Homeschooling

Posts Tagged ‘homeschooling classical education’

Question: Is Homeschooling better or worse than public or private schooling?

We have been doing some research and it appears homeschoolers do better on standardized tests, are generally well socialized and go on to do well in college and careers.
Our friends homeschooled kids are smart, polite, speak with adults and children with ease and don't seem so tied up in what's 'cool'.
Our family members are also sharing that public schooling is merely a standardized test prep course now that both teachers and students are measured by the results.
Ironically, the homeschoolers I've met teach a "classical education" and ignore test prep but the kids do great.
Anybody have any experience with Homeschooling?

Answer: I am still amazed every time I see people perpetuating the socialization myth. I have been through public school and Home Schooling and community college. I'm fifteen. In two years I'll be old enough to transfer to my four year college of choice to get a phd in neurolinguistics, four years ahead of schedule. I know people who have been home schooled, dual enrolled in high school and Home Schooling, and went through public school proper. I'll be honest, each one has its benefits and disadvantages, and it is really up to the individual child. My older brother did public school only and it worked excellently for him. My younger sister started Home Schooling almost from the beginning and couldn't be happier. When you're making the choice for your children, it really depends on what their personalities and interests are as to what means of education will work well for them. May I offer some advice?

If you home school them, enroll them in some extra-curricular activities. Allow them to choose based on interest, but it will get them out of the house and socializing and enjoying themselves with their "peers." (I use quotes because I think that what qualifies as a "peer" is much too subjective to be of any use, not that anyone asked me.)

If you put them through public school, make sure they know that Home Schooling may be an option. If they are happy in a public school, wonderful. But many children are not, and may not be aware that withdrawing is even an option.

Never forget that dual enrollment is an option. This is kind of best-of-both-worlds, because you get the "high school experience" and less pressure with superior education.

Look into state laws and local school board policies to evaluate your options. In some states, you can unschool, home school (online, eclectic, state-approved program), private school, public school, or any combination of the above. In some states there are much tighter regulations. Some districts are very cooperative of home schooled families, and some are not. Enrichment programs may be available to you, as well as partnership programs with local colleges. Let your children have the ultimate say in their own education. If they need to be with other children, "pure" Home Schooling may not be right for them. If they don't like the math book you've chosen, they might prefer a different approach. If piano wasn't a good fit, why not try kick boxing?

Your children can get a well-rounded education through a vast number of paths and many more will trailblaze through unadulterated forests on their own. Just don't lose sight of ultimate goals. Try to provide your children with the opportunity to socialize with their peers, whether those peers be college students for your wise-beyond-years six-year-old or children the same age or those interested in the same activities or adults to interact with or what have you. Let them make their own choices in course work when appropriate and available. Ask them what THEY want. Most of all, don't be ignorant of the stereotypes and misconceptions about home schoolers, but DO be aware that this is what they are, stereotypes and misconceptions. Very few of them are even remotely relevant or have any basis in fact, most come from people who have never tried Home Schooling, are based on outdated ideals and there are many more options available to the modern home schooled family. So if people look at you a little funnily, smile and let your children's manner and intelligence speak for itself.

Now that that's said... the biggest drawbacks of public school and Home Schooling:

Public school is a very stressful learning environment completely focused on test scores and empty achievements that in reality will help students very little beyond the scope of the high school. It is very hard to learn proper study habits and there isn't really any place in a public school that's conducive to learning beyond, say, fifth or sixth grade in a small school and third or fourth in a larger school (depending on the structure and social environments of the school). In many instances irrelevant and outdated board policies may take precedence to actual learning, and socializing may become more important than studying. However, many students succeed without the barest whisper of an issue, and if your child works will in a competitive environment or is motivated by achievement or is a people person, public schooling can be very successful. Just watch out for perfectionistic tendencies and under- or over-achievement.

Home Schooling's biggest drawback in my opinion is the maturity of home schooled students. From what I've observed, it's rather hit or miss. You need to make sure your kids are socializing with others, and you really need to watch emotional growth. While the teenage angst you see in any high school isn't pleasant or "beneficial," it may be healthy in that it promotes a kind of companionship between sufferers and may provoke self-exploration. You also have to crack down on them if they're repeat offenders with procrastination. When I first started Home Schooling I really had to confront myself and grow up, because YOU are the only one to whom you're accountable. It really opened my eyes to how irresponsible I was and I had to work hard to become self-motivated and reliable. Be there to help your children with this when they're young, but throwing them in the water as teenagers to learn time management on their own may really pay off. This more than any looming high school deadline prepared me for college and the workforce and the smooth transition into adulthood I'm anticipating.

But really, no matter what remember that your kids are still kids, and they're going to go through the normal stages of every other adolescent. The environments they frequent and the stimulation around them will influence this, and that's why there is such a big gap between the average attitude of a high school student and that of a home schooled one. Even without the pressure (or rather, suggestion or influence) to rebel from a tightly strung student body, home schooled kids are still going to reject their parents while they develop their own identities. It just comes about through different means and presents itself in different ways. It may even seem subtle or soft-spoken compared to the stories you hear on tv, but don't expect a perfect film family just because you home school or don't home school. How close your family is and how smart and how polite and how they interact with peers and adults and young children and whatever else is still up to environment and stimulation, just like every other child.

Part 1 - The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education Interview