduated from public or private school, and many of our kids previously attended.  We know exactly what we're talking about, because we've been there.  I'm sorry that you didn't make the effort to get more involved in society, but you're not seeing the whole story, hon.)

The only real cons to homeschooling are:

1) it's not the right environment for the child (i.e., they aren't motivated enough to keep themselves accountable for completing their work or they require the structure and accountability of a classroom)

2) the parent isn't committed to homeschooling and doesn't take the time or effort to locate resources for their child

Other than that, there really aren't any.  The "socialization" thing is a total myth.

Hope that helps!

Answer 11

its not bad at all, im getting it next year i cant wait!!

Answer 12

I really hope you are not using anti-social for a con... it isn't! Homeschooling does NOT make kids unsocial!!!!!!! Some real cons could be that it doesn't fit well with the family's schedule/way of life, the family does not know how to properly and effectively homschool (not saying their is a certain way to do it, but like if the family slacks off with education), people don't generally accept homeschoolers (even though we are just as normal as everyone else), they may not have a prom (but now, lots of homeschool groups organize proms, or you could get a guest pass to the local highschool's prom) but who really cares... There are lots! Just let that brain juice flow!

Answer 13

I am homeschooled and I love it! Homeschooling is not bad! I learn more than I did in school and I actually like it better than school.

Answer 14

I have seen both sides of the coin as well. I am currently being homeschooled.

With the social issue: It's not nearly as bad as most people think. We homeschoolers are not afraid to tell an adult "Your wrong." Many homeschoolers, such as I, are religious also, so we are taught to stand up for our beliefs no matter how strong the oppositions are. (This situation can be handled wrongly too).

For the not-so-qualified-to-teach parents issue:

First and foremost: I don't get taught by my parents. My dad does help me with harder things like calculus, but if he doesn't know, I have my dvd's. My dvd's are basically recorded classrooms, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of homeschooling? No. I get taught without a bunch of S****y girls to distract me, or social labels either. The reason for my homeshooling is for rligious reasons, so I don't get taught evolution.

My dvd's (The Abeka series) are harder than public schoolwork also. I've had three public schooled friends (A-B students mind you) fail because of the degree of difficulty.

Basically, if handled wrongly, yes, homeschooling can be bad. I saw that first hand when another friend of mine was taken out of school to be homeschooled, but then taught the easiest curriculum - of which they were taught only math and science. But if this is handled correctly, homeschooling will produce greater students with a joy of learning.

Just the other day, my friend S....let's leave out his name....was failing school. When his dad asked him why was he failing, he simply replied, "Dad, A's are for losers."

To sum it all up: there is no bad part of "homeschooling," just bad parents taking there kids from public school to even worse teaching enviorments...

Answer 15

Homeschooling isn't antisocial nor does it cause people to be antisocial. So that con won't work for you because it's not a true con.

The only thing you could bring up as bad would be cases of bad families choosing to homeschool (negligent or abusive parents, for example), but homeschooling would only be bad in those cases. Another con is that so many people are misinformed and have misconceptions about homeschooling that they are quick to judge it and not be open to really understanding its possibilities.

Answer 16

Well, I've been homeschooling my daughter for about 4 months now and so far she hasn't found any cons at all. She loves it, is really happy, and has learnt masses. Also has been far more sociable and outgoing and made more friends since not being at school, so I don't think the socialisation issue is actually an issue.

The only cons for me as a parent are, firstly, I'm sometimes really tired because I don't get the time to myself I used to have when she was in school. But it's a happy kind of tired! Secondly, we have spent quite a bit of money on trips out - but that's our choice and home education doesn't have to be expensive.

A friend of mine was discussing the home education last weekend, and she was against it because she said if you were unhappy or bullied at school you should learn to stick it out and not just opt out. I think that is wrong and I don't think anyone should have to be unhappy or bullied. Lots of people say that's what you get in the real world - but I can remember lots of unhappy and bullied times as a child, but not since I've been an adult! So I don't agree with that but it is an argument some people use.

Answer 17

I wish I could help, but I don't believe there ARE many cons.

Answer 18

Well if you're going to use cons in your debate, definitely use ones that actually exist. Anti-social sterotypes are just that.

Cost could be one con. In MOST forms of homeschooling, you don't have the government dishing out funding for all your books, materials, and equipment.

Extra work for parents in most forms of homeschooling, though most parents enjoy this.

Student needs to learn to be self-motivated and independent. Nothing gets taken care of by a councilor behind closed doors. No behind the scenes stuff magically getting done for you. Nothing being spoon fed to you... But this may actually be a pro, not a con.

The biggest con of all is the common misconception of homeschoolers that the general public seems to have... The constent scrutiny, the assumption that you're lazy, uneducated, poorly socialized, super religious/extremist, couldn't "handle" public school, need a GED in order to go to college, CAN'T go to college, etc, etc. This can usually be ignored as easily as teasing on the playground can, but later in life it can lead to a lot of frustration. I myself have had some horribly frustrating moments when representatives of College Board have repeatedly used the term "real school" or said things like "It's a shame you're not attending school" while trying to arrange for testing over the phone. This of course is no reason not to homeschool. It doesn't outweigh any of the benefits... but it is a hassle, and the best REAL con I can think of.

Answer 19

1. When you go to a public school, it's easy for teachers to notice when a child is being abused. Students at home with abusive parents have no one to look out for them.

2. Students in public school receive free eye exams and get testing for such diseases as scoliosis. These problems might not be caught is soon without public school.

3. Many home schoolers are taught by their parents, who may not be proficient in all, especially higher-level, subjects. Once the student starts learning Calculus, who will be there to help him or her? As a result, the kids often don't have a good foundation in upper level math and science.

4. Home schooling can be very expensive. Online programs or tutors cost much more than a public school.

5. The learning is student directed. While this is often good, it can mean that a student will ignore a subject he or she doesn't like and will never learn it completely.

6. Student doesn't have a chance to have that swept up feeling when you're part of a group. There are no pep rallies where the student can shout out his graduation year. His class cannot do the wave.

7. Student misses out on some of the normal high school stuff. Though some home school groups provide for this, most home schoolers don't get to have school dances, especially prom. There's no homecoming. There are no high school reunions to look forward to.

Hope I helped!

Answer 20

HOME SCHOOLING IS BRILL

Answer 21

Home schooling isolates children from having a great range of experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant. Those I know who are home schooled lack the skills to deal with the unpleasant situations (eg, bullying) that they will face when their education is ended and they join the working world.

Answer 22

I am a homeschooling mom. My children are very socialized. We do things with many other homeschool families. Those who are complaining about no socialization when being homeschooled only have themselves to blame. Get out the door and do something!

One of the biggest downsides for me is all the people who think they know how to raise my children better than I do. I have seen rhetoric that public school teachers are taught which says that "ultimately you know what is best for the child, when dealing with a parent"

Another problem I see runs into the parents who claim they are homeschooling but the kids are just running around the neighborhood causing problems.

On the opposite end are the majority of parents who are doing their best. If these kids do go back into the public school system, they are so far ahead of their peers, it makes it tough on the student. I have seen that too. Hope this helps.

Answer 23

home schooling is all good, and u don't get "anti-social", that's a big wad of c**p the  public school system pushes so thier funding doesn't get cut!

Answer 24

I hate it...

I can't explain it....

I feel so left out....

Of everything!

If you're a teenager or parent thinking about doing it....

Don't do it!

=)

All my best!

-Max

Answer 25

It isn't.

Answer 26

OMG some one actually came up with a reason other than socialization!!! Kudos for you Millanca!

Of course its BS! Most parents who home school have their kids eyes checked YEARLY and hearing is checked during physicals. Oh yeah Scoliosis the Doctors check for that as well at their yearly physicals. My kids have to have the physicals every year; Medicaid requires it. They also see specialists as needed (I have a child with special needs and a child with physical needs). My oldest is in glasses and just got a new prescription last October.

As for the question I have yet to find any true cons except the cost of the curriculum we use. We got it in today at the cost of a little over $900.00 but we look at it this way. The curriculum we chose can be used over and over for all three kids and who ever else may borrow it along the way. It takes 2 years to complete it because we bought Core 3+4 so I will use it until my daughter finishes 4th grade and then we will pack it away until my son reaches third.  We look at it as an investment and really great books to have around. What 4th grade girl didn't love Sarah Plane and Tall?

But if cost is truly an issue then the public Library has so many great recourses and guess what they're FREE! So you don't have to buy a curriculum.

Added: Vollyball Girl says that we only see one side of the issiue. SAY WHAT??? How many people here graduated from public schools and have chosen to home school?

How many of us sent out kids to public school only to realize it isn't working for their families? I've done both.

Answer 27

Eye dunt no, thee skool sistem is finie?

Answer 28

The only way homeschooling would be bad is if you lived with a pyscho family that was trying to keep you locked up in the basement and told the school that you are homeschooling. This of course is very rare and usually only happens in the movies.

The anti- social one is a MYTH. Just like most of the things they teach you in the school system.

Answer 29

Milancad gave you some good, solid arguments for the cons of homeschooling (good for you, Mil!).

Not to be argumentative with her, I am offering rebuttals; you might want to watch out for these coming back at you if you use any of these arguments:

1. When you go to a public school, it's easy for teachers to notice when a child is being abused. Students at home with abusive parents have no one to look out for them.

--Parents have kids for 5+ years at home all to themselves before making a decision to homeschool or not; if we don't trust parents, why do we let them have their kids alone so long? If we are so worried about abuse, why are we not stepping in much earlier?

2. Students in public school receive free eye exams and get testing for such diseases as scoliosis. These problems might not be caught is soon without public school.

--Homeschoolers go for dr. check-ups too.

3. Many home schoolers are taught by their parents, who may not be proficient in all, especially higher-level, subjects. Once the student starts learning Calculus, who will be there to help him or her? As a result, the kids often don't have a good foundation in upper level math and science.

--Peer tutoring is proven to have a high success rate because it seems that one-on-one attention and going at one's own pace outweighs the need for teacher expertise. Besides, homeschoolers can take classes, employ tutors, or find other means of learning things their parents aren't experts in.

4. Home schooling can be very expensive. Online programs or tutors cost much more than a public school.

---Homeschooling can be free-- all you need is the internet and the library.

5. The learning is student directed. While this is often good, it can mean that a student will ignore a subject he or she doesn't like and will never learn it completely.

---So homeschoolers won't be different from anyone else. Most children coming out of school have gaps in learning, because they paid little attention in class or completely forgot material they never found interesting to begin with. There is nothing wrong with gaps in learning, as long as a person learns how to learn.

6. Student doesn't have a chance to have that swept up feeling when you're part of a group. There are no pep rallies where the student can shout out his graduation year. His class cannot do the wave.

-- homeschool kids can participate in group activities other than schools-- local community center classes, neighborhood sports teams, library groups, co-ops, etc.; more and more opportunities for homeschoolers are springing up everywhere as it becomes more common.

7. Student misses out on some of the normal high school stuff. Though some home school groups provide for this, most home schoolers don't get to have school dances, especially prom. There's no homecoming. There are no high school reunions to look forward to.

--More and more activities are becoming available to the growing homeschool community, including graduations and proms. Not to mention, some schooled kids who are social outcasts or socially inept never partake in such things and get along just fine in life.

No matter what road one takes, there are always opportunities you are giving up for other opportunities. Choosing home schooling over school is no more detrimental than choosing to start a home business over working for a major corporation-- not everyone necessarily feels they are missing something because they are not commuting every morning and eating in the cafeteria and missing the office Christmas party.