Comments on: Top 10 Tips for Homeschoolers

By: bionicragdoll

bionicragdoll — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:27:08 +0000

I plan on home schooling my children because I do not trust the government to raise them. In my opinion public schools are far too politically correct and seem more intent on punishing success and suppressing imagination. I believe home schooling my kids will allow them to develop their personalities, talents, and interests without all the pressures of teachers and peers telling what is cool, what they good/not good at etc. I’m not being selfish I’m going to do what I believe is best for my children which exactly what every parent should do.

And yes I do plan on enrolling my kids in extracurricular activities so they can socialize and make friends.

By: hshss

hshss — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:59:47 +0000

I was home schooled K-8

I decided to start public school this year as a 9th grader in high school because I got bored and tired of the same routine everyday. I wanted to be apart of social ups and downs and a social rank whether it be high or low.

I’ll let you know that I made a lot of friends right away. And you should definitely understand that I am at the top of my class with over 100% in each subject. So DO NOT EVER SAY that home schooled kids are crazy, dumb, slow, deprived of social skill, or “different” again.

A child is going to be crazy, slow, mean, shy, quiet, or “different” just because it is who they are not because of whether or not they attend public school.

By: Homeschooled

Homeschooled — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:30:58 +0000

I was home-schooled, and I currently hold three degrees. I have a wide circle of friends, and have no trouble fitting in. People are often surprised to learn that I was home-schooled. I’ve found that the people who insist that this type of early education hinders you both socially and scholastically often do not even what they are talking about.

By: ZaPPap

ZaPPap — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 17:08:42 +0000

I am home schooled and scholastically excel my formally schooled peers. I was in public school until 10th grade and found it depressing. I was never a good student but I was in advanced classes and school was a way to escape my unstable household. I’ve always been fond of reading and pretty much self taught even when I was in school. I miss my old teachers and friends but, have found hobbies. I am more motivated for further education because of my diminished social life in contrast to people in school. A parent thinking about making such a decision should speak with their child first and take interest in their education. Getting active in the community and letting them express themselves through certain medians. Even through the recent suicides across the country I feel like it is necessary to be made fun of to a certain extent. I was bullied and it teaches you how to handle situations. Obviously not violence but just conflict helps build character. I learned to defend myself in real situations. Socially I am behind my pupils. Nothing in the world is more important than happiness. What’s the point of being a doctor at age 25 if you are socially retarded and not happy?

By: Dazzlings

Dazzlings — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:19:18 +0000

I was homeschooled through 5th grade and then 8th grade. When I entered a private school in 6th grade I could've skipped to 7th, but my parents wanted me to be with kids my age. I loved the freedom to travel with my parents and do science and history at the places we visited.

When I was home there was a set schedule and room for study. My mom was my main teacher, but as I advanced my dad did math and history. They were able to move at my speed (repeat a concept if I didn't understand or move quickly).

Homeschooling is a BIG job. I think it's easier these days with more resources. Into Jr High and HS I think it's harder to provide a balanced education.

By: Firesong

Firesong — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:19:45 +0000

I will testify to being a socially inept student of the public school system. Some of us just hate people.

By: thegoldenpiano

thegoldenpiano — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:04:26 +0000

Just thought, late as it is, I would say a few things, as an ex-home educator like myself often has the inclination to do.

MrSelfDestruct. I was a little curious about your statements about us home educators’ skills in literacy, and can say I have almost universally found otherwise. I personally was home educated until I was twelve, and quickly rose to the top of my class (the top class in the year) for English. I have scored full marks on two GCSE courseworks so far, and I am a little curious as to this judgement of home education. I suppose you must have been exposed to a group of us who chose not to study enlgish, in the way one can when one is educated freely. In my household, the direction and pace of my education was left up to me, including when I went to school.

Also, about the social stuff, yes, some of us are socially inept, as are some school kids. I would wager that it is as common, if not more common among schoolgoers. However this may not account for the huge number of madly uber-christian extremists who withhold their children from school. Their social ineptitude though probably has little to do with their home education.

By: Ti

Ti — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:51:01 +0000

I’m particularly glad I was homeschooled. I was a fast learner in every subject EXCEPT MATH. I was able to zip through all of these other subjects and finish them up much faster, but math I struggled with–so I was able to be held back with my studies in math and actually learn them instead of pushing forward and failing.

I started with a set timetable and as I was a very independant learner, through highschool I just took my books into my room and went through them and gave them back to be marked.

And no, I am not socially stunted. (rolls eyes) I know a few socially awkward homeschooled kids but me and my siblings? People are generally surprised since we break all the stereotypes of ‘homeschooled’. Don’t get me wrong, there are some people who follow the stereotype of socially awkward homeschoolers… there’s a measure of truth in every cliche… but not all of us are. In fact, the method of learning is better for some people. As I said: I was good at everything but math. Yeah, it’s not good for everyone–but not everyone learns the same way, and I learned best in a home setting. Mom gave us the choice to go to school once we were junior and highschool aged and if at any point we wanted to change over to public school, we could have. I chose not to.

I was told when I was in late high school by forumites that I would never get a job because homeschoolers were all stupid and socially inept. Right now I’ve got and am holding a job and I’m working to save for college. Sounds pretty normal to me. In fact, this is pretty much what all my normal school friends did… worked and went to college. In fact, I know plenty of public school kids who are quite socially inept. They just don’t get noticed.

By: Kessie

Kessie — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:47:59 +0000

tropical, I was homeschooled by my dad, and he did give us a set timetable for some things. We had to get up at a certain time in the morning, we usually worked at desks, and he timed us for quizzes and tests. We could do our homework wherever and whenever we wanted, though (within reason). I usually did mine in the top of a tree.

I had friends, and we got up to silly things and shared our lives. I had friends I played sports with, friends I went to church with, friends I kickboxed with and friends I rode horses with. Being homeschooled doesn’t mean isolation. It can, but it certainly doesn’t have to.

My dad chose to homeschool his children because he knew he could do it and because our local schools were utterly abysmal. There were no other homeschoolers in the area, but he made sure to give us plenty of social opportunities. I played sports and had a lot of friends. I transitioned into college very easily (as did my sister), and through my first two years I have a 3.9 GPA. I am the opposite of what MrSelfDestruct describes: I’m gifted in English but have always had to work much harder at math.

Homeschooling is only as good as the parents who do it. I have known a few homeschooled kids who were badly educated and socially stunted. But I believe that homeschooling, when done right, has incredible potential. If/when I have children, I intend to homeschool them until high school, at which point I will probably give them the option of going to a school.

By: tropical

tropical — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:51:39 +0000

woops sorry for double post