What Are Your Thoughts On Homeschooling?

[SanFranciscan]

I am too old for this board because some of you could almost be my grandchildren, but it is a good place to get some input from young people.

Are any of you homeschooled? What are your thoughts on the subject? Would you prefer to study at home, or do you like going to school?

I think that had it been an option for me, I would have liked homeschooling. I often thought that my teachers had no actual interest in teaching what the class was there to learn. I got particulary frustrated in language classes in which I was a beginner wanting very much to learn the language and often found just listening to tapes a better use of time than the homework I was forced to do. The teacher fluent in the language would try to make the class entertaining for himself or herself. and we students would find ourselves expected to act out movie scenes and so forth while lacking the vocabulary to do so.

This is not a Disney specific question, but we could make it Disney-related in a manner that might be fun for y'all. Obviously a public school system is not going to take any of you on Adventures by Disney or anything like that, and neither would most private schools. Yet if you went with your family, it would provide you with enough education that it would probably surpass anything taught to you in school. So one of the things that we could talk about here to make my question more Disney-specific, if you'd like, is which Disney trip you think should qualify for school credit.

 

[Princess victoria]

I went to Disney this past May for Band
all our absences were excused too

 

[valeriesunshine]

I think homeschooling is great and it would be cool if I could try it out. But I do think there is one bad side to it, you cant meet anyone new. I met most of my greatest friends in school, if I were homeschooled that wouldnt be possible.

 

[AbsoluteAwesome1]

I, personally, would not enjoy it.
It may work for some, who live in struggling school districts.
My friend who struggled with drugs switched to homeschooling and is doing a lot better.
But I wouldn't be able to not see my friends every day.
I'm an only child and I don't play any sports.
I'd be a very, VERY lonely person if not for school... haha.

 

[BabyPiglet]

I think it's fine for high schoolers who want to get a head start on college, but I do believe that younger children should go be in a public or private school. School is an important part of the human life, and I wouldn't want anyone to miss such a vital social experience.

 

[jacensolo3]

yea i am homeschooled and its not great cause of the reasons above i dont have very many friends except from church and sports i wish i was in school but im not and my mom gets to make that decsion i guess its not all bad i just sometimes wish i was in public shcool but other times im glad to be homeschooled

 

[DramaQueen]

I'm in university now, but I would not have enjoyed homeschooling throughout my grade school years.
I loved the social aspects of school too much, and I had some really great teachers throughout my years (sure there were a few duds) but for the most part I really valued my learning expirience in the public school system.

And I am much too much of a social butterfly to have been homeschooled.

I always thought that acting out movie scenes/making up skits in french class, or acting out scenes from a book or recreating historical events was so much fun and a really great way to help me learn (especially when it came to history, as I find it somewhat dry, I really enjoyed being able to make it fun and exciting). I also really enjoyed putting on drama productions and getting involved in school activities such as the Terry Fox Run, Relay for Life, School Council, The French Club, Going to School Dances, Proms etc. I wouldn't want to have missed out on that.

There are a bunch of Teen DISers who are homeschooled though, I'm sure you'l be hearing their side as well.

 

[::Snow_White::]

Some of us here are homeschooled.

I'm not, but I think it's great, though I'm not sure it's for me.

The only real problem I have with going to a public school is some of the students.
They are incredibly disrespectful at time, and interupt our class when I'm trying to learn.

I'm afraid at home, I'd procrastinate, but then again it'd be quiet and I could concentrate.
And I really do love all my teachers and I think it'd be easier to learn in a classroom around others as long as they are respectful. Plus some of the activities we do are extremely fun and I look forward to the classes.

 

[Ampris]

How homeschooling will work work for a person depends a lot on their personality. Introverts who want to get a lot of work done without interuption, and/or really, really motivated people who want to be challenged more or learn at a faster pace than what they'd be doing at school (or possibly slower, if they have trouble at school and focusing on what they need the most would help), they should all be fine homeschooling. But like everyone said, extroverts, people persons who like the social aspects of school, they wouldn't be happy at all homeschooling. It is hard to meet people, even with extra-curricular activities, and that can be extremely hard on people who need to be with other people.

And then, you need to make sure that the curriculum is solid and the person who'll be doing the teaching is: A) really up to the task, and B) more than barely-qualified. One doesn't need to be a college professor to teach kids; it's possible to get along with the right materials and help, but not being a total bonehead helps. And you have to be reeeeally good at motivating kids to do work, 'cause they'll sure as heck not do it otherwise. (Unless you're lucky and have kids who love doing schoolwork... though, needless to say, these definitely don't make up the majority of kids. Heh.) It's tough, but I say that if you think it can work for your situation, with the kids perosnalities and needs taken into consideration, it can work really well. It all depends on how it's handled.

 

[Minnie Squeaks]

yea i am homeschooled and its not great cause of the reasons above i dont have very many friends except from church and sports i wish i was in school but im not and my mom gets to make that decsion i guess its not all bad i just sometimes wish i was in public shcool but other times im glad to be homeschooled

kinda exactly my situation but like you said its not all bad...the flexible schedule is nice but i guess i should put some more effort into it also lol
n every1 does learn differently...i did better in public school n i like it better but like Brandon...i dont have choice lol
i jus started homeschooling so i do have friends from school though

 

[Ampris]

kinda exactly my situation but like you said its not all bad...the flexible schedule is nice but i guess i should put some more effort into it also lol
n every1 does learn differently...i did better in public school n i like it better but like Brandon...i dont have choice lol
i jus started homeschooling so i do have friends from school though

The schedule is FTW. But the motivation... dang. It's hard. And the way we do it, we don't have regular grades or anything, and my parents are very loose in sticking to plans or projects or even just getting any work done. How on earth this is expected to work, I don't know. But we're just supposed to get stuff done, 'cause, y'know, we're homeschool kids and we're smart enough to know what to do and when to do it.

It's not cool.

 

[BabyPiglet]

I homeschooled MYSELF for a little less than a year. I basically slacked off all summer, and didn't get realllllly serious about it until about December.

To get motivated, I just pictured it all DONE. Or I thought about how little I had assigned myself that day. 'Oh, I only have 1 World History exam, and 2 English ones, that'll be simple!'

Just like at work, when I count down the hours til I'm off. 'Only 2 hours left, then I can go home and SLEEP.'

But that's just me. It might do harm on other people.

 

[Narnia_citizen]

I'm homeschooled as much as I wish I was not. Just like Jacenjedi and minnie squeaks said I have no choice. You guys that are in public school are lucky. Yeah some of you say I'm lucky but you have no idea. It's horrible. Plus where I live everyone I meet thinks homeschoolers are babies so I don't even get a chance to let them see the real me. All they see is homeschooler. Why don't you just stick a sticker on me and declare it to the world. I hate it though because the few people that have actually gotten to see my personality say how much of public school kind of kid I am. I just wish the kids that are homeschooled and don't want to be had a choice in the matter. 'cause you know what it's our school not their's (People making us stay in homeschool). But what can you do? Their your parents and if you love your parents as much as I love mine you will agree to disagree and get over it. It might take longer than somethings but eventually you'll get over it.

My future car ----->

 

[Princess_Dot]

I think it works for some people. A lot of my friends are homeschooled because we do theatre and have auditions during the school day. Im homeschooling next year because of this. My former school was not supportive in the least about my performing career outside of school. The homeschoolers I am friends with motivate eachother. We have a group that is getting together over the summer to discuss our "summer reading" books. (Parents idea is that we each read a book that is also a film and write a paper comparing the two....I've done this many times last year in school and its fun)

I think for my career homeschooling is the best option.

 

[jemberly_ann]

it depends on the type of kid, parents, and their relationship.

i have a friend that is homeschooled, and they are part of a group put together by the government, and they go on field trips and such.

one plus is that kids can go at thier pace, not the districts.

one con is that they do not have as many friends, maybe languages, and tools for education.

 

[STOPxmickeytime]

Personally, homeschooling isn't for me.

I live in a really good school district, which offers tons of opportunities for me.
Since I'm near the top of my class, I'm in a group called the University Program, and it allows me to take AP courses that aren't normally available to kids my age, and it allows me to go to seminars and on trips specific to my areas of interest.
If I was homeschooled, I wouldn't be able to go into seminars with Ivy League professors teaching me about psychology, or the producer of the Batman series teaching us about the business side of Hollywood.

Additionally, I think school is such an important tool for social education that in most cases, homeschooling should be avoided. Especially for younger kids.

Likewise, I lack the amount of motivation needed to teach myself. I know I would be able to get a lot more work done, and faster, but I wouldn't be able to push myself to do it if I was left to my own devices.

Also, at my school, all of the teachers I've encountered are personally invested in their classes and each individual student. I've never had a problem with any of the.

Homeschooling just wouldn't be a good option for me.

 

[MrsSparrow..]

Not for me.

My views on Homeschooling and private schooling are very different. My private school views being very contreversial (sp?).

In some ways, Homeschooling could be better as it is more one-on-one focused on learning, less chance of distraction from classmates etc. However, as a natural introvert, I would struggle with social skills.

My teachers provide me with education, my classmates provide me with life-skills. You get life-skills by experiencing different things, like arguments, friendships etc etc.

I'm a public school pupil.

 

[Sparx]

this is a really hot topic for me, so i'm not going to get really involved, cause i could argue about this for days.

i have been homeschooled.
never will i homeschool, and you would be hard pressed for me to find a situation where i condone it.

 

[coolshannie]

I guess homeschooling works for some people, but it would have never worked for me. I was such a shy child and high school, especially the band program turned me into a chatterbox. I love going to school because of the amazing experiences I've had. I have met amazing teachers who care more about the potential I or my fellow students have then what we think we sometimes are only capable of accomplishing... and those teachers are amazing mentors. I have learned so many life lessons from band and school itself. My high school offers AP and IB courses which few school offer AP classes let alone IB. I honestly do not think I could have gotten and continue to get a better education then I am receiving. Honestly being involved in extra curricular activities and being on top of my education and the social aspect in all that high school allows, I would have never wanted to be home schooled. With that being said Im not sure that it would have been an issues for me in elementary school or in middle school. I think High School is just such a growing point in life that everyone should experience. Even some kids who are home schooled come to our high school for a few classes, such as band and a foreign language because they are receiving more then just a class, they are receiving lessons in life and social interaction. There are many ways it can be done, not everything works for everyone.

 

[SanFranciscan]

My job has been exhausting this week so I just now got around to reading y'all's responses . Thank you.

I do not have children in school. I just know that homeschooling is very controversial. I do rememember the newspapers recently reporting a legal setback for homeschooling here in California. It was a matter of credentials for teaching. I do think that the parents most likely to want to homeschool their children are also the ones most likely to be concerned and involved parents if they have children in the school system so the students left remaining in the school system may be the ones most negatively affected by homeschooling.

One thing I did want to mention to those of you concerned about social opportunities at school. It is my understanding that you do have the legal right to participate in public school activities, such as sports or whatever, in the district where you live if your legal guardian lives in that school district as well. Those of you who are homeschooled might want to check to make sure that I am right, but I think that the school cannot legally deny you the opportunity.