Do most hs b/c of educational reasons?

[MomKat]

If I had to pick only one reason I homeschool it would be academic but really it's the whole package deal. Academic, Social and just because we want to.

 

The only homeschool group in my area has a statement of faith (that I won't sign), so their reason could be religion but I don't know them all personally. I only know a few who do for academic reasons. 

[texasmama]

We, and a fair amount of people we know, homeschool for reasons related to kids' functioning in school.  This may be due to medical, emotional, learning or mental health issues.

 

You can put me in the "homeschool for emotional reasons" category for one kid, with the other two tagging along.  :)

 

I didn't plan this.  It just happened to me.

[blondchen]

I can't answer for most others I know, but among my close friends it runs the gamut. We don't really talk about it much, not because we'd argue, but because we all support each other regardless of our differences and it's just not on the radar. Yes, I am very fortunate!!

 

We homeschool for primarily academic reasons. Of course there are other aspects of homeschooling that we value (flexibility, freedom, family dynamics) but academics is the main one, and the one that got us started. DH and I were sold on the idea of classical education before we even had kids. His cousin, one of my closest friends, became a teacher in a classical school and she really inspired us. Back then I was all about sending my [yet-to-be-born] kids to a classical school someday, if we'd ever be able to afford it (which I knew was doubtful, but I kept hoping). I really wasn't interested in homeschooling initially, but we took a hard look at the financial reality when our oldest daughter was two, and decided that if our kids were to have a classical education, we were going to have to do it ourselves. I did know a lot of homeschoolers, many of whom were also using some degree of classical ed, so I started asking questions and doing research, and the more I found out, the more both DH and I fell in love with the whole idea of it. Now, even if we could afford a classical school, I'd probably continue to homeschool for the many benefits it has for our family.

 

[SweetMissMagnolia]

I do-that and with my son's adhd/asperger's issues, I know that my son would end up LOST and in an unadequate "special" ed dept.....

[Luckymama]

We homeschool purely for academic reasons.

 

The homeschoolers I know do so for religious, religious-academic reasons, academic-asynchronous reasons, and scheduling reasons.

[Mena]

We started homeschooling to avoid a poor special education program, and continue for academic reasons and because we love it. 

 

Around here, the majority homeschool for religious reasons, but there are quite a few who do so because it suits their lifestyle (unschoolers, frequent travelers, odd work schedules, etc). 

[alicai]

Our reasons for homeschooling are many, but none religious. The other HS families I have encountered locally also have diverse non-religious reasons; however, I belong to the only inclusive HS group in the region that I know of.

 

I also echo what others have said - that the reasons I began homeschooling are quite different, or at least much more narrow, than the reasons I would cite today.

[alicai]

As an addendum to my earlier post, I thought I would share something that I have found telling about the evolution of our homeschool motives.

 

A major reason that we began considering homeschooling was that my younger daughter has Type 1 Diabetes. At the time, she was only about 3yo but my older dd was starting Kinder. We vetted schools and chose the one with a full-time nurse … and quickly came to realize how meaningless that was. Not only are our care goals very aggressive and our technology advanced (requiring high training), but California's nurse-to-student ratio was 1:2400 at the last count. While we sat and watched our older dd's light dim to a flicker in that environment, we also knew with certainty that our health care goals for our younger dd could not be met there.

 

All of that to say that this year is our younger dd's Kinder year and we did not enroll her in school not because we felt we couldn't find a way to manage her diabetes there, but because we now believe in homeschooling that strongly.

 

There are aspects of homeschooling that I don't think any amount of research in advance can reveal. You have to live it to realize it.

[OneStepAtATime]

Never really heard of homeschooling until last year and kind of vaguely thought that homeschooling was for extremely isolated people with no good ps options, people hell-bent on getting their kid into Harvard at 14 and child actors.  My kids struggled terribly in school but managed to do great on report cards because I retaught every blessed thing they "learned" in school.  Once we got a diagnosis of gifted dyslexics last year, and the kids were reaching a point where the school was becoming a TERRIBLE fit, we were forced to look at other options.  Homeschooling came up, i did research, we started last year and at first I thought it was a colossal mistake.  Now I am eternally grateful.  Not only are we finally getting on track academically, I am closer with my kids than I have ever been.  My friends with 13 year olds in ps are struggling with attitude all over the place.  Today while my 13 year old daughter and I were walking through a restaurant, she smiled at me and linked our hands together...She gets up early every morning so she can have a moment of alone time in the back yard watching the sun rise, then comes inside to sit down with me to talk and visit before her brother gets up and we start our school day.  We haven't been this close since she was  a 4 year old.  We started homeschooling for academic reasons.  We are staying with homeschooling for our sense of family.

 

As for others in our area, some start out doing it for religious reasons, some start out because of bullying, some because they have argued with every school system they have been in, some for athletic schedules, but a lot are doing it for academic reasons or because they don't want to be dependent on another's time table.

[KathyBC]

Why would homeschooling for religious reasons = lack of life long learning?

[twoxcell]

 

The people I hang out with do it for mostly academic reasons, but the religious folks are out there too.

Well we homeschool for a variety of reasons some of which are, academics, religious, social, because I enjoy it, etc. ;) I didn't realize we had to pick one reason.

[Catwoman]

I remember reading a statistic that something like less than 5% of homeschoolers do so for academic reasons, and the rest for religious reasons. I don't know how accurate that is in general, nor do I know if whatever survey method used to collect the data allowed for more than one answer per respondent.

I think that figure is an absolute crock. :glare:

 

I don't know anyone who would ever suggest that 95% of homeschoolers do so for religious reasons. Not even close.

 

Sounds like someone with an agenda was playing fast and loose with reality there... ;)

[Mom0012]

In my area, it seems that 90% or more do it for religious reasons, though my perception may be convoluted. It could be that many of them homeschool for other reasons, but I will still say that 90% are religious. Religious in a way i've never experienced at any other time in my life.

 

Many do have very high academic standards. I have high academic standards as well, but feel very isolated because of the religion aspect. The people I know don't want to talk about curriculum or education, but not a conversation goes by without a mention of Jesus. I just keep my mouth shut and keep to myself. I've tried to fit in with this group because I have nothing against their beliefs, but they are completely intolerant of others. We just quit AHG because I couldn't take it anymore.

 

I began homeschooling because my son had lds and many food allergies. I continued through the elementary years because it was fun, I enjoyed the lifestyle, and I felt I was able to give my kids a much better education than the schools could and give them a chance to have a childhood.

 

Don't ask me why I'm doing it now. :)

[Lolly]

We started for medical reasons. (I know a surprising number of people for whom this is true.) Now, it is simply a lifestyle choice. And, my personality clashes with ps.

[Mandylubug]

We started homeschooling due to exhaustion. My exhaustion. We had a great experience with a great PS in AZ. We moved back home to GA and it all exploded. We had a bad experience prior to AZ in GA but ds would not have remembered that. We came home with knowledge of how our children fluorished in a good school and watched them wilt. I advocated till I realized only I could meet their needs in our area. Call it educational or social. Not sure. We are a religious family but religion was not the deciding factor just a plus to the argument to move forward with homeschooling. I've not looked back yet!

[Carrie12345]

I really don't know what most people's motivations are around here. Mine are primarily academic and began because my oldest is a 2E kid whose needs weren't met in elementary school. Once we got going, the reasons started to snowball, lol.

[Soror]

Why would homeschooling for religious reasons = lack of life long learning?

Well, of course it doesn't it also doesn't but it also doesn't follow that hs'ing = life long learning. IME the focus is strongly on religion and academics are a distant 2nd. As I said before religion is one reason we hs but if it was primary we would use the parochial school, so I certainly understand both can co-exist.

[OneStepAtATime]

I really think we need a definition of "for religious reasons".  I think some are making assumptions about other homeschoolers that may have no basis in fact.

 

I now know dozens and dozens of homeschooling families, after starting to homeschool last year,  Most of those families attend church regularly.  We are one of those families.  I also know many of those families include daily bible study and much of their curriculum could be considered religious in nature.   Of all those dozens of families, I can only think of one that chose to homeschool because they wanted to raise their children in their faith and did not want them exposed to public school teachings.  All of the others chose homeschooling for a wide variety of reasons.  They just chose, when they picked curriculum, to pick curriculum that had high academic standards AND supported their faith.  

 

There aren't many co-op options down here.  If you are going to be part of a co-op and provide all that may be available through that source, you have to join a co-op that supports a belief in God.  One of them requires you to sign a statement of taith.  The other just lets you know that many members believe in God and you should respect each other's right to individual belief.  Just because many families choose to join one or more of those co-ops does not mean they chose to homeschool for religious reasons.  In fact, I know most didn't.

 

At our home, our curriculum would probably not be considered "religious" in nature by any means, but many of the primary and secondary resources we use for understanding historical figures in American History have not been cleansed of religious reference since they were not provided by the ps system.  These references are far more accurate than many available in ps. 

 

The most religious family I know in this area have daily bible study, have a curriculum provided by a Catholic organization and freely discuss their faith in God and Christ (but never in a way that is pushy and disrespectful of others).  Did they homeschool for religious reasons?  Not at all.  Their children were at a non-religious private school with high academic standards but their eldest was being bullied and the school encouraged an elitist attitude.  They began homeschooling for the safety and strong character development of their kids.  Once they chose to homeschool, they chose a curriculum with extremely high academic standards that was also religious in nature.  Those are not mutually exclusive concepts.  In fact, they were forced for the latter half of last year to put their three oldest in public school.  All three ended up in AP, all three were considered extremely advanced for their ages and did beautifully in the ps.  However, at the end of that half year the parents realized that the children had not learned anything new and some of the "socialization" they were being exposed to was encouraging things like disrespect of elders, bullying, lazziness academically, etc.  They chose to homeschool again, even though it has created hardship for them, because of their high academic standards and character building concerns, not religious concerns.  The co-op they are a member of is Catholic.  The curriculum they chose is religious in nature.  They are not homeschooling for religious reasons.  They just feel it is an added bonus that they can include support of their religious beliefs.

 

Please don't assume that if a family is open about their faith, or that if they are part of a co-op that is faith-based, or their curriculum is faith based, that the family chose to homeschool for religious reasons, or that they have low academic standards.  I have not found either one to even remotely be the case.

[texasmama]

To add, I recently talked to three friends who decided to homeschool their kids, two in fourth grade and one in seventh grade.  Two made the decision to homeschool based on having wiggly boys who struggled with the expectation that they would sit quietly all day.  The other decided to homeschool based on bullying/extreme pressure to engage in sports (small town).  All are Christian, as am I, but none of us started homeschooling due to religious reasons.

[TracyP]

I really think we need a definition of "for religious reasons".  I think some are making assumptions about other homeschoolers that may have no basis in fact.

 

I know exactly what is meant by homeschooling for religious reasons. :) Every single homeschooler I know is religious. Most of them have fairly high academic standards. I know for a fact that 5/12 of the families hs primarily for religious reasons. I know 3/12 hs for academic reasons. I am not sure about the remaining 4 families. I think they are a mixed bag of different reasons. I don't think anyone would assume that just because someone is religious they hs for religious reasons. I sure hope nobody would assume because I am religious I have low academic standards. ;)

 

Clearly different areas will have different demographics, but every study I have seen shows that the majority hs for religious reasons.

[blondchen]

I really think we need a definition of "for religious reasons".  I think some are making assumptions about other homeschoolers that may have no basis in fact.

 

....

 

Please don't assume that if a family is open about their faith, or that if they are part of a co-op that is faith-based, or their curriculum is faith based, that the family chose to homeschool for religious reasons, or that they have low academic standards.

This. We are very religious, but that's not why we homeschool. I posted earlier that we chose to homeschool because we are passionate about classical education and couldn't afford private school.

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Again, what were the criteria for those studies?  I think the general public (and many surveyors) lump anyone who is Christian and homeschooling into the category of "Homeschooling for religious reasons" whether that is why they started homeschooling or not.

 

There is so much misinformation out there and the general public, in many respects, remains very ignorant of what homeschooling is.  The media frequently does not help.  Sadly, I have seen 2 different news reports recently that show really extreme examples of very odd homeschool families and hold those up as the "norm" for homeschooling, which could confuse the general population at best and really scare people into wanting to ban homeschooling at its worst.  One panel discussion in particular really infuriated me.  They were a panel of "experts" on homeschooling, and yet not ONE on that panel had ever homeschooled. The closest they came was one parent with a toddler who was considering homeschooling, but they were shut down pretty quickly.  There is a lot of misinformation out there.  I would hope that we would not perpetuate that misinformation by making assumptions without data or passing on reports as fact that we do not know the criteria for...

 

From what I have experienced, and from the responses given on this post, it appears that many different people homeschool for many different reasons.  While religion was a strong motivating factor in the early stages of the homeschooling movement, and still remains one, if there were really an accurate study done of all homeschoolers and why they started homeschooling (vs. why they continue), I wonder what that survey would say?

[blondchen]

I know exactly what is meant by homeschooling for religious reasons. :)

What does it mean, then? Seriously, I really don't know, nor do most people posting in this thread, I imagine. I'm very curious to hear input on this.

[Soror]

Well, I'm not assuming, it is often discussed. In discussions I've heard and been a part of people hs for religious reasons for a few different reasons(often there are a combination of these):

1) Because they feel that they are required/obliged/mandated/called by God to hs

2) Because they do not want their child to be taught things taught in ps sex ed and creationism are the 2 biggest

3) Because they do not want their child around others of different/non-faith as they feel their values and beliefs would not be a good influence

4) Lastly (pretty rare)some believe they are to be isolationist and/or called to live a life that shuns modern technology and such and they need/want their children home to help w/ labor tasks that are required as a part of this lifestyle. Usually this reason accompanies reasons 1-3 but 1-3 don't usually accompany it.

[Soror]

I started the discussion b/c I found the assumption that most hs b/c they have a lifelong love of learning an odd assumption. I cannot recall any conversation irl that bought this up as a reason for hs'ing. I cannot recall any conversation irl that focused on academic rigor as a reason for hs'ing either. I was curious if perhaps this was true in other areas. My area leans much more towards unschooling w/ a religious bent. Of course perhaps those hs'ing for pure academics aren't out and about because they are too busy schooling :) I have time because I have smaller ones though.

[TracyP]

Yes, #1-#3 that Soror just posted. In a nutshell, they hs primarily to teach their religious worldview.

 

Again, what were the criteria for those studies?  I think the general public (and many surveyors) lump anyone who is Christian and homeschooling into the category of "Homeschooling for religious reasons" whether that is why they started homeschooling or not.

 

There is so much misinformation out there and the general public, in many respects, remains very ignorant of what homeschooling is.  The media frequently does not help.  Sadly, I have seen 2 different news reports recently that show really extreme examples of very odd homeschool families and hold those up as the "norm" for homeschooling, which could confuse the general population at best and really scare people into wanting to ban homeschooling at its worst.  One panel discussion in particular really infuriated me.  They were a panel of "experts" on homeschooling, and yet not ONE on that panel had ever homeschooled. The closest they came was one parent with a toddler who was considering homeschooling, but they were shut down pretty quickly.  There is a lot of misinformation out there.  I would hope that we would not perpetuate that misinformation by making assumptions without data or passing on reports as fact that we do not know the criteria for...

 

From what I have experienced, and from the responses given on this post, it appears that many different people homeschool for many different reasons.  While religion was a strong motivating factor in the early stages of the homeschooling movement, and still remains one, if there were really an accurate study done of all homeschoolers and why they started homeschooling (vs. why they continue), I wonder what that survey would say?

 

I agree with much of what you are saying, but this board does not represent all homeschoolers either. I have recommended this board to 4 people and 3 came and immediately left. They found this board too academic focused, overwhelming, and liberal. I haven't talked to the 4th, so I have no idea if she comes here.

 

Anyway, I'm not trying to be argumentative.  Many of the homeschoolers I know hs for religious reasons. They are proud of this; there is no misunderstanding. :) I do think this is changing as homeschooling becomes more mainstream, but I think it is still a very common reason.

[Jean in Newcastle]

But the area you live in might not be representative of all homeschooling.  I homeschool in a mostly secular area of the US.  But of course my area is not representative either.  You would have to put all the homeschoolers worldwide into one big study to find out really why people primarily homeschool.  Plus - "primarily" is a bit of a difficult one.  I have a number of reasons I homeschool and I bet that depending on when you ask me, my order in which I list them would vary!

[TracyP]

But the area you live in might not be representative of all homeschooling. 

 

Right, and I said that in the post before the last one I made.

 

Here is the first study I ran across in a google search. The third paragraph discusses reasons for homeschooling. I don't know, maybe I'm waaay wrong. Maybe the studies are asking the wrong questions. Maybe very few families hs for religious reasons, and I just happen to know several. I dunno. I don't really care, either. ;)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Current Department of Education report.  Click on the link for the study in the article to see the actual study.  Religious or moral instruction is one important reason people chose but was NOT the primary reason of most study participants.  http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/09/03/DOE-Report-Top-Reasons-For-Homeschooling-Are-Environment-Of-Schools-Unsatisfactory-Instruction

[Um_2_4]

Well, most people who see us assume that we HS for religious reasons as a Muslim family, but that is not how we started. It is one of the reasons we continue along with academics, family relationship (avoiding the whole peer-centered culture) and schedule.

I was a teacher at a private Islamic school, my kids could have gone there, but my 1st read at 3. I was very active with him at home (no pressure, just lots of activities, you know 1st born). So I did not discourage him from reading. So by the time he could have entered school, he was very asynchronous (still is) and I knew "formal classroom" setting would not work for him. So HSing is where we are and plan we will do so till graduation. I would not consider public schools for MANY reasons, religious among them(topics I think PARENTS should teach not schools, etc), but also low academics, bullying, and my general belief that with the "way" things are taught (to the average,to the test, memorize and regurgitate, etc, etc) , I can do much better at home.

I am now especially a believer in the classical method (and homeschooling in general) after watching my friends who have teenagers/high school grads. Many of them are struggling in college (even the one who was a valedictorian at one of the top high schools in the country, because he doesn't know HOW to learn, only how to test iykwim. He doesn't now what to do without the teacher spoon feeding him.) and the bullying/attitudes that go on in public schools...yikes. 

[dbmamaz]

accidental homeschooler here.  One kid was in middle school in special ed (for emotional issues - he's also gifted) and the IEP meetings were mostly about keeping him away from the phone so he couldnt call me, crying, begging for me to come take him home.  The younger one, by november, was crawling in our bed every morning begging not to have to go back to kindergarten.  

 

We are SO much happier, and both have issues I really needed to work on - and the schools just couldnt do it.  So i think we're homeschooling out of necessity.  and i hope to put my younger back in by high school, so i can get back to earning money before i'm too old and we're too broke

[Laura Corin]

I would say that it was a combination of educational and anti-establishment reasons.  Religious reasons are rare.

 

For us it was educational - specifically dealing with twice exceptional children.

 

L

[Soror]

Anyway, I'm not trying to be argumentative.  Many of the homeschoolers I know hs for religious reasons. They are proud of this; there is no misunderstanding. :) I do think this is changing as homeschooling becomes more mainstream, but I think it is still a very common reason.

Yes, it is the same here. Personally, I am religious, although not of the same variety as local hs'ers so it is not that I see that as a bad thing either.

 

Thinking more I see how I steered this discussion in the wrong direction to start by my mention of religious reasons for hs'ing. I was more interested the prevalence of love of learning as a *major* reason and motivator for hs'ing.

[mommymilkies]

In this area?  I would say no.  Most have told me religious reasons or because a child had issues that the ps either could not or would not address.  For us, it's part educational and part lifestyle.  I like having the kids here with me and getting to spend time with them (except on bad days, lol).  I also like being able to pick up and take off to a park and spend time outside when it's nice.  Or to go to a special extracurricular interest that wouldn't be possible if they were in ps.  My daughter was also being held back in school because they don't allow for advancement in the schools we've been near or have attended.  Oh, add in bullying, too.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yes, it is the same here. Personally, I am religious, although not of the same variety as local hs'ers so it is not that I see that as a bad thing either.

 

Thinking more I see how I steered this discussion in the wrong direction to start by my mention of religious reasons for hs'ing. I was more interested the prevalence of love of learning as a *major* reason and motivator for hs'ing.

Well, in the DOE study, "love of learning" wasn't a choice given to participants for why they homeschool.  "A desire to provide a non-traditional approach to child's education" was, and came in at 44% of participants saying it was important.  But only 5% listed is as most important.  And of course, we don't know if that choice really is comparable to "love of learning" or not since it is a pretty ambiguous choice.  

[KathyBC]

Well, of course it doesn't it also doesn't but it also doesn't follow that hs'ing = life long learning. IME the focus is strongly on religion and academics are a distant 2nd. As I said before religion is one reason we hs but if it was primary we would use the parochial school, so I certainly understand both can co-exist.

Huh. Hs'ing families who don't value life-long learning? Odd. I know many, many ps families who value life-long learning, too. Maybe they just don't talk about it? Maybe we're conflating academic rigor with life-long learning? Not everyone is going to be an engineer, doctor or pursue a PhD, but that doesn't mean they don't value learning.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Huh. Hs'ing families who don't value life-long learning? Odd. I know many, many ps families who value life-long learning, too. Maybe they just don't talk about it? Maybe we're conflating academic rigor with life-long learning? Not everyone is going to be an engineer, doctor or pursue a PhD, but that doesn't mean they don't value learning.

The thing is, other than a couple of majorly burned out people, I don't know of a single teacher, public, private or homeschool, who doesn't want to instill a love of learning in their students.  

[Mommy22alyns]

I guess we hs for academic reasons?  But yes, some reasons have been added to the original(s).  Any other hs'ers I know IRL, I don't really get into the "why."  The other mom I'm closest to, we started for similar reasons - kids who are perfectly fine but might have been considered not so in a public school setting.

[marlowefamily]

For our family, I think the motivation was roughly:

 

60% Academic (children either had academics needs not being met or already knew the material the public school was teaching, we also wanted to give them as much of an advantage as we could)

20% Flexibility for specialization(older son is into competitive swimming) and parents being able to define the school year calendar.

15% Values (Not wanting to constantly fight all the bad values and habits the kids pick up in public school)

5% Religious (being able to add catholic religious studies more deeply into the curriculum and drop books/subjects that go against our beliefs)

[OneStepAtATime]

Honestly, I have run into so many different types of families and different choices for why, but I hadn't really thought about it until this discussion.  This morning our co-op was meeting for the first time this school year and there was a set of older grandparents that are going to homeschool their grand kids.  They seemed a little lost so everyone was pitching in to make them welcome.  They chose this path because they felt that the kids needed a lot of support and nurturing right now.  I do not know the particular circumstances of why that is.  It was just a little unusual and I thought about this post...

 

It would be really interesting to take a survey across the country through a neutral source on why people start homeschool and if they choose to continue, why they keep homeschooling.  I have really enjoyed reading about the different reasons people are giving here, and it has made me think harder about our own choices.  

 

I also thought it would be great if there were an education cable network that included homeschoolers for curriculum reviews, educational choices, how to form co-ops, how to find co-ops, how to navigate high school, etc.  Maybe have some of the larger co-ops provide a talk show format for something...You could even put on productions with the help of homeschool communities, highlighting a different one each month or something...

 

We may all choose to homeschool for different reasons, but it would be great if we could come together more as a community.  Many who are seeking choices for their kids right now could benefit from seeing that homeschooling really is a viable option, whatever the reason...

[Soror]

The thing is, other than a couple of majorly burned out people, I don't know of a single teacher, public, private or homeschool, who doesn't want to instill a love of learning in their students.

I agree that most have that goal. My wonder was more about parents schooling b/c they themselves have a lifelong love of learning and are continuing their own education both for their own benefit and to improve their ability to hs.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I agree that most have that goal. My wonder was more about parents schooling b/c they themselves have a lifelong love of learning and are continuing their own education both for their own benefit and to improve their ability to hs.

Ah.  Thank you for clarifying.  I did the second when my kids were young.  Alas, I now don't have the time or strength, though I still have the desire!

[OneStepAtATime]

As for "life-long learning" being stated as the reason, actually, I hear a lot of parents worried about academics or health or too much homework, or wanting to instill their own beliefs or whatever, but I don't hear a lot of people say "I homeschool to instill a love of life-long learning."  I bet, though, that almost everyone would want that if they thought about it.

[LMD]

Lifestyle was/is the number one reason for us.  But I only agreed to do it after I was sure I could match the academics in a school.  Our religious beliefs didn't really play a part in our decision to HS - though they would if we were choosing a b&m school.

In our group, as far as I can tell, most people homeschool for a mix of all the different reasons with some more focussed on the religious aspect, some academics, some relationship.  They're all pretty committed to a good education though.

[shinyhappypeople]

I have to quote newbie bumblesmama :) from the, "The Smartest Kids" thread. This has not been my experience at all. It seems actually the vast majority of parents hs for religious or social reasons where I live. Around here the prevalent attitude is that anything you do at home is better then what is done in ps. So, where you live why do most people hs?

 

Observations from my neck of the woods:

 

• Some families I know homeschool because of special academic needs (gifted, LD, etc.).

   

• Some parents - like DH and I - hold educational philosophies that are diametrically opposed to the traditional school model.  (For us, that means sort of a Better Late than Early / TJEd / unschooling mish-mash)

   

• MANY families homeschool because they believe it's much better for socialization. I am among these.  I wince at the thought of my kids learning to respond to bells like Pavlov's dogs, and valuing conformity above creativity.  Also, in my experience with local hs'd kids... they're just nicer people.  They have an easier time playing with all types of children, and are generally more welcoming to those who are new or different.

   

• MANY families homeschool because they want to tailor their child's education to their interests and abilities. (This is me, too)

   

• Some families homeschool primarily for religious reasons.

   

• A few wing nuts think that the less government in our lives, the better - and that includes using government schools.  (I'm a proud wing nut :) )

   

• I also homeschool because I love the freedom and flexibility of it - both in terms of how we manage our days and what the kids are taught.  I'm not sure if this a reason for other families in our area, but probably at least a few feel the same way.

   

• ALL families are trying to give their children a solid education.  Some have succeeded more than others, but the desire for good academics is universal.  How the families define "good" or "good enough" definitely varies, though.

[Guest Castiel]

nm

Edited September 8, 2013 by Castiel
Don't show up and start a fight.

[albeto.]

We started homeschooling for special education reasons. Kids who are punished for being inconvenient in the classroom tend to act out more at school and at home, revealing a real, serious problem. It's problematic to have kids acting out in the classroom, and not fair to the other students, and difficult for the teacher. It's problematic to have kids acting out at home. Eventually, a parent realizes her child has been in an ongoing state of crisis for a hell of a long time.

 

After we started homeschooling, we noticed a number of boys were in the same boat as ours. To remain in school would be to choose between inappropriate punishment and ostracizing at the local school, or to be bussed to another school for more severely developmentally challenged kids. In short, a lot of kids like mine were falling through the cracks and the parents learned to pick up the pieces best we could.

 

My first homeschool experience was through Sonlight, an evangelical homeschool curriculum. The idea of homeschooling for religious reasons was so common, I assumed most people did for those reasons everywhere. :blushing:   

[boscopup]

I don't use the public school for partially religious reasons and partially other non-academic reasons, but we did send our oldest to a private school that taught our religious beliefs. I pulled him for academic reasons. Now that we've homeschooled a few years, I continue to do so because we enjoy the lifestyle. It's so nice not having to worry that my first grader will be late to school AGAIN. We have no problem starting school at 8am on the dot every morning, sometimes even earlier, but getting us OUT the door - everyone dressed to shoes - by 7:45 was really, really difficult. :lol:

 

I'm part of a homeschool group of people that worship at the same type of church as myself (it's a very closed, religious group). In my group, I think most have reasonably high academic standards. They may not be classical homeschoolers necessarily, but they do care about education. Some probably are homeschooling for religious reasons, but I know several who are homeschooling for academic reasons. I've been very impressed by some of the discussions on that group. Definitely a lot of CM-influence going on there, at the very least. Lots of recommendations to read, read, read to your kids.

 

I agree with others that you can't judge someone else's reasons without asking them. There are people who school for academic reasons who are very religious and people who school for religious reasons that are very academic. ;)

[happypamama]

I couldn't list all the reasons I homeschool, and depending on the day, different ones are more important.  Some days, I'm grateful to be homeschooling because my kids can have water and bathroom breaks whenever they need them.  Some days, it's very important that I'm able to control the amount of pop culture they're exposed to frequently.  I originally thought about homeschooling for a combination of social, religious, and academic reasons; academics were indeed a huge thing.  DH and I both went to a pretty good school and got into the honors program at our first choice college, etc. -- and we still feel that the public school failed to meet our needs in many ways, especially academic.  But that's not the only reason, for sure, and around here, I think religious reasons are huge for a lot of people.

[NASDAQ]

We do it for academic reasons, but this is an academically-oriented board and is going to skew in that direction. I think when you take all home schoolers religion comes up more often than anything else, but that could be old data.

 

Like CrimsonWife, most people we meet here are home schooling as an extension of attachment parenting.