Jan 12 2009
What do children need?
I think the most frequent comment I get is “they need friends” or “they need to learn from their peers.” Since when do our children NEED to learn how to use foul language, disrespect elders and peers, learn about “sex education” at 7 years old from peers or teachers; those are things that our children can do without.
Our children will learn that there is plenty of disrespect in this world without learning it at such young ages and our children do need to learn about reproduction, STDs, drug use, etc., but those are things that should be taught at an age of understanding, not starting in 2nd grade. Our children will rarely be exposed to those things at such a young age if educated at home.
Homeschooled children have plenty of opportunity for true socialization with all age levels, not just same-age peers as in the public and private school systems. There are homeschool groups that have park days and field trips. Some groups have co-ops where the parents each teach a different class to the children. There are sports groups, 4H, Boy/Girl Scouts, AYSO, Little League and many other activities you can involve your child in where there will be peers of the same age, as well as others.
Homeschooled children are not perfect, you’ll still run into issues with other families, children or adults, having a different standard of rules/morals and that’s okay. One of the benefits is that you can make the choice of whom your family associates with and they will also learn to respect those differences, more so than they would in a setting with minimal adult supervision.
Most homeschooled children are capable of maintaining a conversation with an adult as well as other children about most topics…if they have the necessary knowledge…of course they couldn’t discuss the book War and Peace yet, but they will, in time.
I attended public school my entire educational career, except 1 semester in 2nd grade. I had to attend a private school because that was the days of bussing the good kids into the poorer districts and vice versa, in the late ’70s. My mom didn’t want me in a downtown public school in a bad neighborhood or on a school bus for more than 1 hr each direction.
Between 8th & 9th grade we moved from CO to CA and I had to repeat 2 classes that I took in 7th-8th grades and they were the same exact books too (Algebra 1 & Biology)!
My husband attended private schools until high school and he too felt he got an inferior education due to the public school system.
My oldest son did attend the public school for early intervention from age 3 to 4.5yrs and they had already given up on him. Telling me he was not ever going to get out of special ed and that he would probably never speak. Well my son is now 16 and yes he still has difficulties, but most people don’t even know he’s autistic unless I tell them.
So, my public school experiences have not been the best but I do not base my opinions on just personal experience. Have you seen the state of our educational system? Why does it take $14K+ per student/year to teach the same thing I can for $300 per year. I currently have 3 students, all my own sons ages 16, 14 & 10. They are all twice-gifted and have been homeschooled by myself and my husband since 1997.
I’ve also been advocating, writing, speaking & consulting about homeschooling and special needs homeschooling since 1999. I’ve continued to watch the system fail children from my own siblings/relatives to many children that are typically developing, those that fall through the cracks and those that have severe disabilities. I’ve run into some great teachers & great administrators, some in my own family, but as a whole the governmental educational system has failed for many years.
Just my point of view.