It also means that people just assume that ages 6-18 are not spent in the real world and that school must be the place to prepare for this future real world experience because that’s what they’ve been told all their lives (they’re in school to prepare themselves for the real/adult world). It’s a shame they don’t realize how much the real world isn’t some future time to live, but here and now and all around us.

As I’ve said more than once, there’s too much life to live for a child to be stuck in a desk most of the day!

Yes, they aren’t. That’s a small part of why I hs.

But there are plenty of schools who have ‘zero tolerance’ policies for bullying/gang activity/drugs/etc, which would seem to indicate to me that constant exposure to this type of thing is NOT in a child’s best interest.

Children learn what they live. If they spend most of their waking hours in a social environment that has so much negative about it, then YES they will live to exist that way and will consider it normal. But why would I want this for my kids??

My kids are FAR MORE COMPETENT than others their ages that go to school. [Let’s not even talk about how far ahead they are educationally.] My daughter can’t drive; she’s not old enough for 3 more years; but she can competently run a household in every other way. My son is 11 and isn’t a very good cook yet, but can do most other things. They both manage their money wisely. They are respectful and are hard workers. Do you think their future employers would consider them prepared for the real world? I think they will.

I know so many ps students who are completely unprepared. A few days ago I was in a fast-food place with a HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR, and she told me she had two dollars and some change, and wanted to know if she had enough money for a soda that was $1.39 + tax. Is this child prepared for the real world? Not at all. She is smart, too, so it is a shame that her education has been wasted. There are so many ps teens I know that I look at them and even though I like these kids as people, I wonder what in the world they will be capable of doing once they graduate. They are not college material because they can’t write/spell/do basic math [unless colleges have been dumbed down too, or unless they start with the bonehead courses]. They will have a hard time working at a fast food restaurant. What will be out there for them? I am saying this with great concern, and I don’t have any answers here.

I wonder when the real world became small enough to stuff into a classroom?

The last time I checked, I live on planet Earth and so do my children, I have yet to find any alternate realities or mystic lands like Narnia. I live in the real world with my children and we experience it every day.

Homeschoolers end up holding jobs and functioning in society all the time, I’ve never really understood this question.

Well, I guess I sort of know what people mean when they ask it. They picture our kids sitting at home and never relating to anyone besides their parents or a very small group of people with the same beliefs. This isn’t my family’s way of homeschooling though, so I think the question really stems from a misconception of how most homeschoolers live.

But…

I was wondering if it was actually possible to be “prepared for the real world”?

What do you tell an 18 year old kid when he asks, “Now what?”

I find that the “traditional education” (in the states anyway) is inadequate, over emphasized, over priced, manipulative, misguiding, and for the majority of it’s students, completely useless with respect to your above mentioned “phrase”.

Do you feel you are ready?

As home schoolers our children receive academics combined with living daily life without being in an artificial environment (schools) that tries to mimic real life.

Since our children have the opportunity to participate in every part of life from shopping to learning how a household runs daily, go to work with, or shadow a parent at work, and help with a home based or small business.

They can participate in volunteer activities that are done during the day rather than only those open to after school hours.

Most finish a high school program in about 24 months, they may use the traditional 4 years if they work, or have many outside activities.

We can go on for a while, but you get the idea,

They are much more self directed, independent, and prepared since they have the opportunity to practice what they learn.

Edit, for sarah may.

For one I do have experience with public, and private schools before going to home schooling full time.

Trust me we disagree; my husband has a Masters in Education as well, home schooling is the better choice for many.

Just in recent weeks several employers have contacted us, and asked if we would place job announcements on our site, because they preferred home schooled teens/young adult because they have found them to be more reliable, and competent independent workers.

So much for the argument of being not being properly prepared, or living in a “bubble”.

If you were sheltered while you were homeschooled it was probably your parent’s fault. Don’t blame homeschooling. I was home-schooled for 8 years and I know many people who are home-schooled. (I now go to Public School for my own reasons) They are not sheltered at all, and I wasn’t either. My mom took me to many extra-curricular activities and field trips that I enjoyed very much.

Could people realize that home-schooled people are normal people too. Normally they are pretty intelligent!

Homeschooled kids fortunately do not often get immersed in that version of the world, whereas school kids do, and very early on.

Homeschooled kids are indeed in the real world, everyday, and they see, as we do, that it does not need to be like we are trained to think it is. How can we ever make the world a better place if we simply follow along with the crowd? 🙂