Home-schooled

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erwos

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2005
4,778
0
76
Originally posted by: alkemyst
most home schooled kids do do well academically, but the lose out on the best jobs due to simply lacking basic social skills.

What most miss though is especially K-12 about 90% of your education is how to socialize.
That's funny - the one thing I can tell you I hated the most about my time in public school (1-6) was the way people "socialized" with me - generally mocking you for having hobbies, beliefs, or whatever that aren't completely enshrined in mass popular culture. And I went to a fairly upper-crust public school, too.

I didn't really like most of my private school (7-12) classmates, either, but that's because they were clic-ish, not because they were little pop culture worshippers. I went to a public college, and I'd say that was my favorite period of schooling (albeit the one I did worst in academically, ah well).

Most of the home schooled kids (as in, currently being home-schooled) I've met are a little weird, but they're also pretty sharp. I think some people here aren't giving proper consideration to modern home schooling techniques, which actually do give some importance on socializing with other kids, that sort of thing. If anything, home schooled kids don't understand how to interact with other kids, but excel at doing so with adults - so I very much disagree with your premise that home schooled kids lack basic social skills.
 

Linflas

Lifer
Jan 30, 2001
15,395
78
91
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
I was homeschooled for 1st grade, public 2nd through 5th, home for two years (6-8) and then full time college.

It worked out OK.

The one thing I really regret is that I never really learned to study, but it's not like public schools would have been any better. At least I wasn't continuously bored like I would have been in a public middle/high school.

Viper GTS

That was my biggest obstacle to overcome when I went to University and I honestly still don't know how to do it effectively for a subject that does not interest me. I went through the public school system for 1-12 and was unfortunate enough to hit my high school years in the early 70's when they suddenly shifted from traditional methods to all sorts of experimental ideas none of which included effective study habits or proper research methods. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I received a very good education in grades 1-7.
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
how does one make friends doing home school? It's all part of the growing up experience.
 

knawlejj

Senior member
Dec 2, 2007
445
0
0
Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555
Originally posted by: knawlejj
Public all the way through HS, then for some reason I decided to go to a catholic oriented private college....

You made a ba---d move! :p

I wonder how well the homeschooled/private-schooled kids who think they are smart stack up against the normal. :D From the sounds of it, a lot of these kids who get into Yale have very wealthy parents. Would you let your child stay home if you lived in the ghetto and had to work your ass off with min wage and let them try to further their education? PROBABLY NOT... Public school is daycare+education. I would have probably gotten kidnapped and raped where I lived when I was 7-10 if I stayed at home and then decided to go out and play. (Although I did go out and play all the fucking time and nothing ever happened ;) ) Anyway... Rich kids suck and the rest of us could totally kick their ass, amirite?

Quite the opposite in my opinion, I felt I made a very good decision. I'm already a junior in college and have enjoyed every minute of it. I live in rural Iowa, and you just have to research our states test scores to show that we do very well compared to the nation. Suburban and Urban areas may be a bit different in how public schooling is, but in my area it was fantastic. I always had a 3.8+ GPA in high school and I NEVER studied for a test. Did those good grades of easy high school transfer over to college? Sure did, I've never fallen below a 3.4 GPA here and again, I do not study for finals. Show up to classes, listen, and participate. It pays off.

Going to a small private college was probably the best decision I made, sure it costs a tad bit more than my in-state universities, but the small class sizes (25 max), close knit community, and extremely friendly professors (no TA's here either) make it all worth it.

/rant
 

erwos

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2005
4,778
0
76
Originally posted by: rh71
how does one make friends doing home school? It's all part of the growing up experience.
Religious groups, intramural sports, home schooling groups, etc. If all of your primary socialization is coming from school, you're doing it wrong. I would say that about 70% of my friends during my high school years weren't in my school.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Originally posted by: erwos
Originally posted by: rh71
how does one make friends doing home school? It's all part of the growing up experience.
Religious groups, intramural sports, home schooling groups, etc. If all of your primary socialization is coming from school, you're doing it wrong. I would say that about 70% of my friends during my high school years weren't in my school.

works well in larger cities...not so in smaller areas.
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
Originally posted by: Fritzo
13 years of Catholic school baby! (including kindergarden).

Sorry to hear that :)
I had to endure the sisters for 3 years , grades 6-9 .
Rulers and knuckles still give me chills.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Originally posted by: erwos
Originally posted by: alkemyst
most home schooled kids do do well academically, but the lose out on the best jobs due to simply lacking basic social skills.

What most miss though is especially K-12 about 90% of your education is how to socialize.
That's funny - the one thing I can tell you I hated the most about my time in public school (1-6) was the way people "socialized" with me - generally mocking you for having hobbies, beliefs, or whatever that aren't completely enshrined in mass popular culture. And I went to a fairly upper-crust public school, too.

I didn't really like most of my private school (7-12) classmates, either, but that's because they were clic-ish, not because they were little pop culture worshippers. I went to a public college, and I'd say that was my favorite period of schooling (albeit the one I did worst in academically, ah well).

Most of the home schooled kids (as in, currently being home-schooled) I've met are a little weird, but they're also pretty sharp. I think some people here aren't giving proper consideration to modern home schooling techniques, which actually do give some importance on socializing with other kids, that sort of thing. If anything, home schooled kids don't understand how to interact with other kids, but excel at doing so with adults - so I very much disagree with your premise that home schooled kids lack basic social skills.


Those that get mocked allow themselves to be. This is a perfect example of teaching one that they must stand-up for themselves.

I had a lot of 'wierd' hobbies and toys I'd bring around with me...but if someone made fun of it I would put that out quit. I also excelled at sports and my studies. Most of the knowledge I learned came outside of the classroom though.

The big problem with home school is many adults are failures themselves. They don't have the skillsets. However; teaching the 'test' to graduate / get the GED is what they do.

Maybe you know differently, but there haven't been many famous/extremely successful people that have been home-schooled. Most like to talk about people that have been dead 50 years or more though.

I never said they lacked basic social skills. They lack the more important ones.

Same way any parent should be able to teach arithmetic....calculus BAHAHAHAHAH, good luck with that. Advanced science concepts like physics and A&P...good luck there too.

How does one do advanced chemistry at home?

etc.

sounds good on paper though, lolz.
 

erwos

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2005
4,778
0
76
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Those that get mocked allow themselves to be. This is a perfect example of teaching one that they must stand-up for themselves.

I did. But what the hell is your point? It still sucked and was unpleasant, and some of the reasons for that taunting were things I could never change anyways. Honestly, from the way you write, you sound like one of those people who were part of the problem. You just know you're better than the rest of us, eh?

The big problem with home school is many adults are failures themselves. They don't have the skillsets. However; teaching the 'test' to graduate / get the GED is what they do.

Most teachers don't have the skillsets, either. They just have pieces of paper.

Maybe you know differently, but there haven't been many famous/extremely successful people that have been home-schooled. Most like to talk about people that have been dead 50 years or more though.

How would you even know? I mean, consider this: pretty much every celebrity with a serious acting career as a child was home-schooled to some extent. Would you call all those people unsuccessful or not famous?

I never said they lacked basic social skills. They lack the more important ones.

That's pretty questionable. What exactly are these important social skills that you could never possibly learn from being home-schooled?

Same way any parent should be able to teach arithmetic....calculus BAHAHAHAHAH, good luck with that. Advanced science concepts like physics and A&P...good luck there too.

Whatever. They'll just do them in college, along with most of their "properly socialized" public school peers.
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
Home schooling can be good or bad, all depends on how it is done.
We have a family near me that owns a farm. They have 6 children , ranging from 3 yrs old to 18 yrs old.
The farm is pretty large and covers over 200 acres. They have everything from cows to sheep and all manner of crops. They were in the paper here because they have everything a person needs to survive on the farm. They make everything there, from milk to bread. All the children are home schooled in the afternoons after they do their daily work on the farm. The oldest , the 18yr old just got a scholarship to the state college for agriculture . The next oldest a 15 yr old has become a writer for the local newspaper, and a damn good one too.

I'll put these kids up against any public or private schooled kid and I'll bet they can do things those kids can't , have higher self esteem and show more responsibility.
If you home school just to keep your kids at home and they sit around all day watching tv that is one thing, but if you home school those kids because they will be working during the day or learning other life skills that can't be taught in a school, that is totally different.


What troubles me most about todays teens is that they may have 'book sense', but they lack life skills and common sense.
 

OUCaptain

Golden Member
Nov 21, 2007
1,522
0
0
Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555
Like, a lot of people are home schooled where I go to college... I don't know why though. They seem pretty smart though; it's just weird thinking that you could have your parents home school you well and still make bank.

Anyway, I put up a poll. :)

Now wait just a damn minute. Are you trying to tell me if the parents play an active role in their child's education, they actually turn out smart? What a load of nonsense.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Originally posted by: Modelworks
They have everything from cows to sheep and all manner of crops. They were in the paper here because they have everything a person needs to survive on the farm.

What's their zombie attack plan?
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Originally posted by: erwos

I did. But what the hell is your point? It still sucked and was unpleasant, and some of the reasons for that taunting were things I could never change anyways. Honestly, from the way you write, you sound like one of those people who were part of the problem. You just know you're better than the rest of us, eh?

I know I am smarter than most...my grammar/spelling is due to posting here while actually trying to accomplish real work. Sorry I don't have the free time you do.

Originally posted by: erwos
Most teachers don't have the skillsets, either. They just have pieces of paper.

I wouldn't say MOST, but yeah a degree is more or less just a piece of paper today since schools have been dumbed down so much and failing anyone is looked down upon.

I will stand behind MOST parents are only capable of teaching their children to slightly below their skillset at it's height. Most will not be able to pass along chemistry, physics, calculus (hell even trig)....forget most science and math entirely. You are left with reading and writing and a very layman's approach to history.

Originally posted by: erwos
How would you even know? I mean, consider this: pretty much every celebrity with a serious acting career as a child was home-schooled to some extent. Would you call all those people unsuccessful or not famous?

You are confusing A LOT. Most child actors get TUTORED while away on a film...almost all attend high schools and colleges. Beverly Hills High is a popular actor high school that caters to actor/students.

Originally posted by: erwos
That's pretty questionable. What exactly are these important social skills that you could never possibly learn from being home-schooled?

Networking...it's what truly makes or breaks you in the REAL WORLD. If you know no one you will not have a very good career unless $50-60k is your thing or you are going for a job (physician) that warrants a high rate of pay in and of itself.

Originally posted by: erwos
Whatever. They'll just do them in college, along with most of their "properly socialized" public school peers.

Pretty big waste of college time and now being grouped into a bunch of underacheivers.

You should do some research on this outside of data provided by home school ministries / groups.
 

TridenT

Lifer
Sep 4, 2006
16,800
45
91
Originally posted by: OUCaptain
Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555
Like, a lot of people are home schooled where I go to college... I don't know why though. They seem pretty smart though; it's just weird thinking that you could have your parents home school you well and still make bank.

Anyway, I put up a poll. :)

Now wait just a damn minute. Are you trying to tell me if the parents play an active role in their child's education, they actually turn out smart? What a load of nonsense.

I meant pretty smart as in not dumb. :) I know, I killed that. I really doubt this is true for the majority though. Most people who are home schooled are done so for religious reasons and thus won't be taught science. I doubt they are smart as I am through the public education system.

Also, my comment was saying that the parents STILL MADE GOOD MONEY and could teach their kids well. My parents couldn't do that because one job would put us into a really bad hole.
 

AreaCode7O7

Senior member
Mar 6, 2005
931
1
0
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Originally posted by: erwos

I did. But what the hell is your point? It still sucked and was unpleasant, and some of the reasons for that taunting were things I could never change anyways. Honestly, from the way you write, you sound like one of those people who were part of the problem. You just know you're better than the rest of us, eh?

I know I am smarter than most...my grammar/spelling is due to posting here while actually trying to accomplish real work. Sorry I don't have the free time you do.

Originally posted by: erwos
Most teachers don't have the skillsets, either. They just have pieces of paper.

I wouldn't say MOST, but yeah a degree is more or less just a piece of paper today since schools have been dumbed down so much and failing anyone is looked down upon.

I will stand behind MOST parents are only capable of teaching their children to slightly below their skillset at it's height. Most will not be able to pass along chemistry, physics, calculus (hell even trig)....forget most science and math entirely. You are left with reading and writing and a very layman's approach to history.

Originally posted by: erwos
How would you even know? I mean, consider this: pretty much every celebrity with a serious acting career as a child was home-schooled to some extent. Would you call all those people unsuccessful or not famous?

You are confusing A LOT. Most child actors get TUTORED while away on a film...almost all attend high schools and colleges. Beverly Hills High is a popular actor high school that caters to actor/students.

Originally posted by: erwos
That's pretty questionable. What exactly are these important social skills that you could never possibly learn from being home-schooled?

Networking...it's what truly makes or breaks you in the REAL WORLD. If you know no one you will not have a very good career unless $50-60k is your thing or you are going for a job (physician) that warrants a high rate of pay in and of itself.

Originally posted by: erwos
Whatever. They'll just do them in college, along with most of their "properly socialized" public school peers.

Pretty big waste of college time and now being grouped into a bunch of underacheivers.

You should do some research on this outside of data provided by home school ministries / groups.

Let me provide a little insight into the life of pretty much all homeschoolers.

Groups: 1-3 days a week, attend a homeschool group. This may include classes where a parent with expertise in a particular subject tutors you, or they pay to bring in an outside tutor for certain things.

Classes: I took community college, other kids do independent study through the high school and spend time in class. Others are involved in 4H, FFA, or other leadership/study programs.

Sports:
If you're doing independent study you can participate in high school sports. There are also a lot of non-school sports opportunities out there.

Non-Academics:
Wince if you must, but plenty of homeschoolers are active in their church youth groups, volunteer work, or other non-academic activities.

School in the current form didn't exist until the last hundred years or so. Humankind got along just fine without their formalized, age-segregated socialization that is now standard. Just because someone has alternative forms of socialization doesn't mean they're mal-adapted or antisocial.

As far as networking for work, that arises more from college than high school, even when it does actually apply. Most work networking happens through... working. And I speak as somebody employed at a Fortune 500 .com, working as a project manager for (barely) six figures.

My homeschool education provided a shortcut through the portions of high school that are time wasters, allowed me to skim the cream of the crop in classes and teachers, and blast my way through college in two years with only 10k in debt. I've got a great group of friends from high school who I'm still VERY close with, have the option for going back for my Masters if I ever want it, and am succeeding in my job.

Public school is great for most kids; most parents don't have the time, desire or ability to commit like a homeschooling parent needs to. For the parents who can do it though, and the kids who don't want to be pressed into a societal mold, homeschooling is the way to go.
 

TridenT

Lifer
Sep 4, 2006
16,800
45
91
Originally posted by: AreaCode707
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Originally posted by: erwos

I did. But what the hell is your point? It still sucked and was unpleasant, and some of the reasons for that taunting were things I could never change anyways. Honestly, from the way you write, you sound like one of those people who were part of the problem. You just know you're better than the rest of us, eh?

I know I am smarter than most...my grammar/spelling is due to posting here while actually trying to accomplish real work. Sorry I don't have the free time you do.

Originally posted by: erwos
Most teachers don't have the skillsets, either. They just have pieces of paper.

I wouldn't say MOST, but yeah a degree is more or less just a piece of paper today since schools have been dumbed down so much and failing anyone is looked down upon.

I will stand behind MOST parents are only capable of teaching their children to slightly below their skillset at it's height. Most will not be able to pass along chemistry, physics, calculus (hell even trig)....forget most science and math entirely. You are left with reading and writing and a very layman's approach to history.

Originally posted by: erwos
How would you even know? I mean, consider this: pretty much every celebrity with a serious acting career as a child was home-schooled to some extent. Would you call all those people unsuccessful or not famous?

You are confusing A LOT. Most child actors get TUTORED while away on a film...almost all attend high schools and colleges. Beverly Hills High is a popular actor high school that caters to actor/students.

Originally posted by: erwos
That's pretty questionable. What exactly are these important social skills that you could never possibly learn from being home-schooled?

Networking...it's what truly makes or breaks you in the REAL WORLD. If you know no one you will not have a very good career unless $50-60k is your thing or you are going for a job (physician) that warrants a high rate of pay in and of itself.

Originally posted by: erwos
Whatever. They'll just do them in college, along with most of their "properly socialized" public school peers.

Pretty big waste of college time and now being grouped into a bunch of underacheivers.

You should do some research on this outside of data provided by home school ministries / groups.

Let me provide a little insight into the life of pretty much all homeschoolers.

Groups: 1-3 days a week, attend a homeschool group. This may include classes where a parent with expertise in a particular subject tutors you, or they pay to bring in an outside tutor for certain things.

Classes: I took community college, other kids do independent study through the high school and spend time in class. Others are involved in 4H, FFA, or other leadership/study programs.

Sports:
If you're doing independent study you can participate in high school sports. There are also a lot of non-school sports opportunities out there.

Non-Academics:
Wince if you must, but plenty of homeschoolers are active in their church youth groups, volunteer work, or other non-academic activities.

School in its' current form didn't exist until the last hundred years or so. Humankind got along just fine without their formalized, age-segregated socialization that is now standard. Just because someone has alternative forms of socialization doesn't mean their mal-adapted or antisocial.

As far as networking for work, that arises more from college than high school, even when it does actually apply. Most work networking happens through... working. And I speak as somebody employed at a Fortune 500 .com, working as a project manager for (barely) six figures.

My homeschool education provided a shortcut through the portions of high school that are time wasters, allowed me to skim the cream of the crop in classes and teachers, and blast my way through college in two years with only 10k in debt. I've got a great group of friends from high school who I'm still VERY close with, have the option for going back for my Masters if I ever want it, and am succeeding in my job.

Public school is great for most kids; most parents don't have the time, desire or ability to commit like a homeschooling parent needs to. For the parents who can do it though, and the kids who don't want to be pressed into a societal mold, homeschooling is the way to go.

Home schooling sucks for Atheist/Agnostic children who realize that all churches are BS. I never wanted to be home schooled; I heard what they did... how would you make friends if you can't go to the Church? Sports were ok for making friends, but they were temporary where I lived... They all went to public schools. Also, if you live in a small town(like I did) it was really hard to make friends outside of public school... If you were trying to make them outside of school, they were always drop-out losers.

In my experience, most home schooled people I've met never end up being smart as you are. There are exceptions but the majority are not. Most of these "smart" home schooled kids come from families who are probably well-off financially and have had a good college education.

You may be one of the very few exceptions, but generally I don't think home schooled kids are better off.
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555


Home schooling sucks for Atheist/Agnostic children who realize that all churches are BS. I never wanted to be home schooled; I heard what they did... how would you make friends if you can't go to the Church? Sports were ok for making friends, but they were temporary where I lived... They all went to public schools. Also, if you live in a small town(like I did) it was really hard to make friends outside of public school... If you were trying to make them outside of school, they were always drop-out losers.

In my experience, most home schooled people I've met never end up being smart as you are. There are exceptions but the majority are not. Most of these "smart" home schooled kids come from families who are probably well-off financially and have had a good college education.

You may be one of the very few exceptions, but generally I don't think home schooled kids are better off.

Home schooled doesn't mean stay at home never see anyone else.
There are plenty of places to make friends that have nothing to do with school even in a small town. If the parents didn't involve them in community events that was their fault. I would hate to think that the only friends I could make were ones in schools.

I've noticed a disturbing trend in the USA. It is that parents leave the school system to teach their children everything they need to know. They think, I put them in school, they go to school, so they must be learning everything they need to live and be successful .

There are so many things a person needs to be successful that are not taught in schools.
Those things are often the things that people who are home schooled learn because the parents do spend the time with the child that public school kids often lack because the parents 'have to work'.


 

TheSlamma

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
7,625
5
81
I went to private school till I was expelled when I was 10. Then all Public from there out.
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
117
116
90% of the home-schooled people I've met have been social misfits. That's just my experience though, I'm sure it's fine for a lot of people.

KT
 

AreaCode7O7

Senior member
Mar 6, 2005
931
1
0
Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555

Home schooling sucks for Atheist/Agnostic children who realize that all churches are BS. I never wanted to be home schooled; I heard what they did... In my experience, most home schooled people I've met never end up being smart as you are. There are exceptions but the majority are not. Most of these "smart" home schooled kids come from families who are probably well-off financially and have had a good college education.

You may be one of the very few exceptions, but generally I don't think home schooled kids are better off.

I've seen the bad along with the good; the family with 9 kids whose mom was too lazy to get them ready for school so she "homeschooled" them to avoid doing any work. The oldest daughter ran away at 17. However, I know far more kids in public schools that were dealing with abuse/neglect than homeschoolers, all without teachers knowing or intervening, than I ever saw in homeschool.

Beyond that, I saw a TON of public school kids not putting effort into their work, skirting by on C's and D's, while I rarely saw any homeschoolers performing poorly academically - and not just because their parents gave them A's for everything. One of the advantages of homeschooling is that the day is as short - or as long - as you make it. You do your work and get it all right the first time, you just spent three hours in school and you have the rest of the day free. Don't do it or do it poorly and you redo it til you're done - 10 hours, too darn bad. The incentive of free time, even if it's structured free time, really does push you to take accountability for your work.

I do think atheist/agnostic kids in homeschooling probably have to put up with more religious stuff than they would in public school, but it's approximately the same as what they'd get in private school. Private schooled atheist/agnostic kids deal with it and get the education their parents are paying for. Heck, religious kids in public school often get ridiculed for their beliefs and they put up with it and get the education that's offered.

As far as your view that homeschooled kids don't come off as smart as public/private schooled kids, statistics don't agree. In 2006, the nationwide grand mean in reading for homeschoolers was at the 79th percentile. For language and math, homeschoolers were at the 73rd percentile. Look for statistics on homeschool academic success and you'll find plenty. Look for homeschool academic failure and you'll find little.

A quick Google search on homeschool college admissions will show that admissions officers generally have nothing but good to say about homeschoolers, and more colleges are coming up with ways to take homeschooling educational experience into account during the admissions process (since homeschoolers don't have the same type of AP classes/GPA that you can easily measure against high school students).

Good link - I think this is an impartial source, after a quick glance around the site. I apologize if not; I was trying to avoid posting statistics from sources that were obviously biased, like the HSLDA.
Please correct me if this is a biased source - originally from the Journal of College Admission, 2004
 

AreaCode7O7

Senior member
Mar 6, 2005
931
1
0
Originally posted by: KeithTalent
90% of the home-schooled people I've met have been social misfits. That's just my experience though, I'm sure it's fine for a lot of people.

KT

Out of curiousity, was most of that experience with homeschoolers as a child or adult? Again, I do think that homeschoolers can often be misfits with their peers as children but in my experience they have good social interactions with and as adults.
 

TridenT

Lifer
Sep 4, 2006
16,800
45
91
Originally posted by: Modelworks
Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555


Home schooling sucks for Atheist/Agnostic children who realize that all churches are BS. I never wanted to be home schooled; I heard what they did... how would you make friends if you can't go to the Church? Sports were ok for making friends, but they were temporary where I lived... They all went to public schools. Also, if you live in a small town(like I did) it was really hard to make friends outside of public school... If you were trying to make them outside of school, they were always drop-out losers.

In my experience, most home schooled people I've met never end up being smart as you are. There are exceptions but the majority are not. Most of these "smart" home schooled kids come from families who are probably well-off financially and have had a good college education.

You may be one of the very few exceptions, but generally I don't think home schooled kids are better off.

Home schooled doesn't mean stay at home never see anyone else.
There are plenty of places to make friends that have nothing to do with school even in a small town. If the parents didn't involve them in community events that was their fault. I would hate to think that the only friends I could make were ones in schools.

I've noticed a disturbing trend in the USA. It is that parents leave the school system to teach their children everything they need to know. They think, I put them in school, they go to school, so they must be learning everything they need to live and be successful .

There are so many things a person needs to be successful that are not taught in schools.
Those things are often the things that people who are home schooled learn because the parents do spend the time with the child that public school kids often lack because the parents 'have to work'.

Yeah, well my parents both had full time jobs for a long time and we lived in shit houses for the longest time.. It wasn't until I was 10 that we moved into a nicer place but they still had to work full time... Now we are in a shit hole, waiting to move into a better place. They wouldn't be able to teach me everything either even if they wanted to. They didn't take higher math when they went to school or anything really. They are good at their jobs and being my parents but they probably wouldn't be good at teaching me. They both never went to 4 year schools to get a degree. My father was a police officer and my mother a dental assistant. (She had other jobs before in Newspapers) But yeah, public school was my only option. I may have wanted a good private school instead, but I definitely would have hated home schooling. I already stay in my house all the time, being home schooled would have been way worse... Wouldn't even get to go see the people at school, that is why I loved school so much. I always got to go to school and see people, I never could any other time. We lived in towns that varied from 4K-20K population in a 100K county. There wasn't a lot of people... now I live in Vancouver, WA where there are probably a million people in Portland alone. (Wikipedia says there are 568K, more than my whole county that I lived in my whole life... 5 times as much)

I really didn't have the option to make friends where I lived, that were outside of school.. Unless they were complete bums. There were other schools but the kids were too far away, the 20K town was about 10 miles away.

I am ranting, jesus... got nothin' better to do, waiting for my engineering class... blah.

Anyway, I think everything is taught in public schools... At least in mine. The information was there, but you had to ask for it.

What kind of things could you not be taught? Please give me examples, I don't understand... What the fuck could your parents teach you? Mine never really taught me anything I couldn't learn in school!