Homeschooling?

[Ella]

For those of you who have kids or plan on having kids, are you going to consider homeschooling (or have you done so already)? 

I was looking into the average public school in America and specifically in my location and they are almost all terrible. I see things in the news about them indoctrinating children with race-based teaching and playing favorites in terms of grades... I don't want my children to go there! Homeschooling seems to be the cheapest alternative as more private schools (Christian or otherwise) tend to cost several thousand a year to attend. The one closest to me I believe is $15,000 a year which is INSANE!  

[James]

I have 4 kids. 

I would not homeschool them myself. We send them through the public education system and we live in a state with some of the lowest scores in education. Personally I feel that the most important part of school is the socialization of the children. The knowledge they are learning they will only remember if they care about it. If they have a passion for something they will drive themselves to be the best at whatever that is. 

I know a couple of my children we have a lot of trouble getting through homework. The frustration is on the parent and the child and I can only imagine what that would look like if I was teaching them full time. It has to be good to have your children exposed to points of view that are different then your own and get taught by people they do not know along with being forced into social situations. 

I do agree it is scary with the indoctrinating of the children that is taking place around this country. I live in a pretty conservative state I try to keep a solid pulse on what the kids are being taught at school. Nothing has seemed out of the ordinary yet so I think AZ is doing a good job at keeping that curriculum out. 

If you do homeschool the kids just make sure to socialize them in some way as that is an important skills set to learn too. 

Get involved with the local school board and if strange things are being taught to the kids band together with other parents and make them stop. Parents are finally starting to realize the things that are going on. Hopefully one day we can have cameras in every class room of a public school so parents can have more transparency about what is going on with their children while they are there. 

[Sophia]

I love the concept of homeschooling but I feel that is a better option for kids who are older. I would say kids 5 to 12 need some kind of social interactions with adults and children on a consistent basis and school offers this. Not all public schools are bad. You have to make sure you know what they are teaching and are involved in the school. That being said, I plan on doing a private school for 5 years and then homeschooling after. If at the age of 16, my child(children) decide they want to finish in a standard school, then the last 2 years we will do just that. 

[Mila]

If you can manage to have proper socialization and ensure your kids are learning, I see nothing wrong with it. There are a lot of programs that offer homeschooling done at a computer so the parents don't actually teach, actual teachers do. 

[Emma]

I think homeschooling will become a more viable option for a lot of families after the nonsense with covid. I can't blame parents for wanting to try other options after that mess. The only thing is, as mentioned, you have to ensure your children are socialized. You can do this other ways though by having them join "after school clubs" and things of that nature. Many schools offer these things to kids who don't even attend their schools so long as their are enrolled in online learning that is registered with the county.  

[Rachel]

Homeschooling is great! But, if you're not a teacher, it may be tough to homeschool. I don't know if I could handle homeschooling. As well, I like what James said, about how schools are meant for kids to socialize and meet new friends. I think that's very tough to do when being homeschooled.  Kids need to go to school for that reason. If they don't, they will then live a sheltered life and won't fully know how to talk to people outside of the home. 

If you do homeschool, I say wait until they're older, because I think it's best for younger kids to actually go to a public school with other kids. 

[Ella]

Thanks for all the replies to this. I didn't think this many people would have feedback on the subject!

I think socializing is important. Having known someone who grew up in Amish Country, and seeing how much she has struggled because of that sheltered life, it makes sense that socializing children young is important. I know there are several ways around this, assuming you live in a good community. You can have them join summer programs to be with other children, after school programs during the school year, all that stuff.

But yeah, I do agree homeschooling is a better option when a child is older. I would say to pluck them out just before puberty. Once they enter puberty is when the problems usually start with public schools. Bullying, peer-pressure, drug use, etc. 

[bomb]

On 7/11/2021 at 11:14 PM, Ella said:

For those of you who have kids or plan on having kids, are you going to consider homeschooling (or have you done so already)? 

I was looking into the average public school in America and specifically in my location and they are almost all terrible. I see things in the news about them indoctrinating children with race-based teaching and playing favorites in terms of grades... I don't want my children to go there! Homeschooling seems to be the cheapest alternative as more private schools (Christian or otherwise) tend to cost several thousand a year to attend. The one closest to me I believe is $15,000 a year which is INSANE!  

Well, $1500 is quite a lot. But on the other hand, homeschooling may not be a cheaper alternative. Okay, with the pandemic, it is a safer way out, but not necessarily the cheapest in the long haul. There will be some expenses that will come to light later on that you will not have anticipated while planning. 

[Ella]

20 hours ago, bomb said:

Well, $1500 is quite a lot. But on the other hand, homeschooling may not be a cheaper alternative. Okay, with the pandemic, it is a safer way out, but not necessarily the cheapest in the long haul. There will be some expenses that will come to light later on that you will not have anticipated while planning. 

A friend of mine was home schooled for middle and high school. The state covered 90% of the costs. She said the only thing her mother ever had to pay for was the computer, dance events, and social gathers for the students they did twice a year. It ended up being only a few hundred a school year not including the computer. They would have supplied a computer if her parents were under the poverty line as well. I guess this depends on where you live.