SmackDown: Would You Homeschool Your Kids?

Every concern I have ever heard about homeschooling has turned out to be non-true nit-pickyness. Not only have I homeschooled my own 3 kids, but I taught classes in homeschool co-ops and the kids are as normal as any schooled kids, except that they are a little more excited to be there and eager to learn than you find in schooled kids. I don't know where people get the idea that if you are homeschooled your kids don't get out, or don't do things without you, etc. Mine have always been in classes, or clubs, or groups, gone on field trips or had friends to play with. If anything, they've had more time to be even more independent because they haven't had to revolve their lives around the school schedule. When my oldest started college (at age 15 by the way) she didn't have any problems. I went to school, and have worked in schools, we all know that school is not a perfect environment, we all know there are plenty of kids struggling in schools, both academically and socially, there are plenty of kids who have a hard time transitioning to high school or jobs or college, because that is a normal part of growing up no matter what environment you are in. Why would anyone expect homeschooling to be perfect? Of course it isn't, but it's been around long enough to show that homeschooled kids are not any more likely to have these problems than schooled kids. it's a perfectly valid option, just like public or private school. I challenge anyone who is that skeptical and concerned about homeschooling to go spend a day at a co-op. Fact is, studies have been done where child psychologists observed groups of homeschooled and schooled kids together and didn't know which was which; they couldn't tell the difference. I doubt anyone else could... all your worries are in your head, basically.

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Amy Hatch wrote that “she doesn’t buy” the fact that homeschooled children have “ample opportunities for socialization.” I’m not certain what the standards are for participation in extracurricular activities where she lives, but in our town soccer, baseball, football, flag football, karate, gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, scouting, and other programs are not run by the local public school and do not require enrollment in a public school to participate. Homeschooling parents do not have to organize these activities on their own. They just have to participate in their community. So, what doesn’t Mrs. Hatch buy? She just doesn’t want to buy it. If she does, it’s one less justification for the educational choice she and her husband made for their daughter.

Mrs. Hatch observed that by homeschooling her daughter she would deprive her of the experience of being taught by teachers like Ed Ladd or Mr. Hatch. Ironically, by not homeschooling she is depriving her daughter of the experience of being taught by Mr. Hatch.

If Mrs. Hatch believes that homeschoolers do not meet and deal with meanness, bullies, and ostracization on the playground then she really does not understand homeschooling. Homeschoolers are not children isolated from society. They learn to deal with these situations just like every other kid in America – through the school of hard knocks. They just don’t learn it in the hallway between classes, or on the play ground during recess. Ultimately, I don’t care whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Hatch homeschool their daughter, but stated reasons show a complete ignorance of life in a homeschool.

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My son went to puplic school the first six years, then to a private school and then to High School in puplic. If I had to do it all over again and could not afford Christian private school, I would attempt to home school him, no doubt. Because they learn so much now then when I went to school, I would probably have to hire a tutor but still that is much better then all the peer pressure at school. My son only got in trouble at school and had his first drug experience at school, where in the bathroom, they forced him to smoke pot.

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yeah I have dyslexics

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As someone who was homeschooled in a rural area, I found the social opportunities to be severely lacking. There is no doubt that the education can be tons better than that in the public school, but efforts must be made to make sure that the home schooled student isn't suffering socially. In urban areas, that isn't that hard. In a rural area, it needs work.

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I think a vocabulary lesson is due...

Socialization: the process by which the norms and standards of our society are passed from one generation to the next. (I've never really thought that a complete stranger's six-year old child would be a good source of information on the correct standards of behavior in our family and in society as a whole.)

Perhaps Mrs. Hatch is looking for a different term altogether, and that is "socializing." They do have the same root word but different meanings. As for socializing, I remember from my school days that it was something you weren't supposed to be doing during class!

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I really respect Crystal a lot, I love her to death, but I have a huge problem with her saying that you can not keep the command in Duet. if you send your kids to public school. That is adding to the scripture which is a no no. No where does it say, keep your kids away from other people who are not believers in that verse. I tried to homeschool and felt like i was sinning because if I did put them in school because someone who follows vision forum told me that same line. We are their examples, NOT their teachers and that commandment can be followed wether you homeschool or not. People who use that I often feel make the scripture say this: Don't let your children be taught by anyone but you or other Godly people. My Bible does not say this. It says to talk to them about God all day long, which I do in the morning before they leave and at dinner when we pray and at night before we go to bed. I have real beef with people who follow a group of people namely vision forum, add to the scripture their spin on it to justify what they do. The fact of the matter is how are the schools and the world supposed to change without the salt and light?

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When I said NOt their teachers, I meant their teachers are not their examples, parents are teachers wether they want to be or not.

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Smackdown? Really? What are we: ten? We homeschool our kids and obviously I think the reasons we chose homeschooling are good. But I don't have a problem with those who choose other educational methods. Does it really have to be a "smackdown?" Choose what's best for your family & be supportive of other people's choices. This isn't the WWF, it's parenting.

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I feel like BOTH authors did a great job describing the decisions they felt were best for THEIR families. Both outlined concerns that many people have with either choice, and were mostly respectful while doing it. I appreciate this sort of dialogue. Thank you.

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