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Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

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Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#611

Post by pkulak »

xyzelement wrote: post #329
jandrese wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a huge spectrum, but back when we homeschooled (my wife wasn't yet comfortable sending the kids back to the classroom in 2021) we did a few events where local homeschool kids got together for various activities. Tree identification/nature trail at the park, visits to historic sites, stuff like that. Of the parents I met there was some variety, but 9 times out of 10 it seemed like they were mostly doing it be…

// other aspects of homeschooling were just a fig leaf over a whole lot of religious indoctrination I was raised totally secular but I now understand that religion is about fundamentally aligning yourself to the highest aspirations ("what kind of man does G-d want me to be?") and even w/o actual faith, I am starting to think that's preferable to the current mode of "anything goes, you can be whatever you feel like an…

> anything goes, you can be whatever you feel like and there's no judgement of any of your actions

Wow, what a terrible take. If anyone needs religion to live a moral life, I'm glad they have found it and hope they never lose it.

I'm judged by my peers, my family, my community, and my country. But even if I wasn't, I would know what's right and what's wrong. Moreover, I guess it's good that amoral people can find ethics from 2000 years ago (when women were without worth, slavery was acceptable, etc), because maybe that's better than nothing (only maybe!), but can we all start a religion based on everything we have learned since then?

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#612

Post by chlodwig »

fellowniusmonk wrote: post #527
xyzelement wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

// other aspects of homeschooling were just a fig leaf over a whole lot of religious indoctrination I was raised totally secular but I now understand that religion is about fundamentally aligning yourself to the highest aspirations ("what kind of man does G-d want me to be?") and even w/o actual faith, I am starting to think that's preferable to the current mode of "anything goes, you can be whatever you feel like an…

As someone who was raised in religious communities, that "higher aspirations" is only the position "in principle" in reality working with people in the religious community was just scams and moral self justification of despicable behavior hidden behind soft language and terrible behavior. So much contention, so much gossip, so much backbiting behavior and hidden evils against children so that communities wouldn't "lo…

This is not isolated, my parents were involved in the church in many states and internationally, it was everywhere.

Which church?

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#613

Post by mensetmanusman »

fellowniusmonk wrote: post #527
xyzelement wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

// other aspects of homeschooling were just a fig leaf over a whole lot of religious indoctrination I was raised totally secular but I now understand that religion is about fundamentally aligning yourself to the highest aspirations ("what kind of man does G-d want me to be?") and even w/o actual faith, I am starting to think that's preferable to the current mode of "anything goes, you can be whatever you feel like an…

As someone who was raised in religious communities, that "higher aspirations" is only the position "in principle" in reality working with people in the religious community was just scams and moral self justification of despicable behavior hidden behind soft language and terrible behavior. So much contention, so much gossip, so much backbiting behavior and hidden evils against children so that communities wouldn't "lo…

It’s not inherent in the system though, although you experienced some disorder.

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#614

Post by glitchc »

jawns wrote: post #150

People talk about homeschooling as if it's one single concept, but it's actually a whole bunch of very dissimilar things. There are people who homeschool because they don't agree with the government's viewpoints, people who homeschool because the public school system has failed their kids, people who homeschool because it just happens to fit their lifestyle. Those are all very different motivations. Likewise, there a…

I am of the firm opinion that there is no substitute for a formal education.

Homeschooling is great if one or both parents are teachers or come from a teaching background. Homeschooling is a disaster if neither parent has much of a formal education, or lack teaching acumen, but still feel that they are qualified to teach their kids. Between those two extremes is a huge range of variability.

Exams are going to become even more of a factor to ensure kids coming from a range of diverse backgrounds meet the minimum bar for university.

At the end of the day, facts are facts. Not knowing them is detrimental to self, and if in a position of authority, to others as well. People can pretend all education is equivalent, until they need to see a doctor for a disease, or an engineer to build a house or a lawyer to fight their case. Then they want the best, the most qualified. Four years of engineering/medical/law cannot fix 12 years of poor educational foundations.

Edit: Downvotes are welcome, but it won't change what is factual. Homeschooling is guaranteed to increase inequality, not decrease it.

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#615

Post by kredd »

AlwaysRock wrote: post #83

Feels like there is a big homeschooling article once every other week here and a whole slew of parents saying, "We homeschool and its great and our kids love it" and then a bunch of adults saying, "I was homeschooled and it was not great, and I did not love it" Regular schooling isn't ideal. But homeschooling is a pretty major reaction to that, and it shouldn't be done without serious consideration for the non-zero c…

It’s HN, we have to keep in mind there is a huge self-selection bias that’s happening. In general, I consider good public schools can be good, bad ones can be bad. But even in the worst case you somewhat interact with other people at the least.

Same goes to the homeschooling — some can be successful, some can be disastrous. The majority of homeschooled kids that would fail, definitely wouldn’t be on these forums. So we’ll hear mostly success stories that came out of it.

It’s hard to apply the comments to a generalized idea from HN.

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#616

Post by troupe »

logicchains wrote: post #601
jawns wrote: post #150

People talk about homeschooling as if it's one single concept, but it's actually a whole bunch of very dissimilar things. There are people who homeschool because they don't agree with the government's viewpoints, people who homeschool because the public school system has failed their kids, people who homeschool because it just happens to fit their lifestyle. Those are all very different motivations. Likewise, there a…

That's missing the main reason for the massive increase in home schooling over the past 3 years: parents wanting to escape mandatory COVID measures in schools like masking.

That might be some of it, but I don't think it explains why the numbers are staying so high. A number of parents got a view into the quality of education and decided they could do better themselves.

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#617

Post by hotnfresh »

OkayPhysicist wrote: post #587
darigo wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>it is possible to have plenty of "socialization" with other kids. I agree. Public school is not a great place for socialization, and it's not hard to create something better. Nothing socializes kids like sitting next to each other motionless in silence for several hours lol

I got really into fencing as a kid, which for whatever reason attracted a lot of private school and homeschooled kids, so I got to interact with the whole spectrum. I'm in an affluent, highly secular area, so this was basically the best case scenario for those homeschooled, and they were still definitely weird. No amount of artificially constructed socialization immersion is going to beat the organic development of s…

> I got really into fencing as a kid, which for whatever reason attracted a lot of private school and homeschooled kids

Selecting relatively obscure sports that nonetheless have a decent representation on college sports rosters is a college admissions and scholarship “hacking” thing. Fencing used to be a great choice for that, dunno if it still is.

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#618

Post by Racing0461 »

What happened to housing "white flight"/moving to the suburbs/etc and pubic transporation is happening to education because the government caters to the lowest instead of centering the middle class family. Where these people can take their ball and go home, they are doing so.

In cases where they can't (ie a job in the city), it's just because they can't. not because they like "urban life".

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#619

Post by troupe »

spiderfarmer wrote: post #410
biomcgary wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you notice that the article highlights the rise of homeschooling co-ops? This is intentional on the part of the homeschooling movement. It improves both socialization and educational opportunities (e.g., shared lab equipment). Rather than pearl clutching about individual anecdotes or doubling down on government control, I think states should provide direct funding to homeschool co-ops in addition to direct fundin…

> The local public school program that he would be in is overwhelmed. Pay more taxes. Solve the problem for all people who run into it, not just the ones who can afford it.

Do you see any upper limit for how much you are willing to pay per student to have them educated in society?

Re: Home schooling's rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education

#620

Post by causality0 »

If you've been in a public high school lately you wouldn't be surprised at homeschooling's growing popularity. I'm sure we all remember having a class with a "peanut gallery" in the back who refused to shut up and learn. Instead of being one class one year that's now every class every year for everybody. My brother, sister in law, and aunt are all public school teachers and none of them allow their children to attend public school.
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