Let me proffer my take on each of the four items you brought up. I've thought about each but the last, which is a fresh perspective for us to consider.
1) Socialization is a concern, yes. Our usual response to that is to counter that we really don't care for the kind of socialization we see in schools. Now, that said, we're also concerned about the predominance of hardcore religious stuff we see in home schooling groups. However, we're fortunate that Hamilton has a very large homeschooling population, and we've already figured out where to find the less religiously-focused homeschoolers.
2) Our solution to this problem is two-fold -- a) Use the homeschooling groups to cross-pollinate our children's education as much as possible. b) Throw lots of money at it. Hire teachers for spot subjects.
3) Both my wife and myself had special education needs, which is a big reason that we're avoiding public and private schools, because neither did a thing for us. Quite the contrary, sadly. It is entirely possible that our children will have a different set of needs. Fortunately, we have access to some pretty brilliant people in the field of educational development, to act as a second set of eyes on the job we're doing.
4) As someone who went through normal school, I had absolutely no interest in post-secondary education. I viewed it as a nuisance, at best. To paraphrase Good Will Hunting, why spend $50k on an education I got for a $1.50 in late charges at the local library?
My wife had an entirely different experience. She bought into the myth her post-secondary school told her — graduate from here, and you will get a job in your field! And then she found out that her field was dominated by nepotism and sexism, and ended up having to go back to school for something completely different.
I question whether or not children are adequately prepared for post-secondary education by their earlier years. Most people I know are disgruntled with their choice of employment, but feel shackled by their degree. And many people I know who excelled in pre-university schooling completely bombed out in university, because the structure was so wholly different from what they were taught.
Moreover, academics (in my experience) tend to fail in business, because they are bound by the very strictures that make post-secondary education work.
My theory on this is pretty simple. I will encourage my child to do something they love. If they end up being hungry for that knowledge, they'll go to university or college to find it. That's what I did, much later in life, and find myself a much happier person in university at 30 than most of my 18 year old classmates, who had the dull-eyed look of people who either a) had no idea why they were there, or b) just viewed it as another set of tests to be passed.
I should also point out that Canada, as a nation, places a far higher value on post-secondary education than just about anywhere else I've ever been. I suspect that my children, like myself, may end up leaving the country to get the experience that makes possession of a degree largely irrelevant.
As for the question of 'playing well with others', I think it hearkens back more to item 1 than you might think. A homeschooled child is not necessarily acting alone, especially if the parents seeks out a homeschooling group that supports putting children together on select projects.
Anyhow, just my rambling thoughts after spending a few hours digesting your post. I'll look forward to hearing more, and thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. It's often hard to have a decent conversation with educational professionals about homeschooling, because so many take it as a personal assault.
no subject
Let me proffer my take on each of the four items you brought up. I've thought about each but the last, which is a fresh perspective for us to consider.
1) Socialization is a concern, yes. Our usual response to that is to counter that we really don't care for the kind of socialization we see in schools. Now, that said, we're also concerned about the predominance of hardcore religious stuff we see in home schooling groups. However, we're fortunate that Hamilton has a very large homeschooling population, and we've already figured out where to find the less religiously-focused homeschoolers.
2) Our solution to this problem is two-fold -- a) Use the homeschooling groups to cross-pollinate our children's education as much as possible. b) Throw lots of money at it. Hire teachers for spot subjects.
3) Both my wife and myself had special education needs, which is a big reason that we're avoiding public and private schools, because neither did a thing for us. Quite the contrary, sadly. It is entirely possible that our children will have a different set of needs. Fortunately, we have access to some pretty brilliant people in the field of educational development, to act as a second set of eyes on the job we're doing.
4) As someone who went through normal school, I had absolutely no interest in post-secondary education. I viewed it as a nuisance, at best. To paraphrase Good Will Hunting, why spend $50k on an education I got for a $1.50 in late charges at the local library?
My wife had an entirely different experience. She bought into the myth her post-secondary school told her — graduate from here, and you will get a job in your field! And then she found out that her field was dominated by nepotism and sexism, and ended up having to go back to school for something completely different.
I question whether or not children are adequately prepared for post-secondary education by their earlier years. Most people I know are disgruntled with their choice of employment, but feel shackled by their degree. And many people I know who excelled in pre-university schooling completely bombed out in university, because the structure was so wholly different from what they were taught.
Moreover, academics (in my experience) tend to fail in business, because they are bound by the very strictures that make post-secondary education work.
My theory on this is pretty simple. I will encourage my child to do something they love. If they end up being hungry for that knowledge, they'll go to university or college to find it. That's what I did, much later in life, and find myself a much happier person in university at 30 than most of my 18 year old classmates, who had the dull-eyed look of people who either a) had no idea why they were there, or b) just viewed it as another set of tests to be passed.
I should also point out that Canada, as a nation, places a far higher value on post-secondary education than just about anywhere else I've ever been. I suspect that my children, like myself, may end up leaving the country to get the experience that makes possession of a degree largely irrelevant.
As for the question of 'playing well with others', I think it hearkens back more to item 1 than you might think. A homeschooled child is not necessarily acting alone, especially if the parents seeks out a homeschooling group that supports putting children together on select projects.
Anyhow, just my rambling thoughts after spending a few hours digesting your post. I'll look forward to hearing more, and thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. It's often hard to have a decent conversation with educational professionals about homeschooling, because so many take it as a personal assault.