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Homeschooling hits record numbers

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Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#101

Post by binary132 »

mcphage wrote: post #16
csense wrote: 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'…

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yeah, it would be crazy if people were allowed to raise their own children with their own values. we can’t have that.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#102

Post by 5f3cfa1a »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #81
jmathai wrote: 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…

Is there an answer for athletics, music, robotics, and all the other after school teams? How does that work?

Of these, most are easily handled. I am in a midsized city and there are plenty of groups that offer music, robotics & engineering, speech & drama, etc. focused towards homeschooled students. That, plus the rise in homeschool "pods"/co-ops means socialization and activities are very available to students & parents who want them.

Sports might be the challenge. Many US states have athletic associations that handle most K-12 sports, and they require enrollment in an accredited member school. I am aware of several homeschool specific athletic associations in my area, but all are targeted towards religious homeschoolers. Not certain what secular alternatives would exist, but soccer is very popular & there are plenty of competitive academies that operate outside the school ecosystem.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#103

Post by albedoa »

sparrish wrote: post #82
Yizahi wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Poor kids :( . Hope the damage won't be lasting for them, at least they did went to proper schools previously and have some basics taught.

I'll gladly stand up my 7 homeschooled kids next to any public school kids. All tested above grade level on state mandatory testing throughout their schooling. Two graduated early (some with college credits). My adult children (4 sons, ages 19-25) have gainful employment, living on their own (2 own their own homes), and standing on their own. One is married (I got a grandkid!), all have friends, communities they're i…

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Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#104

Post by SoftTalker »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #81
jmathai wrote: 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…

Is there an answer for athletics, music, robotics, and all the other after school teams? How does that work?

Often, yes. Where I live, home-schooled kids can participate in extracurriculars offered by the public schools.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#105

Post by BJones12 »

mcphage wrote: post #13
jmathai wrote: 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…

> It says something about a system dedicated to teaching children when parents think they can do as well or better. 6% of American think they can beat a grizzly bear in a fight. That says absolutely nothing about the bear, and says a lot about how misinformed people are.

An acquaintance of mine fought (got mauled by) a grizzly bear a month ago. He went to the ICU (since released), but the bear got shot and died. It was a pyrric victory, but he did win the fight.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#106

Post by triceratops »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #97
rich_sasha wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose there are few talented, hard working people who want to teach, and they command a premium. Education is expensive and underfunded. As a parent/carer you probably are much more motivated than an underpaid teacher who wanted to do something else anyway, and you don't have to motivate yourself with money. By extension, IME, motivated and talented teachers in any school (good or bad) can do wonders. There just…

Education is expensive and underfunded. Expensive yes. Underfunded depends on where you are. San Francisco's school district has an annual operating budget that equates to $28k per student. I've heard people in San Francisco say that schools here are underfunded. When I ask them how much we spend per student per year, their guess is usually less than half of the actual amount.

$28k doesn't go as far in San Francisco because of the insane cost of housing and everything else.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#107

Post by echelon_musk »

mcphage wrote: post #37
jimmygrapes wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I expected this comment coming into the thread. I would just like to point out that there is a huge range of options between those two extremes! If is entirely possible to teach up a child to be curious AND well rounded in the basics (see also concepts of Trivarium and Quadrivium, sorry can't link the references atm).

> there is a huge range of options between those two extremes! Which two extremes would those be?

Presumably the extremes of left and right?

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#109

Post by logical_proof »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #81
jmathai wrote: 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…

Is there an answer for athletics, music, robotics, and all the other after school teams? How does that work?

My kids do Taekwondo and church youth groups. My eldest did not want to do robotics but he does run the Dungeons and Dragons group at our library. We do music as a family. My daughter does choir. My son has done drama but declined to participate this year. They have been homeschooled their entire lives. All three of them received something I did not, the ability to converse with adults from a young age. This is of course anecdotal so YMMV but I would love to see a study on the conversational skills of homeschooled students.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#110

Post by jay_kyburz »

jmathai wrote: post #11
Esophagus4 wrote: post #9

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.

Having put 2 kids (10th and 8th grade now) through a couple school options…the socialization in schools is pretty bad. Kids from home schooling families we know are as polite or substantially more polite than those in the school system.

I've always thought that learning how to deal with people who are not as polite, and even kids that are downright scary, is an important aspect of socialization. They'll have to deal with those folks when they hit the real world too.
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