I'd like to homeschool if I have time, at least for the younger years.  by high school, I'd like to send them to a "real" school, so that they won't have trouble with college stuff.

I was public schooled throughout and I loved the social experience. However, I was very bored in school because I was clearly advanced for my level. I finished reading/learning my textbooks the week my mom got them for me, and spent the academic year reading my novels and writing poetry under the desk. My school sent me for ONE gifted student test when I was 8, which I did well for the first part, then I got bored and decided not to complete the paper. So I didn't get into the 'gifted' course. My teachers knew I was gifted, but no one did anything more than just telling me. I got away with handing in no assignments, sleeping and eating in class, and still aced all my classes. In the end, the schooling experience failed to teach me discipline and hard work and was no good to me. Frankly, I wished I could have been advanced a few grades so that I could learn to apply myself from an early age.

Therefore, my decision for my future children is this. I will give public schooling a chance, but in the event that one of them is struggling or advanced, and the school is unable to provide for the special learning needs, I will homeschool. I don't want to waste my kids' time by having them sit in class listening to things they already know, or have no chance of understanding anyway.

I'm definitely homeschooling my son, as well as any future kids we may have.  In North Carolina, as well as many other states, laws have been passed that make all extra-curricular activities (sports, theater, etc.) available to home schooled students, and all of the test results show that home schoolers consistently score in the 95th percentile or better, even when taught by a parent who dropped out of high school.  Compare this to the public school average of (obviously) the 50th percentile, and you wonder why anyone sends their kids to public school.  And it's not for social reasons, either.  There are plenty of ways for your child to socialize without having 7 minutes between classes to talk with his/ her friends.  Personally, I never had a study hall or free period in my school career, so any "socializing" I did was on the once in a blue moon that I ate in the cafeteria.  A social life should exist outside of school.

Ugh. DO NOT HOMESCHOOL YOUR KIDS.

It was the worst experience of my entire LIFE

I wish NOBODY to go through it! It is terrible. I felt like I was locked in a cage for an entire year. It's keeping your kids away from the real world. Can you home-school for your entire life? No. Because it's bullshit. Homeschooling is bullshit.

It even looks bad for when you apply to colleges if you put you were homeschooled your entire life. It basically says "I taught myself through a workbook and answer key." who the hell wants that kind of education?

IF YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO HAVE A GOOD EDUCATION MAKE THEM GO TO SCHOOL. TEACHERS GET DEGREES AND GET PAID TO DO THIS STUFF. THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT IT AND WILL BE ABLE TO DO MORE FOR YOUR CHILD THAN YOUR "LOVE" WILL.

I have very strong opinions on this subject ;p

@Bella_Mabel@xanga - Wow. Very opinionated on the subject. Though, I do want to point out to you that Mrs. Violet is a teacher herself. She has been trained and educated, so she can give her child(ren) a good education.

Many of my friends also had bad or negative experiences with homeschooling. The majority of the people I know who were homeschooled especially through middle school and high school have trouble communicating. They did not get the socialization they needed. They also have big problems with their parents, I guess simply because they were around them so much? I'm not really sure.

I think homeschooling could be a good option as long as you make sure the child has adequate social opportunities and skills. Play groups, homeschool groups, sports, extracurricular activities are a must if homeschooled. Though, they're great for any child, homeschooled or not.
Also though, if homeschooled for one's entire life, one may not know how to properly act in a classroom or be able to sit in a classroom with 100+ students when in college. I think it'd be hard for someone homeschooled when they go to college. Plus, by homeschooling, you're also sheltering. The kid will learn a lot in that first year that could get them into trouble. Unless, you adequately prepared them, which is not impossible.

I probably will not homeschool my children though.

personally, i think that if the kids are sharp, they'll prosper in any situation. i hold that private schools and home schooling possess a definite edge over public schools, especially in the state in which i live. but there are definite financial barriers that a lot of people have to cross to do things like private schooling and homeschooling, this is especially true in the case of large families. it's all about conviction...if you want a certain spin, or lack thereof, on your child's education, you should probably consider private- or home-schooling. it's worth it in my opinion.

@rachelserine@xanga - 

that's one of the things that I loved about homeschooling...your not indoctrinated...unless your parents are particularly out to indoctrinate you haha

I was homeschooled until I went to college and it has definitely proved a positive experience.  I would rule out other options though...I think it depends on the parent(s), kid, and the place that you live school system

Bigger than the decision whether or not to homen school is the mindset behind it.  I've seen way too many home school families with a "bunker Christianity" mindset.  It's the idea that the world will corrupt kids if they aren't kept away from public schools and 'worldly' people.  I've seen many home school families even keep their kids away from church functions with other youth because they don't like any outside influence.  Many of these parents try to control the environment they and their kids are in, and feel extremely threatened by conflicting views.

This mindset is a problem, whether someone goes to public, private, or home school. As Christians, we have to be interacting with non-Christians on a regular basis.  How can we be a light in the darkness if we're so concerned with being corrupted that we refuse to interact?  There are many Christians with this mindset, even in public schools.  Home school or not, it's a tragedy if young believers are kept away from those that they've been commissioned by Jesus to share the gospel with.

@ashleyannaka@xanga - I actually went to homeschooling groups. They were terrible. All
of the parents had the pompous attitute of "My Child is SO Much better
than yours!". My brother and I were the oldest ones there. We went to a
good...I'd say, 10 groups. ALL of them. the same.

For example, one year during the Christmas party we had a talent show.
I was playing the clarinet, of which I really enjoyed at the time.
Throughout my performance, out loud, all of the parents kept on
commenting on how much more "bright" their child was. Personally they
can't be too bright if they shot out of the vagina of some
ill-mannered, ignorance buttfuck. I probably shouldn't be cursing so
much on a Christian xanga. but hey.

Every person I have met who has homeschooled/is homeschooling is so
pompous about it, like it gives them a one up above everyone else. And
trust me, I have met hundreds of kids who have homeschooled/are
homeschooling. I'm not saying they're ALL this way, but hey.

I also personally believe teachers who have been teaching a subject for
years that many people aren't too good with (ex: biology, algebra)
would be a greater benefit to a child then a parent reading aloud
questions and answers from a workbook while a child responds. It
dampers a person's social interactions too. I literally had to make my
first friend my year back into public school--7th grade. Do you know
what it's like to make your first friend at 12 years old?
Personally, I believe, if a child is actually gifted, they will be able to make it in public school, private school, or homeschool.

I think that homeschooling is a wonderful thing.   Personally, I do not think that I have the temperament (sp?) or patience to do it, so I think it will be better for my (future) children to attend a regular school.

I don't have my own kids, but I do have experience with homeschooling.

I was homeschooled (and I use this term loosely) for the ninth and thenth grades. I skipped the seventh and eighth grades, but I've always been a catastrophy of introversion, so my parents weren't about to put me into regular classes with kids so much older.

And I guess my problem with homeschool is the same problem most people have with homeschooling: most of the homeschooled children AND the homeschooling parents; precocious brats with supirority complexes and holier than thou types, respectively. I'm not saying all of them we're -- I met some sweet people, but on the whole. Before my freshman year, my mom was once chewed out by a homeschool mother for not doing "the Godly thing" and keeping her kids from "the riffraff". And mind, at this point I was at christian school.

And I don't mean to sound bitter; I was mildly miserable (not to mention lonely; and yes, I did have other groups, including my youth group with was, at that time, super tight knit) but on the whole, it was a good experience, I suppose, and one I'm greatful for, although I don't think that I'd ever do that to or with my children.

Well, I plan on never having children so it's a bit of a moot point for me.  I think homeschooling can be a good thing for some, and a bad thing for others.  It all depends on the parents / teachers and the children.  I disagree with people who think that ALL children should be homeschooled just as much as I disagree with people who think that NO children should be homeschooled.

Personally, I think basing your argument on personal experience alone is a bit silly.  So homeschooling worked / didn't work for you.  And you have an opinion on it.  Awesomeness.  But there are so many others who were positively / negatively affected by homeschooling.  Don't make blanket statements--it's a bad form of discussion and doesn't really prove any point other than you need to take a debate class.

Again, it depends on the children and the parents and the environment of the homeschooling.  'Tis all.

Great post!  I was homeschooled all the way! And I loved it.  :)

@Bella_Mabel@xanga - Just because you had a bad experience does not mean others will.  Keeping away from the real world?  As if locking kids up 6 hours a day in a school with only their own peer group and talking at them for hours is the real world.  Homeschooling's way of dumping you into interactions with children and adults of all ages is far closer.  And teachers have far better training, etc. - I'm a college student working on my degree in elementary education, and frankly, the training mostly has to do with handling lots of kids at once.  So it has very little impact on the ability to homeschool.  Oh and did I mention that I was completely bored my first three semesters of college because the GenEd's I hadn't CLEPed were far to easy and I kept scoring perfect on tests that nearly half my class failed?  That sure sounds like I had an inferior education, doesn't it?  Just because most of the homeschoolers you personally know were uppity about it doesn't mean it's fair to make blanket generalizations - most of the homeschoolers I know (and I, too, know hundreds) only pull out their talents when attacked, as evidence that homeschooling isn't horrible.  The people who were so rude to you were rude because they are rude people, not because they are homeschooled.

And one final point - college entrance.  Even state universities in my state specifically solicit homeschoolers because they know that homeschoolers have a tendency to do well.  So that is not an issue to be concerned about.