Homeschooling does give the best opportunities! When schooling is about the individual so you don't advance until you learn a step in the process, and after you learn it you don't have to sit bored to tears waiting for the class to catch up with you, just that aspect of home schooling makes it wonderful. There are many, many other advantages.
I don't think we should ignore the negatives. The facts are some kids just don't learn without the expert training of a teacher, or the competiveness of a class of classmates. It takes a mother with a tremendous amount of commitment and drive, and she has to manage home schooling demands with demands of keeping a house.
Interesting. There are some things I've found hard to learn without a teacher -- chemistry makes a good example. However, it's surprising how much I can figure out on my own, and Mom was able to explain all the stuff that confused me in elementary school.
As I've started taking more classes, I've really enjoyed competing with other kids. My siblings don't miss competition, though! Mom adds up our math lesson scores over the week (but only for scores over 80.) So 2 lessons and a 91 on each would be 182 points. Some of us have gotten over a thousand points in a week, because whoever has the highest score gets to pick their favorite dessert on the weekend. We also compete for total practicing hours. Last week, I won with 6 hours in a week. On a normal week that would have been impossible, but the 8 year old was so excited about the holidays that she "forgot" to practice her normal 10+ hours and win the challenge. And, whenever the family choir sings at church, the person with the highest number of school hours so-far-that-month gets to pick where we eat out. (Eating out is a rare treat in our family!) You should see the scramble when we sang on Sunday, the 2nd. EVERYBODY did at least a ten hour day on Saturday!
Mom has already given up on keeping the house perfectly clean. She has set up a schedule where my siblings and I clean the whole house twice a week. Each day we do two rooms, all working together for about an hour until it's done. She also has each person do a room on Saturday, so that we all know how to clean every room. So, the bathroom gets cleaned Tuesday and Saturday, and there is dust on the piano every day except Thursday. We keep up with that amount of leaning, though. The house is clean enough that it isn't a health hazard. My siblings and I also have a "dishes week" for each of us, although the little ones just dry dishes for older kids. Mom doesn't have to do any of the dishes (unless someone's sick and she volunteers to help.) Mom also lets us cook quite a bit, if we want to eat it we can cook it. Everyone over 8 can make bread and cook all favorite foods. So really, Mom doesn't have a big job keeping up with so many children. Instead, she teaches us to do it!
You are one of the successes. There are failures, too. My sister's grandkids didn't even learn to read under homeschooling. There needs to be on going tests home schooled children must pass at every stage to protect children from schools that aren't successful.
I think a lot of my Mom's success is that she raised me from the cradle with a love of books. She read to me an hour a day from when I was 6 months old. I started reading when I was 3, and almost flunked first grade because I would stay up till 2AM reading "Little House on the Prairie," then fall asleep during my phonics lesson! I basically homeschooled myself, and even now that I'm in more classes, what matters is the studying I do on my own NOT what the teacher says!
Speaking of schools that aren't successful, this question could be turned around. Should things be done to protect children from public schools that aren't successful?
I'm neither for or against homeschooling, but some of the previously homeschooled people I've met have been incredibly socially awkward. More power to other women who are into homeschooling their children, never had that desire or perceived an inherent need for it..maybe if I was living abroad with my family or if my child was pursuing a serious talent or skill.
That's interesting that you say socially awkward. I and the other homeschoolers I know are anything but that! I did go through a socially awkward stage at about 14, but I think that is normal for 14 year olds! The homeschoolers I know are often quite friendly, because they are used to talking to older and younger siblings, and are also used to talking with adults. I have seen a few more sheltered kids have trouble with, like, "what does that mean?" when someone says a dirty word. Most of us are quite talkative and friendly, though.
Actually, in my experience, many public schooled kids I've known fit the definition of socially awkward. I grew up with Mom correcting my manners and teaching me things like not laughing at your joke unless the other person thinks it's really funny. Most public school kids I know aren't well enough developed in manners to keep from making others uncomfortable.
It's not a "fallen world"
Actually, most of the world is considered Christian.
I disagree. Most of the world WAS considered Christian, but it has been taken over by liberal and atheistic ideas.
