Yet they still do just fine in testing. Hmmm.

Any college educated person should be able to teach their kids up through HS level history- especially with the help of a curriculum, and co-ops.

This is coming from someone with a history degree.

Yup. The curriculum’s teacher guide is where it’s at. My parents went on a cruise for a few weeks, so I took a few weeks off work to give them a break and take care of my school aged homeschooled siblings (2nd and 1st grade at the time). I’d sit down on Friday, read the lesson plans for everything for the next week, write out on my daytimer what needed to be done, and then execute it the next week. This was before I went back to college, I was just a HS grad and an A&P mechanic. The curriculum in question is used by major private schools too.

Sisters may have tried to slack off with me at the helm but after a couple of days taking all day, production went back down to half a day like usual, big bro don’t play

My kids weren't allowed to talk in the cafeteria during lunch and recess was 15 minutes long.  When do you think the social interaction happened during school?

Now, my kids go to a homeschool PE 2x week and a friday school co-op.

My kids get MORE social interaction, aren't indoctrinated into the government way of thinking, and aren't assholes because they get their social cues from adults.

Only in public schools are people segregated by age.  Everywhere else, they are not.  Learning in front of older kids prepares my younger kids for further learning by exposure.

You can't generalize the quality of homeschooling. It requires involved parents, that alone means the kids would get a decent education no matter where they went. Most homeschooling fans compare the kid who has a parent massively invested in their education to your average student with disinterested parents then draw the incorrect conclusion that homeschooling is some miracle solution. Send a kid to a top tier private school and have the parents just as involved and concerned with their education, and I'd put my money on the private school any day. Hell, I'd put even odds if it was a decent public school. The socializing is another issue entirely, and I think it too is hard to generalize. Homeschooling usually means odd ball parents in the first place, so it makes sense they would raise some strange kids no matter where they go. Then they never think their kid is strange or awkward no matter how the rest of society views them. Sure, some kids are totally normal, but in other cases, the parent is going on and on about how well adjusted they are while the kids are all hanging out together but their little snowflake is hanging out with the adults...AKA their parents.

Well, I think for the hyper-sensitive Arfcom crowd that will skewer someone over a typo or semantics you need to clarify that there is little to no difference for the most part when it comes to standardizes test scores. But I think there may be significant differences elsewhere.

There is no question, at least in my mind, that a downside to many public schools is the less than favorable student to teacher ratios. Those ratios can be much better in private schools, and very favorable for home schooling.

Public schools are also required by law to integrate special needs children into the classrooms, whereas private schools tend to have far fewer of them and home schooling means you may have none (unless your kid is the special needs kid). This means a typical public school classroom will encounter more behavioral disruptions throughout the day than a private school classroom will.

Those are just two examples of other differences why a parent might favor home schooling or sending their children to a private school.

Agreed.

Homeschooling can be great or horrible.  Bad curriculum or teacher can kill it.  Anyone seriously considering it should be VERY thoughtful about the impact on their child if they fuck it up.  Parent support groups can be very useful.

That said, it worked out fine for us.  One got a technical PhD, another is in a Master's program for Fine Art, and one is married with kids being a homemaker.  All were athletic (HS varsity for one, another was a national-class athlete) and sociable, and they're all doing well. Avid readers and conversationalists on a wide range of topics. All are in the area, we get together for Sunday dinners as a big family, from my parents to grandkids, and we do things regularly with them.

I wonder how many home schooled kids have college grads as parents......I'm honestly wondering that, just out of curiosity.

YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!

Lol. So what I am gathering from you is that at 22 you have had enough of a sample size in your piddley little town that you can make a determination about all homeschoolers everywhere. Oh yeah you take "engineering" too, bow down we got another Einstein over here.

Data I see says about 70% range from some college/tech school to doctorate degree. Doesn't say if that's one parent or both.

On balance, having lived and worked in geographically diverse areas, I think homeschooling is a good thing.

I do get the point TacticalGarand44 is making though, and I have come across (edit) a small number of people (generally very rural ag producers) who ‘educate’ their kids to “illiterate illegal alien farm worker” grade level because “that’s all they need to know”. In the case of their children, they would be better off in a government school, because while I know plenty of illiterate folks who graduated government school they’d have the opportunity to choose a more rigourous education if they wanted to (like the plenty of literate people I know who graduated government school). I loathe people who abuse liberty, but the alternative is far worse.

That's a good question.  It's all over the map.

Saying "Home-schooled" is kinda like saying "automobile." Are we talking sports car, sedan, truck, SUV, etc.  Or it's like saying "Shooting sports."  Trap/Skeet shooters are a very different breed from the benchrest riflemen, both of them are very different from the IDPA shooters, etc.

In my experience limited to homeschoolers in my county, the vast majority (90%+) are moms with college degrees as the primary instructor.  Some primary instructors are dads with college degrees.  Some I am sure have no college degree.  Most homeschool because the government schools in FL in general and this county in particular totally suck ass, and (1) they cannot afford to put 3-4 kids in private school, or (2) they think they can teach just as well as the private schools.  That's generally true for the elementary-aged kids.  I was very actively involved in the homeschool community, and the number of parents/families who I saw who were total hippies or were religious nuts hiding from the world was tiny.  The parents were mostly middle-class college-educated normal moms.

Wealth of info about homeschooling in the U.S. in this 2012 report (click on the first link under Online Availability). From the report:
Also interesting was this:

On tests, sure. Put them in a situation that involves any sort of outside the box thinking or has any social element to it and they fail miserably.

It’s funny, so many people decry the public school systems and then prop up government funded studies based on standardized tests as to why homeschooling is so great.

You can’t have it both ways.

Who the hell wants their kid to be normal as defined by society? The same society that has over a dozen genders, can't watch movie without the hero being all SJW'ish, etc...

I was homeschooled from 4th grade up and wisest decision my folks ever made.

Interesting.....I wasn't trying to make any point with that data, I was just curious.

Thanks

Just because your kid is "normal" in todays society doens't mean they are going to be some SJW, or multi-gender nut job.

Home schooled, public schooled....I think everyone can agree that with good parents, come good kids.  You realize that the reason we have some many weird ass SJW, snowflake, LDBDGIEFEF????, and milti-gender kids out there now is not because of the schools....it's because of the parents (or lack thereof). Right?

Not to be nitpicky but wouldn't the "all students" in that chart include the home schooled students? Which would be a different comparison if instead it was "all other students" (i.e. it excluded the home schooled kids). Granted, the homeschooled kids might be such a small percent that it wouldn't statistically change the data in the "all students" category. Anyway, seems to me if the interest was to compare the homeschooled kids' parents' educational level to non-homeschooled kids' parents you would filter out the homeschooled kids from the comparison group.

You are welcome to misinterpret what I wrote in whatever way you like. But I never made any statements about homeschoolers everywhere. And yeah I take "engineering". I never asked anyone to bow down to me, and I never claimed to be Einstein.

You mean like a decorated cobra pilot in combat?

Hey, the tests are the best hard metrics we have. I'm not propping up anything, but it's the only solid numbers we have. Do you have something better?

What is that opinion based on?  I don't think it's correct outside specific situations.

Not that its conclusive but every home schooled person I ever met was awkward. Some at an almost autistic level. Now whether or not home schooling caused that weirdness or that weirdness caused the home schooling I cant say.

This is an interesting question as well, I'm not sure what the numbers are exactly but I would wager quite a few parents choose to home school their kids with disabilities.

I used to think that way then I had a special needs child and also watched my older sister totally succumb to mental illness. Now I recognize that parents can do everything we deem "right" - provide a loving and nurturing home, teach their kids about values, morals, work ethic, show interest in the kids interest, help them with school, etc. - but there is one thing the parents have little to no control over, their kids' genetics. And it is amazing how powerful those genetics are and the chaos they can cause when they aren't "normal."

I'm not excusing the individual from being responsible for his/her behavior, but simply pointing out that every time there is a bad apple the parents aren't always the cause. Some apples just end up rotten no matter what the farmer does.

And there are no socially awkward public school educated kids, am I hearing you right?

Yes us citiots are going to be the death of the world...

I have met a lot of homeschoolers. Some dumber than a box of rocks , some literal brain surgeons. The success of the student is determined almost primarily by the will and discipline of the student. Just like in a regular school. The wierd ones were going to be wierd no matter what setting you placed them in, just like a large majority of engineers are...Well engineers. Doctors are known to have quirks as well. Wierd people are going to be wierd, it's just instilled in them

All 4 claims you made about me were wrong.

I'd make a long reply but there are too many 'tards in here who obviously should not even have kids let alone school them.

FWIW we home schooled all of ours.

Son#1  Working in the IT field.  Went out and got all of his certs he needed. 26 married, 2 kids and working on an accelerated bachelors/masters in computer engineering.

Son#2  Graduates in spring with double major, Mechanical and bio medical engineering from Michigan Tech U.  He's GPA is just under 3.5.  He also got a 50% academic scholarship.

Daughter #1  Just got a letter from the local university...a real one not a diploma mill.  Full academic scholarship offer.

Daughter #2 is 11 so no stats on her yet.  However she started taking french at 10 years of age.

Interesting post.
1. Registering my guns with the govt = bad.

2. Govt regulating the education of kids = good.

17% of the kids in my County are home schooled. I have met very few socially inept home schooled kids. I have met a lot of socially challenged public schooled kids. I haven't encountered, or even heard of home school bullies. I have heard of kids being home schooled because of public school bullies.

Ask me if I care...

I made a statement not directed to you. You picked it up and slung the first mud, fell back on your limited personal experience involving small town(at minimum small classes), and your education experience as an engineer in training... From the way you act I would classify you with the wierd homeschoolers I know.

You’re acting like I want people to ‘bow down’ and that I think I’m ‘Einstein’ because I’m an ME major. That’s the definition of an ad hominem. You can’t claim the moral high ground when you act like an ass.

Haha I'm not the one who brought it up as experience. You did that yourself. Also learn the definition of hyperbole instead of taking everything so personally. "Bow down we have another Einstein over here" is hyperbole, everyone knows your not an Einstien and that they shouldn't literally bow down. What it is doing is saying look here, your experience  and limited exposure doesn't mean as much as you think it does.

Oh man.  Can you cite patterns of anything you've asserted about homeschooled kids? Can you prove a general trend of weirdness?

Yes...that is exactly what I said. There are absolutely NO weird kids in public schools. None..zero...nada

Are any of them socially awkward? Serious question. I work with several guys who are amazing at what they do (engineering).....but they are 110% awkward when it comes to a normal social life. They don't communicate well, they don't have good social skills, they can't carry on a conversation at all......and all are home schooled.

I agree that home schooled kids are generally smarter......but I'm also saying that ALL that I have met have been socially awkward....some more than others, but all had issues that you could pick out just after trying to talk to them for a minute or two. I know that doesn't apply to all home schooled kids....but it does apply to all of the ones I have met.

I'm not saying that doesn't make them a good person, or a hard worker......

I'm guessing it depends on the parent and the kid.

You may want to look into outcomes.  I know homeschooled kids score higher on standardized tests than public schoolers. That doesn't indicate to me that the parents are failing to teach well.

I am not disagreeing with you on anything but I just wonder how many people you interact with were homeschooled and you don't know it because they are normal. Plus kids these days are socially awkward in general so I would say studying your peers is probably a better example.

Op. all options in your poll can be checked.

NOT every parent or kid is cut out for homeschooling. it takes a special kind of person, who is sort of a rare bread these days, to pull it off successfully.  Their needs to be a LOT of structure and discipline in your family before even considering doing this. You cannot be the kind of parent that gives in on standards and rules set in advance. Lots of follow through and prep is required.  I cringe when most people I hear say "I want to home school". When I know they can't even control their own lives, let alone an educational atmosphere for their children.

The better option is for your local community to setup a "home" schooling system where you have a small class of children where multople parents participate. This way you get socialization,  diverse teaching techniques, and others to hold the kids to the grindstone. Often the classes can be done in a church or community center to get the kids out of the familiar environment where they eat,play,sleep.

What are you talking about? Cite?

Based on the quality of your argument, I'm guessing you went to a public school?

I'm sorry, but your confirmation bias is showing again. You can't say how many "normal" kids you've interacted with who were homeschooled but you didnt know.  Can you also give an awkwardness rate for public school kids you've interacted with? Private schools?

They should have taught you about bias types in public school

When you look at the brainwashing that public schools engage in, how anyone could be against home schooling is beyond me.

Yeah I thought we hated public schools around here too.  Corrupting our youth, etc., etc.

To be honest that is hard to quantify.....some people say I'm socially awkward.  I'am a Boston guy stuck in Michigan.  I tend to say what I'm thinking and that hurt the feelz.  My oldest 3 tend not to like people but the boys both joined social fraternities.  #2 has held numerous offices with them both in the house and on campus.  I do think they learn to speak their minds more than kids do in public schools.

We did work hard to keep them involved in group activities to help that issue.  2 of my boys ran track and cross at a local high school and were popular and got on well with the guys.  I think a lot depends on the parents.  If the parents are socially awkward (SA) then at least some of the kids are.  We are friends with several couples who have 10+ kids.  The kids are a mixed group.  Some are SA while others at 9 yrs of age can carry on a conversation with me or play in a group of kids they don't know easily.  We are friends with one couple, he's an engineer and she's a nurse.  The oldest boy is at Kettering U.  Twin daughters are 15, one is a licensed pilot and working IFR rating?  Both do autocross, go to public dances with public school kids etc. Many of the home schooled kids we know are involved in First Robotics .  An excellent program for kids interested in STEM.

At the end of the day, it is the parents who make or break their kids education....same as the public schools.  As far as the social experience of school that many people stress, what is that?  Drug use in junior high?  OD's in high school?  Rampant meaningless sex?  Teen pregnancy?  Johnny has 2 daddies and that is OK?  Billy is really suzie and we should be happy for he/she/it?Potential sexual abuse?...we had one teacher off himself here last year because some stuff was coming to light.  No thanks.

I feel like I know quite a few homeschooled people, so I'll chime in here and give you the run down.  Some of these are now adults, some are kids currently enrolled in "homeschool", while others are kids who are no longer homeshcooled...aw hell, just read below if you're interested.

1.) Four siblings, all now adults ranging from early- to mid-30's. All four are smart, well-adjusted adults.  Parents were intelligent and made good choices raising the kids.  All four are productive members of society.

2.) Three siblings, all now adults ranging from early- to mid-30's.  One is slightly odd, married with a couple of kids.  The other two are really weird.  One is a part-time public employee, the other is a checker at Wal-Mart who bitches because she has to talk to people in person.  Parents are both weird.

3.) Good friend of mine, early-30s.  Was homeschooled until mom had to get a job due to some family upheaval.  Entered public school in 9th or 10th grade.  He was shocked to see how much time was wasted.  He's a moderately productive member of society when he can lay off the wacky-tobacky and leave the broads alone.

4.) Friends of our family have four kids, aged from 8 to 17.  Kids are all a bit odd to some degree, with the youngest being so strange that I often refer to her as Nell (see Jodie Foster movie for reference).  Mom and dad are good people, but my suspicion is that mom pushed for homeschooling because she is not functional prior to 11:00 am at the earliest and could not reasonably get the kids to school.  These kids typically don't start school until well into October.  Oldest has a job and the weirdness is waning.

5.) Another group of four kids, aged 5 to 12.  Homeschooling here overly "freeform".  Kids are allowed by mom to learn whatever they want.  Total disaster.

6.) Nephews.  One is a little bastard who needs five across the eyes every time he opens his mouth.  Other kids recognize this and he had no friends in pre-school.  Mom figured he was "too advanced" to play with kids his own age, pulled him out of school.  The other was homeschooled, mom got tired of the two little peckerheads brawling and sent the younger one to Montessori.   There he is allowed to choose how to use his time.  So he studies stuff that interests him.  He can barely spell, doesn't like to write and therefore doesn't, and has penmanship equal to a handicapped chicken.  His older brother is such an asshole, though, that some of this could be early-onset PTSD.

7.) Friend's kid.  He's been weird since birth.  Told a story to parents in third grade that he was cornered in the bathroom by a big kid who punched him in the stomach.  No evidence was ever found and the culprit, if culprit there was, never faced judgement for his crime.  Helicopter mom (who is a public school teacher) pulled him out of school that day.  He is now 15 and acts like about an 11 year old.  Probably one of the weirdest kids I know.  Parents are a tad odd, lives in a multi-generational family setting with one of the grandparents being flat out shit nuts.

Those are the ones I can think of off-hand.  My wife teaches in public school.  I get why someone wouldn't want their kids in public school.  My state just recently came out with new health education guidelines.  Not a peep about nutrition, first-aid, personal hygiene, body systems etc.  It's all sexual orientation, gender identity, safe sex, etc.  Oh, and those are the third grade standards.

OP, if you're thinking about homeschooling your kids, ask everyone you know if you should do it and listen to what they tell you.  Some might actually even tell you the truth.

there's always good and bad in everything.

A friend of mine was going to put his kids in a local Christian school because of reasons like some have mentioned here that they assumed were going on in our local gov't (elementary)  school. He checked it out and decided to leave them in the gov't school because it was much better than he thought it was.

my wife and I considered putting our kids in the same private school at the middle school level but decided against it. long term im glad we didn't take them out.

As far as home schooling, it can be good or bad. If you're some kind of nut and want to hide your kids from the world and make them nuts thats a problem. if youre genuinely concerned about the local schools (as you have a right to be) its fine.,

there are some other school systems near me that i would either put my kids in private school or home school before i put them in those shit holes.

we did have a former youth pastor at our church that pretty much came out and told the kids if their parent's weren't home schooling them they were bad parents and not raising them correctly. he was home schooled as was his wife (and their kids). That didn't set well with a lot of folks. FWIW he essentially didn't do ANYTHING that the kids in public school would consider normal, like to go football games, school functions where we had a lot of kids enrolled, etc.

he didn't last long.

Read some John Taylor Gatto and some Carol Quigley then tell me how you feel about government schools. Especially "socialization"...

I am homeschooling three kids. The results have been outstanding. I have built for them the childhood I wish I had. And government school has not crushed their love of learning.

The older ones have more confidence and poise then many adults I know.

You don't have to do it yourself. You can hire tutors and join subject specific groups.

The following is a clip from a conference on school safety, held in Greensboro NC on 11-29-18 which I was there for.

The whole video is ten minutes, but you can skip to the 7 minute mark to hear Byron Gladden aka Farrakhan Jr. weigh in with his anti white diatribe...



You really want his loon responsible for your kids education? There were a lot of antis at this event, & they lauded this loon with applause and shouts.

He doesn't teach at my school system