Homeschooling!

[Killian Jones 2,654]

Go ahead ask me what a median sternotomy is.

 

Asking you to spout out knowledge on the internet is definitely not proof of being smarter then everyone else. Because it is so easy to go and look stuff up.

 

I'm not saying you are dumb, but it doesn't validate your argument on the internet.

 

The other thing is, knowing what something is can be impressive, but that doesn't make you smart. Being smart is so much more then that.

[Arashi Takamine 123]

I was just trying to make a point that a homeschooler can learn a lot more then his or her peers in normal school.

[Killian Jones 2,654]

I was just trying to make a point that a homeschooler can learn a lot more then his or her peers in normal school.

 

Can is not the same as will. There is no advantage purely gained by homeschooling. This can be achieved in schools with smaller classes that focus more on individuality and can pick up the pace more.

 

Also method schools can be an alternative that offer a different way of learning, doesn't make then better then regular schools, more often, they are worse.

[Wonka 39]

From what I got from reading this thread, this is what I can get:

Public schools give social skills, at the cost of lesser education.

Homeschooling gives you some of the best education, at the cost of social skills.

Private schools give you a good education and gives you some social skills, at the cost of paying thousands (if I'm correct) a year just to be in it.

 

For the most part, I find public and home schooling to be good. My only beef with any sort of education are private schools. I just feel that they're a rip off, considering that you can learn/make up any missed information or social skills from the other two options via sources such as the internet, or even going out once in a while.

[Rarity's Stallion 23]

Scientific studies have determined that approximately 75% of all home-schooled children in the United States belong to Evangelical Christian households. And from what I've seen in the documentary Jesus Camp as well as from my own personal experiences with home-schooled peers, there is a very real and unimagined problem with social adjustment.

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,892]

Scientific studies have determined that approximately 75% of all home-schooled children in the United States belong to Evangelical Christian households.

 

Lolwut, scientific studies? Is that really necessary to determine such a statistic, couldn't they have tried a survey or something?

[Killian Jones 2,654]

All surveys are done in a very unstatistical manner. Studies on people usually are very wrong.

[Warbalist 133]

To those of you who think that you do not get social interaction when home-schooled, think again. In home-schooling, unlike public or private school, you mostly deal with grown ups, and, I must say, it made it MUCH easier for me to deal with people in and after college (the "working world," if you will). How many PUBLIC high schoolers would do well in a chamber of commerce meeting? Home-schooling definitely taught me how to act in uncomfortable situations.

 

To be fair, I was never a sociable person when I was in elementary school (kindergarten through sixth grade), but finally meeting like-minded people in college changed that quite a bit...along with a lot of soul-searching.

 

And if you're still not convinced, meet my wife, the embodiment of the super-ADHD, Pinkie Pie spirit!

 

Here's the main point: if you grow up in a household of people who are afraid of everything and have no friends outside of a small circle, THAT is where you'll get terrible social skills. If you want to throw in some serious abuse and neglect in there, as well, go for it! I'm sure those are awesome for building great social skills as well. /sarcasm

 

TL,DR: It's all about with whom you spend most of your time. Crazy, paranoid, strict parents? Well-connected, tenacious, independent parents? Your peers and teachers? How many different types of people do you call friends?

 

And hey, it's awesome that this community has open discussions about this kind of stuff. I wish other people I've met were more open-minded.

[Electrobolt 2,069]

I saw this on my phone while I was out, and, having been homeschooled from Middle School on to graduating High School, I felt like chiming in on how I feel about homeschooling...

 

I don't like it because sure, I could have learned a great deal of stuff, but I was homeschooled through DVDs... Not real people... My parents were still working while I was homeschooled, so I was sent over to my grandparents' house with a DVD player, a remote, the DVDs and my schoolbooks... And considering how my grandfather usually goes out golfing and my grandmother isn't able to move much... It was pretty much just me, myself, and I... And the machines too... No live people to teach me, no live students to interact with, just machines...

 

And considering it was just me and the machines, I wasn't very social... In fact, I felt shut in... Seven years of being shut in... I never really managed to develop social skills, so yeah... I never really went out into the world much... I guess this is where the internet became part of my life: Being able to talk to anyone from anywhere in the world without any form of barriers preventing us from talking. The same could be said for online games, except you actually play with them. I guess this is why I'm big on gaming...

 

As for the reason my parents chose to homeschool me? They were afraid I'd be picked on or something, I forgot exactly why... But they made the decision for me to be homeschooled... Not me... I don't think they realized what they would be doing by homeschooling me rather than letting me attend a real school... I'm not sure, but I think they still don't realize it now... Sometimes, I've had thoughts about how different my life would have been had I gone to an actual school, rather than being homeschooled... Would I have been more social? Would I have gone out into the great, wide world? Would I have possibly found a special someone, even...? I don't know the answers, but... I still wonder...

 

Well, I guess I could look on the bright side of things: I may not have found out about MLP and this forum had I not been homeschooled

 

Ok, so I found out why I was homeschooled in the first place... Found out not too long ago, during dinner actually. I don't recall how the school topic started up but my mother said that the nearest middle school was a distance away, farther than the Elementary and High schools near me... But even then, why keep me homeschooled, rather than let me go into an actual high school???

Edited March 12, 2012 by Electrobolt

[Key Gear 6,663]

Home School

• No social interactions (parents don't count)
• No science whatsoever
• Leftovers

That one year of prep school was absolute hell, so I'm gonna pick public.

 

What you have just described is the about the worst possible scenario that you could ever ger in a homeschooling environment.

 

In reality, the benefits and costs of homeschooling depends heavily on the parents that are doing the homeschooling. Some parents use the DVD-based curriculum, and this definitely robs their children of much needed interaction with others. Some parents combine outside classes with textbooks and build an experience for their kids that mirrors a private-school environment. Some parents even homeschool their kids by just having a well-qualified private instructor.

 

There are tradeoffs that are involved with every method that a parent can use to homeschool their kids. The one tradeoff that everyone usually highlights is the tradeoff in social interaction. Over time, I have heard several people bring up the argument of a tradeoff in the sciences as well. I have actually never heard complaints about the food until now though.

 

As I said earlier, there is really no one way to homeschool and every method has its negatives, so I can only speak from my own experience. I was homeschooled from pre-kindergarten up through graduating high school. I had plenty of social interaction because my parent took the time to find classes outside of the home that she could put me in. I was able to take some AP science courses in this way. The food was good - nice homecooked southern meals. No leftovers because of how many siblings I have.

 

I was homeschooled from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. I did well in both college and graduate school. I have had zero problems with social interaction (well, I am an introvert, but I think that is just my personality). I am not saying that my experience was typical - I was very fortunate to have the good experience that I had. However, I am saying that you should not hold negative opinions of homeschooling based on a few sources.

 

Ultimately, I think that homeschooling is much like other types of schooling - it depends on the school. I also think that it is important to not spend too much time worrying about which type of schooling is better or what leads to better grades. Life goes on after school ends. If all goes well, then life goes on for quite a bit of time after your schooling years end. Life is a marathon and not a sprint. It is important to keep these things in perspective.

[Mr. Wobbels 664]

What you have just described is the about the worst possible scenario that you could ever ger in a homeschooling environment.

 

In reality, the benefits and costs of homeschooling depends heavily on the parents that are doing the homeschooling. Some parents use the DVD-based curriculum, and this definitely robs their children of much needed interaction with others. Some parents combine outside classes with textbooks and build an experience for their kids that mirrors a private-school environment. Some parents even homeschool their kids by just having a well-qualified private instructor.

 

There are tradeoffs that are involved with every method that a parent can use to homeschool their kids. The one tradeoff that everyone usually highlights is the tradeoff in social interaction. Over time, I have heard several people bring up the argument of a tradeoff in the sciences as well. I have actually never heard complaints about the food until now though.

 

As I said earlier, there is really no one way to homeschool and every method has its negatives, so I can only speak from my own experience. I was homeschooled from pre-kindergarten up through graduating high school. I had plenty of social interaction because my parent took the time to find classes outside of the home that she could put me in. I was able to take some AP science courses in this way. The food was good - nice homecooked southern meals. No leftovers because of how many siblings I have.

 

I was homeschooled from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. I did well in both college and graduate school. I have had zero problems with social interaction (well, I am an introvert, but I think that is just my personality). I am not saying that my experience was typical - I was very fortunate to have the good experience that I had. However, I am saying that you should not hold negative opinions of homeschooling based on a few sources.

 

Ultimately, I think that homeschooling is much like other types of schooling - it depends on the school. I also think that it is important to not spend too much time worrying about which type of schooling is better or what leads to better grades. Life goes on after school ends. If all goes well, then life goes on for quite a bit of time after your schooling years end. Life is a marathon and not a sprint. It is important to keep these things in perspective.

 

Yeah, it's just that whenever I hear "homeschooling" I think of r/atheism stories. I also think that teachers are much more capable of dealing with the majority of questions that I would need answered.

[Key Gear 6,663]

Yeah, it's just that whenever I hear "homeschooling" I think of r/atheism stories. I also think that teachers are much more capable of dealing with the majority of questions that I would need answered.

 

I agree with you. I, personally, think that it is a terrible thing when homeschooling is used by parents to isolate their children because they are so afraid of their children not following in their same path. Personally, I am very happy that I was given free reign to find my own way in life - without judgement.

 

As for your second point. It depends heavily on the parent and the situation. As I said earlier, I admit that I was fortunate. My parent chose to homeschool me because the school system had deemed me to be a "slow learner". My parent believed that the school system was wrong and she refused to accept their diagnoses. The school system was wrong. I was not a slow learner.

 

This worked out well for me because my parent was very well qualified and had more education and life experience than most teachers did. Teachers are just people. They have certifications, training, credentials, and experience much like everybody else. I respect teachers, but they are hardly the undisputed masters of their fields.

[Mr. Wobbels 664]

I agree with you. I, personally, think that it is a terrible thing when homeschooling is used by parents to isolate their children because they are so afraid of their children not following in their same path. Personally, I am very happy that I was given free reign to find my own way in life - without judgement.

 

As for your second point. It depends heavily on the parent and the situation. As I said earlier, I admit that I was fortunate. My parent chose to homeschool me because the school system had deemed me to be a "slow learner". My parent believed that the school system was wrong and she refused to accept their diagnoses. The school system was wrong. I was not a slow learner.

 

This worked out well for me because my parent was very well qualified and had more education and life experience than most teachers did. Teachers are just people. They have certifications, training, credentials, and experience much like everybody else. I respect teachers, but they are hardly the undisputed masters of their fields.

 

I don't think that schools should diagnose kids; that's a doctor's job. Also, the school districts in my area are extremely good, so the teachers are very good at what they do. No, they aren't masters, but they do know how to teach kids and usually have a good understanding of the material. Some of my teachers, in fact, are probably over qualified. For instance, my chem teacher has a degree in chemical engineering as well as teaching.

[Starswirl the Trixie 975]

There are two groups of kids that are homeschooled.

*Those with ultra-religious parents who don't want their children exposed to logic and reason.

*Those who are very intelligent and come from secular families who want to give their children a better education.

 

Remember, the US education system sucks, making this second group somewhat large. Even Marcus Aurelius, on the first page of his "Meditations", thanked his uncle for teaching him "not to frequent public schools".

[Key Gear 6,663]

I don't think that schools should diagnose kids; that's a doctor's job. Also, the school districts in my area are extremely good, so the teachers are very good at what they do. No, they aren't masters, but they do know how to teach kids and usually have a good understanding of the material. Some of my teachers, in fact, are probably over qualified. For instance, my chem teacher has a degree in chemical engineering as well as teaching.

 

I do not think that a doctor's job should be to diagnose kids either. In my case, the doctor's were on the schools side and they wanted me to receive medication. I think that the primary authority in the decision making process for a child's future should probably be the child's parent. While officials should step in when necessary to ensure a child's well-being, I fear that I would not like a world where doctors, teachers, and other officials have supreme authority over a child's future.

 

I should clarify just one thing. I do not think nor have I intended to imply that all teachers are bad and that all schools are terrible. In fact, I believe the total opposite. I am a firm supporter of all forms of education, and it honestly makes me very happy to hear that your teachers are so well qualified and that your school district is so good. It is one of my dreams in life to be able to bring this type of experience to every child around the world.

 

I understand that you may strongly dislike homeschooling, and I completely respect your right to feel this way. My only purpose in posting in this thread is to say that there is more than one type of homeschooling and it is important to consider this when you form an opinion one way or another.

[Mr. Wobbels 664]

I do not think that a doctor's job should be to diagnose kids either.

 

I guess I just tend to trust doctors more since my family is full of them.

[Key Gear 6,663]

I guess I just tend to trust doctors more since my family is full of them.

 

Dude, you have a very, very nice family, and you are extremely fortunate.....

 

Hey, do you wanna trade???

 

Errr.... I'm just kidding.

[Strafe 594]

Regular schooling is miles better because it preps you for all the assholes you're going to have to put up with in life (teachers, other students etc.) plus you can join a school's sport team and other activities. Basically Going to school with other kids is more fun and keeps you open minded, as for homeschoolers...well I don't see any advantage to it, although I could be wrong.

[Warbalist 133]

I saw this on my phone while I was out, and, having been homeschooled from Middle School on to graduating High School, I felt like chiming in on how I feel about homeschooling...

 

I don't like it because sure, I could have learned a great deal of stuff, but I was homeschooled through DVDs... Not real people... My parents were still working while I was homeschooled, so I was sent over to my grandparents' house with a DVD player, a remote, the DVDs and my schoolbooks... And considering how my grandfather usually goes out golfing and my grandmother isn't able to move much... It was pretty much just me, myself, and I... And the machines too... No live people to teach me, no live students to interact with, just machines...

 

And considering it was just me and the machines, I wasn't very social... In fact, I felt shut in... Seven years of being shut in... I never really managed to develop social skills, so yeah... I never really went out into the world much... I guess this is where the internet became part of my life: Being able to talk to anyone from anywhere in the world without any form of barriers preventing us from talking. The same could be said for online games, except you actually play with them. I guess this is why I'm big on gaming...

 

As for the reason my parents chose to homeschool me? They were afraid I'd be picked on or something, I forgot exactly why... But they made the decision for me to be homeschooled... Not me... I don't think they realized what they would be doing by homeschooling me rather than letting me attend a real school... I'm not sure, but I think they still don't realize it now... Sometimes, I've had thoughts about how different my life would have been had I gone to an actual school, rather than being homeschooled... Would I have been more social? Would I have gone out into the great, wide world? Would I have possibly found a special someone, even...? I don't know the answers, but... I still wonder...

 

Well, I guess I could look on the bright side of things: I may not have found out about MLP and this forum had I not been homeschooled

 

Ok, so I found out why I was homeschooled in the first place... Found out not too long ago, during dinner actually. I don't recall how the school topic started up but my mother said that the nearest middle school was a distance away, farther than the Elementary and High schools near me... But even then, why keep me homeschooled, rather than let me go into an actual high school???

 

Yikes! I've never even HEARD of anything like this before. Not even in the crazy/über-religious homes. Are you going/have you been to college? I trust that would be a better experience for you, yeesh!

 

There are two groups of kids that are homeschooled.

*Those with ultra-religious parents who don't want their children exposed to logic and reason.

*Those who are very intelligent and come from secular families who want to give their children a better education.

 

Remember, the US education system sucks, making this second group somewhat large. Even Marcus Aurelius, on the first page of his "Meditations", thanked his uncle for teaching him "not to frequent public schools".

 

My family, apparently didn't get the memo of those generalizations! http://mlpforums.com/public/style_emoticons/default/dry.png

 

But you are totally right in saying the education system here sucks. The entire system is centered around not working together for a common goal (no cheating, majority of assignments are solitary), doing large amounts of useless homework and an us vs. them attitude (30 people vs. one, much older person with absolute authority, who might not always inspire a feeling of trust in the students). I won't blame the teachers, though; most of them are spectacular. The curriculum and school boards, on the other hand...what a joke!

 

Hopefully we, as a country, can give the system an overhaul in the future.

[Electrobolt 2,069]

Yikes! I've never even HEARD of anything like this before. Not even in the crazy/über-religious homes. Are you going/have you been to college? I trust that would be a better experience for you, yeesh!

 

I'm not going to college yet... I have to first pass some sort of test to be able to get into a technical college, since I wanna be a game designer... But right now, yeah... Still living with my parents... :/

[Warbalist 133]

Regular schooling is miles better because it preps you for all the assholes you're going to have to put up with in life (teachers, other students etc.) plus you can join a school's sport team and other activities. Basically Going to school with other kids is more fun and keeps you open minded, as for homeschoolers...well I don't see any advantage to it, although I could be wrong.

 

I'm not sure if anything can prepare you for the censored the government and unscrupulous business people will put you through.

 

This entire topic may soon morph into a parenting topic, considering the amount of issues brought up could be cured with good parenting.

 

I'm not going to college yet... I have to first pass some sort of test to be able to get into a technical college, since I wanna be a game designer... But right now, yeah... Still living with my parents... :/

 

You'll get through it; just keep slogging away!

 

Game designer, awesome. Some of my favorite people are game designers. That's a pretty challenging, but rewarding field that is like total magic to me (I have no idea how they make cool things go). Make some good games for us to play, and if you need music, hit me up! I love writing for games.

[Electrobolt 2,069]

You'll get through it; just keep slogging away!

 

Game designer, awesome. Some of my favorite people are game designers. That's a pretty challenging, but rewarding field that is like total magic to me (I have no idea how they make cool things go). Make some good games for us to play, and if you need music, hit me up! I love writing for games.

 

Hahah, sure thing! I feel that, besides the gameplay, music is a big component of video games! Video game music is one of my favorite kinds of music! Well, next to pony music of course XD

[Strafe 594]

I'm not sure if anything can prepare you for the censored the government and unscrupulous business people will put you through.

 

No, nothing will, but at least you will be somewhat familiar on how people truly are.

[Warbalist 133]

No, nothing will, but at least you will be somewhat familiar on how people truly are.

 

I dunno; most people I meet are awesome, now that I don't live in a certain central California ghetto... http://mlpforums.com/public/style_emoticons/default/dry.png Moving to So-Cal = one of the best decisions ever, no matter how broke it's made me!

[Lucky Bolt 35,058]

I was homeschooled throughout all 12 grades and was (for the most part) a straight A student, of course I wouldn’t know what public school is like but I’ve heard and seen enough about it I consider myself lucky to have been homeschooled.