Interesting article at Alternet about homeschooling.

[greatlaurel]

Have any of you had experiences with home schooled kids? I volunteer with a youth organization and my experiences with home schooled kids are making me very disturbed about the quality of education these kids are getting. I have a lot of sympathy for people who decide to home school, but my experiences are not encouraging.

http://www.alternet.org/education/barely-literate-how-christian-fundamentalist-homeschooling-hurts-kids?page=0%2C6&paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

The article tells the stories of several families who were home schooling in the Christian Fundamentalist tradition, but due to the lack of follow up children are being neglected educationally. I have seen quite a bit of that sort of neglect. Teaching is very hard work and takes a lot of discipline. Too many folks just do not have that kind of commitment day in and day out.

I have met some families whose kids seem well educated, but the kids are being educated using the curriculum from Bob Jones University, so it concerns me what sort of facts these kids are being taught. By not having the kids in public school some problems are not getting caught early. One family I have met has a number of children and the oldest child has a very distinct speech problem. I noticed it partly because one of my kids had a similar issue. My kid spent a year meeting with the speech pathologist a couple of times a week at her school and the problem was solved. I noticed that all the other kids in that family have the exact same speech problem as the oldest sibling.

[woodsprite]

1. I know there are plenty of people who are capable of homeschooling their kids

to a level of getting them into a public high school for college prep or even to the college application stage.

BUT,

When this rage started, my gut feeling was "how do these people expect to teach their kids to be smarter than they are". I want my kids to be smarter than my husband and I. We want to move our country forward. I have a college education, but I know that I couldn't possibly teach my kid stuff that he is currently getting in high school math and science. All I keep thinking is they're voluntarily blazing the slow road for the repubs in dumbing down the nation. The same way the my friend, who has a college education himself, but has 11 kids and is not encouraging them in doing anything beyond high school except to join the military because he can't afford college for all. Plus, doncha know "A college education is irrelevant and elitist."

[greatlaurel]

6. That is an excellent point.

Even in the most successful home school family I know, the kids are not doing as well as the parents educationally. The two oldest kids may graduate with Associates Degrees. Both parents have Bachelor's. The kids are well socialized and the nicest bunch of kids and are very, very bright. The two kids I referred to should both be at a four year college in engineering or some other hard science. They are super smart. It is a real waste. They live close enough to a good 4 year institution where they could live at home and commute to school.

I am afraid the mom has been brain washed by the anti intellectual church she attends. Although, I have talked to one of the grandmothers. She is nice to me, but some of the phrases she has used, has me thinking she might have some issues with race, as well. These folks have isolated themselves so much. I think they live in terror of anything and anyone different.

[elfin]

2. Not all home schoolers are fundie, but many are

Some have a very smart kid in a rural area with schools that don't want to deal with the challenge. Those parents must work extra hard to see that the child has fun, socializing activities.

I see these kids a lot in my volunteer work, and they often are very ill-at-ease with age peers.

Also, a very nasty and scary thought -- if you were a pedophile parent, what better way to avoid scrutiny by professionals who might pick up on the problem?

[greatlaurel]

4. A lot of homeschool parents are not fundies for sure.

One of the worst cases of educational neglect was from a non-fundie family. The poor kid was exactly as you described, very ill at ease with age peers with a fascination with guns. The parents bought him guns, but not an education. They finally ended up sending the kid to public school in middle school. Can you imagine what a terrible adjustment that had to be? My teacher friends tell me a lot of home schooled kids get sent to middle school when the kids get a little older and harder to control. Then, the public schools have to catch the poor kid back up to age level as quickly as possible or get dinged on the mandatory tests that the parents do not have to give.

The pedophiles must love the home schooled system. No one to check up on the kids ever. The abused kids get moved from school to school, county to county, then dropped out into home schooling, then maybe back into public school for awhile. I have seen this happen to several children. Ohio is so backward in making sure kids are safe. Child abuse and neglect of all kinds is quite rampant.

What are we doing to this next generation?

[underpants]

3. First - a 1:1 ratio should better BUT...

Or if there are let's say 4 kids in the family a 1:4 ratio is bound to be better than my daughter's 1:17 (which is outstanding in a public school) let alone 1:25 or worse. Has to be better.

BUT there are 3 main problems I see
1. No disconnect between parent and teacher. Aside from spending a lot of time together ( think couples who work together) does the kid know when you are being a parent and not the teacher?

2. How do you know how to teach? You aren't trained. You have no experience.

3. Public education (and sports) teaches you about your role (according to abilities /personalities of the group) and where the edges are. I have met a few homeschooled people as adults and they clearly missed this part of the growing process.

[greatlaurel]

5. Great points. Thanks!

[DebJ]

7. And how many parents are thoroughly familiar, at the high school level,

an up-to-date in their knowledge of: chemistry, physics, biology, advanced math, foreign languages,
history, sociology? How many can have a child properly produce a term paper with correct form
and references? I just don't see that happening except in a rare case.

[AllyCat]

8. I know many dedicated homeschoolers whose children are well-socialized

And have started higher education ahead of the pack. Interestingly, none of them are "Christian homeschoolers"