"How could you possibly have an opinion about PS or know the difference if youve never done it."?

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I went to public schools for K-12 and also a public, state university. I have one child who is HS'ed and one child who is in the PS system. So I see, and daily live, both sides. My HS'ed child also sees what PS is like when he visits his sister at school. He constantly thanks me for not having him endure the "torture" (his words, not mine).

We do what's best for each child and the current situation has worked well for my son who's always been HS'ed (minus one year in the PS preschool), and my daughter who's always been in PS (since 3 y.o. preschool).

I know what you're thinking. The PS trolls come on the HS'ing board and rant and rave about "my sister homeschools, or my neighbor, or I've had one child come from HS'ing to my PS classroom and....." Ugh. Broad generalizations, accusing us of not knowing what PS is like, but yet they have no idea what HS'ing is *really* like. If they did, they'd shut up in a hurry.

I dare any anti-HS'ing naysayer to attend our HS weekly co-op, our weekly HS bowling and ice skating sessions, and any HS field trip for just ONE day. Then compare the PS and HS kids! ;-)

Oh, and I've said this probably 100 times here, but the PS system was who told me to HS my son when he was 4. Then again they told me to continue at age 7. They *knew* their system would fail him....Show more

As a child, I attended a parochial school through third grade and then transferred to a public school from 4th grade through high school. I also attended college part time as a junior and senior in high school, earning dual credit for those courses (this was in the early '80's).

My own children started out in public schools, with the oldest attending from preschool through the middle of the fourth grade; the middle son until second grade and the youngest through kindergarten.

When I was a child, homeschooling was not an option my parents considered. I do not recall anyone in our area homeschooling in the '70's and early '80's.

When we started homeschooling our sons in 1999, I had certainly heard of homeschooling, but it was not common. The perception among many people was that families who homeschooled were doing it for religious reasons.

We started homeschooling for academic and social reasons. We have continued because it just seems like the lifestyle we have created is something that has made our family life very different from what it was when the boys were in the regular school. We are all more relaxed, we get along better and have more time to do things together (or separately)....Show more

I was educatated in public schools as well as homeschooled. The decision to homeschool my children came from observing the school system (both personally for my children and watching our neighbors, and family).

The decision that brings a family to homeschooling is one that parents take very seriously. Saying that all public schools are bad, or that all homeschooled children are socially inept are generalizations used in the pros and cons fights.

As a parent though, I do feel that the basic system and structure of public schools in the US have some major drawbacks, and as such, made the choice to educate my children at home.

Is my homeschool perfect? Nope it isn't, but for us it is the best choice. Do I look down on or judge parents that choose public school? No, and I would hope for the same from those parents for me.

I posted this link in an answer last night, and wanted to pass it on in case someone missed it, I think we can all use a chuckle about the stereotypes of homeschooled families.

I laughed so hard . . . a comical music video "A Homeschool Family"

http://www.timhawkins.net/

(And no, I am not affiliated with this site in any way, nor do I get any advertising clicks, I just wanted to share!)...Show more

"How could you possibly have an opinion about PS or know the difference if youve never done it."?

The same way people have an opinion about homeschooling and homeschoolers even though they've never actually done it themselves, *grin*.

Personally I don't have an opinion specifically about public school per se. I don't even know anyone who goes/went to a public school. Up here, they closed the last one down several years before I was born so our choices are restricted to home-education, distance education or going away to boarding schools.

I do know that our public school system does come out pretty high in international comparisons though so it must be doing something right; it also claims to be the world leader in comprehensive education.

I'm more than capable of reading though and I can do the research; I can contrast those aspects of the public school/private school system that are in the public domain with my own experiences of education at home; I can see the attitudes and skills and socialisation (or lack thereof!) of those conventionally schooled kids who show up here; I can open and read the US written and published library books I've currently got that, according to their covers, were written 'especially for High School Programs (sic)' and then open the books themselves and look aghast and despairingly at the simplicity of the ideas expressed and the language used therein!

If I was to openly discriminate between the standards, benefits, advantages and disadvantages of schools & education though, it would be between what is on offer in 2008 and what was considered 'the norm' (and expected as such) in the past rather than simply public vs private. To me, all schools (whether public or private) and the politics and motivation behind them are flawed.

.....And Yes, my parents were homeschooled. They were both home-educated throughout primary school (from kindie up to year 7) during the 1960s/early 1970s before both going away to private boarding schools for high school - my mum in Sydney & my dad in Bullawayo....Show more

Well, understand colleges and even the US Dept of HEW gives homeschooling high marks.

Thus it's an alternative.

Your argument can also be used for Private or Parchocial schools, but it has been WIDELY known for decades that Catholic schools give outstanding eduation as does the Montessori program.

One doesn't have to experience it to know, you hear from the buzz and try it and then learn for yourself if the buzz is true or just hype.

I recently read an essay here from a black 12 year old Catholic school girl attempting to get a scholarship and it was an excellent piece of writing worthy of a first year college student.

You don't find that kind of writing in 6th grade Public Schools

Those kids still write

Camp was fun. I had fun at camp. Camp was very nice. We did all sorts of things at camp.

I know a HS graduate who thinks Denmark is a City!

The only two or three flaws I found in that Catholic school girls writing was one redudant sentence that I recomemded she compound with the previous senence to not say

CAMP

so often!

And she started a sentence with

However,

which I said in any position is a lousey tool. You can usually dispence with a HOWEVER, unless it's a compare and contrast sentence.

However, oranges are a good souce of vitimine C

Is not a good sentence at all

Oranges, however, are a good souce of vitimine C

Can be good, but you can remove the however and it works

Oranges are a good source of vitimin C, however Apple can provide more fibre.

That is more apporpriate.

And these were her only shortcomings.

It was a sixth grader trying to explain the benefits of a Catholic School eduction and she did a very good job except for a little gramatical flub here and there.

Perhaps we need a new TV show the settle the matter

We draw lots from a jar and pick a public school, private school, homeschooler and unschooler and see who's the smarest and they win a college scholarship of up to $200,000

Be interesting to see who comes out on top in that one.

I'd be inclined to let Ben Stein devise the questions....Show more