Homeschooling hits record numbers • Hacker News Board

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#191

Post by Redster » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:51 PM UTC

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #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…

The positives you experienced are very possible for a homeschooled student as well, and this seems to be a common boogieman. Other factors seem to play a much larger factor in the things you are (rightfully!) concerned about. As long as the parents have "the will to have nice things" (to refer to Patrick McKenzie's concept), then these are very surmountable problems.

Respectfully, A grateful dad who was homeschooled and who will homeschool.

P.S. Of course I will do some things differently than my parents, but it was an amazing gift and I had an extremely vibrant and stimulating time, including with peers (and adults!) outside of my parents' network who pushed me, challenged me, thought very differently than me, etc.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#192

Post by yanslookup » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:51 PM UTC

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…

Assuming you are Mormon, is home schooling sort of another form of virtue signaling Mormon families employ or is it more of a way to ensure your families don't get excluded? Like, did you really have a choice in the matter once you realized you either go full Mormon or leave the church entirely?

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#193

Post by swannodette » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:51 PM UTC

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #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…

If you can afford it! "Grass-roots segregation hits records numbers" would be an equally fitting title.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#194

Post by toasterlovin » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:52 PM UTC

stockresearcher wrote: post #33

ec2y wrote: post #28

Lemme just question how home schooling is at all possible without one parent (statically more likely to be a woman) staying home to supervise the learning. I don’t think we’re talking about remote ranch situations where you either do online school or have to send them to boarding school. So I’m genuinely wondering if there’s a corresponding exit from the workplace or other demographic trends allowing/pushing this boo…

We’ve homeschooled all our kids up to 8th grade. Our oldest is now a sophomore at the public high school but will start attending community college next year, paid for by the school district. Most of the adults you see at the various group things are stay-at-home moms. Most. Some stay-at-home dads. Some of the moms have part-time jobs. I don’t recall any dads with part-time jobs. But many dads are present while also…

> My wife is fairly unusual in that she runs her own full-time business. Many moms don’t like her, presumably because they gave up their careers to do this and are jealous that she does both.

FWIW, my experience is that the dynamic at play in these situations is that women who run their own businesses or otherwise have high-powered careers tend to have a constellation of personality traits that is significantly shifted vs. those of stay at home moms, plus their daily lives are very different, so they don't really fit in. Saying that without value judgement, just an observation.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#195

Post by dkhenry » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:52 PM UTC

kulahan wrote: post #181

dkhenry wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Sounds like a wonderful setup. Have the kids ever shown a desire for public school? My brother is homeschooling his kids to start, but the oldest just asked to start going to public, so he sent her.

No, my wife and I discussed putting them into traditional school as they got older, but now that they are older, they have all strongly requested to remain in their homeschool co-op. I think the biggest reason is they have a good group of friends that they connect with, and have been their class mates for multiple years. So there is a strong desire to continue in the program with people they know.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#196

Post by negzero7 » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:53 PM UTC

breakyerself wrote: post #43

[flagged]

You might actually be referring to yourself. Homeschoolers are better educated, more likely to get into college, and have better socialization skills than their publicly educated peers.

https://nheri.org/research-facts-on-homeschooling/#:~:text=r...

https://chewv.org/college-preparation/college-admissions/?ut...

https://nheri.org/research-facts-on-homeschooling/?utm_sourc...

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#197

Post by Izikiel43 » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:53 PM UTC

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.

In WA the state spends around 20k$ per student, people still say it's underfunded.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#198

Post by noboostforyou » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:53 PM UTC

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #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…

As the parent of a small child, there is a very noticeable difference in social skills that develop immediately as a result of my child being in a daycare interacting with other children of a similar age. Compared to my friends' same age children who are mostly staying at home and babysat by a grandparent.

(as a disclaimer, the daycare has very good teachers/caregivers from what I can tell so I'm sure that's part of it as well)

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#199

Post by Redster » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:53 PM UTC

jayd16 wrote: post #167

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…

Covid showed me that on the average home schooling (or at least remote learning) leaves kids extremely under developed. The stunted social and academic skills were pretty apparent in retrospect once the schools reopened.

What happened to students who were in schools that closed was terrible. But it wasn't anything close to homeschooling.

Re: Homeschooling hits record numbers

#200

Post by oceanplexian » Fri, Nov 21, 2025, 7:53 PM UTC

Esophagus4 wrote: post #9

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…

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.

Who’s to say that they wouldn’t be more socialized, not less?

It used to be folk wisdom that beating your kids built character, teachers would even slap kids with a ruler back in the 1950s. Could you say the same about bullies, cliques, popularity contests, and all the other performative nonsense that goes on in public schools?

Maybe it’s all bullshit and giving kids a safe environment to learn at their own pace without all these distractions makes them better equipped for the modern world?