Homeschooling

[Rizon]

I've known a dozen or so kids (current or now adults) that were homeschooled. They all are very ... socially awkward. It's difficult to have a conversation with them. The ones that are grown up have led either failed lives up to being marginally successful. When I started thinking about it, I can't recall ever seeing any of them smile. They're always angry at something. They never seem happy.

I disagree strongly with the system's educational practices, so I can see why someone would homeschool. But I believe learning social behaviors trumps learning random tidbits of history or algebra.

Probably a product of where I live, though. Might be different in places around the country. Here, if you aren't social, you are pretty much dead to everyone. And by everyone I mean the 300 billion people that live within a 20 mile radius of you (800b if you count illegals).

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

I'm curious about this, too. If the issue is "not enough attention is being given to my kid's education" why not just do "homeschooling" outside of school, and expose him to as much education as possible?

My parents took this tact and I think when my wife and I have kids, we'll do the same. If we were both independently wealthy, maybe I'd feel differently, but unless I hit Powerball (I'm not really the million dollar business starting type), we're both going to still be working and that will be a significant part of our identity as it is now.

Public schools will screw things up but so would a private school or teaching them myself. There are going to be stories like PilotMan's where there are medical issue and there are going to be stories where it's "the school district is actively working against me". But I think a lot of those are overexaggerated versions of "I don't like this or that administrator or teacher" and that's a far cry from "this is overall a bad experience".

If you're a competent parent who is doing things for the right reason and takes a holistic approach to the problem, it will likely benefit the child because you have a 1:1 student:teacher ratio. However, odds are- if you're a competent parent who is doing things for the right reason, your child will likely benefit from it no matter which way you choose to do things because of the importance of parenting.

SI

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

If you're a competent parent who is doing things for the right reason and takes a holistic approach to the problem, it will likely benefit the child because you have a 1:1 student:teacher ratio. However, odds are- if you're a competent parent who is doing things for the right reason, your child will likely benefit from it no matter which way you choose to do things because of the importance of parenting.

This is most definitely true. Good parents, invested in the education of their kids, are the greatest determiner of how well the child does in schooling (regardless of the way they get schooling).