Tell me why Homeschool is a good idea!
I thought I would contribute my latest discussion with a forum poster called Pooky. Male. Doesn't think homeschooling is a good thing, and that parents who homeschool are not thinking of what's best for their children. My reply to his comments follow.
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Pooky:
> I think homeschooling is ok if you have the knowledge and the know how to do it and make your child excel in their studies.
Little Tyke:
If homeschooling were about "schooling" then I would come closer to concurring with you. But homeschooling is not "schooling." Making children excel in their studies is what teachers are supposed to do, right? If parents, according to you, can't do "school" (untrained, uncertified, unaccountable, etc.) to your (or the state's) satisfaction, then by inference, you believe that only teachers can teach. So what are we to make of the cries and moans for parental participation in the public education process? (private schools seem to get much of the help they need) What are parents supposed to teach, if the teachers are the only ones qualified to teach?
I suggest, that what parents are supposed to teach their children, are the socialization skills necessary for their children to be able to get along in a group atmosphere and study … so that they might excel, so to speak. But wait! Isn't it SOCIALIZATION that detractors of home education claim that homeschoolers are lacking?
Finally, "excelling in their studies" is not the goal of compulsory government schooling. Attendance is what is required for children of the state. An education is up to the child, and the parent who requires her child to excel rather than slack off and drop out.
Pooky:
> But to homeschool to keep your child from the public school system because you
> do not agree with the schools educators or the curriculum or to keep them away
> from social interaction with other kids I think is wrong.
Little Tyke:
It's wrong for a parent to do what they feel is best for their children and their family? Public school attendance is mandatory. Compulsory to be exact. It's the institutionalization of all children because they are all a certain age. They are required to attend a state institution for twelve years, at which point they are free to go. The point of this twelve years of mandatory institutionalization is to allegedly educate the children at the expense of the state. Thankfully, a parent is allowed to enroll his or her children in another school at their own expense. Private schools have been around since before public schools. Family based learning has been around since forever. We are still at liberty to privately educate our children, whether you think it's keeping them away from curricula that we believe damages them or rapes their minds or even tells them aliens exist… children belong to their parents and families, not the state.
Dictating, moderating and encouraging "social interaction" is the life work of parents. Many fail it miserably, which is why you see children raped at sleepovers with families unknown to other families. It's why we see gangs of kids with parents who can't seem to control their interactions.
Pooky:
> My son went to public school and graduated from RHS in 2006. Yes he had some
> struggles in school with certain subjects and some of the kids during his
> younger years but I helped him with his studies and told him when he had
> trouble with kids stand up for himself. He never did start a fight but he
> defended himself and I was and still am proud of him and his accomplishments.
Little Tyke:
I get letters all the time from parents who were in the exact same situation. In most of these cases, the defending child got as bad a punishment as the aggressor. Is that what we send children to school to learn? Don't see why an uncredentialed parent can't just take his kid to a
bad part of town… maybe to the YMCA and have him "interact" with a clique of kids and get himself roughed up a bit. Here kid, here's a few bucks, go play pool and use that smart mouth of yours… see what happens. I'm here for ya.
Is this kind of school "socialization" part of the educational excellence you were talking about?
Something schools are good at? I'm glad your son did well. As a father, I'm right with you on the proud platform! But is it right that because I choose to not publicly school, that my opportunity at pride at our son's accomplishments be trashed as stilted or even damaging to him?
I help him with his studies, when he asks. When he has a conversation with an adult on matters that most public school kids are clueless on… or exhibits a vocabulary much higher than some college students, am I not allowed to be proud at how he's shaping up? My kids have never been in a public school, so I can't say I've had a problem with what a public school was supposed to teach them. Am I still backwards? Am I still doing something wrong in your eyes?
Pooky:
> I think public school educators want what's best for our children and you have
> to be willing to work with them to make your child's school experience a good
> one.
Little Tyke:
Why is that? Why is it so hard to make school a good experience? Shouldn't something so worthwhile, so empowering, so civilization building… be just the cat's meow?
What's the difference between the schools of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle, and the schools of today?
COMPULSION. Sure… the PARENTS are allowed to MAKE their kids go to school, but once the STATE took over that role, the parents then abdicated their inherent responsibilities in this matter.
The difference between public and private schoolers (including homeschoolers) today? Publicly schooled kids are REQUIRED to go by the state. Privately schooled kids are required to go (and excel) by their parents.
Pooky:
> And if you don't agree with what they think is best for the child you
> have to be willing to compromise and let the child decide what they think is
> best for them.
Little Tyke:
You're kidding, right? If some stranger tells me that my four year old needs a booster shot for VD, or needs to know where babies come from when there are two mommies…. and I don't AGREE with that… then *I* the parent, must COMPROMISE, and let my four year old make a decision?
Is there EVER a big problem with how schools teach the basics? You NEVER hear of a parent leaving a school because they teach math wrong. It's all because of the social engineering stuff. Again… you aren't making your case very well, that the schools are all about academic stuff.
I'll let that hang and move on. I'm just glad you don't run the public schooling gulag. You don't… do you? (You are, after all, anonymous.) 
Pooky:
> Some homeschooled children I know want to be in public school with their peers
> and with the activities going on but their parents have taken them out because
> of disagreements with the school system and they are unhappy because they
> cannot be with their friends.
Little Tyke:
Rewind… this has to do with academic excellence… how?
Just because the kids want to play with their friends during school… which last I heard, was no place to be socializing, doesn't mean that the parents are making bad choices for the children. Could the "disagreements" you speak of actually be about something like… the kids aren't being taught to read and write? Do the parents disagree that a kid defending himself in a fight must also be suspended?
And when you say "some homeschooled children I know" could we please have a number? I get so tired of hearing people saying that "all the homeschoolers I know are backwards dimwits" when in fact they don't actually KNOW any. It's always a friend of a friend. I'll agree that homeschoolers play the same game, but I'm not, so be kind and give up some numbers next time. Please. If this knowledge is really based on one family… then that hardly makes a case for the incitement of an entire segment of society, that for all intents and purposes gets along fine without the state socialization plan called 'school.'
Pooky:
> I would leave the choice up to my children because an unhappy child is not
> going to excel in whatever environment that is chosen for them.
Little Tyke:
Well! You just made my case! Children are MANDATED to go to state schools for twelve years of their lives. Whether they excel in five years, or never. They get a piece of paper all the same after twelve.
So… being smart little critters… they can probably see the hypocrisy,the loss of liberty, the unfair punishments, unequal justice, class warfare and peer pressure, the social and societal hypoxia that happens in these government asylums called school… and you know what… you're right.
They're unhappy. I'll bet you a dollar they are.
I'll bet they're down right ticked off. I'll bet a few of them might even act out, and cause violence, because their parents are making them go to this place that drains creativity, disrespects real learning, then flogs you if you try to leave before it's time.
You know… maybe we SHOULD be listening to the children. If your child asked if he could be homeschooled, would you let him choose that route?
If it made him happy of course.
Pooky:
> There are alot of pro's and con's to this but I would want what my child would > want not what I think was best for them because I was too stubborn to work > with the school on what they thought was best for my kid. I'm not sure what you're saying here, but I really am glad and proud for your son too… father to father.
Little Tyke:
And if you would agree as well, that even children can choose a path to educate themselves, like homeschooling… then I think we're on a pathway towards an enlightening discussion of the merits of the autodidactic lifestyle.
7 Responses to “Tell me why Homeschool is a good idea!”
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What “Pooky” doesn’t understand is that children don’t learn proper behavior from other children, which is the basis of socialization. Children learn proper behavior when they interact with people of all ages, especially the loving adults in their life. This is more of a real-world scenario than a classroom full of children the same age.
They learn to communicate on a much higher level when exposed to a variety of people, too. They can’t get that in the Prussian style classrooms that are part of the public school system.
Above all, they learn who they are and their place in this world when they are homeschooled. They can pursue those things they have a gift for and they can learn from real life experiences.
I totally agree with you Ann! It is sometimes so hard to get this point across. Most people just believe that the status quo must be the best way.
Thanks for visiting my new blog - your the second person to comment.
Also i have set up my blog so that you receive a proper so please feel free to comment again in future.
I feel like I have this exact same argument, time and time again. The fact is, my kids are now happier, less stressed, and more in control over their own emotions now that we home school. The best part is that they actually LOVE to learn. They are reading things because they want to, not because they have to. We have conversations about anything and everything. They are open to new ways of looking at things AND we have a busy social calendar.
I enjoyed this post a bunch. Thanks for visiting my place.
Excellent points Little Tyke. It’s good to see someone talk about homeschooling in a positive and intellectual way.
When I hear all the “kids should decide” and “what makes them happy” malarkey, I just chuckle inside. If “kids” decided how they would be schooled, it would be “Lord of the Flies” everywhere. (Oh, wait - it sure looks close to that at nearly any public school I’ve visited…)
If we applied this same idiotic logic to all the decisions kids have to make, what are the odds they’d run out into the street and get hit by a bus? The reason parents exist is to make decisions for kids who are not equipped to make intelligent or wise decisions that will have a long-term impact on their future. Parents, who have already lived through the ‘kid’ years, have a better grasp on most decisions than a child ever will. Does that mean every parent will make perfect decisions - of course not! But the _odds_ of good decisions coming from someone who has more experience are better than the _odds_ of a child making good decisions based on their limited experience and knowledge.
Lastly, the ’socialization’ canard drives me crazy as well. My _3_ teenage kids are much better socialized that anyone in their age group that we encounter (at our church no-less). So much so, that they prefer to interact with adults over other kids - because the kids are really immature and disrespectful of others. I surely don’t want my kids learning “social skills” from the those who are least capable. That’s like telling them to learn how to drive a car from the guy who’s had the most tickets/accidents - because he’s the most ‘experienced’ in do the wrong thing.
Pooky is one of hundreds, thousands of people who are confused about the purpose of schools.
They see school as a place of education, of learning the skills necessary to get a job, but don’t realise that people have been doing this for millenia without the need for schools. How did civillisation get as far as it did if schools are an essential element of education?
They see school as the place where children learn how to live together in harmony with others. Yet since the inception of compulsory mass schooling there has been more conflict in the world than at any other time in history. Neighbourhoods are no longer friendly places where everyone knows everyone else.
We can argue endlessly about the merits of such points or we can acknowledge that home education is a time honoured successful educational practice and that school is its younger sibling. Both can work and work well for students: why not celebrate the existence of both. Pick and choose, give either a go, decide for yourself. We’re lucky we live in a time and a place that allows us the luxury of choice…
cheers
Beverley
http://homeschoolaustralia.com
I just had to comment, too. I currently homeschool my 3 youngest children…all are excelling and flourishing beautifully. However, 2 of them attended public school in the past as well. Pooky talks about certified teachers “wanting the best” for our children, and it just made me laugh! More often than not, my children ended up with a teacher who didn’t even teach! They simply passed out some worksheets, giving NO examples on the board or anything, and when my children would raise their hands to ask questions, they were ignored! Then of course, the work was sent home to all of the parents to “teach” it to their children for hours in the evening. It got to the point where I figured, “If I’m the one doing all the teaching anyway, why am I forcing my children to waste valuable time at school?” And no, we don’t live in some horrible city with horrible schools. We live in Boise, Idaho…a very clean, relatively safe city, with schools that are above average (we’ve lived in 4 different school districts during the 11 years that I have had children in school, so I feel I have enough experience to say this).
There definitely ARE teachers who care, and work really hard, but what I’ve found (again, across 3 different states and 4 different school districts), is that the good ones come very few and far between. More often than not, we ended up with teachers who really couldn’t have cared less. SEVERAL teachers made it a habit in fact, to hand out “busy work” (aka: coloring sheets or worksheets that were way too easy for everyone in the class, simply so that the teacher would not have to help anyone complete them), and then actually LEAVE the classroom for more than 30 minutes at a time! And this is in elementary school.
In many, many cities around our country, public school has deteriorated into little more than crowd control.
I am not a certified teacher, HOWEVER, my children are both working at 2 grade levels above their own…we miss no “building blocks” in our subjects the way they are often missed in public school, my children master the material, and learn to apply the information to real life. And the bottom line, is that I’m not raising people who need to function well in a public school classroom…I’m raising people who need to function well in real life! And a public school classroom is nothing like the day-to-day of real life.
I’m happy for Pooky that his son, at least as far as Pooky himself is concerned, has done well. But to insinuate that homeschooled children will fare worse simply because they are homeschooled, especially considering Pooky himself never attempted to homeschool his son, is not only ignorant, but completely incorrect.