A Homeschoolers Realizations about College...

[dairyfreelife]

I went to public school K-12 and graduated high school with a 3.5 GPA and thought I was pretty awesome. Then I met a big group of homeschoolers and that was when I met fourteen year old kids who knew more about calculus than I ever knew. They also knew more languages. I was just encouraged to learn Mexican Spanish because we were in California and then I got into the real world and found out that Mexican Spanish is as useful as Appalachian English.

It is true that I knew about things the homeschool kids don't know about. I knew how to snort Ritalin, how to roll a joint, how to shotgun a beer, and I knew lots of other things they didn't know.

The big thing is that last month we had three college kids graduating from different schools and all three of them were valedictorians.

I know there are lots of homeschool kids who have it too easy, but they are not all of the homeschool kids just like not all public school kids get cheated on an education. It is REALLY bigoted either way to assume that a few bad example represent millions of other kids.

This is the same bullshit I hear from most public schooled parents who homeschool their children. I didn't learn how to roll a joint or snort ritalin from school. Your peers may have shown you but the school never taught you such things. You don't learn to get drunk from school or shoot beer cans. Where I live shotgun a beer tends to mean shooting at beer cans. ;) But I grew up in redneckville USA.

Why is it that when homeschooling comes up, public schooling comes up as bad from some poor examples? Public schools accept everyone. You live in the area, you go to that school unless the parents decide to choose another option. They take children who are living in shelters and eating from food banks to children who have everything money can buy. They take children who's parents couldn't give one shit about their child to parents who know their child's every move. They accept children with severe mental and physical and emotional issues and disabilities who to children who gifted in every way. They take children from any and all backgrounds ethnically, socio-economically, etc. And everyone in between the listed spectrums.

Any school at a given time will churn out some amazing students who go on to do some incredible things, some amazing children who go on to live happy lives, but don't become incredible, just ordinart. They will churn out athletes, doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, nurses, various artists and musicians, writers, etc and will also churn out thieves, murderers, rapists, drug addicts, alcoholics, etc. Some of which will be the school's doing, but most of which will be the student themselves and the environment around them. It's not a matter of school's not doing their job. The best schools can still have children graduate who are barely literate.

I went to some great schools. I still struggled in math and had to take a remedial course. I had some good math teachers, but I still struggled in the subject. My sister excelled in math at the same school and had most of the same teachers. It wasn't the school, it was me. However, I excelled at English and went straight into the college level courses. My high school really didn't offer much in the way of AP level courses when I was there so I didn't get ahead in high school. Many of my college professors went over basics of grammar, speech and yes, they went over the basics of papers many of times. Most of us did know how to write one, but they still went over it. Refreshers are a good thing, so I never saw much issue with it.

I've never been homeschooled and as such, I can't speak for it, but from what I've seen it varies on how they handle college. Some do well and some don't, same with all schools. Most homeschoolers tend to be more socially awkward to start off with, but that's about it. Most homeschoolers I know were religious ones and that seemed to contribute to it. They'd had a very narrow viewpoint on life to date and being with so many different people from so many different backgrounds seemed a little hard for them, like a culture shock. Most did fine with a little time to adjust to the differences. Should say that the two I knew grew up in rural areas also, so probably didn't interact much with other children overall. They were both intelligent people, but one had a sort of holier than thou attitude about her homeschooling.

From what I've seen and heard, homeschoolers and sometimes private schoolers tend to have this attitude about it that they're doing it better. Not all are like that obviously, but I've not heard a parent of a public schooled child ever say "My child is public schooled. They can be this, and this and this. Can your child do those?" Not because the public schools suck, not at all. Many do a fine job overall with educating children, but the self-righteous attitude doesn't really exist as much...except between rival schools, mostly with sports teams. ;)

[Petronella7]

I went to public school K-12 and graduated high school with a 3.5 GPA and thought I was pretty awesome. Then I met a big group of homeschoolers and that was when I met fourteen year old kids who knew more about calculus than I ever knew. They also knew more languages. I was just encouraged to learn Mexican Spanish because we were in California and then I got into the real world and found out that Mexican Spanish is as useful as Appalachian English.

.

WTF is that supposed to mean? What's wrong with Appalachian English or Mexican Spanish? What English dialect do you speak that is so superior? This ridiculous comment, combined with the la-a baby name urban myth that you repeated in the other thread, tells me everything I need to know about you.

[Anise]

*Raises hand*

I was homeschooled right until college. It wasn't exactly SOTDRT because my mum had been a teacher, but in high school, she handed me textbooks and gave me assignments, so it wasn't really actual teaching. Unfortunately the books I was given were Bob Jones University Press and Abeka and the like. However, I tried hard, did well on my SATs, and got into an actual state university (and not a junior college either, like so many of my peers).

I was certainly the wide-eyed, anti-social type. I wanted to talk to people, but in all honesty, I was terrified of talking to people, particularly my classmates. However, I did like my professors and would often talk to them after class (likely because I had known many adults, but very few people my own age). It was hard sticking with it, particularly in my sophomore year. I just wanted to be done with it all. It was a good experience for me: I went from rolling my eyes when a biology professor expressed incredulity that so many Americans did not accept evolution to accepting the reasoning behind the estimated age of the universe in my astronomy class.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

WTF is that supposed to mean? What's wrong with Appalachian English or Mexican Spanish? What English dialect do you speak that is so superior? This ridiculous comment, combined with the la-a baby name urban myth that you repeated in the other thread, tells me everything I need to know about you.

I'm actually interested in the Spanish comment all on its own - I don't speak Spanish myself but from participation on various linguistic forums it seems Latin American Spanish (not necessarily limited to Mexican Spanish) has a larger media presence these days than does European Spanish. Particularly if you live on the American continent you are more likely to have contact with that anyway (not to mention Caribbean Spanish). Among Spanish speakers it doesn't seem that the European dialect is any more prized or anything (though granted these are active translators).

Appalachian English isn't the official language of any entire country. Mexican Spanish is. (Not to say that there's anything wrong with learning Appalachian English if you know what you're asking for - and if a foreign person spoke it well, complete with various "only here" shibboleths, they'd probably be accepted as experienced with the US in ways that people learning only standard book-dialect English never will, particularly if they have foreign accents. Specific regional speech can be handy for social climbing that way! :))

(Edited to fix some crappy English of my own...)

[pomology]

I was also pretty board in that mandatory class because I had learned all of the material through my nine years of learning by do in 4-H.

Well, at least you weren't an ugly board. :roll:

Normally, I try to ignore people's spelling errors, because we all make mistakes, especially with homophones. But, since you're blabbering about public schools being shitty, I figured I should point out that obviously my lowly public school education was apparently better than your wonderful homeschool education.

[Wolfie]

Then I met a big group of homeschoolers and that was when I met fourteen year old kids who knew more about calculus than I ever knew. They also knew more languages.

I'd like to introduce you to my brother- a public school educated person who got a perfect on the math section of the PSAT. He also took two languages in high school and three more in college. By the time he was in 7th grade, he was walking over to the high school for his math classes.

Homeschooling or not homeschooling has no bearing on what he did, it was what he was going to do because he loved it.

[Wolfie]

WTF is that supposed to mean? What's wrong with Appalachian English or Mexican Spanish? What English dialect do you speak that is so superior? This ridiculous comment, combined with the la-a baby name urban myth that you repeated in the other thread, tells me everything I need to know about you.

I don't understand why a dialect might not be useful. I would understand somebody speaking British English as well as any American dialect with no problem. The only issue I have is that I teach middle school and my Spanish professor was from Venezuela, and had spent high school in Spain. Add that to me learning it as an adult, even though I was a young adult, and my middle schoolers tend to look at me like I have two heads when I talk in Spanish. In my case, a Mexican Spanish prof would have been much better. So I can't see why it has no bearing in the real world.

[celestial]

I was just encouraged to learn Mexican Spanish because we were in California and then I got into the real world and found out that Mexican Spanish is as useful as Appalachian English.

I'm sure the 112 million people of Mexico will be shocked to learn that they are not living in the real world.

[Deleted07]

Howzabout Pig Latin then? :mrgreen:

[emmiedahl]

I'm sure the 112 million people of Mexico will be shocked to learn that they are not living in the real world.

Generally, you have to learn a dialect when you learn a language. There is no dialect-free Spanish. And the same way the British and Americans can understand each other, most almost all Spanish speakers understand Mexican Spanish. I speak Mexican Spanish and have had conversations with people from Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia. Mexican Spanish is not analogous to Appalachian English; it is more like American English in that a LOT of people speak it and even more understand it easily.

[Patsy]

wallotext

yaright, I care about what you have to say and would be interested in reading it, but I sort of... can't... without paragraph breaks.

Then again, the eye strain may not entirely be your fault. I believe I may have detached a retina rolling my eyes at

It is true that I knew about things the homeschool kids don't know about. I knew how to snort Ritalin, how to roll a joint, how to shotgun a beer, and I knew lots of other things they didn't know.

Is anyone else reminded of

I did see kids using drugs behind the school but I never told my parents because I didn't want to leave the school yet... all I know is they were out behind the gym with needles in each others arms..

?

[Lala29]

Generally, you have to learn a dialect when you learn a language. There is no dialect-free Spanish. And the same way the British and Americans can understand each other, most almost all Spanish speakers understand Mexican Spanish. I speak Mexican Spanish and have had conversations with people from Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia. Mexican Spanish is not analogous to Appalachian English; it is more like American English in that a LOT of people speak it and even more understand it easily.

I've taken Spanish in college, and the way it was explained to me, Mexican Spanish does not use the formal you/plural formal you (vos/vosotros) and the conjugated version of the verb that goes with it. That's the only difference between Mexican Spanish and Spanish Spanish. In terms of pronunciation, Mexican Spanish is quite close to 'High' Spanish, aka the Spanish that is taught in Spanish schools. Spain is full of different dialects (like Castilian, Andalusian, etc) as is Central and South America. However, the Spanish language that is taught is schools and is considered the 'High' or proper form is incredibly similar no matter if you learn Spanish in Mexico, Argentina or Spain. There are a few differences (think of spelling for American English and British English), but a speaker of 'Mexican' Spanish can easily communicate with a speaker of 'Castilian' Spanish the same way a Scottish person can easily communicate with a native Texan. Some things are different, but it's not THAT different.

The only major thing you'd run into is that if you went to Spain, they'd probably think you were being incredibly rude/oddly familiar since you would never use the formal 'you'.

I've also taken French and German, and similarities of the above exist even there. Saying it's as useless as learning Appalachian English (is there even such a thing, or is it more of an accent than its own dialect) is wrong and overly simplistic.

[yaright]

yaright, I care about what you have to say and would be interested in reading it, but I sort of... can't... without paragraph breaks.

].

?

[Patsy]

Thank you :) and

Homeschooling is not going to make you have gifted kids, and neither is PS some people are just gifted. The role of the parent should be to give children the skills to enter the world. PS alone isn't going to do this and with HS it is up to the parent to teach them everything.

Yeah, that.

[MeganC]

I call shenanigans. Didn't you claim to be a teenage runaway who ended up in a women's shelter on the polygamy thread? So you're a teen mother dropout who just managed to get a 3.5 GPA? You're lying about something. Also, if you think that a single Duggar, parents included, could ever solve a differential equation or even know what one is, you are deluding yourself big time.

I never dropped out of high school and have never said that I did. I also never said that I was a runaway who ended up in a shelter. I never mentioned the Duggar family, either. All of that is in your imagination.

[celestial]

I've taken Spanish in college, and the way it was explained to me, Mexican Spanish does not use the formal you/plural formal you (vos/vosotros) and the conjugated version of the verb that goes with it. That's the only difference between Mexican Spanish and Spanish Spanish. In terms of pronunciation, Mexican Spanish is quite close to 'High' Spanish, aka the Spanish that is taught in Spanish schools. Spain is full of different dialects (like Castilian, Andalusian, etc) as is Central and South America. However, the Spanish language that is taught is schools and is considered the 'High' or proper form is incredibly similar no matter if you learn Spanish in Mexico, Argentina or Spain. There are a few differences (think of spelling for American English and British English), but a speaker of 'Mexican' Spanish can easily communicate with a speaker of 'Castilian' Spanish the same way a Scottish person can easily communicate with a native Texan. Some things are different, but it's not THAT different.

The only major thing you'd run into is that if you went to Spain, they'd probably think you were being incredibly rude/oddly familiar since you would never use the formal 'you'.

After taking 6 years of Spanish in my public high school and university (in California, might I add) I went on to take a summer job in Spain, where I spoke only Spanish all summer. I had no trouble understanding or communicating with people. I noted the use of vosotros and adopted it into my own speech when necessary...it really wasn't all that hard. I did pronounce c and z differently (in Spain it's like th, in Latin America, like s) but the Spanish are aware of that dialectical difference and rarely commented on it. So I guess I got a bit further with my public school, California "Mexican Spanish" than MeganC seems to have. Maybe that's because I spent high school studying rather than snorting Ritalin and shotgunning beers.

[Witsec7]

I never dropped out of high school and have never said that I did. I also never said that I was a runaway who ended up in a shelter. I never mentioned the Duggar family, either. All of that is in your imagination.

Actually Megan claims to have gone to continuation school in Cali.

FWIW Megan, considering the 'drug' use in your nuclear family, it would be reasonable to presume you learned to roll joints and snort ritalin at home.

[B5SnowDog]

I've taken Spanish in college, and the way it was explained to me, Mexican Spanish does not use the formal you/plural formal you (vos/vosotros) and the conjugated version of the verb that goes with it. That's the only difference between Mexican Spanish and Spanish Spanish. In terms of pronunciation, Mexican Spanish is quite close to 'High' Spanish, aka the Spanish that is taught in Spanish schools. Spain is full of different dialects (like Castilian, Andalusian, etc) as is Central and South America. However, the Spanish language that is taught is schools and is considered the 'High' or proper form is incredibly similar no matter if you learn Spanish in Mexico, Argentina or Spain. There are a few differences (think of spelling for American English and British English), but a speaker of 'Mexican' Spanish can easily communicate with a speaker of 'Castilian' Spanish the same way a Scottish person can easily communicate with a native Texan. Some things are different, but it's not THAT different.

The only major thing you'd run into is that if you went to Spain, they'd probably think you were being incredibly rude/oddly familiar since you would never use the formal 'you'.

I've also taken French and German, and similarities of the above exist even there. Saying it's as useless as learning Appalachian English (is there even such a thing, or is it more of an accent than its own dialect) is wrong and overly simplistic.

There are a few more differences but that is the main one. The slang is different and some words mean different things based on the region.

I took 3 years of Spanish in high school and 1 year in college. My high school teacher focused on Mexican Spanish but she did include a taste of some other dialects like Castilian and she touched on Spanglish.

[dairyfreelife]

Generally, you have to learn a dialect when you learn a language. There is no dialect-free Spanish. And the same way the British and Americans can understand each other, most almost all Spanish speakers understand Mexican Spanish. I speak Mexican Spanish and have had conversations with people from Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia. Mexican Spanish is not analogous to Appalachian English; it is more like American English in that a LOT of people speak it and even more understand it easily.

While dialects can confuse people at times, it's not hard to figure out if you can speak fluent English. As a person who grew up in Appalachia, I'm a little bit shocked to hear that the dialect I grew up with is useless. Not to the people who speak it, it's not. Not surprised to hear it though since those of us in Appalachia are a bunch of backward rednecks who are useless to society. I have a more neutral American dialect because I grew up more suburb/city than rural, but still. Spanish is Spanish and English is English. All languages that spread outside of a region have dialects. I can understand people from Australia and the UK most of the time. Certain phrases may have me scratching my head at times (and for them too ;) ), but we still understand each other for the most part.

[bananacat]

OK, so MeganC is apparently some super speshul snowflake who is just so awesome that she managed to graduate high school with a GPA of 3.5 all while having a baby and doing drugs, but then as soon as that's over she was so lost and helpless that she ended up in a women's shelter where she had no choice but to marry into a polygamous family that would support her, but only if she married the man. Something's not adding up here. I'm suspicious of newbies to begin with, and this one is really pinging my bullshit detector.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

While dialects can confuse people at times, it's not hard to figure out if you can speak fluent English. As a person who grew up in Appalachia, I'm a little bit shocked to hear that the dialect I grew up with is useless. Not to the people who speak it, it's not. Not surprised to hear it though since those of us in Appalachia are a bunch of backward rednecks who are useless to society. I have a more neutral American dialect because I grew up more suburb/city than rural, but still. Spanish is Spanish and English is English. All languages that spread outside of a region have dialects. I can understand people from Australia and the UK most of the time. Certain phrases may have me scratching my head at times (and for them too ;) ), but we still understand each other for the most part.

I was a bit shocked by that too. I am not fluent in Spanish, but where I live, I hear Mexican Spanish literally every day.

[mama_bear]

From what I've seen and heard, homeschoolers and sometimes private schoolers tend to have this attitude about it that they're doing it better. Not all are like that obviously, but I've not heard a parent of a public schooled child ever say "My child is public schooled. They can be this, and this and this. Can your child do those?" Not because the public schools suck, not at all. Many do a fine job overall with educating children, but the self-righteous attitude doesn't really exist as much...except between rival schools, mostly with sports teams. ;)

I haven't heard it in regards to public school as a whole but I've definitely heard it in my district in comparing one public school to another. Particularly since we have several specialty schools.