As home-schooling moves to mainstream, stigma fades

MSNBC ^ | 9/27/2010 | Vidya Rao

[GonzoII]

Fifteen-year-old Tess Rodrigues is a typical teenager: She spends her free time at the mall, hangs out with friends and stays connected on Facebook.

But unlike most 10th-graders, Tess is home- schooled by her mother, and supplements her studies in marine biology, Spanish and world history with help from a weekly home- school co-op group.

“My mom and I laugh a lot and have fun,” Tess said. “And with the work, I get to go at my own pace, unlike a regular classroom. I can speed through lessons that are easy, and take time to go over things if I don’t get them.”

Her mother, Lisa Landis Rodrigues, started home-schooling her three children when t hey were in second, fourth and fifth grade.

“I’m not anti-school at all — I think teachers are awesome and I think most schools are great,” said the Rhode Island mom. “But morally, I think they go way too fast. I wanted my 10-year-old to be a 10-year-old, not get caught up in how other kids dress and act, so I decided to home-school them.”

Though such students represent an estimated 3 percent of the population, evidence suggests that home-schooling is a growing trend in America. While most say faith is their primary motivation, others choose this path for a variety of reasons that include dissatisfaction with the local school system, caring for special-needs kids, safety concerns, flexibility to travel and the chance to spend more time with their children.

And, proponents say, the home-schoolers of yesteryear, stereotyped as socially awkward, religiously dogmatic and ill-prepared for the real world, aren’t representative of current home-schoolers who more closely mirror the mainstream.

[pops88]

Some kids are definitely not ready to start college so early. I started at 17 and it was disastrous. Our daughter grew up over seas (several countries) and had a very different experience than most. She hated the couple years of public school she had in the U.S. She fit right in when she started college and could relate better to her older peers. One size doesn’t fit all, which is one reason public education is such a failure.

[arthurus]

More and more Americans are beginning to care about their children’s education.

[GonzoII]

Ping.

[netmilsmom]

Exactly!

[MrB]

One thing that homeschoolers have to remember, the left will understand, if they don’t already, the “threat” that homeschooling presents to their ideology.

Make sure you are members of HSLDA or equivalent,
so that these folks can continue to fight for us
within the law.

As one German leftist judge stated, [para] “we cannot allow them to create a parallel society”.

I guess in this “parallel society”, didactic thinkers would not be subject to the manipulation of dialectic facilitators that seek to push everyone into a “consensus” socialist society.

[Tired of Taxes]

I haven’t read the article yet, but it’s of interest to us.

[infowarrior]

A large majority of urban public school teachers do NOT send their own children to public schools.

That should speak volumes to anyone who is paying attention.

Not only is this true, it has been true for decades. The home-schooling movement did not appear for no reason, and the reason is simply that the public school system, systematically failed at educating, and has failed for a long time...

the infowarrior

[justsaynomore]

My kids are homeschooled - my youngest does all his schooling at home, except for one class in a local program.

My teen is in a very good situation. He goes to a “homeschool” program that meets 2 days a week. During those days, all the instruction is given by certified teachers. They assign work for the other three days at home. Labs and Clubs (Beta, Drama, Music, Band, ROTC) meet on the “off” days too. The program is accredited and they take care of transcripts too. They have a sister sports program (available to all homeschoolers) that has every sport you can imagine, and they compete in private school leagues in GA. The sports program is the school’s mascot so there is a lot of coordination between the two (pep rallies, cheerleading fundraisers, band, ROTC color guard, etc)

Tuition is much less than private schools around here, ~ $2k a year. The teachers love it because it is a decent paying part time job that allows them to homeschool their own kids. Another benefit is that parents and teachers are partners in the process.

There are over 1000 kids in this school, and about 2000 kids in the sports program. The waiting list is long, for both students and teachers.

I don’t need the program for my younger son, he’s happy and content doing what he does for now. For my high schooler, it is a very good fit.

Anyway, all of that is to say that things like this are great options for teachers. I hope that we will see teachers around the country put together programs/coops like this. It is a good option for parents of high schoolers who want some supportive programs (although you don’t need it to homeschool in high school - we just really like it :)

[Eva]

Just about all my neighbors home school their kids. There must be about thirty kids around here, who are all home schooled. One of the families are both teachers, the man teaches in the public schools and his wife stays home and home schools her kids and her sister’s kids. We have a neighbor who is a retired bio-chem professor from Purdue and he helps out with the science studies for all the kids and these kids are all amazing.

I met one home schooler at a Republican function, he had volunteered to do door belling and I gave him a ride home. He asked my what church I went to and invited me to attend his. These parents are truly doing an amazing job.

[kalee]

My homeschooled son’s best friend was the homeschooled son of the public school system’s psychologist. Both have graduated college now and are working at good jobs.My son got married this past summer.

We’re a second generation homeschool family now. My daughter is homeschooling her two.

[EternalVigilance]

You’re absolutely right.

[Rebelbase]

“I think teachers are awesome and I think most schools are great.”..........Yeah, right. “

She’s just killing them with kindness.

[MrB]

Yes, they have failed at educating,
but I assert that it has been more of a
changing of goals than a failure.

They are “failing” at educating, because that is no longer the goal.
The goal is indoctrination and the making of two classes of citizens - unthinking workers and indoctrinated elitist “rulers”.

[metmom]

I think for both lists this time.

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. Articles pinged to the Another Reason to Homeschool List will be given the keyword of ARTH. (If I remember. If I forget, please feel free to add it yourself)

The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.

This ping list is for articles of interest to homeschoolers. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping List. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added or removed from either list, or both.

The keyword for the FREE REPUBLIC HOMESCHOOLERS’ FORUM is frhf.

[sfimom]

Would you be so kind as to add me to both lists please?

[JenB]

And, proponents say, the home-schoolers of yesteryear, stereotyped as socially awkward, religiously dogmatic and ill-prepared for the real world, aren’t representative of current home-schoolers who more closely mirror the mainstream.

Um, how 'bout, proponents say that stereotype was always wromg? As a graduated homeschooler and homeschool mom myself, that idea is total nonsense. Well, not the religiously dogmatic part, maybe, but I'll see his "socially awkward and ill-prepared" and raise one "happily married, with a house, baby, and Master's degree in computer science".

[metmom]

Sure thing.

[metmom]

I’ve met some who fit the stereotype, but far more who didn’t.

We’re homeschoolers of yesteryear. We started in the early 199’s when homeschooling was just taking off, and I’d defy anyone to look at me or my kids and say *Homeschool stereotype.*

And I’ll raise them a physics major, a chemistry/math major, and an engineer.

[metmom]

Rats,... you just can’t stop the post when you see a typo as you’re proofreading while you post.

That’s 1990s....

[metmom]

I’m a public school teacher who plans on homeschooling my son.

And you are NOT alone.

One of the chapter leaders of the NYS L.E.A.H chapters was a public school teacher at the time.

I presume that he's still teaching as that was his job but have lost touch with the group when we moved and the kids graduated.