He can still play on the basketball team, right?

My child is an upper-level middle school student and I've found the exact opposite to be true throughout his time at public school. I read the list of graduates of both local public schools every single year. About 75-80 percent are going on to college, many at schools most would list among the "best" in the country. So they certainly have not been hindered by a public education.

The several home-schooled kids my child has played sports with were among the most self-centered and entitled kids I've ever met. They felt their every whim should be addressed. They could not handle the fact that other kids were just as smart (or smarter), that the coach didn't think the sun rose and set on them, and they had absolutely no social skills when it came to interacting with the wide diversity of personalities on the team.

And my feelings about home-schooled kids participating in school-sponsored extra-curriculars won't change. If the school system is not "good enough" for someone to enroll their child in, then said child/children should nbot be allowed to participate in the school's sports/extra-curriculars, since they are run by the exact same people.

Sorry, but when I think of home-schooling, I think of mom or dad dragging their kids to the grocery store or the mall during the middle of the day and calling it economics class.

 

The one thing people do not understand about home schooling is that it has to stop sometime.

Most people can understand the curriculum from the elementray years. It is something most people should already know. Simple math, English, easy science and social studies are all easily picked up. But this is what people miss; when your child hits sixth grade every subject starts to become a lot more in depth. And this accelerates every year. Are you an expert on the history of the World? How about science? Well secondary teachers are pretty close. Plus, they are pros that know how to teach. That is not stressed enough - they are professionals. Sure, some people might be able to pick things up from reading a book and spitting it back out to their kids, but they are not pros.

If you were to build a house, would you try to do it yourself? There are books in the library that tell you everything you need to know. There are stores that will sell you everything you need to buy. This should be no problem, right? You could call some people who are doing this as well, and they can give you advice. Do you want to try it? How tilted do you think your house would be?

Teaching a child is similar. Teachers are pros. The math teacher is your drywall man. The reading teacher is your plumber. The social studies teacher is your mason. I think you get the point.

If you want to home school K-5, give it a shot. I would not, but it's not the end of the world. Try to homeschool 6-12, and I think you would be fighting an uphill battle.

And, Rick, you are a hell of a parent. Send your kid to public school (unless safety is an issue). I am pretty darn sure Lil Stain will be head and shoulders above the others.

What is your public school like?

 

I echo this. People are constantly picking up on cues telling them where and with whom they want their kid -- or don't want their kid -- to hang out. Some of the judgments are reasonable, such as the one involving my son's 11-year-old friend who just reported that "The Hangover" is a hilarious movie and well worth seeing again; others are more personal and inexplicable but have the same effect on your child's chances of interacting with the other kid.

 

I think homes-schooling is a mistake in most cases.
I understand anyone's skepticism with the public education system. If/when we have a kid, we're sending him/her to private school.

You might be a smart person and you might be a good parent, but do you have any independent evidence that indicates you would be a good teacher?

 

Exactly. And for our kids' sakes, we have to suck it up and interact in these parenting circles. What's the #1 place to meet and get to know other parents? School!

Actually Rick, I think you should send your kid to public school-- and become a bigtime PTA dad. Get in there and fight for the kind of education you want your son to have.

 

Ha, I thought maybe this might be a fun subject. I appreciate everyone's input, but I can't promise I'll keep responding to every post.

Lots of people responding with examples of what the homeschool kids they know have been like. I have a few reference points on that myself, and it's pretty much the same thing with one exception:

1) A few of my wife's friends kids who are pretty much the epitome of the negative stereotype of home schooled kids. They are homeschooled because their parents are fundamentalists Christians who don't want to expose them to evil guvmint secularism.

2) A few kids I've covered in local sports. All seemed nice enough, but I didn't exactly get to know them well.

3) A friend of my from college. Actually, I didn't even know she was homeschooled until I brought this up with her recently. If I could pick one person in the world for my son's social life and skills to be modeled after, it'd be hers. She's pretty much awesome and perfect in that regard.

So...mixed bag.

Again, have we met? Lack of confidence in my own expertise is never going to stop me here.

Yes! If I had the time and money, that would be *awesome*. I would totally do that and be confident in the results. I would do the hell out of that.

I had not thought of this, but I will definitely be adding it to the "cons" list to be considered. Excellent point, thank you.

 

As much as I fear the continued downward direction of the public school system in this country as our son is getting his education (assuming private schooling is out), I can't imagine how difficult home-schooling makes it for a child trying to properly socialize. Granted, many aspects of socializing in today's culture also scare the hell out of me. But doing the loner thing is hard enough as an adult who's been around for decades. Stacking the deck in such a fashion from an early age seems like a huge hurdle to put in front of a child.

 

Homeschool day one.

Little Stain sits down nervously at the table. Dad has told him about what we are beginning today, and he's excited but not entirely sure what to expect.

Dad hands him a home-printed workbook titled Wins are Worthless and directs him to open the spreadsheet that has been loaded onto the desktop of his tablet.

"Son, today I'm going to teach you how to calculate BABIP."

 

Word

 

I don't disagree. But I also believe that most of what you fail to learn in school doesn't come from a book either. If I made a list of everything non-academic I want my son to learn by the age of 18, I'm not even sure public-school curriculum would cover half of it.