toldailytopic: Homeschooling vs. Public schooling.

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for February 1st, 2012 11:03 AM

toldailytopic: Homeschooling vs. Public schooling.

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[Nathon Detroit]

First off, I know many folks that would love to homeschool their kids but have no option to. I also have some close friends and relatives that are public school teachers and realize how bad the government school system is and they don't hide that fact, yet being a teacher is their job.

Therefore this thread isn't intended to condemn any of those folks. Instead, I would like to discuss the pros and cons for both homeschooling and public schooling.

 

[Granite]

Homeschooling's an excellent and feasible choice for some families and a terrible and impractical one for others.

Also, consider private/charter schools as well; they're always an option.

Pros: Small "classroom" environment, one-on-one instruction, few distractions, complete parental control of curriculum (duh); no fear of outside agenda; tailor-made teaching; usually, shorter classes and greater time available for recreation.

Cons: Potential for unqualified/incompetent instructors; special needs students may be beyond talents/abilities of parents; danger of prosecution, in meddlesome jurisdictions; abilities of students may outpace those of parents; athletic opportunities may be limited, depending on the local school system's participation policy; may provide unrealistic expectations for students in terms of true classroom experience and academic challenges.

 

[tetelestai]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for February 1st, 2012 11:03 AM

toldailytopic: Homeschooling vs. Public schooling.

Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
If you want to make suggestions for the Topic of the Day send a Tweet to @toldailytopic or @theologyonline or send it to us via Facebook.

I know two families that had kids in high school, but now the kids are enrolled in a cyber school.

Cyber Schools are different than home schools, in that the parents don't teach the kids, a computer does. However, the kid is at home in lieu of being at a public school.

Cyber Schools have really caught on in Pennsylvania. There are 12 in Pennsylvania that have 13,000+ students enrolled.

Not the same as home schooling, but also not the same as attending a public school.

 

[MrRadish]

I agree with Granite except that I'd actually add 'complete parental control of the curriculum' to the cons as well as the pros, and would also criticise homeschooling's potential lack of exposure to a wide range of other children (including ones of whom parents might disapprove) in unsupervised social enviroments.

I also think that public schools are quite useful in that they can help teach children that their life and identity aren't totally oriented around their family, and that whilst obviously it's good to get on well with their relatives, they are fundamentally independent human beings who are also part of a larger community. Family is only one small part of one's place in society as a whole.

Oh and it can also help to neutralise the effects of really awful parenting. I know parents who'd wreck the prospects of their descendants for generations to come if they were expected to educate their children.

 

[Rusha]

My preference ... private schools ... however, I know that wasn't an option.

Homeschooling, if done for the right reasons, is a physically safer option for children. There is also the one on one teacher/student tutoring that isn't available with public schooling. Parent's are able to control the curriculum. Children who are homeschooled also do not need to stress out over whether or not they can keep up with all the latest fashion trends and the superficial ... they can concentrate on their studies.

On the flip side of this, my experience as an employee of the public school district as well as a small private school is that *some* of the parents utilize homeschooling to avoid being accountable for their child's learning, health and welfare. Also, not all parents are qualified to teach their children, and they don't have the same type of socialization as in public schools.

As Granite already pointed out, there are also those special needs children that the public schools have the qualifications to better handle then that of individual parents.

Also, homeschooling doesn't offer the electives courses that are available in public schools such as driver's ed, foreign language, etc.

Public schools have more to offer as far as curriculum, electives, sports, school activities, certified instructors and socialization.

 

[genuineoriginal]

I agree with Granite except that I'd actually add 'complete parental control of the curriculum' to the cons as well as the pros, and would also criticise homeschooling's potential lack of exposure to a wide range of other children (including ones of whom parents might disapprove) in unsupervised social enviroments.

I also think that public schools are quite useful in that they can help teach children that their life and identity aren't totally oriented around their family, and that whilst obviously it's good to get on well with their relatives, they are fundamentally independent human beings who are also part of a larger community. Family is only one small part of one's place in society as a whole.

You make some good points, but seem to have your priorities wrong.

Homeschooling
Pro: lack of exposure to a wide range of other children in unsupervised social enviroments. (How is the parent or public school teacher expected to teach proper social behavior when the children are unsupervised?)
Pro: teach children that their life and identity are first oriented around their family and secondarily that they are part of a larger community. (People with strong family ties are the key to a strong society as a whole.)

 

[Cam P.]

My preference ... private schools ... however, I know that wasn't an option.

ditto

 

[MrRadish]

Homeschooling
Pro: lack of exposure to a wide range of other children in unsupervised social enviroments. (How is the parent or public school teacher expected to teach proper social behavior when the children are unsupervised?)

There are both advantages and disadvantages to unsupervised time with other children, of which I believe the former outweighs the latter. How are the children supposed to learn individuality, a sense of personal privacy or a healthy peer-to-peer dynamic if they are supervised?

Pro: teach children that their life and identity are first oriented around their family and secondarily that they are part of a larger community. (People with strong family ties are the key to a strong society as a whole.)

I disagree. I find that people who put their own families first are thinking in a fundamentally egocentric way, because they're essentially saying that some people are more important than others simply because they happen to be related to them. Close families also tend to result in more insular ideas and beliefs, whereas if people are less constricted by familial pressures they tend to be more open-minded and prepared to reconsider their ideas in light of the alternative perspectives to which they're exposed.

 

[annabenedetti]

I find that people who put their own families first are thinking in a fundamentally egocentric way, because they're essentially saying that some people are more important than others simply because they happen to be related to them.

Yes, I put my own family first. Yes, my family is more important than others.

 

[MrRadish]

Yes, I put my own family first. Yes, my family is more important than others.

In terms of reason as opposed to emotion, why is your family more important than others?

 

[ebenz47037]

Also, homeschooling doesn't offer the electives courses that are available in public schools such as driver's ed, foreign language, etc.

Public schools have more to offer as far as curriculum, electives, sports, school activities, certified instructors and socialization.

Actually, my daughter had more options for electives as a homeschooled high school student than my little sister did as a public schooled high school student. The only thing that was available to my sister that wasn't "officially" available to my daughter was advanced placement classes. But, my daughter was able to be taught geology by a local geologist (worked for the state and didn't charge me anything for a two week course), take a Japanese language course over the internet (I taught the Japanese student algebra over the internet in exchange), learn Spanish from an early age because I'm basically bi-lingual (even though I have forgotten more Spanish in the last five years than I would like to admit), etc...

And, this was without being involved in a homeschooling co-op. From what I've been told about co-ops, there is a wider range of electives if wanted.

As for driver's ed, the high schools here don't teach it anymore. If a parent wants their child to take driver's ed, the parent has to pay $300 or more to enroll their child in a driving school.

 

[ebenz47037]

Yes, I put my own family first. Yes, my family is more important than others.

Ditto. My family is more important to me than other families are because it is my family. Although I don't mind helping other families out, if needed, there are no consequences for me if other families' children fail in school. If my own child fails in school, it reflects badly on my parenting skills, whether she attend public school, private school, or is homeschooled.

 

[annabenedetti]

In terms of reason as opposed to emotion, why is your family more important than others?

Because they're related to me.

 

[kmoney]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for February 1st, 2012 11:03 AM

toldailytopic: Homeschooling vs. Public schooling.

People have already given good pro vs con lists. Just briefly....

Pro (homeschooling) - safety, parental control

Con (homeschooling) - lack of socialization, potential loss of class topics, less activities


For reasons that should be pretty clear, I think home-schooling is more feasible for elementary grades. Once it hits middle/high school I think it is more important to have a private or public school.


Personally, I think the low grades are the only ones I would consider home schooling.

 

[kmoney]

I disagree. I find that people who put their own families first are thinking in a fundamentally egocentric way, because they're essentially saying that some people are more important than others simply because they happen to be related to them.

What, specifically, are you thinking of when you say people put their own families first?

 

[annabenedetti]

For reasons that should be pretty clear, I think home-schooling is more feasible for elementary grades. Once it hits middle/high school I think it is more important to have a private or public school.


Personally, I think the low grades are the only ones I would consider home schooling.

We've done public school, charter school, and a couple years of homeschool at the junior high level.

If I had to do it all again now, today, I'd homeschool until jr. high only if I could send them to a good charter school. If not, I'd homeschool through jr. high because jr. highs in the regular public school system are hell on earth. :shocked:

 

[MrRadish]

Because they're related to me.

That doesn't seem to be based in reason. I can see why you'd consider yourself to have more duties to look after them, as it's a generally accepted social contract that families have something of a responsibility of care toward each other, but that's different to actually considering them to be 'more important'.

What, specifically, are you thinking of when you say people put their own families first?

I suppose I mean people who put their own family at the centre of their world and will, for example, make political decisions based on what will benefit the family the most rather than what is best for society as a whole, or the people who will always side with relatives in a disagreement even if rationally they know the relatives are wrong. That sort of thing.

 

[annabenedetti]

That doesn't seem to be based in reason. I can see why you'd consider yourself to have more duties to look after them, as it's a generally accepted social contract that families have something of a responsibility of care toward each other, but that's different to actually considering them to be 'more important'.

Sure it is. Rationally, I know that these people who are family are more important than other people in my life, or people I don't know. If I had to save my child OR a stranger and I couldn't save both, I'd save my child.

What about you? If you only had one free hand, and could only save one person besides yourself, would you save your child/spouse/parent/etc. ?

Or a stranger?

I suppose I mean people who put their own family at the centre of their world and will, for example, make political decisions based on what will benefit the family the most rather than what is best for society as a whole, or the people who will always side with relatives in a disagreement even if rationally they know the relatives are wrong. That sort of thing.

That's not exactly what you said earlier. You said:

I disagree. I find that people who put their own families first are thinking in a fundamentally egocentric way, because they're essentially saying that some people are more important than others simply because they happen to be related to them.

"More important" does not equal "siding with relatives in a disagreement even if rationally they know they are wrong."

I've often disagreed with relatives. They may be wrong. I may be wrong.

They're still more important than others.

 

[Stripe]

If you want to be sure of your child's upbringing, isn't it rational to do it yourself rather than have random strangers do it?