Do you homeschool - or would you consider it?

I have sent my children to public school and had bad experiences with safety in the school building, among other concerns including the education they were receiving. I have been homeschooling my kids ever since. (They are both in 4th grade this year, although my daughter is only supposed to be in 2nd grade) and it has been very beneficial to them both. It is a lot of hard work, and we live in Pennsylvania, which is one of the states that has extremely strict homeschooling laws. I have to keep a daily log, list all the materials and text we use, keep a portfolio with samples of our work, and hand in an affidavit for every school year. There are a lot of homeschool groups in my area, but I do most of it on my own. It's been hard but fun and rewarding for all of us. My kids do just fine socially, and they don't even attend any sports or groups. In fact, my kids are probably more socially adept than children who go to public school because in public school you are actually taught NOT to socialize, if you remember. It's a battle between whether you feel capable and ready to take on the task and whether you are willing to make sacrifices in order to stay home and do the schooling. These are just my experiences, and I don't want to offend anyone, public school is just not what I want for my children. I plan on homeschooling them until they are of high school age (or test high enough to get into high school) and then let them decide if they want to attend a public high school (which I won't really want, but will allow them to do if they feel they would like to have that experience) or whether they would like to continue to be homeschooled. In the event that they want to continue to be homeschooled during their high school years, I will probably hire a tutor to help me in areas that I did not have the fortune of learning in high school such as Calculus, Trig, and any language(s) they want to take. I really think it is a family decision, but it has done wonders for my family and I am thankful every day that I am capable of schooling my children at home.

I would only homeschool my child until a certain age, I wouldn't homeschool them all the way through high school. When they are young is when their mind is so vulnerable, so I'd definitely consider homeschooling all the way through elementary school, and once middle school age hits (I believe it's 10/11?) I would send them to school. Kids don't only need to learn to be social, but they need to learn how to deal with peer pressure, they need to learn how to public speak, they need to learn people skills in general, and they're not going to get that from social activity groups, I don't think. But homeschooling when they're young is a good idea I believe, that's when it's most important. Homeschooling an 16 year old child is beyond pointless, I believe.

I think it's great when parents home school and when the parents are that dedicated to do it. for me, I don't think I will homeschool. But you never know. The Lord might want different for my children so I guess we'll cross that bridge when it comes. But for now, I don't want to homeschool.

I've seen both some very good and some very bad homeschooling situations. When I was growing up, many of the kids that I knew that were homeschooled were typically the brightest, and were far ahead of what the kids their own age were doing in school. I always thought if the parents could handle it, homeschooling was a great idea. But I met one young lady whose parents chose to homeschool her essentially so they could exert more control over her, and she had problems getting her high school diploma (or the equivalent) because witholding it from her was part of how they controlled her. Most of their reasonings were religious in this case, though I've seen other cases of abuse that were covered up by homeschooling. The other major issue I've seen is parents who decide they are going to homeschool but don't really put enough effort into it. I have a friend whose younger siblings are being homeschooled by her mother, and she says that they rarely actually do "school" and when they do it's mostly craft projects and such. I feel sorry for those kids that they are being failed by their parents in such a way, and it's going to be a major stumbling block for them later in life. So I guess it really depends on the situation. I would consider homeschooling if my child were having a really hard time in regular school if he were failing because of his learning style conflicting with the teaching style, or if he were being treated unfairly. But I wouldn't choose to homeschool unless there were definitely a problem with the local school that couldn't be resolved, because of the effort and commitment involved. I've just seen too many parents that took on the task and then weren't up to it.

I don't home school. I do have a ton of respect for the parents that do. I don't have the patience with my children to be able to home school. They don't like to listen to me in general, so if I were to tell them it was time for schoolwork, I don't see it working. They are fine when they come home from school and I tell them it is homework time but I just don't see it working with my family. I also love the fact that in a public school they socailize with other kids their age. They are all involved in sports and will possible get scholarships for college because of their sporting abilities.

All my three childern go to public school. I went to a catholic school growing up and had to wear a uniform which I think is a great idea. Takes away from the pressure to get the latest fashions. I have thought of homeschooling but never did do it. Reason was the lack of support the school has. But truely I like that they socialize with other childern.

After fighting with school officials for a year, missing bus times repeatedly. The drivers did not keep their schedule always 10 fifteen minutes early or late. Dragging three babies from bed to drive two miles, four round trip so two little girls could go to school. Being late for work and not able to afford day care. The school finally sent administration out and they advised since my daughter and hubby who live very remote and rural. Their Jobs were being jepordized and conflicting with busing schedules and problems with bigger students bullying the little girls, not able to pick up either. The school advised my daughter home school. I live two miles away and could not meet the schedule either for health and other reasons. But now with the advise of school officals the kids home school with me. They actually have learned more, faster and are ahead of their cousins they see regularly who attend public school. The youngest is almost three and he knows ABC's, numbers to 25, colors, shapes, object identification, songs by heart and much more. The oldest is 11 and doing 7th grade work.

I don't know anyone personally who has ever homeschooled but like you , I have heard a lot of positive about being able to do this . I would love to do this if I was able to afford to do it and could find someone who would be able to do it as I wouldn't be smart enough to homeschool our children . I believe there would be more opportunities for my children if they were homeschooled as I have no trust in the school system .

It sounds an interesting and awesome idea, but I have not come across homeschool kind of thing, here in India. May be it is prevalent in your country.

I have been hometeaching my son this whole summer vacation till today. I am glad that I have time to hometeach him while I am at home for the summer vacation. I have taught him the two new English books that he will have to learn in the coming semester. He is very happy to learn the books in advance. I feel that I have done a great job for my son to enhance his English study.

My daughter is in homeschool and she get to be with the other kids that are homeschooled because cordianate activties to get together and have alot of fun.

I was never homeschooled. I grew up in a place that was mandatory kids go to school. There had to be special circumstances for a kid to be homeschooled. So I never considered homeschool anything until I moved here. I met some families through my church that homeschool together. They trade off subjects and every day or every week they rotate houses. The kids still go to regular school for some activities or classes but are mostly homeschooled. They are some of the smartes kids I ever met. I think by being away fromthe social distractions and peer pressure of regular schools it has instilled a love an importance of knowledge andlearning. They still have friends and activities outside of their homeschool and because they switch it up with the parents that it works out so well. It is not the same old everyday house or parent teaching. Also theylearned about thigns that werenot even taught in public schools. It is really good. I only hesitate because I need a break from my kids and don't feel I have much to contribute to the group learning. Maybe in a couple of years.

Hi, personally i would prefer normal school over homeschooling as i feel the exposure the child gets in school is not as much at home, no matter where we put them or with whom the kids minlgle. It is something totally different at school. Agreed that times are changing now days and teachers dont care much adding to the low grades the kids get, but for that maybe persoanl tutions can be taken or you as a parent can dvote more time and teach your child, the same what you would be doing in homeschooling too. Let them attend normal school in the mornings,which you can take out 1-2 hours daily and teach them also at home in the evenings,so that they have the best of both the worlds. Homeschools and playschools are best suitable for smaller kids i feel where there is just activity and play time, along with love, care for the kids, those smaller kids aged 2-3-4 years, do need a homely atmosphere too, but older kids i feel are better off in a proper school with so many other activities besides studies going on. Each person to their own views, its just what i feel. And yes, all teachers are not bad, nor are all schools that bad, just a few are. And that happens with every parent and child, we all face this problem but i normally do what i have suggested above with my kids. Maybe you can also try the same and see if it makes a difference in your childs grades and percentage.

I went to public school, but that was about 10 years ago, so I know that times have changed now. Kids today have a lot to deal with in school and some of the teachers today aren't doing enough to teach their students. I guess as far as the decision of homeschooling, it depends i guess on your school district and how well you think they do in educating the kids. Everyone wants their child to have the best education and if they are not getting it from school. They should get it from their parents, but just make sure the parent has enough knowledge and skill to teach the child. they should also have patience. I think it would be easier to maybe be impatient or yell at a child if they don't get an answer right if you are their parent, more than a teacher would somebody else's child so that could play a role in the child's learning too. If they are scared that their parents' will yell at them if they don't get the answer right, they are hurting them in the long run. I was one of those people who was against it for the reason of the socialness of being around kids their own age, but like you said there are all kinds of team sports. My other issue was to make sure the parent was qualified to teach because everyone is not a good teacher to others. It just really depends on the individual situation.

iam considering home school for my 4 year old she is adhd and bipolar and i know teachers dont have time to work with her one on one. so i am home schooling

well, I still prefer my kid going to a regular school over homeschool. Yes One advantage of homeschool is being close to a child but I am afraid that when the time comes he needs to socialize, he may not be that confident because he is just meeting the same people everyday. I also want him to learn independence at an early stage so that he can be street smart as well. I think I can still be close to my child even if he goes to a regular school. Its just a matter of making an effort to spend time with him.

I would like to try homeschooling out because I really have no time during weekdays to go to classes, and with homeschooling maybe I can just study at home after work or on the weekend. I'm already working at a mining company but since I still want to stand out from the rest, I think I'll look for a good school that offers homeschooling.