Good question?
Tongue planted firmly in cheek, one of our readers pondered this question to me this AM:
If you are a home schooler, and there’s a blizzard, do you get a snow day? And, if you do, where do you go? The school?
Comments
As someone w/19 plus of public education I've come to understand that a large part of the plan is socialization. Not in the conspiracy sense but in the manner that allows us all to work with others, who are different, in a resonable way. What I fear is those who hold the most extreme or isolationist views hold their kids out and perpetuate the cycle.
Good luck, homeschoolers, I've known a few of you. Some do well, some do not, but I would NEVER put a child of mine through home schooling and then thrust them out on the world so unprepared for that which makes most of the world go round (getting along w/others who don't walk and chew your gum...).
My kids have gotten their opportunity to meet "the other kind of people" through 4-H, church groups, community softball and service clubs.
If you think home schooled kids are loosers and social misfits, I've certainly met worse that are products of the public schools. Really, the problem for either is not the school, it's more likely to be the parents and the home life. The same goes for teachers. Some public school teachers are really great, and then there's the other kind too.
As they have gotten older (18+) my kids have thanked me for home schooling them, for providing them the opportunity to develop their creative skills and not be pressured to always "fit in". As they grow up, I see that they are becoming wonderful problem solvers and innovators. No regrets. It takes all kinds.
YES and that is EXACTLY the problem. Professional educators—like you—who are more interested in the PLAN than in the student! Socialization that says that teaching our students how to put a condom on a banana is more important than knowing where Morocco is and who their Representatives are and how they got to be Representatives. More important than WHY we don’t have a one person one vote system—but we have a Republic. (Probably after 19 plus years in the public school system you don’t know yourself!)
Home schooled students do BETTER in absolutely EVERY respect than public OR private schooled students. Try looking at the research! Of course there is a small percentage that doesn’t have good language skills—it is a smaller percentage than what the schools turn out. Look at how many students cannot even READ when they finish public high school! (Not so many here is SD but MANY across the country.
Look at the dope heads and drunks that our public school system turns out. Look at the young men who are so addicted to sex that they drug, rape, and gang rape at state schools see http://www.uvavictimsofrape.com/. Look at the athletes that don’t get an education – but graduate anyway. Many times they have very poor socialization skills as well—thinking that they are the big jock and everyone should bow down.
Shame on you for thinking that the public school way is the “only RIGHT way.” How very intolerant of you!! You probably also think that ALL babies should be born in the hospital because it is “safer.” How ignorant!
It is all about CHOICES. You can choose to eat meat--I can choose vegtables. You can teach your children that two men and an abused child make a family. I can teach mine that NO ONE is born homosexual. You can VOTE to allow preverts (child molesters and murderers) to be rehabilitated and sent out to rape again. I can VOTE to have them executed.
(Research is on my side on all counts!)
The difference is--I believe that we all get to make choices. You believe that the public school system should teach the lies to EVERYONE's children--including mine!
You are intolerent (and most of the time, ignorant, because you refuse to look at the research!)
How are they with humility?
The oldest served his country with patriotism and valor and was honorably discharged as an E-6 Aircraft Electrician. He is gainfully employed in South Dakota, is a fine husband and an amazing father. He can build almost anything--metal, wood and building trades--because he worked side-by-side with his Dad for so many years. He had a 3.5 GPA at SDSU.
The second will finish at DSU this year with the first ever BS in Forensics, with minors in Physics and Chem. and a certificate in Computer Graphics. He is in the running for an internship at the Kennedy Space Center this fall. His wedding is in May.
The next is an Airframe/Power plant Aircraft Mechanic graduate from Lake Area Tech. He is married to a SD RN and they also live in SD, are gainfully employed and can build anything!
The next graduated with honors from the TM Honor Academy in Texas and toured as a Sound Technician all over the US and Canada with top Christian bands playing to stadiums with 20,000-40,000 teens. He is now employed in SD and has been invited to join the NAVY SEALS
The last one married several weeks ago and is a female honors math major at DSU. She did her Senior year of High School at Sioux Falls Lincoln, taking many honors classes and finishing with a ACT score of 29. Mrs. Halseth--the honors English teacher was very impressed with how well she was prepared--when she found out that she had been home schooled.
I am sure that there are humble public school teachers because some of them are my best friends. However, when I read comments like 7:11, a public school teacher who really has ABSOLUTLY NO IDEA about what home school is or why it works so well, and doesn't want to learn, isn't a bit curious why someone would choose it, but just wants to slam it without knowing ANYTHING. I so have to agree with 12:00--How ignorant.
You obviously did a find job of home schooling them, but from what I have seen of home schooled students, your children are the exceptions and not the rule.
The home schooled students that I know were ill prepared to go to college and lacked social skills.
Some parents are obviously very capable of home schooling their children. Other parents, sadly, are not.
Those dope heads, drunks, sex addicts, uneducated athletes, etc are part of the world that a homeshooled individual will encounter and must suddenly adapt to when released from the nest. Parents should be teaching their kids core values and the intangibles that schools don't teach and even supplementing their kids' education with things like books, newspapers, educational movies, magazines, etc. But students need to learn to make friends ("It's not what you know, it's who you know")and learn to interact well with all sorts of people. They don't get that with homeschooling.