Homeschooling Opponents

[Granite]

Quite true--and some shouldn't at all.

 

[JoyfulRook]

no, the same schedule of standardized tests everyone has. I think after 4th grade, 8th grade, etc. Grades have to be reported to the state.

Yeah, you have to do a standardized test here at the end of 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th.

 

[JoyfulRook]

Just thought I would add that not every state requires standardized testing after those grades. Some states don't require testing at all.

Exactly.

 

[The Berean]

It takes a lot of work and effort to homeschool children. A commintment to excellent on the parents part is essential to make sure the child succeeds. I dersire to home school my future children but it will depend on where I am in my career and my wife's career as well.

 

[skeptech]

There will be more and more opposition to homeschooling in this country as it continues to grow more popular and successful.

:think: Hmmm.... So, as it becomes more popular, there is more opposition? Sounds like an oxymoron to me. Maybe the opposition becomes more vocal, or the issues become more prominent. I bet there could be some interesting socio-psychological studies done on this effect.

Hoemschooling represents one of the greatest threats to the left that it has ever encountered. Educated kids being raised outside the propaganda loop.

Homeschooling is a great option for people who are capable of providing a better education than the public system. But it is nowhere near a panacea, and we could never progress as well or compete with other nations if all public schools were dismantled and everyone were homeschooled.

Homeschooling isn't a threat at all. The threat is the people who want to eliminate public schools, and convince people who shouldn't be homeschooling to do it. I don't think that most people are cut out for homeschooling. Everyone in the country benefits from having standardized education system, even if your kids have a better alternative and don't participate. So your tax dollars contribute, and if you don't like the way it's being run, then you should try to fix it, not eliminate it.

 

[docrob57]

:think: Hmmm.... So, as it becomes more popular, there is more opposition? Sounds like an oxymoron to me. Maybe the opposition becomes more vocal, or the issues become more prominent. I bet there could be some interesting socio-psychological studies done on this effect.


Homeschooling is a great option for people who are capable of providing a better education than the public system. But it is nowhere near a panacea, and we could never progress as well or compete with other nations if all public schools were dismantled and everyone were homeschooled.

Homeschooling isn't a threat at all. The threat is the people who want to eliminate public schools, and convince people who shouldn't be homeschooling to do it. I don't think that most people are cut out for homeschooling. Everyone in the country benefits from having standardized education system, even if your kids have a better alternative and don't participate. So your tax dollars contribute, and if you don't like the way it's being run, then you should try to fix it, not eliminate it.

I want to eliminate public schools, but have no desire to convince people to homeschool who shouldn't be doing it. There are other options, but the state need not be involved. Vouchers, by the way, is perhaps one of the worst ideas among the available alternatives since ultimately it does nothing but bring private schools into the public arena.

 

[docrob57]

It seems to me opposition to homeschooling is not as fierce as it was some years ago. Outright hostility is dying down because education at home isn't quite as unusual as it used to be.

Except for cases as I mentioned before where Christian homeschoolers might be denied entrance into California universities, and that is a trend that I imagine will spread.

 

[ebenz47037]

Some people can't homeschool even if they wanted, too, like single moms or dads.

Wrong. I'm a single mom. And, I've been homeschooling my daughter (with the exception of two semesters) since second grade. She's now in tenth grade.

 

[docrob57]

Wrong. I'm a single mom. And, I've been homeschooling my daughter (with the exception of two semesters) since second grade. She's now in tenth grade.

You can do it if you make it a priority, however, I admit it would have been real difficult in my single parenting days.

I agree with the post above suggesting that not all should homeschool. But, especially with all of the curriculum options which are out there, I think it is within reach of most people who would want to do it.

 

[ebenz47037]

You can do it if you make it a priority, however, I admit it would have been real difficult in my single parenting days.

I agree with the post above suggesting that not all should homeschool. But, especially with all of the curriculum options which are out there, I think it is within reach of most people who would want to do it.

There are so many options with homeschooling that there's almost no reason that anyone could do it, if they chose to. There are tutors/teachers who work specifically with homeschoolers. There are parents, like myself, who are willing to help other parents out if they don't have time or can't figure out how to homeschool their children. There's "unschooling," which I don't really agree with, or interest-led learning, which depends on what the child is interested in more than anything else.

Public schools today don't prepare kids for real life. They segregate the kids, based solely on age, for eight hours a day. I've yet to see a job, as an adult, where I work with the same thirty people (all my age) for thirteen years straight. I know that when I graduated high school, I wasn't ready for real life. It took me three years after that before I finally accepted responsibility for myself and my own situation instead of wanting the government to prop me up.

:jessilu: turned sixteen today. Tomorrow, she will put in a couple of job applications because she wants to drive. I told her that if she wants to drive she has to keep up her school work so that she can work to pay for her insurance and upkeep on her car (I already have one for her thanks to Aimiel). If her grades slip too far, she won't be allowed to work. Then, she can't pay for her insurance so I won't let her drive. I'm thinking about having her put in an application or ask for an internship with our local vet. She loves animals so much (especially horses) that I think that would be a great job for her.

 

[skeptech]

I want to eliminate public schools, but have no desire to convince people to homeschool who shouldn't be doing it. There are other options, but the state need not be involved.

What other options are there, that are better than public schooling? In a specialized society such as ours, not everyone can be the best teacher. And we need to have SOME commonality among education, or else we'd never see eye-to-eye. The only other reasonable alternative I've heard of is some kind of schooling co-op, but I don't see how that's any different from a public education. You're still throwing your kids in with a bunch of others, and allowing some group or committee to decide how to administer it. At some level you're giving up control over what your kids are taught and how your tuition is being spent.

 

[ebenz47037]

What other options are there, that are better than public schooling? In a specialized society such as ours, not everyone can be the best teacher. And we need to have SOME commonality among education, or else we'd never see eye-to-eye. The only other reasonable alternative I've heard of is some kind of schooling co-op, but I don't see how that's any different from a public education. You're still throwing your kids in with a bunch of others, and allowing some group or committee to decide how to administer it. At some level you're giving up control over what your kids are taught and how your tuition is being spent.

The difference between a co-op and public education would be that, more than likely, you would know the people teaching your kids and that you would know what your kids were being taught.

 

[docrob57]

What other options are there, that are better than public schooling? In a specialized society such as ours, not everyone can be the best teacher. And we need to have SOME commonality among education, or else we'd never see eye-to-eye. The only other reasonable alternative I've heard of is some kind of schooling co-op, but I don't see how that's any different from a public education. You're still throwing your kids in with a bunch of others, and allowing some group or committee to decide how to administer it. At some level you're giving up control over what your kids are taught and how your tuition is being spent.

The big thing about public education is that, because the state is the funding mechanism, it can use the education system to further its own agenda in ways that lie outside the realm of legitimate education, for example, as happens in some areas, encouraging the acceptance of homosexuality.

You are right, the same thing can happen in any group situation, but with real choice, people can at least deal in the realm of compatible values. I think Nori's ideas in Post # 30 are good.

Tomorrow I am going to start teaching American Government at a homeschool coop. If I say things that the other parents think are wrong, bad, etc. they can simply pull their kids and get rid of me.

 

[ebenz47037]

The big thing about public education is that, because the state is the funding mechanism, it can use the education system to further its own agenda in ways that lie outside the realm of legitimate education, for example, as happens in some areas, encouraging the acceptance of homosexuality.

That's one of my pet peeves with the public education system. Another one is the "No child left behind act." What they actually mean is no child gets ahead. I know this from experience with my daughter and public school in the second and fourth grades. Basically, they were trying so hard to keep the minimum standards that they ignored those children who were surpassing the minimum standards (both California and Indiana).

You are right, the same thing can happen in any group situation, but with real choice, people can at least deal in the realm of compatible values. I think Nori's ideas in Post # 30 are good.

Thanks, docrob! :thumb: I love helping parents get started in homeschooling. I also like to teach. So, if I know a single mother who would like to homeschool but can't, I would let her move in with us and share expenses. She could work and I would homeschool her children if she desired. I've done this in the past and am more than willing to do so in the future.

I've also been part of homeschooling co-ops and volunteered my services as a Spanish teacher in a Christian school (k-12). I just love to teach. In an ideal world, I would be a kindergarten teacher because I love it when a child's face lights up when something he/she has been trying to learn finally clicks.

Tomorrow I am going to start teaching American Government at a homeschool coop. If I say things that the other parents think are wrong, bad, etc. they can simply pull their kids and get rid of me.

That sounds like fun. I love any aspect of history. American government/economics was one of my favorite classes as a senior in high school. Just remember to enjoy yourself and try to teach the kids a love of learning. :thumb:

 

[Delmar]

Some people can't homeschool even if they wanted, too, like single moms or dads.

True, sex outside of marriage and divorce are very destructive!

 

[Lucky]

It takes a lot of work and effort to homeschool children. A commintment to excellent on the parents part is essential to make sure the child succeeds. I dersire to home school my future children but it will depend on where I am in my career and my wife's career as well.

However easier it might be for me to say this now, I hope I never put a career before the full-time training up of my (future) children.

 

[skeptech]

The difference between a co-op and public education would be that, more than likely, you would know the people teaching your kids and that you would know what your kids were being taught.

I think it's a matter of scale. As long as it's done in relatively small groups, then I think you're right. But get a bigger group, and the knowledge and control starts to approach what we have in public schooling.

And it isn't practical for everyone to be schooled in small groups. Then there would be no common curriculum, and I think people would have difficulties seeing eye-to-eye. Kids would be taught according to the prejudices of their parents, and I think that is a recipe for disaster.

I also think public schools are necessary for the "common man". It's great to have the option of home schooling, but there's no possible way that everyone could be induced to embrace it and provide their kids with a "good" education. And it's to everyone's benefit that everyone have a good education, so it makes sense that we all pay.

Home schooling can be much better than public schooling, and we should never be deprived of the option. But it isn't for everyone, and shouldn't be presented as such.

 

[erinmarie]

However easier it might be for me to say this now, I hope I never put a career before the full-time training up of my (future) children.

This is a wonderful sentiment, Lucky. Thank You.

 

[skeptech]

Tomorrow I am going to start teaching American Government at a homeschool coop. If I say things that the other parents think are wrong, bad, etc. they can simply pull their kids and get rid of me.

Sure, but unless the parents are willing to teach their kids, then there's a point where they need to accept some loss of control. You can't expect to agree with every nuance that comes out of the teacher's mouth. Somewhere you have to find a balance with what you're willing to tolerate.

Here's a question: If it's in everyone's interest that we all have a good education, then shouldn't there be some minimum standards? And shouldn't there also be a system by which everyone is guaranteed to get those minimums? How could that be implemented nation-wide without public schooling? (OK, it was a few questions.)

 

[docrob57]

Sure, but unless the parents are willing to teach their kids, then there's a point where they need to accept some loss of control. You can't expect to agree with every nuance that comes out of the teacher's mouth. Somewhere you have to find a balance with what you're willing to tolerate.

Here's a question: If it's in everyone's interest that we all have a good education, then shouldn't there be some minimum standards? And shouldn't there also be a system by which everyone is guaranteed to get those minimums? How could that be implemented nation-wide without public schooling? (OK, it was a few questions.)

Haven't forgotten you, just no time right now . . . good questions though.