Should parents be allowed to educate their own children?

[Ori]

If thats what they believe is right for their kids, why not?

 

[Green Gaia]

Of course they should be.

 

[Ceridwen018]

They should be and they are.

 

[Pussyfoot Mouse]

Who would be better qualified to teach our children than ourselves. And the best part about it is, we'd be eduacating ourselves as well. The system is always changing the way we learn. I had no problem helping my daughter with her school work but now that my son is going into grade five, I'm terrified of what he'll be coming home with. New math is a killer!

 

[Melody]

They should...and we are. Quite successfully, I might add.

 

[michel]

As long as the parent has the ability to do so, I see no reason. However, there would surely have to be controls in place to ensure that the parents are 'fit' to teach - can you imagine the bureaucracy involved in that ?

I helped my son in Maths - but I would have found it hard to teach him any other subject. How on Earth can teaching your own kids be policed ? - some of you have responded "We already do" - what checks are made on the progress of the child ?

 

[Valjean]

As long as the kids are free to sue their parents later for making them misfits and completely unemployable.

 

[michel]

As long as the kids are free to sue their parents later for making them misfits and completely unemployable.

yes - that is the flaw, as I see it. I know some couples who believe themselves to be very well educated........

I think the other aspect that we must include in this topic and scenario, is that of socialization - the art of mingling with strangers, making friends, dealing with enemies; sports ? - both solitary and in the way of teamwork; can a parent teach that ? - can a parent teach a child how to mix with both sexes, and feel comfortable doing so ? - I happen to know of a case where that didn't work - Mine.

 

[DreamQuickBook]

If thats what they believe is right for their kids, why not?

yes. Home Schooling is an excellent forum for schooling and should be encouraged and supported in every way possible. However, the same academic standards should apply and home schooled students should be required to take standardized tests, written and taken in english, in order to ensure children are learning the basics.

 

[Melody]

yes. Home Schooling is an excellent forum for schooling and should be encouraged and supported in every way possible. However, the same academic standards should apply and home schooled students should be required to take standardized tests, written and taken in english, in order to ensure children are learning the basics.

Standardized tests don't even ensure children in school are learning the basics. Why take such a ridiculous method and now apply it to homeschoolers?

Fortunately the same academic standards do not apply. As a general rule, home schooling parents have much higher standards than the schools.

 

[michel]

Standardized tests don't even ensure children in school are learning the basics. Why take such a ridiculous method and now apply it to homeschoolers?

Fortunately the same academic standards do not apply. As a general rule, home schooling parents have much higher standards than the schools.

I can agree with that by experience; before coming to England, my mother decided to teach me the basics of Latin, which she knew was part of the curriculum in England.

When I got to go to an English school, she had been teaching me for one whole year. I was miles ahead of any other child in Latin, in Maths, and literature. Thanks Mum.

 

[DreamQuickBook]

Standardized tests don't even ensure children in school are learning the basics. Why take such a ridiculous method and now apply it to homeschoolers?

Fortunately the same academic standards do not apply. As a general rule, home schooling parents have much higher standards than the schools.

You are 100% correct, but you've got to do something to make sure children are learning the basics of english, mathematics and science. Just as a precaution.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I was homeschooled for awhile. (Hopefully not illustrating Seyorni's theory of us being "misfits and completely unemployable," there, hehee.) I quite enjoyed it.

 

[Valjean]

Sorry Feathers, I don't mean to imply that homeschooled kids are necessarily defective. In fact, I understand that most do better at standardized tests than public schooled kids and have no socialization problems. I do see a potential for dysfunctional indoctrination, however.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Sorry Feathers, I don't mean to imply that homeschooled kids are necessarily defective. In fact, I understand that most do better at standardized tests than public schooled kids and have no socialization problems. I do see a potential for dysfunctional indoctrination, however.

Not at all. (I know you're kinder than that! ) With some of the communities we were in, there was a lot of emphasis on creating groups within the home-schooling area. The kids would get together for field trips and crafting sessions. I wouldn't say that there wasn't extremely dysfunctional indoctrination on some of the kid's parts, sadly. Most of the same kids lost any skill for socializing and functioning in a 'normal' environment. You're quite right; there is a lot of potential.

 

[Melody]

You are 100% correct, but you've got to do something to make sure children are learning the basics of english, mathematics and science. Just as a precaution.

Agreed. In Michigan, children can just disappear into the homeschooling system because there's no followup. I have a very real problem with that. There needs to be some accountability for the sake of the children.

My sister-in-law has lived in a number of states and homeschools all 6 of her children. In most of the states she was at least required to keep portfolios of her children's work so that at the end of the year, someone (usually a certified teacher) could take a look at the work and get a birds eye view of the progress the child made through the year. I think this is an excellent way of ensuring progress...and wish they'd do it in the public schools since it is far more indicative of what the child is capable of, and how they've progressed, than standardized tests.

 

[Melody]

As long as the kids are free to sue their parents later for making them misfits and completely unemployable.

Seyorni,
How so? While doing research for colleges for my two older sons, I found information that suggested that home schooled applicants had a higher than average chance of being accepted in some of the best universities in the country and this was mainly due to the fact that they were academically way beyond the majority of high school grads.

Why would they be unemployable? Instead of being raised in a public school system known for accepting mediocre levels of performance, a homeschool child is raised with very high standards. First because they're given such individualized treatment and second, because the parents are well aware of their capabilities and make the child work to them. Home schooled children are taught to do every task to their absolute best...not just what you can get away with. They learn to take pride in doing their work...not for a good grade, but because that's what responsible people do.

Misfits? D'you mean socially? Let's take a look at that. If your 6 year old is in a group of other 6 year olds all day, who are they learning their socialization skills from? Yep...other 6 year olds. Now, my 6 year old spent most of his day with me. We homeschooled together, cooked together, did laundry together, grocery shopped together and much much more. He also spent time with his two brothers who were 14 and 13. They can take all the credit (and blame) for teaching him how to play DDR, video games and draw pictures of monsters. Oh yea...and Euchre and Penuchle.

When my children returned to the public school system, all of their teachers agreed that my children were considered the "peacemakers" in the classrooms. When a disagreement arose, they put themselves in the middle and tried to bring the two sides together...and apparently achieved that well enough that they were quite popular with both their peers and adults. Misfits? Not at all.

I've met many many other homeschoolers and my children are not remarkable in this respect. Apparently, it's a side bonus of raising your children without the undue influence of other children (who were not raised properly).

 

[anders]

In Sweden, "homeschooling" doesn't exist. Fortunately. Where would you find parents capable of teaching maths, English, art as well as music? If they don't make it, the kid wouldn't pass anything needed for entrance to anything higher than playschool.

There are a few cases, though, when kids have for example medical problems like severe allergies that make normal classroom attendance impossible. In those cases, of course, the teachers manageing the home schooling will be the same professional, educated and approved teachers that teach in the public schools of the community in question, and ultimately controlled by the Swedish Board of Education to see that national curriculae are being adhered to. (I'm not sure that "public" is the way to describe where everybody is supposed to go.)

If I were to have surgery, my parents wouldn't perform it. I don't trust them to design the car I'm driving. The mere thought of having them instead of professionals educating me is insane. My father could have taught me a lot of maths and trig, possibly physics, and mother might have given me a fancy start in several languages, but chemistry, biology, arts, music, etc. would have been a catastrophy.

Leave professional work to proven professionals!

 

[Melody]

In Sweden, "homeschooling" doesn't exist. Fortunately. Where would you find parents capable of teaching maths, English, art as well as music? If they don't make it, the kid wouldn't pass anything needed for entrance to anything higher than playschool.

Homeschooling Maintains Academic Success

Homeschool Students Win National Merit Scholarships and Score Higher on College Entrance Exams


Homeschooling works! This statement concisely sums up homeschooling. The average homeschooler receives many benefits: from one-on-one tutoring to more efficient study time to closer family bonds. The most statistically established of these benefits is academic excellence. Here is a brief summary of some homeschooler achievements at the high school level.


Homeschoolers Earn National Merit Scholarships


Homeschoolers are making their presence known in the National Merit® Scholarship Program. The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the PSAT/NMSQT® and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements. Approximately 1.3 million initial entrants are screened per year.


Each year, about 16,000 students nationwide qualify as semifinalists. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced that 250 of 2004's semifinalists are homeschool students.


The National Merit Scholarship has also seen a dramatic increase of homeschoolers who place as finalists. Of the 248 homeschoolers among the 2003 semifinalists, 129 of these students advanced to finalist standing, receiving the National Merit Scholarship. As noted by Kate Grossman, a reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times, the number of homeschoolers receiving National Merit Scholarships has increased more than 500 percent: from 21 in 1995 to 129 in 2003.


Homeschoolers Score Higher on ACT and SAT College Entrance Exams


Homeschoolers continue to exhibit academic excellence on national averages for college admissions tests when compared to public school students.


The ACT college admission exam scores show homeschoolers consistently performing above the national average. In both 2002 and 2003, the national homeschool average was 22.5, while the national average was 20.8.


The College Board, which administers the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) also notes the above-average performance of homeschoolers. In 2002, homeschoolers averaged 1092, 72 points higher than the national average of 1020. In 2001, homeschoolers scored 1100 on the SAT, compared to the national average of 1019. (2003 homeschool statistics not yet available.)


Patick Henry College Freshman Show High Ranking


Patrick Henry College of Virginia serves as an example of the quality of homeschool students. Ninety-six percent of PHC's students have been homeschooled at some point in their education and the 2002 middle range of freshman SAT scores was 1200-1410 (includes 25th to 75th percentile). Compared with U.S. News and World Report's annual college rankings report (in which PHC was not included), PHC ranks second among Christian colleges in SAT scores in 2002.
The evidence that homeschoolers are academically excellent is nothing new, but further confirms that homeschooling works and is an enduring trend in education.

 

[Neo-Logic]

Should parents be allowed to educate their own children?

Don't they already do that ...