homeschooling

Discussion in 'Home Schooling' started by Jointman69, May 23, 2005.

  1. sooty_the_kat

    sooty_the_kat Senior Member

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    i have always thought home schooling stunts ones social skills and i really do think it's better for a kid to be around people their own age. the way i see it, people say they homeschool their children because schools try and teach them what and how to think whereas the child can learn in a way that is easier and not as strict and rigid. but my feelings are that school is not really about the work, sure you do maths and history and geography and etc and you pick up skills like essay writing and debating and such but really, school (especially in the junior years) should be about friends and socialising. and that is exactly what a homeschooled kid isnt getting. if anything i think it stresses to the kid more that work and learning is the most important thing at that age which i dont agree with. but i do think it depends where you live and what the schools are like, homeschooling could very well be much better than the school in your area. when i have kids i will definately send them to school, but it will have to be a good one, coz thats what i got and it really makes a difference. (obviously not everyone gets that opportunity). i also think its a bit cruel when the parents decide to teach their kids, how can they possibly know how and what to teach? i definately dont think thats in the best interest of the child. i think its really irresponsible of the parent.

    on a totally different note - i studied child prodigies and hot housing last year as part of my psychology course and i concluded from what i found that most people have the capacity to be so called "geniuses" and "gifted". if you look at the kids that seem way excelled above the average there are actually factors aside from "they're smart" that account for it. for one thing the parents are usually very dedicated to the childs learnign encouraging them to speak and learn things at a very young age. most kids who come to 1st grade and it seems as if wow they are so smart its really just that they know more because they have been taught more. im not denying that there are gifted kids out there, of course some people are super smart, but, i do believe that if you took a child and put it in this constant learning environment, compared with the average they would appear to be very smart when really its just a question of knowledge. i know this is all a bit off subject but i just wanted to say it anyway.

    honestly before id studied child geniuses i believed they must just be like me but super intelligent, but im 100% convinced that its a lot to do with environment and i know that if i had been brought up like that i would probably be excelling as well. one thing that rang true with all the kids i looked at was their lack of social ability.

    just my 2 cents
     
  2. DSLC

    DSLC Member

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    Incidentally, I started a debate about this (i.e. socialization) in this thread little over two weeks ago. Feel free to join the discussion there if you want.

    Speaking from personal experience, I can honestly say that school did little or nothing to foster such skills in me. I developed these skills of own will, in my own time, and actually not until a considerable time after I had left school. English - which 'essay-writing' is an important component of - was my worst subject in school (according to exam results); and it has taken me a considerable number of years to recover/gain a love for the English language after the absolutely ghastly manner in which we were introduced to it back in the day.

    I recall my mother - who taught English in high-school for a number of years - trying to help me with my English assignments when I was about fourteen years of age. Sighs of exasperation came from both of us - an indication of the stress we were both under. She may have even issued an occasional curse due to the frustration and tediousness of the circumstance - not to mention my lack of enthusiasm and interest. And it was all so futile; all so pointless! Please don't tell me that - in the midst of this trauma - school had endowed me with "skills" that stand to me now ...because, frankly, I think that's a load of nonsense; and even if they did, I could have done it far more efficiently, and with far less stress, under the baton in my own fist - as I have done with other subjects since leaving school!

    Rather than considering my experiences however (..I by no means claim to be a particularly accomplished writer, or debater), why not read comments made by a Nobel Prize Winner in Literature - Rabindranath Tagore:

    (..you can read more here)

    I think I largely agree! If this is the case however, why prescribe pointless assignments that sap the joy out of their lives, and bring them little other than stress and worry?
    Also, I think it's appropriate to point out that the operative word here is "should"! Any institution which claims to be dedicated to children's welfare "should" provide an environment where they can have fun, play together, and enjoy life - but it doesn't! Instead, it effectively locks them in a road for 5-7 hours a day; gives them a mere 10-30 minutes of 'play-time'; and then claims - after depriving them of the possibility to interact with people of different ages, and often of the opposite sex - claims to have 'socialized' them!

    Again, I think I agree! This is one of the main reasons I am such a fan of unschooling! One of the main ideas of unschooling is to let the child decide themself! This is a very important point in my view, as it is a clear distinction between 'unschooling' (/non-enforced/self-directed learning) and certain other 'versions' of home-schooling.

    P.S. Forgive my ranging, please - I just have a lot to say on this issue.
     
  3. peacelovebarefeet

    peacelovebarefeet BuRniN oNe...

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    ive been in public school for my entire schooling, kindergarten up to sophmore year of high school... im going to be a junior next year... ::eek!::

    anyways, when i was born, i was 2 months premature, and the doctors/physchologists/whatever's thought i would be developmentally delayed.

    i am not... i have tested very high in english and reading, somewhat good in science, and average in math....

    i think public schools give kids real life lessons that homeschooling does not. also (im surprised no one has said this!), its good for children to get away from their parents, you know? its good for them to be on their own, learn to be independant. they cant do that if they are with their parents 24/7.

    i DO think homeschooling works for many, many people, and if it works for you and your kids, by all means do it. but i dont think people realize how much work actually GOES into teaching kids... i mean, an online school??! nahhhh... how much can that kid be learning? (but, hey to that kid... it DOES sound like the life!) a computer isnt going to know if your kid is a bully, and a computer isnt going to make a kid get up outta the computer chair to do some physical activities...
     

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