Home Schooling: Thoughts?

[Stuxnet]

I've always thought it deprives the child of vital social events and interactions. Recently I've come to know a would-be-senior (12th grade) who is home schooled, as well as his Dad, Mom, and younger brothers.

Dad is a control FREAK of the highest order.
Mom is a looney who seems like she's floating on a Prozac+speed+vodka cocktail.
The younger brothers are so sheltered: they're not allowed to use the telephone, Internet (let alone email), or really anything else that exposes them to the outside world.

The 18 year old is semi-normal. I must say I'm impressed with his social skills given his unique circumstances, but they're still abnormal - IMHO - when compared with those of your average teenager. He's allowed to use the Internet (but not allowed to divulge their phone number), but I suspect this access was granted when he turned 18.

He does not possess a driver's license.

I'm not trying to slam this family. I've become friends with all of them... I'm just curious if this situation is par for the course with home schooled children.

 

[DougK62]

That's not par for the course. The few home-schooled students that I've known over the years were very socially adjusted and were incredibly intelligent.

 

[acemcmac]

Originally posted by: DougK62
That's not par for the course. The few home-schooled students that I've known over the years were very socially adjusted and were incredibly intelligent.

and the few that I've known have been EXACTLY like the OP's friends.

 

[Looney]

The divulging of the number seems like a pretty good policy... why on earth would anybody, aside from online merchants, would require your phone number?

 

[HBalzer]

I used to be totally against it do to the social skills most home schooled kids lack. However, lately I?ve been reconsidering after seeing the lack of basic skills high school kids have these days. It seems kids can use calculators on the SOLs so all they do is learn to use calculators as a result high school kids don?t know how to do basic math in their heads. When I was in school I couldn?t use a calculator for anything and that held true through calc2.

 

[dullard]

I can see that it could work well for some people.

The only home schooled family I knew was my band teacher's kids (yes, he worked at a public school and home schooled his kids). Their kids were so socially inept that the parents should be jailed for abuse. The few times they ever got out of the house they were terrified by the fact that there were other people (this is when they were high-school aged). They wouldn't talk, wouldn't leave thier mother's grasp, etc.

Thus, if you do it, you really better think about social ramifications.

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: jbourne77
The younger brothers are so sheltered: they're not allowed to use the telephone, Internet (let alone email), or really anything else that exposes them to the outside world.

That's nothing to do with home-schooling man, that's imprisonment, abuse maybe.

 

[EatSpam]

Sounds like the family is messed up.

Home schooling itself is fine, so long as the kids actually learn and have social activities outside of the home. Many homeschooling families will team up to teach and thus their kids actually get social interaction.

I suppose you do have to be a little "out there" to home school, since the norm is to send your kid to public school then go work an 18 hour day, come home and ignore your kids.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I knwo of one kid, he turned out to be hella wigger...

 

[HBalzer]

Originally posted by: Looney
The divulging of the number seems like a pretty good policy... why on earth would anybody, aside from online merchants, would require your phone number?

You obviously weren?t home schooled.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Many homeschooling families will team up to teach and thus their kids actually get social interaction.

Hmm, team up to be taught outside the home by others. Sounds like private school to me, not home school.

 

[daveymark]

compared to the social skills of the freaks in the public school system? That 18 y.o. might as well be emo were his education provided by the state. high school is the worst place to learn social skills anyway

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: daveymark
compared to the social skills of the freaks in the public school system? That 18 y.o. might as well be emo were his education provided by the state. high school is the worst place to learn socail skills anyway

Which is why you should home school for high school (if you choose to home school). But let them get their social skills in a regular school for elementary.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: HBalzer

Originally posted by: Looney
The divulging of the number seems like a pretty good policy... why on earth would anybody, aside from online merchants, would require your phone number?

You obviously weren?t home schooled.

And?

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: HBalzer

Originally posted by: Looney
The divulging of the number seems like a pretty good policy... why on earth would anybody, aside from online merchants, would require your phone number?

You obviously weren?t home schooled.

You obviously don't have any friends.

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Many homeschooling families will team up to teach and thus their kids actually get social interaction.

Hmm, team up to be taught outside the home by others. Sounds like private school to me, not home school.

Sort of...they're being taught in other homeschooling families' homes, but there's no "school" in any official sense.

 

[imported_Snagle]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: daveymark
compared to the social skills of the freaks in the public school system? That 18 y.o. might as well be emo were his education provided by the state. high school is the worst place to learn socail skills anyway

Which is why you should home school for high school (if you choose to home school). But let them get their social skills in a regular school for elementary.

I think everyone should experience high school, you definately develop social skills there and also get exposed to a preview of how many diverse and ****** up people there are in the real world.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: acemcmac

Originally posted by: DougK62
That's not par for the course. The few home-schooled students that I've known over the years were very socially adjusted and were incredibly intelligent.

and the few that I've known have been EXACTLY like the OP's friends.

yeap i have seen both.

across the street from me is a family that homeschools. There are 6 kids. all of them are inteligent and well adjusted. they are also very friendly. the mother is just does not like how the public schools are. but the kids are getting a good education they have a wide range of topics they cover daily (even saturday the poor kids!). They also have night music classes at the some church. they also spend a good portion of the summer in "class". so they get a well rounded education.

While some friends of my wife's are diffrent. they homschool there children (she was a teacher) and is doing a very bad job. the oldest girl is 16 and is very ignorant. she has a hard time doing simple math etc. The mother thinks that forcing the kids to learn something they are not interested in is worthless.

I have thought about homeschooling. I do not know if i would have the patiance to do it. Though my daughter is in pre-school 3 days a week. the other 2 days we do work on what they are going over during the week. but thats only an hour a day 2 days a week.

 

[HBalzer]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: HBalzer

Originally posted by: Looney
The divulging of the number seems like a pretty good policy... why on earth would anybody, aside from online merchants, would require your phone number?

You obviously weren?t home schooled.

You obviously don't have any friends.

So are you implying that I was home schooled?

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: EatSpam
Sort of...they're being taught in other homeschooling families' homes, but there's no "school" in any official sense.

Basically, they are trying to blur the distinction line between the two extremes. If there is a set curriculum, guidelines, or organized rules, times, etc then technically it is a private school.

I just have an issue with someone combining the best parts of both worlds, and then claiming victory for one side. In reality, it would be victory for both sides...

Myself, I always attended public school. However, my father homeschooled me during the summers (and sporadically throughout the year). For example, he taught me Algebra 1 in the summer between 1st and 2nd grades. I already knew the multiplication tables from him before kindergarten, so algebra was pretty easy. Now if only someone would have taught me to spell.

 

[MisterJackson]

I had a friend who slept with his teacher in highschool.

He was home schooled.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: MisterJackson
I had a friend who slept with his teacher in highschool.

He was home schooled.

Booo! Booo!

 

[antyler]

I was homeschooled from K - 12th. I actually didnt mind it, i was pretty much able to run my own schedule and finish/start at my leisure. As far as the lack of social skills/contacts, it can pose a problem. General social skills were not a problem for me however, im about to graduate from a two year college now, and ive done fine. It wasnt a big shock or anything of the sort going from home to a college.

 

[Kelemvor]

Many Home Schooled kids are very advanced for their age in an academic stance, but most are very far behind in a social stance. THey are sheltered, don't know how to act around other people, have no idea what the real world is like, etc.

I think the best is a combination that someone might be home schooled for the first few years and then are put into public schools at a later time to at least get the interaction with other kids.

 

[mugs]

Homeschooling because the local schools suck: fine
Homeschooling to keep your kids away from the realities of the world: idiotic