homeschoolers who choose not to homeschool their children

[iona]

My bil and sil (married) were both homeschooled and because of their experiences do not want to hs their kids. He wished he could have gone to school in middle school and doesn't have any positive memories of being home schooled. She remembers having a strained relationship with her mom (a lot of butting heads, she was the oldest) and that when her dad came home the mom would disappear to her room to "get away" and sil ended up going to a private/christian school for high school. I know hsing isn't for most people, so their decision is fine. It just makes me think of my kids and what kind of environment I'm creating at home. What do you guys think about this? I wonder how common it is? How many kids who go through ps don't want their kids to go through what they did? This just got me thinking.

[Mesa]

Nope I'm the opposite. I went to PS and homeschool my children. I grew up with a family of homeschoolers.. 4 girls. They have all had children and chose to send them to PS. One of the moms told me she wished she could homeschool her own kids but didnt have the patience to do so herself. I'm not really sure what she meant by that?

[Jean in Newcastle]

My niece was homeschooled and is adamantly against ever homeschooling her children. Her memories are of loneliness and isolation. But - she grew up way in the boonies as the daughter of hippies. It really wasn't homeschooling as such but the whole lifestyle that contributed to her loneliness.

[SonshineLearner]

I have friends who were homeschooled. I know that one of them has her mom hs her daughter. The other friend has her kids in private... and seems to have had a job their whole life.

[sassenach]

Most adult hsers that I know say they won't hs. Of course, except one, none of them have children yet. The one that does have kids got a really lousy education and feels very ill-equipped. Even though there have been times that she has considered it, she feels too uneducated to take on the task. It's sad. I actually think she's extremely smart, but lacks confidence.

 

My dd has been really positive about hsing since going back to ps. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that we weren't afraid to make changes when it was time to make them.

[kalanamak]

I wonder how common it is? How many kids who go through ps don't want their kids to go through what they did?

 

Hubby's eldest said once she was "really happy to get away from Mom" for high school (went to a private religious boarding school). I only met her a few times, but even when the girl was 17 she was being micromanaged. It was not nice to see. Once she visited, at 19 as I recall, and mom called repeatedly, even though the girl would be home the next day. Finally the daughter refused to come up to the phone and asked me to take a message. It was, "She has a broken lamp here. Is she going to pay to have it fixed, or should I put it out with the trash?" Couldn't wait a day. I could see how it would be painful to be stuck in a trailer next to a feedlot with that kind hs mother.

[iona]

my bil and sil were not in extreme situations of isolation, neglect...they both went to college.

[Plucky]

Four of my cousins were homeschooled. Their parents were very strict and I thought too controlling. In the last 2 years, two of them started homeschooling. The other two haven't but they are the boys, and really it would probably be up to their wives wanting to hs, too.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Homeschooling is a huge commitment - even if you are doing it a year at a time. It takes a certain amount of virtue to be a good teacher and I think that applies to being a good homeschooling parent as well.

 

I have not done an A+ performance the entire 9 years I've been homeschooling my kids. But I think our overall experience has been more good than bad. There was a time though when dd9 told me that she did not want to homeschool her kids and in fact wasn't sure she even wanted kids. Now I wouldn't have paid any attention to her words (she was 7 at the time) but her reasons made me sit up and pay attention anyway. Her reason was because I was stressed and "mean" all the time. That wouldn't be acceptable if I taught outside the home and I think it was even less acceptable in my home. I've worked hard to change and while I'm still not perfect (!), I think I am now getting a passing grade as a homeschooling mom & teacher.

[waterdreamer]

My best friend was homeschool for a few years and says it is the ONLY way she plans on teaching her children.

[5Wizards]

I have a SIL and BIL who were homeschooled and are now homeschooling their children.

 

I have a number of relatives who were homeschooled and are now young adults but don't have kids yet. Most of them loved being homeschooled (and what I saw of them growing up inspired me to consider homeschooling my kids).

[Twilight Woods]

I went to private school and public school. We will be HS one of are daughters the other will be in public school unless it's not a good fit.

 

Not every parent is made to HS. I think it takes a unique person to teach. I may suck at it and Drew may not respond to it and I may have to look into other alternative but Im at least going to give it a try because as of right now public school is not working.

 

The hardest part of making schooling decisions or life decisions is remembering that what is good for them may or may not be what would be best for me.

[MrsBasil]

You know, I had a strained relationship with my mom and butted heads. We're fine now, but teen girl years can be tough. I think there's a lot of things I'm doing differently as a parent, but it's not all a reaction to how I was raised or choices my parents made. It's more about my family, what we want, and what we think will work.

 

I'm pretty happy with the person I am and my parents did so many things "right". My brother and I have a private joke about hitting the parental lottery. Still...we've both chosen paths that are different from theirs and each others in many ways.

 

I don't know that homeschooled people who choose not to homeschool is a negative for homeschooling. To me, it just looks like people who have different wants, needs, priorities, or desires for their own family.

[snickelfritz]

I know two people who were homeschooled.

 

One of them is adamant about her kids going to school. And she homebirthed, has a Masters degree, but stays home with the kids. So, I think she's an interesting study in unpredictability.

 

The other friend says she would homeschool, but her dh is against it.

 

Of the two, the first lived a more....extreme, sheltered life while growing up. Much of which, she has changed. Like wearing shorts now, when never allowed to growing up.

Edited April 19, 2011 by snickelfritz

[ElaineJ]

I was homeschooled and I am now home educating my own kids. My brother who had the same upbriniging, however, is adamant that his kids must attend a traditional classroom school. I think how our generation feels about homeschooling is influenced by how ok we are with being different. When we were kids, our situation was considered very strange because our parents were the pioneer generation. We were always having to explain ourselves to others. My brother has a longing to be "normal"; I really didn't care as much if I wasn't in the mainstream. this will probably be different for our kids, though, as so many families are homeschooling now.

 

ElaineJ

[SunD]

I only know one adult who was homeschooled, and he doesn't have children yet. He was actually unschooled, and he has said that while he might choose to homeschool, it would not be with an unschooling approach.

 

His much older brother says he will never homeschool, but I don't think he has any conception of homeschooling outside of the unschooling he witnessed.

[Tracy]

when her dad came home the mom would disappear to her room to "get away"

 

Oh my, I do this! Maybe I need to rethink.

 

I have 2 friends that was homeschooled. One was only for high school, and she plans to homeschool. She has very good memories about homeschooling, though she questions the methods that her mother used. The other friend had the chance to do homeschool, public school and private schools intermittantly, and she is committed to homeschooling.

[MamaT]

My oldest, who was homeschooled, told me just last week that they plan to homeschool when they have kids. I did not do everything perfect with this kid by any means, but he has told me many times that he appreciates the sacrifices I made to give him a great education.

[DawnM]

Well, my kids CANNOT complain in any way that they wanted to go to school but I kept them home and in isolation.

 

I ask them every year if they would like to go to a brick and mortar school. THEY are the ones begging to be homeschooled!

 

I am also an extrovert and would much prefer to go to the next social event than to sit down with a schoolbook. I have to force myself to get the schoolwork completed with the kids.

 

So, if they complain, it will be on them, not because of me! ;)

 

Now, I went to boarding school as a child (of missionaries overseas) and while most of my personal experience was good and my best friends in the world are from those days, I would not send my kids without a lightning bolt from God saying to do so. There were too many classmates whose experience was NOT positive.

 

Dawn

[Sweetpeach]

Well, my kids CANNOT complain in any way that they wanted to go to school but I kept them home and in isolation.

 

I ask them every year if they would like to go to a brick and mortar school. THEY are the ones begging to be homeschooled!

 

I am also an extrovert and would much prefer to go to the next social event than to sit down with a schoolbook. I have to force myself to get the schoolwork completed with the kids.

 

So, if they complain, it will be on them, not because of me! ;)

 

Dawn

 

Well, seems I do have a kindred spirit on the WTM board after all. We get school done b/c I know we have to, not always because I want to or they want to. I've tried to find curriculums that we're all engaged in and we have lots of time to explore our own interests. This is why I couldn't wrap my head around so many of the WTM recs . . . they wrecked me. We've found a way to "do school" together without any of us losing our minds and curriculum that keeps us hopping along the trail towards higher education!

 

Homeschooling Extroverts -- what a dichotomy.

Warmly, Tricia

[A.J. at J.A.]

that when her dad came home the mom would disappear to her room to "get away"

 

Oh my, I do this! Maybe I need to rethink.

 

 

Me too! :confused:

[Eleni]

A friend of mine was HSd and she wishes that she hadn't been. She says her mom did not prepare her well enough academically for college She also has a lot of resentment about having to watch her younger siblings and take on adult responsibility too early, not having adequate social opportunities and she says overall it was not a good experience for her.

[DawnM]

:thumbup:

 

I wish you lived closer!

 

Dawn

 

 

Well, seems I do have a kindred spirit on the WTM board after all. We get school done b/c I know we have to, not always because I want to or they want to. I've tried to find curriculums that we're all engaged in and we have lots of time to explore our own interests. This is why I couldn't wrap my head around so many of the WTM recs . . . they wrecked me. We've found a way to "do school" together without any of us losing our minds and curriculum that keeps us hopping along the trail towards higher education!

 

Homeschooling Extroverts -- what a dichotomy.

Warmly, Tricia

[BlsdMama]

My dd has already planned the materials she'll use to homeschool her children. :D I'm hoping that's a positive sign.

 

There are always going to be those who are dissatisfied with their experience, legitimately or not. It doesn't impact me in that I know I'm doing that which I am supposed to be doing right now.

But I think these stories serve as a "heads up" of a sort that we should be wary as teachers of our children, to take joy in them & recognize the qualities that make them unique and respond to those. Plus, THEY (the children) should be aware of WHY we have chosen to homeschool vs. send them to school. Whether or not they agree, perhaps later they will understand then why we made the choice.

[DawnM]

Really, we can't be too concerned about what our kids think and how they will react to our decisions when they grow up.

 

I have a friend who is now 48, he still whines about how his mother worked when he was growing up so he didn't have a mom with warm cookies waiting when he got home (he doesn't quite word it that way, but that is how it comes across.)

 

I have other friends who whine about this or that, which they feel their parents did "wrong" but I find rather minor.

 

If you love your children, let them know you love them, and explain to them why you feel your decisions are the right ones because of your love for them, I just don't think they are going to turn out to be bitter, angry adults who complain about these minor details.

 

Do I need to get away from my kids? HECK YES! I am in fact going on a beach weekend with my girlfriends next week. My children know that this is the highlight of my year and have never once asked me not to go and made a comment that they would be upset for the 4 days I will be gone. I NEED to go! I do not feel one ounce of guilt for that.

 

And as for retreating for a few hours per day....some moms need that.....and since MOST moms send their kids out of the house for 8-10 hours PER DAY, I just don't see what the big deal is to get an hour or two to yourself.

 

Dawn

[TheAutumnOak]

My bil and sil (married) were both homeschooled and because of their experiences do not want to hs their kids. He wished he could have gone to school in middle school and doesn't have any positive memories of being home schooled. She remembers having a strained relationship with her mom (a lot of butting heads, she was the oldest) and that when her dad came home the mom would disappear to her room to "get away" and sil ended up going to a private/christian school for high school. I know hsing isn't for most people, so their decision is fine. It just makes me think of my kids and what kind of environment I'm creating at home. What do you guys think about this? I wonder how common it is? How many kids who go through ps don't want their kids to go through what they did? This just got me thinking.

 

Just reading this post made me think about my boys :001_unsure: ...I don't know any adults IRL that were homeschooled...We are the first people we know to do it...

 

They will make their own choices, but I would hate for them to have such a negative experience that they rule out homeschooling...

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

One of the moms told me she wished she could homeschool her own kids but didnt have the patience to do so herself. I'm not really sure what she meant by that?

 

I know exactly what she meant and I'm in awe of mothers who don't.

 

Homeschooling is probably the most sanctifying experience of my life - I hate the lack of virtue it has brought out of me and love the virtue it is working into me (only due to a willingness to submit to the refining fire).

[Stacy in NJ]

If they were less than happpy with their educational environment, whether that's homeschool, public school, or private school, they may blame parents or school. But, would the alternative really have been better? Maybe, maybe not. They may have just exchanged one not completely satisfying environment for another less than perfect alternative.

 

As parents all we can do is evaluate, be honest with ourselves, and make the best decisions we can can.

 

 

 

Really, we can't be too concerned about what our kids think and how they will react to our decisions when they grow up.

 

I have a friend who is now 48, he still whines about how his mother worked when he was growing up so he didn't have a mom with warm cookies waiting when he got home (he doesn't quite word it that way, but that is how it comes across.)

 

I have other friends who whine about this or that, which they feel their parents did "wrong" but I find rather minor.

 

If you love your children, let them know you love them, and explain to them why you feel your decisions are the right ones because of your love for them, I just don't think they are going to turn out to be bitter, angry adults who complain about these minor details.

 

Do I need to get away from my kids? HECK YES! I am in fact going on a beach weekend with my girlfriends next week. My children know that this is the highlight of my year and have never once asked me not to go and made a comment that they would be upset for the 4 days I will be gone. I NEED to go! I do not feel one ounce of guilt for that.

 

And as for retreating for a few hours per day....some moms need that.....and since MOST moms send their kids out of the house for 8-10 hours PER DAY, I just don't see what the big deal is to get an hour or two to yourself.

 

Dawn

[goldberry]

There was a time though when dd9 told me that she did not want to homeschool her kids and in fact wasn't sure she even wanted kids. Now I wouldn't have paid any attention to her words (she was 7 at the time) but her reasons made me sit up and pay attention anyway. Her reason was because I was stressed and "mean" all the time. That wouldn't be acceptable if I taught outside the home and I think it was even less acceptable in my home. I've worked hard to change and while I'm still not perfect (!), I think I am now getting a passing grade as a homeschooling mom & teacher.

 

Yea to you, Jean!

 

This issue is why I think that kids need to be listened to when they "hate hs and want to go to PS". I know some parents disagree and say it's your parenting decision and the kid doesn't have a say. And, I'm not talking about the bad day here and there, or the "I don't want to HS because I hate you right now".

 

I'm also not saying that it means necessarily you should send your kid to PS. But you SHOULD listen to them and try to address any real concerns. When my DD said last fall she wanted to go back to PS, we talked about why. She was missing friends and socializing. At considerable inconvenience to myself (we are rural) I added in some more extras where she could get more socializing. Now, she is "so glad she homeschools" once again.

 

If your kid consistently hates homeschooling, I mean over a year or even more, YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THEM. Yes, you may think HSing is best for them, you may be the parent, but they are people too, and if they hate it for that long, something is wrong.

 

I hope my DD will decide what is best for her family as an adult, which may be HS or PS. However, if she was adamantly anti-HS, yes, I would feel that I was responsible for that and should have done things differently.

[Gooblink]

I know exactly what she meant and I'm in awe of mothers who don't.

 

Homeschooling is probably the most sanctifying experience of my life - I hate the lack of virtue it has brought out of me and love the virtue it is working into me (only due to a willingness to submit to the refining fire).

 

That is a quotable quote. :)

 

Very true in my case, as well.

[dhudson]

I was home schooled for the last years of high school and I love home schooling. It was a very different experience then, though. Not many choices in curricula, very few outside activities and no one else my age were being home schooled. I was able to do my school work in 2-3 very long days and spend the rest of the time working as a State Senator's aide, travel with my singing group and work.

[Lovedtodeath]

Interesting. My cousin says that she was too social and loved going to school when her mom stopped homeschooling.

 

I was homeschooled in high school, starting halfway through 10th grade. My mom was/is very controlling and gave me no freedom, ever. I blamed all my problems on her. I was severely depressed and anorexic. After my parents took me out of school I got much better even though I was with Mom even more... so I guess I was wrong. I was very involved with the ministry and I got a part time job when I turned 16. I didn't need help with my school work... I was already well above my parents at that point. Just adding the details to say that it may have to do with the timing of my homeschooling. Being in school was torture. It was such a waste of time.

[myfatherslily]

Homeschooling is probably the most sanctifying experience of my life - I hate the lack of virtue it has brought out of me and love the virtue it is working into me (only due to a willingness to submit to the refining fire).

:iagree:

 

 

I was homeschooled and have always wanted to homeschool my own children. I can think of at least 7 others off the top of my head who were homeschooled and do (or desire to do) the same with their children. This is a good thread though and I appreciate the discussion!

[SweetMissMagnolia]

like you said-to each his own....but I went to PS and I have a SN child (asperger's-adhd) and from what I saw of spec ed back then and I know that's where my child would end up if he were in the PS system here....no way would I send him to PS-----I guess you would want to talk to the child/childeren as they get older and see if there are things that they feel need to be changed---hard to explain what I mean here---ummm see if they have any bad feelings about how you are teaching them-see how they feel about things when they are old enough to know what they want.....make any sense? :confused:

[Gratia271]

People have different reactions to educational environments. I know people who hated public school and private school. I can imagine highly social students desiring to be in a brick and mortar school. This past year one of my friends enrolled her daughter in school for this reason. For other social students, such as my daughter, she has other social outlets. She would rather be challenged at her level at home.

 

I don't think there is one-size-fits-all approach, and all parents can do is make the best possible choice for each child. The older my children become, the more I realize that in order to reach all of my children I must provide different environments within my home environment.

 

There are many parents who are confident they will absolutely not raise their children in the imperfect way they were raised. That's their right. They can make a different set of mistakes. :lol::lol:

[Cinder]

My niece was homeschooled and is adamantly against ever homeschooling her children. Her memories are of loneliness and isolation.

 

A number of years ago the support group I was in (we lived in a different state then) had a panel discussion with about 8 homeschooled teens. One of the questions was: based on their experience would they be likely to homeschool their own children? Most said they were more likely to homeschool. One girl, who had only been homeschooled for her middle school years was very uncertain. I knew her a little from church and I think hers was mostly a confidence issue. But one girl was adamantly against homeschooling.

 

At the time, in that location, there weren't many opportunities for homeschooled teens as far as sports or co-ops went, and she expressed dissatisfaction with being isolated. Interestingly, she told us her parents had been working to establish a classical school and that is the kind of school she wished she could have attended.

[CalicoKat]

my ex-sil was homeschooled and she is sending her kids to PS and has no plans to ever homeschool.

 

According to her, her mother would buy the curriculum and that's it. She was expected to figure it out and teach herself. And she was expected to teach her younger brother. Neither went to college. They've both jumped around to a lot of different jobs but nothing ever sticks for long--including being a parent. She's moved onto a different life and is leaving her kids to bil.

[oasis]

I attended private school from K-6th, and was homeschooled from 7th-12th.

 

My dh attended public school, and also private school.

 

We homeschool our children (dd7 and ds5), and if we had the money, we would send them to private school. Public school is out of the question, because of our current district (they only rate 2 out of 10 stars!)

 

I love homeschooling, but I also work full-time, so it's a crunched schedule. It would be easier to send them to private school, and we're definitely keeping that open as an option if there's ever enough in the budget.

 

If something would ever work out where I could be a sahm, I would definitely choose homeschooling. Dh is adament the kids never attend ps (because of his experience), and he has no argument from me! :001_smile:

[Crimson Wife]

I should find out from my mom if any of the girls from the one HS family we knew growing up HS or plan to. The oldest is my age (34), however, so it would not be surprising if there aren't any school-aged grandkids yet. She graduated from Harvard, so I don't think she has too many academic complaints.

[BMW]

I went to PS and homeschooled mine for 15 years... I LOVED homeschooling. We had lots of adventures. Lots of successes. Some failures that break my heart when I think on them. I absolutely loved being home with my kids.

 

My oldest two were in AP classes in PS High School and even though they had outstanding success with their education, they think that they would rather use PS (they haven't had bad experiences, so don't realize the failures that can take place). The next few kids have had great experiences both HS and PS. They like the social life and I could see them making the choice to PS...

 

I hope that in years to come, they will see more benefits and want to homeschool and all... but, time will tell... I am certain of one thing... they will each make their own choices!

[Denisemomof4]

Yea to you, Jean!

 

This issue is why I think that kids need to be listened to when they "hate hs and want to go to PS". I know some parents disagree and say it's your parenting decision and the kid doesn't have a say. And, I'm not talking about the bad day here and there, or the "I don't want to HS because I hate you right now".

 

I'm also not saying that it means necessarily you should send your kid to PS. But you SHOULD listen to them and try to address any real concerns. When my DD said last fall she wanted to go back to PS, we talked about why. She was missing friends and socializing. At considerable inconvenience to myself (we are rural) I added in some more extras where she could get more socializing. Now, she is "so glad she homeschools" once again.

 

If your kid consistently hates homeschooling, I mean over a year or even more, YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THEM. Yes, you may think HSing is best for them, you may be the parent, but they are people too, and if they hate it for that long, something is wrong.

 

I hope my DD will decide what is best for her family as an adult, which may be HS or PS. However, if she was adamantly anti-HS, yes, I would feel that I was responsible for that and should have done things differently.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:A very dear friend of mine, whom is also one of the most awesome mom's I've ever seen, has two girls who thoroughly resented homeschooling. They begged for YEARS to go to school. The oldest will graduate this year, the younger in two years. They have been in ps for four years now and STILL are bitter over being homeschooled.

 

I have also seen kids who had to take on adult responsibilities at a very young age. This is GOOD, but only if it's properly balanced with time to just be a kid and time for other outlets.

 

If you have a kid who truly desires outside activities and friends, that is a NEED they are voicing.

 

When I decided to put my oldest into school in the 9th grade, he was upset. He told me he was happy being at home. I had problems keeping him socially connected because everyone kept moving out of state on us! He had ONE friend when I enrolled him in school, and he had been involved in several activities over the years. I just felt it was wrong to see this teenager isolated. There weren't many homeschool groups around at the time and again, all his friends kept moving away! He was upset and didn't want to go to school. I felt he needed to be around people more. I was also suffering MAJOR burnout.

 

While ps did not prove to be a positive experience for him AT ALL, and it has changed my younger son in a major NEGATIVE way, they both now feel that they were far too isolated when they were homeschooled. We regularly went out and did fun things together, but they really needed more time with peers. I tried SO hard for them! And I'm so thankful there are many more opportunities for my girls.

 

I know many people don't think this is important. I do. I think kids of ALL ages benefit from having friends but once the tween years hit, I think it's SO important for our kids to have regular time with friends. I have found a perfect balance that won't drive me crazy and that keeps my kids connected. They have a social day once per week, homeschool group once per week, and other activities and unplanned social activities sprinkled through out. They are socially connected and doing well and I'm not running around every single day. I try to keep Tues/Thurs open, but we do have social days on those days twice per month. They CAN'T say they're lonely or isolated! I also try to do FUN things with them regularly like nature walks, hiking, kayaking (soon!), beach days, museums, etc. I try to make most of our away fun days just for us, not including friends, so we can just focus on each other. When we do have away days with friends, the kids hang out with each other and the parents do. I really prefer to experience away days, for the most part, focusing on each other.

[Denisemomof4]

my ex-sil was homeschooled and she is sending her kids to PS and has no plans to ever homeschool.

 

According to her, her mother would buy the curriculum and that's it. She was expected to figure it out and teach herself. And she was expected to teach her younger brother. Neither went to college. They've both jumped around to a lot of different jobs but nothing ever sticks for long--including being a parent. She's moved onto a different life and is leaving her kids to bil.

 

wow! That's really awful!

 

Last week dd and I bought our curriculum together. We're really excited about this upcoming year!

 

If the parent isn't going to properly educate their child, they are doing a terrible disservice. I have seen this, even from former public school teachers. Sitting their kids in front of the tv and calling it school. Having an 11 year old kid who can't write his name because the parent didn't think he needed to learn it yet. :001_huh:

 

I've also seen kids who really don't know how to act around people. It's almost like they're afraid of them. It's not a shyness issue (I had a VERY shy child myself!) it's an exposure issue.

[Impish]

My kids are the first ones I know irl to be hs'd, other than Wolf's cousin's dd.

 

I know the dd loved being hs'd. She's an incredible young lady.

 

That being said, I'm doing the best I can for *my* kids. I trust that my children will do the same for theirs. Being hs'd themselves doesn't (imo) obligate them to hs their kids anymore than my having been in ps obligates me to do the same.

[mom2scouts]

I don't think every child will be happy no matter what choices we make. I have a 21 year old son who went to PS from K to 12th and is now doing well in a very good college. He regularly gives me a hard time about how I sent him to PS and made him waste so much time when I should have homeschooled him. I think he's quite envious of his little siblings. Some homeschooled children will wish they had been to public school and some public schooled children will wish they had been homeschooled.

[Outdoorsy Type]

My husband was home schooled for a few years, and strongly desires that our children be home educated until high school at least.

 

My brother was home schooled for the last two years of high school and is a PS teacher. I believe he is anti-home schooling even though he does not bring it up with me. He's a great help to me (gives me books and offers advice when I ask) He never says anything negative.

 

Most of the people I know were happy with their homeschooling experience. I know a few that are bitter, but it has more to do with not getting a great education because of the materials that were used.

[May]

I homeschooled my dd for 6 years. By nature, she is an introvert so homeschooling seemed to be a perfect fit. Much to my surprise, when we moved across county, she asked to attend a traditional school. Before she started in the fall, while on a walk, she told me she would never homeschool her kids and would make sure they start school at age 5 (she started at age 6). At first I was quite sad about what she had said. It was never on my radar to homeschool but I did what needed to be done at the time. I hope when and if the time comes, homeschooling would be an option.

[Mimm]

I was homeschooled and am homeschooling. I had a less than ideal homeschooling experience growing up and I actively avoid doing those same things (basically boring curriculum, no tailoring to my learning style and isolation from peers). Just because homeschooling wasn't great for me doesn't mean homeschooling can't be great. It wasn't any inherent flaw in homeschooling that made it bad for me. Like anything else, homeschooling doesn't look the same in every family. Each family is going to have a different experience with it.

 

I think there are probably more kids traumatized by public schools than home schools. :)

Edited April 19, 2011 by Mimm

[Susan in KY]

Homeschooling is probably the most sanctifying experience of my life - I hate the lack of virtue it has brought out of me and love the virtue it is working into me (only due to a willingness to submit to the refining fire).

 

Well put!

[stripe]

What do you guys think about this? I wonder how common it is? How many kids who go through ps don't want their kids to go through what they did? This just got me thinking.

Well, for all the ballyhoo about Beatrix Potter, she was apparently pretty miserable at home.

 

It doesn't surprise me that there are adults with unhappy memories of being homeschooled, and children who are currently homeschooled who are unhappy. It's a bit unlikely that everyone who was homeschooled enjoyed it.

[melissel]

I know exactly what she meant and I'm in awe of mothers who don't.

 

Homeschooling is probably the most sanctifying experience of my life - I hate the lack of virtue it has brought out of me and love the virtue it is working into me (only due to a willingness to submit to the refining fire).

 

:iagree: :iagree::iagree: