I found this article this morning, and find myself once again asking the basic question: Why is it assumed homeschooling parents care LESS about their kids' education than the ps system does? http://weatherforddemocrat.com/local/x66806865/Homeschooling-a-growing-trend-across-nation We are isolated from other homeschoolers here (I'm trying, but having a hard time finding any families near us), so I guess my ... idea about homeschoolers is based on MY experiences, and the results in the grown kids I do know. Are there really lazy parents who pull their kids out of school and never bother to teach them anything? Or is that just the 'line' ps/gov't puts out to make it seem like no GOOD parent would choose to hs? What horribly slanted writing!
You will always find homeschoolers that are on both sides of the spectrum. I personally knew a women who claimed she homeschooled but didn't actually teach her kids anything. Her kids never attended school because she was too lazy to take them to school and she didn't want them riding the bus and even when other people told her they would help and pick her kids up and take them to school she refused. She has 4 kids, the oldest is 23 and he can't really read. none of her kids can. They don't know how to do basic math...like simple addition and subtraction. Don't even ask them to multiply...they give you a very blank stare. This lady was VERY VERY wealthy. The mom slept all day and spent all her time laying around watching tv. 2 of her kids were adopted when they were 4 and 5. They were black kids from an inner city and she robbed them of an education. Her dh didn't argue with her about the kids education because he didn't like to make her upset. A few years ago the mom ran off with a boyfriend from high school and left her dh and the kids. She hasn't seen them since. I know there are people out there that homeschool because they are lazy. It's sad that there are those out there. I can not imagine not WANTING to teach my kids something. Even though my kids are going to school this fall, I am still teaching them through them summer and I know I will be teaching them stuff during the year...even if it is just doing homework with them.
Minthia- your whole post makes me sad. That's just deplorable! I guess I'm lucky.. it isn't that I don't know 'lazy' parents, but those people have their kids in ps.
The whole situation is horrific. And to know that she kept slipping under the radar even when local homeschooling authorities were notified. It is just so sad. It's people like her that give homeschoolers a bad name. I really think she is the exception, not the rule.
Yes! There are lazy parents who pull their children out of public school to homeschool but never bother to homeschool or just don't bother to enroll their children into any type of school. I'm the product of parents who did not bother to enroll me in school (public or private) or bother to homeschool me when the intention was to homeschool. I did not learn to read or write until I was about sixteen. I had to enroll my own self into an alternative school when I was thirteen. My parents were lazy and the family around me did not care what was happening (at the time I was the oldest out of twelve children). A lot of concern around homeschooling is (social/education) the child/children not being around peers their own age. Are the parents really teaching their children. I can understand this concern because I have social problems from not having the chance to be around my peers (I was very isolated when younger) and my parents did not teach me anything. I was never homeschooled when suppose too be. So these concerns the public has I can understand because I'm the product of what the concern is. However, there are parents who are dedicated to educating their children and will go that extra mile. There are parents who will make sure their children can/are/do socialize with their peers, play dates, homeschool groups, church.........etc. I do not think homeschooling is bad (I'm homeschooling) but not all parents have their child/children best interest (I'm the product of parents who didn't) and not all parents should homeschool. I know saying something like this is hard to comprehend (for some people) but it is truth in someone's reality. Everything bad that is of concern with a homeschooled child/children has happened to me.
I know a lady with 5 children, the youngest 4 were homeschooled all the way through so far. Her youngest is 8, oldest that she HSed should have graduated 2 years ago. However, she refused to sign them up with an association, which is law here. From what she has told me she is VERY unschool minded. She also tries to keep her children young - in the sense that her 10 yr old son was still made to drink from a sippy cup. She also tells her daughters that they are to find a husband, have lots of babies and basically raise them the same way. I feel sorry for her kids, but I want to kick her husband's butt for allowing it. Her reasoning for HSing isn't so much laziness though, as just wanting to control every aspect of their lives. Her oldest son managed to break away from it after he rebelled a bit, but luckily has turned out well. DisneyPrincess, I am so happy that even though your experience was negative, you still see the positive side to HSing and have chosen to take advantage of it. I would be so interested in hearing more about your experience and the consequences of that, if you ever have the inclination.
^^^^^I doubt I will make a thread about my experiences but any questions you or anyone else may have for me I will answer. What is so interesting with my situation is that Child Protective Services was aware of what was going on and nothing was done. Like I said I'm pro-homeschooling with the right parents though.
Well if you don't mind the questions, and please don't feel like you need to answer any thing at all. But I do wonder, is there any particular part of your experience that you think was more important? What I mean is, out of all the bad, what was the worst of the bad, what had the most negative effect on you? I only know 1 person in real life that was HSed throughout, and she had a positive experience. So I guess I want to make sure, as sure as I can, that I do the best I can for my boys.
I would think that most of the parents on this forum would be concerned parents, so even if we do things differently-we are helping our children. There are some things to think about: Beliefs about education include a whole spectrum of ideas, from neglectful to rigid school at home with no thought of individuality to unschooling to eclectic schooling to delight directed ... Unschooling can seem to be neglectful and maybe if taken to the extreme it is. I don't unschool, but some of the things I read about that philosophy make sense. School at home can be too much for some people and harmful to some kids. I don't school at home, but discipline is not bad. I choose to go somewhere in between and have yet to find what works perfectly. I want to help my son work the system in an honest way. I hope to help him learn for tests, even though I think tests are way over-valued. BUT, I also hope to let him explore some stuff without asking him any questions. As far as knowing what type of education kids get because they are in a school. Well, that is a funny statement because what good is it to know your child is getting a bad education (in some places)--just so you know for sure what he is receiving? HUH?! Is is better to have a child who hates academics just be passed from one grade to the next in the system, so you know what kind of education he is getting? This makes no sense. If the ps system was very good across the board then maybe I would see the point, but we all know that is not true.
This is sort of what I was thinking as well. We aren't unschoolers, either, but I can see merit in that particular idea. So far we tend toward more school-at-home. For dd, that works GREAT. She loves sitting at the table spending 'schooly' time. Ds HATES that approach, so he's forcing me to rethink how I teach and how my kids learn. Thank you for sharing the horror stories with me. It is still inconceivable for me, but at least some of the governmental oversight stuff makes more sense.
This article was from my own hometown newspaper and somehow I missed it! I'm seriously considering writing a letter to the editor. There is a HUGE homeschool presence in this county and I really can't believe that was all they could come up with. Sounds like the school district paid to have that article written.
unfortatally I have had an aunt say she homeschooled my cousin only from getting out of going to jail. He just learned to perfect his stealing and I am sure other activities. Sometimes I feel I have to work twice as hard to prove that not all homeschoolers are like her.
We know that they're failing, have to give up recess to go to the bathroom, fail geography tests, are suffering bullying, are making out in the halls and under stairwells, are sexting during class, and so on. It makes me think of a post from another thread about the 19yo girl who said she would be happy if everyone was equally miserable. All the public school kids who get abused and neglected, and the system fails to catch THEM. But it's the homeschooled kids overall who are worse off....
If he really does care about the kids, I think he has a valid concern. The kids are leaving the classroom, and with all those neglectful parents out there, you cant help but wonder if they are ever really going to be educated. Thats kind of the attitude I got when I told relatives and friends I would be hs-ing. In school they get instruction every day...but what are u going to do if u have one sick child, are the others going to learn that day? Or what if ur sick? etc...They worry that because there is no accountability, there is no assurance. For me, I like to stick by a sentence I read in the Writing Strands book: This book is dedicated to all the parents who love their children enough to teach them at home
I am so sorry for not answering and this thread is a year old. The worst of the worst for me was not being able to read or write (I couldn't even write my name or read anything). Coming in second was not knowing how to socialize with my peers. If a child is not properly socialized when young they will have problems in adulthood (as far as socialization is concerned), I am the product of such.
I've actually seen quite a bit. From a "friend" who was HS. Her mom thought having her complete craft project after craft project was HS enough. (In Texas. ) When he mom got "tired" of dealing with her, she sent her to school and when she couldn't perform "at grade level" and the girl hated it and all the teasing, the mom had her sent to the TX State Mental Hospital. (BTW: I think the mom just gave into "peer pressure" and sent the girl to school.) Another friend unschooled her children. She didn't believe in any type of curriculum (didn't have the $$ for it) She did read to her kids but two were middle school age and couldn't read or write. (and only basic math.) My uncle and aunt (yes, real uncle and aunt) decided they didn't want their two daughters to go to middle school where "boys" would "oogle" them. They sold off everything they owned and purchased property in far west Texas. They purchased a large number of "classic" novels and considered that and handwriting curriculum enough. They taught their girls to live off the land (and thrift stores) and how to build a house out off adobe bricks. The oldest ended up wanting to go to college and had to buy her own curriculum from a waitressing job (at 15 and 16). (Math and science) To get help with Math and Science, her (collage educated) made her pay for help at the "local" collage. (Which was miles away.) My kids played football with a child who was HS and his dad was the stay-at-home parent. But dad was to busy doing drugs and "other activites" to actually teach the kid anything. Luckily mom got smart to what was going on and left the dad (who OD'ed).
I would like to point out that as deplorable it is that a parent does not really educate their children using the guise of homeschooling, many of these stories also prove that the human desire is what makes a person pursue education. As necessity is the mother of invention, I believe that desire to learn is the mother of education. Compulsory laws only required the body of the child attend the classroom, but it cannot force the child to engage the mind, that is something the child chooses to do naturally. Additionally, there is no cut off age for learning how to do anything. Whatever was missed in one's social development and education as a child can be learned later. It is simply a delay in a person's education, not an inability to learn. I am not saying it is ideal for one's life and it probably would be more difficult to be educated this way, but it is also very possible as Disney Princess herself has done.
