www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Home Schooling: Opinons ?

Despite the fact that I'm not a parent, I find this a very interesting topic. Personally I'm 110 pct in favor of Home Schooling, and hope it's the wave of the future.

Home school groups are maturing in sophistication where I live. There is a solid group at a local Anglican-use Roman Rite parish near me, maybe if there are parents with kids around the same age other parishes could work to educate the children of the parish.

Personally I would have liked the Great Books home school program when I was young, that would have suited with my disposition. But parents need to carefully consider their child's interests, propensities, and capabilities when choosing a program. Is there a program for children of the East?

I will actively consider home schooling for my future children.

Terry

It should be for Eastern Catholics - especially if one considers:

1. The state of much of the government school systems.

2. The fact that the Catholic School System has been largely responsible for the loss of countless Eastern Catholics to the Latin Church due to cheaper tuition rates for parishioners (in general).

Gordo

I think the question of home schooling is complex. There was a time when I was completely opposed to it. I was concerned about the whole issue of "socialization." Also, I have seen instances in which some parents have chosen the home schooling route because of a desire to prevent their children from interacting with children of other ethnic backgrounds. However, I've become much more open to home schooling. For the 06-07 school year, I worked as a substitute teacher in the school district in which my wife works as an elementary music teacher. I worked mainly in high school settings. I was consistently saddened and disgusted by what I observed. I often referred to the school at which I worked most frequently as a criminal factory. After this experience, I am resolved not to send any children Mary and I will have to public schools. However, I prefer Catholic or Orthodox schools to home schooling as an alternative to public schools. For one, I still have concerns about the question of socialization. In a school setting, children learn to interact with large groups of peers, and they are given opportunities to participate in many activities that home schooling simply cannot provide. Also, many parents simply are not equipped for being the academic educators of their children. And what about when you get to the high school level, when teaching becomes a bit more specialized. Even families where both parents have a very high level of education would be challenged to teach all the academic subjects on level that is needed for a young man or woman to be prepared for college. Then, there are also those unfortunate instances in which some families really do need two incomes to get by (this of course is not a reason for families that have the mom at home not to home school, but I do think it helps demonstrate why our society still needs a public school system-in spite of how disgusted I am with public schools). Now, in spite of the reasons why I believe that Catholic or Orthodox schools are a better alternative to home schooling, there may still be some instances in which home schooling might be the best alternative for some families-particularly if they are able to pool resources with other home schooling families and provide qualified teachers for those subjects that any given individual parent simply cannot teach and for which books alone cannot substitute. What does a family do when they're faced with horrible public schools, there are no Orthodox schools in the area, and the only Catholic school around is not faithful to the teachings of the Church? Unfortunately, this is the case for some people. In cases like these, home schooling may indeed be the best choice available.

Ryan

"For one, I still have concerns about the question of socialization."

Knowing a few families who home school, this is becoming less of an issue with the home school groups or corporates parents are forming. They can be rather sophisticated.

Terry

Yes, I'm aware of that, which is why it's less a concern for me than it once was. However, a concern that I still have is that home schooling can create a situation where children's interactions may be limited to a homogenous group that may be quite unlike what they will have to deal with as adults when they go to college and enter the work force.

Ryan

On the socialization issue, it is worth considering just what "normal" socialization is. Is it normal for a five-year old to spend most of his waking time with 30 other five-year olds, or is it normal for him to spend time with his older and younger siblings?

We create an artificial environment with public grade-level schooling, and then complain that the original family-based schooling is defective because it doesn't match the artificial model we have created.

We're still undecided on home schooling, but if our current job situations remain (MBA mom working and making money, PhD dad staying home raising the kids), we likely will home school.

As a homeschooling father of three, I concur. The issue of socialization is often broached when discussing homescooling. I can tell you (and I have the gas bills to prove it) my kids are VERY socialized! Church, scouts, multiple youth organizations and activities, extended family, etc etc. There are also many homeschool cooperatives that exist now, often with very sophisticated programs and events.

As a parent, whenever socialization is brought up, I have to ask: socialized to what types of environments and behaviours? What do they learn from their peer groups?

To my mind, while friendship is key to forming character, the family is the primary social matrix (BTW, I am not referring to the "nuclear" family so much as the to "tribal" extended multi-generational family.) Kids learn how to be mature Christian adults not from other kids, but primarily from mature Christian adults!

Having also taught in Catholic school some 16 years ago, I will say that even Catholic school is not always the perfect environment, nor is it necessarily the best way to educate children. (Although I do support the idea of Catholic and Orthodox schools in general.) I am grateful for my wife's generosity in staying home with our children for 17 years and homeschooling them for much of that period. I think about all that they learned from her...most especially from her virtues and character. To me, that is an education worth its weight in gold! I also love the fact that we do not need to spend our evenings doing 3 hours of homework. It is much more condusive to family time...that and not having a television. :-)

We are by NO means a perfect homeschooling family. My travel places many demands on my wife. (I hope to get that resolved next year!) In fact, we often find ourselves struggling a bit to balance the demands of life and homeschooling. But we do our level best and pray that God takes care of the rest!

Peace,

Gordo

I went to a Roman Catholic grade school for 11 years. It is unfair that they offer cheaper tuition for parishioners however, my mom went in and talked with the priest and he said to give us the parishioner rate because we were Eastern Catholics.

I then went on to a public high school and let me say that it was a culture shock for me. But I wouldn't trade a minute of it to be somewhere else. That is a life experience. I had to learn how to be a strong person in faith. I am so lucky that I was able to share my faith in a school that was lacking just by the way I lived.

I've known homeschooled kids who are really good in various social settings and some who didn't develop social skills until after they started going to high school. I think it's all a matter of where you go. I, personally, don't like the idea of home schooling as a means of sheltering my future kids from the real world.

Just my two cents

We homeschooled two of ours and I can truly say your concerns are real in some instances. Most parents however, are aware of that and find ways to deal with it.

Ann, went to Public Highschool for two years and loved it, but she missed to many days from illness -we found out later were allergy migraines due to asbestos in the school - she had to drop out. So I think she missed the fact that she didn't finish there, but at the same time, she went to Red Mountain School of the Healing Arts early and was finished by the time she was 19 and was her own business woman. They say she is excellent in what she does and is going to finish with her degree as a Dr. Naturopathy. I wonder if she had not been so ill herself as a child if she would have such a strong desire to help others the way she does.

One thing we did was volunteer work. We started as the first homeschool volunteers Red Mountain Museum had http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Mountain,_Birmingham,_Alabama

Ann got a lot of questions from the teachers bringing their kids through from public schools as to why she was there and not in school. My thought was she was doing three things - she was learning to do the experiment at hand, then she had to be able to communicate to do the experiment for others and also to help others, then she was out communicating with others that were not in her group. After Ann, they sought volunteers from homeschools.

Then when Nathaniel started he took care of the animals, he learned a lot about exotic animals in a protected enviornment. Again, he had to understand and be able to communicate with other students as to what need to be done for animals and help others to hold them also.

Then when it became McWane Center, Ann was active in their presenting the 'space ship' area - can't rememeber what it was called. Anyway, it is part of a NASA exibit. So there she was working in a new area of science for her. Nathaniel, kind of became a jack of all trades - especially with the animals.
http://www.mcwane.org/

Ann is 25 today, and Nathaniel turned 23 last month. So we were in there early. Also, they did science exploration down the Cahaba River with people they didn't know, helping Russian Scientists explore our water ways.

We(abunch of us homeschool parents) started the YMCA here doing homeschool PE. That started a whole new program for the Y and brought kids together from everywhere.

Also, they joined in a studio dwontown with people learning to do all sorts of arts. Then there was in the intermural sports between homeschool groups.

So really even though you homeschool there are many ways to get your kids out with people they don't know and are not necessarily comfortable with, to help their views on life.

Katie,

God bless the priest who did that for you and your family! What a wonderful example of generosity extended across our communion by a majority Church to a minority one. He should be commended for that and I hope more priests follow his example!

That said, homeschooling is not designed to shelter kids from the "real world". Of course, it sort of begs the question: what is the REAL world? Is it the world of fashion and pop culture? Is it the world the media, like the Disney Channel, tells us is real? I tend to think much of the REAL world is to be found in the day to day struggles of the domestic church and the marketplace. My kids, as any other homeschooling family, struggle through the REAL struggles of adolescence and much of the culture. Trust me, no matter how much one may try, there is no such thing as a completely hermetically sealed homeschooling bubble! I believe, though, that through our efforts with God's grace, they have a good grounding in how to discern what is good in today's world from what is worthless. To me, that is a key life skill many kids never develop!

It sounds like much of what your parents taught you was reinforced in your school environment, which is wonderful. Since parents are the primary educators of their children by divine right and vocation, any school should be an extension of their educational efforts. They are effectively delegating the task to the teachers for payment, which is fine. Some parents choose not to delegate it through the school system, which is perfectly normal and reasonable as well.

God bless you in your studies!

In ICXC,

Gordo

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever been home schooler through high school and then went to college? Or home schooled their children through high school and then they went to college? I would like to know how that experience went. And what it was like . To me, going to to college was an adventure all by itself.

Also, I don't want it to sound like I am against home schooling. I'm not Maybe I shouldn't have used the term "real" world. How about the world of pop/shock culture! I think it's more accurate.

I think that, whether or not a child is home schooled, learning happens at home. Whether it is actually being taught you classes by your parents or learning lessons and being helped with your home work by your parents. If this is the case I guess I was home schooled too in a sense!

"Socialization" can also be extremely negative, because the majority of children are not strong enough in there faith to contend with the constant barrage of non-Christian values they'll encounter from there peers in the public school system. I also believe that interacting is blown way out of proportion to the point that it sounds like home schoolers won't know how to react when meeting another kid.

Beautifully said!

We just add Math, Literature, Science, History and German to the list of topics.

God bless,

Gordo

Lawrence, I agree that socialization can be extremely negative, and that is one of the reasons why I've gone from being absolutely opposed to home schooling to being open to the idea. I teach in a Catholic school. I earn several thousand dollars a year less than I could in public schools, and I also don't have health insurance through this job, so my wife has to carry me on her plan, decreasing her net income by a few thousand dollars a year. One of the reasons why I've made this career decision is exactly because I don't like the behaviors that are permitted in the public schools. I think that much of the socialization going on there is "extremely negative." I also agree with those posters who insist that parents who home school take my concerns about socialization into account. My point in raising the whole socialization issue is not to rule out the possibility of home schooling. Rather, I think parents who home school need to make certain that they take into account that when their children become adults and are on their own, it is virtually certain that they will not be limited to interacting with their families and people from other similarly-minded families that have also decided to home school. Having taken this into account, they then need to take steps to ensure that their children are prepared to deal with this. OTOH, those Christian parents, who for whatever reason, do not home school (which I feel virtually certain will continue to be the overwhelming majority of parents), need to make sure that they take primary responsibility for the moral education of their children and not delegate this responsibility to any school-public or private. I think it's OK and in many cases the best thing a parent can do to delegate the academic education of their children to others. However, I don't believe it's ever OK to entrust the moral education of your children to a school.

Ryan