7 Reasons Why You Should Home School Your Kids

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Let me explain for about the hundredth time, look at your source. Would you expect them to say anything else?

Also, I have explained self-selection bias so many times, you should know why this data is either made up or bogus.

There is every reason why most homeschool kids SHOULD do better than their public school peers, but don't try to piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

Let me explain one time. Numerous sources. Do your homework.

I have a Masters degree in Education. This was one of my areas of concentration. Have a nice day with your bogus sources! There are no sources that definitively prove your theory.

So what you're saying is that you're denigrating his source as biased, while being a biased source yourself?

Educational statistics proves his data is biased. Perhaps if you understood it, you might recognize that you cannot compare apples to oranges and have a valid comparison.

Ahhh, yes. The ever-popular, and terribly impressive, argument of "If you knew as much as me . . ." Handy, if people are dumb enough to just accept your word and a lofty attitude in lieu of proof.

If you knew as much as me you wouldn't spout off so much bullshit. THAT is the truth.

Now, show me a valid comparison of all public school students, private school students, and home schooled kids where they all were assessed using the same standardized test?

You cannot because it does not exist.

I suggest you go back to school, and get a Master's degree in education so you will be able to understand complex concepts such as educational statistics and assessments. When you do, we can have a discussion. Until then, you are simply a dumbass spouting Googled terms.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Parents that home school their children believe it allows them to control their children. But the truth of the matter is those home schooling parents are demonstrating that they have NO control over their children. They are openly admitting they can't prevent their children from being influenced by teachers or other students. To me, it demonstrates a lack of parenting skills. And honestly, it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society. What, are those parents going to control which job their kids get, which church they go to, and what friends they have when they are no longer minors?

Look, you can't send you kids to public school and then go on auto-pilot. You have to be involved. You have to be aware of what they are being taught, aware of what their assignments are, and aware of the influence of both the other students and the teachers. If you can't overpower that influence, then yeah, you probably ought to home school your children. But don't act like that makes you some kind of hero. It makes you a coward.

Your post is puerile at best, but I'll offer you an opportunity to explain this little bon-mot.

"... it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society."

How so?

So, my son was texting me a couple of weeks ago. He turned 23 today. He attended public school, graduated from a public university, and, at 23, is top of his class in a Phd program at, you guessed it, a public university. He works full-time for a research facility and is knocking down right at six figures. He bought a nice home in a bedroom community. He is getting married in September and he told me he and his fiancee were discussing home schooling their children. I gave him the same comment, it is all about social interaction. He said that many home-schoolers participated in networks where they engaged with other home schooled students and parents. My response was that all those other children were just as alike as the damn houses in his cookie cutter neighborhood. Without the exposure to diversity that a public school entails, home schooled students are put at a distinct disadvantage when they enter the real world.

Because of current societal norms, I find your tale questionable.

That said, knowledge of diversity is indeed useful.

But, living in diversity where all things are set to a lower denominator to accommodate those less academically inclined? Not so much.

Put a diamond in a mud puddle, and it will soon be lost. Exposure to diversity can as easily be accomplished by participation in extracurricular programs.

I hear you. He is exceptional. But the lowest common denominator thing is a total copout. Tell me, why can't you, as a parent, supplement the teaching going on at public schools in order to prevent the "diamond" from getting lost in the mud? My strategy, as a parent, was to immediately call bullshit on some of the lame teaching going on in the public school. Like the whole Christopher Columbus flat earth bullshit. Or George Washington as some great military leader. The truth is public schools are years behind contemporary science and research. It is the job of the parent to stay current, to both supplement, and sometimes contradict, the teachings of a public school, or even a private school. And you better bring evidence and have a winning argument, otherwise, like I said, you should probably home school.

And no, extracurricular activities are no more "diverse" than that neighborhood my son lives in. Football players play football and debate team members debate. Do you really thing if your child participated in either activity they would be exposed to diversity? Poor students can't afford the equipment to play football nor can poor students afford the supplies and travel expenses of a top flight forensics squad. Hell, there are high school debate teams that fly on private jets. You think that is a diverse group of people?

Why can't I, as a parent, supplement the teaching at the public school? I think a better question is, "Why am I, as a parent, wasting time sending him to public school at all, if I'm going to have to do the job anyway?"

As for "diversity", perhaps YOU view this as an axiomatic good; I don't. Whether or not diversity is a valuable thing depends entirely on the KIND of diversity in question. Contact with other, civilized cultures? Absolutely. Contact with other belief systems and creeds? You betcha. Other races? Meh. I'm relatively indifferent to this, except insofar as it involves the aforementioned "other cultures and creeds". Of course, I have a lot of room to be indifferent, since I live in an area where it would be virtually impossible to NOT encounter other races and ethnicities, AND I have a family which happens to include a lot of races and ethnicities. But diversity in terms of being around less-civilized, less-intelligent people? Nope. Seeing no value there at all.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Tell me, why can't you, as a parent, supplement the teaching going on at public schools in order to prevent the "diamond" from getting lost in the mud?

Why leave it in the mud in the first place? We pulled ours out of the system, and my wife, a certified teacher in one of the better public systems in the country, directed the homeschooling effort, along with others. We were most gratified with the end product.

My strategy, as a parent, was to immediately call bullshit on some of the lame teaching going on in the public school.

Knock yourself out. I myself had neither the time nor the inclination to be a crusader in the mode of Don Quixote, or to provide remedial instruction to assumed professionals, and certainly not free of charge.

And no, extracurricular activities are no more "diverse" than that neighborhood my son lives in. Football players play football and debate team members debate. Do you really thing if your child participated in either activity they would be exposed to diversity?

I surmise that your idea of what constitutes diversity differs from my own.

Poor students can't afford the equipment to play football nor can poor students afford the supplies and travel expenses of a top flight forensics squad. Hell, there are high school debate teams that fly on private jets. You think that is a diverse group of people?

None of that is or was any concern of mine outside charitable efforts. There will always be inequality so long as people are diverse in drive, talents and abilities.

The reason you don't run from the mud,

Life is made up of marble and mud.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

You send your kid to public schools because, at some point, they are going to have to deal with the public. Would you rather them go into the world with damn near zero experience with the public, or with thirteen years of experience? I have never believed in "protecting" or "hiding" my kids from all that is bad in the world. My youngest, a Philosophy major, and I were laughing today about him playing Grand Theft Auto at five.

I'm betting Mr. Hawthorne avoided slogging through the mud every chance he got, same as any sane person. Mud exists, but that's no reason to go wallowing in it with the pigs.

Perhaps YOUR life requires you to rub elbows with any and all riffraff that comes down the pike. Most people's lives do not. In fact, for most people, the ONLY time in their lives when their associations are decided strictly by age group and ZIP code, rather than by similarity of interests, educations, and backgrounds, is when they're in public school . . . IF they go to public school.

I have never believed that "the world sucks" provided me with an excuse to simply toss my children to the wolves and shrug my shoulders. I suspect that your children, and you, despite your constant bragging about THIS degree and THAT job and whatever, are probably not people I would actually want to be around socially on any level. It's amazing how people can be "successful" by what passes for modern standards, and utterly fail by the standards that really matter . . . at least, the standards that matter to people who homeschool.

Before you ask, let me spell it out for you. I certainly want my children to have a good knowledge of basic academics; obviously, I don't want to send my kids into the world functionally illiterate (and believe me, my standards on what constitutes "literate" are far higher than most people's) and incapable of handling at least basic algebra, for example. And I want them to love and enjoy the process of learning and the state of knowing things and the experience of working hard for something and then succeeding at it.

But beyond that, the degrees you wave at everyone as some sort of proof that "See? I'm the BESTEST parent" don't mean much to me. If my kids feel the need to have them, then I want them to do so, and to be able to do so. But if they don't want them, that's fine with me, as well. I look around me at this society, and I see people with all the bells and whistles that you seem to prize, but with appalling manners, the morals of a drunken alleycat, and a complete inability to have a happy, meaningful life. And I wonder seriously what benefit my kids could possibly get from associating with the children those people are raising to be just like their parents. Nope. Sorry.

My children have excellent manners and etiquette, far advanced over most adults I've ever encountered and more than sufficient to carry them through any type of necessary social encounter, although I suspect they - like me - come of as snobbish to people who run the risk of appearing on "Cops" someday. I'm okay with that. They socialize with people of all ages, from a wide variety of demographics, but all with some sort of common interest to them . . . exactly the way adults do, if only they realized it. And most importantly to me, they are good people, with compassionate hearts, strong moral compasses, solid life philosophies, and common sense.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Homeschooling also carries another plus!

If you are a moron, it almost guarantees your kids will NOT grow up to be as smart as you are, thus damning them to a life of poverty.

Home schooling is great for those who can do it. I just hate when people claim it is a panacea.

A lot of home schooled kids are schooled with other kids at other homes and groups of parents take turns. It's not just necessarily you and your kid all the time. Every home schooled kid I've met has been far more well rounded than the average brat running around.

You just have not had homeschooled kids dropped into your high school class without any significant math skills.

I've seen a lot more public school kids dropped into college classes without any significant math skills. Would you like to compare notes?

No. Those kids may not be college material but the home schooled kids I see have to get through high school and may have an elementary level set of math skills.

News flash: plenty of public school students are sent to high school with elementary (if that) levels of math skill! Hell, some of them are flat-out illiterate.

I can attest that most adults I meet these days are functionally illiterate and culturally retarded.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Parents that home school their children believe it allows them to control their children. But the truth of the matter is those home schooling parents are demonstrating that they have NO control over their children. They are openly admitting they can't prevent their children from being influenced by teachers or other students. To me, it demonstrates a lack of parenting skills. And honestly, it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society. What, are those parents going to control which job their kids get, which church they go to, and what friends they have when they are no longer minors?

Look, you can't send you kids to public school and then go on auto-pilot. You have to be involved. You have to be aware of what they are being taught, aware of what their assignments are, and aware of the influence of both the other students and the teachers. If you can't overpower that influence, then yeah, you probably ought to home school your children. But don't act like that makes you some kind of hero. It makes you a coward.

Most home schooling parents are extremely involved in their children's schooling. That's why home schooled children in general perform so well.

Well DUH!

If I was only teaching one or two kids, I could do a much better job than someone teaching 30-35 kids.

An excellent reason NOT to send my child to be part of the crowd, then.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

Parents that home school their children believe it allows them to control their children. But the truth of the matter is those home schooling parents are demonstrating that they have NO control over their children. They are openly admitting they can't prevent their children from being influenced by teachers or other students. To me, it demonstrates a lack of parenting skills. And honestly, it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society. What, are those parents going to control which job their kids get, which church they go to, and what friends they have when they are no longer minors?

Look, you can't send you kids to public school and then go on auto-pilot. You have to be involved. You have to be aware of what they are being taught, aware of what their assignments are, and aware of the influence of both the other students and the teachers. If you can't overpower that influence, then yeah, you probably ought to home school your children. But don't act like that makes you some kind of hero. It makes you a coward.

Most home schooling parents are extremely involved in their children's schooling. That's why home schooled children in general perform so well.

Well DUH!

If I was only teaching one or two kids, I could do a much better job than someone teaching 30-35 kids.

Catholic school. My 6th Grade class. 37 Students. One (1) nun. No discipline problems. Everyone passed.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Let me explain one time. Numerous sources. Do your homework.

I have a Masters degree in Education. This was one of my areas of concentration. Have a nice day with your bogus sources! There are no sources that definitively prove your theory.

So what you're saying is that you're denigrating his source as biased, while being a biased source yourself?

Educational statistics proves his data is biased. Perhaps if you understood it, you might recognize that you cannot compare apples to oranges and have a valid comparison.

Ahhh, yes. The ever-popular, and terribly impressive, argument of "If you knew as much as me . . ." Handy, if people are dumb enough to just accept your word and a lofty attitude in lieu of proof.

If you knew as much as me you wouldn't spout off so much bullshit. THAT is the truth.

Now, show me a valid comparison of all public school students, private school students, and home schooled kids where they all were assessed using the same standardized test?

You cannot because it does not exist.

I suggest you go back to school, and get a Master's degree in education so you will be able to understand complex concepts such as educational statistics and assessments. When you do, we can have a discussion. Until then, you are simply a dumbass spouting Googled terms.

If you knew as much as you think you do, YOU wouldn't spout off so much bullshit. THAT is the truth.

I don't have to show you jack shit, Sparkles, because I don't need your permission or your blessing to decide that the public schools are a substandard educational choice, and I can do better than that for the most precious people in my life. When you figure out that all your "statistics and assessments" and "complex concepts" are just jargon for "This is why you shouldn't blame ME for the crappy job I'm doing", we can have a discussion. Until then, you are simply a dumbass spouting excuses.

Oh, also, while you're trying to protect your job, you might consider that the inconsistency between proclaiming that public schools are "much better" than homeschooling and also whining about "of COURSE we suck, because look how much harder it is for us" is glaringly obvious to everyone.

 

[Winston]

Tell me, why can't you, as a parent, supplement the teaching going on at public schools in order to prevent the "diamond" from getting lost in the mud?

Why leave it in the mud in the first place? We pulled ours out of the system, and my wife, a certified teacher in one of the better public systems in the country, directed the homeschooling effort, along with others. We were most gratified with the end product.

My strategy, as a parent, was to immediately call bullshit on some of the lame teaching going on in the public school.

Knock yourself out. I myself had neither the time nor the inclination to be a crusader in the mode of Don Quixote, or to provide remedial instruction to assumed professionals, and certainly not free of charge.

And no, extracurricular activities are no more "diverse" than that neighborhood my son lives in. Football players play football and debate team members debate. Do you really thing if your child participated in either activity they would be exposed to diversity?

I surmise that your idea of what constitutes diversity differs from my own.

Poor students can't afford the equipment to play football nor can poor students afford the supplies and travel expenses of a top flight forensics squad. Hell, there are high school debate teams that fly on private jets. You think that is a diverse group of people?

None of that is or was any concern of mine outside charitable efforts. There will always be inequality so long as people are diverse in drive, talents and abilities.

The reason you don't run from the mud,

Life is made up of marble and mud.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

You send your kid to public schools because, at some point, they are going to have to deal with the public. Would you rather them go into the world with damn near zero experience with the public, or with thirteen years of experience? I have never believed in "protecting" or "hiding" my kids from all that is bad in the world. My youngest, a Philosophy major, and I were laughing today about him playing Grand Theft Auto at five.

I'm betting Mr. Hawthorne avoided slogging through the mud every chance he got, same as any sane person. Mud exists, but that's no reason to go wallowing in it with the pigs.

Perhaps YOUR life requires you to rub elbows with any and all riffraff that comes down the pike. Most people's lives do not. In fact, for most people, the ONLY time in their lives when their associations are decided strictly by age group and ZIP code, rather than by similarity of interests, educations, and backgrounds, is when they're in public school . . . IF they go to public school.

I have never believed that "the world sucks" provided me with an excuse to simply toss my children to the wolves and shrug my shoulders. I suspect that your children, and you, despite your constant bragging about THIS degree and THAT job and whatever, are probably not people I would actually want to be around socially on any level. It's amazing how people can be "successful" by what passes for modern standards, and utterly fail by the standards that really matter . . . at least, the standards that matter to people who homeschool.

Before you ask, let me spell it out for you. I certainly want my children to have a good knowledge of basic academics; obviously, I don't want to send my kids into the world functionally illiterate (and believe me, my standards on what constitutes "literate" are far higher than most people's) and incapable of handling at least basic algebra, for example. And I want them to love and enjoy the process of learning and the state of knowing things and the experience of working hard for something and then succeeding at it.

But beyond that, the degrees you wave at everyone as some sort of proof that "See? I'm the BESTEST parent" don't mean much to me. If my kids feel the need to have them, then I want them to do so, and to be able to do so. But if they don't want them, that's fine with me, as well. I look around me at this society, and I see people with all the bells and whistles that you seem to prize, but with appalling manners, the morals of a drunken alleycat, and a complete inability to have a happy, meaningful life. And I wonder seriously what benefit my kids could possibly get from associating with the children those people are raising to be just like their parents. Nope. Sorry.

My children have excellent manners and etiquette, far advanced over most adults I've ever encountered and more than sufficient to carry them through any type of necessary social encounter, although I suspect they - like me - come of as snobbish to people who run the risk of appearing on "Cops" someday. I'm okay with that. They socialize with people of all ages, from a wide variety of demographics, but all with some sort of common interest to them . . . exactly the way adults do, if only they realized it. And most importantly to me, they are good people, with compassionate hearts, strong moral compasses, solid life philosophies, and common sense.

Your post is quite telling and sounds like the typical self-righteous home schooler. And your "standards" are laughable. Basic algebra? Seriously? But mostly, I have to wonder, what grocery store to you shop at, you know, the one where all the customers share the same common interest. Where do you get your gas, buy your clothes, go out to eat? I mean I really want to know where this place is that all the daily interactions are with people that have the same common interest. It's got to be the most boring place on earth.

And I don't give a shit rather you believe me or not. But I will put my kids up against anyone's when it comes to "good people, compassionate hearts, strong moral compasses, solid life philosophies, and common sense". But I want to add another quality that my children possess that I am pretty damn sure your's don't and you most certainly don't. They are good citizens. The reason I say you are not, and your kids probably don't, is that one of the "duties" of a good citizen is, and I quote, from the Department of Homeland Security,

Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others

Now I know, I live in a pretty unique area in terms of both diversity and inclusion. My kids went to the same public high school that I did, and my mother before me. A public school where neighboring school districts recommend students that have suffered bullying, that have been "left out", or made fun of due to everything from disabilities to appearance, attend. And perhaps even more rare, the school not only allows them to attend even when living out of the district, but openly recruit them. It is as if the school had it's very own Statue of Liberty and actually lived by the poetry inscribed beneath.

But honestly, I am going to tell you the biggest difference between you and I. You are SKEERED. Yep, scared that those "other people" are going to influence your kids. But I know, my kids are the influencers, and I have seen it time and time again in my 150 years of child raising experience.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Tell me, why can't you, as a parent, supplement the teaching going on at public schools in order to prevent the "diamond" from getting lost in the mud?

Why leave it in the mud in the first place? We pulled ours out of the system, and my wife, a certified teacher in one of the better public systems in the country, directed the homeschooling effort, along with others. We were most gratified with the end product.

My strategy, as a parent, was to immediately call bullshit on some of the lame teaching going on in the public school.

Knock yourself out. I myself had neither the time nor the inclination to be a crusader in the mode of Don Quixote, or to provide remedial instruction to assumed professionals, and certainly not free of charge.

And no, extracurricular activities are no more "diverse" than that neighborhood my son lives in. Football players play football and debate team members debate. Do you really thing if your child participated in either activity they would be exposed to diversity?

I surmise that your idea of what constitutes diversity differs from my own.

Poor students can't afford the equipment to play football nor can poor students afford the supplies and travel expenses of a top flight forensics squad. Hell, there are high school debate teams that fly on private jets. You think that is a diverse group of people?

None of that is or was any concern of mine outside charitable efforts. There will always be inequality so long as people are diverse in drive, talents and abilities.

The reason you don't run from the mud,

Life is made up of marble and mud.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

You send your kid to public schools because, at some point, they are going to have to deal with the public. Would you rather them go into the world with damn near zero experience with the public, or with thirteen years of experience? I have never believed in "protecting" or "hiding" my kids from all that is bad in the world. My youngest, a Philosophy major, and I were laughing today about him playing Grand Theft Auto at five.

I'm betting Mr. Hawthorne avoided slogging through the mud every chance he got, same as any sane person. Mud exists, but that's no reason to go wallowing in it with the pigs.

Perhaps YOUR life requires you to rub elbows with any and all riffraff that comes down the pike. Most people's lives do not. In fact, for most people, the ONLY time in their lives when their associations are decided strictly by age group and ZIP code, rather than by similarity of interests, educations, and backgrounds, is when they're in public school . . . IF they go to public school.

I have never believed that "the world sucks" provided me with an excuse to simply toss my children to the wolves and shrug my shoulders. I suspect that your children, and you, despite your constant bragging about THIS degree and THAT job and whatever, are probably not people I would actually want to be around socially on any level. It's amazing how people can be "successful" by what passes for modern standards, and utterly fail by the standards that really matter . . . at least, the standards that matter to people who homeschool.

Before you ask, let me spell it out for you. I certainly want my children to have a good knowledge of basic academics; obviously, I don't want to send my kids into the world functionally illiterate (and believe me, my standards on what constitutes "literate" are far higher than most people's) and incapable of handling at least basic algebra, for example. And I want them to love and enjoy the process of learning and the state of knowing things and the experience of working hard for something and then succeeding at it.

But beyond that, the degrees you wave at everyone as some sort of proof that "See? I'm the BESTEST parent" don't mean much to me. If my kids feel the need to have them, then I want them to do so, and to be able to do so. But if they don't want them, that's fine with me, as well. I look around me at this society, and I see people with all the bells and whistles that you seem to prize, but with appalling manners, the morals of a drunken alleycat, and a complete inability to have a happy, meaningful life. And I wonder seriously what benefit my kids could possibly get from associating with the children those people are raising to be just like their parents. Nope. Sorry.

My children have excellent manners and etiquette, far advanced over most adults I've ever encountered and more than sufficient to carry them through any type of necessary social encounter, although I suspect they - like me - come of as snobbish to people who run the risk of appearing on "Cops" someday. I'm okay with that. They socialize with people of all ages, from a wide variety of demographics, but all with some sort of common interest to them . . . exactly the way adults do, if only they realized it. And most importantly to me, they are good people, with compassionate hearts, strong moral compasses, solid life philosophies, and common sense.

Your post is quite telling and sounds like the typical self-righteous home schooler. And your "standards" are laughable. Basic algebra? Seriously? But mostly, I have to wonder, what grocery store to you shop at, you know, the one where all the customers share the same common interest. Where do you get your gas, buy your clothes, go out to eat? I mean I really want to know where this place is that all the daily interactions are with people that have the same common interest. It's got to be the most boring place on earth.

Predictably, you utterly misunderstand.

What you interpret as "self-righteous homeschooler" is simply the painfully obvious - to everyone but you, apparently - reaction of anyone having to listen to YOUR self-righteous tripe about how wrong WE are for not raising our children the way YOU chose to do. Perhaps if you find the way people respond to you objectionable, you might consider not being an obnoxious, offensive braggart.

Furthermore, I did not say anything about "standards". That is YOUR interpretation, presumably drawn from your own desperate desire to denigrate homeschoolers and justify the callous and lackadaisical attitude toward parenting you describe in your self-congratulating diatribes. What I mentioned are not "standards"; they are basic minimums, which are tied to the things you mysteriously don't mention, such as "love of learning". Not everyone NEEDS more than basic algebra (that would be basic COLLEGE algebra) in their lives. If they do, or if they simply wish to know more, then they study that. In actuality, of the two children I have who have already graduated high school, my daughter stopped after algebra, because her career field doesn't require more (she's a phlebotomist, not that it's any of your business). My older son is studying video game design, and computer programming has higher requirements. The youngest currently wants to be a zookeeper, but since he's 9, that will probably change. He will almost certainly continue much farther than algebra, simply because he loves doing math.

As for "interactions", perhaps if you hadn't slacked off and made do with public school, you would be able to read and use English more precisely. Please see the paragraph regarding the fact that my children have excellent manners - certainly in excess of YOURS - which are more than sufficient to carry them through any type of necessary social encounter. I would be sorry that I apparently used words with too many syllables for you to grasp, except that I'm really not; translated, that means "going to grocery stores, buying gas", all those minor momentary contacts that you want to conflate with actually associating with people, ie. having a job, joining clubs, going to church, dating . . . all the times in life when adults have long-term contact with other adults.

And I don't give a shit rather you believe me or not. But I will put my kids up against anyone's when it comes to "good people, compassionate hearts, strong moral compasses, solid life philosophies, and common sense".

OF COURSE you don't give a shit "rather"[sic] I believe you or not. That is why you keep posting all these "my son, the fill-in-the-blank-degree" to brag about how your laissez-faire parenting MUST have been good.

I'm sure you think your kids turned out wonderfully as human beings; you almost have to, to rationalize away the fact that you made very little effort to make that happen, and by your own admission, hindered that outcome as much as possible. Perhaps I do your kids a disservice by taking your descriptions of them at face value, but if you are, in fact, being completely honest about them, then I stand by my statement that I would not care to associate with them. Certainly, if they turned out anything like you, I wouldn't even want them as neighbors on my street.

But I want to add another quality that my children possess that I am pretty damn sure your's don't and you most certainly don't. They are good citizens. The reason I say you are not, and your kids probably don't, is that one of the "duties" of a good citizen is, and I quote, from the Department of Homeland Security,

Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others

Now I know, I live in a pretty unique area in terms of both diversity and inclusion. My kids went to the same public high school that I did, and my mother before me. A public school where neighboring school districts recommend students that have suffered bullying, that have been "left out", or made fun of due to everything from disabilities to appearance, attend. And perhaps even more rare, the school not only allows them to attend even when living out of the district, but openly recruit them. It is as if the school had it's very own Statue of Liberty and actually lived by the poetry inscribed beneath.

But honestly, I am going to tell you the biggest difference between you and I. You are SKEERED. Yep, scared that those "other people" are going to influence your kids. But I know, my kids are the influencers, and I have seen it time and time again in my 150 years of child raising experience.

And you are holding yourself and your spawn up as shining examples of "respecting the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others" based on what? The tolerant and understanding attitude you've shown toward homeschoolers?

Would THIS be an example of your idea of "respect":

"Parents that home school their children believe it allows them to control their children. But the truth of the matter is those home schooling parents are demonstrating that they have NO control over their children. They are openly admitting they can't prevent their children from being influenced by teachers or other students. To me, it demonstrates a lack of parenting skills. And honestly, it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society. What, are those parents going to control which job their kids get, which church they go to, and what friends they have when they are no longer minors?"

Or is that merely an example of your hypocrisy?

You're damned right I'm scared of unacceptable people influencing my kids, and only a imbecile wouldn't be. You just got done telling me all about the wonders of your kids' public school that "recruits", and I quote directly here, "students that have suffered bullying, that have been "left out", or made fun of due to everything from disabilities to appearance". Pretty obviously, I'm not the only parent who is afraid of negative influences, and equally obviously, YOU think being afraid of it is warranted and sensible . . . so long as the reaction is to hunt up a special public school, instead of cutting through the hassle and simply handling it myself.

It is the job of a parent to protect their children from things they are too young and helpless to handle themselves, something you apparently forgot or never knew with your "the world is full of shit, so let 'em roll in it and get used to it" attitude. It is also the job of a parent to help the child learn, as they grow up, to handle those things themselves. It's the difference between teaching your child to swim, and simply throwing him in the deep end of the pool and expecting him to figure it out with no guidance.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

one of the "duties" of a good citizen is, and I quote, from the Department of Homeland Security,

Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others

No.

Rights? Of course.

Beliefs? Perhaps.

Respect stupidity? Never.

 

[Jessica123]

How the fuck do you expect most people to find the time considering that most of this country is going to have to work at least 8-12 hours per day to give more money to the rich.

 

[hadit]

Parents that home school their children believe it allows them to control their children. But the truth of the matter is those home schooling parents are demonstrating that they have NO control over their children. They are openly admitting they can't prevent their children from being influenced by teachers or other students. To me, it demonstrates a lack of parenting skills. And honestly, it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society. What, are those parents going to control which job their kids get, which church they go to, and what friends they have when they are no longer minors?

Look, you can't send you kids to public school and then go on auto-pilot. You have to be involved. You have to be aware of what they are being taught, aware of what their assignments are, and aware of the influence of both the other students and the teachers. If you can't overpower that influence, then yeah, you probably ought to home school your children. But don't act like that makes you some kind of hero. It makes you a coward.

Most home schooling parents are extremely involved in their children's schooling. That's why home schooled children in general perform so well.

It's amazing how motivated you can become in your teaching when YOU are actually, personally going to have to support the little snot the rest of his life if you don't do it well.

That's one reason why I usually recommend an online curriculum, with teachers available to help.

 

[bodecea]

Before even looking at the 7, my response is – because the current public school system sucks! Grads can’t read, write, or do math. All they can do is earn participation awards. But, here are the reason cited by the author:

It fosters family intimacy

It allows for controlled socialization with peers

Home Schooling Ensures Congruency Between Your Values, Teaching, Beliefs, and Education

It Removes the Tension Between the World Your Child Lives in at School and the World They Live in at Home

It Enables You To Tailor the Educational Approach You Take With Your Child

Home Schooling Affords the Flexibility for Family Time, Excursions, Travel and Serving

Home Schooling Gives You the Freedom to Let Your Child Chase Their Individual Gifts and Passions

Why the hell do they have to use verbiage like that? Why not make it simple so people like me can understand it?

Makes the family closer

Parents can decide who the kids play and get together with

You can mesh your values, beliefs, and education

No more hangups about school and home

You can set up the program you and you kid agree on

The family can decide what and when to do things

Kinda repeats an earlier one

Another repeat of an earlier one

You kid can go after what they like and can do best.

Now, ain’t that better?

Read the rest of the stuff @ Should You Homeschool Your Children? Seven Reasons Why You Should

The public schools will thank you trumpanzees.

 

[bodecea]

That's an assumption on your part because there is simply no data to support that they do any better or worse. They should do better considering they often have more direct teacher-student contact, but there again it is an assumption.

My daughter-in-law homeschooled my granddaughter for a while, and did it well.

These stats are reflected in numerous studies.

• • • The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests. (The public school average is the 50th percentile; scores range from 1 to 99.) A 2015 study found Black homeschool students to be scoring 23 to 42 percentile points above Black public school students (Ray, 2015).
    • Homeschool students score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.
    • Whether homeschool parents were ever certified teachers is not related to their children’s academic achievement.
    • Degree of state control and regulation of homeschooling is not related to academic achievement.
    • Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.
    • Homeschool students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges.

Research Facts on Homeschooling - National Home Education Research Institute

Let me explain for about the hundredth time, look at your source. Would you expect them to say anything else?

Also, I have explained self-selection bias so many times, you should know why this data is either made up or bogus.

There is every reason why most homeschool kids SHOULD do better than their public school peers, but don't try to piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

Let me explain one time. Numerous sources. Do your homework.

I have a Masters degree in Education. This was one of my areas of concentration. Have a nice day with your bogus sources! There are no sources that definitively prove your theory.

Bill Cosby has a Doctorate in Education

Ouch!

 

[bodecea]

I have a Masters degree in Education. This was one of my areas of concentration. Have a nice day with your bogus sources! There are no sources that definitively prove your theory.

So why is education so screwed up if our educational institutions are full of educated people with degrees?

Public education has to take everyone, regardless of ability or desire or home life.

 

[Unkotare]

Parents that home school their children believe it allows them to control their children. But the truth of the matter is those home schooling parents are demonstrating that they have NO control over their children. They are openly admitting they can't prevent their children from being influenced by teachers or other students. To me, it demonstrates a lack of parenting skills. And honestly, it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society. What, are those parents going to control which job their kids get, which church they go to, and what friends they have when they are no longer minors?

Look, you can't send you kids to public school and then go on auto-pilot. You have to be involved. You have to be aware of what they are being taught, aware of what their assignments are, and aware of the influence of both the other students and the teachers. If you can't overpower that influence, then yeah, you probably ought to home school your children. But don't act like that makes you some kind of hero. It makes you a coward.

Why are some of y’all so obviously terrified of homeschooling?

 

[bodecea]

8. Homeschooling reduces the risk that your child will be brain-washed into being a Participation Trophy Craving SFJ Whinging Bully.

What's "whinging"?

Homeschooling term.

 

[Unkotare]

Team/Reward Concept

The problem is that both homeschooling and


contemporary public education isolate each student. There is no grouping, as there is in sports or other social interactions.

Why look up to the pundits? They are the broken products of this same education; they're too dumbed down to offer any effective solutions. In their dim smugness, none of them offer this, which is based on how children normally interact with one another:

Divide the class into teams. Quiz frequently. The highest-scoring team will get Friday off; the lowest one has to come in on Saturday. Top individualist scorers from four grades older will get paid to teach the Saturday class.

How many times are you going to post this stupid idea spam?

 

[deanrd]

Before even looking at the 7, my response is – because the current public school system sucks! Grads can’t read, write, or do math. All they can do is earn participation awards. But, here are the reason cited by the author:

It fosters family intimacy

It allows for controlled socialization with peers

Home Schooling Ensures Congruency Between Your Values, Teaching, Beliefs, and Education

It Removes the Tension Between the World Your Child Lives in at School and the World They Live in at Home

It Enables You To Tailor the Educational Approach You Take With Your Child

Home Schooling Affords the Flexibility for Family Time, Excursions, Travel and Serving

Home Schooling Gives You the Freedom to Let Your Child Chase Their Individual Gifts and Passions

Why the hell do they have to use verbiage like that? Why not make it simple so people like me can understand it?

Makes the family closer

Parents can decide who the kids play and get together with

You can mesh your values, beliefs, and education

No more hangups about school and home

You can set up the program you and you kid agree on

The family can decide what and when to do things

Kinda repeats an earlier one

Another repeat of an earlier one

You kid can go after what they like and can do best.

Now, ain’t that better?

Read the rest of the stuff @ Should You Homeschool Your Children? Seven Reasons Why You Should

I think Republicans should homeschool their children. It takes a lot weirdly raised children out of competition in the future work force.

I go with the Texas Republican Party Platform:

https://www.empowertexans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/2012-GOP-Platform-Final.pdf

We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.

-------------

You see? If children learn to think for themselves, they stop listening to Republican parents. Those parents recognize that fact.

--------

We recognize parental responsibility and authority regarding sex education. We believe that parents must be given an opportunity to review the material prior to giving their consent. We oppose any sex education other than abstinence until marriage.

----

Because that's worked so well. Ask Sarah Palin.

 

[bodecea]

Parents that home school their children believe it allows them to control their children. But the truth of the matter is those home schooling parents are demonstrating that they have NO control over their children. They are openly admitting they can't prevent their children from being influenced by teachers or other students. To me, it demonstrates a lack of parenting skills. And honestly, it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society. What, are those parents going to control which job their kids get, which church they go to, and what friends they have when they are no longer minors?

Look, you can't send you kids to public school and then go on auto-pilot. You have to be involved. You have to be aware of what they are being taught, aware of what their assignments are, and aware of the influence of both the other students and the teachers. If you can't overpower that influence, then yeah, you probably ought to home school your children. But don't act like that makes you some kind of hero. It makes you a coward.

Your post is puerile at best, but I'll offer you an opportunity to explain this little bon-mot.

"... it severely limits their child's ability to function in a free and open society."

How so?

So, my son was texting me a couple of weeks ago. He turned 23 today. He attended public school, graduated from a public university, and, at 23, is top of his class in a Phd program at, you guessed it, a public university. He works full-time for a research facility and is knocking down right at six figures. He bought a nice home in a bedroom community. He is getting married in September and he told me he and his fiancee were discussing home schooling their children. I gave him the same comment, it is all about social interaction. He said that many home-schoolers participated in networks where they engaged with other home schooled students and parents. My response was that all those other children were just as alike as the damn houses in his cookie cutter neighborhood. Without the exposure to diversity that a public school entails, home schooled students are put at a distinct disadvantage when they enter the real world.

Because of current societal norms, I find your tale questionable.

That said, knowledge of diversity is indeed useful.

But, living in diversity where all things are set to a lower denominator to accommodate those less academically inclined? Not so much.

Put a diamond in a mud puddle, and it will soon be lost. Exposure to diversity can as easily be accomplished by participation in extracurricular programs.

"mud puddle" eh?