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I plan on homeschooling my children

Poll

Is home schooling beneficial?

So, some people favour private education for their children, others want their children to be educated in the state sector. Both of these are considered the mainstream. However, I really want to home school my children, if I ever have them. My reasons are as follows:

1. You go to school to learn, not to make friends. In lessons I have seen bright students being pulled back by their peers, or being made fun of just because they are not afraid to answer questions. In a home environment, there will not be peer pressure, they will strive on their own. There is too much bullying in school, whilst it's a part of life, I believe this is the way to fully eradicate it. Shy children may feel more comfortable and ready to learn at home, but still encourage them to attend extra-curricular activities (see #2).

2. The fear of children "not being sociable" is not a valid reason for sending them to school. They can attend after school clubs, make friends with their cousins or neighbours in the local community. As I've already said, very often people are pulled down in school (of course if they allow others to).

3. I do not trust the government with school curriculum. The coalition government have excellent ideas (changes to GCSEs and A-levels), but still, I would prefer teaching them myself and not have them reliant on the public sector. Even though teachers do a good job, I want to be as self-sufficient as possible.

So, does anyone agree with home schooling?

EDIT: After some consideration, I will advise my children about the pros and cons of each, and let them come to their own decisions (I don't want to be too forceful), but my preference is still homeschooling. :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)

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Original post by Iron Lady
So, some people favour private education for their children, others want their children to be educated in the state sector. Both of these are considered the mainstream. However, I really want to home school my children, if I ever have them. My reasons are as follows:

1. You go to school to learn, not to make friends. In lessons I have seen bright students being pulled back by their peers, or being made fun of just because they are not afraid to answer questions. In a home environment, there will not be peer pressure, they will strive on their own. There is too much bullying in school, whilst it's a part of life, I believe this is the way to fully eradicate it. Shy children may feel more comfortable and ready to learn at home, but still encourage them to attend extra-curricular activities (see #2).

2. The fear of children "not being sociable" is not a valid reason for sending them to school. They can attend after school clubs, make friends with their cousins or neighbours in the local community. As I've already said, very often people are pulled down in school (of course if they allow others to).

3. I do not trust the government with school curriculum. The coalition government have excellent ideas (changes to GCSEs and A-levels), but still, I would prefer teaching them myself and not have them reliant on the public sector. Even though teachers do a good job, I want to be as self-sufficient as possible.

So, does anyone agree with home schooling?


I respect people who make these decisions. It is true that home schooled kids I met when I was a child seemed weird to me, but as we have got older I don't see a difference now.


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Reply 2
Original post by Iron Lady
So, some people favour private education for their children, others want their children to be educated in the state sector. Both of these are considered the mainstream. However, I really want to home school my children, if I ever have them. My reasons are as follows:

1. You go to school to learn, not to make friends. In lessons I have seen bright students being pulled back by their peers, or being made fun of just because they are not afraid to answer questions. In a home environment, there will not be peer pressure, they will strive on their own. There is too much bullying in school, whilst it's a part of life, I believe this is the way to fully eradicate it. Shy children may feel more comfortable and ready to learn at home, but still encourage them to attend extra-curricular activities (see #2).

2. The fear of children "not being sociable" is not a valid reason for sending them to school. They can attend after school clubs, make friends with their cousins or neighbours in the local community. As I've already said, very often people are pulled down in school (of course if they allow others to).

3. I do not trust the government with school curriculum. The coalition government have excellent ideas (changes to GCSEs and A-levels), but still, I would prefer teaching them myself and not have them reliant on the public sector. Even though teachers do a good job, I want to be as self-sufficient as possible.

So, does anyone agree with home schooling?


I had a friend who was home schooled until she did her AS. She was perfectly fine, as a friend and not at all different. She was very punctual in anything she did thought but I don't see that as a negative point. She just had a bit of a hard time with a relationship she went into right before her exams thought. I think you won't be having trouble there since you seem fine with letting your kids attend after school clubs, etc

Good luck! :smile:
i was home schooled.
Just wondering if you are home schooled do you sit public examination such as GCSEs etc :smile:


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Reply 5
School helps improve a child's social skills as well as their knowledge. I am in favour of sending kids to school.
Original post by modini
School helps improve a child's social skills as well as their knowledge. I am in favour of sending kids to school.


Actually that is a very good counter-argument :wink:


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yeah i kinda have no social skills and shy all that bull.
Reply 8
Original post by Captain Anonymous
Just wondering if you are home schooled do you sit public examination such as GCSEs etc :smile:


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yeah home-schooled children can still sit public examiniations. they just have to go to their local test centre and sit them there with the rest of the other school children.
Original post by s24a
yeah home-schooled children can still sit public examiniations. they just have to go to their local test centre and sit them there with the rest of the other school children.


Oh okay right, if they decide not to sit the public examinations. What well they have in qualifications and how would they apply for jobs as they look for some of these qualities. I'm not being rude or anything I'm just generally interested to find out about this type of sector :smile:


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Reply 10
i have to say i'm not home schooled, but i do agree with everything that OP has said. It makes sense. The only thing that i dont agree with is the idea that children will not strive to be the best because of their friends. I dont agree with this being a valid reason for not sending your child to school, because i think that kids should actually experiance the effect that peers can have on their education. Otherwise when your children get to 18+ and perhaps go to university, they will have little to no idea about how to cope with friends who perhaps are distracting them during lectures etc. As children get older they are able to develop ways of distancing themselves from distracting peers etc, because they have developed these skills over the 13/14 year education they have previously had in school, and therefore when a situation arises where they are being "kept back" from peers, they have a little more experience in knowing how to distance themselves, without being "pushed out" of their friendship group or whatever.
Also i think that home schooling isnt good because it doesnt not allow a child to experience authority that isn't from their own parents or a tutor. This is crucial because it will give children experience and knowledge about how to act around authority that perhaps are not as lenient as a parent.
Original post by Iron Lady
So, some people favour private education for their children, others want their children to be educated in the state sector. Both of these are considered the mainstream. However, I really want to home school my children, if I ever have them. My reasons are as follows:

1. You go to school to learn, not to make friends. In lessons I have seen bright students being pulled back by their peers, or being made fun of just because they are not afraid to answer questions. In a home environment, there will not be peer pressure, they will strive on their own. There is too much bullying in school, whilst it's a part of life, I believe this is the way to fully eradicate it. Shy children may feel more comfortable and ready to learn at home, but still encourage them to attend extra-curricular activities (see #2).

2. The fear of children "not being sociable" is not a valid reason for sending them to school. They can attend after school clubs, make friends with their cousins or neighbours in the local community. As I've already said, very often people are pulled down in school (of course if they allow others to).

3. I do not trust the government with school curriculum. The coalition government have excellent ideas (changes to GCSEs and A-levels), but still, I would prefer teaching them myself and not have them reliant on the public sector. Even though teachers do a good job, I want to be as self-sufficient as possible.

So, does anyone agree with home schooling?


Don't you think that yours (and your partners') knowledge and skill set would be somewhat limited compared to numerous teaching professionals? What if your kid gets stuck on a really difficult physics question for example, and you're unable to answer? I think this has the potential to limit a child's progress than any of their peers.

For every pupil you say has been held back by their peers, I could name you two who have excelled because of their peers.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 12
i have no idea haha. I just remember a kid sitting in the hall with us while we were doing our gcse's and a-levels, and later finding out that he was a home schooled kid. I would have thought that it would have to be a legal requirement for the child to sit GCSE's at least? seeing as compulsory education goes up to GCSE level? otherwise as you say, it would leave the child with no qualifications which wont get them too far.
Reply 13
Original post by Iron Lady
So, some people favour private education for their children, others want their children to be educated in the state sector. Both of these are considered the mainstream. However, I really want to home school my children, if I ever have them. My reasons are as follows:

1. You go to school to learn, not to make friends. In lessons I have seen bright students being pulled back by their peers, or being made fun of just because they are not afraid to answer questions. In a home environment, there will not be peer pressure, they will strive on their own. There is too much bullying in school, whilst it's a part of life, I believe this is the way to fully eradicate it. Shy children may feel more comfortable and ready to learn at home, but still encourage them to attend extra-curricular activities (see #2).


How will your child make friends and overcome shyness if the only role model they have is you isolating them from the majority of the population?


2. The fear of children "not being sociable" is not a valid reason for sending them to school. They can attend after school clubs, make friends with their cousins or neighbours in the local community. As I've already said, very often people are pulled down in school (of course if they allow others to).


by virtue of homeschooling them, you run the risk of making said child isolated AND you are actually theoretically painting a target on their back by making them different to the majority of their peers! Also, if your their only main role model then are they going to be confident in other settings?



3. I do not trust the government with school curriculum. The coalition government have excellent ideas (changes to GCSEs and A-levels), but still, I would prefer teaching them myself and not have them reliant on the public sector. Even though teachers do a good job, I want to be as self-sufficient as possible.

So, does anyone agree with home schooling?


Yes but you'd have to be careful you don't teach them going off a specific agenda
How would you be able to give sufficient knowledge on many different subjects? People attend schools because they have teachers who spent years becoming highly specialised in one subject only in order to give the best possible teaching. You won't be able to give the same level of support and knowledge.
Original post by Captain Anonymous
Oh okay right, if they decide not to sit the public examinations. What well they have in qualifications and how would they apply for jobs as they look for some of these qualities. I'm not being rude or anything I'm just generally interested to find out about this type of sector :smile:


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They won't have any qualifications. The public exams are the only way to prove that you have had any education.
Reply 16
Don't those who are homeschool struggle to make friends though? Early school is important in developing many skills a child needs, including the ability to make friends and enjoy their childhood.

I am all for helping them at home after school but complete home schooling naaaaa.
Reply 17
Although they may perform better academically they'd likely miss out on the human interaction needed to become fully socially sufficient.
I appreciate your opinion, but i'd feel:

1- Parents would not possess the wide range of teaching abilities which the varied teaching staff your child will encounter will have.
2- It's not simply about 'socialising', I think it's perfectly acceptable to make friends and be socially active outside school. The problem is you would have no idea how to handle people you dont like, who dont share your interests or who you just dont get on with. I think a true educational experience involves meeting and combating social challenges, not just "making friends".
3- Imagine how boring it would be.....
Reply 19
I go to a public school and I find learning off of my peers extremely helpful, in some cases, better than the teacher. It sounds like you're quite protective over your child.

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