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Homeschooling hits record numbers

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Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are you thinking about the socialization aspects of homeschooling vs not? I imagine part of the benefit of schooling is to socialize children with their peers so I’m curious how you thought about it.

We homeschooled. When we wanted to socialize our kids, we shoved them into the restroom and beat them up for their lunch money. I kid, but there's a real point: So much of the socialization is bad . More: Kids aren't going to be kids forever. Does socialization with a bunch of other kids prepare them for the adult society that they're going to go into?

[deleted]

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#42
post #3

I do think Covid forced people to ask questions they hadn’t before. We have sent our kids to private, poor quality and top rated schools. We saw a stark difference between the poor quality and higher cost options. No surprise. But the reason we are considering home schooling our younger kids was surprising. It says something about a system dedicated to teaching children when parents think they can do as well or bette…

I was homeschooled and it affected me terribly. Please don’t do it.

I was homeschooled and I got a fairly strong education.

What matters is your parents and how you nurture your kids and provide opportunities for them. It’s easy for homeschooling to be bad… if you don’t give a shit about your kids.

For socializing, the key part is making sure kids are involved in a lot of social activities. I never went to public school, but found my groove socially pretty quickly in college, because I had a lot of opportunities for strong friendships. I was working part time in high school too, so got some exposure to pop culture.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We homeschooled. When we wanted to socialize our kids, we shoved them into the restroom and beat them up for their lunch money. I kid, but there's a real point: So much of the socialization is bad . More: Kids aren't going to be kids forever. Does socialization with a bunch of other kids prepare them for the adult society that they're going to go into?

Well it should, yes, given that socialization is the result of shared social experiences. Experiencing bullying is (unironically) one of those shared social experiences that create bonds with people (whether as victim, perpetrator, or witness) These are real social dynamics that actually exist in adult life, and I suspect people who are totally blindsided by them are maladapted

> Experiencing bullying is (unironically) one of those shared social experiences

It also teaches you to deal with bullies. That said, we had homeschooled kids in my Boy Scouts troop. They learned how to deal with bullies just fine.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#45
post #3

I do think Covid forced people to ask questions they hadn’t before. We have sent our kids to private, poor quality and top rated schools. We saw a stark difference between the poor quality and higher cost options. No surprise. But the reason we are considering home schooling our younger kids was surprising. It says something about a system dedicated to teaching children when parents think they can do as well or bette…

How are you thinking about the socialization aspects of homeschooling vs not? I imagine part of the benefit of schooling is to socialize children with their peers so I’m curious how you thought about it.

Homeschooling doesn't mean the kid stays at home all the time. We homeschool and my kid has classes and different activities all week, interacts with friends and teams. It has worked very well for us given our lifestyle. I would understand it's not for everyone.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#46
> When asked if they are satisfied with their children's education, public school parents consistently rank last after parents who choose private schools, homeschooling, and charter schools. Importantly, among all parents of school-age children, homeschooling enjoys a 70 percent favorability rating.

This is not surprising: homeschoolers are extremely confident in their own teaching abilities and extremely cynical about the abilities of others.

> Closures also gave parents a chance to experience public schools' competence with remote learning, and many were unimpressed. They have also been unhappy with the poor quality and often politicized lessons taught to their children that infuriatingly blend declining learning outcomes with indoctrination.

Why would a parent compare a novel learning environment to the pre-covid experience? Why would a parent think that their kid will never encounter political topics if they stay at home - do they use the internet at all?

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#47
post #3

I do think Covid forced people to ask questions they hadn’t before. We have sent our kids to private, poor quality and top rated schools. We saw a stark difference between the poor quality and higher cost options. No surprise. But the reason we are considering home schooling our younger kids was surprising. It says something about a system dedicated to teaching children when parents think they can do as well or bette…

I was homeschooled and it affected me terribly. Please don’t do it.

What works for one might not work for another one. Can't generalize.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#48
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we could teach them as well as the school does. And more importantly, we can provide a better environment for them to mature socially.

“And more importantly, we can provide a better environment for them to mature socially.” Take it from someone who was homeschooled from pre-k through high school, you will absolutely not provide a better social environment. I was so unprepared to handle the social dynamics in casual, educational or professional that it took years and years of active work to put myself in a position where it wasn’t an absolute detrime…

One could say this is where the free market of schooling comes into play. Does it make more economic sense for businesses to choose those with social skills learnt from home schooling, or ones who have not been home schooled? Definitely curious to see where this goes.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#49
post #7

Anecdotally, two factors at work here: - Schools have stopped educating in favor of test metrics, making sure the worst students pass, and pushing borderline indoctrination of controversial, left-ish values. - With remote education during the pandemic, people have more visibility into their school's day-to-day teaching. It's hard to fix the US education system by political means. If you have the ability to do so, it'…

> pushing borderline indoctrination of controversial, left-ish values

Which values? I haven't gone to school in a long time.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#50
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we could teach them as well as the school does. And more importantly, we can provide a better environment for them to mature socially.

“And more importantly, we can provide a better environment for them to mature socially.” Take it from someone who was homeschooled from pre-k through high school, you will absolutely not provide a better social environment. I was so unprepared to handle the social dynamics in casual, educational or professional that it took years and years of active work to put myself in a position where it wasn’t an absolute detrime…

Sounds like you had a hard time transitioning. Sorry for that.

I don't believe it's a magic pill by any means. But I've known many recently home schooled kids and they seem a lot more mature than their public school peers. So I think we have a decent shot at having similar results.

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