I need to write this because sometimes I read arguments about homeschooling on Facebook and they make me mad.
I was homeschooled for kindergarden (ratio 1:1) I then went to a private christian school (1:4-7) grades 1through 4. I went to public school after that and graduated from a public government high school (1:20-27 ish). I sometimes consider myself a bit of an education maverick because I've covered everything. And I've also done university and college.
Let me preface this whole post with I am talking about Christians that homeschool so kids in the church.
Some arguments I've heard about why homeschooling is better are:
1. The student doesn't get a very good teacher to student ratio. I never in my public school education felt like I was a number. There was only one instance where I felt the teacher had no time for me and that was my grade 11 physics class and this wasn't a huge class it was just the teacher was insane and would never help me, and couldn't teach properly. So this argument is now out the window.
2. The public government schools brainwash kids and create them into politically correct zombies. See this is the one that gets me. This argument requires the parents of said child to have not taught the child a single thing and send them off into the realm of public schooling with no prior education. I know that since the time I was an infant my parents have read the Bible to me, and discussed things with me, and worked on the catechism with me, family worship was always a staple after supper on weekdays, we went to church every sunday, I went to children's club. Maybe not everyone does this maybe the people who homeschool don't do this with their children maybe my parents are just awesome, I don't know. I know that I filtered everything through my biblical world view. Do people not instil this in their children? Is this why homeschooling is better because then your children don't have to filter, they don't have to think what is right and wrong? (I'm sorry I get angry on this subject because I don't see the other side.)
3. Homescooled children make friends across a wider age range than children in public school thus making them more socialized. While this is true I was in a room full of 24 other people born in 1993 I also went to church. But even when I was young most of my friends were basically around my age because I was in a Sunday school class with that age group. My early teen years one of my best friends was 3 year older than me, because I went to public school and church. Church opens you up to different age groups the crew I roll out with are people ages 12- 19
4. Homeschooled children have a better sense of family. I know that if my family hung out 24 hours of the day all day every day we would go crazy. But my family hangs out a lot, a lot more than other families. We eat supper together all the time, we talk we laugh a lot, we watch TV together, we shop together, we go adventuring together, we hang out together with other families at a certain pond and drive in a big red van to camp where we hang out as a family. We just don't school together. Both sides of my family are fairly close though and family was always an important part of my life.
5. Homeschooled children are taught better in a broader range of subjects, sure this might be true. I can't spell, I'm awful at grammar but so are tons of other people. This comes down to the teacher for me, you can have a really terrible teacher teach a good course and make it suck or you can have a really amazing teacher teach a terrible course and make it rock. I loved my public school education, I liked it a lot so I can't really argue this. There is one thing though, my public government school education taught me a thing, compassion. I used to be full of a lot of hate, a bunch of hate. My global history course changed this and I did a lot of searching to wade through a lot of crap that was holding me back.
6. Homeschooling is more organic and the kids are not cooped up in a room all day. True. Do you know what? Sitting in a class room in late May is the absolute worst thing in the entire world, absolute worst. But you know what else? The real world is like that, you cannot shirk all your responsibility to go run the sun everyday. Sometimes you need to stand in a straight line and be quiet, this is a life skill.
Maybe what I'm saying is that Public schooling+ a solid healthy church is the balance needed? I don't know all I can say is I'm normal, I have friends, I believe in God, I was educated etc. You could also say that I am the most homeschooler like public schooled kid to ever exist, but I think this stems from y solid diet of turn of the century literature and TV drama as a kid. Conclusion: I am in no stretch of the imagination saying that I am perfect.
Hey girl, you've really been giving me food for thought with all of this. :)
ReplyDeleteAre we homeschoolers guilty of making non-homeschooling Christians feel inferior in some way, as though because they don't homeschool, they're somehow doing less as a parent to "bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord"? If we are, your blog post proves us wrong. If anything, it sounds as though your parents have had to work harder to equip you to go out into the "real world" earlier.
And now a thought from the other side...I think homeschoolers (myself included) believe so strongly in homeschooling and have such definite opinions about its benefits because they've had to defend their choice to homeschool all along. They've been meeting people every week who say (whether in a negative or positive way) "Are you qualified to teach X?" "What about socialization?" Because these things touch on our own fears sometimes, we've had to develop really strong answers to these questions.
Most of your "benefits of homeschooling" had to do with socialization. I think there are positives and negatives on both sides. You captured the positives well, and they really are positives. The negatives (as I experienced them) are that I had a lack of confidence in my education because I'd never been compared/graded next to another student my own age. I was very shy around people my own age, preferring much older and much younger people. I looked weird...yeah...fashion wasn't a big thing in my home. Some of us have caught up now, some of us have not. Bottom line, when you are homeschooled, you are socialized to be like your parents. Any quirks they have get passed down, and things that don't look weird in adults can look mighty strange in children. Is this a bad thing? Depends how you look at it. You have to weigh it against the great advantages of homeschooling, too. When the kids grow up, things tend to even out, so the effect doesn't last forever in most cases.
Thanks for making me think today!
Your parents are just awesome! ;)
ReplyDeleteGood food for thought Rebekah.
Thank you Unknown...behind every great kid is a aprent thinking they are messing it all up!! Bekah's mom
ReplyDeletePs. My father in law saves me the paper,and highlights things like this letter to Dear Abby: Isolation Leads Homeschool Teen to Cut Herself.
ReplyDeleteHe's worried about socialization too. I must confess, I laughed an inordinate amount when I saw what he had highlighted. I've given up trying to explain. He will just have to wait and see.