So. Homeschool.

[bookworm]

I can only speak for myself, but for my experience homeschooling has nothing to do with ‘sheltering’ kids, it’s about what situation is the best for their education.

I went to a public school through 6th grade and had no problems. It was fine. There wasn’t any issue about being ‘exposed’ to ‘secular’ things.
When I got to 6th grade, the situation changed. The teacher just wasn’t working for me. It’s hard to explain, partly because it was so long ago and partly because I didn’t fully understand it then either, but it just wasn’t the right situation. I tried to work with it, but it didn’t get any better. My mom prayed about it and came to the decision that we were meant to homeschool from there. So I left the public school and was homeschooled ever since, until I started college.

It’s definitely not for everyone, and I might even say it’s not for most people, but for those who are called to it there’s no question that it’s the right thing to do. For me, there’s no doubt what we did was God’s will. Especially in hindsight.
I wasn’t meant to be one of those kids that was homeschooled from day one. I was meant to start in public school, and I had some great experiences there. But I was also meant to be homeschooled later, and that’s when we made the switch.
I know it was the right decision by looking at how well it worked out. God was truly helping us through. I can especially see it was meant to be during the last few years when my grandmother came to live with us at the end of her life. I needed to be there to help take care of her during the day, and because I was homeschooled, I was.

I have nothing against public schools, in general. I don’t hold myself higher because I was homeschooled. It’s not a battle of which is better, because there isn’t a definitive answer to that. It depends on the individual situation. But I wasn’t homeschooled to be ‘sheltered’ from the world, I was homeschooled because I reached a point where the public school just stopped being effective for my education.

[Amethystic]

Hmmmm... commenting on the theory of evolution problem it's not just the American system that has the problem. The biology text book had an entire chapter on the subject, and it was unquestioningly accepting of the theory. Fortunately, I attend the middle ground between homeschool and public school: Christian private school. I have a great biology teacher, and she made sure we understood the theory while also pointing out its flaws and explaining Creationism from a scientific standpoint.

As far as education goes, I'd say that the issue for me isn't as much homeschool versus non-homeschool as it is public versus Christian. I definitely think that Christian education is important--not that a kid can't do well in a public setting necessarily, but you want to give them every possible advantage growing up by placing them in a setting where their more likely to be surrounded by like-minded people who value the same morals and educational standards that you do. Not for a second do I think that sending a kid to a Christian school will "shelter" them--Christian schools have their problems and imperfections just like any other place, which is something I have experienced plenty for myself. Overall, though, I still believe it's a more uplifting, more spiritually enriching atmosphere when it's combined with a sincere desire to grow in one's faith. (Just make sure the school's not too screwed up, though. I'm not kidding when I say that Christian schools can be messed up.)

So yeah, I'm okay with homeschool and regular school, as long as it's a competent Christian program.

[31899]

My opinion: Get over it.

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[Graces4you]

Hmmmm... commenting on the theory of evolution problem it's not just the American system that has the problem. The biology text book had an entire chapter on the subject, and it was unquestioningly accepting of the theory. Fortunately, I attend the middle ground between homeschool and public school: Christian private school. I have a great biology teacher, and she made sure we understood the theory while also pointing out its flaws and explaining Creationism from a scientific standpoint.
As far as education goes, I'd say that the issue for me isn't as much homeschool versus non-homeschool as it is public versus Christian. I definitely think that Christian education is important--not that a kid can't do well in a public setting necessarily, but you want to give them every possible advantage growing up by placing them in a setting where their more likely to be surrounded by like-minded people who value the same morals and educational standards that you do. Not for a second do I think that sending a kid to a Christian school will "shelter" them--Christian schools have their problems and imperfections just like any other place, which is something I have experienced plenty for myself. Overall, though, I still believe it's a more uplifting, more spiritually enriching atmosphere when it's combined with a sincere desire to grow in one's faith. (Just make sure the school's not too screwed up, though. I'm not kidding when I say that Christian schools can be messed up.)
So yeah, I'm okay with homeschool and regular school, as long as it's a competent Christian program.

I know exactly what you mean, there is a 'Christian' High School aboth 15 minutes from my house. The school Claims to be Christian, but the school really is like a priviate public school. Depending on what families can afford will influence where they go to school. There are families whose only choice is public education because A, it is free, B, they can stay for after school care if the parents work and C. the parents may think it's their only option. In my opinion kids who have been in public school all their lives have more problems with things that are not what God wants us to do then kids who go to Christian school, or who are homeschooled. But not everyone can afford private schools, there are people who want to send their kids to a private school but can't because of the money factor.

My friend had to suffer through evolution being stuffed down his throat in a biology class. I've also heard other stories from others saying the same thing. The public school that doesn't push it is a rare one, imo.

You would think there would be that one parent who would complain about it being offensive (People complain about the weirdest things, I'm doing a project on prayer in school right now), I honestly would try not to pay attention to it if I ever have to go through it, unless there was a quiz or test or homework on it. What I do know about evolution cannot and will now shake what I believe, I do have some teachers who will joke about it, because they don't believe in it and think it is baloney.

My opinion: Get over it.

Get over what? Evolution?
right now I'm in a bit of a ranty mood, I also like debating school systems and such.

[Aeva]

I was homeschooled from kindergarten until I went to college, and I am much more intelligent than any public school student.

In all seriousness, it is my belief that learning comes down to the individual. Unless you have a truly poor teacher, I think anyone can learn if you apply yourself in class. If a student has no desire to discipline himself to learn, then it won't matter whether he is homeschooled or in a public or private school. He will not learn anything until he decides to apply himself.

To what extent should children be 'sheltered' from the secular culture?

As to this question, I again believe that it will come down to the individual. Although I believe that most children (say under the age of ten) don't really need to know that Kim Kardashian is getting divorced, some children are more mature than others their age and can process doses of secular culture.

I think it gets dicey when a child reaches middle school. Mature middle-schoolers should definitely be introduced to secular culture and taught to analyze secular situations, but immature middle-schoolers have to be treated more carefully and perhaps sheltered a bit more until they mature enough to understand secular culture.

[The Top Crusader]

I wanted to go back and get a lot of quotes and make a really long post here, and I might eventually, but for right now... I'm not.

There is truth that some people will do better in certain situations, but yeah, possibly like Jelly, I get tired of people who advocate homeschooling thinking it is absolutely 100% the best thing for everyone in the world. Not that anyone is saying that too strongly here, but that thought process definitely exists in the world. I have known homeschoolers who are absolute party animals and could easily hang with their public school counterparts, and I've known homeschoolers who are so sheltered they don't know how to act when out in the world. Frankly, those two extremes are more common than the normal, well-adjusted ones.

I typically am a fan of "GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF EVERYTHING!!!" but I think there should be stricter regulations regarding homeschooling... because while yes, there are fine cases of homeschooling, I have seen absolute jokes of homeschooling that is more about lazy parenting then education.

Basically at the end of the day I think the best option is a good private Christian school... which coincidently is the route my parents took. They can be cost prohibitive, though... and in the case of them being unaffordable there are plenty of great public schools around my area. I admit that the prospect of sending my children to the main city school in the area would frighten me, but there are plenty of others in surrounding areas with open enrollment that would be just fine. Homeschooling would be the last option I would consider, if for some reason I couldn't send my kid anywhere other than one really bad public school. I just don't think a child could possibly get all the proper social skills and education from home. Boohoo, yeah, I know people here won't like that, but TOO BAD! Basic stuff, sure, but my parents could never teach me advanced math or science. Also, I think daily structure is important. Now I know some families who home school DO have a strict structure to there day, but I know a lot of them just let the kid do whatever, whenever... where the strict schedule of school is good preparation for the real world. Same goes for families who say, "Well little Johnny just can't learn in that setting, he needs a SPECIAL WEIRD SETTING to learn things!". Well, if little Johnny is going to have a real job some day, he is just going to have to deal with things not being 100% catered to his needs.

And I know it sounds like the guy who says lots of racist things, then adds "It's okay because I have black friends!", but yeah, I have a lot of friends who was homeschooled, and I'm married to a former homeschooler, so HA you can't say anything bad about me and must agree 100% with what I say!

[Anna><>]

In my opinion kids who have been in public school all their lives have more problems with things that are not what God wants us to do then kids who go to Christian school, or who are homeschooled.

I disagree with that statement. I went to a public school and I know quite a few other Christians who were public schooled. I also used to be best friends with some kids who were homeschooled, and through work and college I have met several other homeschooled people.
Some of my Christian friends who went to public school have problems with alcohol and stuff, but almost an equal amount of homeschooled Christian kids I know have the same problems. One family I know homeschooled both of their sons. One of the son now is an atheist (the father in this family is actually the one who has really strengthened my faith because he's got his doctorate in science and he is a still an extremely solid believer in God being the one who designed everything) and the other one just is going to the bars all the time. Another family I know, the father is the pastor of my church, he has homeschooled all of his kids except for two. One of them goes to a public school, and she is actually an amazing witness for Christ there, and the other one was homeschooled until around grade 12 where she went to a Christian school. The one who was homeschooled and went to the Christian school is the one who's rebelling. On the other hand, I know two girls who were both homeschooled and are now still living for the Lord.
A few of my friends now went to a Christian school until grade 9 then public school for grades 10-12. Some of them turned out good, others are struggling in sin.
My one friend, and some other kids at my church, were public schooled, but as soon as they moved away to college they became huge partiers. Some of my other friends though, are not having problems with bad stuff.
So I have to say how someone turns out after whatever type of schooling they have really just depends on the person.

[Aeva]

Also, I think daily structure is important. Now I know some families who home school DO have a strict structure to there day, but I know a lot of them just let the kid do whatever, whenever... where the strict schedule of school is good preparation for the real world.

I feel the need to say that that point cannot be overstated. Proper homeschooling can only occur when the student is self-motivated to learn.

[Graces4you]

In my opinion kids who have been in public school all their lives have more problems with things that are not what God wants us to do then kids who go to Christian school, or who are homeschooled.

I disagree with that statement. I went to a public school and I know quite a few other Christians who were public schooled. I also used to be best friends with some kids who were homeschooled, and through work and college I have met several other homeschooled people.
Some of my Christian friends who went to public school have problems with alcohol and stuff, but almost an equal amount of homeschooled Christian kids I know have the same problems. One family I know homeschooled both of their sons. One of the son now is an atheist (the father in this family is actually the one who has really strengthened my faith because he's got his doctorate in science and he is a still an extremely solid believer in God being the one who designed everything) and the other one just is going to the bars all the time. Another family I know, the father is the pastor of my church, he has homeschooled all of his kids except for two. One of them goes to a public school, and she is actually an amazing witness for Christ there, and the other one was homeschooled until around grade 12 where she went to a Christian school. The one who was homeschooled and went to the Christian school is the one who's rebelling. On the other hand, I know two girls who were both homeschooled and are now still living for the Lord.
A few of my friends now went to a Christian school until grade 9 then public school for grades 10-12. Some of them turned out good, others are struggling in sin.
My one friend, and some other kids at my church, were public schooled, but as soon as they moved away to college they became huge partiers. Some of my other friends though, are not having problems with bad stuff.
So I have to say how someone turns out after whatever type of schooling they have really just depends on the person.

I think you read what I said the wrong way.

In my opinion kids who have been in public school all their lives

I think what I meant to say was Some kids who attened public school all their lives have more problems then those who come from other schools or homeschooling. Do you know anyone who was public schooled all their lives? I know waay too many, there are a few that turned out to be pretty goo people, but others who didn't turn out so well. I'm not trying to seem biased against public schools, since I attened one and I struggle with people's prejudeces against it daily, but it dependes on what kind of family life and influeces you have, dependes on what kind of person you will be.

There is truth that some people will do better in certain situations, but yeah, possibly like Jelly, I get tired of people who advocate homeschooling thinking it is absolutely 100% the best thing for everyone in the world. Not that anyone is saying that too strongly here, but that thought process definitely exists in the world. I have known homeschoolers who are absolute party animals and could easily hang with their public school counterparts, and I've known homeschoolers who are so sheltered they don't know how to act when out in the world. Frankly, those two extremes are more common than the normal, well-adjusted ones.

Top Could you come talk to some families I know about this? I know several families who are absoulutely biased and prejudece against public schools. It's quite sad really. I will finish this post later

[Whitty Whit]

I think you read what I said the wrong way. In my opinion kids who have been in public school all their lives I think what I meant to say wasSone kids who attened public school all their lives have more problems then those who come from other schools or homeschooling

Actually, she didn't. She read your previous statement in the correct way. Just pointing that out.

[The Top Crusader]

But... some kids who are private or homeschooled all their lives have more problems then those who come from public schooling. >_>

[Knight Fisher]

But... some kids who are private or homeschooled all their lives have more problems then those who come from public schooling. >_>

*Gasp* I tell you the truth. This is wisdom.

[ric]

Lack of social skills isn't worse than meth addiction. I KNOW NOT EVERYONE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL IS ADDICTED TO METH.

Yes, I know lack of social skills could lead to other things, but if someone is schooled using Christian curriculum and has a strong foundation, hopefully once they're introduced into the "real world" they'll know how to handle it.

There is truth that some people will do better in certain situations, but yeah, possibly like Jelly, I get tired of people who advocate homeschooling thinking it is absolutely 100% the best thing for everyone in the world. Not that anyone is saying that too strongly here, but that thought process definitely exists in the world. I have known homeschoolers who are absolute party animals and could easily hang with their public school counterparts, and I've known homeschoolers who are so sheltered they don't know how to act when out in the world. Frankly, those two extremes are more common than the normal, well-adjusted ones.

This is merely from your observation. From my observations, those extremes are very rare. I'm now attending a private school and about 12 in my class came from being homeschooled their entire lives. Only like...one of them is socially awkward, and only one of them could I even imagine becoming a "party animal," and that's not even likely.
I find that there is this misconception about homeschoolers that they're super-smart, have no social skills, and never leave their houses. This is definitely not a common case. There's sports, debate, and so many other things that homeschoolers do OUTSIDE the house, garnering their fair share of social skills.

Also, about the sheltered thing, the only way I see homeschoolers being sheltered is entertainment-wise. And have we really sunk so far as to think someone can't survive in the real world if they haven't seen the latest Saw movie, or heard the latest profanity-ridden rap record? Really?

A person who never saw a movie or listened to a single drum beat in their entire life would probably have BETTER social skills than someone who did!

[Pirate Oriana]

Okay, I have been home-schooled, gone to a private school, home-schooled again, and I am now technically part of the public school system. So I have various pros and cons for everything.
My home-school career actually began because I had a really good babysitter who was constantly teaching me stuff. So, by the time I was ready for kindergarten I was ahead of the curve, and my mom (a former teacher) decided that, rather than have me relearn what I already knew, she would home-school me. Early on all my schooling was done at home with my mom, but after a while my mom had to get a part time job. This was a good lesson for me because it helped to teach me self-discipline and how to figure things out on my own. That's probably the best thing about home-school for me.

Then there's private school, it was good and bad for me. The first two years were rather difficult because of my tendency to clash with my classmates. Was this the fault of home-school? I don't particularly think so. It might have had somewhat of an influence, but I think it was more a matter of the kind of socialization I had, not the quantity. In any event I encountered emotional issues which still have some affect today, but, thanks to a great teacher, I was able to work through and past many of my issues and build new friendships. Private school was a good thing for me psychologically, but it was not a good thing for me as far as my education went. The environment made it hard for me to focus and get my work done, and I began to slip behind. (Which wasn't super terrible, because homeschooling had put me ahead in several subjects )

Now I'm in an off-branch of the public school system. This is a "work at your own pace" kind of setup, and thus far I've done an entire 11 grade English class, a biology class (I had done part of a biology class in Private school which they would not allow me to count ) A semester's worth of government, and a semester's worth of geometry. So this is good for me because (hopefully) it will allow me to graduate early. However there are a couple of downsides.
First, almost half of the biology class was evolution. And really, it wasn't so much the teaching of evolution that annoyed me (because I did find the class REALLY annoying) it was the poor argument and mindless propaganda that drove me nuts. They basically explained micro-evolution (something that makes sense, and that I happen to agree with) and then they kind of just said: "Oh yeah, and by the way you evolved over billions of years from a single cell organism. NOW GO EDUCATE THE WORLD ON THE STUPIDITY OF CREATION!" They didn't explain how they got from micro to macro Evolution, they just said it happened.
The second issue I had was the overall sloppiness of the textbook's content, as well as the quizzes and tests. I found numerous spelling and grammar errors throughout the text, and although spelling counted for the students' answers, the people who wrote the tests didn't seem to take so much care in their own spelling of multiple choice questions. Don't get me wrong, I can understand a misspelled or missing word once in a while, but even some of their chapter headers, written in bold red lettering were misspelled. That seems a little ridiculous to me, and it causes me to question the quality of the public education.

[Anna><>]

I think it was more a matter of the kind of socialization I had, not the quantity.

That's exactly what I think about it too. It's not that you homeschoolers don't socialize, because they do, it's just different.

[Amethystic]

My friendliest, most outgoing friends I have are homeschooled. Some of my favorite people are homeschoolers; many of them are exceptionally interesting and easy-going people.

[The Top Crusader]

My friendliest, most outgoing friends I have were private schooled. Some of my favorite people are private schoolers; many of them are exceptionally interesting and easy-going people.

[Amethystic]

Well, then we know different private schoolers.

[Anna><>]

My friendliest, most outgoing friends I have were public schooled. Some of my favorite people are public schoolers; many of them are exceptionally interesting and easy-going people.

Actually, I know people from all three types of schools that are nice. Maybe the point is that people can be nice no matter what kind of school they go to.

[31899]

Social Class: Now determined by the type of school you attended.

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