I'm 17 and I'd say no because every home schooled kid I have known seems awkward and does not know how to socialize in general. I know they have meetings with other homeschooled kids, but it just isn't the same.

 

In my previous post, I forgot to mention the fact that I, like every other outback kid, was home schooled. It did me no harm as far as mixing with others was concerned, I am still very friendly, and overly companionable, so the gripe I hear about home schooling damaging a child's relationship with the real world has never gone down well with me.

Theo

 

I'm around a home schooler every work day. I reserve comment because I was one of those dummies that went to public school. Both of my kids went the same route. They aren't ruling the world but they aren't worried about the next paycheck either. There are some things that are better learned by experience that taught and which ever way you go you aren't going to make a diamond out of a rock. At least that's they way they taught in public school.

 

I have several points (or at least statements) I'd like to make on this subject.

My background: I'm 17 years old and I attend a public high school in a rural county in North Carolina. I am a marshal (7th in the Junior class), I'm in the National Honor Society (not that it means much anymore), the National Vocational/Technical Honor Society (borderline) , the FFA (and ag classes where I have learned the most from in school), and the Boy Scouts of America where I am waiting on my Eagle Scout paperwork to come back from the national office for me to be certified as an Eagle Scout.
The school I go to is not perfect, it doesn't get much money to use, and what we do have is in rough shape.

My View: Being in the Boy Scouts, I have been exposed to a lot of homeschoolers, and I do notice a BIG difference between me (and others in public school) and them. Most of them did not have a personality, with the exception of one, who was very obnoxious. The main reason for them going to homeschool was their parents seeing the lack of religion in school and being afraid that public school would corrupt them. The ones I knew were quiet, unmotivated, and deceptive. There were 2 brothers in the troop last year, both homeschooled, their mother was the teacher, one was 16, a Star Scout and all at once, he started "earning" all the Eagle badges at once, which is impossible, due to requirements that require several months to complete. The younger brother who was 11, started earning the ranks at a breakneck pace. Come to find out, their mother had done all the reports and had signed them off on them, completely ignoring the time requirements. Later on, I found out why they were homeschooled, both went to public school for a while, but they were failing because their mother was doing the homework and reports for them. Then they "transfer" in to homeschool, and all of a sudden are "honor" students, kinda strange, huh? About 2 weeks after we discovered their "method", the Scoutmaster had a very "enlightening" talk with their mother, and they promptly transferred to a cheater-friendly troop.

Public School is not very bad (here, anyway), and a lot of the problems big schools have is not present at my school. Most of the issues at school are drinking, which in all of the cases, the alcohol was brought in from home. The other problem is people running their mouth behind others' backs, causing catfights and mild fist-fights.

 

I have been in public school, private school, and homeschooled. Each has advantages and disadvantages. I do not think it's a good idea to homeschool grades k-12. I think that homeschooling offers alot that is superior to public or even private school though. It depends on the situation. If you have friends from public school and are socially ept, homeschooling offers the advantages of more efficient work (just straight learning, no class switching, note-passing, teacher tangents, or other wastes of time, I could finish by lunch with more to show than the 7 hours of regular school), more talored teachings (Need more work in math? Suck at reading? Looking into a particular trade?), and more time to get a job and work up enough money to buy a Bronco even! For many kids it is clearly a better form of education as long as they have the social skills. Yes, there are those kids who haven't seen the real world, and don't know what to do when they are introduced to it. These overly sheltered types generally freak out in college or whenever they are introduced to things like "women" or "alcohol". While those who did a little hell-raising and learned the lessons that come with their actions are ready to take on the world. I would say that done properly, a well-rounded homeschooler gets an education surpassing most, and also can be as or even more socially sharp than others. There are some religious weirdos who give homeschooling a bad name, but MANY have found great success in it, on all levels. It's not just a religious thing. Many believe in God (like me), but also know what the world is like and understand how to handle life's ups and downs. Other forms of schooling have their pros too, not to forget. Anyway, as someone who has been in all three forms of schooling, I say homeschooling definately has a place in this country.

 

Also, homeschoolers are accountable to the government to prove they are legit. In MD you have to been a member of an umbrella group. In NJ you have to show the local public school board your books. Many do it as an independent study type thing. Sometimes homeschooling is more like self-teaching. Some really excel that way. Not to say that regular schools don't produce good students, just that for some it is ultimately well-suited.

 

I was homeschooled from the 6th grade right up through highschool, got my GED, I never had a problem socializing, neither do any of my siblings, some people are just shy, so these kids that you think got "left out" because they were homeschooled were not, they are just really shy. I have met many public schooled people like this. Also saying that they have no personality, it a complete farse. Homeschoolers are not SHELTERED! We go out, I have MANY friends that only wish they had the book smarts I do, I can fix anything electronic ot mechanical, I can PASS most tests in half the time that a "normal" person can.... Oh and on the "normal" note, who the hell defines normal anyway? I work with a bunch of public schooled teenagers, I can tell you this, the public schools around aren't helping these kids get a grip on the REAL WORLD. They get paid 6.15 an hour, and get ****** off when the have to do something instead of just stand around.

 

Here a thought,

My brother's and I have been homeschooled most of our lives and we seem to have turned out fine. One attends Yale Law School, another MIT, and I UGA. We contribute all this to my Mother who has a Masters in Education from Mercer. My brothers both scored over 1500 out of 1600 on the SAT and one scored 800 out of 800 on his SATII math. Not all homeschoolers are gutless people that are afriad to go out and brace the real world. Now that we are out of high school we look back and all agree we would have it no other way but to be homeschooled.

BTW- I went to both Public and Private schools

Later,
jscoggins18

 

I'm NOT posting this to get anyone riled up. I personally think school should be optional after about the 5th grade. I dropped out of school the day after my 17th birthday. I think I was in the tenth grade. I started "treading water" in about the sixth. Just doing enough to pass and move on. Day after my 17th birthday I joined the Coast Guard. I could read and write and do basic addition and subtraction. That was all I needed. I spent the next 22 years traveling everywhere a Coastie could go. I was a Electricians Mate and learned actual usable skills. I busted my ***, made Senior Chief in 20 years retired at 22. I don't know nothin about science, physics, or advanced math but tell me to rebuild a Westinghouse main propulsion motor and I'm on it like white on rice. Kids don't need to stuff their heads with BS. I learned geography by going to the places on that globe. I learned literature by reading every book I could when the doldrums set in at sea. I didn't learn history, I made it. Right now I got double doctorates. One is from the School of Hard Knocks, the other is from the S*it Happens School of Life.

 

My Kid joined the USCG in 1986 and at that time they wouldn't take someone w/o a diploma. Has it changed? I know they are undermanned.

 

A more accurate term than public school is "government school."

"A people whose education is controlled by the state will inevitably drift toward totalitarian control."
---Earle Fox, Emmaus Ministries

Why do we accept a soviet-style welfare school system in this country? Why not a means-test as in other welfare payments so that only the truly needy are allowed into the government schools.

 

Wow, I'll say I have yet to homeschool my kids, only because I live in a tiny school district (made of three small towns). I have 2 in elementary school right now, and am in the process of finishing my bachelors to be a teacher (math/physics double major). However as they get to middle school I wont hesitate to homeschool them if it seems I should. The only problem that I've had is that my son told me he'd miss band. I told him he'd still get lessons and we'd find some other kids his age for him to practice with. And they agreed that would be fine with them. they know they still get to play with their friends after school. They seem to like the idea anymore.

 

Any child, who is emotionally immature when finishing high school regardless of public or home schooled, is subject to peer pressure and becoming involved in drugs and other socially deviate forms of behavior and as such will be "led" instead of setting their own course in Life.(2) If the the kids in public school are as Uneducated as several Posts had indicated , then they will never be able to home school their own offspring by definition. (3) Above average kids, and the extremely gifted will ALWAYS get along in society because they will cultivate their intelligence in some specific technicial area that will facilitate them having a vocation\job whereas the average or below average person with NO education will always be a drag on society as they are much more prone to ascend into a downward spiral and end up in prision. fd

 

Here is a real clincher for you people, who think you need a degree to teach your kids. The only reason that the government controlled schools require a degree is so that they know that the teacher is going to be able to teach the BS they (the govt) wants taught and not think twice about it. Look at the facts, the k-12 years at PS fill the kids with LIBERAL BS, I do better on almost all tests than any public schooled brat, and I only went as as far as the 11th grade before I graduated, I got into the school I wanted, and passed their entrance exam with flying colors. You don't need a degree to teach your kids, just brush up on the math, science, history or whatever you need to to help them out, if you use a correspondence school you really just give them the books and a date they have to be sent in. They will get a diploma in the mail when the last of the 12th grade books are done, and go into college with more knowledge than most of the professors.... You learn more as a child so why lock them up in a dirty building just to brainwash them? Did you know that the founding fathers of the country were all homeschooled.......... Neat fact huh. Don't forget the great cable educational channels either... please forgive my spelling It;s still early and my brain absolutely will not function.....

 

pfogle , your leaving out the motivational factor here. Uneducated kids , who are social rejects and didn't SEE the value and necessity of an education and grow into adults with the same attitude and then become parents will impart those "lack of values" too their Offspring. Regardless of IQ , if they are blinded by their own ignorance that is\was inculcated INTO them by their parents they probably will never change and then your into a cycle of ignorance that continually repeats itself over and over. By definition anybody that Homeschools their children DON't fit the type of parents that i am refering too in the above example. fd