Home School Survey - Poll

[chiguirre]

I'm an adult female. The time when I am least likely to be involved in my dd's education is when she's in an online class. It's a perfect time to run errands or take a walk because she's busy and she needs the house to be quiet. Since she's old enough to babysit, she's old enough to be home by herself.

[coffeegal]

By the time you're dealing with high school, teenagers are well able to stay home and study while you run errands. It seems rather absurd to be required to stay home with my 18 year old senior while he studies.

 

Female over 18.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Adult Female

 

No.  Homeschooling can be done at any time of day or night and can be done with varying degrees of independence.

[Lady Florida.]

I voted earlier but didn't have time to post:

 

Adult female

 

No, as long as the child is legally old enough to be home alone and the parent feels comfortable that the work will get done, it should be up to the parent. 

 

 

Edited to remove the part about a tutor. I didn't read the question closely enough to see that it included a tutor being present. 

Edited January 8, 2016 by Lady Florida

[SKL]

I wonder what were the reasons behind the "yes" votes.  It seems everyone who posted voted "no."

[Farrar]

Another adult female vote for no.

 

I was also wondering about the 6 yes votes. Voting yes makes zero sense to me. I can't understand a reasonable argument by anyone who understands homeschooling at all in favor of requiring all homeschool parents to be physically present during school hours. In addition to the best reasons, which were already given, from a regulation standpoint, how could it even be enforced? And would there be exceptions for classes like tutorials? And whose hours would have to count - a lot of us live in districts where there are multiple public schooling options, all with slightly different hours, not to mention that nearly every district has slightly different hours for different grade levels.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Farrar

[73349]

Hi, Jackson.

 

I am always present with my child during school hours, but that's because he just turned 8, and I don't think he is ready to be home by himself. When he's older, he will not need to have me with him all the time, just part of the time for direct instruction or discussion.

 

As you can imagine, teenagers don't need their mommies to keep an eye on them while they read or solve math problems! (Many homeschooled students are even old enough to baby-sit younger children.)

 

I voted no, since the question does not distinguish between young children, who need supervision, and teens, who don't.

 

I'm a female over 18.

[Petrichor]

No. 

I am a female, over 18. (I'm pretty sure the majority of your responses will be females over 18 - It might have been more helpful to ask how old my kids are and how long I've been homeschooling them)

 

I agree with most of the reasonings others gave (I didn't read everything everyone posted though). 

 

My main reasons are because in my state, at least, there are no set "homeschool hours" nor is there any requirement to set hours. And even if there WERE "homeschool hours," there are many older kids who can learn and complete their work independently.  

[cmarthur]

Female over 18.

 

I voted yes because I do not feel that a homeschooled student should or can 100% self teach themselves without some teacher/tutor direction. Of course, the amount of direction will vary based on age and maturity level.

[theelfqueen]

No.

 

Parental discretion and parental rights are the foundation of the ability to homeschool in this country. Infringement on those rights is a slippery slope. The idea that parents can make the best decisions about educating their children is fundamental and protected (according the the Supreme Court). Parents know their own children and can assess whether they can handle an independent situation (Can I leave him at home by himself for ten minutes? an hour? etc) Some people do abuse these rights but there are already existing laws to deal with truly negligent (neglect) behaviors.

 

In most states there is NOT a mandated age (Certainly not statutory)  at which children can/cannot be legally left alone.

 

There are sometimes standards and guidelines imposed by agencies (such as DHS/CPS) with the force or law and or court decisions which can be applied

(see: http://www.freerangekids.com/laws/for a good list) but as these things do not have statutory backing (written law) they are open to a lot of discretion by law enforcement. 

 

 

Over 18, female.

Edited January 8, 2016 by theelfqueen

[sassenach]

I voted no on face value, but my real answer is it depends on the age of the child.

[aggie96]

Female over 18.  Voted no.

[HS Mom in NC]

Female over 18.

 

I voted yes because I do not feel that a homeschooled student should or can 100% self teach themselves without some teacher/tutor direction. Of course, the amount of direction will vary based on age and maturity level.

 

But that wasn't the question.  No one is assuming the child would be teaching themselves 100% without some direction. It wasn't stated or implied in the question or the "no" responses. 

I'm wondering how many other "yes" responses were about something other than what the question asked.

[purpleowl]

Female over 18.

 

I voted yes because I do not feel that a homeschooled student should or can 100% self teach themselves without some teacher/tutor direction. Of course, the amount of direction will vary based on age and maturity level.

 

I voted no, and I agree completely with the rest of what you said.  But I interpreted the question as asking whether the parent/guardian/tutor must be present 100% of the time, not whether it's permissible for the parent/guardian/tutor to be gone 100% of the time.

 

A teenager is perfectly capable of working on his math assignment on his own, and if he gets stuck on a problem while mom's at the store, he can switch to working on his history essay and then ask mom about the math when she gets back home.  That's the type of scenario I envision, not one in which the teen must completely self-teach.

[Artichoke]

I voted an unpopular yes.  

 

In my ideal world, I'd like to see engaged parents and children schooling successfully without government oversight.  There's probably as many definitions of success as their are posters on the WTM so let's not debate the meaning of success, please.   

A school day in our state is usually defined as four hours a day.   These can be any four hours in the day.  I think it'd be helpful to require those hours to be under the supervision of a parent or a tutor for at least k-8, with k-10 being more ideal.   

 

 

 

I'm a female over 18. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 12, 2017 by Artichoke

[K&Rs Mom]

Female 

Over 18

 

No, because "school hours" is too hard to define, and because the physical presence of an adult in the building does not mean that learning is happening.

[Kim in Appalachia]

No, if the child is old enough than he or she can be left alone and expected to get the work done.

 

I'm female and over 18. :)

[SKL]

Looking at the "yes" explanations, I think a clearer explanation of the legal "proposal" is needed.

 

When I read the poll, I assumed the question was whether it should be illegal for homeschooled kids to spend any of their time away from their parent/guardian/tutor while public school is in session.

 

But maybe the question is, should homeschooled kids be required to spend at least some time with the person who is responsible for teaching them?

 

I too know a kid who was "homeschooled" for a year, and his mom was at home (doing drugs / online chats / caring for younger siblings).  He flunked the tests at the end of the year and went back to b&m school.  Years later he was still behind.  Of course his mom should have worked with him or got someone qualified to do it.  Not necessarily 100% of the time, though.

[SKL]

And I'm not sure what "under the supervision of" means either.  I think legally, supervision is happening even if you're not in the same room or even under the same roof, as long as you know where the kid is and what they are doing (more or less).

 

So if I give my young kids a pile of work to do and I go to another part of the house to do my professional work for a couple of hours, my kids are "under my supervision," though they are working independently to a degree.  Would that count?  Would it still count if I went and walked the dog during that time?

 

What about a parent of many kids who gets the older kids started, then spends significant time teaching the younger kids?  Would that be legal under the proposal?  How would a parent of more than 2-3 kids possibly meet this standard?

[AmandaVT]

Hi Jackson.  I agree with all of BigMamaBird's answer above and also add that homeschooling should not be regulated and restricted to the hours set by the public school system. Homeschooling can and does occur outside of those hours. 

 

I am female and over 18.

 

I agree with Audrey and BigMamaBird. 

 

I am female and over 18.

[SKL]

I consider the fact that in b&m school, each individual child gets very limited interaction with a teacher each day.  The teacher may be "there," but she isn't checking in with my kid much - especially not with my advanced kid.

[HS Mom in NC]

 

 

 Artichoke

 

 

Here's my reasoning:

 

I'm basing my answer on my  varied experiences that I'm personally seeing IRL as I tutor and serve in homeschool leadership.  As homeschooling becomes more popular and the options more varied, I come into contact with more parents not involved in educating their children beyond enrolling them in the local homeschool tutorial or an online charter.  Usually after speaking with the parents, I'm finding that the only thing that's changed is that their child or children are now at home being homeschooled, either alone or under the care of an older sibling who still needs to do his/her own work,while the adults haven't changed their lives.   They're genuinely puzzled when things begin to go wrong -- low test scores, work not being done, depression, family strife, etc.  

 

Here online charters aren't legally considered homeschooling, it's considered public charter school at home so it couldn't be homeschool aw, it would be public school law.

 

I don't know what a "local homeschool tutorial" is.  Do you mean a co-op or class?

 

When you're say you're seeing this, how many actual families are you talking about?

 

 

Edited January 8, 2016 by Homeschool Mom in AZ

[Roadrunner]

I voted no. Female over 30.

I think answer would depend on the age of the student. I don't think a first grader should self study alone, but I see no reason why a high schooler shouldn't be able to do so.

[Miss Mousie]

Adult female - No.

 

[Rebel Yell]

Hello everyone, this is Rebekah's son, Jackson. My mom gave me permission to conduct a survey here for my social studies assignment. Thank you for your help!

 

 

Q.If a student is home-schooled, should a parent, guardian, or tutor be required by law to be present during school hours?

 

Please give a brief reason for your answer.

 

Are you:

 

Male/ Female

Adult (18 and over) or a Minor

 

NO! First of all, my state does not specify which days I must "do school" nor does it dictate what "school hours" are.

My students can do their work with or without me present.

*IF* a homeschooled student was required to have a parent/etc. present, then I believe students in public/private/etc. schools should also be required to have a parent/etc. present when doing their homework.

 

Female, Adult.

[Ali in OR]

Another adult female voting no, and agreeing with previous arguments. The question is too broad. I would actually be fine with requiring adult presence for elementary school (k-5th grade here), but when children are old enough to be home alone, they are also old enough to take responsibility for some independent learning times. 

[Mommy22alyns]

I voted no.

 

I'm an adult female.

 

If the child is legally old enough to stay home alone, they are usually quite able to accomplish quite a bit independently.

 

And as the others have observed, "school hours" are not the stifling straitjacket for home schools that they often are for public schools....

 

 

Ditto to this.

 

Female, over 18.

[Tsuga]

I am a 38 year old public-schooling parent, female.

 

However, I do think that it would be reasonable, if people abused the process, to require a minimum number of instruction hours, be they online, with a tutor, or otherwise.

 

I also think that in the event that large numbers of people were homeschooling such that case-by-case evaluation of circumstances became impossible, then a minimum age for self-schooling would be reasonable.

 

Please note that while my older step-kids aren't supervised during all hours of the school day, they most certainly are accountable to an adult all hours during the school day. The question of supervision "after school" is not the same question, because the poll asks us about during regular school hours.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Tsuga

[Artichoke]

.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Artichoke

[Donna]

Female, 40's. I voted no. There is no way to define "school hours" for homeschoolers. If a child is old enough to be at home, then there is no reason a parent should be "required" to be there. Children are learning in many ways that do not require direct parent/tutor involvement…online classes, self-teaching units, reading, etc… Families should be free to decide on their own "school hours" and instruction hours.

[IsabelC]

Hello everyone, this is Rebekah's son, Jackson. My mom gave me permission to conduct a survey here for my social studies assignment. Thank you for your help!

 

 

Q.If a student is home-schooled, should a parent, guardian, or tutor be required by law to be present during school hours?

 

Please give a brief reason for your answer.

 

Are you:

 

Male/ Female

Adult (18 and over) or a Minor

 

Hi Jackson :)

 

I am an adult female. I answered no, primarily because the need for children to be adequately supervized as well as educated is already covered by other relevant laws. So a 5yo home educated child, for example, would generally be under ongoing and present supervision because that is what it expected anyway for children that young. Whereas a 16yo home educated teen could be under intermittent or telephone supervision, for example, working on self directed learning activities while her parent goes out to do errands or whatever. The second reason I selected no was because not all home educating families use standard 'school hours': some might study in the evenings and have free time during the day, some are unschoolers/lifeschoolers/whatever and don't even have defined school hours.

 

Also, your online instructor may not have told you this yet, but when you are conducting research you should include a blurb to point out that participation is voluntary, and to cover confidentiality (and any other ethical issues that might apply). In this case you might state that the information is going to be aggregated with no identifying factors retained (eg you won't have my name attached to my information, because you'd need my permission for that).

 

Good luck with your class!

Edited January 9, 2016 by IsabelC

[RootAnn]

I am a female adult (over the age of 18). 

 

I voted 'no' because the way the question was worded seemed to indicate that if a child (of whatever age - including a teenager) was home during school hours (not defined) and a parent left the premises, even to take a walk around the block or run to the grocery store, it would be against the law. That seems very silly.

 

I also agree with many of the other reasons listed by the 'no' voters before me.

[Slojo]

I am female, over 18. 

 

I agree with posters that suggest that if a child is legally old enough to be home alone that some of their studies can be conducted without a parent present. That said, I firmly believe that for older students a parent needs to have regularly scheduled check ins, and times "on site" just to remain an effective facilitator of the learning.

 

But especially because an older child's education may include a range of legitimate experiences that aren't with the parent -- community college classes, academically-connected work/internship opportunities, self-study that doesn't require constant supervision, cooperative class (and the independence may be an intentional design of that particular home school) -- I don't think this is a useful direction for homeschooling law to take. 

[Teachaheart]

BIg Mama Bird said:

"I believe that if a student is legally old enough to stay home alone then it's okay if they do some of their school work without a parent in the home with them."

 

Audrey said:

"homeschooling should not be regulated and restricted to the hours set by the public school system. Homeschooling can and does occur outside of those hours."

 

I agree with these statements and voted no.

 

I am female, over 18 years of age.

I am a female over 18 years of age and voted no for these reasons.

[wintermom]

Hey guys, this is Rebekah.  My ds Jackson is completing an assignment for an online class he's taking, so please do not blame him for the poor wording of the question.  Yes, I know the wording is extremely limited and the survey question is awful, IMO.  However, I think that this can be a very good example for him for why a survey question needs to be carefully thought out, instead of the very limited perspective evidenced by the school's curriculum.  (BTW, this class is through Florida's Global Virtual school.)

 

Is there any chance of him editing his survey so that the responses, and the time and effort of the people here wanting to help him, could be more useful?   It's an interesting topic, and it seems a shame to not take advantage of this learning opportunity.

[abacus2]

I'm an adult female.

I voted "No". 

Firstly, if a child can normally be left home alone, it is fine to leave the child during school hours.  Learning doesn't need to be confined to the hours of 8-3.  Also I think it is entirely appropriate for a older student to be expected to study independently while the parent is out of the house, as long as the parent is in general keeping the student accountable.

 

This.

[Pen]

Female. Adult. I think whether someone needs to be with a child depends on the child's age and maturity and needs based on the  specific situation and the stage and responsibility level of the child/student, not on whether or not the family homeschools.

[Tenaj]

Female, over 18.  I have two reasons for my "no" answer.  The first is that in our state there are no hours specifically designated in the homeschool law that requires we do school at a certain time.  The second reason is that quite often I'm not necessary to the education process for my older kids.  Though I try to be present when they are working on school, there are times where errands or appointments interfere and they stay here in order to keep at their work while I take care of other things.

[Lady Florida.]

Hey guys, this is Rebekah.  My ds Jackson is completing an assignment for an online class he's taking, so please do not blame him for the poor wording of the question.  Yes, I know the wording is extremely limited and the survey question is awful, IMO.  However, I think that this can be a very good example for him for why a survey question needs to be carefully thought out, instead of the very limited perspective evidenced by the school's curriculum.  (BTW, this class is through Florida's Global Virtual school.)

 

I know the discussion has gone beyond simply answering for Jackson's assignment, but I just wanted to re-post Aelwydd's post (the one right after her son's OP). Often these online classes give students poorly worded polls or survey questions. My son took a number of Florida Virtual School classes (the in-state version) and had to deal with the same thing.

[rebcoola]

Adult Female.   I voted no, because I leave my 9yr old 3rd grader home alone every week during school hours while I take lil sis to her violin lesson.  During this time she is not required to school but often does and finishes her Math and LA  workbooks she enjoys working while its quiet.

[Barb_]

Supervision is necessary in an institutional setting for liability and safety reasons. Also, with 30 students or more, a lot of class time is spent on answering questions, discipline, and on redirection. An adult presence is essential. Schools send home the bulk of the independent work and call it "homework", which is meant to be done in an unregulated environment as was pointed out above. You can't compare one on one tutoring to a classroom experience. Active teaching takes a much smaller fraction of the day. It doesn't have to be done during the hours traditionally reserved for school attendance. It doesn't have to take place face to face. I've taught math lessons by phone and by FaceTime when traveling away from my kids. Home eduction isn't simply a relocated classroom, but the question seems to imply that it is.

 

ETA Adult female, voted no

Edited January 9, 2016 by Barb_

[BooksandBoys]

Female, over 18.

No. This question is, as stated by many, poorly designed. Even so, I have the right to educate my children as I see fit.