ATTN: People who cite socialization as a reason not to homeschool. Will you answer my question?

Question:What do you think a homeschooler's typical day is like? I would really like to know what you think homeschoolers do, because I run up against this all the time but have never had enough time to get a more detailed answer from someone.

So if you could (without sarcasm) basically break down what you think a typical homeschooler's day is, that would be great.

Here's my example for a school kid:

6:30 - Wake up
7:15 - Get on subway for school (I live in a big city)
7:45-8:00 - Arrive at school, hang out for a couple minutes until bell rings
8:20-approx. 12:20 - 40 minute class intervals, 5 minutes in between to get books, some hanging out then.
12:20-12:45 - Lunch, seems like the main social point of the day
12:45-3 - Same as 8:20-12:20.
3 - Go home and do homework
7 - Finish homework, eat dinner,
Rest of the night - talk on the phone, go to bed, whatever.

That's what my friends in school do.



Answers:
This is what I *think* some antihomeschoolers think we parents do:

Have kids up
Give them breakfast
Indoctrinate them according to our beliefs
Have them do their school work
Further indoctrination
Lunch
Further indoctrination and/or school work, definitely NOTHING outside of the house (except, of course, with people who are exactly like us (?!))
Supper
More sheltering from the big bad world
Then they go to bed and repeat the following day

Of course, there are some who are convinced that the kids are not actually getting an education, that most homeschooled students simply spend their days playing video games and watching tv.

I just have to respond to the first person who replied:

"Do they meet people of different religions, cultures, races and beliefs? "

What, you think homeschoolers are all alike?? Although that's really beside the point. You said you live in a rural area: how many different religions, cultures, races and beliefs do you come across? In some places, it's very unicultural. Should people not live there then? Because it's too limiting?

"And one of the things I think outside schooling allows is a certain amount of freedom from overly scrupulous supervision."

Who says homeschooling parents provide "overly scrupulous supervision"? What a judgment to make about people you've never even met!! Go to a homeschooling park day some day. You'll undoubtedly see that the vast majority of parents are comfortable just letting their kids go off and play or explore without giving constant supervision.

"At some point, children have to learn how to deal with people they don't like,"

So you think all homeschoolers are agreeable and that they'll like them all? What sort of world do you think we live in? And do you think that homeschoolers don't do ANYTHING with non-homeschoolers? You are making so many judgments based on faulty reasonings.

" don't agree with and can't get along with."

Sounds like my kids each day just with each other, never mind the issues that can come up at other activities.

" And they won't always have someone they can run to for intervention."

Excuse me, but I think children, be they homeschoolers or public schoolers, should ALWAYS have someone they can run to for intervention. I mean intervention when it's really necesary. And if you think all parents intervene in unnecessary situations, again, you are passing judgment.

I think the first person, while still being rather polite about it all, exemplifies what the real issue is: a bunch of judgmental people convinced of their point of view despite having only rationalized things in their heads instead of actually thinking logically on real facts.
I know I use to be under the impression that home schoolers stayed at home all the time and never went anywhere or got any interaction with anyone aside from their caregiver. It's only been recently that I've noticed that there are a LOT of out and about activies specifically geared toward home schooled children that provide a lot of socialization with others outside the home.
However, I can't quite yet shake the impression that this is still a very limited social circle. It's not so much the schedule of a home school child that I wonder about as the number of different types of people they encounter. Do they meet people of different religions, cultures, races and beliefs?
And one of the things I think outside schooling allows is a certain amount of freedom from overly scrupulous supervision. At some point, children have to learn how to deal with people they don't like, don't agree with and can't get along with. And they won't always have someone they can run to for intervention.
I'm not saying one is definitely better than the other. I think if a homeschooling caregiver makes the effort, then the child can learn all of this and have a wonderful experience and probably learn at a much better, more individualized pace. And more power to you for homeschooling, I haven't got the patience for it. However, I feel that sometimes people home school to keep their children away from others of different social or economical status and those are the ones that concern me because then they learn exactly what is taught...fear or loathing of people unlike themselves.
I am assuming that you are asking this question from the student's point of view. I have never been homeschooled nor have I tutored anyone long or intensely enough nor in enough subjects to consider myself to be a homeschool teacher. I am not even sure that the homeschool experience can be standardized enough for there to be a "typical" homeschool student's day. After all, one of the strong points of homeschooling is the ability to adjust the curriculum and the approach to the student.

Homeschooling is an option only if you have someone in your home who is capable of teaching you. It will be a big load on whoever is responsible for teaching you. Your teacher not only spend quite a bit of time with you on your lessons but also plan and prepare those lessons, get them into a shape that makes sense to the student, and evaluate the student's progress, as well as know the rules for homeschooling set by the state and local governments and to comply with them. The home teacher must also know enough about all the subjects being taught to teach them effectively. At the secondary and postsecondary level, the private and public teachers can - and is expected to - specialize according to the subject taught and learn it very well before attempting to teach it. The homeschool teacher does not have that luxury. Becoming a homeschool teacher is not to be taken lightly!

I think a lot of the hypothetical problems with social interaction remain only hypothetical. The homeschool student can hang out at the mall or go on dates or to the movies just like public or private school students. Most of the time, the students do not interact with each other and are discouraged from doing so while in class. Only with the school-sponsored extracurricular activities like clubs, dances, and sports practice might the homeschooled student miss out. Even here, depending on the school and the locality, there may be other options or the school may permit nonstudents to participate in some of these activities.
I homeschool my child. And yes she has homeschool and non-homeschool friends and get lots of socialization.
Everyday we do math, writing, reading, spelling, science,history, etc
Sometimes my child homeschools with other homeschool children. Where I live there is a big homeschooling community. Children get together on a regular basis for different reason such as P.E. , to study certain subjects, trips, or just to play.
The reason I chose to homeschool is b/c the public school system (at least where I live) sets the standards very low, I think. They really don't do anything for a child who can do more advanced work. Why should my child be in a certain grade and doing a certain level of work , just b/c that is what the school says she should be doing b/c it goes with her age group??
My point being that at 4 my child was reading and at 5 she was doing 2nd grade math. Why should she have to set in a class room (k-5) and be bored and held back ? I am not bragging. I think all children in general could do harder work at a younger age if given the chance. THAT is why I homeschool. My child can be on their level, not the school's level. Why should the school/government tell you when and what level your child should be learning ?? That my friend is another story.Hope this helped answer your question.

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