[BurlyShirley]

Boston Bullit got me thinking about this:


What do you guys think of it? I mean, in theory, sure its fine to teach your kids yourself, but really, everyone knows that 'wierd guy' who was homeschooled. What is wrong with them? I think social skills are necessary and arent acheived at home school, though church and other activities could make up for it, they usually dont.

Anyone else know some homeschooled kids?

I think maybe "Rip" here on RM is homeschooled, but its just a guess. (not that theres anything wrong with that bro)

Whatchu guys think?

 

[Toshi]

from my limited experience with homeschooled kids they do tend to lack social graces. esp. so if their parents happen to be fundamentalists...

 

[laura]

i knew a few people who were home schooled. i was friends with them but they were the weird(er) ones in the group. supplemental education is needed if all your kids get is public schooling. (my high school ciriculum was a joke, as is evident in my atrocious spelling and gramatical errors). but i agree with BS, you need the social skills that are developed in school. you also need to get used to dealing with people you hate at an early age as well. i hated school. :angry: but i wouldnnt have wanted to be home schooled.

 

[ito]

I dated a girl who was homeschooled, she was very different from anyone I met at school. Her brother was also homeschooled and they were really close. I keep in touch with them and they seem to be doing fine. She is working with disabled kids, teaching horseback riding and looking at doing it for a living. Her brother I'm not sure about, good kid but pretty shy.

Over all the family is a little strange, but you couldn't know nicer people. They are always willing to help someone out and they are a bit out of touch with pop-culture(this is a positive in my book for the most part, take it how you wish). They got most of their social interaction through sports, dancing, theater, and the neighborhood kids. If they wanted to they could both go to college.

I talked to their mom and them a few times about why home school. The mom did it because she noticed that her kids were gifted in the arts(hence theater, dance, and lots of drawing/painting stuff), public school didn't offer much in the way of this and private education didn't either. The mom is incredibely intelligent and taught them the usual grade school/high school subjects, but really focussed on developing their artisitic side....both are VERY talented.

Other than the slight social disability, which I don't see as a problem, there is nothing that seperates them from kids I knew in highschool(except for the fact that they haven't been arrested, wasted their money on drugs, or been involved in stupid activities). In fact I prefer to hang out with them than most people I know. If the parent is competent and the children willing I see no problem with it.

I doubt I would choose to homeschool my child, when/if I have one.

The Ito

 

[valve bouncer]

Well being a Shirley thread I automatically thought I'd disagree with him but actually I tend to agree.
The social aspect of schooling is equally as important as the educational aspect. That's not to say that homeschooled kids are social retards but I think in general kids need their peer group as well as daily interaction that comes from adults that are not part of their family. This of course presupposes that the schools available are of a high enough standard, which is a whole other arguement.

 

[ummbikes]

If the choice is made for the best interest of the child, and the parents have the financial, and academic resources to make it work, what's the big deal?

Public schools suck if you are smart. Granted some schools have excellent gifted education programs.

 

[BurlyShirley]

Originally posted by BurlySurly

I think maybe "Rip" here on RM is homeschooled, but its just a guess. (not that theres anything wrong with that bro)

I AIM'd Rip to ask him and he said "yes" but only until the fourth grade. Its a very evident thing. So evident that i could tell it from his posts on RM and having never even spoken to him before.

 

[Serial Midget]

Home schooling is pretty big around here and I don't see any harm. One of the kids that sometimes rides and runs with my local group is home schooled. He is more polite and more mature than other kids his age. Very responsible too - the only thing that seems odd about him is the fact that at such a young age he has all his **** together... just going by him I'd say his parents done good.

 

[zod]

My neighbors home-school their children. Nice people, maybe the best neighbors I have ever had and I have had awesome luck with getting good neighbors. Their two children are VERY respectful and well mannered unlike most kids today. They get all their social skills taken care of by being in soccer leauges, dance, church sunday school, etc.
Naturally home-schooled children are not in near as many social situations as the public schooled kids are......but I think a lot of those social situations are the very ones that parents are trying to avoid.

 

[Andyman_1970]

I've known some normal ones and some not so normal ones.

I personally have a real hard time with those of faith who home school their kids to "shelter" them from the "evils" of the world. What's going to happen when these kids go to college and encounter stuff they have never been exposed to and are disconnected from the people they looked to for guidance? The whole thinking of "let's separate ourselves and have a holy huddle" really bugs me.

Anyway, my wife and I have thought about homeschooling our child. The public schools in the greater Little Rock area are for the most part pitiful, and the private schools are way to pricey and I'm just not that snooty. I figure we will be kind of homeschooling our son anyway even while he's in public school to supplement what he's being taught.

 

[Jr_Bullit]

I agree with Andyman on this one, there's nothing wrong with homeschooling if you're doing it to provide your child with an education that can't be gotten in your public schools, and it really does vary throughout the US - though the govt is doing it's best to make it at least somewhat more consistent.

But sheltering kids from the "evils" of the world is not really the right approach because as adults they need certain social skills just to get along in the day-to-day and not get trampled on (like at the grocery store when some mean old biddy stands "next" to you hoping she can inch in front of your slightly fuller basket

I think if parents make an effort to still keep their kids in social situations, like recreation, then home schooling is probably a good thing, or at least not worse than public school if a little more costly.

 

[BostonBullit]

I have planted the seed, and now I am watching it grow

anywho, as has been said I think homeschooling breaks down into two camps: the "My kid needs a better education" camp and the "the world is a big bad place" camp.

The better education people have some pretty valid points, but in reality there's no reason you couldn't just tutor the kid yourself after he gets home from normal school and get similar effects.

The evil world people are just plain screwey. they're the ones that do crap like breast feed until the kid is 6 and not allow any food in the house that isn't 100% totally fully organic. you can't shelter a kid that much and expect him to turn out normal, it just won't happen.


School isn't just about education, it's about getting beat up on the playground and beating people up on the playground. it's about teasing other kids and getting teased, and getting a crush on that girl and then getting stuffed in a locker by her boyfriend who's 2 grades ahead of you. don't get me started on gym class...these are all social skills that will be required later in life, at least in America. "home schooled kids are the most polite courteous people I've ever met.." yea, that's why they get stepped on and used by all the public school kids once they get into the real world :devil:

but I digress

 

[golgiaparatus]

I tend to notice that people that were home schooled have a harder time dealing with people they dont like. And in life there are people that you have to deal with that you dont like, but you have to grin and phucking deal with it.

My kids will never be homeschooled, learning to deal with people is, IMHO, one of the most important things about school.