Homeschooling

[mirmartinez]

An acquaintance from church is freaking me out. She wants to home school her children.
She doesn’t even have a high school diploma. Is this even legal? She keeps asking me for my opinion. Honestly, I think her children’s education will suffer if placed in her incapable hands.
She comes of as a huge flake.

 

[genius118899]

I'm a fan of home schooling when done right, but not by someone who doesn't have a high school diploma! Ouch!

 

[mirmartinez]

To be fair she has a GED, however, she is really flaky.
I hope there is some test that a parent must pass in order to home school.

 

[HunnyPots]

The homeschooling laws vary from state to state, but I know of none that requre a test that the parents must pass.

If she is indeed asking for your opinion, give it to her! She may or may not take your advice, but it is really her decision anyway.

Personally, I chose to raise my kids the way I see fit and let others do the same, providing they are not abusing or neglecting them.

 

[Slapstick]

Is failing to properly educate your child, when a free public education is guaranteed, considered neglect? It could be.
Who checks to be sure education is even being provided and do they test the children regularly?

 

[chrisw127]

They should have at least some college, if not a Bachelor's. I wouldn't hire a secretary without a BA; I certainly don't think someone with less should be teaching children. I think homeschooling can be great. We have a lot of homeschoolers around here, people who just don't believe in public schools for a variety of reasons, on both sides of the political spectrum. That's fine, but some parents I've known who do it seem very unstructured--they sleep late and don't even start until later in the day. That's not the best example for one's children. Unless your kids are independently wealthy and won't ever have to get a job.

In North Carolina, kids can go to the university for classes their parents can't teach once they turn 16. Maybe you can recommend something like that to your friend?

 

[TomLovesBecky]

An acquaintance from church is freaking me out. She wants to home school her children.
She doesn’t even have a high school diploma. Is this even legal? She keeps asking me for my opinion. Honestly, I think her children’s education will suffer if placed in her incapable hands.
She comes of as a huge flake.

Yes it is legal.

 

[mirmartinez]

Is failing to properly educate your child, when a free public education is guaranteed, considered neglect? It could be.
Who checks to be sure education is even being provided and do they test the children regularly?

There should at least be a test to make sure the parent is competent.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

An acquaintance from church is freaking me out. She wants to home school her children.
She doesn’t even have a high school diploma. Is this even legal? She keeps asking me for my opinion. Honestly, I think her children’s education will suffer if placed in her incapable hands.
She comes of as a huge flake.

Does your church preach the Rapture??

 

[mirmartinez]

Does your church preach the Rapture??

No. Should they?

 

[Slapstick]

There should at least be a test to make sure the parent is competent.

I agree! I only know one woman who homeschools and don't know her well. Does the district provide you with a curriculum etc? I know nothing about it.

 

[freckles and boo]

I would probably never take on homeschooling for my kids, however I respect the right to do so. I would question your friend's motives. She may have a good reason, but for every good reason to homeschool there is a bad reason.

 

[JARNJ3]

There should at least be a test to make sure the parent is competent.

I totally agree. Teachers are now graded via the "No Child Left Behind" testing - shouldn't home teachers have to do the same?

How do home schooled kids graduate high school? Take the GED?

Then college - do they take the SATs - and just not have a school transcript?

I must confess - I know no one who home schools........

 

[disykat]

In our state you have to meet certain criteria. If you don't, you have to be supervised by the schools district.

 

[mirmartinez]

I would probably never take on homeschooling for my kids, however I respect the right to do so. I would question your friend's motives. She may have a good reason, but for every good reason to homeschool there is a bad reason.

Her reason is because she believes in creationism and the school teaches evolution.
To me that is 45 minutes into "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", however, she is being sincere.

 

[chrisxtwo]

I totally agree. Teachers are now graded via the "No Child Left Behind" testing - shouldn't home teachers have to do the same?

How do home schooled kids graduate high school? Take the GED?

Then college - do they take the SATs - and just not have a school transcript?

I must confess - I know no one who home schools........

Every state is very different. I know many states require homeschooled children to take standardized tests and submit curriculum, grades and such. They graduate high school with a state sanctioned diploma (not a GED) and are free to take the SATs as any other high school student would. Most states require records and portfolios be kept to function as a transcript of sorts.

Not every state has these restrictions though. I know LOTS of homeschooling moms and most of them provide a well balanced education with plenty of physical activity and socialization. I don't feel called to homeschool now but I'm not ruling it out for the future.

 

[mlynn]

I know 2 people who have homeschooled.

1st lady. Did a great job. She has 5 kids. 2 are going to college to be doctors. She was a teacher herself. Very organized. I think you have to be organized to teach in any enviroment.

2nd was my sister in law. Who her self is slow barely graduated from highschool. She started homeschooling her 2 oldest. Well she has never been organized. The kids couldn't learn anything because she never stayed home to teach them. She never teached for more than 1 hour. Said that is all she had to do.
We went away with them one 4th of July and she pulled the kids in to do some work. Her son who by his aged should have been in 2nd grade was still working on stuff from Kindergarten. They were falling so far behind. You could see they didn't mix with other kids(I don't think this was from the homeschooling) but from seeing that they were different from other kids. Nobody ever checked to see what she was doing. We begged her to send them to school.
Finially child #3 said your not teaching me I'm going to school. She fought her tooth and nail but she wouldn't work for her mom at all. So she gave in and said she would see how it worked out for 6 months if she didn't like she would pull them out.
Well 2 oldest took 2 years each to catch up and opening up to other kids. But the 2 youngest have great grades because she didn't teach either of them.

So my point is there are pro and cons to each. The 1st lady was able to teach because she knew what she was doing. my SIL should have never been able to homeschool. I really think they need to take some kind of test to see if you can homeschool.

 

[chrisw127]

I actually know a couple of families who homeschool because my son used to take skating lessons when he was little and they spent a lot of time at the rink. One family, the teenager was the sweetest girl; she would watch my son while I went around the rink a few times. She was also miserable, wanting to be around other kids, not surprisingly. Her middle son was just the neatest kid. He had asbergers and was really interesting and very intelligent and the mom thought he just did better at home, which is one reason she homeschooled all of them. The mom had a phd in English and had been a teacher, so she was more than qualified to teach her own children. The dad was an engineer, so he was covering math and science. For them, it worked.

 

[Michelle67]

I know several people in different states who homeschool, including my older sister. Some of the people I know have degrees, and others don't. Some school districts provide a curriculum, and other people buy their curriculum through one of many sources available, both faith based and secular. There are homeschool networks, and many people form a "co-op" where different parents teach their strengths to help fill in gaps where one parent might not be able to teach his/her child beyond a certain point. All the parents I know who homeschool make sure that their children are involved in outside activities so that they are not isolated from other kids.

 

[Barb D]

Homeschooling can be done really, really well...and it can be a disaster. And only part of it depends on the education of the mom. I know plenty of people who didn't go to college who are exemplary hs moms. I'm sure there are also college grads who are horrendous at it.

There are so many resources out there these days that unless someone is really poorly educated they can certainly hs successfully if they really put the time and effort into it.

My 15yo is currently hsing herself online, using an accredited school. I do nothing except proofread the occasional paper. There are teachers for every class, and they do all the assignments, grading, and record keeping. (She's decided to go back to ps in January, partly because she misses her friends.)