I didn't really mean to start a debate on homeschooling with my preceding post, but I'm getting comments and emails about it, so I thought I'd try to tackle it again.
First, I do not believe all public schools are bad. Actually, the one my nephew is in is one of the better ones in our city. But for most kids who are very bright, a regular classroom is just not enough intellectual stimulation. How can it be with 25 kids? That doesn't mean they won't get a good education; it just means they'll be bored a lot.
And I agree with Jules' comment below that some homeschoolers are below grade level, just as some public schools are below standards. That's definitely true. Not all homeschooled kids do great (though studies do show that on the whole homeschooled kids do better than schooled kids). I do believe, though, that homeschooling, if it's done well, will produce a better educated child. Please note--"if it's done well". I know it's not always done well! But learning one on one will always take less time and will be more in tune with the child's learning styles and capabilities than a classroom with 25kids will be.
We just love homeschooling because it works great for our family. It won't work wonderfully for every family, and not every family can do it. I certainly don't think every family should! And my post below was not meant to say that. I was just announcing something that was going on in my family--we are now homeschooling my nephew, under his parents' supervision--and I'm having fun with it.
I think with every form of education there are pros and cons. The cons to homeschooling would be the lack of sports (though our group makes up for that), the lack of friends, the lack of opportunity to learn teamwork. These, though, don't outweigh what we believe are the benefits for our kids. Different families will have a different list of pros and cons and will have to weigh them accordingly.
So I have no problem if people decide differently from us.
What I do have a problem with is people emailing me or saying that I shouldn't complain about the public school system, because their children are doing fine. That's great for your children. But it doesn't change the fact that my nephew was bored and demoralized, or that my daughter was unchallenged and bored when she was in school, too.
Come to think of it, I was extremely bored all through my public school experience. So was my husband. If we had had the opportunity to learn like my daughters have, life would have been very different.
So every parent has to do what they think works best for their family. Pray about it and make the decision for your own family. We're all entitled to our opinions, and God often leads different people in different directions for different reasons. That's fine with me. I hope it's fine with all of you, too!
Anyway, enough of all this! I don't want to make this into a homeschooling blog. I'd much rather talk about housework or marriage or parenting. So we'll see what I come up with next!
Well said, Sheila, well said! I am the mom of 3 public school kids who actually happens to agree with you. I have a 20 month old and am expecting in 5 weeks. We plan to homeschool both of those youngeer children. My older ones were already in middle school when I began to consider homeschooling so I followed my husband's lead and we decided to leave them be. But I'll tell you, now that we are paying closer attention (we thought we were before, but not like now), I advise parents to at least consider homeschool- particularly if your kids are in public school. I enjoy your blog and like you, don't want to turn it into a homeschool blog (there are enough of those already). I just thought I'd add my two cents. Now I'm done!
I totally agree! I homeschool my five girls-the youngest two really don't do anything beaing 2 and 1. My older two went to PS for a little bit and then we started HSing. I agree that it isn't for every family and it is usually a decision made after much thought, then lots of prep work. Of course, there are so many things that I can teach my children that they would never pick up at a public school or be able to master in the amount of time left after 8 hours at PS and an hour- or more- of homework. Enjoying your blog! Susan
About Me: I'm a Christian author of a bunch of books, and a frequent speaker to women's groups and marriage conferences. Best of all, I love homeschooling my daughters, Rebecca and Katie. And I love to knit. Preferably simultaneously.
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Well said, Sheila, well said! I am the mom of 3 public school kids who actually happens to agree with you. I have a 20 month old and am expecting in 5 weeks. We plan to homeschool both of those youngeer children. My older ones were already in middle school when I began to consider homeschooling so I followed my husband's lead and we decided to leave them be. But I'll tell you, now that we are paying closer attention (we thought we were before, but not like now), I advise parents to at least consider homeschool- particularly if your kids are in public school. I enjoy your blog and like you, don't want to turn it into a homeschool blog (there are enough of those already). I just thought I'd add my two cents. Now I'm done!