Comments on: Home schooling becoming more viable

By: tony and denise

tony and denise — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:03:37 +0000

I homeschool. My children are thriving. I have one that has great potential but has been bullied into “f’s” and one that is gifted the schools did not have time for them. My children are not cookie cutter kids. Now both children are making A’s. They test weekly at a center. They love the freedom of learning at their own pace. Besides my husband and I are great teachers. Oh we do not teach the religion of Evolution. Have a great day.

By: Henry Cate

Henry Cate — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:24:15 +0000

“In my experience, children who are home-schooled most of their lives miss out on a great deal of socializing that’s fundamental for succeeding in ‘the real world.’”

I disagree with Mike. Public schools provide bad socialization. Children are exposed to smoking, drinking and drugs before they are ready to make an informed decision. They are bullied and taught to run in gangs. They learn how to get along rather than do what is right. Like trapped rats in a cage they attack each other socially and physically. This is NOT good socialization.

Good socialization is about teaching children social behavior. Homeschooling does a much better job. Typically homeschooling provides an environment where children are exposed to a wide range of ages. How many adults work with people exactly their own age??? When children misbehave parents correct them and teach them appropriate behavior. Studies have shown that homeschooled children are better socialized than children who grow up in the Lord of the Flies public schools we have today.

By: TammyT

TammyT — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 20:19:59 +0000

I agree with you on the “no child gets ahead” aspect of NCLB.

I also believe that all kids are gifted in one way or another. All people are. Homeschooling allows each child to bring out their own uniqueness and gifts, no matter what they are.

There’s a lot more to it of course. But that’s definitely one of the wonderful benefits. Homeschooling puts a lot more kids in the “gifted” category, without the baggage that comes with the label.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:10:23 +0000

Mike, I share your concern about socializing.

There are more ways for home schoolers to interact with others today than even a decade ago. When we first moved to Huntsville my wife worked a few hours at a home school “center” as a guest lecturer. It was a group that brought together home schooled children for topical lectures on certain subject matter. It was just too long of a drive for my wife to keep that up.

The local YMCA also has special home school PE classes that not only get the kids to exercise, but also enables them to meet others.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:58:32 +0000

Most of the people I know of in the River Region area (the area around Montgomery) who home school their children cite two compelling reasons for doing so. They’re convinced they can provide them with a better education than the local public schools would, and the lack of discipline in public schools leads to unsafe situations for their children.

By: Birmingham Mike

Birmingham Mike — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:55:38 +0000

In my experience, children who are home-schooled most of their lives miss out on a great deal of socializing that’s fundamental for succeeding in “the real world.” Of course, that point may become moot if these home school groups grow so large they practically become a kind of private school.

God forbid I should ever procreate, but if I found myself responsible for the education of a child, I still think I’d send him or her to public school. Then I could just correct all their mistakes over dinner.