Do you home school, public school or private school?

[andrews]

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.

 

I would disagree with this statement and say that almost anyone could homeschool, but many people cannot do it at the committment level they are ready to make. A wide range of tools are available to help accomplish the task. (Almost too wide a range.)

 

Most people don't want to change their lives enough to do it, nor would I command them to do so. But I am completely convinced almost anyone could do it, though it would take sacrifices.

 

Some single parents even do it, though that situation makes it very hard.

 

NOTE: This is not to say everyone who doesn't homeschool is bad, evil, or whatever. It is just to say that it has matured enough that almost anyone could do it, with some hard dedication. We have been doing it 6 years and dedication is still required.

 

I do question those who trust even "good" public schools to spend more time with their children than they do, but its a free country. (Though I remain completely in favor of the separation of school and state!)

 

Brad

[Dedicated Dad]

For any conspiracy theorists who may think this, I didnt initiate this thread to promote home schooling but because several members (Weekender, Pioneer, Rooster and Brad) had mentioned doing so in their posts previous. This is just a coincidence. To all Home Schoolers and those interested, my uncle is Mike Smith, he is president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. I am not currently a home schooler though I may be one next year depending on certain factors. In any case, should you have any (home-school related) legal problems or you are just interested in getting started, I invite you to visit his web-site. http://www.hslda.org/default.asp Here is some info on Learning Disabilities and home schooling.

http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/hslda/199709040.asp

 

[Rooster7]

Brad,

 

I agree...It does require sacrifice.

 

My thought -

 

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.

 

- was to acknowledge the fact that my children may have to make a much greater sacrifice. Or, if the sacrifice was too great, and a good alternative was available, they may opt not to home school.

[Mike Long]

Our fist child is due in September and we are fully prepared to homeschool if we feel it is necessary. Franky it frightens me what my Scouts are and aren't learning in school.

[KoreaScouter]

Values SHOULD be taught in the home; that's one of the main things I meant when I said we all home school, to some extent. If parents do their job as "the child's first teacher", then they'll be able to sort out the other stuff they'll hear, not just at school, but on the playground, at the pool, at sports, and yes, even at Scout activities (they ain't all angels!).

 

Any study that would attempt to compare home schooling with traditional schooling would by definition be inconclusive, because you can't achieve true test groups and control groups. Why not? Because, for one thing, you can't "not teach your kids" at home unless they spend their hours at home in an anechoic chamber with no exposure to family, no stimuli, etc. I'm aware of the stats on test scores, but they're always presented in the aggregate, which obscures the extremes. In other words, the 3-foot average depth of the river is meaningless to the non-swimmer immersed in a 9-foot section.

 

One thing we all need is mutual respect for our child-rearing/parenting decisions, especially since we don't even know each other. Language such as "I question those who trust even "good" public schools to spend more time with their children than they do..." undermines this mutual respect, suggests moral superiority, and is a flawed premise unless you're using a boarding school as an example. As I said in a previous post, no homeschool family should feel compelled to defend their decision to do so on any grounds. By the same token, nor should any traditional school family.

[Pioneer DC]

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

I think that is pretty well documented already. Strong family involvment, teaching of values and being available to your children is critical to their well being and emotional development. That is why the Hillary Clinton "It Takes a Village" philosophy scares me so much. The ability to be together and spend quality time as a family is just so very important. it is something I have to remind myself of all the time as I get wrapped up in my own projects. Spend time with your kids! You (and they) will never regret it.

[Pioneer DC]

We are members of Home School Legal Defense Association and I just can't say enough good things about them. We get their weekly email newsletters and it is just amazing to me how many government schools out there are harassing home schoolers and telling them things that absolutely not true in order to make it as difficult as possible for them. HSLDA steps in and defends these people's legal rights to home school. Thank God for an organization like HSLDA that helps these people out. Please pass along to your uncle our appreciation for everything they do. We may not have had to use their services, but it is comforting to know they are there just in case.

[Dedicated Dad]

We may not have had to use their services, You actually have without knowing it. He is your representation on The Hill; he is your lobbyist. Thank, Ill pass along your kind words the next time we speak. I admire all you home schoolers, you are the new moral compass leading this country in a new direction. God Bless you all.

[Khepera]

One reason to home school

 

Crafting Gay Children

 

An Inquiry Into the Abuse of

Vulnerable Youth

via

Government Schooling

&

Mainstream Media

by

Judith A. Reisman, Ph.D.

http://rsvpamerica.org/crafting%20august%202001.htm#title

 

[Khepera]

Another Reason

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/622681/posts?page=47#47

 

Academics

Homeschoolers have proven that their children learn more many times over So I have not hit on that aspect.

[Dedicated Dad]

Crafting Gay Children K, that was a very disturbing article, the sad thing is most Scouters here wont even bother to read it. I dont believe they want to know the truth or even another perspective, its easier to ignore the filth and degradation that is homosexuality than it is to understand its dark reality. Thank you for posting this article, Id not seen it before now. I hope you can post more truth about this heinous attack on our children. Keep em coming.

 

 

[scoutmom]

Regardless of some of the opinions out there, public school is the only option I have. Private school is too expensive and they do not offer the services that a public school does for a child with special needs. (my son has ADHD and I can not imagine him trying to attend our local Catholic School) I am luck in that the Public School he goes to has a wonderful staff that really cares about the kids and he is doing well.

 

As a single parent, there is no way that I can have a job and homeschool my child. I guess I could always quit and go on welfare to homeschool him. Maybe that's the solution. Seriously, even if I had the financial resources to stay home, I would not home school. I do not have the personality or the patience that I think it would take. If home schooling is working for you, then that's great. Good for you and your child. Public School is working just fine for us, thanks.

 

 

[KoreaScouter]

Scoutmom (and the rest of you, too);

 

This is incredibly ironic. Twenty years ago, home schoolers were the ones defending themselves, as they felt the sting of accusations and insinuations from people who felt moral and parental superiority over them. In most parts of the country (not all, obviously), our society is way beyond that. Home schooling is regarded, at least by most people I know, as just another of several options to educate your children.

 

Unfortunately, it seems that some home schoolers have incredibly short memories. Rather than considering their shabby treatment and resolving not to let it happen to anyone again, it is now some of them who seem to assert moral and parental superiority over those who did not exercise their freedom of choice to make the same choice they did.

 

As I said in a previous post, nobody on this or any other thread really knows anybody, their kids, the school system where they live, or any other variables that affect their decisions. If, collectively, we've learned ANYTHING as Scouters, isn't it that every family is different, every child is different, and that there are no cookie-cutter solutions to problems? C'mon, people! Especially as Scouters, let's try trusting each other to make decisions regarding our kids that fit our situations, resources, and our kids (who, after all, we know best). None of us are going to deliberately make decisions that are detrimental to our kids' best interests.

 

Scoutmom, you have my unending admiration and respect! I think child-rearing today is incredibly difficult, and we have two adults in the house to do it. I don't know how you do it alone, but I can tell you this: you have nothing to apologize for; hang in there and don't let anyone else make you feel inadequate just because you're not doing what they're doing.

 

 

 

 

[Pioneer DC]

scoutmom - you are right, not everyone has the resources to home school, however, you might be surprised at how home schooling can be done. My wife is a flight attendant and is out of town at times, but , because you can be very flexible with home school, we can have school on weekends, in the evening or just double up when she is home. It actually works quite well.

We were in the public school system until just this year, when we finally gave up on the public school system. We are located in California where social engineering takes precedence over actual academics. Because of all the social engineering activities required during the school day, they would send home 2 - 3 hours of actual academic subjects home every day. We finally just got fed up with it and figured out how to make home schooling work. We did a lot of research and talked with lots of home school families. We did check out private schools as well, but felt that, even though it involved some sacrifice, homeschooling was definitely the way to go. Although my wife has struggled with it a bit at times, she is getting better all the time and our son is really benefitting.

I have to admit that I was the skeptic when my wife started exploring the possibilities, even though I knew more home schooling families through my District work with Scouts. Now I'm an enthusiastic convert and can't see ever going back to the government school system.

[Pioneer DC]

Khepera - I printed out the Crafting Gay Children article and have bookmarked the RSVP America website. I know I have heard of Judith Reisman before, but I can't place the connection. At any rate, this is really disturbing stuff that gets suppressed by the liberal, pro-homosexual media and once again goes to show that the homosexual lifestyle is not just an innocuous alternative lifestyle as we would be led to believe. Once again, I am glad we have made the decision to home school and have gotten away from the clear Kinsey-esque agenda in the government schools.