Giving Homeschooled Students Wings
The goal of every parent should be creating an independent adult capable of thinking for themselves and taking care of themselves. So how do homeschool parents teach their children to be independent.
- We teach them to think for themselves. To critically analyze information. Where did the information come from? Is the source biased? And to do research before forming an opinion.
- We allow our children to make many decisions on their own. And reap the consequences of their decisions.
- We encourage our children to follow their dreams, and to work toward their goals.
- When our children are old enough we encourage them to work outside the home.
- We teach our children to manage their money wisely and to save for big purchases.
Some critics of homeschooling who failed to do their research lament that homeschoolers do not participate on sports teams. Nothing could be further from the truth.
rhowardlee wrote: 8h 27m ago
Teaching children right from wrong and instilling family values is the responsibility of the parents.
Well at least we agree on something.
Teaching reading, writing and arithmatic is the responsibility of teachers.
Why? Parents are perfectly capable of teaching their children reading, writing and arithmetic.
The average homeschooled child receives many benefits, from one-on-one tutoring to more efficient study time to closer family bonds. Homeschoolers are well-socialized and thoroughly prepared for the "real world," easily gaining employment and entrance to colleges. Also homeschoolers excel academically, scoring above the national average on college entrance exams and earning merit scholarships.
The biggest disadvantge of home-schooled individuals is the lack of social integration. They miss out on team sports and can't learn about school spirit.
This is the most ignorant nonsense I have ever heard. First of all many of the large homeschool groups have their own sports teams, other homeschoolers participate in recreational sports leagues in their communities. Homeschoolers do not miss out on team sports (Perhaps rhowardlee should do some research on homeschooling before making absurd statements about homeschoolers). But more to the point I thought children were sent to school to get an education not play sports.
Learning to feel a part of something is a necessary part of growing into mature adults. If they cannot experience that in an environment of public education, they will that experience elsewhere, possibly in a hostile environment.
Homeschoolers have many opportunities to feel "a part of something". They are "a part of" their families. Family members work together and support one another. They are "a part of" the communities they live in, where they often volunteer their time. Lord Epa and I recently helped set up for a political forum in our community. They are "a part of" various organizations - homeschool groups, scouts, recreational sports teams, 4-H, etc. Attending public school is not the only way to be "a part of" something.
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