anyone been home schooled or having their children home schooled??

[got hp]

My sister has been a firm believer in home schooling and I guess the situation she has my niece in right now is not really home schooling since it's done at a daycare facility with a single person. It's almost like a private tutor but with someone other than the parent. She has convinced my brother to do the same with my other niece and pulled her out of public school. I am still not convinced that was the best thing to do but she has seemed to show more interest in learning and going to "school" since the change.

I would also guess that the lack of socializing or interaction with other children may be a problem later down the line? Would those who are home schooled still be able to apply for scholorships like those in public schools? Guess I'm just trying to get some feedback from those who may have personal experience so that I can be at ease over the education of my nieces. I would hate for them to miss out on opportunities they may get through public school.

Opinions?

 

[Mport_KLR]

its a great idea if you want your child to be socially retarded:kaboom:

 

[msm808]

+1

 

[FordSVTFan]

There are programs out there, that educated adults can purchase to home school their children. It can work well for younger children (kindergarten through 3rd grade) if it is done in a group setting. Such a group would include other families, so there is interaction and other "qualified" instructors.

The down side is, as you reach a certain point you need a person trained in education and that specific area of education to impart the more advanced knowledge to your children.

 

[SNCBOOM]

My aunt has her Masters in education and she home schools their 4 kids. They're all a little strange.

 

[Slo65]

its a great idea if you want your child to be socially retarded:kaboom:

+1, every kid i've ran across (at work/social events) that was home schooled are always weird.... kids need to interact and learn social skills from someone other than their overprotective parents :nonono:

 

[tistan]

My cousins were home schooled. They all graduated highschool before 16. The youngest one is 18 and she is about to graduate college. She is then going to Harvard for a law degree. Home school seems to have worked well for them.

 

[KingCobra03SVT]

I was homeschooled @ the age of 13. I graduated high school @ 15 then following that same year I started college. I graduated with 2 Associate Degrees (Vehicle Design & General Studies) @ 18. Just this year I graduated from Central Michigan University @ 20. I just got my official paper two days ago (I'll post pics later) :rockon:. I am currently working on my Masters In Vehicle Design Manufacturing Administration @ CMU.

I thought homeschooling was great but you have to very disciplined and focused on your work.

My brother and sister were homeschooled as well. Like I said it works for some but not all.

It helped me get way ahead of the game which is nice.

 

[SQ Stang]

My cousins were home schooled. They all graduated highschool before 16. The youngest one is 18 and she is about to graduate college. She is then going to Harvard for a law degree. Home school seems to have worked well for them.

Yeah I know kids just like that as well, but they had the personality of a brick

 

[KingCobra03SVT]

^ Alot of people assume and assumed since I was homeschooled that I was like shunned from the world. I still hung out with all my friends from school after they got out of class and did normal things any other highschool did. I went to homecomings and proms the only difference was I was doing my school work at home while they had to sit in a classroom.

 

[wvmystichrome]

A man and wife home schooled all 8 of their kids. he also delivered all but one at home by himself. Very strange bunch in deed. His daughters are all VERY beautiful but are very socially shy. On a one to one situation they can be very conversational but put them in a group of 3 or 4 or more and they usually get very quiet. His son is about the same way. What most are saying seems to be true. Most are very intelligent but socially ackward.

 

[KingCobra03SVT]

^ That has to do alot with the parents as well because they should be letting them do things and associate with other kids. Get them in some programs like intramural sports, dance, or the local recreational center if your town or city has one. No need to keep them locked up in the house.

 

[65x2]

I was homeschooled from the 6th grade till I graduated roughly 5 years ago.
Socialization can be a big issue; but there are "groups" that parents can enroll their kids in that take classes together or go on field trips together etc. These groups are usually age categorized; but older groups are much harder to find. Most homeschoolers are very religious; their kids lead sheltered lives. But that mainly applies to the older teenage kids. The group I was in did white water rafting, rock climbing, hikes etc... If the kids didn't want to do it... then they looked for something that they did want to do. They even put together proms and such.

The chance of you seeing a homeschooled math major is pretty slim and nil. Do you understand calculus and trig? Could you explain it to your child? Otherwise you get a relatively well rounded child that usually excel in History/English. My younger brothers are both homeschooled (12 and 10) Both of them are well beyond most other kids in their age groups in all subjects. I believe the 12yo is on a 9th grade reading/english level.

As far as scholarships, you can apply for scholarships and such, there are ways of going about them. I know a couple kids that obtained scholarships being homeschooled. You even can go through programs that give you a diploma or depending on your test scrores you can test into colleges.

As far as the "packaged" curriculum, most people will tell you to steer clear of that. One of the perks of teaching your own child is that you can choose curriculum that suits your child. Alot of the packages are very religious based and don't discuss evolution at all. So your child doesn't even have the chance to come to their own conclusions. I kid you not, some of them are very sad. Q: "Why are leaves green?" A:"Because God made them that way." Perhaps not to that extent, but this is why its better to pick and choose. Get the best of the best.

Homeschooling is not for parents that don't want to be very involved in their child's life. This isn't stick them in their room and let them do as they please.
My middle brother is very hyper and very intelligent. If he went to public school, they'd want to medicate him and his intellectual level would be held back.
My youngest brother would probably do fine in public school, very go with the flow, gets along well with everyone and if he wants to learn more about something, he goes online and does it.

All in all, most likely the child will get a better education, but IMHO they need to socialize outside of homeschooling. I remember other kids would look at me like I'd just pissed on the bible when I said a dirty joke or let loose on some cursing tirade. They were nice kids to hang around, but they didn't have "worldly" experience. One kids mom went to the extent of running to the TV and lifting up her skirt to cover Victoria's Secrets commercials.
If you have any questions, or your nieces folks do, let me know. My mother could supply more information than you could possibly imagine on homeschooling... but her and I don't see eye to eye on it. But she can be of help/information if you're interested.
Either way, best of luck to you nieces dude!

 

[Yellow98SVT]

An intelligent kid can benefit from home schooling if it's done in a well structured enviornment. As others have said tho...the greatest drawback I have seen in the many, many home school kids I have known is the social aspect of it. They usually seem to have a little more trouble intergrating with other folks there age. Alot of parents who do home schooling seem just as excited about having the kids sheltered as having them taught at home. There's alot of Christan folks around here who home school and it's mostly beacuse they don't want there Christian child intermingling in an un-Christian enviornment. Sadly, regardless of how you were schooled, youre gonna have to go out and play in the un-Christian world once you finish school. Very few of the real important life kinda lessons that help a person become a well adjusted adult can be found in a textbook. When I went off to school...the people who had the biggest probloem were the sheltered kids. Alot of 18 year old girls went buck-wild when they first discovered beer, drugs and boys and no adult supervision for the first time.

 

[427Windsorman]

My wife has cousins who have been home schooled their entire lives, and they are doing quite well. The oldest started college at 16, and has a 4.0 GPA over the last year she has been there.

These kids are not shut ins, or socially inept. They are involved in a lot more activities than any other kids I know. They are very intelligent, well educated, confident, and skilled in many more areas than most kids in public or private schools.

Of course, they are very focused, and disciplined. They have subject matter expert tutors come in for the advanced subjects, and it has worked out very well.

 

[monkeyspunk79]

This kid was home schooled.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z4hLS01uscY&feature=related

Worked out pretty well for him.

 

[jip]

tim tebow was home schooled

 

[ssssnake]

My daughter-in-law has just started homeschooling my granddaughter. It's a package program - A Beka. Religious based too. Unlike most of SVTP, I prefer creation being taught over evolution. We'll see how it works. She's just in kindergarden. The public school system wanted to hold her back in kindergarden another year, so they decided to home school. She has lots of playmates so I don't think she'll be socially retarded either.

 

[HomeboyNorm]

Here is a recent newspaper article about my Cousin who is 15 years old.

At 15, he's meeting the challenge
By MILLER, Times Staff Writer
Published January 16, 2008

Like a lot of kids his age, Andrew isn't quite sure what he wants to be when he grows up.

"I've thought about going into the Air Force," he says with a shrug. "Or an internship with the FBI."

But this story is not so much about where Andrew, 15, is going - rather where he has been and what he has already accomplished.

As far as travel, Andrew has been on his share of family vacations and a couple of missionary trips to France and El Salvador.

Most recently he enjoyed snowmobiling with his family in Yellowstone National Park. That trip was a gift from his parents, Tony and Norma, who wanted to reward their son for graduating with honors from Pasco-Hernando Community College with a dual associate's degree in networking technology and IT security.

He has since celebrated another birthday, but when he donned that cap and gown in December, Andrew was just 14.

"I wanted to graduate in 2007," said Andrew. "I wanted to graduate at 14 and I liked the number 7."

Now Andrew is working toward his bachelor's degree in communication at St. Petersburg College and contemplating another missionary trip in the fall.

For most of his life, Andrew has been homeschooled. Sure, there was that stint in preschool. But Andrew was already reading back then, Norma said. The Pasco schools didn't offer a gifted program until third grade, so Norma, who, like her husband was a nurse at Regional Medical Center, decided to cut back on her hours so she could homeschool her son.

That worked pretty well for a while. But when Andrew turned 12, he told his mom that he hadbeen coasting academically and that it was time to get on with his life.

"I think he was bored with homeschooling and wanted the interaction with teachers and other students," said his mom, who began seeking alternatives that would meet his academic needs.

They sent an application to a local private school but were told the school couldn't meet his needs because he was so advanced. Dual enrollment classes at PHCC seemed to be the best fit.

"I started off in a computer class," said Andrew. "It was kind of weird at first, but I liked being on campus."

Even when the older students took to calling him "Baby Genius" and "Jimmy Neutron."

Still, they often looked after him. His adult lab partner made sure he ate during long school days and some of the other students would wait with him until his mom came to pick him up after class. Each semester, Andrew added more classes - English composition, public speaking - till he racked up enough credits to graduate.

It wasn't always easy, though.

While Andrew excelled academically, the transition from homeschooling to formal education was at times a bit bumpy. He wasn't used to deadlines, said his mom. Like many teens his age, he had to work on organization, time management and study skills.

Then there was the stigma that went along with attending college at such a young age. People expected more of him than other kids his age and that often frustrated him.

"One of the things that made him successful was the understanding he had of his weaknesses and his willingness to seek help," said Karen, associate professor of Information Technology.

But, she added, "He has a lot on the ball and I wouldn't be surprised if some day he's my boss or a famous entrepreneur," Karen said. "He certainly has a lot of opportunities ahead of him."

St. Petersburg Times

 

[HomeboyNorm]

^ My Cousin seems to be doing real well, and I can't be any more prouder for him. I know the very young age with dual associate's degree is hard to fathom, but I think it will only help him out later into his life.