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Homeschooling hits record numbers

reason.com

141–150 of 878 posts

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Kids (and teachers) generally don't deal with bullies well. It really just results in them continuing to being bullied, or reacting badly and getting blamed themselves.

> Kids (and teachers) generally don't deal with bullies well

Are there studies on whether bullying is higher in lightly supervised versus moderately supervised groups? Or mixed-age versus single-age groups?

Scouting is lightly-supervised mixed-age groups. If an older kid bullied a younger kid, that resulted in adults reading them the riot act. But if a younger kid bullied a younger kid, the two sort of wound up sorting it out until someone threw a punch or pissed off an older kid. (For being annoying.) That second dynamic was, to my memory, unique to mixed-age groups.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why it's useful to look up stats when we have them. For example, homeschooled students do better on the ACT than public school kids. https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/Info... Obviously the schooling venue itself isn't the only factor here, but if you think homeschooling a kid is worth an analogy to fighting grizzlies, might be worth a reframe.

This is some fascinating insight. Do you think that the things being compared are [homeschooling] and [fighting grizzlies]?

I would say the interesting thing is the sudden increase over the last 5 years. Presumably, the number of Americans who think they can KO a grizzly bear is a lizardman constant situation in the surveys over time. But the number of people homeschooling is recently skyrocketing.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#143
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.

I am very curious too, I’ve asked this to other friends who have mentioned the same thing and the only concrete answer I have got so far was teaching the theory of evolution and climate change.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#144
post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

You didn’t mention how many went to college

Given they are sufficiently successful to be living on their own, married, and some with their own homes, whether they went to college is probably an inappropriate yardstick of success. I mean, be real. If a 25 year old is married and owns a home, but doesn't have a BSc are they a failure? What are we doing here.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

If an average class has 20 students it's $560k per year. If an average student gets 1000 hours of schooling per year you can pay 200$/hour and you have spent only just above 1/3 of your budget. It feels like there is more to the story that "$28k doesn't go as far in San Francisco".

Very possibly. All I'm saying is you can't just compare dollar figures per student without considering where the dollars are spent.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#146

When I recently switched jobs, one of my requirements was I had to remain remote, for at least the next few years, so I could remain at home and help with my children's education. I don't think there is enough money in the world to convince me to change back to public education. Aside from the benefits everyone mentions like a much better education, having so much extra time with my children is a priceless gift that…

How do you make up for the resulting drop in interaction with other kids? I had a boss who did this with his children as well - it seemed as though his solution was to use PE credits to have his kids attend sports with other kids.

My kids are part of a co-op where they meet once a week and in this co-op they share some elements of their curriculum with everyone else, they spend one day going over the weeks assignments along with 8-10 classmates, and then during the week they are at home doing their work. As they have aged their school work now has a lot of collaborative elements, so my oldest is actually meeting with kids from his co-op almost daily to go over group projects and assignments.

Additionally they have a lot of extra curricular activities they participate in ( sports, music, church youth group), that also gives them a lot of socialization time with others.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#147
I can't say my public school experience was great, I was bullied and didn't really click with the popular kids, but being around a cross section of actual American kids in my age group (my school district mixed middle class with lower class neighborhoods) helped me shape my worldview and learn to deal with people who didn't look or talk like me. I frequently saw fights, so I learned that you just stay away and watch your mouth around specific people. I learned that the BS American value of "popularity" doesn't translate into successful futures.

I worry this move to homeschooling and micromanaging children's social lives just creates bubbles and makes children incapable of interacting with those outside of them.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#148
post #80
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Why do you assume wives just want to work and many wouldn't jump at the chance to be able to stay home with their children, and also socialize with other friends outside of some office job environment?

that’s a great fantasy but when you consider, statistically, how many marriages end in divorce - that’s a foolish plan. EVERYONE thinks their marriage is different or special.

Maybe working part time is OK, you at least have some job history. But no work history for 10+ years? Great ways to put all your eggs into 1 basket and potentially end up a poor single mom. And i say this as a husband and father.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#150

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

>(whether as victim, perpetrator, or witness)

Watch it, you almost said "rescuer" there.

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