Totally agree. And with homeschooling…my kids won’t be “wasting years of their life in school”! There’s a lot more time available with homeschooling - so they’ll also be enjoying nature, serving others in the community, learning how to run a household, picking up extra hobbies etc. I don’t consider begining a career as the start of your life!
I found a site that tries to investigate the negative side of homeschooling. Here are some of their thoughts:
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How does one provide a good range of subjects for a homeschooled child, a real curriculum? How does one teach the kind of science subjects that require a reasonably well equipped and properly maintained laboratory?
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How can one (or two) parents teach every from World History and Spanish to maths and physics? (Teaching reading and writing is usually easier).
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The child is already used to learning from others members of the family. At various stages in their lives, he or she will have to learn the art of adapting to the teaching styles of others. Is this something developed at school?
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What is the real cost of homeschooling, making proper allowance for earnings foregone by the parent(s)? This must be included in any rigorous costing.
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If a parent gives up a job or a career in order to homeschool, may he or she later feel resentful?
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On the issue of socialization, we all heartily dislike bullies, arrogant, self-important people (whether kids or adults), BUT we also need how to learn how to deal with them. We need to experience some of the rough and tumble of life; we need to be streetwise to the extent of learning how to spot trouble and avoid it before it hits us.
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We need to have a feeling for the demands of really high achievement across a range of areas, for competing and so on.
I’d expect home schooled kids to lead a sheltered life and not be very good at coping with the rougher side of everyday life … I also wonder how they would handle people they disagree with, people with a fundamentally different outlook on key matters, or would they just avoid those who think differently?
Here is comments from a child that was home schooled:
I am a previous homeschooler and I can identify several negative aspects of homeschooling. Looking back on my homeschool years, I have now come to realize that I was depressed during the majority of it. I was homeschooled with two of my other sisters, and my older sister also suffered from depression. I never told anyone that anything was wrong growing up, because I didn’t identify with people outside of my house well and just hid everything inside that I was feeling. I knew that how I was feeling was not right, yet just accepted it.
I remember being excited about homeschooling at the beginning of every year with the new books and everything, but gradually, life just became dull. I mean, lets face it, I got up, got ready, then studied every day. By the time I reached 3rd grade, I basically read the book then followed the directions. When I got to be in 6th and 7th grade, I was so depressed that I would just go into the basement and sleep.
Anyway, this is coming from a previous homeschooler and it is true. Homeschooling is not perfect. Just like any community that is in the minority, they will do anything to protect themselves, even lie. Don’t let the Utopian outlook of homeschooling fool you. For the social and extroverted child, homeschooling is awful.
I could go on. I guess I will. I have home school friends that suffer as well. They might not admit it, but I know they do. I will talk about one in particular. She came from a large family and was the oldest child. Instead of learning very much, she spent the majority of the day babysitting her brothers and sisters. I know there is value in these skills, yet it did not provide her with a bright outlook on her future. It was like she became a mother as soon as she was old enough to help out.
Even more so, I think it strains family relationships. You are with your brother’s and sister’s all day long and of course you will fight more than usual. You have no life outside of the house, nothing to look forward to other than TV and video games. Going to swim class twice a week is not nearly the same as being with friends all day.
Finally, I realize that what I lived for every day were the stories I invented in my mind. Since I had no life, I created a life in my mind. It is completely strange for me to not live there anymore, but I am gradually learning to tell people my problems and accept the love they give me. I used to be terrified of people, but not anymore. So, now if I have a bad day, I remember the life I used to live, and practically nothing seems bad compared to that. Even when life is terrible, it is so much better to actually be living it then not.
another note Just thought I’d add something to this. I went to school and not all public school situations are great either. I went to a small public school and was picked on. I didn’t have many friends. Probably the best time I had was in the gifted program. I suffered from depression. The teachers were not the best and a lot of times added to the problem. I left school right before I turned 16. I got my GED and went to college. I never regretted my decision. I think my situation in school led me to feel inferior of others and I had no self confidence. I don’t necessarily think you cannot have a good life and live everyday to its fullest if you home school. I think it depends on the situation, the parents, and the children involved. Sometimes the grass on the other side is not always greener. Thanks, Amanda
Here is another site with drawbacks of home schooling:
[b]Inhibition of Social Skills[/b]
- One of the biggest criticisms of homeschooling is that children do not have adequate opportunities to engage socially with their peers. This problem is compounded when home schooled children are denied access to sports activities, bands, dances and other traditional schooling opportunities.
Resistance From Children - Effective homeschooling can be very difficult when children prefer to be in traditional classrooms with their peers. Building support and enthusiasm in children for the homeschooling process is critical.
Inadequate Instruction - It is difficult for most homeschooling parents to function as experts in every subject area. If the parent does not have the appropriate background knowledge for content areas, or is unversed in basic pedagogy and instructional methods, the quality of the child’s education may suffer.
Cost of Supplies - The cost of curricular packages can range from $400 to $1,000 per year. The parent must also absorb the cost of basic supplies that are typically provided by school systems, such as a computer, internet access, printer, ink, photocopier, paper, writing utensils, dry erase boards, markers and more.
Investment of Time - Homeschooling parents must invest a great deal of personal time in order to plan, prepare, implement and assess quality lessons for their children. This process typically requires homeschooling parents to sacrifice their own careers and limit work outside the home.
Is that the best that they could do? Pathetic.
You buy some equipment (we already have); for more advanced & expensive stuff, in high school, you use the facilities at the local high school or college. Fortunately, this is often now possible.
2. How can one (or two) parents teach every from World History and Spanish to maths and physics? (Teaching reading and writing is usually easier).That the person asks this question shows just how little the person knows about home schooling. One does not "teach" all those subjects. One facilitates a child's learning, which does not require expertise. When the child really does need extra help from an expert, you can get it from tutors and in the occasional class. You don’t have to go to school to get such help.
3. The child is already used to learning from others members of the family. At various stages in their lives, he or she will have to learn the art of adapting to the teaching styles of others. Is this something developed at school?I don't even see what the problem is. Is the claim that being taught by just a handful of people will make it harder for a person to learn from other people later on? Why think that?
4. What is the *real* cost of homeschooling, making proper allowance for earnings foregone by the parent(s)? This must be included in any rigorous costing.Yes, of course. The education of a child requires a sacrifice, especially if the mother is not a stay-at-home-mom (mothers are usually the home schooling teachers, although in my family, I do more than my wife does).
5. If a parent gives up a job or a career in order to homeschool, may he or she later feel resentful?Oh, I see. It's all about the parent, then. Yes, if you are the sort of pathetically selfish person for whom it's all about him or her, for whom children are not an essential part of the meaning of life but more like an inconvenience, then yes: he or she may feel resentful. But then, such people feel resentful of children, period, and they probably shouldn't be having them in the first place.
6. On the issue of socialization, we all heartily dislike bullies, arrogant, self-important people (whether kids or adults), BUT we also need how to learn how to deal with them. We need to experience some of the rough and tumble of life; we need to be streetwise to the extent of learning how to spot trouble and avoid it before it hits us.One of the things often said in the context of the socialization of homeschooled children is that they are self-confident and natural leaders of groups. No doubt there are many exceptions, but as a general rule, this makes sense. From experience, I can tell you that having to deal regularly with bullies can make a child meek in social situations. Living without bullies is more apt to preserve the child's conviction that such behavior [i]is not done[/i] and is [i]obviously wrong[/i] and [i]cannot be tolerated.[/i]
Also, let’s not mix up different issues. Tell me how going to a suburban school makes us “streetwise.” Am I streetwise? I don’t know. Maybe not. Should I be? Must I? I doubt it.
7. We need to have a feeling for the demands of really high achievement across a range of areas, for competing and so on.Why? Because a child who is not in the pressure-cooker situations of industrialized schools will not be able to compete later on? Nonsense. Just look at the test scores and college successes of homeschooled kids.
This only makes me more convinced that society’s resistance to home schooling is based in ignorance rather than any principled stance.
CNN reported yesterday that there will be all kinds of cuts in education. Thousands of teachers will be laid off. Summer school will be discontinued. Classrooms will have more students with less materials. That doesn’t sound good for those depending on public school to educate their children.
Yes, so you’re doing a necessary public service by removing your children from public school, too. lol