A good friend of mine recently posted a blog on Myspace.com, debating the value of homeschooling her children vs. sending them to school. I attended public school in Florida, where the state regularly cut any funding that managed to sneak it's way into the system. I also got beat up both physically and emotionally on a regular basis by my wonderful peers, until I outgrew them, on both levels. So I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the subject.
I attended public school, and I are parfectly socialamized....
Don't buy the hype. Public school is a relatively recent invention of society, and I think we've all seen how well it educates the populace, teaches them proper values, appreciation for your fellow man, etc. In fact, I think a large portion of the degradation of today's society can be traced to the exact point that we started turning over the education of our children to the state. "Lord of the Flies" is an optimistic point of view, from my experience.
Not that the old system was that much better: "Boy, you ain't got time fer no book larnin' while the crops ain't been picked yet..."
I think you could do worse than to take charge of your children's education. Alot worse. But it is also true that you have to wean your children at some point, and get them to interact with other children, and then society at large. And it won't necessarily be a pretty experience. But it is a necessary one. And your children can only benefit from different teachers, because some may have more talent and knowledge than you in certain subjects. Some will be much worse though, and will teach to the level of the class, instead of the genius of your children, who will become frustrated and bored. It's up to you to figure out the best way to balance it all.
My advice, to those mothers who have both the luxury of staying at home and the determination, creativity and intelligence to be a good home school teacher is this: keep your children at home for the first several years, till maybe 4th-6th grade? They aren't going to miss much, and those years are when the worst habits will get beaten into their brains in public school. Don't turn them over to the government until they have the mental skills necessary to defend themselves...
I attended public school, and I are parfectly socialamized....
Don't buy the hype. Public school is a relatively recent invention of society, and I think we've all seen how well it educates the populace, teaches them proper values, appreciation for your fellow man, etc. In fact, I think a large portion of the degradation of today's society can be traced to the exact point that we started turning over the education of our children to the state. "Lord of the Flies" is an optimistic point of view, from my experience.
Not that the old system was that much better: "Boy, you ain't got time fer no book larnin' while the crops ain't been picked yet..."
I think you could do worse than to take charge of your children's education. Alot worse. But it is also true that you have to wean your children at some point, and get them to interact with other children, and then society at large. And it won't necessarily be a pretty experience. But it is a necessary one. And your children can only benefit from different teachers, because some may have more talent and knowledge than you in certain subjects. Some will be much worse though, and will teach to the level of the class, instead of the genius of your children, who will become frustrated and bored. It's up to you to figure out the best way to balance it all.
My advice, to those mothers who have both the luxury of staying at home and the determination, creativity and intelligence to be a good home school teacher is this: keep your children at home for the first several years, till maybe 4th-6th grade? They aren't going to miss much, and those years are when the worst habits will get beaten into their brains in public school. Don't turn them over to the government until they have the mental skills necessary to defend themselves...
unravled:
My feeling is that 7th through 9th grade is the worst time of any person's childhood. Public school is important in teaching socialization, but too many people use it to the exclusion of teaching their own children, rather than an extension. Public schools are doing the best that they can with what they've been given. Which is less and less since Bush has been in office.