# Opinions on Homeschooling?



## goodgracesbadinfluence (Feb 28, 2011)

I am curious. 

If you were homeschooled, do you think it helped you or hindered you in the long run, and why? 

If you weren't homeschooled, but know someone who is, could you easily tell by how they act (or suspect it) or would they actually have to come out and tell you for you to know? 

Really, any input is appreciated. Oh! And if you were homeschooled, I'd also like to know your type.


----------



## Zster (Mar 7, 2011)

A girl just transferred into my daughter's school, mid year. She seems a bit over the top demanding, wanting entire groups of people to change their likes/dislikes to suit her. I was guessing that she had some sort of socio-developmental issues. Turns out she transferred in from home schooling. She does not seem to know how to behave with a group, or even one-on-one with friends. I suspect that her homeschooling isolated her. She could be a kindergartner, socially.


----------



## Elwin (Feb 17, 2011)

goodgracesbadinfluence said:


> If you weren't homeschooled, but know someone who is, could you easily tell by how they act (or suspect it) or would they actually have to come out and tell you for you to know?


The ones I've met are articulate, mature, and independent beyond their years, and I've correctly guessed their homeschooling a few times based on these characteristics. Schooled children seem rude, immature and dependent by comparison. Most of the stories you hear about feral children raised by wolves are usually some sort of religious fundamentalist environment, or simply a fabrication. 

In any case the isolated hermit children are becoming increasingly rare in proportion to overall homeschoolers as more secular-minded people are starting to participate.When properly administered, homeschooling is superior in every way, including socially. I plan to do it myself. If you want to learn more about it, the best place to start is to look for local networks and talk to parents and their kids.


----------



## Tony Stewart (Mar 18, 2011)

I've ran into a few in college. Most I know are socially awkward, but there are exceptions. One guy I know is a nightlife photographer. If he had not have told me, I'd never known.


----------



## unico (Feb 3, 2011)

I was eventually homeschooled later on because school was hellish for me and way overloading (I am autistic). I worked with private tutors and I learned a lot more than I had at public (or Catholic) school. Social issues weren't really an issue for me because I was not allowed a social life due to a controlling and abusive alcoholic father and I had social problems, anyways, due to my autism. I loved being homeschooled.


----------



## Elwin (Feb 17, 2011)

@unico Which did you like better, the public or Catholic school?


----------



## unico (Feb 3, 2011)

Elwin said:


> @unico Which did you like better, the public or Catholic school?


I'm honestly not sure... I wasn't Catholic, so I felt like an outsider at the Catholic school and I was teased there, but I also was at public school. The teachers were meaner at the Catholic school and much more old-fashioned, which wasn't the best for me. I liked having smaller classes/less students per grade and not having classes all over the school. It was less overloading than public school.


----------



## PeevesOfCourse (Apr 15, 2010)

Two oldest are homeschooled, youngest in public school. Oldest taking his college boards this year. He hangs out with public school kids socially, but he is definitely nonetheless a bit different, a trifle old-fashioned and gentlemanly, "courtly for his age". I think he will catch up socially in a few years, it's not an irreversible thing, but he has some work to do. He lives with his dad, and the dad isn't taking the social integration obligation very seriously at the moment. If I lived nearby, I'd work with him on that, but I don't. Trying to rectify that situation. He did poorly in public school. The other kids were just dreadful - he found them to be really stupid barbarians. Right now his best friend from childhood is running around getting D's in English and flipping his Justin Bieber hair around, and by the time he reached 16 had had a series of girlfriends and a number of physical mishaps doing risky things. My kid collects stamps and reads Thomas Hardy and plays strategy games and hasn't had a girlfriend yet, has gotten his learner's driving permit. The middle girl has been in 2 public schools (elementary and high school), and wanted to go back to homeschooling both times. She just likes the peace and flexibility of it, and ability to do things without having her time blocked off for her in rigid squares. She did not find the other kids dreadful, and had a cool hard shell that didn't even blink at bullying, but she did think the other kids were too noisy in class, and she could not hear the teacher speak. She found public school unpleasantly chaotic but loves pop culture, is an amazing Netizen, and is very conversant with teen memes. She wants to study library science. My youngest is showing a tendency towards solitary activity and enjoyment of reading and his own mental space. He has asked to be homeschooled, but his dad is different from the other two's dad, and isn't into that, and anyhow has this idea that sports and exposure to screeching brats his own age are a "solution for all ills" so Youngest will have to deal with public school for as long as his dad insists. A mixed bag, anyway, and none of them being adults, it's hard to say how they will turn out, but it won't be for lack of exposure to public school, really...


----------



## Nitou (Feb 3, 2010)

My young stepbrother was home schooled. As he was growing up, the family was critical of his mother because we didn't agree with her choices. But he's turned out well. He is very bright, got a good score on his college entrance exam and a full scholarship to the local college. Socially, I don't see him outside of family activities but he seems as well-adjusted as an INTP can be. I don't see him very often, but last time I did he was showing off a chain mail vest that he had made by hand and was still working on.


----------



## goodgracesbadinfluence (Feb 28, 2011)

I'm curious about the correlation between homeschooling and being INTP. I was homeschooled from kindergarten through eighth grade and I am an INTP, and I've seen others on the forum mention it. Although I'm also curious about how other types respond to it.


----------



## Bast (Mar 23, 2011)

I wasn't home schooled, but I know a few people who were. I think it mostly depends on the parents and the curriculum. One girl I know was home schooled because her mother had some mental issues relating to paranoia, so she turned out a bit strange and left home the moment she turned 18. Other kids I know just turn out pretty socially awkward; I don't know anything about their grades since I'm not super nosy about stuff like that. In my personal opinion, if I ever had kids I would send them to school, public or private, before home schooling. I think the benefit of learning to work with and for other people and realizing that you aren't a special snowflake outweighs a lot of the benefits of home schooling. Then again, like I said, I was not home schooled personally so I don't have first hand knowledge about it.


----------



## Persephone (Nov 14, 2009)

I would like to have been homeschooled.


----------



## Letol (Oct 4, 2010)

I wasn't homeschooled, but two of my friends were. They're brothers and they both have a few social quirks, but I really couldn't have told you whether they were homeschooled or not if they hadn't told me.

Academically, the older one is the same age as me, but already in his fourth semester of college while I'm in my second. I think the younger one is going to be starting up his first semester of college in fall, but I'm not completely sure.

I'm horrible at typing people and I don't really trust my judgement on types, but if I had to make a guess, I'd say that they'd both be either INTP or INTJ.


----------



## Pachacutie (Aug 27, 2010)

My neighbor was home-schooled after about second grade. I was so jealous. 

Really, though... her parents were pretty rampantly ignorant judgmental religious folk. (Not saying all religious people are, mind you.) I think she has a pretty hard time getting out and doing things, like going off to school or getting a job because her mother basically said, "Oh, well... a whole day of school makes her so tired!" 

I don't think that's okay. However, if they do it with better intentions and socialize the children properly... allowing them to work as a team in some way and giving them responsibilities... I think it's a great idea. It really depends on the situation.


----------



## Darner (Apr 20, 2010)

What is the reason to have a child homeschooled? I understand if there are health issues involved, I saw in a few movies creationists prefer homeschooling but I think this is a trend only in America.
I don't know anybody homeschooled but I'm against it. I know a guy that only missed preschool (very common in my country) and wasn't able to really connect with his generation the whole elementary school. I think growing up around people of the same age is necessary to get basic social skills. I see my lack already due to being a single child, I cannot imagine not having any contact with the outside world at all.


----------



## IncredibleMouse (Jul 20, 2010)

Homeschooling is like anything else that requires many ingredients. In order for it to work, you have to have just the right ingredients. There are many variables to consider, weighing their effects, before doing so. For instance, you'll have to consider the child, the parent who becomes the teacher, the atmosphere where this learning will take place and the parameters by which it will operate. Knowing how different people are, and how differently they learn, there can many kinds of home run schooling structures. This is a good thing, since there are very few differences in public education. That's not to say there are no drawbacks.

However, trying to base an opinion on homeschooling because someone said they met a home-schooled person, or someone said they actually home-schooled someone does not make for sound decisions on homeschooling itself. Peering at single cases will not give an accurate picture of what homeschooling can do for everyone. I could tell you how I home-schooled my child, and what I perceive that person to have become. However, that would be one child, of a specific personality, of a specific educational aptitude, and of one adult turned educator, with a specific personality, with a specific field of expertise, and a specific method for child-rearing.

Before you decide to get home-schooled, or decide to home-school someone, consider the ingredients. Not everyone can bake a cake. It may be the best idea, and make for an ideal situation, providing the mental nurturing that can't be had any other way. Or it might just be a mistake you'll regret later. Some will say the child misses out on socially educative events. That is so true! However, knowing introverts (like I hope we all do) - this is, for some, a huge PLUS. For others, it is a sad mistake. Always remember that what you might perceive as "better" isn't true for everyone else (including your child).

It's your call, and only you can decide. How it all turns out will be different for everyone. Do not assume your next door neighbors home-schooled child (good or bad) is representative of ALL home-schooled children.


----------



## goodgracesbadinfluence (Feb 28, 2011)

Darner said:


> What is the reason to have a child homeschooled? I understand if there are health issues involved, I saw in a few movies creationists prefer homeschooling but I think this is a trend only in America.
> I don't know anybody homeschooled but I'm against it. I know a guy that only missed preschool (very common in my country) and wasn't able to really connect with his generation the whole elementary school. I think growing up around people of the same age is necessary to get basic social skills. I see my lack already due to being a single child, I cannot imagine not having any contact with the outside world at all.


Yeah, being an only child AND missing out on something like that is terrible....


----------



## jstrong4 (Apr 9, 2011)

I use to live in a neighborhood with four girls who were all home-schooled. My mom went to high school with there father and the mother was sort of sheltered but as sweet as she could be. Whenever I started the eighth grade that is when the drama and bullying started. I went through numerous drama situations with girls being rude and hateful. But honestly what girl doesn't? I realized that I had to deal with my problems and handle them up front and center. Those long years have made me the person I am today. But those girls who I went to church with are the sweetest,kindest, and most generous girls I know. I fully understand while their parents decided for them to be home-schooled. I believe that maybe sometimes there could be social problems when it comes to interacting with other children but if they attend a church or an activity such as soccer at the YMCA that it would be fine. To me the largest problem would social activity with other people so if they have that social connection with other people I think home-schooling would be the best advice for anyone who has children these days. School today is not enjoyable it is a job for children. I believe that if more people were home-schooled they would respect people more and have a better work effort and not be so lazy and some children who attend public/private schooling because their parents would be teaching them.


----------



## viva (Aug 13, 2010)

I started kindergarten at private school, and then I was homeschooled from 1st grade until 7th grade.

The way I was homeschooled was pretty much the opposite of how it should be done. Basically, my mom would stack my books and write down everything I needed to do for the day on a sheet of paper, leave for work, and would expect it to be done when she got back. Thankfully, I was a smart kid, and capable of learning how to do stuff (especially math) purely from the books, because she wasn't there to help, nor would she have probably been able to if she tried. I got bored in the 4th grade and pretty much skipped it without her knowing. The benefit of all this is that it allowed me to breeze by academically when I started in public school because I was already used to being so independent and working on my own.

Beyond that, my parents did nothing to immerse me into social situations or provide me with friends. I was miserable in that regard. No homeschooling groups, or anything like that. And the reason I am so unathletic now is probably not just because of my physical tendencies but also because I never played sports as a kid, never danced, never did gymnastics, etc. I wish they had given me that opportunity. The only thing I did extracurricularly was take piano lessons, but that didn't expose me to other children. 

When I started at public school when I was 11 (7th grade), I was painfully shy and very socially awkward. It literally took me years to slowly build up my personality and come out of my shell. I just wasn't used to interacting with people who were my peers.

Currently, I don't think it really affects me at all. I'm 20 and have had plenty of time to grow out of my awkward phase.


----------



## tnredhead (Apr 5, 2011)

I went to public school until I was 16. I wasn't technically home schooled as we were required to attend school for a couple of hours per day, but we did the majority of the work on our own. The reason I transferred was because I was having a hard time in public school (long, boring story...water way under the bridge). Needless to say, home schooling was very much in tune with my ISTJ personality.  I graduated high school at age 16 whereas if I had stayed in public school, I doubt I would have graduated at all.

I don't see how home schooling = social awkwardness unless you think home schooled kids are locked away in their house 24-7. They are allowed to go out and socialize with other kids ;-) (well, except for the gal who posted above me, yikes). Besides, I've met with plenty of socially awkward folks who graduated from public school. 

I don't plan on having kids, but if I did, you can bet your arse that they would be home schooled!*
*


----------



## Jennifer (Apr 11, 2011)

*Homeschooling Opinion*



goodgracesbadinfluence said:


> I am curious.
> 
> If you were homeschooled, do you think it helped you or hindered you in the long run, and why?
> 
> ...


 
My two youngest sisters were homeschooled for several years, one in elementary school and one during only her senior year of high school. Since they were only partially home-schooled and partially public schooled, I don't know if their info will be exactly what you are trying to assess, but here goes: 

Sister 1, home-schooled in grades 4-6 because she became absolutely terrified of attending public school. She didn't know why, Mom didn't know why, and the school psychologist couldn't figure it out. Sister 1 did really well being home-schooled. She wasn't much of a morning person, so she could study in the evenings. She was very motivated to learn on her own and when she went back to public school in the 7th grade, it was her choice so she could play varsity ball, and she was at the top of her class academically. She ended up graduating public high school with honors and attending TTU on an academic scholarship. Although still quieter than me, she's a leader among her peers and they respect her because she makes sure she knows what she's talking about before she speaks. 

Sister 2 was so outgoing that she said she had enough of public high school and extracurricular activities in which she was involved there, so she wanted to be treated to "time alone" with our mom during her senior year. She, too, went on to college with good grades and now works in a job where she has much social contact on a daily basis. Neither has been reluctant to try any new things, I think because they both had experiences during home school with being independent learners and researchers. 

If I didn't know that they had been home-schooled, someone would have to tell me. I don't think any other person would think either had been home-schooled and separated from their peers in a public school setting unless they were told about it. Both my sisters loved their home-school experiences. Both turned out "quite normal" -- at least as normal as any of the rest of us pretend to be! 

By the way, I don't know if it helps you to know my type since I wasn't the one home-schooled, but I'm an INTJ, type 6.

I can tell you that both my sisters would recommend home-schooling to anybody who has the time and opportunity to do it right by having a good teacher.


----------



## EmmaLeigh (Aug 14, 2009)

I was homeschooled k-12. I'm hardly "normal", but then again, I'm an INFJ ^^. We don't usually get classified as normal anyway. I am perfectly well socialized now, though I was a little slow coming out the gate into college 2 years ago. It took me a semester to warm up, but most of that time I was just trying to deal with suddenly having deadlines and with my obsessive need to get an A on every test (didn't turn out to be too hard).

I definitely had a better education. Some people might criticize that statement because I never went to public school. I didn't have to, I attend classes with public schoolers. Stuff that I knew when I was 10 they are just now learning. There have been some classes I could have skipped every class and still gotten an A just based on my existing knowledge of the subject. I received a 35 on the reading portion of the ACT and occasionally will define a word for my Honors class when no one knows what it means.

But this is me. I know other homeschoolers who are different. One friend didn't really do much for highschool and, while very good at business, is lacking in a lot of general knowledge. She is naturally shy, but she's fine socially other than that.

Another homeschooled family has a son who is an engineer, a daughter who is working for a Congresswoman, and another daughter in college. They all did 4H and were active in various organizations. They are the best socializers I know, bar none.

And the list could go on. The biggest thing is that it's not so much the homeschooling as it is the people. In GENERAL homeschoolers tend to be better educated, and a little less well socialized. But not always. It's up to those involved.


----------



## brittanie20 (Apr 27, 2011)

I was never homeschooled, but I’d like to tell you about someone I know who is. I work in a hair salon and one of my co-workers is homeschooling her daughter. She decided to home school her daughter in sixth grade because the other kids were giving her a hard time because she was a bit overweight. Since then, not only have the children at school still found a way to intimidate and harass her, she has gained an additional 40 pounds and is now morbidly obese. In addition to the harassment, I have noticed that she has become more socially awkward. The other day she told me that I am her best friend. That is very sad because she is only thirteen years old and I’m twenty. I feel that homeschooling has hindered her and has prolonged her agony and life struggles. One day she will have to deal with the ugly things people say, and she may not have the coping skills she needs to do so. I’m not saying that all homeschooling is bad just that it definitely depends on the case, and in this case it is absolutely wrong.


----------



## goodgracesbadinfluence (Feb 28, 2011)

brittanie20 said:


> I was never homeschooled, but I&#8217d like to tell you about someone I know who is. I work in a hair salon and one of my co-workers is homeschooling her daughter. She decided to home school her daughter in sixth grade because the other kids were giving her a hard time because she was a bit overweight. Since then, not only have the children at school still found a way to intimidate and harass her, she has gained an additional 40 pounds and is now morbidly obese. In addition to the harassment, I have noticed that she has become more socially awkward. The other day she told me that I am her best friend. That is very sad because she is only thirteen years old and I&#8217m twenty. I feel that homeschooling has hindered her and has prolonged her agony and life struggles. One day she will have to deal with the ugly things people say, and she may not have the coping skills she needs to do so. I&#8217m not saying that all homeschooling is bad just that it definitely depends on the case, and in this case it is absolutely wrong.


I agree 100%! I can't stand it when people homeschool just their kids due to fear or avoidance. Not trying to speak negatively of your co-worker; I'm sure she was doing what she thought was best.


----------



## svandivier (Apr 26, 2011)

*Opinion on homeschooling*

The answer that I have for this question does not apply to every child. I believe that school plays an important role in the socialization of the youth. Therefore, it is my belief that children should attend school with other children. Granted not everything they learn will be good but it gives them a chance to learn the difference between right and wrong and socially good and bad behaviors. It also teachs them more about themselves to see how other children act. Now the school is an important choice and not all schools are good. This is when the role of a parent or guardian has to display good judgement. Also I think parent have to play a active role in the education process even when their child is not home schooled. Being involved and avaible for your child is just as important as the type of school they attend. Therefore it is my belief that attending school outside of the home is best.


----------



## cdwhite706 (Apr 16, 2011)

I've known several people who have been homeschooled and have known each other to be very socially awkward. I don't believe that just because you're homeschooled means you will turn out that way, however, if a child is not getting any social experiences elsewhere I believe that there is a great chance. Social interaction is a huge key in developmental issues and especially during childhood. Once a teenager it is often times hard to unlearn many of the things we learned as kids. Just my thoughts.


----------



## themartyparade (Nov 7, 2010)

As long as you have friends and social interaction with people your own age on a regular basis, I don't think it matters whether you're homeschooled or not. If you don't however, then I think it can cause problems socially and the kid might have a hard time fitting in and adjusting to kids their own age.

I think you learn more if you're homeschooled 'cause you have all the time in the world and the teacher's focus is on you and only you. However, "normal" schools do have an advantage when it comes to teaching people how to work in pairs, groups or teams and I think that's a pretty important thing to learn.

I've never been homeschooled, I think my grades would be a hell of a lot better if I was but the main reason why I go to school is to meet my friends and hang out with people. If that wasn't a part of my education, I think I'd get pretty bored and restless.


----------



## sofort99 (Mar 27, 2010)

I find it hilarious that the first thing people against homeschooling trot out is "socialization".

What's the first thing they do to you in school? They tell you to sit down, shut the fuck up, and stop socializing.

The purpose of the modern school, as said the the father of the modern school system, is to beat individuality out of children.

"You can't make socialists out of individualists. Children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming, where everyone is interdependent"
~John Dewey, "The father of modern education"


----------



## saynomore (Feb 27, 2010)

I had a few acquaintances who were homeschooled. All of them were distinguishable by a greater sense of direction, I think. They were more articulate than me and had a wider breadth of detailed knowledge. They also carried themselves well later on in college, being unaffected and not stuck-up or overly awkward. Actually, a girl in my psych class last semester was homeschooled, as I had initially assumed, and she had no reservations with answering questions and appearing as smart as she was. Though all of the homeschoolers I've met were well-adjusted, I'm sure there are some who have difficulty maneuvering through and/or integrating into college/careers later on.

Also, I can personally attest to the fact that the social atmosphere is much more natural. There were even parent-run activities that encouraged homeschoolers to meet up with one another. Of course, homeschooling depends on the home and the parents, but the same can be said for other schools.

Both pubic and private school, as I saw it, had much more pronounced drawbacks than homeschool. In public school, elementary learning was one size fits all, save for a small group of standout teachers. And in certain private schools tradition got in the way of certain subjects like science (evolution), literature (censorship), and health (safe sex). Having experienced all three, I would say that if the option presents itself, go with homeschooling.


----------



## Metis (Nov 26, 2009)

I was homeschooled all through school. Before I got to college it was all I had known. As I haven't experienced public school, I can't make any sort of comparisons, but I'm glad that I was homeschooled. Socially, I do have the occasional awkward moments, but that's probably more due to my status as an introvert. I have five siblings, and four of them are very outgoing and comfortable around people, so I think as a whole we don't follow the stereotype. Really, my only regret is that I didn't get much experience talking and presenting in front of people, which has made it somewhat difficult to do those sort of things in college.


----------



## Nymma (Apr 24, 2010)

I wish I had been homeschooled. My mother, who is a teacher of elementary school, had taught me some math and how to write/read before first grade. I grasped everything very quickly, was focused and interested in learning more. I was in my head a lot, and very stress-free. I started having anxiety problems when I was in contact with other children. I had no idea how to socialize, wasn't ready for it. I firmly beleive that being homseschooled would have permitted me to deal with the world at my own speed. I would have been able to observe more before choosing to make friends and figure out how to bond with people. 

But, alas, I was thrown mercilessly into a school environment, in which we were all forced to socialize. The "outside" time, the concept of "partners". What are teachers thinking, forcing us to work with others, and then MAKING US decide who our partners will be? If teachers choose groups, we don't have to go through the ridiculously hard dilemna of talking to strangers, asking people who we are uncomfortable with, people who see us as losers, to work with us, and setting ourselves for rejection. It should be all individual work. 

School teaches children the wrong values. It brainwashes everybody into thinking that only popular people matter, it makes them buy the concept of "social status". If you're not "one of them", your life will be nothing but misery. School takes 3/4 of your time, so it's not like you can avoid your problems very long. School has basically taught me that I was going to be nothing in life, just because I didn't have many friends(sometimes, not at all), because I didn't wore make-up or fashionable clothes(or cared one bit about that shallow crap), because I was lousy in sports,etc. Everyone gets a "tag" at school. If it's a positive one, you will do fine. If it's a negative one, you're screwed. It doesn't matter what you do with yourself, those people will still remember how you humiliated yourself with this and that. Reputation builds around humiliating moments, differences you have with popular ones and yaddada. Those things form a permanent "tag" (reputation) that you will carry around like plague until you finally reach your graduation. Then, you will be FREE. 

University, however, is a completly different matter. At university, you don't have a "tag", you don't have a status, everyone is equal. I have been able to start conversations with strangers in my classes at university, something I could never do at school. I am no longer anxious, it's like my social anxiety totally disappeared. It's all due to graduating and entering university. 

But yeah...School created all my problems with myself. Because, in grade 10, I couldn't bear anxiety and shame any longer, I decided to distract myself by doing things I wanted to do...even when I should have worked on projects and studied for tests. It was how I became a huge procrastinator. I occuppied myself 24/7 with personal hobbies of mine to avoid my problems. I, who was really organized, on time, who started work early, who was efficient with my time, who was a top student...I lost all of that because of my problems. And my problems were created by school. So, no I have nothing to thank school for. 

Also, I beleive that being homeschooled would have permit me to grow more, academically wise. I found many many projects useless, many class content a pure waste of time. If I had been homeschooled, I could have learned in my own way, and learn things who would have been more useful to me.


----------



## Donkey D Kong (Feb 14, 2011)

I tried homeschooling in 5th grade for something different. It was pretty interesting, but due to my procrastination I would take longer to get my work done, which lead to my decision to try out public schooling (prior to homeschooling I went to a private school.)

My opinion is, if you tend to procrastinate, it's not for you.


----------



## kittychris07 (Jun 15, 2010)

I was never homeschooled. I will say that as a public school student, I didn't get much experience in socializing with other people, in part because I was shy, and in part because I didn't join many group activities. This resulted in my being socially awkward. I haven't really had issues getting along with people (except for one supervisor that was pretty much hated by a lot of people), because people have generally assumed me to be good-natured. But I still have had issues with coming across awkwardly to other people. I'm a bit better now, after being in college. 

How does this relate to homeschool? I think that people who are homeschooled, if they are given opportunities to hang out with other students their age, may not be socially awkward. They should work on activities with other students, especially in extracurricular activities. Being a public school student will not necessarily help one socially if people are not enrolled in activities that force them to be social.


----------



## killerB (Jan 14, 2010)

My best friend homeschooled all her kids. She bashed on public schools. The funny thing is, when our kids grew up to go to college(my oldest is there now) hers ran away from home after meeting a girl, stole their truck and got busted by the cops. They ended up kicking him out and he now lives with his grandparents. Mine is so far sucessful and working on her Sophmore year, having tested out of tons of college courses and having taken tons of excellerated classes. I think she focused way to much on religion and fitting in with her religion, instead of socializing him to real life. I do not say this of all home schooled kids. 

My co worker was homeschooled and she is socially and educationally more advanced than others her age. She is the nicest sweetest person you could know and the most well mannered. I have seen both, and it depends how much the parents are dedicated on giving their children a well rounded education and social experience. 

I am watching the couple down the street home school their 5 kids(preggers for a 6th). Unfortunately, they feel corporal punishment will teach them things, the children run rampant and wild all day long and they are quite frankly, brats. No one likes them in the neighborhood, as they have caused so much trouble with the well behaved neighborhood kids. This is a case of not being qualified to home school your kids. Its very sad. The best thing for these kids is to get them into a structured schooling environment as they obviously lack it at home.

It all depends on the parents.


----------



## The13thGuest (May 3, 2011)

I was homeschooled off an on through 8-10th grade. I loved it. No annoying, immature teenagers... 
I finished the entire year cirriculum for 8th grade in 5 months though, I think it was supposed to take 9. It goes by fast, I really liked it.


----------



## slime (May 21, 2011)

i've gone to public school my entire life, and i'm not sure whether or not i'd prefer homeschooling over it. i doubt it, just because being taught by my parent/s isn't a very pleasant idea. although i do believe there are a lot of pros when it comes to homeschooling.

i see these as benefits of homeschooling:
1) sleeping in leads to better concentration throughout the school day.
2) when you are sick, you are able to get medicine easilly and then continue with your lesson.
3) being able to snack all class increases concentration, thus leading to retention of information.
4) no peer pressure about how you dress. you don't have to dress like the fad at the crack of dawn, nor wear uncomfortable starched uniforms, thus you worry about this less and focus more on learning.
5) no bullies, and thus less trauma at a vulnerable stage of life (think gay/bi/les, minority race/religion/belief, etc.)
6) you can move ahead if you're skilled enough. 
7) allows you to manage your time and education more personally. 

although honestly, if i were to have kids they would go to public school. public school really helps construct social skills which are obviously mandatory throughout life. but homeschooling and locking your child inside the house are not the same thing and are not even remotely correlated, it doesn't magically give you aspergers, but i do find public school more fit in the long run.


----------



## Fleetfoot (May 9, 2011)

I...would kill myself...if I were home-schooled. 0_0



It probably is good for some people, but I guess I just have a negative viewpoint on it, including that much time you'd be with your parents, and the fact that if I have a hard time getting to know people in public/private school, it would be damn near impossible to have any sort of social interaction with anyone other than my parents, which I find to be extremely unhealthy. Everyone I have met that was home-schooled fit into this video clip.






Of course I know it's a stereotype, but in my own life I found it to be scary accurate with the people I have met. 


If you can pull it off though and have that hands-on social learning experience, kudos to you!


----------



## thepgo (May 31, 2011)

For me, it's rather Yes in terms of educations, because being taught individually means going according to your level. But IMO it's a total No in terms of social interaction. I know it's annoying for some people to meet all of those douchebags at school, but you do have to socialize and learn how to deal with a various types of people. After homeschooling you get out of your house with next to none knowledge how to deal with people, and that is pretty bad for introverted ones.


----------



## Neon Knight (Aug 11, 2010)

Hmm I'd be in favour of it if I didn't think most of the people choosing homeschooling were complete morons. My reasoning is that most that I've heard choosing homeschooling is because they believe in some stupid liberal bias in school and that they hate sex ed. Not exactly people I'd want mentoring anyone especially at a young age since kids are quite susceptible to believing whatever authority figure and that they all have their best intentions in mind and know what's best for them. Having been bullied a lot you'd think I'd be in favour of it but I am not, I prefer that the problem gets dealt with directly by actually raising kids properly and teachers and principals actually doing their fucking jobs. They call in the the cops when they suspect someone having weed in their lockers but when someone's repeatedly getting beat down no one cares. /rant


----------



## freyaliesel (Mar 3, 2011)

It's really irritating to see everybody assume that homeschoolers don't socialize. In my experience, homeschoolers get more socialization with different types of people than those that attend public school.


----------



## Frog (May 11, 2011)

Hello. I'm an INFJ. My name is Frog, and I'm a homeschooler. K-12. I'd like to say that socially, I'm perfectly normal, but anybody who's read any of my other posts KNOWS that's a load, so I'll just let that be. A few quick thoughts;



Tony Stewart said:


> I've ran into a few in college. Most I know are socially awkward, but there are exceptions. One guy I know is a nightlife photographer. If he had not have told me, I'd never known.


I think this is the biggest problem. The strange/awkward/annoying homeschoolers are the first to volunteer the information... and if they're strange, you're more likely to make the mental connection and remember it. People are frequently surprised when I tell them I'm homeschooled, and when they aren't surprised, they forget I'm homeschooled. Usually, they then proceed to tell me horror stories about other homeschoolers they've met who killed people/kicked puppies/ruined their lives, all because they didn't have the advantage of the public school system.



vonsfunhouse said:


> I home educated my ten children for sixteen years. They are quite normal. I think it really depends on your reasons and methods. When I decided to home educate, I wanted my children to not only be book wise, but also socially so. They were given tools to learn with ability to also come to their own conclusions. I found that many of the other home schooled kids were told how to think. This made me sad as well as angry. Children must still be able to function in society and the only way they can do so is to be able to be themselves and have their own views on the world around them.


I'm 7 of 10! I don't think I'm your son, though.



sofort99 said:


> "You can't make socialists out of individualists. Children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming, where everyone is interdependent"
> ~John Dewey, "The father of modern education"


Hate that man with a passion. He's one of the major reasons I was homeschooled.

Alright, a couple more thoughts.
1) Not everybody who goes through the PSS is going to be socially well-adjusted. I'm sorry, but as strange as I am, I've met PSS products who are much, much stranger.
2) I think that the percentage of well-adjusted homeschoolers is probably much lower than the percentage of well-adjusted publicschoolers (well, private/public schoolers). However, I think it's cross-correlated and misleading. The reasons for homeschooling would be a death sentance for the social life of a public schooler, too. They include
a) Pride/Arrogance; "My children are too good for the PSS"
Well, come on! Pride cometh before a fall REGARDLESS of how you were educated.
b) Religion, values, morals
Like anything else, if taken to an extreme, it can disconnect a child from the 'real word.' Not a word from you, Android. However, when done correctly you get these "sweet, well-mannered" homeschoolers who keep getting mentioned on this thread.
c) Social Protection
If they're taken OUT of school for this reason, the kid's already weird; you can hardly blame homeschooling for that. If they're never put IN school for this reason, then the parents are probably weird and carry scars from their own upbringing. Not entirely healthy.
d) Education
Surprisingly, this is probably one of the least common reasons. However, it's a doozy. My mother's educational system was to teach us to read and point us at the bookshelves. Needless to say, we didn't really get the best educations; and yet, for the most part, we still manage to keep up with the PSS products. Although I would have changed my particular method of homeschooling, this has seriously damaged my confidence in the PSS, and I intend on homeschooling my own children.

Another problem is that there seems to be an attitude on here that all homeschoolers fall in roughly the same catagory, because all public/private schoolers are in the same catagory. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Although we often share common traits, I usually find that I'm as different from the next homeschooler as I am from the next public or private schooler. Each home is a completely different school, and there is very little standardization.

No, homeschooling cannot compete well with six hours of "socialization" daily. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I find that I can bring a different perspective to things that most people around me fail to consider, although whether that's homeschooling or INFJ I couldn't say. My brain is trained differently, it wanders different paths. That can be lonely, but it can also be rewarding.

Darn, another long post. Sorry.


----------



## Cover3 (Feb 2, 2011)

I'd say public school is good for the acquisition of basic social skills and perhaps learn a few things here and there, possibly finding your avenue through it(though not likely), but overall, I think the public ed is seriously flawed.


----------



## Neon Knight (Aug 11, 2010)

There may be one advantage depending on the parents too that I wish was teachable in the school system and that is things that are actually useful like budgeting and being fiscally responsible, social skills, tolerance, how to solve a variety of real life problems, etc. These things will help when getting out on your own when that college degree will only get you a job at McDonalds.


----------



## Peripheral (Jan 8, 2011)

If and when I have a kid, I'll most likely put them in a homeschooling group. For socialization, I'll get them into playdate type stuff,
sports etc.


----------



## Invidia (Feb 26, 2011)

I was home schooled, and I am in fact somewhat socially awkward (though I was that way prior to being home schooled.) I was bullied relentlessly in public school, by peers and teachers. I grew up in a community of 900 people and the school system was a joke. I attended public school until I was in the 6th grade. I was very bright, but was struggling with things like basic subtraction in 5th grade because that particular teacher would just give me the answers and I wasn't learning. It was really a combination of a poor education system and the fact that I hated going to school that lead to the home schooling option.

While home schooling, I did a lot of my studies without direct supervision as I enjoyed learning, and only required help on subjects like math and science. I tested as a college freshman level in reading comprehension from 8th grade on. My mother used an actual curriculum that was assembled by a school based on achievement testing. My work was graded out of state by this school, and I consistently scored As and Bs. My mom would use public school as a threat because she knew I liked home schooling much better.

I scored a 28 on my ACT, and applied to a state school. Because the high school I graduated from was not accredited, the college wanted me to take my GED as well. I fought it on principle, since I had completed all 13 years of school and did not need a GED to prove I was intelligent enough. So I wrote a respectful letter to the dean of students citing my ACT scores, my GPA upon graduation and my transcripts for all 4 years of high school. I was not only allowed entrance (the first home schooled student to ever be accepted without a GED to this particular school), but I was also awarded a 4 year full tuition scholarship as well as smaller scholarships all based on academics.

I am a big fan of home schooling. I think a lot of the negative things portrayed about home schooling come from those who really do not know what they are talking about, or are based solely on stereotypes. My daughter will also be home schooled, I feel there is more one-on-one attention, and I believe I as a parent am more motivated to assist her in succeeding at school than anyone else could be.


----------



## sofort99 (Mar 27, 2010)

sRae said:


> I was home schooled, and I am in fact somewhat socially awkward (though I was that way prior to being home schooled.) I was bullied relentlessly in public school, by peers and teachers.


That's one of the big things about the so called "socialization skills" you learn in public school. They are absolutely useless skills in the real world.

School is like Lord of the Flies. It's all cliques and popularity contests.

Once you grow up and get into the world, all that crap is left behind. Really, you would be better off being raised around adults, so you would know how to act like one.

That's one of the reasons public school people think home schooled kids are weird and don't fit in... they don't act infantile.


----------



## Surreal Snake (Nov 17, 2009)

Weird.Bizarre.


----------

