Why do uneducated people homeschool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have met a handful of moms in Florida who homeschool. I know for a fact they did not attend college. Their grammar is awful. I know I am not perfect myself but that's why I plan on sending my children to public or private school. Why do they homeschool? It seems so backwards. In my home country home schooling is not legal. We would see it as backwards.

I totally get that. I mean, in your country they eat dogs, and in this country we see it as backwards.

But, we also see your country as backwards because you're ignorant about the actual statistics of how homeschooler's fare academically and socially, while excelling in a particular extra-curricular activity.

I think it's the right thing you're doing sending your kid to private school in FL (not public). We don't need more uneducated South American youth. Thanks for that!

I'm a PP, but not this PP.
This is hilarious! Thank you for showing those foreigners just how ignorant they are. You should totally homeschool!

They used the correct form of “you’re.” Your failed attempt at appearing superior is “hilarious.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I received an excellent 1-12 education. I learned nothing in college. Not sure why OP thinks 4 year degree is needed to teach 1-12.

Because OP nd her supporters then need to consider their own life choices. Is 12 years of college needed? Do I really need to spend $1000 on tutors? Mostly

There is also envy. Seeing other parents doing something they cannot do or choose not to do makes them feel inadequate.

I know your mother told you when the girls were “mean” to you in middle school that they were “just jealous,” but it was a lie she told to spare your feelings. You were supposed to grow out of believing that.

No one is “jealous” of homeschoolers whatsoever.

[Anonymous]

I homeschool on and off. If I can't avoid bullying. Kids shouldn't be forced to be tortured

[Anonymous]

Educated homeschoolers are posting in response to OP's question to push back against the stereotype that only uneducated religious extremists homeschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have met a handful of moms in Florida who homeschool. I know for a fact they did not attend college. Their grammar is awful. I know I am not perfect myself but that's why I plan on sending my children to public or private school. Why do they homeschool? It seems so backwards. In my home country home schooling is not legal. We would see it as backwards.

(I have not read any of the other posts in this thread.)

The primary reason that people homeschool their children is to maintain control.

A secondary reason is fear of what their children will be taught in a public school.

All the homeschoolers I know (in the DMV, and they are a pretty well educated group of people so not comparable to what OP is talking about) did it for very child-specific reasons. Usually it's that there is something about the child that is not being well-served by the schools, or can't be well-served by the schools. Like we know one kid who is a virtuosic musician and has had opportunities to perform and study on their chosen instrument but it's not compatible with public school. They home school so he can do thinks like a 6 week intensive in a foreign country in the middle of the spring semester if he wants.

I know another family that chose to home school because their early elementary kid was socially immature and academically advanced, a problem that was compounded by Covid closures. As other kids returned to school and settle quickly back into their social environment, their child developed serious anxiety and regressions. At the same time, she was testing several grade levels above her peer group and was doing pull outs for multiple subjects to higher grades, which didn't help with the social issues at all. Moving to home school actually helps their kid socialize more because they are part of a homeschool collective and the environment is smaller and more approachable than a large public elementary school, and since everyone is on a slightly customized curriculum, there is less concern about needing to be in lock-step with same-age peers. It sounds like it's a good solution in their case.

And there are others. I'd say the main goal of these families was to find flexibility, not control. I don't know anyone who feared what their kids were learning in public school, though some families do worry that their kids aren't getting enough of certain things (outdoor time, arts education, writing practice, etc.).

Clicked on the Homeschooling thread by mistake, but fascinated by this specific question.

Why is it that so many of the well-educated folks that homeschool their kids are unable to grasp the theme of this thread? The OP specifically wanted to know why parents that only finished HS decide to homeschool their kids. She understands why highly educated parents (who ostensibly are qualified) might decide to homeschool their kids.

We all read the stories of the kids that are homeschooled (usually by highly educated, PhD parents or equivalent) and win the Scripps Spelling Bee and attend Harvard. However, I have a sister who completed one semester of college, became a religious fanatic and homeschooled her kids. Their outcomes, and as far as I can tell when hearing about their homeschool peer group, have been TERRIBLE. She is in the South, so don't know if there are any standards in the DMV area for homeschoolers.

She homeschooled for religious/morality reasons (to answer the OP's question) but honestly didn't have training or patience for it.

Why is it so hard to grasp that teaching an elementary kid (or a few) at home is completely different than teaching an AP high schooler?

Nobody needs more than a high school education to teach elementary kids. At least that’s the case if you graduated long enough ago that a high school education actually meant something.

At the high school level, most homeschooling parents, and certainly most of the less well educated homeschooling parents, use co ops and private tutoring for the difficult subjects.

There are really just a few religious nuts here or there who insist on educating their kids themselves even though they don’t know the material well enough. Personally, I’ve never met one of those, and I know quite a few homeschoolers.

Seems like if you are hiring tutors and using co-ops (which I gather hire or have access to qualified teachers), you are no longer homeschooling. When a child actor hires tutors, they don't say they were homeschooled... they were schooled in a non-traditional manner because they had to by necessity to fit their schedule. Maybe there needs to be a 3rd thread that focuses on parents that want out of the traditional education system, but acknowledge they can't adequately teach their kids and hire dedicated teachers/tutors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have met a handful of moms in Florida who homeschool. I know for a fact they did not attend college. Their grammar is awful. I know I am not perfect myself but that's why I plan on sending my children to public or private school. Why do they homeschool? It seems so backwards. In my home country home schooling is not legal. We would see it as backwards.

(I have not read any of the other posts in this thread.)

The primary reason that people homeschool their children is to maintain control.

A secondary reason is fear of what their children will be taught in a public school.

All the homeschoolers I know (in the DMV, and they are a pretty well educated group of people so not comparable to what OP is talking about) did it for very child-specific reasons. Usually it's that there is something about the child that is not being well-served by the schools, or can't be well-served by the schools. Like we know one kid who is a virtuosic musician and has had opportunities to perform and study on their chosen instrument but it's not compatible with public school. They home school so he can do thinks like a 6 week intensive in a foreign country in the middle of the spring semester if he wants.

I know another family that chose to home school because their early elementary kid was socially immature and academically advanced, a problem that was compounded by Covid closures. As other kids returned to school and settle quickly back into their social environment, their child developed serious anxiety and regressions. At the same time, she was testing several grade levels above her peer group and was doing pull outs for multiple subjects to higher grades, which didn't help with the social issues at all. Moving to home school actually helps their kid socialize more because they are part of a homeschool collective and the environment is smaller and more approachable than a large public elementary school, and since everyone is on a slightly customized curriculum, there is less concern about needing to be in lock-step with same-age peers. It sounds like it's a good solution in their case.

And there are others. I'd say the main goal of these families was to find flexibility, not control. I don't know anyone who feared what their kids were learning in public school, though some families do worry that their kids aren't getting enough of certain things (outdoor time, arts education, writing practice, etc.).

Clicked on the Homeschooling thread by mistake, but fascinated by this specific question.

Why is it that so many of the well-educated folks that homeschool their kids are unable to grasp the theme of this thread? The OP specifically wanted to know why parents that only finished HS decide to homeschool their kids. She understands why highly educated parents (who ostensibly are qualified) might decide to homeschool their kids.

We all read the stories of the kids that are homeschooled (usually by highly educated, PhD parents or equivalent) and win the Scripps Spelling Bee and attend Harvard. However, I have a sister who completed one semester of college, became a religious fanatic and homeschooled her kids. Their outcomes, and as far as I can tell when hearing about their homeschool peer group, have been TERRIBLE. She is in the South, so don't know if there are any standards in the DMV area for homeschoolers.

She homeschooled for religious/morality reasons (to answer the OP's question) but honestly didn't have training or patience for it.

Why is it so hard to grasp that teaching an elementary kid (or a few) at home is completely different than teaching an AP high schooler?

Nobody needs more than a high school education to teach elementary kids. At least that’s the case if you graduated long enough ago that a high school education actually meant something.

At the high school level, most homeschooling parents, and certainly most of the less well educated homeschooling parents, use co ops and private tutoring for the difficult subjects.

There are really just a few religious nuts here or there who insist on educating their kids themselves even though they don’t know the material well enough. Personally, I’ve never met one of those, and I know quite a few homeschoolers.

Seems like if you are hiring tutors and using co-ops (which I gather hire or have access to qualified teachers), you are no longer homeschooling. When a child actor hires tutors, they don't say they were homeschooled... they were schooled in a non-traditional manner because they had to by necessity to fit their schedule. Maybe there needs to be a 3rd thread that focuses on parents that want out of the traditional education system, but acknowledge they can't adequately teach their kids and hire dedicated teachers/tutors.

It is still considered homeschooling, as the parent facilitates and supervises the education and the child is not enrolled in an accredited school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Educated homeschoolers are posting in response to OP's question to push back against the stereotype that only uneducated religious extremists homeschool.

+1, I don't homeschool but the homeschool families I know all have highly educated parents who have done it for reasons like:

- escaping bullying or serious inadequacies in local public school, sometimes as a bridge before moving or transferring to private (these examples involve school situations that were really bad and required immediate action, though sometimes the family discovered that home school was a great option and stuck with it past the immediate urgent need)
- to support a child's interest in a demanding extra-curricular, like very serious musicians or dancers who are at a pre-professional level, and homeschooling facilitates an intense practice and performance schedule that would be hard to undertake with a traditional school
- one parent has a job that moves the family to an area with inadequate schools and the other (educated) parent homeschools because the opportunity is too good to pass on, in most cases this has involved an international move that also facilitated a lot of travel and amazing experiences for the kids so it's not just about an opportunity for the one parent, it's like a way of doing a once in a lifetime family experience with sacrificing education
- one parent is an actual teacher with high or very specific education standards and figures, I know how to do this anyway why not for my own kids. More likely if the teacher parent's background is Montessori or something like that which is different from traditional education, and also more likely for early grades but kids will go to regular schools for later elementary and definitely MS/HS.

I've never met a stereotypical religious extremist homeschooling family. I'm sure they exist, but I wouldn't assume that was the situation if I met a family and all I knew about them was that they homeschooled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have met a handful of moms in Florida who homeschool. I know for a fact they did not attend college. Their grammar is awful. I know I am not perfect myself but that's why I plan on sending my children to public or private school. Why do they homeschool? It seems so backwards. In my home country home schooling is not legal. We would see it as backwards.

(I have not read any of the other posts in this thread.)

The primary reason that people homeschool their children is to maintain control.

A secondary reason is fear of what their children will be taught in a public school.

All the homeschoolers I know (in the DMV, and they are a pretty well educated group of people so not comparable to what OP is talking about) did it for very child-specific reasons. Usually it's that there is something about the child that is not being well-served by the schools, or can't be well-served by the schools. Like we know one kid who is a virtuosic musician and has had opportunities to perform and study on their chosen instrument but it's not compatible with public school. They home school so he can do thinks like a 6 week intensive in a foreign country in the middle of the spring semester if he wants.

I know another family that chose to home school because their early elementary kid was socially immature and academically advanced, a problem that was compounded by Covid closures. As other kids returned to school and settle quickly back into their social environment, their child developed serious anxiety and regressions. At the same time, she was testing several grade levels above her peer group and was doing pull outs for multiple subjects to higher grades, which didn't help with the social issues at all. Moving to home school actually helps their kid socialize more because they are part of a homeschool collective and the environment is smaller and more approachable than a large public elementary school, and since everyone is on a slightly customized curriculum, there is less concern about needing to be in lock-step with same-age peers. It sounds like it's a good solution in their case.

And there are others. I'd say the main goal of these families was to find flexibility, not control. I don't know anyone who feared what their kids were learning in public school, though some families do worry that their kids aren't getting enough of certain things (outdoor time, arts education, writing practice, etc.).

Clicked on the Homeschooling thread by mistake, but fascinated by this specific question.

Why is it that so many of the well-educated folks that homeschool their kids are unable to grasp the theme of this thread? The OP specifically wanted to know why parents that only finished HS decide to homeschool their kids. She understands why highly educated parents (who ostensibly are qualified) might decide to homeschool their kids.

We all read the stories of the kids that are homeschooled (usually by highly educated, PhD parents or equivalent) and win the Scripps Spelling Bee and attend Harvard. However, I have a sister who completed one semester of college, became a religious fanatic and homeschooled her kids. Their outcomes, and as far as I can tell when hearing about their homeschool peer group, have been TERRIBLE. She is in the South, so don't know if there are any standards in the DMV area for homeschoolers.

She homeschooled for religious/morality reasons (to answer the OP's question) but honestly didn't have training or patience for it.

Why is it so hard to grasp that teaching an elementary kid (or a few) at home is completely different than teaching an AP high schooler?

Nobody needs more than a high school education to teach elementary kids. At least that’s the case if you graduated long enough ago that a high school education actually meant something.

At the high school level, most homeschooling parents, and certainly most of the less well educated homeschooling parents, use co ops and private tutoring for the difficult subjects.

There are really just a few religious nuts here or there who insist on educating their kids themselves even though they don’t know the material well enough. Personally, I’ve never met one of those, and I know quite a few homeschoolers.

Seems like if you are hiring tutors and using co-ops (which I gather hire or have access to qualified teachers), you are no longer homeschooling. When a child actor hires tutors, they don't say they were homeschooled... they were schooled in a non-traditional manner because they had to by necessity to fit their schedule. Maybe there needs to be a 3rd thread that focuses on parents that want out of the traditional education system, but acknowledge they can't adequately teach their kids and hire dedicated teachers/tutors.

It is still considered homeschooling, as the parent facilitates and supervises the education and the child is not enrolled in an accredited school.

That seems like a liberal definition, though I suppose that is what is possibly accepted. I believe to a layperson that if you make the statement that you are homeschooling your child, that person assumes that you specifically are teaching them. That could also be a source of confusion for the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If homeschoolers are so uneducated, they'll fail in life and will pose no threat to you and your school-going kids.

Tim Tebow failed at football and baseball

Tim Tebow left college with a bachelor's degree, which is more than can be said of most elite football players.

Get your sports analogies correct. Nearly all NFL players leave college with a bachelor's degree based on how the NFL works.

Now, MLB or NBA, are different leagues with very different rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have met a handful of moms in Florida who homeschool. I know for a fact they did not attend college. Their grammar is awful. I know I am not perfect myself but that's why I plan on sending my children to public or private school. Why do they homeschool? It seems so backwards. In my home country home schooling is not legal. We would see it as backwards.

(I have not read any of the other posts in this thread.)

The primary reason that people homeschool their children is to maintain control.

A secondary reason is fear of what their children will be taught in a public school.

All the homeschoolers I know (in the DMV, and they are a pretty well educated group of people so not comparable to what OP is talking about) did it for very child-specific reasons. Usually it's that there is something about the child that is not being well-served by the schools, or can't be well-served by the schools. Like we know one kid who is a virtuosic musician and has had opportunities to perform and study on their chosen instrument but it's not compatible with public school. They home school so he can do thinks like a 6 week intensive in a foreign country in the middle of the spring semester if he wants.

I know another family that chose to home school because their early elementary kid was socially immature and academically advanced, a problem that was compounded by Covid closures. As other kids returned to school and settle quickly back into their social environment, their child developed serious anxiety and regressions. At the same time, she was testing several grade levels above her peer group and was doing pull outs for multiple subjects to higher grades, which didn't help with the social issues at all. Moving to home school actually helps their kid socialize more because they are part of a homeschool collective and the environment is smaller and more approachable than a large public elementary school, and since everyone is on a slightly customized curriculum, there is less concern about needing to be in lock-step with same-age peers. It sounds like it's a good solution in their case.

And there are others. I'd say the main goal of these families was to find flexibility, not control. I don't know anyone who feared what their kids were learning in public school, though some families do worry that their kids aren't getting enough of certain things (outdoor time, arts education, writing practice, etc.).

Clicked on the Homeschooling thread by mistake, but fascinated by this specific question.

Why is it that so many of the well-educated folks that homeschool their kids are unable to grasp the theme of this thread? The OP specifically wanted to know why parents that only finished HS decide to homeschool their kids. She understands why highly educated parents (who ostensibly are qualified) might decide to homeschool their kids.

We all read the stories of the kids that are homeschooled (usually by highly educated, PhD parents or equivalent) and win the Scripps Spelling Bee and attend Harvard. However, I have a sister who completed one semester of college, became a religious fanatic and homeschooled her kids. Their outcomes, and as far as I can tell when hearing about their homeschool peer group, have been TERRIBLE. She is in the South, so don't know if there are any standards in the DMV area for homeschoolers.

She homeschooled for religious/morality reasons (to answer the OP's question) but honestly didn't have training or patience for it.

Why is it so hard to grasp that teaching an elementary kid (or a few) at home is completely different than teaching an AP high schooler?

Nobody needs more than a high school education to teach elementary kids. At least that’s the case if you graduated long enough ago that a high school education actually meant something.

At the high school level, most homeschooling parents, and certainly most of the less well educated homeschooling parents, use co ops and private tutoring for the difficult subjects.

There are really just a few religious nuts here or there who insist on educating their kids themselves even though they don’t know the material well enough. Personally, I’ve never met one of those, and I know quite a few homeschoolers.

Seems like if you are hiring tutors and using co-ops (which I gather hire or have access to qualified teachers), you are no longer homeschooling. When a child actor hires tutors, they don't say they were homeschooled... they were schooled in a non-traditional manner because they had to by necessity to fit their schedule. Maybe there needs to be a 3rd thread that focuses on parents that want out of the traditional education system, but acknowledge they can't adequately teach their kids and hire dedicated teachers/tutors.

It is still considered homeschooling, as the parent facilitates and supervises the education and the child is not enrolled in an accredited school.

That seems like a liberal definition, though I suppose that is what is possibly accepted. I believe to a layperson that if you make the statement that you are homeschooling your child, that person assumes that you specifically are teaching them. That could also be a source of confusion for the OP.

Your understanding is outdated. My kids have been homeschooled (liberally defined, but they fall under that umbrella as per FCPS) since early elementary. I have not taught them directly since around middle school. I am, however, in charge of assembling highly customized selections of synchronous and self-paced courses through a wide range of providers. I have very high standards. I’m really much more of a project manager and enforcer these days. Selective colleges seem to like it - my oldest is headed to Yale as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have met a handful of moms in Florida who homeschool. I know for a fact they did not attend college. Their grammar is awful. I know I am not perfect myself but that's why I plan on sending my children to public or private school. Why do they homeschool? It seems so backwards. In my home country home schooling is not legal. We would see it as backwards.

(I have not read any of the other posts in this thread.)

The primary reason that people homeschool their children is to maintain control.

A secondary reason is fear of what their children will be taught in a public school.

All the homeschoolers I know (in the DMV, and they are a pretty well educated group of people so not comparable to what OP is talking about) did it for very child-specific reasons. Usually it's that there is something about the child that is not being well-served by the schools, or can't be well-served by the schools. Like we know one kid who is a virtuosic musician and has had opportunities to perform and study on their chosen instrument but it's not compatible with public school. They home school so he can do thinks like a 6 week intensive in a foreign country in the middle of the spring semester if he wants.

I know another family that chose to home school because their early elementary kid was socially immature and academically advanced, a problem that was compounded by Covid closures. As other kids returned to school and settle quickly back into their social environment, their child developed serious anxiety and regressions. At the same time, she was testing several grade levels above her peer group and was doing pull outs for multiple subjects to higher grades, which didn't help with the social issues at all. Moving to home school actually helps their kid socialize more because they are part of a homeschool collective and the environment is smaller and more approachable than a large public elementary school, and since everyone is on a slightly customized curriculum, there is less concern about needing to be in lock-step with same-age peers. It sounds like it's a good solution in their case.

And there are others. I'd say the main goal of these families was to find flexibility, not control. I don't know anyone who feared what their kids were learning in public school, though some families do worry that their kids aren't getting enough of certain things (outdoor time, arts education, writing practice, etc.).

Clicked on the Homeschooling thread by mistake, but fascinated by this specific question.

Why is it that so many of the well-educated folks that homeschool their kids are unable to grasp the theme of this thread? The OP specifically wanted to know why parents that only finished HS decide to homeschool their kids. She understands why highly educated parents (who ostensibly are qualified) might decide to homeschool their kids.

We all read the stories of the kids that are homeschooled (usually by highly educated, PhD parents or equivalent) and win the Scripps Spelling Bee and attend Harvard. However, I have a sister who completed one semester of college, became a religious fanatic and homeschooled her kids. Their outcomes, and as far as I can tell when hearing about their homeschool peer group, have been TERRIBLE. She is in the South, so don't know if there are any standards in the DMV area for homeschoolers.

She homeschooled for religious/morality reasons (to answer the OP's question) but honestly didn't have training or patience for it.

Why is it so hard to grasp that teaching an elementary kid (or a few) at home is completely different than teaching an AP high schooler?

Nobody needs more than a high school education to teach elementary kids. At least that’s the case if you graduated long enough ago that a high school education actually meant something.

At the high school level, most homeschooling parents, and certainly most of the less well educated homeschooling parents, use co ops and private tutoring for the difficult subjects.

There are really just a few religious nuts here or there who insist on educating their kids themselves even though they don’t know the material well enough. Personally, I’ve never met one of those, and I know quite a few homeschoolers.

Well, assuming these parents are say in their early 30s with elementary school-aged kids, that would mean they graduated HS let's say around 2007. Is that 'long enough ago" when a high school education actually meant something? Seems like you have a 1950s HS education definition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you're uneducated you don't know what you don't know and you think you know all you and your kids need to know.

Yes, this. With a lack of experience to the contrary and maybe less than average deduction skills, you're going to be susceptible to whatever your neighbors are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have met a handful of moms in Florida who homeschool. I know for a fact they did not attend college. Their grammar is awful. I know I am not perfect myself but that's why I plan on sending my children to public or private school. Why do they homeschool? It seems so backwards. In my home country home schooling is not legal. We would see it as backwards.

(I have not read any of the other posts in this thread.)

The primary reason that people homeschool their children is to maintain control.

A secondary reason is fear of what their children will be taught in a public school.

All the homeschoolers I know (in the DMV, and they are a pretty well educated group of people so not comparable to what OP is talking about) did it for very child-specific reasons. Usually it's that there is something about the child that is not being well-served by the schools, or can't be well-served by the schools. Like we know one kid who is a virtuosic musician and has had opportunities to perform and study on their chosen instrument but it's not compatible with public school. They home school so he can do thinks like a 6 week intensive in a foreign country in the middle of the spring semester if he wants.

I know another family that chose to home school because their early elementary kid was socially immature and academically advanced, a problem that was compounded by Covid closures. As other kids returned to school and settle quickly back into their social environment, their child developed serious anxiety and regressions. At the same time, she was testing several grade levels above her peer group and was doing pull outs for multiple subjects to higher grades, which didn't help with the social issues at all. Moving to home school actually helps their kid socialize more because they are part of a homeschool collective and the environment is smaller and more approachable than a large public elementary school, and since everyone is on a slightly customized curriculum, there is less concern about needing to be in lock-step with same-age peers. It sounds like it's a good solution in their case.

And there are others. I'd say the main goal of these families was to find flexibility, not control. I don't know anyone who feared what their kids were learning in public school, though some families do worry that their kids aren't getting enough of certain things (outdoor time, arts education, writing practice, etc.).

Clicked on the Homeschooling thread by mistake, but fascinated by this specific question.

Why is it that so many of the well-educated folks that homeschool their kids are unable to grasp the theme of this thread? The OP specifically wanted to know why parents that only finished HS decide to homeschool their kids. She understands why highly educated parents (who ostensibly are qualified) might decide to homeschool their kids.

We all read the stories of the kids that are homeschooled (usually by highly educated, PhD parents or equivalent) and win the Scripps Spelling Bee and attend Harvard. However, I have a sister who completed one semester of college, became a religious fanatic and homeschooled her kids. Their outcomes, and as far as I can tell when hearing about their homeschool peer group, have been TERRIBLE. She is in the South, so don't know if there are any standards in the DMV area for homeschoolers.

She homeschooled for religious/morality reasons (to answer the OP's question) but honestly didn't have training or patience for it.

Why is it so hard to grasp that teaching an elementary kid (or a few) at home is completely different than teaching an AP high schooler?

Nobody needs more than a high school education to teach elementary kids. At least that’s the case if you graduated long enough ago that a high school education actually meant something.

At the high school level, most homeschooling parents, and certainly most of the less well educated homeschooling parents, use co ops and private tutoring for the difficult subjects.

There are really just a few religious nuts here or there who insist on educating their kids themselves even though they don’t know the material well enough. Personally, I’ve never met one of those, and I know quite a few homeschoolers.

Seems like if you are hiring tutors and using co-ops (which I gather hire or have access to qualified teachers), you are no longer homeschooling. When a child actor hires tutors, they don't say they were homeschooled... they were schooled in a non-traditional manner because they had to by necessity to fit their schedule. Maybe there needs to be a 3rd thread that focuses on parents that want out of the traditional education system, but acknowledge they can't adequately teach their kids and hire dedicated teachers/tutors.

It is still considered homeschooling, as the parent facilitates and supervises the education and the child is not enrolled in an accredited school.

That seems like a liberal definition, though I suppose that is what is possibly accepted. I believe to a layperson that if you make the statement that you are homeschooling your child, that person assumes that you specifically are teaching them. That could also be a source of confusion for the OP.

It’s not a “liberal” definition, it’s the legal definition.

And most people aren’t “making statements about homeschooling”. They’re answering nosy people’s questions and accusations about why aren’t your kids in school when it’s the middle of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Educated homeschoolers are posting in response to OP's question to push back against the stereotype that only uneducated religious extremists homeschool.

+1, I don't homeschool but the homeschool families I know all have highly educated parents who have done it for reasons like:

- escaping bullying or serious inadequacies in local public school, sometimes as a bridge before moving or transferring to private (these examples involve school situations that were really bad and required immediate action, though sometimes the family discovered that home school was a great option and stuck with it past the immediate urgent need)
- to support a child's interest in a demanding extra-curricular, like very serious musicians or dancers who are at a pre-professional level, and homeschooling facilitates an intense practice and performance schedule that would be hard to undertake with a traditional school
- one parent has a job that moves the family to an area with inadequate schools and the other (educated) parent homeschools because the opportunity is too good to pass on, in most cases this has involved an international move that also facilitated a lot of travel and amazing experiences for the kids so it's not just about an opportunity for the one parent, it's like a way of doing a once in a lifetime family experience with sacrificing education
- one parent is an actual teacher with high or very specific education standards and figures, I know how to do this anyway why not for my own kids. More likely if the teacher parent's background is Montessori or something like that which is different from traditional education, and also more likely for early grades but kids will go to regular schools for later elementary and definitely MS/HS.

I've never met a stereotypical religious extremist homeschooling family. I'm sure they exist, but I wouldn't assume that was the situation if I met a family and all I knew about them was that they homeschooled.

I know four families that pulled their kids out of the traditional system. One had a world-class skier traveling to international events, another a musician traveling to international competitions, and the third a guy who sold his company for a billion $$$s, bought a 150-foot yacht, and sailed the world for a year.

The fourth family formed a learning pod during Covid where a professional teacher was hired and a group of 5 elementary kids are taught by this teacher. This situation will end at middle school.

NONE of these families would ever say they homeschooled their kids...that is absolutely not how they define their situation. They pulled their kids out of the institutional education framework, but just replaced it with private tutors and privately paid teachers.

This clearly touches a nerve, but there may be the "legal" definition and then there is the what the OP and I would argue most people understand as homeschooling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because they’re bigots.

I think we’ve found the real bigot.