Comments about ‘Economy dents home schooling’

This is a tragedy for home schooling families and for the community as a whole. Indeed, home schooling and private schooling are the only legitimate sources of education. It is a shame that many of these families will now fall back into the public education system, which is in a state of chaos. The government has created this public education mess by interfering with this very private area of family life.

Slag0500 you are proof public schools are failing. You must have gone to one.

The homeschooling community is very resilient, many of us have always worked from home to begin with. Every cloud has a silver lining, perhaps this will also encourage others to start their own businesses and work from home too.

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Every parent has to decide what is right or wrong for their own child. To argue which type of schooling is best for children is fruitless. I've seen extreme failures in both public and home schools. I'm glad we live in a country where we can each decide for ourselves and then reap the consequences. To tell me home schooling is better for my children than public is controlling and arrogant. For me to tell you that public is better for your children is the same. We all have different personalities and preferences.

In my sad experience observing homeschooled children and their parents, I find that the problem isn't the child as much as the parents. I've seen many a homeschool parent who doesn't trust their neighbors, and doesn't know how to cope with living in a civilization--they still fashion themselves as frontier dwellers and despise authority of any form. Which is why as soon as the kids can, they are outta the house and gone forever drinking in every noxious societal issue that can be experimented with... But hey, it's a free country, so whatever floats your boat.

But are students learning at home? What social skills do they have?

Sure there are good home schoolers, but those I know are not. We are creating a generation of kids who will not be able to function in the world outside their home with little education and little access to higher ed.

Public schools are not in chaos, they do very well, even with dysfunctional students. They are accountable, their student achievement is public information.

Parents can keep kids at home to work and support the family with no requirement to teach or learn. I pity many of these students.

This article made the homeschooled kids sound like they were being exploited for financial gain. Kinda creepy, if you ask me.

For some reason, Kristie Carlsons "solution" put a BIG grin on my face this morning.

Uh, requirements? Have you checked out homeschooling laws lately? In my state homeschoolers are held to a much higher degree of accountability than public schools. Oh yes, and 90% of them go on to higher education - hardly "little access." I'm one of them. I had to "settle" for a Master's from BYU.

"Reality" had one thing right. It's the parents. Poor parenting will affect a child whether they go to public, private, or home school. (Don't try to tell me you've never seen a public school kid have serious trouble because of poor parenting). It's just that when a homeschooled kid has trouble, we link the poor parenting to the homeschooling, when really, poor parenting is a separate issue affecting kids all over the educational spectrum.

Reality probably knows lots of good homeschoolers. He/she just doesn't realize they're homeschoolers because the bad ones stick out and get held up as an example.

Social skills, or lack thereof,of homeschooled children, has been the rallying call for public education for years. In my experience there are children public and home-schooled who are well-adjusted socially. There are AT LEAST equal numbers of anti-social children in the public schools...go substitute at a jr. high school. It will take you 5 seconds to figure out which are the anti-social children.

What social skills do they have?

Well, probably not the social skills that are prevalent in public schools, and you know which ones Im talking about. The homeschooled kids I have met were always socially capable, and usually more so than public school kids. They just dont know how to use the same type of vulgar, crass language and inhumane treatment of others.

When is the last time someone asked a home schooler, "but what about their education"? That's what we should be asking those in the public schools. Get over the "social skills" issue...it's yesterday's news.

It is so about parental rights to choose as long as they are working within the guidelines of the state and are realistic about their ability to teach. I have seen wonderful socialized children come out of homeschooling and others who are withdrawn and educationally behind. Being a part of a homeschooling network is a great support if used effectively. Being arrogant and saying "I can do it all" even though the parent doesn't have an education is sad. Public schools also have their ups and downs. Again, parental involvement is a key.

I don't know what state you claim to live in, but here in Utah our Home School laws have been loosened in the last 5 years. It used to be that the children had to pass the same end of year tests that the public school children did and that the test results had to be reported to the state. Now, a parent just has to fill out a form to say that her children are at or above grade level for their age.

I'm sure you've seen the bumper sticker "Education is a journey not a destination". Whether a child is educated in public schools or at home the difference is the parent's attitudes towards LEARNING. If a parent is close-minded, overly restrictive, suspicious and has a lack of curiosity about our incredible world - the kids suffer. It doesn't matter whether those kids are sent to school or home-schooled. The lack of inquisitiveness and joy in the world in their parents will translate to these kids. Someone also said kids will get into every "noxious societal issue" and, yes, that can be a result of some of them too. Home-schooled kids by parents with positive, open minds do very well and do achieve very high academic goals. Don't sell them short. Bottom line: it's all about the parenting.

Socialization = name of the Public School Game.
My children are home schooled and know how to be social with children of all ages as well as adults. I almost always receive compliments on how well they are all behaved and how bright they are, and yet people are still worried that the home school child will not find into the mold that public school children conform to. For me, Individualism is the way to go.

Having taught in public school and college for years before having children, I assumed I'd send my children to school. As my children grew, I recognized needs my children had that couldn't be met in public schools. What started as a temporary solution has become a life long choice. My youngest will be entering BYU next year.
What I've learned:
*All children do better when they are loved and cared for by interested parents.
*The more choices available to parents the better our community will be.
*The best homeschooling takes place when we take our children TO something rather than FROM something. *There is no "one-right-answer" for all families. *Socially, the teen years are a struggle for all children, not just home-schoolers.

It's been interesting to watch people who don't know our educational preference. I am often asked what I did to make my children so polite and amiable. One older couple on a trip to our state asked if they could "adopt" my children for grandchildren. It's true homeschoolkids don't dress like others or talk like others, but diversity enriches our community; it doesn't weaken it.

I strongly feel that no parent is qualified to home school their children for one simple reason--they represent only their own world view. Of course many are qualified to teach reading, math, science, and art, but the bias (which we all have) always comes from one side--yours. In life we all have to deal with bosses, university professors, or customers (if self-employed) that are arrogant and we still have to deal with that. Having teachers that rub your kid a little against the grain is a good thing. I know I certainly don't feel capable of home schooling our kids (and I have two Master's degrees and am working on a PhD)

What is the difference between children who take some time to go earn some extra income cleaning somewhere and others who work in the lunchroom? IN my opinion, both are learning great skills one is just earning a little extra money because his parents do it alongside them. As the economy gets a bit tougher, both parents and children will need to work as a team. Some parents will have to make big sacrifices to meet all the demands of them. I am encouraged by the homeschoolers around me. Many have taken life by its throat and simplified enough to fit in the important stuff. It is interesting to see how they are trying to become self reliant and learning so many lost skills. I see very intelligent children who are not only book learned. They are learning skills to be responsible adults. Whether we are public, private or home schoolers, being able to work as a team to overcome life's struggles will only strengthen our families and give us the peace we so need amid these difficult times. I hope we can create a support system that works for us just as the homeschoolers have created.