Do you wish you could you be privvy to a candid conversation between a group of them?
I know I do!
The thoughts and opinions of those that have recently finished their schooling at home and are now out in the big wide world are important for me to hear. In fact I think they are important for all homeschooling parents to hear.
The majority of home schooling parents spend hours deliberating over their decisions to home school, even if they have been home schooling for some time.
Are we genuinely doing the right thing by our children? This one question, but one very important question, is one I feel we need to continually be asking ourselves.
Clearly for some children the answer is definitely no, even if the parents believe that they are doing the right thing.
So when a link to a conversation between a small group of homeschooled teens/young adults was shared at one my favourite places on the net to visit, I read with eagerness.
This post by a previously home schooled young adult tells her brief story of how she was home schooled until Year 11, even after years of begging her parents to let her go to school.
However you simply cannnot read the short introductory post alone, it is in the conversation in the comments that follow, where you really get some insight into how some of these people feel.
There are positive and negative comments from various posters, many of which were homeschooled, some of which weren't but seemed to have an interest. I must warn you there are a few crass remarks and some of the information might cut a little deeply, however I still feel quite strongly that this is the type of info we NEED to be reading.
Click here to read the discussion.
That was really interesting. I found this comment seemed to sum up a lot of the feeling:
ReplyDelete"I kind of feel like the main difference between kids who benefit from homeschooling and those who don't comes down to whether their parents' primary motivation was to provide them with a better education, or to hide the world from them."
I feel personally that those kids who are homeschooled to be sheltered from the 'real world' are the ones who would find it hard to fit into 'normal' life afterwards, and I think that's what many people think of when they hear the words 'home schooling'. Hence the comments about socialisation, not fitting in to the real world etc.
But then, we all do what we think is best and just hope it works out!
I personally don't find this a good representation. I know many young adults who homeschooled who are very respectful, excellent college students and faithful to their religion. They are close to their parents and family and cherish those relationships.
ReplyDeleteI have a son who is a college student and would never represent himself that way.
Obviously there are cases, but I know of none personally that have evoked feelings like this person spews.
Great post! Insightful. My girls are happy to be homeschooled and it makes sense for our family...if at some point they REALLY wanted to go to school...I am not sure what we would do!
ReplyDeleteThis was a interesting read. I was surprised at some of the comments made. But at dinner last night I talked to the kids about going to school and both were adamant they want to stay home for now:) I think it all depends on how involved the parent is in the schooling. I work extremely hard to find activities that the kids will enjoy and yet still learn from. It would be nice to hear a discussion from more kids that found home schooling more beneficial to them:)
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really depend on how involved the parent is in the schooling :) Going to school, continuing to homeschool - it's way more complex than that - or at least, is has been, for us. I thought the conversation was a good reminder that our homeschooled students, especially as they get older, need choice and a sense of autonomy over the direction their education takes.
ReplyDelete