Do you home school, public school or private school?

[Dedicated Dad]

Do you home school, public school or private school?

[Weekender]

What do you know, I got the first vote. Homeschooling and wouldn't have it any other way.

[Rooster7]

My wife and I have been home schooling for the past nine years. So far, God has blessed us. My three boys are all doing well. My oldest son is in his first year of college (University of Delaware). My daughter is only two and a half. We enjoy the extra time that home schooling allows us to spend with our children. Best of all, they possess the values that are most dear to us. Which, by the way, is why we have all three boys in BSA. BSA re-enforces what we teach them at home.

[Dedicated Dad]

I shouldnt have assumed that all Scouters have school age children. Sorry about that, I didnt mean to discriminate. Feel free to post present if you care to be counted. Further, if you have groan children, youre welcome to vote for their appropriate former schooling.

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Public School advocate here.

 

At one time I would have preferred a catholic education for my son, but more than one catholic school saw he was ADD and dyslexic and told me they had no place for him. Think of that, All the parochial schools (in every sense of the word) want is great students they can place in high academic places and then brag about how great their programs are, but I digress

 

I advocate Public Schools because children with special needs are not going to be able to get a private education unless Dad is loaded, (which I am not).

 

I advocate Public Schools because it is there the student gets a real sense of who makes up his community and that there are people REALLY different from them in his community and he learns how to relate/deal with them. I know there are things taught in the schools I dont always agree with, but I feel he has a solid enough foundation at home to know what his/our values are.

 

Oh, and if it sounds like I am rationalizing, perhaps I am, since neither my wife nor I could teach a dyslexic how to read, but the school system can. If I wanted to home school, how would I even start?(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[YoungBlood]

I advocate Public Schools because it is there the student gets a real sense of who makes up his community and that there are people REALLY different from them in his community and he learns how to relate/deal with them.

 

As a kid who has been homeschooled since third grade, I just want to point out that I have NEVER had a problem dealing with or relating to somebody who was different. I go to the University of Delaware, which is a very diverse university. Even here at school when I bump into somebody who is different (the kid with the green spiked hair and chains, the homosexual guy sitting next to me in class, the Muslim girl wearing veils) never have I been shocked or uncomfortable to be there. I just wanted to point this out since it is a common misconception by many people that homeschoolers are "sheltered or kept hidden from the real world".

 

 

[Pioneer DC]

This is our first year home schooling (my son is 11 years old and in "6th grade"). We are so happy we made the move after planning for it for almost a year. We gathered a lot of information, made decisions on cirriculum and joined a several home school support groups. There have certainly been some trials, but the experience has been very rewarding. We do know a lot of hime schooling peope through Scouts and that has been a resource for us as well.

Just as an example, my son is doing 8th grade math and reading while his writing skills leave something to be desired and he is performing at a lower level there. Only in home schooling can you customize the program so that the child can work at different levels in different subjects based on his abililites. And where else can you work in a unit study on the Revolutionary War to justify a trip to Boston or a unit on sea life to justify a trip to go snorkeling in Hawaii? That is the true beauty of home schooling - you are not bound by the government school system. So many opportunities present themselves for learning about the world around us - not just in a boring classroom from 8 - 3 every day.

We also find Scouting and home schooling go well together. Many merit badge subjects work very well into the school program as do the principles of the Scout Oath and Scout law. It is almost like they are made for each other.

[KoreaScouter]

Public School. It's not really an accurate characterization for us though, because in our case, public school is a Department of Defense overseas School, with handpicked teachers, good facilities, no classroom crowding, no drugs, no weapons, lots of patriotic/traditional values, every family has a job, etc., etc. We're amazingly diverse -- class pictures look like a Benneton ad, and when it's time to celebrate any of the ethnic commemorative months or international holidays, we don't just talk about or pretend. Moms, dads, kids from the various groups flock in to cook, perform, demonstrate, read, show/tell, whatever.

 

Last home in the US was in an affluent suburban area -- same situation. We've never felt it necessary to home school because of values, quality, and/or safety issues. To those who do, good on 'ya. I think we oughta be way beyond the point where we equate homeschool families with cult members. By the same token, homeschool families should not equate traditional schooling with child neglect -- I've seen too much of both those sentiments, even on Scouting threads...

 

If we had issues with our public schools wherever we lived, I'd send my kids to private (probably Catholic parochial) school faster than you can say Bob's your uncle.

 

If there's anything that bothers me about a poll on this topic, it's the fact that it can, again, divide us into opinion-based camps over which of several methods is "better". I think it's a purely personal (read: family) decision, and should be made based on what's best for YOUR KIDS. And, that's with the stipulation that what's best for your kids may not be best for mine, or his, or hers. And, there really are more than three choices here. Many home school families send their kids to traditional schools for art, music, sports, other extracurriculars, honors courses. Many traditional school kids study at home with their parents, too, or take music, art, language, or other lessons outside of school.

 

When you stop and think about it, we ALL home school, to some degree. I spend ten hours a week with my kids on schoolwork, at home; sometimes using school books, sometimes using encyclopedias, MB pamphlets, the Internet, etc. Sometimes I don't know who's learning more, them or me...

 

I really enjoy these forums, but I hope this one doesn't balkanize us, with everybody in a defensive crouch defending their personal decision. Everybody's circumstances and reality is different. If your kids are okay, you're doing the right thing, no matter what it is.

 

 

[evmori]

I attended Catholic school until 6th grade then transferred to public school. I regret neither.

 

Both of my kids (my son is now in college) attend public school. My son graduated with honors & my daughter has been on the honor roll since 3rd grade. Both are severe to profoundly deaf.

 

I know there are bad public schools out there. There are also bad private schools. Home schooling for some isn't an option. We all want the best education for our kids.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

[Glenn]

I attended 12 years of Catholic schooling. At that time, my school offered advanced (read double work!) classes in Math while my friends' public schools did not. Since Math was my forte, I was very fortunate.

 

Now that I have children, I had to consider what was best for them. Due to the conservative small town area we live in, my wife and I researched the public schools and picked the "best" one as far as standardized test scores and programs offered. We then moved to that school district and have been very happy with our choice.

 

If I had to live in a large city or a liberal area, we would have chosen Catholic schools.

[jmcquillan]

Public school all the way. When my two sons reached high school age, they opted to go to a local agricultural vocational high school (regional) as opposed to the town high school. But the Aggie was still public. I don't think they, or the Mrs. and myself, could have made better choices.

[Chippewa29]

As a public school track coach (though not a teacher), I am a little biased toward the public schools, especially when someone's daughter can run a really fast 400. However, as someone mentioned before, it really depends our your situation with many variables.

 

The thing that I see the most problematic with parents that send their kids to private schools (home schooling is a very new concept in our area, so I haven't dealt with it much) is that they think if their child just goes to a certain prestigious private school (or just private school period), then their child will never get in trouble and will have everything they need to succeed in the world.

 

Near the public high school where I went (and now coach), there is a very "prestigious" Catholic school (all boys) that promotes the high character of its students and the pure lives they lead while there. The year I graduated from high school, this school had over 30 of its 80 graduates go through alcohol or drug rehab or get arrested on some alcohol or drug charge during their senior year of high school or freshman year of college. I guy I went to college with was one of them that went to rehab as a high school senior, and he said there were even more that didn't get caught. It was a big case of denial of the parents and school officials.

 

Also, many parents believe that going to a private school will shelter their children from the problems of a real world. A friend of mine had problems dealing with people (she couldn't handle confrontations of any kind) in middle school. Her parents put her in an all girls Catholic school to protect her. Today, she is in her early 30's, still lives at home with her parents, and still cannot handle any kind of confrontation with anyone. I know of two other "women" that are in the same kind of situation of not being able to deal with the real world because their parents tried to use private school to shelter them.

 

On the other hand, a private school can be a very good thing for someone. I guy I went to middle school with was a troublemaker and constantly mocked how the schools couldn't really do anything to him. His parents responded by sending him to a private, quasi-military school. When I saw him two years later, the difference was incredible. They kicked his butt and didn't take any of his crap, and he straightened out 100% and ended up joing the Army after graduation. Staying in a public school, he probably would have been expelled eventually. I've also had other friends that went to private school, are doing very well in life, and loved going to a private school. It was a wonderful experience for them.

 

A friend I grew up with in Scouts went with us to public school until he was about third or fourth grade, when his parents thought he wasn't getting a good enough education and switched him to private school. He ended up going to a mediocre state school for college. When his brother (ten years younger) got into school, his parents let him go to public school because they realized that they wasted their money sending him to private school (he wasn't a troublemaker and was a solid student).

 

The school district in which you live can play a big part as well. The school where I coach is one of the top districts in the metro area and outperforms many of the private schools in the area. However, some old friends lived in a nice neighborhood that happened to be in one of the worst districts in the area. They sent all six of their kids to private schools and it was a very good decision for them.

 

A child's belief system is basically formed in the home. Usually, if I have a girl on my team that is a problem, meeting her parents for ten minutes gives me 90% of the clues as to how she got that way. Many parents are afraid that their children's beliefs will be switched if they send them to public schools and they are "exposed" to beliefs that are different then their own. The school I went to was in what we called "Rush Limbaugh country" back in the late 80's. We had a couple of teachers that were very liberal and didn't hide it. Myself, along with a lot of my classmates, although we didn't necessarily agree with these teachers (they didn't force their opinions on us, but we definitely knew what they were), greatly appreciated different perspectives on things.

 

I guess what that brings me to is the really purpose of education. It is not necessarily to teach children how to think, but to give them a foundation of basic values and expose them to different ideas and thoughts so they can learn to think for themselves. Some people don't think teenagers are able to think for themselves. At what point will they? It doesn't suddenly happen when they turn 18. I don't remember the exact line, but if you watch the movie Dead Poets Society, you'll see what I mean.

 

I've gone on long enough for this post. Maybe I'll post more later, but I'll be looking forward to seeing everyone elses thoughts.

[berkshirescouter]

Chippewa29

I agree with you and add, every child is different, every school is different you just hope you make the right choices. When you deal with special needs I tend to think public schools have more to offer. But in big cities this may not be true. I have a cousin who has an ADD boy who cannot handle school at all. They are home schooling him now and I have suggested Scouting for him. It makes the point that all children are special needs in one way or another.

[Rooster7]

I know some terrific kids with outstanding values. Some are home schooled. Some go to public school. Some go to private school. Home schooling worked for my family. It may well be true that regardless of where I sent my children to school, they would have shared our values (mine and my wife's, which we hope reflects our faith's). Also, I realize (and the next generation of Roosters may fall into this category) that not everybody can home school, even if they wanted to do so. But here is what I can say about home schooling:

 

1) It allows one to tailor the curriculum to their children's ability level. This mean my son does get forced to 3rd grade math if he's struggling to understand 2nd grade math. We can bring him up-to-speed at a rate that does not frustrate him. Conversely, we can accelerate subjects [such as science] so he is not bored.

 

2) It allows one to re-enforce the values and teachings of one's faith [i.e., we can have a Bible study]. Also, while we might teach our children about evolution, we can highlight the flaws in that theory and emphasize what we believe [creationism]. Is homosexuality wrong? When is it appropriate to be sexuality active? Is abortion a women's "right"? Or is it the "murder" of a child? These are questions, which I want addressed in my home. Also, I do not want the public schools in my area [paid for with my tax dollars] presenting these topics to my children in a manner, which I believe would have been prejudicial and contrary to my faith.

 

3) It allows one to spend more time with one's children. I am confident that my children are more concerned about meeting my approval than the kid down the street. Sometimes it is more out of respect and love than complete agreement, but the allegiance is not questionable. Does this mean that parents of public or private school kids do not have the same allegiance? Of course, it does not. But home schooling gives parents the opportunity to spend valuable with their children and become a greater influence.

 

4) There is a socialization issue. However, I submit these two thoughts. As long as you have your kids active elsewhere, they will be fine. My sons played boys club sports [ages 5 to 16]. They were in Cub Scouts. They were and are in Boys Scouts. They attend Sunday school with other children their age. They are members of various church youth groups. They play with the children in the neighborhood. They spend time at the neighborhood pool during the summers. They mow lawns for money. They go to the stores. I could go on and on. The bottom line - they are exposed everyday to all sorts of people, young and old, all races, all religions, etc. However, they are mostly exposed to us [their parents] and other adults who we believe will educate and encourage them in the right direction. Funny thing, and this is not meant as a knock on public schools, but I find it very ironic that so many people worry about the socialization of home schoolers. Home schoolers do not have to worry about gangs [who could hurt their children or solicit them as members], drugs [at least not to the same extent], peer pressure to conform [to have the best clothes, to do something they ought not to], and a number of other pressures that public schoolers have to contend with on a fairly regular basis. Of course the counter argument to that is - "What are they going to do when it eventually does happen?" I'm pretty confident it will be the right thing. Nevertheless, I see no point of exposing them to these things at an early age and on a consistent basis.

 

In summary, God blesses us in different ways. Certainly, many children come out of public and private school systems as excellent citizens and devoted children of God. I'm certain that many of them can point to more accomplishments and honors than many home schoolers. Never would I argue to the contrary. However, having said that, I believe home schooling offers a tremendous opportunity for parents and their children.

 

[berkshirescouter]

It would be interesting if twenty years from now a study was done to compair the outcomes of the children home schooled, public schooled, scouts, no scouts etc. to see which, if any, or all, of these factors had the most effect on there lives.

I think it will come up that family involvment will be a big factor followed by scouting.