What do you think about homeschooling your child?

I can certainly understand living in a poor area (Louisiana Resident) and wanting to do the best for your child. The area in which I am torn on this subject is the social aspect. My son has a mild form of autism, so his mother and I are a little anxious about him starting kindergarten next month. We are both well educated people, but we feel that he needs the school environment because frankly, "he can't live with us forever". I have an old associate whos wife, with no higher education, home schools their 4 children and .... not to be mean...but their kids are "weird" as in socially retarded. It is a toss-up. This may sound strange but school is more than books and studying. Interaction, conflict, and problem solving, are things that we as parents may or may not be able to "teach" on our own. There is no experience like experience.

I'm a college kid, been in public schools my whole life. But I've met some people here who have been home schooled all their life. Most of them are very introverted people. They stay in their rooms all the time, just do homework and study (regardless of the fact that they are usually very smart and probably don't need to be studying). Some of them also have very skewed views of reality. A lot of time overprotective parents homeschool their child[ren] because they are afraid of the world. I met a guy who was afraid to shake my hand because "Everyone in the world has AIDS, I don't want to catch it from you" (no joke.)

Your reasons sound great to me, but like glial said, I think socially it might not be the best choice. I think that public school taught me a lot about life, that I wouldn't have learned at home. If anything, public school just exposes your child to people who are different than them. Different opinions, different race. Those differences led me to be who I am today. If I had never encountered opposing views from what my parents told me, I wouldn't really be thinking for myself.

Overall it sounds like you're doing a great job, I'd just be concerned about socialization.

I understand and appreciate both of your answers. These were concerns my husband and both shared. Surprisingly and gratefully we have experienced very different results with our daughter. My husband and I are both very outgoing and active members of our community. She is very outgoing and personable. People are always saying how they would never have imagined that she was homeschooled, because she doesn't fit the image that most people have of a homeschooled child.

I should say that I never planned or imagined that I would homeschool. Our daughter was born with an immune system problem and was in and out of the hospital numerous times. While in a hospital just as she was about to start kindergarten, an immunology specialist reccomended homeschooling her for a couple of years to let her immune system get stronger. I put her in public school in the third grade, and
d she was bored to tears. We began homeschooling again the next year, and she has continued to blossom .

She will be in the eighth grade this year. She is in dancing and is doing well. I do think she will go to highschool. We have also made sure that she is exposed to all sorts of different cultures and types of people. In our area there are a lot of people who "hate" on others simply because they are different. I am proud to say that she is different. She also has a real concern for those who are suffering on life for whatever reason. Whether she ever goes to school or homeschool until college, I hope by raising her in this way, she will grow onto am adult who will someday help to make the world a better place.

We have two close friends that homeschool as well as my sister. All the eight children between them are really great friendly kids and they have lots of friends. They socialize through the church and neighbors kids and they do have homeschooling after school activities and monthly events. It may benefit some families and may not benefit other families too. It works for them because their schools where they live is not the best. One of them have serious gang issue problems and the other schools is ranked really low and can't afford private schools. Good luck.

Yeah, like I said, to me you sound like your reasons are great, and it sounds like you're doing a great job.

Forgot to add...It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job and that is great you and your husband are active in the community. That's great exposure outside of other activities your daughter is in dancing and such. She sounds great.

I went all the way through public school, but my sister was homeschooled from 3rd-8th grade, and it was the best thing my parents could have done for her. She was bored to tears at school, the way it sounds like your daughter was, and she was much happier with the better education my mom could give her.

My parents were concerned about the social aspects too, but they made sure that she took outside classes to meet other kids (a lot of art and science centers actually have classes for home-schoolers), so she was exposed to the same sort of socialization you get in school. They did decide to send her to a public high school, and I think it's great that you're considering that for your daughter - there is definitely a social aspect to high school that it's hard to achieve anywhere else.

Whatever you decide to do, it does sound like you're doing a great job - your daughter actually sounds better-adjusted and more open-minded than many of the kids I went to school with!

Here there is a sub-community of parents who homeschool. The kids share sports, extracurricular activities, socializing and parents/teachers w. specialities. I have a teen-ager who works for me who is home-schooled. He does Shakespearean plays at the local theatre co., etc. and has wonderful social skills. All the kids I have met have been wonderful. Good for you.

Find some families w. similiar interests and check out the ideas listed by other flutherers. HS is still cliquey, filled w. peer pressure, lackadaisical faculity and sloppy oversight.

i read 'the teenage liberation handbook' and it changed my life

I'm pretty cynical when it comes to homeschooling. I consider education a social responsibility and would prefer parents who see problems with their public school work to improve them rather than withdraw.

Point well taken... However, we do reside in Louisiana, and though we try and try...nothing changes here for the better. I mean, have you seen or heard of anything positive about New Orleans? Any changes since Katrina? The way the situation has been handled there pretty much sums up how any situation in this state is handled. The education situation, which I believe may be the worst in the country is way at the bottom of the totem pole.

I have to backup mzgator on this one. I worked in k-12 education in Louisiana for about 3 years. I don't know how many times I asked to change something and got the "Well, that's just the way we have always done it". It is a sad situation.

Why do we go to school? Education I think. We socialize elsewhere. I think home schooling scores speak for themselves....home schoolers score over the national norms and lets not forget who was home schooled Abe Lincoln & Albert Einstein pretty good company. And by the way the Louisiana School System sucks. If you don't belive me just check my grammer....It's where I went to school.

On a fun side note, we actually had a similar conversation today in Starbucks, the baristas, an older lady, and I discussed this whole idea. I think from this thread and some Google things I've been led to from this thread, my views have been changed. I think that if it is done well, and the values of the child are the top priority, then home schooling can be a great thing With that said, I know that with the wrong reasons, home schooling can be horrible.

I was home schooled most of my life and I will say this: If your child leans toward an introverted life DO NOT home school them. If they are extroverted and socially adaptable home schooling can be richly rewarding experience that will exceed the expectations of the parents and child.

Homeschooling is wonderful if you do a good job of it and you’re qualified to teach. I knew a religious family in which the mom was homeschooling but she could barely read. They kept the kids locked in the house with padlocks. Crazy.

The schools are terrible. I would never put my child in public school.

Homwschooling is fine so ong as the child still has plenty of chances to interact with other kids. Perhaps non academic classes outside the home, karate or dance, maybe music lessons. Also plenty of field trips.

Then you’re really raising your child, and you’ll have more control over how they turn out.

I think Riser is exactly right. If I had been home schooled I would be a social disaster.

You didn’t say how old your daughter is, but I would imagine her input would be the most important. If she’s young you might want to put her in public school for a year or two, for social reasons, and teach her outside of school as well if the schools are that bad. Then in the future it can be her choice.

i think that if you don’t like the schools then that’s fine maybe put her in a private school. My mom took me out of public school because it wasn’t challenging for me and then she homeschooled me. I go to a public school now that really challenges me and i’m glad to be at my school because you don’t have friends in homeschool. i know i know school is about education not friends but it prepares you for college when you go to real schools because you can’t rely on your mom for things. She can’t help you with your tests or tell you that your book report is due tommorrow. those are mistakes that you will make and learn from. it will make you more responsible

I have been homeschooled since 6th grade when my mother past away…my father didnt really want to do it but once we tried it i became a strait A student something i never was before.