Homeschooling.........I dont understand it

[tsquared]

I am confused how just anyone can be a teacher for homeschooling kids? I know there are college educated teachers that shouldnt be teaching too. How can just anyone off of the street with no schooling teach homeschool?? A guy i work with homeschools their kids ............he cant spell a simple word like "blue" and his wife cant add very well........i know we are not all perfect, but how can this happen? I am not saying schooling is the key to being smart cause we all know that is not always the case.
I am just asking for some comments to help me understand it.........and if your looking to start an argument with me............i wont argue..........i am just curious how something as important as education is changing in society.

[Fred12]

I know a couple that lives in the same town as me and I know what you are saying.... I don't think either one of them made it past the 6th grade, and they are home schooling their kids???? I wonder what they are teaching them???? :confused: I worry about their kids a lot.

But I also have a very good friend that home schools and is great! :)

[tracey74]

im pretty sure here in wv you have to pass some sort of test to get a thingy saying you can homeschool.and Im sorry if a parent cant spell blue or anything like that IMO they shouldnt be homeschooling the child.if they cant spell its going to be hard for them to get a decent job when they get older if they have poor skills.

[Jolie Rouge]

The kids have to take regular State mandated tests - if they don't pass, they can no longer be homeschooled until an investigation is carried out and a Social Worker usually becomes involved.

[caides_mom]

i think they have video too, all you have to know how to do is run a vcr or dvd, sit your child in front of the tv and give them a workbook

[tsquared]

this family here has no tv programs they use..............kids take an easy test that they are guided on at the end of the year...........
again i say why would someone go to school for 4 or 5 years to teach in a school when they can teach in a homeschooling eviornment without spending that money on the education?

[ang in NC]

I homeschool, you will be surprise what you can learn with your children.
Just think how much tax dollars we are saving!

[stresseater]

Exactly and it's not like the answers don't come with the material.

[lorigirl]

I think this is a very good question! I was a high school drop out, but got my GED. When I had my daughter I wanted the best education possible for her. I put her in the public school system. That was a big mistake! Two reasons... she has a very weak immune system and being around lots of children all the time makes her sick, the public school systems here are the lowest or one of the lowest in the nation. I didn't think I was capable of homeschooling my daughter. I did some research and found out that there are plenty of parents with a GED homeschooling their children. I called up some local homeschooling associations and found one that assured me that I was capable of homeschooling. I have been homeschooling since! My daughter does go for testing. She always test way above average. As for the parents you're talking about, I don't understand either how they are homeschooling. Maybe they aren't legally doing so! :confused: I have also learned things with my daughter. Everyone can still learn new things. Ex... just last week in science I learned something. Did you know that if you count the number of cricket chirps in 15 seconds and add 30 it'll tell you the current temperature of the weather? That's amazing, isn't it? I think it's very important that parents can learn with children. I also think it's important for the parent to know enough to teach their child to learn. Those parents you mentioned don't seem to want to educate their children. The parents out there that say they homeschool their children and don't only make it hard on us parents that actually DO teach our children. Homeschooling isn't always socially accepted. Parents like those make it even harder!

[andreame70]

I think you have to understand how home schooling works before you can really judge whether or not someone is capable of conducting it. I used to have a low opinion of it for much the same reasons that the OP stated. The neighbor who lived across the street from us home schooled her kids. She was as dumb as a sack of rocks and I am not exaggerating. I often thought how sad it was that she would be considered any form of a teacher for those children.

Fast forward several years and low and behold, we had a situation occur with my younger sister which prevented her from being able to attend public school. My Mother applied to home school her and bought the curriculum (workbooks, video tapes, etc.) from a state approved home schooling agency.

Up until then, we did not know how it worked. What we found out kind of surprised us. My Sister was taking 10th grade classes and needed very little to no help or supervision. She read what she needed to read, studied the material and took the tests. My Mother found that the majority of the time, she was just there to help answer a question my Sister had or to help explain something a little better. The workbooks and video's did the teaching.

Most of us, me included, are used to a "school" like atmosphere. Having a teacher standing in front of the class, going over things and giving tests. In our minds we justify this as being the proper or only way, but it is not the only way.

My parents found out that there really was not a whole lot required of them. They set up a room in the house with a large desk, tv, vcr and the computer. They made it a comfortable place that my Sister could come into every week day and work. My Mom would get up in the morning, set up a goal of assignments to complete then she would wake up my Sister, they would eat breakfast and get started about 8:00am. By 12:00 or 1:00pm, she was done for the day. Sometimes, if my Sister got bored during the day, they would forge ahead with more work and every once in a while they would do a little on the weekend.

My little Sister covered 10-12th grade in less than 18 months. She is now enrolled in the local community college and is going for her degree a full year ahead of students her age. She passed all of the college entrance exams with flying colors and is doing great.

So basically, what I am trying to say is that I fully understand how it can look from the outside. But you have to understand that the parent is not teaching the child what the parent knows, the parents are putting the workbooks, video's and curriculum to work in front of the child and the child basically takes it from there. I am sure that each state is different, but here in NC, my Sister had to go several times and be tested away from my parents home and in a controlled environment to track her progress. If she had not been reaching her targets, the state would have suspended my Mother's application for home schooling. At that point, by law, my Sister would have had to attend a regular public or private school.

Younger children of course would need more parental involvement. I have been told that it is much more time consuming if they are younger. But like I said earlier, the parent is not teaching the child what the parent knows. If that were the case, then a lot of these children would be doomed I am sure.

Andrea

[DrGrin]

I am confused how just anyone can be a teacher for homeschooling kids? I know there are college educated teachers that shouldnt be teaching too. How can just anyone off of the street with no schooling teach homeschool?? A guy i work with homeschools their kids ............he cant spell a simple word like "blue" and his wife cant add very well........i know we are not all perfect, but how can this happen? I am not saying schooling is the key to being smart cause we all know that is not always the case.
I am just asking for some comments to help me understand it.........and if your looking to start an argument with me............i wont argue..........i am just curious how something as important as education is changing in society.

If you're concerned about your friend's qualifications to homeschool his children, check out the homeschooling laws in your area. ( www.hslda.org)
The requirements to homeschool are different in different states.

[Urban Cowgirl]

Well I want to home school my dd. Mostly becasue I want to protect her from things that kids are exposed to in school these days. But my dh is against it. whats more amazing is that unschooling is legal in all 50 states as well!

http://www.unschooling.com/

[buttrfli]

The kids have to take regular State mandated tests - if they don't pass, they can no longer be homeschooled until an investigation is carried out and a Social Worker usually becomes involved.

Not here. There are no tests and DHS can't become involved just because a child is homeschooled. The state does not monitor progress unless the parents decide to put the kids back in school... thats the ONLY time state tesing is involved and thats just for placement.

[Trishntx]

I homeschooled my youngest for 7th, 8th and 9th grade through an acredited college high school system. Texas Tech University. I taught the work and it was all sent in and graded by professors there. If your child is not doing well, they will certainly let you know. It was hard. Much harder than anything in public school. But, all I can say is, I think my child learned more in one week, than he did a whole six months in public school.

[dixie1596]

i homeschool my son who is high functioning austism, low iq and has other mental disorders, this is our second year homeschooling, we went thru h**l in public school, wrong placement, his teachers getting fired for fist fighting in the halls of school(yes really...) and ended up with a homebound teacher who came out the the house 2 days a week for 11/2 each time, and i ws left with the work to help him the rest of the week, hubby and i said" we can do this without public school in the mix)"we had him tested for what grade level he was on he was "in" 5th grade( pre kindergarden in writing, math 1st grade on other )
last year he went from those levels to 3 grade in 180 days!!!
math and writing is still hard but he can read and understand so much more now!!
i wasn't the " homeschool mom" i wanted him in public school, but in the long run it was the best thing for all of us. in n.c. all you need in a high school dim. or a ged.
i have a ged, but i bought things on his level, and i went on line and learned a ton of things myself! also you have to testing every spring by another person who is "trained" to do so(not the parents) and keep that and all materials the child has done for 2 yrs.
my son will never be on grade level( iq is 72 at 13) and the drs. say he will allways be at a 8 to 10 year old level forever but he has learned more in one year than he had in 7 years, (he was held back one time) that we was in public school.
there is tons of books and programs out thee to do, and ebay is a great place to buy from. i use christian based and a book called " learn at home 3 grade 3", which has a full school year of lesson plans, work sheets too, best book around, and you can( in my county) find brand new homeschool stuff at yard sales( tons of people in my county homeschool) tone of educational field trips, you would not believe all you can do on a little bit of $.