My Children Love Being Homeschooled!

[NurseNell]

Even if it is possible to switch to a private school, the majority of them are religious--parents may not want to send their children to a school whose theology they do not follow. I wonder if these schools would even accept the children of openly nonreligious students.

Catholic schools in the Twin Cities accept any student who passes the entrance exam and whose parents pay tuition. One school, St. Agnes, is very conservative and is located in a very low income neighborhood. I would say my son's class was 1/4 non-Catholic and minority students. Many Hmong sent their kids there although I don't know if it's still true since several Hmong charter schools have opened since then. But most of the African American students there were non-Catholic.

MN had the first charter school in the U.S. in 1991 and since then many, many charter schools have opened. They are publicly funded so any child can attend. Charter schools can be a good answer for parents who feel their local public school doesn't meet the needs of their children. The city I lived in had a good public school system but the middle schools left something to be desired so many of my friends sent their kids to the charter middle schools. If you live in an urban area there are so many different options for education that I can't see homeschooling. It's different though in non-urban areas.

[pixydust]

I was homeschooled and I did love it, I also know that it is rare. My 3 kids prefer being homeschooled, my oldest went to public for a few years and hated it. He asked to be homeschooled. My other 2 have never been, but they see their cousins homework/schoolwork/etc and have each told me that they are glad that they are HS because they are learning more (and it's true, I push). Their only complaint is that they want more friends and to do projects, etc with other kids, so we will be joining a homeschool co-op in the fall (now that I'm not working 60 hours a week, just 10-20). If any of my kids ever want to go to school, I will look into private and charter schools, our regular public schools are horrible.

[Georgiana]

Catholic schools in the Twin Cities accept any student who passes the entrance exam and whose parents pay tuition. One school, St. Agnes, is very conservative and is located in a very low income neighborhood. I would say my son's class was 1/4 non-Catholic and minority students. Many Hmong sent their kids there although I don't know if it's still true since several Hmong charter schools have opened since then. But most of the African American students there were non-Catholic.

MN had the first charter school in the U.S. in 1991 and since then many, many charter schools have opened. They are publicly funded so any child can attend. Charter schools can be a good answer for parents who feel their local public school doesn't meet the needs of their children. The city I lived in had a good public school system but the middle schools left something to be desired so many of my friends sent their kids to the charter middle schools. If you live in an urban area there are so many different options for education that I can't see homeschooling. It's different though in non-urban areas.

Every single Catholic school I have ever come across (and I have come across or been familiar with a great deal in Oregon and Washington) will admit non-Catholic children. The difference is the terms and conditions they will be admitted under. First, you pay a higher rate of tuition. Catholic schools are subsidized by the parish or diocese they are affiliated with, so a portion of the child's educational expenses are paid for by the Church. Non-Catholics are not granted access to this, so they are expected to pay the full of the expense. Getting financial aid as a non-Catholic is nearly impossible as well, since most funds for financial assistance come from the Church and are designed for Catholic students. You also may not qualify for other tuition programs such as a "family rate" if you have multiple children in school at once.

Secondly, you often are given lower priority in admissions. While a HS may reserve spots for non-Catholics, on the parochial or elementary level (often they are one in the same) many times demand is so great that not all parish children who qualify can get in. A non-Catholic, no matter how brilliant, would be hard put to take a spot from a parish child. In many cases, they put the non-Catholics on a separate list and you get what is left over.

Finally, as a religious school, religion is a compulsory subject in Catholic schools. Some schools will allow non-Catholic children to miss this class, but in my experience, this is rare. Most of the time at the elementary level, they take Catholic catechism as part of their education. In HS, there is often a little more leeway, but they are frequently still required to complete religion classes. At my own alma mater, the only class non-Catholics were exempt from was Contemporary Catholic Catechism. This means they had to take all other compulsory classes such as History of the Church and Intro to Catholicism.

Basically, the problem isn't that the schools wont admit. The reason few non-Catholics attend Catholic schools is that it is prohibitive both financially and religiously.

[DifferentGurl]

I was homeschooled and I loved it too. I was first homeschooled using a Christian textbook curriculum ( it was the only textbook curriculum my family could find ) and then I went to an online high school. I preferred the online high schooled. The teachers were former teachers at public schools, so they were accredited. The online school was part of the public school system. I knew I was learning what kids my age were learning ( something which I was sometimes unsure of when I was with the Christian textbook curriculum ). I was even getting some prep courses. I didn't have a one-sided view of things ( I learned about *gasp* evolution! ) in classes. The school also had AP classes, a prom, a proper graduation ceremony ( not just a diploma through the mail ), and pre ACT tests ( kinda to see what you're strength/weaknesses are ) that students can opt to take.

What I loved about being homeschooled:

1) Food is better and healthier.

2) I can sleep in late!

3) My schedule is more flexible ( I can have a job, do certain hobbies like Tae Kwan Do, etc )

4) No worry about bullying ( not "The children here are more well behaved". bleh )

5) Can study some things more in depth.

Overall, some kids are fit for homeschooling and some are not. The parents need to take an active part. Homeschooling should not be indoctrination!

[QAF_Rocks]

I think this is a problem with the public schools, NOT a strength of homeschooling. States should get their act in order when it comes to school funding and take bullying seriously. Things should not get so bad that parents have to take education upon themselves.

This argument never makes any sense to me because it makes it sound like bullying only takes place in public schools. My fiance and his sister were actually pulled out of Catholic school because of violent bullying. Children were being punched, kicked, tripped, and spit on, and the teachers and principal turned a blind eye to it.

I can see how homeschooling would provide a respite from bullying, but I don't understand the assumption that private schools are bully-free. Is there actual research showing that children in private schools are bullied less than those in public ones?

[ElphabaGalinda]

This argument never makes any sense to me because it makes it sound like bullying only takes place in public schools. My fiance and his sister were actually pulled out of Catholic school because of violent bullying. Children were being punched, kicked, tripped, and spit on, and the teachers and principal turned a blind eye to it.

I can see how homeschooling would provide a respite from bullying, but I don't understand the assumption that private schools are bully-free. Is there actual research showing that children in private schools are bullied less than those in public ones?

I would think private schools would have more bullying, only because of less diversity in the student body. So if you're even a tiny bit different, it gets picked on more, because everyone's more similar. Total anecdote, but my cousin switched from private school to public school, because although her family couldn't afford the tuition, they weren't able to buy her the latest designer clothes, or a car on her 16th birthday, or go on exotic trips every school break. So she was bullied horribly for being "poor". It was also a religious school, and she wasn't religious enough for their tastes, so that got her bullied more. Anytime kids interact, bullying can happen. Though I can see how homeschooling can help. It's like those people who say private school kids don't do drugs. Of course they do, in the private schools or public school in rich socioeconomic areas there are lots of drugs. Kids can do drugs no matter what kind of school they go to.

I like the idea that there's no one schooling solution that fits all children. Kids can do bad things or be bullied (or be bullies), anywhere.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

All I can say is you can find threads about bullying in schools over on imamother, and all their kids are attending private religious schools. I think anywhere that humans gather, there is the potential for bullying to happen. The question is what do you do about it when it does.

Anyone who thinks rich kids from "good families" don't do drugs is delusional.

[lilwriter85]

I would think private schools would have more bullying, only because of less diversity in the student body. So if you're even a tiny bit different, it gets picked on more, because everyone's more similar. Total anecdote, but my cousin switched from private school to public school, because although her family couldn't afford the tuition, they weren't able to buy her the latest designer clothes, or a car on her 16th birthday, or go on exotic trips every school break. So she was bullied horribly for being "poor". It was also a religious school, and she wasn't religious enough for their tastes, so that got her bullied more. Anytime kids interact, bullying can happen. Though I can see how homeschooling can help. It's like those people who say private school kids don't do drugs. Of course they do, in the private schools or public school in rich socioeconomic areas there are lots of drugs. Kids can do drugs no matter what kind of school they go to.

I like the idea that there's no one schooling solution that fits all children. Kids can do bad things or be bullied (or be bullies), anywhere.

I agree with you on that. Bullying in private schools varies. There are some private schools that have zero tolerance policies, while some private schools don't. I have who went to private schools from K-12 and was bullied. She said the schools really didn't do anything about bullying. She told people to do deep research on bullying policies in private schools, if they consider private schools for their kids. In the public school world, bullying problems also vary. The public high school I went to, didn't have a major bullying problem. My uncle worked at another public school in which bullying incidents only tend a few times a year. The bullying incidents weren't extreme. He said the school was very cliquish, but the cliques basically kept to themselves and they were civil to the other cliques in certain situations. I have also heard stories of public schools that have a lot of incidents of bullying, while other schools have less incidents. It just depends on the schools and other factors.

[lilwriter85]

I also remember reading a Mormon blog a few years ago. The blogger was a guy and his parents sent him to Baptist affiliated private schools and he talked about being bullied for being Mormon. This guy said that if he ever had kids, he would either put them a in secular private school or a public school.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

This argument never makes any sense to me because it makes it sound like bullying only takes place in public schools. My fiance and his sister were actually pulled out of Catholic school because of violent bullying. Children were being punched, kicked, tripped, and spit on, and the teachers and principal turned a blind eye to it.

I can see how homeschooling would provide a respite from bullying, but I don't understand the assumption that private schools are bully-free. Is there actual research showing that children in private schools are bullied less than those in public ones?

I didn't mean to imply that they were; the OP was talking specifically about public schools, so that is why I used that language.

Regardless of the kind of school in question, my point was that the school should NOT ignore bullying to the point that parents have to take education into their own hands.

[dairyfreelife]

I would think private schools would have more bullying, only because of less diversity in the student body. So if you're even a tiny bit different, it gets picked on more, because everyone's more similar. Total anecdote, but my cousin switched from private school to public school, because although her family couldn't afford the tuition, they weren't able to buy her the latest designer clothes, or a car on her 16th birthday, or go on exotic trips every school break. So she was bullied horribly for being "poor". It was also a religious school, and she wasn't religious enough for their tastes, so that got her bullied more. Anytime kids interact, bullying can happen. Though I can see how homeschooling can help. It's like those people who say private school kids don't do drugs. Of course they do, in the private schools or public school in rich socioeconomic areas there are lots of drugs. Kids can do drugs no matter what kind of school they go to.

I like the idea that there's no one schooling solution that fits all children. Kids can do bad things or be bullied (or be bullies), anywhere.

Very true (the bolded). I never went to private school, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I had best friends growing up who did. None liked the Catholic school and most people I know who went to private school said they were bullied more and there was more pressure to conform and less diversity and less student population, so it made things worse. All but one ended up back in public school or transferred to public school after going private. Only one person that I know of went from public to private and stayed. He was having too many problems and the stricter environment of a private school suited him. All schools have their problems no doubt. You group children together and fights and arguments and ganging up and leaving out, etc. will happen. It did in school, it did in sports, it did with neighbors when I was growing up. No matter what, it's going to vary be it private, public or homeschool, it's what suits the child best and what will help them grow in the best way possible.

[dairyfreelife]

I didn't mean to imply that they were; the OP was talking specifically about public schools, so that is why I used that language.

I don't think you ever implied that it was only public schools that have bullying. I only spoke about public schools specifically because the linked blog does not talk about private schools at all, just homeschooling vs public school.

[clibbyjo]

My youngest homeschooled kid has been bullied 2 times, both by homeschoolers who are the "hands off parenting/ unschooling type". (I'm an unschooler,but I do NOT allow bad behavior and I do tell my kids no). All 3 of my kids do sports with public school kids every day of the week and there has never been a bullying problem with any of them.

Bullying comes from everywhere and its not as often in homeschooling, but its there.Those that keep their precious little flower homeschoolers secluded are usually the worst bullies of all.

[Snickerdoodle]

I don't think any one method of schooling is necessarily the right answer for every student.

Agreed. I'm grateful that I live in a nation where we have the freedom to make that choice.

[CrazySister]

Agreed. I'm grateful that I live in a nation where we have the freedom to make that choice.

Seconded (Thirded?). The best example I've seen is a family with 8 kids (definately NOT fundy) who had each child placed in the learning environment that was best for that specific child. Some went to public school, some went to private school, and some were home-schooled. Obviously it takes some serious finances to have 8 kids AND be able to send multiple kids to a private school along with purchasing home-school material taylored to each hs'd childs needs, but they were by far the best example I've seen of making sure their kids recieved the best education possible whether it meant home, private, or public school.

[pixydust]

Seconded (Thirded?). The best example I've seen is a family with 8 kids (definately NOT fundy) who had each child placed in the learning environment that was best for that specific child. Some went to public school, some went to private school, and some were home-schooled. Obviously it takes some serious finances to have 8 kids AND be able to send multiple kids to a private school along with purchasing home-school material taylored to each hs'd childs needs, but they were by far the best example I've seen of making sure their kids recieved the best education possible whether it meant home, private, or public school.

I think that is great!

[CrazySister]

I think that is great!

Ya. They were a good example of parenting done well. If I ever have kid(s) I hope I'm in a position to educate in this manner and give my potential child(ren) such a personalized experience.

[chaotic life]

Some children DO love being homeschooled and are not merely conditioned to feel that way.

I exclusively homeschooled for years, but I never, ever socially isolated my children. They have always had interactions outside of the home. At this point, of seven children which are school aged, I have a gamut of choices we've made in schooling. There are no private schools where we live because we are too rural right now. However, I have three in straight public school. One in pre-K who is coming back to homeschooling in the fall. One in public school homebound services One homeschooling in preparation to enter public school after one more school year and one who will homeschool until he reaches collegiate level.

I have just recently made the decision about what I'm going to do about my Kinder Brigade. I truly thought I was going to put them into public school as I am re-entering the workforce and working on my own education. Howevver, I have decided that I strongly disagree on how kinder skills (K-3rd) are taught in US public schools and firmly believe that the fact that my older children have integrated so well and are all honor roll students has everything to do with the foundations I laid with them as homeschoolers. I do not one my Kinder brigade to recieve less of an education than their older siblings simply because I am ready to move out of the season myself. So, I will homeschool the two of them with the expectation that they will enter the public schools end of elementary school or sometime in the middle school years.

Except for the one long-term homeschooler who is both LD and gifted IQ, thus a *very* poor fit for standardized education, the goal for all of my kids is to do public high school in preparation for collegiate studies. How they GET there depends entirely upon the individual child and their unique educational needs at this point. None of my homeschoolers complain about homeschooling or express a desire to go to public school (except for the homebound student who cannot attend due to medical issues but I won't homeschool him thus the homebound). Conversely, none of my school attenders complain about attending school nor express a desire to be homeschooled. ONE public schooler was actually slated for online private school, a schooling method she has thrived within in the past. However, she made the decision to attend public school instead. If she were to stop thriving in public school, I have already identified online virtual private schools for her and continue to hold the private school tuition in the budget, should she need it.

[clibbyjo]

What is " public school homebound services"? I assume its something like the school provides a tutor because your kid cannot physically go to school?

I have homeschooled 11 years so far and do not know of any homeschoolers who have ever done this.

[chaotic life]

Yes, he has a Special Education teacher with the public school who comes out 1-2 hours per day five days a week during the school year. She'll be doing only five hours per week for the summer session and then back to aiming for 5-10 hours per week during the next school year again. In addition (as soon as they are finished with his IEP services from having moved this spring), he'll be receiving Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy services at home weekly. He is also approved for 2-4 hours per week of ABA therapy services in the home, both so that the ABA Psychologist can work with him but also because she is training his teacher and all of his therapists on how to work with him with ABA techniques.

It is usually called Hospital Homebound services. It's not a service available simply because a parent WANTS it. It requires doctor's letters which much be re-submitted at least annually to continue the service. Ironically, it's cheaper than the school environment they were proposing for him. However, it came down to the reality that since he is extremely medically fragile, we opted to not expose him to the medical risks of a school environment. Yet, due to his significant behavioral needs, I will not homeschool him. I did that in the past and it was bad for him AND me when I did it.

[clibbyjo]

I would do the same thing. :)

[NurseNell]

What is " public school homebound services"? I assume its something like the school provides a tutor because your kid cannot physically go to school?

I have homeschooled 11 years so far and do not know of any homeschoolers who have ever done this.

Homebound services are available for a child who will be absent for more than 3 weeks (15 days) of school due to illness. Different districts may have different guidelines. It requires a physician order, an assessment by the licensed school nurse, and the permission of the parents. It is available to both regular ed and special ed students. I had a few kids each year who were sick more than well between November and March/April so I set up homebound for them. These were medically fragile kids. One example of regular ed students needing homebound are kids on chemo, another is a child having Harrington rods placed in their back. The homebound teacher has to be a licensed teacher, occupational therapist, or physical therapist (in the district I was with), it does not have to be the classroom teacher. It's an extra duty that a teacher is free to take on or decline, there is separate pay for it. The downside is it's only for 5 hours/week. It can be whatever schedule the parents and teacher decide on, an hour a day, 2 days of 2 hours with 1 day at 1 hour. It cannot be all 5 hours in one day. It can be done any days of the week.

If a child is hospitalized a long time in one of our 2 children's hospital there is a district teacher assigned to each hospital. He/she meets with the classroom teacher to get assignments, etc. Then the child is taught in the hospital. There is a classroom in each hospital but a child can be taught in the hospital room too.

Any other questions? :geek:

[chaotic life]

In three different districts, in two different states, we've never had to be vetted by a school nurse. One district did have the District Nursing Supervisor sign off on the services, but it was a formality and nothing more. Also, all of the districts we've dealt with have required the teaching be done by a certified teacher and not a therapist.

We've had to do it for medical issues in the past, but he's on permenant services at this point due to his medically fragile nature and his hospice status.

[NurseNell]

In three different districts, in two different states, we've never had to be vetted by a school nurse. One district did have the District Nursing Supervisor sign off on the services, but it was a formality and nothing more. Also, all of the districts we've dealt with have required the teaching be done by a certified teacher and not a therapist.

We've had to do it for medical issues in the past, but he's on permenant services at this point due to his medically fragile nature and his hospice status.

In our district the homebound process is initiated by the licensed school nurse. Occupational and physical therapists who work in the schools also hold a license from the state dept of ed, and thus can do homebound for students with IEPs, not for regular ed students. I had a few students each year who were on permanent homebound.

I'm sorry your son is in hospice. That has to be very hard for a parent.

[NurseNell]

In three different districts, in two different states, we've never had to be vetted by a school nurse.

I should add that it's not a question of being vetted by a school nurse but in the district I worked in the licensed school nurse was responsible for initiating the process and finding a teacher. I'm sure there are many different ways homebound services are managed, and just as no one method of education is best for all students no one way of setting up homebound services is best. Our way worked for us, just as other ways worked in other districts. We were a large urban district with many students on homebound at any given point in time.