Discussion of the Day
Is home-schooling the answer?
Phyrephly29-May-21
I don't have any children, but I know more than a few parents, (and their kids), who were/are home-schooling. What do you think about the idea of schooling your children at home, these days with the way things are, well, quite frankly going to pot, in society as a whole. Are there still advantages to H/S? and do they make up for the changes that would necessarily have to occur in the family dynamic for H/S to start with kids who have been at public/private schools their entire educations?.
Comments
  • Omg one thing coronia has taught me is that I am not a great teacher and how much I love what the teachers do out there you all rock....
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    • My daughter an only child so i felt it was really important for her to go to school not just for education but also for socializing and having friends- so the house was always busy with her friends.
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      • Home Schooling I believe is a great thing . I home schooled my Daughter in year 3, 4 and 5 , because of medical issues , and she back in grade 6 ..I Home Schooled my son from 1st year of High School through to year 12 because of depression and anxiety. .If I hadn't had that lifeline / alternative it would have been very difficult for him and I, To be honest, it's hard work , lot of dedication , but very rewarding , flexible and fun for the most part.I'm just so thankful that he was a bright boy , and able to do the work allocated to him , because some of it went right over my head..lol. I'm in Qld Aust and went through BSDE . They get so much one on one support and help whenever needed and the Teachers are wonderful .They have social days , excursions , sports days etc, just like main stream schools . Their exams can be done at the BSDE Rooms , or alternatively can be done at home in the presence of a JP .
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        • What was the question?
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          • Home schooling has it's good and bad points - it can bog parents down but especially in covid it's okay
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            • I'm a teacher who continued to work at school during lockdowns. Thanks to my school and one of my teaching partners, we had an easily-accessible, well-resourced portal for home-based learning, with very clear instructions. And my colleague, who was required to be at home due to his wife being in a vulnerable category, fielded all the online questions. Every day, another parent contacted me, begging for their child to be able to return to the classroom, even though they were supposed to be doing their schooling at home. On my teaching partner's return to school, he found that the children in his class who had joined my students or my other teaching partner's class while he was at home had learned far better than the children who were home-schooled. This was despite them having the same content. Lacking teacher explanation in the classroom made a huge difference to those children. I have no doubt that it worked for some. But the experiences at my school tell me that home-schooling is not the answer for the majority of students.
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              • Jayne, home schooling is not online learning at home due to the pandemic. It involves applying to the Education Dept for permission to teach your children outside of the school environment. The situation with children doing work set by the school either online or paper based, at home, due to lock down is not great. The teachers are disengaged, the students can’t get answers or explanations from them in the classroom via zoom, or email, or Google meets, or anywhere else. The teachers can’t adapt to the environment, so it becomes very difficult for the students to get on with it.
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              • Teachers have my greatest respect- i could never do it- such a hard job and such dedication- and patience!!
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            • yes yes yes the only answer
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              • Since we have no children/grandchildren, so no opinion?
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                • Home shooling is ok but as a parent you have to keep on top of it which can be difficult. The school system is not as good as it once was. My 4 kids went to school but also has to be tutored as well to make up for what was missed out at school.
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                  • There is a time for all things and for children to go to school is one of those times. School work is for doing at school and Homework is for doing at home with parents so they are kept in the loop of how much things have evolved since they went to school so they can understand and be able to help with a "wiser" head if needed.
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                    • I think it real comes down to the child in the way they learn, if they struggle in a normal classroom, then if the parent has the time and skills if would be better for the child
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                      • during the pandemic it id better to home school than risk sending a child to school.
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                        • Homeschooling and online learning are two totally different things. To homeschool your child, you need to get approval from the Education Department, and need to demonstrate to them the level of work that is being achieved. It is hard work, and you need to link in with other homeschooling families in order to share lesson plans and ideas, organise excursions etc. It becomes its own school community. It’s not a choice that I would normally make, but was left with no other option for my 13 yo daughter at the time. Unfortunately, as several people have said, some schools and teachers, are not that great at teaching. In fact some educational environments are so caught up in worrying about things that are not important like, wearing the right coloured socks, not mixing any summer uniform with winter uniform, making sure children have their hair in one of 28 approved hairstyles like Kim Jong-Un, that they forget they are supposed to be providing a safe, welcoming and nurturing environment. Teachers are often the bullies. They have no life experience as they have never left school, so have no understanding of what’s going on in the lives of their students, and how to engage them. Schools and teachers (mostly) are not that good for many students. What is needed is an improvement to our education system.
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                          • I wish there was an option to wholeheartedly LOVE this comment Christine. I had my 4 kids at home for Online Learning during our short lockdown last year (I'm in NSW, Australia) and they all took it differently. The teens found it easy enough to adapt, especially when their school decided they would give out the weeks worth of lessons and allow the students to do it in their own time and they had contact (email/phone/video chats) with their teachers if they ever had questions as well as conference/zoom style "meets" during the week during their scheduled classes. My Primary aged kids did OK. We decided on Offline Learning (the school printed out the work into booklets which the kids would complete in their own time, then return to the office or email photos of completed work to the teacher) due to the fact we had 1 computer to share between 3 of us. I ended up sending my 2nd youngest to school twice a week towards the end as she wasn't able to keep up with her work at home. Each child is different and works at the best in different ways/situations.
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                          • agreed 100%
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                        • No no no I would be the lousiest teacher
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                          • haha- same!
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                        • Yes Doreen A it goes both ways.
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                          • I personally think that kids are better off having schooling outside of the home. They should mix with their peers and they are better off living in the "real world". At home they are usually too protected - but I know that their parents mean well ............. just think it is a mistake.
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                            • No kids at school but I have a lot of family in Philippines who are forced to home school due to Covid. They either use a mobile or computer but it’s not as good compared to class room. One niece is very smart and this is dragging her grades down but what else can she do.
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                              • As long as kids have plenty of other opportunities to socialise with their peer group.
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                                • I think home schooling should only be done when there is no other way. How can they develop social skills just from their parents?
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                                  • I loved all the outings, concerts, activities, performances, sports, and camps etc etc that my daughter went on- i could never have managed any of those things and how boring it would have been with just me!
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                                • Under the present conditions of a covid lockdown Home schooling has to happen. Long term children need to intermingle with other kids & teachers otherwise they will not enjoy others company
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                                  • My daughter who teaches says that many students did extremely well in home schooling through Zoom but she found it difficult at times in preparing for classes as some students got distracted & found it difficult to focus on what was being taught,she says HS is not ideal but during the pandemic that is the best around.
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                                    • Will future generations be able to have a real conversation with anyone.
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                                      • Not long term. Social skills, mixing with their Peer groups is also important
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                                        • My daughter is doing her Tafe course on-line and it is good as i know that she is safe and she won't catch the coronavirus as she is in a safe place considering the rest of the world outside.
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                                          • No, kids need to interact with other children in their own age groups.
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                                            • ROMAC HAS THE RIGHT IDEA HOME SCHOOLING SHOULD BE BANNED
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                                              • They can get more personal attention with Home schooling but you really need the internet and the parent workload goes up. Also the kids miss out on social interaction with their peers which is so important
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                                                • Sometimes for families living remotely it is the way education has to be. As internet and other communications become more widespread there will be the help needed to school remotely.
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                                                  • As a parent I do not believe home schooling is a good idea. Most children learn best in the classroom where they can discuss and bounce around ideas with other children. It's not all about sitting and being instructed by a teacher it's mostly the interaction. This you cannot get at home, no matter how hard you try. Home schooling only worked for a few children during the pandemic, so no home schooling is not a good idea.
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                                                    • I would have found it really hard to be firm and directive with the lessons if i'd home schooled my daughter- she used to get cranky with me when i was trying to help her with her homework even when she started at intermediate. How a teacher keeps a class focused and controlled is an art IMO.
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                                                  • I do not believe home schooling is a good idea. You would have to be a teacher to teach your child at home and also the child is not interacting with other children
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                                                    • Homeschooling is good, but only goes so far. Yes education starts from home, to a certain extent, even with advanced technology nowadays, a simple face to face teaching in the classroom is more stable.
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                                                      • From observing children who have been home schooled I think it has been a disaster for all of them. One lot were members of a very strict religious business. They had no contact with other children other than those connected to the same business. They grew up totally unable to interact with others. They never learnt to either accpet or try understan that other had different opinions. They were aleays Right and there was no room for any opposite views. The others, though not religion based, grew up with no interpersonal skills, had no idea that other people had valid different ideas to those their parent/s had brainwashed them with. All of them have had enormous difficulty in adapting to the Real World which they have had to face in the workplace. Home Schooling should be banned.
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                                                        • My granddaughter was at a public school then I paid for her to go to a private school. Both my children went to private schools and did well. Unfortunately at the private school that my granddaughter went to a teacher singled her out and basically bullied her everyday until she couldn't handle it anymore. I was devastated when she finally told me as I could see a change in her and from that day on she did home schooling and had therapy to help her cope with it. That particular teacher is no longer employed by the government.... My grand daughter flourished with home schooling and I definitely feel there is a need for it, not for all children but there are children who could benefit by it.
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                                                          • Home schooling has its advantages. If the children can join with others at weekend sport or be included in sports days at the school to have social learning as well. The parents need to have some good education them selves to hand onto the children. Life is an education so there are things that can be done in the time of school hours. They are not made to stick to school hours.
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                                                            • Dont have kids
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                                                              • Would not work in NZ, you just have to see how many lunches the Schools have to provide because kids don't get fed at home, they would all starve to death!!
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                                                                • learn about social skills at school, and bullying, racial taunts, homophobic misbehaviour, mediocre teachers,,, in other words, the real world.Sooner we learn the world isn't Mary Poppinsville the better. I've met a few homeschooled children. Some were know it all little oiks, some were as socially awkward as a pig playing marbles, others seemed to have become mini mirror images of their parents. Then again, for the dyslexic and/or the really brilliant children that are often held back at school, ( or in the case of the dyslexic, promoted up the school system to a stage where they flounder) home schooling really worked. What am I saying? Horses for courses.
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                                                                  • Think I’d feel safer but not best for all families
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                                                                    • and what about sport, team building, relying on others, giving input, team building, communication, etc etc.
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                                                                      • I think the point about learning Social skills from attending school is a very good point. It's not 'just' subjects taught like Maths, English and Science which the student develops their skills in. However, according to https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au, in NSW, the students who are home schooled for 2 years or more actually have slightly higher averages compared with the state average! I think this due to the specific attention and less distractions the student encounters with home schooling. So, my conclusion? Attending the school in person is best for social skills, while getting special attention, such as from home tutoring is known to produce better results for the student!
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                                                                        • I THINK ITS OK FOR A SHORT TIME AND ITS BETTER THAN NOT HAVING SCHOOL AT ALL WE ARE IN HARD TIMES SO ITS BETTER THAN NOTHING
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                                                                          • no they need to learn how to mix with other children and teachers some teaching is great for children before they start school
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                                                                            • For some kids
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                                                                              • yes and no dont like bullies but kids need to have other kids around them to socialise
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                                                                                • Home schooling has some advantages and some disadvantages. It works best when children socialise with others during the evenings or at weekends. I also continue to be surprised at the low levels of ability quite a few teachers have in maths or languague (eg, not being able to spell - I've even seen Year 13 papers where a pupil has spelled a word correctly and the teacher has marked it "wrong", probably because the teacher doesn't know how to look up a dictionary).
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                                                                                  • Home schooling has its advantages. if children socialise at weekends with sport etc then they have an all round education. However jumping from one form to another is very confusing and quite harmful in many ways. I am an ex teacher and this year have been tutoring a lot of children who missed out on so much last year. Well planned home schooling is good -unfortunately remote learning was not well planned last year. -teachers haven't tome to plan when they get a days notice to go into Lockdown.
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                                                                                    • A few of our sons' mates ended up being home schooled. From my experience they're more advanced, less time being home schooled but with better results. As for socialising there's always the weekend. I seriously considered home schooling ours as we were in the country and apparently the bus trips into the big smoke were 'gruelling' to say the least according to them, and if they missed the bus it was an hour + round trip getting them. Also their teachers weren't exactly up to par and couldn't spell for shite!
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                                                                                      • In the usa - initially the pandemic was mishandled by trump's administration. Hence, home-schooling was (is) the safest way to educate your kid(s) in the usa - at the present moment. Is home-schooling the answer - I don't know (because I don't have any kids). If you want the best education for your kid(s) - in the usa - you can encourage your kid(s) to "test out" while going to public school and graduate from public high school - early - years before the kid(s) would normally graduate from public high school. Since, race is a major issue in the usa! Sending your kids to private school (elementary, middle school, and high school) is a legal way too get around integration of public schools - only those who have money can afford to send their kid(s) to private schools in the usa - public schools in usa have to take all students - while private schools can take smart (kids) with rich parents! Public schools in the usa end up with a bad reputation, and private schools in the usa end up with a good reputation!
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                                                                                        • To what question.
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                                                                                          • Homeschooling potentially limits their opportunities for social interactions which play a vital part in their growth socially and their ability to relate to others out in the real world. Like everything, there are of course exceptions but in general, I believe kids are missing out if they are denied the right to learn with their peers.
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                                                                                            • My child goes in-person for school is because I think he would learn more better if he goes in-person for school than having him do home schooling.
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                                                                                              • Less likely to get sick from catching something going around the school. If parents can and are will not a bad idea. Those that live on a remote farm would have to. Bullies are every where either in school or at work.
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                                                                                                • For some kids, it is definitely better. No bullies etc
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                                                                                                  • I think that young children need the school interaction with othe4 children and also spend time in the playground with other kids fir exercise as well as interaction
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                                                                                                    • The answer is more flexibility in all areas of education. Children do not come in one size fits all. Some thrive in HS, some in school, and some with a mix of both.
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                                                                                                      • Both my son and nephew had problems at school and so they ended up home schooling. It was a pain setting up their home education but as long as they follow the national curriculum they'll be fine. It also helps if the parents are educators themselves.
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                                                                                                        • Could be.
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                                                                                                          • Don't get me started on public education. Teachers have got to be better educated than they have been. Seems like anyone can get a teacher's license. Many, many unqualified people teaching our kids. The problem with homeschooling is the kids tend to be socially awkward. Plus, a lot of people homeschool for religion. Each their own. Just educate the kids with a well rounded curriculum. Covering all subjects.
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                                                                                                            • At times this past year or so home schooling has probably been more prevalent but many parents do not the skills or the time as usually both are full time workers. Also, the social interaction and skills a child learns at school is invaluable. I personally think if home schooling continued it would be a detriment to the next generation.
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