My personal experience of school was that it made everyone except the popular and average kids anti-social. I didn't hang out with kids my age. Grouping kids of the same age together doesn't make sense to me, socially speaking. Since when do adults only socialize with people who are the same age as them? I always had more friends outside of school, thanks to sports and other activities, and the cottage kids. Since we lived in the middle of nowhere, getting together with the few school friends I did have was a rarity -- after school, everyone got on a bus to wherever, and in the summer, I had no contact with them at all. What I learned in school was not how to work with my peers, but rather the opposite, to be wary of them. That it was every kid for themself -- remain a geek and try to keep your head down, conform, or become one of the bullies. So the socialization argument against homeschooling has never worked for me.
There's plenty of secular homeschoolers, using secular materials. They just aren't as well-publicized, well-funded, or as (I hesitate to use this term because I've seen the craptacular study materials put out by certain factions) "well-organized," as the religious ones. Religious parents could just as easily send their kids to a religious academy, if there's one in their area, or form their own (my ex went to just such an "academy" for his last year of high school). If religious schools are allowed, then religious homeschool must be, too.
Many folks homeschool with non-religious group support -- African-American and Native homeschoolers have formed culture-specific networks. Military families have similar affiliations, as do children who are professionals in their own right (actors, musicians, circus performers, etc.).
Obviously, homeschooling by parents who haven't, themselves, studied anything, or who can't afford the resources, is hardly ideal. But I honestly don't believe that an educated parent can't help their child successfully educate themselves, barring extreme developmental/learning disabilities. If folks can afford to homeschool, then they would hopefully be able to find someone who can tutor their child in a specific area, if they can't teach it themselves. (I wouldn't dream of trying to teach my child advanced math and science!) Kids with actual talent are going to need extracurricular attention in any case -- RCM studies, conversational practice with a native language speaker, coaching, etc. There is also the option, in many areas, of having one's child attend a local school for specific courses of study, not as a full-time student, giving them access to science labs, for instance. Also, exclusive tutoring (having a governess) amounts to the same thing as homeschooling, esp. if the tutor doesn't have a teaching degree, and many don't.
The proof of the efficacy of homeschooling is in its graduates; as with any school system, it's a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you really want to know how well it works, it's probably best to read/speak to/seek out folks who've done it.
The first book I ever read on homeschooling (prior to that, I'd never heard of it before; I was 19, so it was too late for me), was this one (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446389862/103-5430019-1620642?v=glance&n=283155). It's a first-hand perspective on homeschooling from parents who homeschooled their four kids, three of whom subsequently went to Harvard. And this is prior to the internet, with little in the way of local resources to assist them. Their perspective is, every child is gifted, you just have to figure out where their gifts lie, and work with them to enhance the others.
The Teenage Liberation Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0962959170/sr=1-1/qid=1155759953/ref=sr_1_1/103-5430019-1620642?ie=UTF8&s=books) (oh, how I wish that had been around when I was 15...)
and
Real Lives (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096295912X/sr=1-3/qid=1155759953/ref=sr_1_3/103-5430019-1620642?ie=UTF8&s=books).
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Date: 2006-08-16 09:40 pm (UTC)There's plenty of secular homeschoolers, using secular materials. They just aren't as well-publicized, well-funded, or as (I hesitate to use this term because I've seen the craptacular study materials put out by certain factions) "well-organized," as the religious ones. Religious parents could just as easily send their kids to a religious academy, if there's one in their area, or form their own (my ex went to just such an "academy" for his last year of high school). If religious schools are allowed, then religious homeschool must be, too.
Many folks homeschool with non-religious group support -- African-American and Native homeschoolers have formed culture-specific networks. Military families have similar affiliations, as do children who are professionals in their own right (actors, musicians, circus performers, etc.).
Obviously, homeschooling by parents who haven't, themselves, studied anything, or who can't afford the resources, is hardly ideal. But I honestly don't believe that an educated parent can't help their child successfully educate themselves, barring extreme developmental/learning disabilities. If folks can afford to homeschool, then they would hopefully be able to find someone who can tutor their child in a specific area, if they can't teach it themselves. (I wouldn't dream of trying to teach my child advanced math and science!) Kids with actual talent are going to need extracurricular attention in any case -- RCM studies, conversational practice with a native language speaker, coaching, etc. There is also the option, in many areas, of having one's child attend a local school for specific courses of study, not as a full-time student, giving them access to science labs, for instance. Also, exclusive tutoring (having a governess) amounts to the same thing as homeschooling, esp. if the tutor doesn't have a teaching degree, and many don't.
The proof of the efficacy of homeschooling is in its graduates; as with any school system, it's a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you really want to know how well it works, it's probably best to read/speak to/seek out folks who've done it.
The first book I ever read on homeschooling (prior to that, I'd never heard of it before; I was 19, so it was too late for me), was this one (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446389862/103-5430019-1620642?v=glance&n=283155). It's a first-hand perspective on homeschooling from parents who homeschooled their four kids, three of whom subsequently went to Harvard. And this is prior to the internet, with little in the way of local resources to assist them. Their perspective is, every child is gifted, you just have to figure out where their gifts lie, and work with them to enhance the others.
I also recommend Grace Llewellyn's books:
Guerrilla Learning (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471349607/sr=1-2/qid=1155759953/ref=sr_1_2/103-5430019-1620642?ie=UTF8&s=books)
The Teenage Liberation Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0962959170/sr=1-1/qid=1155759953/ref=sr_1_1/103-5430019-1620642?ie=UTF8&s=books) (oh, how I wish that had been around when I was 15...)
and
Real Lives (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096295912X/sr=1-3/qid=1155759953/ref=sr_1_3/103-5430019-1620642?ie=UTF8&s=books).