Have you been homeschooled?

I have cousins that were homeschooled and it was a BAD idea for them. One is 25 and STILL has not graduated. I guess it would depend on the child and the age.

I spent many years in the Boy Scouts as both a Scout and a Leader. During that time, we had a few kids come through who were home schooled. Most of those kids were very nice and smart, but they had social problems because they couldn't relate to the other kids. I've seen it happen with other kids who were homeschooled. They follow the adults around and don't play with kids their own age. I'm not saying this happens to all of them, but it's not an uncommon thing.

At my job, we recently discussed how half of 'education' is just showing how much BS you can put up with. I think it is important for kids to be in a classroom with disruptive kids as well as smart ones. They need to learn how different people are, and it sometimes helps to know what kind of background they come from.

In the end, I think homeschooling your kids cheats them out of learning about real people. It shelters them from some of the problems that arise in public schools, which is often the purpose, but you have to remember that those same kinds of problems can be encountered in the workplace or elsewhere.

Thanks for the comments so far! I am very worried about the socialization aspect of homeschooling - I know that parents who homeschool say that it is not an issue if you put forth the effort, but I do think that it is important for kids to learn to deal with situations they would encounter in the real world, and to socialize with kids in their own age group.

My main concern right now is that there is a pretty big heroin problem in the middle and elementary schools (I'm not sure what the high school is like). Also, there is a problem with the elementary and middle school kids passing their competency exams - when I took these things in high school, we had to do things like identify the US flag and identify where the US was on the world map.

We are considering moving to a better school district, but as of right now, this may not be an option before our kid reaches school age (we're actually in a pretty nice neighborhood - my understanding is that these changes have just started taking place in the last couple of years). I think that if we do decide to homeschool, we are looking at doing it for a year or two to see how it goes.

I look forward to more comments - thanks again for the feedback so far!

Amy, socialization skills aren't a problem for most homeschooled kids. My son was taught at home from 4th through 12th grade. We met weekly with other home schoolers for phys ed and field trips (lots of field trips). Some home school groups get the kids together to do math (if one parent in the group is better at that than others). We hired a Spanish teacher who taught in public schools to teach a bunch of home schoolers. My son took computer classes with other kids. Plus he was in the Florida boy choir with 80 other boys.

Most home schooled children are better equipped to handle situations with kids of all ages and with adults as well.

At about 15, my son swore he would never home school his kids if he had any. By 17, he had changed his tune and said he would definitely "un-school" them.

If I were you, I'd check to see what kinds of home school groups there are in your area.

In FL, there were rules that said that the school board could come into your home at any time to check your work areas and lesson plans. We signed up under an umbrella school so that all records were kept there and if there were questions about our methods, they would contact the school. It kept them out of our home.

But when we moved to TX, there were no rules at all. There were two home school groups near where we moved to TX. One was very formal with lots and lots of rules. The other was more laid back. That's the one we chose. Mostly did field trips and special projects for the kids. Like science fairs and such.

I knew one kid who was home schooled
He was always babied so he was very selfish, shy, and extremely irritable in groups when he did not get his way

(he was home-schooled up until highschool, where he attended normal HS)

In FL, a kid who is home schooled can actually do part days in public school and part at home once they get to high school- dual enrollment. That way, they can use science labs and get more involved in sports. (Although some areas now allow home schooled kids to be in public school sports.)

Or...in high school many home schoolers attend community college and it counts as credit both for high school and college. (Obviously those kids don't usually have any socialization problems.)

I can usually tell a teen who has been home schooled (or went to a small Christian school) vs kids who went through public school too, but not because of him/her being too shy or backward. Rather, they appear a bit smarter, excited about learning, and...much more respectful of their peers and adults.

Amy, I hope you get some comments from people who've actually been home schooled. Based on the people I've met who've been home schooled, I'd say your likely to find that their experiences are as varied as those of people who received any other type of education.

It's also been my experience that when people talk about "most home schooled kids", whether they're speaking positively or negatively, those people usually have an agenda. Unfortunately, that can make it hard to get honest, objective information.

Thanks for the continue comments! I live in PA, and there are actually some great rules in place for homeschooled kids - they can participate in sports at their local public school, for example. In my particular region, there are also gym classes at the local YMCA for homeschooled kids, and the ability to earn college credits while in school (although that's a long way off for us!).

Wil - thanks so much for your thoughtful comment! You bring up an excellent point (which I hadn't really thought of) about how the experience varies. Also, while I greatly appreciate everyone's comments so far, I would like to hear more from the kids themselves.

Hey Wil, I don't have any kind of agenda. I'm just telling her of my experience with home schooled kids.

There are some kids on my daughter's soccer team who are homeschooled and they seem fine with being social and getting along with other kids. I would say it depends on your system you choose to use. Good luck if this is what you choose.

I was home schooled in 4th and 9th grades. I missed the socialization, but enjoyed being on my own pace academically (I usually worked faster than the school year that way, and was able to get ahead). The curricula I really liked were PACES, the McGuffey Reader, and a series of math books from Saxon. I think home school can work for short-term situations where there doesn't appear to be any better choice.

Thanks for the additional information! I am definitely going to check out the curricula Ms. Meacham mentioned.

We homeschooled our youngest daughter from sophomore in high school because of a medical problem that the school would not cooperate with. She is especially sharp in language arts, today operates two businesses and is very successful. I would hesitate to attempt with an elementary-age student, but then, my husband did a lot of the actual schooling. Our daughter passed the G.E.D. with flying colors, too.

No, I went to public school only~

I went through public schools and so did my children. I believe there are good and bad in both situations, home and public schooling. The most important thing to think about, im opinion, about home schooling is, being realistic about how much time you are willing to put in teaching your children.

No, I wasn't. I went to public school.

I wasn't homeschooled either. I went to Catholic school.

Amy -- I have not been homeschooled myself, but my mom was a lady who loved to "teach" her children and to learn with us. So, in a way, I was homeschooled even though I attended public school during a time when there was no such thing as homeschooling (at least in our state of Connecticut, where I grew up).

BUT ... I homeschooled my daughter and I nenjoyed every second of being her mom and her teacher. And like my mother before me, I learned so much through the eyes of a teacher. It was some of the best years of my life and I would recommend it highly!

Wow! I really appreciate all of the comments I am still getting about this. We are still weighing all of the factors, and are starting to seriously think about not only the responsibilities that come with home-schooling, but the potential benefits. Intuitively, my gut is telling me to homeschool, at least in the beginning. I'll keep everyone updated :)