How many homeschooling families are there on AFF?

[MissBrattified]

Originally Posted by jfrog

What about the situations that don't have to do with lack of parenting skills? What else can cause failure besides lack of parenting skills?

Other than a lower than normal IQ? I'm not quite sure. If you have an idea of something that I haven't addressed, please bring it up, because I can't read your mind.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by jfrog

I'm not trying to broadbrush anything. But since you agree that idiots shouldn't teach home school, just how much intelligence and or education do you think a person generally should have before they home school their kids?

And I'm not convinced that the last statement is a fact.

If a major company like Xerox can put out a report that they are not graduating educated students anymore, that is a problem.

You simply will have to study this out. Go to a book fair and see what is available. Look at the curriculum. You will get a very good handle on this, if you could see something. There is nothing that we cannot teach.

Bob Jones University and Abeka are excellent companies. I still have the courses I taught in Economics and American Government.

I am very proud of my children. They are doing great! In the midst of all the naysayers we accomplished, in 100% agreement, what we set out to do. Kudos to my mother, who was a braved pioneer!

[jfrog]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

Let me just clarify something here, because this is my soapbox, and I don't want to come off as being unreasonable.

1. I know there are times when public schools are not only necessary, but a blessing. Many children would completely fall through the cracks academically and socially if there was no public school system, because they simply don't have people who care about them at home. Because children are required by law to be educated to a certain level, they are guaranteed a small measure of safety, and at least the opportunity to pursue their dreams. IMO, those opportunities are multiplied many times over in a homeschool.

2. We're the only homeschooling family in our church (now--our pastor and his wife homeschooled their son for a year or two). ALL of my friends are wonderful parents who love their kids and want the best for them. I am not saying that parents who send their kids to public school love them less or want less for them in life. Or that their kids will turn out stupid or unsuccessful! Obviously that's not the case. I do wish some of them would try it, because I feel they would be pleasantly surprised at their children's success and their own proficiency.

Our family made a joint decision (the children were included in the discussion, but didn't have the deciding vote), and it was a good decision that none of us regret. If my husband hadn't been in agreement, we wouldn't be homeschooling. If I weren't willing to teach, we definitely wouldn't be homeschooling.

Thanks for the clarification. By the way you have made me think of it as a viable alternative to public school. Something I hadn't previously done. Sorry if I came off a little too argumentative. Well at first I meant to be. But yall changed my mind pretty fast. But after that I wasn't trying to be. It just struck me as odd that no one was saying "wait a minute, homeschooling is great, but it isn't always the best option". Which I'm sure was just your zeal because of how well it's worked for you. And probably also a little to do with the tone I came into the conversation with...

By the way I was pretty dead set against the idea before. So ya do have a pretty convincing argument

[jfrog]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

Other than a lower than normal IQ? I'm not quite sure. If you have an idea of something that I haven't addressed, please bring it up, because I can't read your mind.

Do you think most people that only graduated high school with a C average (and no college) would be alot better off homeschooling their kids instead of public schooling them?

I'm not really looking to argue on this one cause I can see it either way. I'm just wondering your opinion.

[MissBrattified]

Originally Posted by jfrog

Do you think most people that only graduated high school with a C average (and no college) would be alot better off homeschooling their kids instead of public schooling them?

I'm not really looking to argue on this one cause I can see it either way. I'm just wondering your opinion.

Well, I'm not sure. I think it can be very successful if they use their resources wisely. Obviously a C average in high school doesn't mean a person isn't intelligent or capable. Especially if they graduated from a public school--I've known people who made C's in high school who excelled in college. My husband is one of them--his parents didn't push him to excel in high school, so he didn't. However, in college, he was self-motivated and had a 4.0. So his high school diploma would be deceptive in illustrating his overall intelligence and academic capability.

Because there are so many advantages to homeschool besides having a qualified teacher, I think in most cases with an interested, resourceful parent, it can still be a success.

Quite frankly, there's a difference between an "idiot" and a "C student", jfrog. Or haven't you met any idiots with above average IQ's?

My mother homeschooled me through 8th grade, but at that point she felt overwhelmed with the content, because I was learning things in 8th grade that she didn't learn in high school (in 1947). So my parents put me in private Christian school. I respect her ability to self-assess and determine where her ability to teach me ended. However, there are so many more resources available to homeschoolers today, I'm not sure that would be necessary across the board.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

Let me just clarify something here, because this is my soapbox, and I don't want to come off as being unreasonable.

1. I know there are times when public schools are not only necessary, but a blessing. Many children would completely fall through the cracks academically and socially if there was no public school system, because they simply don't have people who care about them at home. Because children are required by law to be educated to a certain level, they are guaranteed a small measure of safety, and at least the opportunity to pursue their dreams. IMO, those opportunities are multiplied many times over in a homeschool.

2. We're the only homeschooling family in our church (now--our pastor and his wife homeschooled their son for a year or two). ALL of my friends are wonderful parents who love their kids and want the best for them. I am not saying that parents who send their kids to public school love them less or want less for them in life. Or that their kids will turn out stupid or unsuccessful! Obviously that's not the case. I do wish some of them would try it, because I feel they would be pleasantly surprised at their children's success and their own proficiency.
Our family made a joint decision (the children were included in the discussion, but didn't have the deciding vote), and it was a good decision that none of us regret. If my husband hadn't been in agreement, we wouldn't be homeschooling. If I weren't willing to teach, we definitely wouldn't be homeschooling.

This is very true.

I think some Homeschoolers tend to be defiant in their educational choice - and often rightly so, given the battery of garbage they have brought against them. Those who do not Homeschool owe it to themselves and their brethren to withold judgement unless they have the facts.

Our church has many homeschoolers but I have many friends who are fine Christian parents with their kids in the system.

[jfrog]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

Well, I'm not sure. I think it can be very successful if they use their resources wisely. Obviously a C average in high school doesn't mean a person isn't intelligent or capable. Especially if they graduated from a public school--I've known people who made C's in high school who excelled in college. My husband is one of them--his parents didn't push him to excel in high school, so he didn't. However, in college, he was self-motivated and had a 4.0. So his high school diploma would be deceptive in illustrating his overall intelligence and academic capability.

Because there are so many advantages to homeschool besides having a qualified teacher, I think in most cases with an interested, resourceful parent, it can still be a success.

Quite frankly, there's a difference between an "idiot" and a "C student", jfrog. Or haven't you met any idiots with above average IQ's?

My mother homeschooled me through 8th grade, but at that point she felt overwhelmed with the content, because I was learning things in 8th grade that she didn't learn in high school (in 1947). So my parents put me in private Christian school. I respect her ability to self-assess and determine where her ability to teach me ended. However, there are so many more resources available to homeschoolers today, I'm not sure that would be necessary across the board.

I totally agree that gpa is not a perfect level of ones intelligence. There are some C students that could have easily been A students if they had worked harder, and there are some C students that if they hadn't worked as hard would have been F students.

I also agree that as long as the parent is interested and resourceful no matter their gpa or intelligence that homeschooling can still work. However I think the qualities of being interested and resourceful would be just as useful qualities to have for a parent with low intelligence whose child is attending a public high school.

I'm really not as interested in whether that kind of a parent could make homeschooling work. I'm more interested in whether homeschooling with that kind of a parent would be a better option than public school. What do you think?

[jfrog]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

This is very true.

I think some Homeschoolers tend to be defiant in their educational choice - and often rightly so, given the battery of garbage they have brought against them. Those who do not Homeschool owe it to themselves and their brethren to withold judgement unless they have the facts.

Our church has many homeschoolers but I have many friends who are fine Christian parents with their kids in the system.

Well, I think most people would consider homeschooling as something which they don't see any sense in looking at evidence because it is "sooo obvious" that it can't be good. I can't say I blame them for thinking that. So I don't know if I would say they owe it to look into something that just seems so obvious until you have some exposure to it.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by jfrog

Well, I think most people would consider homeschooling as something which they don't see any sense in looking at evidence because it is "sooo obvious" that it can't be good. I can't say I blame them for thinking that. So I don't know if I would say they owe it to look into something that just seems so obvious until you have some exposure to it.

True I suppose for those who have preconceived notions... Still I would like to think many are not pro government ed in this day and age. It seems reasonable to me that most things the federal government delves into can be accomplished better by the private and individual sectors.

I get wearisome of the crazy responses I get when mentioning we homeschool.

"Oh? But they still learn to read and write, don't they?"

"Really? That's nice, but you should let them play and learn with other kids in a real school too..."

"I understand your concern with the school system - I have them too - I just fear you are doing irreparable social damage to those little ones."

It just gets old. Sometimes I respond with something like... "Well, some things are very difficult in homeschooling... like teaching kids to stand in long lines..."

[Nina]

Originally Posted by jfrog

Do you think most people that only graduated high school with a C average (and no college) would be alot better off homeschooling their kids instead of public schooling them?

I'm not really looking to argue on this one cause I can see it either way. I'm just wondering your opinion.

I am a ninth grade dropout.
Got a D in Algebra 1.
My daughter has been homeschooled her entire life.
She entered college last year and her math teacher advised her to major in the subject.
She wants to be a forensic accountant.
I thank God for Saxon Math!


Nina