Home School Questions

[Siberian Husky]

My gf is interested in home schooling for various reasons...ANYWAYS...i noticed some people on this forum have been homeschooled and i have a couple questions

how does it work?


how much does it cost?

does it look back on college transcript/college app.?

how is the education compared to public high school education?

any other information would be awesome

[Aniam]

I was homeschooled from the beginning all the way through highschool. The only 'real' teachers we had were for language and music. We also had activities 'out of the home' like sports and dance. So, I'll try to answer your questions...

how does it work?

One of the great things about homeschooling is that this is up to you. Some families follow a curriculum, so mix several together, some don't use one at all. Often one parent or both is very involved in teaching at the beginning, but as the kids advance they do more and more on their own. When we were little our mom taught us the basics of reading, writing, math, etc., and then when we got a little older we pretty much schooled ourselves. We had to study something in each subject (history, science, etc.) but what we studied was pretty much up to us. We had a lot of freedom over what we did. The big advantage of this was that it taught self motivation and discipline. We learned to learn on our own. And what's more, we liked to learn (well, mostly - I never warmed up to science). We could also focus on things that interested us. My brother liked math while I loved to write. And homeschooling = no homework, leaving us with lots of free time to develop our interests.

The lack of curriculum worked pretty well on the whole, though it did better with my brother than with me. He has a good well-rounded education and though he focused on computers, science and math, he also knows a lot about history and literature. I'm much more one-sided. Science, for instance, always fell victim to my piano practicing schedule. I like literature and languagues, but have already forgotten a lot of the math I knew (despite being pretty good at it.) But if you have stricter requirements (or are better at chivvying the student along) then you could probably insure a broader education.

how much does it cost?

My parents never really shared the financial side of it with, me. Sorry...

does it look back on college transcript/college app.?

'Look back'? You mean, how does it look? I think some colleges are friendlier to homeschoolers than others, but often it can give you a little boost for still being a tad unusual. You often have to take extra SAT2s though, and it can be a bit harder getting a highschool transcript together.

how is the education compared to public high school education?

Well, I never went to public school, so I dunno. My siblings and I always scored well on those stupid standardized tests, but that doesn't mean anything. It's always been my vauge impression that public schools don't teach you to think for yourself as well as homeschooling does, but that's a totally biased opinion.

any other information would be awesome

Some people think that homeschoolers can't 'socialize' or that they're too 'isolated'. I would say homeschooling does tend to shelter a kid, but it can also give those much touted 'social skills' homeschoolers are supposed to be without. If you're homeschooled you interact with adults a lot (especially your parents) which gives you a more mature way of interacting with people in general.

Homeschooling can be a bit isolating, which is why it's important to have activities outside of home. Sports, art, homeschool groups, whatever. Some homeschooled students will take a class or two at a regular school or community college (if they're older). The only time I found homeschooling to 'cut me off from the world', so to speak, was when I was living in a neighborhood where I hardly knew anyone and when I also didn't have any activities to attend outside of the house. Now that was kinda lonely. But imminently avoidable, with a little effort.

Homeschooling is legal now and all, but there's a very useful organization called the Home School Legal Defense Association which is good to belong to just in case.

In general, I think homeschooling can really develop you as a person, and it gives you a lot of control over your own or your kids education. A bit of an overstatement maybe, but I would say you can 'do whatever you want', only in a good way. 

[Aniam]

Oh man, that was long...

...I'm too long-winded.

[wintervind]

My gf is interested in home schooling for various reasons...ANYWAYS...i noticed some people on this forum have been homeschooled and i have a couple questions

how does it work?


how much does it cost?

does it look back on college transcript/college app.?

how is the education compared to public high school education?

any other information would be awesome

I was homeschooled until my senior year of highschool. I can only give you my perspective and my parents, who forced this on me, would give you another.
My advice is to be very attentive to the requirements of Universities and such if your children have a desire to go on to higher education.This was a huge difficulty for me when i tried to go to college at 18(mine didn''t care about any real education). With only one year of traditional highschool the admissions board didn't take me seriously (now I showed them by eventually graduating from their university with honors in piano performance of course!)

If  your children really are willing to be homeschooled I would encourage it especially if it is done the right way. I would love to read some responces from those who have has a good experience.
 
I feel the need to express to you the problems and hardships that I associate with parents who push their own agenda upon their children. I am the luckly one of my family as I had the drive to educate my self. My younger sister on the other hand, never recieved a highschool equivilant and struggles with self-esteem issues because of her education.
 Please consider these things as I still struggle with forgiving my parents for their rash decision that seriously affected my life.

[pianonut]

i appreciate wintervind's honest evaluation of his experiences and how he advanced quickly according to his desire to further his education.

as a mom, i was not the least interested in taking on one more thing to do until my son didn't learn to read in kindergarten/first grade.  he was slower than some of the other kids and i thought that 'oh, he'll just pick it up.'  despite my reading to him after school and before bed and dilligently doing homework.  i decided to start homeschool in first grade and successfully taught him to read using phonics method combined with newer reading comprehension workbooks from continental press (really great books there).  i have a ton of books in my basement that i have found to be really helpful.  one is an in depth phonics approach that takes five letters a week (one vowel four consonants).

if you are interested i'll explain the reading approach more.  also, i have homeschool groups in california (there are many in pennsylvania, too).  i would advise looking into state requirements and making sure they are fulfilled by joining a 'home school' where you have meetings with the head teacher and get advisement along the way.  my daughter i homeschooled for kindergarten.  she knew how to read BEFORE first grade. she is a straight-A student (and has been since first grade).  reading, to me is the best thing you can give your child.  if they know how to read, then you can put them back into school (or if you are concerned about bullying, and school problems - you can keep on homeschooling)  some areas have better school districts than others.

the memories i have of direct influence and working with my children are some of the best!  i plan to start teaching my three year old this summer to read.  i suppose you could teach note reading too, a little bit at a time.  scholastic has some neat books called 'bob books' that are helpful, too.  they use the same approach as above with taking combinations of letters (first learning to write letters alone - then combining them with other letters - making real words and nonsense words).  you basically say the sounds - and ask 'can you write the letter that sounds like 'aaah.'  then combine two letters ' can you write the word that sounds like 'buh aaah.'  then three letters, and so on.  for kindergarten, three letter combos are good.

[pianonut]

home school legal defense association
po box 3000
purcellville, va 20134

i will look for some great homeschool books i found, too.

ps.  i actually went back to get my CBEST test - so that i could prove that my skills as an elementary teacher (of my own children) was good.  also, i've taken tutoring classes at community college (as well as getting bachelor's degree in music before children).  you don't HAVE to do all of this and i found many mom's in the homeschool group with just a highschool diploma that had very good smarts about how to teach young children.  i think this changes @3rd grade.  if i were advising someone without a more advanced degree, i would say - take them to second or third grade with homeschool and then put them back into public.  they might be ahead! 

and, if you are not skilled (say in science) there are many many public school teachers that tutor after school.  you can find some who are positive toward homeschool and just have them come over a couple of days per week when you do science, or go to their labs.

[Siberian Husky]

i really do appreciate alll of your responses...

allow me to give you the real reason why she wants to do homeschooling...

shes having a terrible time coping with her peers...she is tormented by many...and is very good at minding her own business and being mature about things like this by ignoring people's negative opinions about her...its relaly rediculous why they dont like her...its just one of those things where shes not "cool" enough because she doesnt party drink smoke etc etc...but lately..its just been too overwhelming for her..she needs a new environment and her grades and slipping FAST..and i know its been bothering her lately more than ever...

so about the whole home school idea...im not worried about her not being able to intake the propper material or information...my ONLY concern is...how will this look on her college transcript?..is it bad?...

[Aniam]

My understanding from hearsay is that if you do well in your SATs and can show you've been learning and challenging yourself through homeschooling, then it can actually be a plus. However, I'd ask here if I were you:

https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/

It's a college information message board, and there are quite a few parents and kids there who do homeschooling and can fill you in on how it affects college applications. My own experience is very limited. I just know my brother was homeschooled all his life and he still got into a good college. 

[lagin]

Hey, I started homeschooling for the exact same reason.  Peers picking on me because I wasn't "cool" enough.  I don't regret it at all.  I did ACE (accelerated christian education).  I'm in Canada, but I got my material from the States.  I'm not bragging, just encouraging you, but when I did my SAT I was in the top ninety-five percentile in the reading section. 

It's totally changed how I structure my life.  I had to set goals for myself each day, based on what I could handle and the amount of work that needed to be done each term.  Now I find that everyone comments on my organization skills.  I could take a day off when I needed it, and got to do lots of cool stuff with my mom.  I even finished school at sixteen because I did a little extra each year, and got a year and a bit ahead. 

I haven't tried to apply to any colleges, but I would think that SAT scores would be convincing enough.  I'm not sure about this, though.  I could let you know in some time, but I'm not planning to go to college until after I get my piano performance and teacher diplomas, and that could take a few years yet at least.  Anyway, that's my 2 cents .

[pianonut]

sorry to have misunderstood who the homeschooling was for.  your girlfriend.  if i were her mom, i'd say, stick with it (public).  it's only a few more years (or one year).  it's expensive to pick up all the classes you do in highschool (especially since your parents already pay for them in taxes).  why pay twice? start in college doing what you like.  don't risk not getting your diploma on time - because there can be delays with homeschoolers on the requirements issues.

no matter what environment you are in, you can get by.  some work situations are not ideal either.  sometimes people make things difficult, but it's not them who decides your response.  if you are easy going and just let it roll off your shoulders, a problem that appears today - might help you develop a strength you can use to deal with others later.  isolation just makes it easier for you to do everything your own way - it seems easier, but not very realistic in learning how to communicate effectively. 

[pianonut]

in rereading lagins reply to your question, i guess that it is possible to graduate in time and if you are self-motivated it might solve some problems if they are really big problems and not just minor annoyances.

it seems like in the business world you need contacts.  so, if you do homeschooling, i would think you would want to be part of a larger organization for a sport, or music, or something so you can get out and do things with others, too, and not be too stuck at home.  i've heard that sometimes you can get a head start at community colleges (offer classes to people 13 and over at some) and you would have some credits ahead of you to show for college entrance (and grades posted). 

[keys]

Hey,

I was homeschooled right through to grade twelve. My family started homeschooling because the bus ride to school would’ve been like 45 minutes long and my mom didn’t want to put a five-year-old through that. We just went one year at a time after that.

I absolutely recommend homeschooling. I’m from Canada, and I took a standardized test when I was 12 or 13 and found out I had already graduated by their standards. I don’t think I would’ve excelled in music if I had been forced to go to school for another six years.  A lot of Universities in Canada are about thirty years behind universities in the United States when it comes to homeschool admissions. I took three SAT II tests and the subject test, had graduated early, had my Associates of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and one of the universities I talked to told me I had the same standing as a high school drop-out.  It’s blatant discrimination. Thankfully I was accepted into every other university in Canada I applied to, and received a $20,000 academic scholarship from one based on my high SAT scores. Ahhh sweet revenge.

The whole socialization “issue” is a joke. It’s not true. I have a much larger social circle then my public schooled friends. Public School takes up a huge amount of time, and many children have to limit their social circle strictly to school friends. I’m surprised that it keeps coming back to the “what about socialization?” Question. I’ve never had a problem with socializing. As far as I can tell, when you're in public school, what they refer to as "socializing" morphs into "peer pressure" after grade seven.

[greyrune]

It's wicked to hear all these people with such good things to say about home schooling.  I have to give the other side though.  I was home schooled for the whole of primary school and in retrospect it was a great idea.  I was far ahead of the school system i later went into as i think most home schooled students are.  However i did suffer socially.  I was around my mum most of the time and while i did have friends - I went to tennis lessons and camps and so on - i was never a particularly social person.  When i went into the school system i was completely out of my depth, was bullied, and spent a period of about six months pretty depressed.  I changed schools two years later and kind of reinvented myself as less of a "loser".  This was slightly better though i wasn't being me.  It wasn't until the second year in my school after that (my parents moved around a lot) that i finally worked out that not pretending is by far the best way, and i was fine.

Looking back on it i'm glad i went through all that as it made basically a decent person(at least i think so) but without the opportunity of starting afresh a couple of times i don't know what would have happened.  I don't think i'd put anyone else through what i did.  As for your girlfriend i'd say definately stick with school.  Yeah it's filled with arseholes but everywhere in the world is and you have to learn to deal with them sometime.  She can have fun in college, everyone does.