why do you not homeschool?

[meowee]

I would like to hear reasons why people don't homeschool, whether you have considered it or not.

Not a debate thread at all... I really would like to hear others' thoughts.:

I'm adding a poll...

[meowee]

I can see both sides... I have had 1 DD in school and may enroll another in K. I would enroll the DD in K because she is sometimes too much for me to handle... I know that may not be a good reason, but it's my reason. Right now they are all homeschooled, though.

[becoming]

Both DH and I WOH.

[Shonahsmom]

I voted "other" because it's a little beyond "not practical for our family"

I am a single mama (and the only living parent) and I WOH full time. I don't see a way around this. I know there are single moms that do it, but most of them have support, either monetarily or pragmatically, from their DC's father or from family. I don't have that and I really do not see a possible way to do it otherwise. It's not a lifestyle thing either.. I do not own a car, have credit cards, debt, etc.. I live frugally and simply. It's just really not at all feasible for us.

I would love to homeschool though and if circumstnaces were different or if they change in the future, I'd jump at the opportunity.

[Qestia]

DS is only 2, LOL, but I'm giving it a lot of thought, as the coolest family I know (who happen to have introduced me to Mothering Mag) homeschool. But, I WOH now, as does DH... DH is leery of HSing, but agrees if DS gets a teacher who thinks he should be medicated, or some such nonsense, and we can't find another solution, we would HS. We both hated school, and everything I hear about schools these days makes me less than thrilled at the idea of sending DS... but I can't imagine how we would make it work if we can't make it work to have a parent at home now.

[sadean]

Both Dh and I WOH, so it isn't practical and that is how I voted. We considered it and decided that it didn't work for us, partly because of the working factor and partly because DH is pretty opposed it it for the socalization issue (I think it is bologna, but I have to compromise sometimes and I am not willing to go into a homeschooling situation without support).

Additionally, with the implementation of the Kalamazoo Promise, our public school going children will have the ability to go to public university/college for little or no money (tutition is covered, so we will need to come up with room and board and books), so pulling them out now would have longer term ramifications for us personally.

[CorasMama]

I love homeschooling, in theory. But for our family, it simply won't work. First, Cora has a lot of need to be social w/ lots of kids. Also, I have chronic fatigue syndrome (in addition to other health issues.) I actually sleep most of the time she's at school. I suppose that, if I had the energy and the discipline, homeschooling might work for us.

[Starr]

Both Dh and myself WOH
I really do like our public school system where we live, its where both DH and myself went to elementary school

[PiePie]

we should be able to pick more than one reason.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

For me it is a matter of knowing my limits. I do not have the patience to teach dd in a way she needs to be taught. I cannot handle having to go over things a bunch of times and I get frustrated when she dosnt pick things up right away or forgets something she knew 10 min earlier.

I do not want to have to join groups so that she can socialize with other kids. When she can make friends and socialize at school. I dont do well at all around large groups and I wouldnt be comfortable leaving her alone with people I dont know in a setting out side of school. I know that makes me sound horrid but it is the truth. I might as well be honest so there it is.

If i had to I could probably do it but for now she is happy and I am happy with her public school education.

[Mary]

I checked other. I don't know if I can perfectly articulate why we choose school over homeschooling. I'll give it a shot though.

For me, I see great benefits to both ways of schooling and also great weaknesses. It all boils down to finding the situation that is most ideal for my kids. I think that the right school is more ideal that the reality of homeschooling (for us). That said, if I couldn't find the right school I would homeschool- I think I've found a place that will be more ideal than if I homeschooled (we shall see though).

Aside from that, I want my children to feel that they are a part of a community. We live far away from family and I want them to have other adults as well as kids that they can learn from. I know if I homeschooled their lives would be more fragmented- sure there are homeschooling groups, but the greater part of the day would be within the confines of our home and I would be solely responsible for being their mother, educator and everything else. That's not ideal as far as I'm concerned. I want my children's world to be more than what I can provide and introduce to them. If I do homeschool in the future I will have to work very hard to achieve a situation where we are a part of a larger community (having moved several times as a mother, I know how much effort it takes to get a group together, although it's not impossible). There is a point as they get older where school seems more limiting to me and perhaps at that point I will lean more towards homeschooling, who knows?!

Next year my kids will be in a small expeditionary learning school. It is not your typical school and I think it's going to be great (I'm hoping at least). I feel like I'm in a perfect position, because we have this opportunity, but homeschooling is a viable option. It is a full-on choice right now and I think that's great. I know a lot of people fully believe that homeschooling is better all the way around- I don't.

[AlexisT]

I'm a lot like the last poster (whoops, that will be 2 up now!). People are often surprised when I say I'd never homeschool because I was one of the people who had such a miserable time at school. DH's experience was even worse. But, there's the following problems:

1) My kids would read everything but never get past basic arithmetic (actually DH has a maths degree but he's far too impatient to teach!)
2) I'm completely unqualified to teach Jewish studies
3) I want my kids to have the Jewish environment they'll get at school
4) I'm terrible at socialising and my kids would end up being those stereotypical homeschooled kids with no friends (DH and I are both loner geeks, they'll probably inherit this, and hard as it will be they will need the forced socialisation of school).

[mija]

I would actually like to homeschool, but it doesn't really do it for my four year old son, even being in less preschool (only 4 hours a week) is driving him crazy. He has never been happier than when he went everyday 9-1. He would view it as a punishment.

[mija]

Oh, and we will reevaluate that as necessary if he's no longer enjoying and benefitting from school and separately for his younger brother. I would like to go back to school or work myself and will work hard to find school environments that will work for them.

[Thalia the Muse]

My husband and I both work, but even if we didn't I would not homeschool, because:

1) My daughter's very extroverted and school is a great outlet for her. She has a complex web of friendships. I had a hard time in school socially, but she's not me and she doesn't.
2) She's an only, and it's all too easy for her to be the special special princess focus of our attention when at home. I don't think it would be healthy for her to have an adult sitting home with her throughout her childhood pouring a spotlight of scrutiny and attention on her even more than we do!
3) I think that relationships with adults other than the parents are healthy for kids as they grow up, and give them a wider view of the world than they would get just from their own parents. I'm a highly opinionated person, and I don't want to "indoctrinate" her -- I want her to see the world from other perspectives than I see it, in addition to mine. Mary articulated this better than I could, in her post.
4) When kids and parents inevitably butt heads, I think it's better for kids to have their education not tangled up in that relationship dynamic.
5) I want her to be part of a wider community,to see herself as connected, without my driving her around and arranging that.
6) Her school is good and so far her teachers have been great. She's thriving there. ARe there things I don't like or would do differently? Sure! But on balance, it's been good for her.

So, those are my reasons. I'm completely confident that were we to homeschool, she would come out better educated than she would from public school alone -- she's already ahead of her class (although they're putting her in an accelerated class next year, which may help). But it's not like she's being educated by school alone -- we go to museums, read a lot, look things up that we're interested in, do art projects. School is only part of her education, but it's a good part, at least so far. She really doesn't need one-on-one instruction to learn arithmetic or how to make a bar graph, so learning it with her class seems like the most efficient way.

Some of the homeschoolers on this site are obviously doing an amazing job and their stories about their day-to-day lives sound wonderful. I do sometimes fantasize about staying home and creating this incredible educational environment where we go on nature walks and learn calculus together and plant gardens and, I don't know, write sonnets, while I sneak in an hour here or there to write a series of bestselling children's novels; but given the realities of our family, school is by far the better choice.

[kathymuggle]

I voted other

My oldest goes to school (age 11) because he chooses to. He goes to see his friends on a daily basis.

Myself, I would prefer it if he was homeschooled

Nice thread!

For those who WOH, do you think you would homeschool if you were a SAHP?

Kathy

[Thalia the Muse]

Nope, I still wouldn't homeschool! I wouldn't have her in the aftercare program, though. She does have fun there and seems to be fine, but I wish her days weren't so long.

[UUMom]

I voted other, as half of mine are currently in school, and the other half are at home.

We have gone by each child and their needs & desires, and we are lucky we have that option. Our schooled children have enriching and repectful teachers and programming and I am never going to take that for granted, ever.

We have no school horror stories and I hope that never changes.

[Shantimama]

I homeshooled my chidlren for 5 years and tehy are now just finishing up their second year in school.

I think homeschooling can be amazing - but we moved to a new area and the kids were crying out for new friends and the hs community here just wasn't clicking for us. They also wanted to become fluent in another language - not Rosetta Stone kind of fluent but really fluent - so they are in the French Imemrsion program and excelling.

We have ahad a wonderful expereince of school - and we had a wodnerful expereince homeschooling. Right now this works best for everyone and it enables me to homeschool myself!

[sarahmae1]

I voted other. I have considered homeschooling, and will consider it again in the future if public school doesn't work out for any of my children.

However, we decided not to homeschool (for the time being) for several reasons. We thought that going to school would be a good fit with our oldest DS' personality. Also, I am not organized at all, and don't know if I would have the time/patience to hs. Plus, DS1 and I buttheads quite a bit but he listens to his teachers at school very well. DH was also worried about the socialization issue, and he doesn't want me to shelter the children too much.