https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:16:12 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not/page/2#post-1028365 Mon, 19 Aug 2013 04:12:48 +0000 brownie 1028365@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One reason for homeschooling in my state is the number of students in a classroom. I just don't think my child is getting the quality education in classes with over 30 kids to one teacher. Or the fact that my sister taught first grade at a school with one recess (the 20 minutes of lunch yeah they didn't eat). Or having to teach 6 year olds how to fill in bubbles. That just gets worse as they get older. I remember 6th grade PE classes with 45 kids in them. Now those PE classes aren't supervised enough to not have bad things (boys and girls hiding from the teacher) happening. My little brother was labeled a hacker in 4th grade and had a hard time not being the bad kid until high school. Just because he was bigger than most kids. He is the smartest kid I know. </p> <p>My kids are not going to public middle school. They will either be homeschooled or they will be at the local charter school as there are no other secular options and my husband will not consider a religious option. Before and after that will depend greatly on the child, their abilities and their needs. Some of those being ability to socialize.</p> <p>As for my ability to teach, yes I can teach them at least through elementary school and middle school. I couldn't teach 30 elementary students but I can teach between 1 and 3. I can teach through pre calculus math (calculus they would take at the local college), through 8th grade science (with lab classes after that at the local college), I can teach music though my kids will be in suzuki strings anyway so that isn't an issue. They will be doing an art and a sport at all times (after they are 3) so they will be well rounded. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not/page/2#post-1028287 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 23:03:35 +0000 MrsRoo 1028287@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@swedishfish: @joyfulkiwi: Maybe @honeybear lives in a state similar to mine, that doesn't require that much of teachers. I have several friends who, after not being able to find jobs in their fields, took an exam to become certified to teach and immediately got teaching jobs with literally zero training in a classroom setting. They went to some workshops on lesson planning and classroom management. They happen to make great teachers, but after seeing how "easily" they became qualified to teach... homeschooling is on the table for our family as well. If we lived somewhere with better school districts or maybe if I didn't hear all the horror stories my teacher friends come home with, I'd consider public school. As it stands now, we will actively seek out other options for our children's education.</p> <p>***I definitely don't think think that teaching isn't hard! Actually I think the opposite. My original major in college was early childhood education and I quickly got overwhelmed with the responsibility of teaching children. I have lots of respect for qualiy teachers who love what they do and are great at it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not/page/2#post-1028166 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 20:41:38 +0000 swedishfish 1028166@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: I think joyfulkiwi said it better than I could but I am certified to teach History grades 7-12 and my bachelors degree is IN History. My teaching certification is the minor. My Masters degree is in Library Science and, again, the minor was the accompanying teaching certification. I also have over 75 extra post-graduate credits to my name, including my Educational Administrative certifications (both building and district levels). I have spent countless hours student teaching and interning to practice my craft. I'm going into my eighth year of teaching and am flabbergasted by your comments that teaching in and of itself is not hard. It is the most difficult, exhausting and rewarding job I've ever had.</p> <p>ETA -I also have to complete 175 hours of professional development every five years to maintain all of my certifications. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not/page/2#post-1028157 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 20:35:47 +0000 immabeetoo 1028157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't read all the responses, and am not planning on homeschooling but would be open to it if our local public school didn't fit LO's needs or seemed to be boring him. Where we are living now has no secular alternatives. My sister is a teacher and I know several other teachers who are gifted, talented, and also crazy over worked and acknowledge they spend the majority of their time messing with paperwork, being forced to teach to tests, and dealing with overcrowded classrooms. </p> <p>I had the most amazing elementary education that was a TAG program with tons of independent studies and enrichment classes, PE, music, and I firmly believe it had a huge impact on my love of reading and learning. It will depend 100% on where we live and what the schools look like, and our LO's needs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not/page/2#post-1028156 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 20:34:23 +0000 swedishfish 1028156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoyfulKiwi: well said! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not/page/2#post-1028134 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 20:11:41 +0000 sarac 1028134@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoyfulKiwi: @honeybear Yeah, I'm pretty shocked to hear someone suggest that teaching isn't difficult. Teaching is an art, and it takes very, very much skill. And I'm not sure where you live, but in my state, and all the neighboring states, you're required to have either a degree in your specialized subject to teach it, or to pass extensive exams to prove your advanced competence in it. </p> <p>My reasons for considering homeschooling are the inadequacies of the large school district I live in, and the knowledge that both my husband and I were very unsuited to public schools. Neither of us got nearly as much out of them as we might have had we been a in situation that worked better for us. My daughter will be homeschooled until first grade by her grandmother, a retired montessori teacher. After that, we'll see what she wants to do, and how her needs fit into my career goals at that point. But homeschooling/unschooling is firmly on the table. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1028119 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 20:01:18 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 1028119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: I know you weren't trying to hurt anyone's feelings, but I really take offense to your statement "Now I don't mean to be dismissive, but teaching in and of itself is not hard."</p> <p>Teaching is more than "root" knowledge and a caring heart. And I mean that beyond the aspect of trying to teach multiple students at once/time constraints/administration conflicts. I spent 6 years at university, earning two degrees, and many many hours beyond that taking intensive classes on how children's brains develop &amp; how they learn best. I've memorized the skills needed to be able to read and the strategies kids need to have to be critical readers, thinkers, and writers. I know how to reteach and rephrase concepts in a variety of ways for kids who don't understand &amp; I'm able to identify if a child needs more time to develop a skill or if they have a more serious learning challenge. Saying that all there is to teaching - effective teaching - is merely knowing the content is just not true. </p> <p>As for homeschool or not, I don't have very strong opinions on it. It's not an option for our family, because we need two incomes. My experiences have mainly been with parents who have control issues or are trying to "hide" their child from authorities. But I know that many many families and children are homeschooled and go on to thrive in the world. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027973 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 17:54:52 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 1027973@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not- both DH and I work during the day and primarily out of the home.</p> <p>Not- neither of us are trained educators. I don't want to just be a work book facilatators.</p> <p>Not- neither of us are well versed in any particular subject matter except maybe just our professions. I don't want to learn alongside my kid, while I am supposed to know more.</p> <p>Home schooled children have plenty of opportunities to socalize outside of the home through sport teams, Girl Scouts, music lessons, extra curricular activities and community events etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027930 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 17:23:16 +0000 MsMamaBear 1027930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope, I've only taught Pre-K (4yr olds) and 7th and 8th grade Language Arts. Those are the only grades/subjects I'd feel competent enough to teach, well maybe 1st and 2nd too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027926 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 17:22:20 +0000 Boheme 1027926@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think homeschool can be a wonderful option for some families. I have a lot of friends who were homeschooled who are successful, well-adjusted adults. However, I don't feel I possess the skills to successfully homeschool my own children. I feel confident in supplementing their learning and teaching them other things, but I want them to be better at math than I am ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027915 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 17:15:47 +0000 deerylou 1027915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As an educator, I feel relatively competent in my skill set and aptitude to teach my child academic material at home. However, I am also a huge believer in the public school system, and personally favor a traditional, classroom setting.</p> <p>While parents are, by and large, concerned and devoted to the success and well being of their children, I do not believe that every parent is meant to be a teacher. I value our wonderful community of educators, and feel they deserve credit where credit is due. An impressive amount of time, energy, and research goes into becoming a teacher, or education specialist, and I don't think everyone is prepared or suited for the job. </p> <p>Personally, I agree with much of what @yoursilverlining expressed. I don't believe that children are exposed to the same level of diversity (religious, racial, socio-economical) if they are taught in a small, home based setting. I also believe tolerance, exposure, and self sufficiency are better instilled in children taught within more mainstream classroom settings. This is, of course, my own belief, and based on the communities in my own area. Do I know individuals who were homeschooled as adolescents, and grew to be well-rounded, intelligent adults? Most definitely! I just don't think it's the route that will work for our family. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027873 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:40:50 +0000 mrsbookworm 1027873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: I'm not sure where you live, but in NJ, a teacher of a specific subject usually has both an education degree and at least a minor in the subject taught. You have to have a certain number of college credits in that subject to teach it. Also, you must pass both the general Praxis test and the test in your subject matter. So, most specialized teachers are well versed in their subject. That's not to say a biologist doesn't know as much as a biology teacher - I'm sure they do. But, in high school, your biology teacher won't be your instructor in Language Arts. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027858 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:33:11 +0000 honeybear 1027858@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: Every curriculum involves an adult deciding what is in and what is out. There are plenty of excellent materials that are excluded from school curricula simply because of lack of time. And, as something of a compulsive reader of lists, I've looked at the local schools' booklists and have found many things I would exclude in favor of other things. My lists would generally include more classic texts than what I see on contemporary lists.</p> <p>Now I don't mean to be dismissive, but teaching in and of itself is not hard. It requires, at root, a good grasp of the subject and genuine concern for the student(s). I believe all parents have the latter. As to the former, I have noticed that the highest credential held by math and physics teachers at local high schools tends to be a degree in education rather than a degree in math or physics. That does not inspire confidence in a teacher's math competence. And if a teacher does not have an advanced degree that teacher is not apt to be more qualified at teaching math than many parents and is very likely not as qualified as those parents with a math, science, or engineering background or talent.</p> <p>I appreciate the advantage of teaching credentials in a classroom: Classrooms with 15-25 students are a different beast entirely than a tutoring situation, which is what we are talking about when we say "homeschooling," because most families have a handful of children at most. It does take a different set of skills to convey information to a group. It is harder. I don't disagree with those propositions. </p> <p>If a parent is not good at math, that parent should find someone who is good at math to teach that subject. Finding the right person is increasingly easy in the digital age. Moreover, I think too much stock is put into education methodology. I have yet to hear of a teaching method that a thoughtful person would not have figured out if that person knows the subject being taught and genuinely cares for the student(s).</p> <p>As far as the diversity and socializing aspects of school, I think these concepts are in tension in a classroom setting. It is quite possible that greater social diversity would be achieved if more people did homeschooling so that children could genuinely learn different world views. Inevitably, group learning will result in the homogenization of thought to some degree and thus effectively diminish diversity.</p> <p>I think the real issue with homeschooling often is not its benefits but rather whether parents are willing to devote the time and effort that teaching requires. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027814 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:10:46 +0000 sunny 1027814@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: @ninja: I'm excited for future science fairs too! :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027807 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:06:54 +0000 regberadaisy 1027807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I think there are so many different school nowadays catered to different children. that I think if a "traditional" public classroom setting didn't work for my child I would explore specialized schools catered to their needs. Regardless if my child needed something outside of a traditional setting? I would feel even LESS qualified to give them a well rounded education and social development. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027759 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 15:32:47 +0000 ALV91711 1027759@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We would love to homeschool if we are able to. There is a lot more for kids to learn than what are in the textbooks at school. Plus we would be able to tailor their learning (if they needed more help in a subject it is easier to give that or if they are whizzing ahead at another subject they don't have to wait for all the other kids). I wouldn't even think the socialization would be an issue to consider as there are lots of activities kids can be involved in to be around other kids their age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027750 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 15:26:28 +0000 mrsbookworm 1027750@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@arden: It certainly seems like you turned out well! I'm sure it works for some families, I just feel more comfortable with expert educators teaching my child :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027737 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 15:16:04 +0000 Arden 1027737@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'll come back and comment later, but as a homeschooled kid myself I'm a little surprised at the comments about homeschooling kids lacking in social skills, having holes in their learning, etc.<br /> I like to think I turned out pretty well! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027734 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 15:11:17 +0000 mrsbookworm 1027734@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I take my child to a dr for medical needs, a dentist to take care of his teeth, a stylist to get his hair cut and I want a qualified teacher to take care of his educational needs. I know he'll learn from me - I'm his mother, but he also need to have experts in other subject areas expose him to their specialties. I plan to stay involved in his education, but I don't want to wholly responsible for it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027728 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 15:07:29 +0000 ninja 1027728@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: oh yes! I'm already excited for future science fairs! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027719 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:57:55 +0000 allison 1027719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm sure it's not like this everywhere, but I've recently (like, yesterday!) done some research and there's a huge homeschooling network where I live. Lots of different organizations offer various classes, so even though it's called HOMEschooling, not everything is done at home. I probably will only homeschool through elementary school, but I feel like, here, my LO would be exposed to more learning opportunities and real-world problem solving than if he goes to a school and sits in a desk for 8 hours a day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027710 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:53:14 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1027710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ninja: science. I've got them covered. I wonder if we could cook up some PCR in our kitchen and then run some gels? Music? Not so much! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027705 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:50:42 +0000 ninja 1027705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: you are spot on with how I view it. </p> <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I hear ya! If they are going to learn another language or art appreciation, they better go to school! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027703 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:48:19 +0000 lilteacherbee 1027703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@char54: Totally agree. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027685 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:34:12 +0000 daniellemybelle 1027685@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would consider it for up to 3rd grade if we lived in a terrible school district and had no other options. But I don't think it's ideal. I prefer the socialization school provides, and I think there are more diverse learning opportunities than I can give. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027684 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:30:55 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1027684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not patient, I'm not trained and I don't have the time to name a few of the issues. I also plan to send our girls to schools that teach subjects that I suck at such as Spanish, music and arts :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027683 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:30:54 +0000 oliviaoblivia 1027683@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Neither I, nor my husband are experts in all fields so I wouldn't feel qualified to teach beyond elementary school. I do think the social aspect of school is very important for development.<br /> Of the homeschooled kids I've met IRL I've been consistently surprised by the holes in their learning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027679 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:24:51 +0000 sunny 1027679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: I think those are big reasons why I will not homeschool too! In our social life, there are people that I just don't jive with for whatever reason. Our LO would never get exposed to those types of people... but I do think its important to get exposed to all kinds of people, beliefs, values, etc.! </p> <p>@char54: Yes I definitely don't feel qualified to homeschool because I'm not a professional teacher like you! As you mentioned, there is so much pedagogy involved. Even though I may know the material, I may not know HOW to teach it. I definitely don't have the experience of having taught 100s of children. I know from my own job, I have gotten better at interviewing candidates because I have done it so many times and I know what to do and what not to do. </p> <p>@Rainbow Sprinkles: That's awesome that you had such a great experience with homeschooling! I was reading your post on the other thread and it sounds like it was really positive for you and your family. Did you find it to be a huge adjustment going to University and having so many other students in your classes? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027673 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:18:12 +0000 twinmama 1027673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wasn't homeschooled but my parents were very active in my education in my hours at home, and supplemented my learning quite a bit. This is how I hope to be with my kids, rather than homeschooling.</p> <p>I have been well educated in the sciences and feel like I can benefit our community best by pursuing that career. Others have been educated in childhood education and development and I feel like my kids will benefit from them in ways that exceed what I can provide. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/homeschooling-why-or-why-not#post-1027587 Sun, 18 Aug 2013 12:56:39 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 1027587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know what my parents' motivations were in homeschooling me. but I'm glad they did.<br /> I got a full-ride academic scholarship to university my last three years of school....I am curious as to whether or not that would have happened if I went to the public school in the district in which we lived. </p>