I agree.

But I know there are some people who feel that they can give their children a better education, or who feel that schools can be a bad influence on their children – because of overcrowding, violence or drugs.

There are sometimes religious reasons for home schooling, too.

There’s a woman who just gave birth to her 17th child – and she home schools her kids. She was on the news recently.

I guess it beats packing 17 lunch boxes (lol)

Here’s the link

ttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20097968/

I homeschooled my two girls for two years, but I would guess you wouldn’t find my reasoning worthwhile.

They were attending public school and were the only children of their ethnic group in their classes. They were discriminated against regularly by the other children and made no emotional connections (read that to be friendships). Then one day, a boy in my older daughter’s second grade class threatened to stab her “with a very sharp pencil.” She told the teacher and the teacher simply moved the child to the other side of the classroom. About an hour later, I was joining my daughter in the emergency room as they determined just how much damage was caused by a pencil having been driven three inches into her 8 year old chest.

I found the mental fortitude to teach my children to be less stressing than wondering what was going to happen every time I sent them out the door to school.

Financially: I changed my work hours and would work from midnight to 8am so I could spend the day with my girls and give them the care they deserved.

No interaction with other people your age for 12 years? You certainly are sheltered. I became a girl scout troop leader and made sure my girls were part of after school programs at the library, as well as community sports leagues and karate, etc.

Once I was financially able to relocate, I bought a new house someplace where the school system was better and the girls are now back in public schools (although they were both placed a full grade ahead of their age because their education had been accelerated when I was teaching to their ability instead of to the ability of the lowest achieving student in their class).

Perhaps the better question for you is – what reasons for homeschooling and “sheltering” (such as making sure the kids are involved in all the normal after school activities, since by law – at least in my state – the schools have to open the activities to homeschoolers) your kids is “legit”?

There are so many ways to homeschool without having to spend a lot of money. Some people use the workbooks from their local library. Some people homeschool through Online Public Schools. www.flvs.net is an online middle and high school that is from the government.

Some people send their kids to private schools and they pay A Lot of money for their kids school and they don’t even teach them. They are paying other people to teach their children.

You really shouldn’t talk bad about something you really don’t know anything about.

If you were sick and could not physically go to school, you would be homeschooled.

Also, there are many homeschool groups that get together and do fun things with their kids, like taking advantage the public library, museums, and even parks.

Most people go to college, right. Well, that is one way of getting into a financial mess. $30,000 + for a college education, that’s a lot of money. Did you know that you can also homeschool some college courses at the age of 16. Most homeschoolers are done with high school at 16 and attend a Jr. College. By the time they are 18 they have already finished high school and have an associate degree. Some homeschool kids finish associate degrees in 1 year or less.

Did you know that a lot of people that already have families, yet still want to further their career will turn to homeschooling?! It’s true. Colleges like Penn Foster www.pennfoster.edu offer courses through correspondence because they know that these people will not be able to attend a physical school. Penn Foster offers college courses at really great prices. You won’t spend more than $1,000 of a full course that even includes books. A regular college or university will not include books for $30,000 year tuition.

So please, before you go on ranting about how homeschooling is a waist, think about every aspect of it.

Homeschooling does not require alot of money. Actually in some states you can do so completely free of charge. This choice is not for everyone, but this is my job, doing what is best for my children. I enjoy it, most days.

My children have interaction with kids their own age, and with many people of all ages. As a matter of fact, my 3 year old can engage just about anyone who will listen in a conversation, yet she will run and play at the park with all the other kids. When she is older we will make a point to involve her in sports and activities not only for the skill and education but for the social aspect.

My children are not sheltered. They have the world at their disposal. Public school kids have whatever the teacher thinks is appropriate to learn that day. PS students are told when to talk, when to eat, and need to ask to do bodily functions. Just the other night at dinner, after only 2 days at preschool, my DD actually raised her hand to speak!

If it were illegal to HS who would determine what was a ‘legit’ reason? We all have ‘legit’ reasons to do so. They are real and have meaning to us. That is why we chose to homeschool.

The curriculum combination I have chosen plus other materials comes to about $500 a year and it is well worth the money. When she reaches high school the expenses will increase, but I can think of no better use for my money.

As far as I am concerned I could make no better use of my time than to make sure that my daughter has the education, social skills, and values that will help her through life. It is a full time job and while I could delegate some of that responsibility; I am ultimately responsible for what she is taught spiritually, socially, and academically.

I am not going to go into the whole thing about why socialization is not a problem and all the opportunities that homeschoolers have for interaction with other kids their age.

Here are the reasons I choose homeschool:

10 Reasons to Homeschool

1. To ensure that the child(ren) involved are exposed to the right values.

2. Homeschoolers generally receive a better academic education

3. Parents can control what their kids are exposed to and when.

4. Homeschoolers generally have better social skills than their traditionally schooled peers (mostly because parents are there to help with social problems as they arise)

5. Homeschoolers are less likely to exclude others because of differences; creating a more productive environment for a socially awkward child to build social skills.

6. Homeschoolers have closer relationships with their parents

7. Homeschoolers are less likely to have behavioral problems

8. The symptoms of many learning and developmental disabilities (such as Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD) become significantly more mild and in some cases disappear altogether when the kids are switched from a classroom setting to homeschool.

9. Home schooling works around your family’s schedule rather than the family having to work their lives around a schools schedule.

10. Many Universities (including most of the ivy leagues) actively seek out home school graduates and some have offices for which the sole purpose is to meet the needs of home school graduates.

We homeschooled our grown children because we saw the lack of a good education when we moved to the Chicago area. It’s not really that expensive when used curriculum is available. I sell my previous books and often buy used ones. Not having interaction with other children their age is not as bad as you might think, although there are many homeschooling groups in most areas. If you’re confused and trying to find answers, do you think it would be better to go to another child your age or an adult who has some answers from experience? I still homeschool an 11-year old who we adopted from foster care. He did not do well in the public school because he is easily distracted. Did you know most children who are homeschooled actually do better in testing than public schooled students? It’s kind of like having a tutor who makes you do the work so you do learn more. It just makes sense.

Do you imagine homeschoolers keep their kids locked up in the house 24/7 for 18 years?? If so, you are incorrect. My kids get out each and every day, for several hours, to be with people their own age. I have made sure of this, as I know they need to be among peers. I do not think, however, that their peers are the best role-models for them.

My reasons are perfectly legit. I am their parent and I have made a choice for educations, a choice among thousands of other choices I have made on their behalf.

What is insane is that people are so anxious to have kids, and then spend the next 18 years trying to get rid of them. No thank you. When I became a mother, I became dedicated to my children, to their emotional and physical well-being, and to their educational needs. My sanity is perfectly intact, and I enjoy every minute I get to spend with my children. I have happily sacrificed a second income in order to facilitate this, and I have never regretted it. What is money compared with the time I have with my family, after all…

Well to start with your first question…why…I home school my kids because they actually enjoy it. They learn all the same stuff as you do at public school only they don’t have to go to school all day. They do school maybe 2-3 hours a day tops. I also home school because I prefer it also. My kids are actually farther academically than most kids their age.

I find the time because I am totally blessed to get to be a stay at home mom.

And as far as the interaction with other piers, my kids get the opportunity! They do everything extra curricular like any other kid. They take dance, do sports, go to friends houses, have friends over, and all the “normal” stuff that “normal” kids do.

Yes, there are those who home school their kids and the kids turn out rather eccentric, but that all comes down to how you choose to home school and how you allow them to actually interact. Yes, people skills and learning how to interact with others their age is VERY important!!! It is just as important as their education, but just because the stereotype for homeschooling is that the kids turn out weird and don’t know how to relate to others their age doesn’t make that true for all homeschoolers. One mold does not fit all!

Also homeschooling is not meant for everyone. For you it might not be right and that is o.k., but for those that it is right that needs to be o.k. also.

Did you know that there are numerous famous people that homeschool or have homeschooled? In fact most if not just about all of child stars or anyone that you see 18 or younger that is an actor or actress, they homeschool or have homeschooled when they were that age.

Wow! You seem very UNIFORMED on the subject of homeschooling. You should RESEARCH before you voice on what your beliefs are.

Homeschooled children are usually very socially interactive with other children their age…homeschool groups, sports, church, 4H, clubs, and just living in neighborhoods. They are no more sheltered than any public schoolgoer unless you mean that they don’t have bomb threats or gun shootings at their homeschoolings! They don’t have the stress of waiting on the teacher to calm all the other students before a lesson can go on. They aren’t being challenged enough because the teacher has 20 students that range from very slow mentally to extremely gifted mentally and the teacher has to reach all of them. They don’t have to wait in lines. They get done in 2 1/2 hours what public school goers accomplish in 6 or 7.

You are obviously pretty ignorant if you think it should be illegal. My kids are home schooled in 2nd grade and kindergarten. I home school by being a stay at home mom. My husband works full time and we put away for the curriculum every month it cost us about 40 a month. Our kids are not sheltered they are around kids their ages all the time through a homeschooling group of 600 families in our area they do co-op PE and go on field trips with the home school group. Our reason for doing it is our religious views, we believe kids should be taught both Creation and the theory of evolution and in public schools they are not, violence in the schools even in the lower grades my oldest was assaulted 3 times on the bus and pushed around at school. As for the legal aspect of this lets see we are backed by hslda which looks to protect our rights as parents to give our kids a home education! Look it up hslda.org

When I was in public school I got offered drugs everyday, got offered alcohol every weekend, and started smoking.

Luckily I was smart enough to turn down the drugs and alcohol, but having 6 people say “come on 1 cigarette won’t hurt” everyday for a year, you finally just give up and try it.

There is nothing but bad influences at public schools, I have seen kids have straight A’s from K-8, then when they hit high school they go downhill and eventually drop out.

Where do people get the thought that homeschooling is so bad, and public school is so great, I have talked to countless priests, pastors, sheikhs, and rabbis that all say public schools are HORRIBLE.

The big socialism thing is pretty much the only thing people have against homeschooling nowadays, I think. I may be very unsocial but you know where I got so unsocial? Public school, I was teased and treated bad every single day, and never felt worth anything, so public school caused my anti social feelings, and now I am happy only conversing with 1-2 people that treat me well, not with 50+ people that treat me bad.

Before someone says “well you can’t be anti social forever, blah blah”, I am only anti social towards immature people that are my age, I am fine around mature adults..