Scientific Communities and Christian Forums

[Wade]

Since we are on the subject, what is the mindset behind groups like Hope, Pilgrim and EPMC forbidding homeschooling? Is there a fear of something?

Typically the more conservative the group the more the group does things together as a body. It really is that simple, or should be.

[Ken]

Since we are on the subject, what is the mindset behind groups like Hope, Pilgrim and EPMC forbidding homeschooling? Is there a fear of something?

I have no idea, but I would suspect it is more an issue of control rather than fear. Or perhaps to put it more politely, they probably see schooling as an important part of fostering and building community. Those churches probably want to indoctrinate their youth into the particular belief sets and norms of those groups and the best way to do that is by controlling the schooling of the young. If every family is off homeschooling on their own, who knows what the kids are learning.

Do most Amish groups also forbid homeschooling? Or heavily discourage it? I have no idea. But my impression is that most Amish groups view schooling as an important part of building and maintaining their community.

[mike]

Since we are on the subject, what is the mindset behind groups like Hope, Pilgrim and EPMC forbidding homeschooling? Is there a fear of something?

Yes, there's the fear of exactly the things you mentioned. Lack of socialization being chief among them. We're sending our children to a Hope Fellowship school this year, and there's something I really don't like about that being touted as a chief reason to send children to school. I feel like our children were being socialized just fine before. However it's true that children generally love the social aspect of school. Even our son who isn't as gifted academically as some of this siblings really likes that aspect. I think that socialization is a two-edged sword, and can come back to bite you just as easily as help you.

[steve-in-kville]

Since we are on the subject, what is the mindset behind groups like Hope, Pilgrim and EPMC forbidding homeschooling? Is there a fear of something?

Maybe they are concerned about things like:

- a really bizarre and awkward sense of humor (or no sense of humor at all)

- Most had a hard time making/keeping friends

- One was also the single child, so we can guess how that went... his world was *very* small

- try extra hard to fit in and hence make things harder on themselves

I see what you did there

[ABC 123]

And yes, I can "smell" a homeschooled person a mile away as well.

Can you guys expand on this? I'm interested, because we have homeschooled for 13 years. What is it about us that stinks, exactly?

It's just obvious.. I can't always pick out a plain-background homeschooled person but I can usually pick out a non-plain but homeschooled person. They are often over-educated in terms of knowledge, academics, etc. but come up short in areas like people skills or having more practical life experience. I'm guessing this is because they just sit in front of a computer or books learning facts through grade 12. (Maybe plain people are more likely to get some practical life experience before grade 12, but for a homeschooler in the suburbs, this is very hard to get.)

This may be true of people you have brushed paths with, but I find this to be a categorically false statement for the local homeschooled people I know including my own.

[steve-in-kville]

Okay, good replies. For sake of discussion on the matter, why did Charity (when in their prime) really discourage church school and promoted homeschooling?

[nett]

Can you guys expand on this? I'm interested, because we have homeschooled for 13 years. What is it about us that stinks, exactly?

It's just obvious.. I can't always pick out a plain-background homeschooled person but I can usually pick out a non-plain but homeschooled person. They are often over-educated in terms of knowledge, academics, etc. but come up short in areas like people skills or having more practical life experience. I'm guessing this is because they just sit in front of a computer or books learning facts through grade 12. (Maybe plain people are more likely to get some practical life experience before grade 12, but for a homeschooler in the suburbs, this is very hard to get.)

This may be true of people you have brushed paths with, but I find this to be a categorically false statement for the local homeschooled people I know including my own.

Were you homeschooled, or are you homeschooling currently?

[mike]

Since we are on the subject, what is the mindset behind groups like Hope, Pilgrim and EPMC forbidding homeschooling? Is there a fear of something?

I have no idea, but I would suspect it is more an issue of control rather than fear. Or perhaps to put it more politely, they probably see schooling as an important part of fostering and building community. Those churches probably want to indoctrinate their youth into the particular belief sets and norms of those groups and the best way to do that is by controlling the schooling of the young. If every family is off homeschooling on their own, who knows what the kids are learning.

I would put it like you do, that they see the church's school as an important part of fostering community. Add to that the fact that they really do want their children to get an adequate education. I think the question of schooling should be left to parents to decide, but that of course goes with the risk that some people will choose to educate their kids in a substandard way. I get the arguments from both sides, because I've now been a teacher in a private school, been a homeschooling parent, and now been a parent that sends children off to private school.

Some of the considerations are just practical. Not everybody can home school. Ergo, if public school is not considered an option, churches need to provide a school. Schools are expensive, and the financials work best if the entire community is in support. Communities with schools invest considerable ongoing expense to keep them running. In our school the base tuition rate for a family regardless of number of students is around $6500/year I believe. This happens to be offset through a state grant program administered by Faith Builders based on household income. For non-members such as ourselves the tuition is higher.

On the flip side, schools are expensive. Not all communities have the resources to provide one. There are some ways for the community to still support schooling. E.g. having homeschool co-op days once a week. This has worked well for years in some home school communities I know of personally.

There are various good ways to provide good education for children.

[ABC 123]

Okay, good replies. For sake of discussion on the matter, why did Charity (when in their prime) really discourage church school and promoted homeschooling?

Because they felt it was a part of parents raising their children. I did NOT agree with this for some families. Some of those parents were woefully underprepared/capable of taking on their children's academics.

[Ken]

I have had a lot of previously homeschooled kids in my classes over the years in both Texas and Washington. By HS it is not uncommon for homeschooled kids to decide they want to go to school, especially to pick up things that are harder to do at home like music, theater, sports, and lab sciences. Sometimes they come in for one or two classes, sometimes they just quit homeschooling and enroll as regular students.

Unlike Josh, I can’t easily “smell” homeschooled students. They are basically like everyone else. The only difference perhaps is that they are usually way off the normal scope and sequence of how courses are taught in middle school and high school. They might be WAY WAY ahead in some topics, and completely missing others. Most public schools follow a fairly uniform scope and sequence in their courses which makes it easier when kids transfer schools or classes. And if you are teaching 9th grade physical science, you depend on the 7th and 8th grade science teachers to cover certain topics so that you don’t have to.

Homeschooled students are often way off the normal track. The smart ones might be way advanced and ahead in some areas, but completely missing others. This especially happens with kids who have a particular narrow academic interest and haven’t studied topics that don’t interest them because they were never forced to at home. This isn’t necessarily any kind of problem. Just something that you sometimes have to work around.