Are your homeschooled kids missing out?

The first day of school - we have a first day of school.

The LAST day of school - we have a last day of school.

"Graduating" to the next grade - who cares about this? We go on when we're ready to go on.

A schedule - oh my gosh, without an externally imposed schedule how would we live?! (sarcasm)

Lunch Hour - We eat lunch. We eat multiple snacks. We drink water when we want. We use the bathroom when we need to! Duh!

Recess - More recess than hard stuff a lot of days.

Christmas break, spring break, summer break and the first day back from these breaks - We usually take all of these, so that my kids can do stuff with their friends who have to follow a public or private school schedule.

First crush, first kiss - They don't live in a bubble - they don't miss out on these things!

Coming home from school - They don't have to miss out on this because they're already there.

Passing notes - My kids pass notes and invitations to each other. My oldest text messages and IMs her friends. So?

Making the honor roll - not worried about it.

Going to dentention - Since when are we "missing out" if we don't go to detention. I don't think detention hall involves lots of fun music and dancing like in "Hairspray"!

Going to school with the same kids & building friendships EVERY DAY - My kids are building friendships with the same kids every day. Their siblings, neighbors, etc.

Learning to become a part of something that isn't your church/family/homeschool group. - Girl Scouts, 4H, lessons, community service, etc. etc.

Struggling long division who are also struggling with long division - who cares?

Feeling embarassment - sorry, but my kids have all of the same feelings as any other kids, including embarassment.

Being away from your mom/siblings for more than 1 or 2 hours. - All of my kids have been away from me for sleepovers, playdates, and all of the normal things without me or their siblings. Not just with other home-schooling families, but with neighborhood friends and other schooled friends. The oldest has done Scouting Camp and county fair.

I'm not sure about this, so I'll post a question -- but learning about 'STUFF -- Christopher Columbus, Martin Luther King, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Art, Music, Sports. "

My kids learn about all of these things - we decorate for Halloween and go to parties or trick-or-treating, make Valentines, do art projects, sports etc. - all of these!

Oh, I couldn't answer any better than Bearich! Some of the things that homeschooled kids miss out on are the very reasons we're homeschooling!

Figured I would give my point of view here as a home school mom who went to public school.

First and last day: We have a picnic with the HEA there are over 200 families belonging to this group.

"Graduating" to the next grade: Big deal! My kids couldn't care because they know next year the work will be harder

Schedule: We live on one or nothing would ever get done.

Lunch hour: aka popularity contest? My kids were required to sit and be silent. Wow so much fun there!

Recess is a must to keep me sane.

School holidays: How are they missing those? My kids take all the same breaks public school kids do plus any other day I chose to let them out

First Crush and kiss: my kids are 9, 5 and 20 months those things will come in time.

Home from school: and into 4 hours of home work Yeah something to look forward to

Passing notes: what kid in CO-OP doesn't do that?

Detention: Oh yeah I missed that one myself and did just fine

Going to school with the same kids: until you move

Learning more than a Church group/family/ HS group: those are better influences than the public schooled kids

Struggling w/ long division: if they are struggling that means they don't get it and you may have to choose a curriculum that they can understand.

Embarrassment: my daughter has no problem embarrassing herself

And the holidays you mention they learn about those and even participate in the celebrations

I don't think they are missing too much.

I think I take too much pleasure in answering this question...

The first day of school - I always had a first day of school when I was homeschooled. My mom had us do an "About Me" sheet with our "favorites", it was cool to see our tastes change every year.

The LAST day of school - No duh I had a last day of school! It was what we all looked forward to!

"Graduating" to the next grade - that happened every summer, we moved up a grade

A schedule - if we didn't have a schedule, nothing would ever have gotten done!

Lunch Hour - I ate lunch every day, it was mandatory

Recess - I had recess pretty much whenever I wanted for as long as I wanted. Much better than my public school counterparts who didn't even get recess.

Christmas break, spring break, summer break and the first day back from these breaks - I had all those breaks (and still do) and all those first day back.

First crush, first kiss - I had a couple crushes and I was homeschooled. First kiss on the other hand, I'm still waiting for...

Coming home from school - Yeah, I guess homeschoolers do miss out on that

Passing notes - That still happens, as long as there's more than one kid being homeschooled (my sister and I always passed notes)

Making the honor roll - Well, I guess homeschoolers are on their own honor roll

Going to dentention - Oh yeah!? What about when you misbehave during "school time"?

Going to school with the same kids & building friendships EVERY DAY - I hung out with the same kids everyday and built friendships, I just didn't spend time sitting in a classroom with them.

Learning to become a part of something that isn't your church/family/homeschool group. - Like those things aren't important? Anyway, homeschoolers are involved in other groups, too!

Struggling long division who are also struggling with long division - No, I struggled with my friends.

Feeling embarassment - Embarrassment was a daily occurance for me (still is, really).

Being away from your mom/siblings for more than 1 or 2 hours. - I went to Mexico and winter camps, I guess those don't count?

I'm not sure about this, so I'll post a question -- but learning about 'STUFF -- Christopher Columbus, Martin Luther King, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Art, Music, Sports. " - I learned about all that stuff and more...probably more than my public schooled friends.

So much more I could say to each of these statements, but I don't want to vent too much tonight. But really, homeschoolers don't miss out on anything! We rock!

· The first day of school

All of the homeschooling families we know meet up for ice cream and a not back to school party at the local park.

· The LAST day of school

We have a big celebration and go out to eat, to an amusement park and have a campfire with our homeschooling friends.

· "Graduating" to the next grade

We do the above and put together our portfolio of what cool things we did and studied that year.

· A schedule

You should see my calendar! The schedule changes every day, so my kids learn to manage their time, without having a bell ringing – just like in the real world !

· Lunch Hour

We have great lunches at our house, but we often go out and meet friends at the park too.

· Recess

We have lots of playtime with friends, jumping rope, playing hopscotch and other childhood games like spy and tag. All the schools around here have no recess, isn’t that sad?

· Christmas break, spring break, summer break and the first day back from these breaks

We take breaks any time we want, and yes, getting back to work can be brutal!

· First crush, first kiss

???? What, homeschooled kids can’t have crushes? Tell my 9 year old that, would you?

Coming home from school

They miss out on this. Darn

· Passing notes

Never seen a Homeschool class have you?? LOL

· Making the honor roll

Miss out on this too.

· Going to detention

No, and I never had to go either, really scarred me for life I tell ya.

· Going to school with the same kids & building friendships EVERY DAY

Yeah, cause that builds diversity! Give me a break. My kids have long standing friendships based on similar interests, across wide age ranges. They have learned early that you have to work to keep a friend, it isn’t just a convenience of who sits near you in class.

· Learning to become a part of something that isn't your church/family/homeschool group.

Yeah, because those things, they don’t matter at all, it has to be a CLASS, united by birth year!

· Struggling long division who are also struggling with long division

??? You assume again that they never engage in any type of group learning situation.

· Feeling embarrassment

Yeah, cause that can only happen in school. (I wish!)

· Being away from your mom/siblings for more than 1 or 2 hours.

So that overnight camp, what is that? Has to be school to count, eh?

· I'm not sure about this, so I'll post a question -- but learning about 'STUFF -- Christopher Columbus, Martin Luther King, Halloween, Va

??? We learn about all sorts of things, not just American history but World history. As opposed to my public schooled counterparts, who know nothing but American history (oh, and they spent an entire YEAR learning about our state’s history… but know nothing about the entire Eastern Hemisphere - ??)

You know not of what you speak, that much is obvious!

Of all the things to mention missing by being homeschooled: the lunch hour. That is the thing we will never miss. I am sure it's different at most schools, but similar enough: first of all, it is NEVER an hour, you have to get in and out so the next group gets theirs. Get in a LONG line, watch the kids who brought their lunch and didn't forget to bring it to the lunch area because if you did you weren't allowed to go back and get yours once you're in the herd, they run to the best tables, you have to get charged (or sent to the office to call your parents for money) for a box or tray with a little over-processed, yucky tasting in-edibles and if you're lucky, the milk that your parents paid for, then be forced to swat at flying insects on the warm days where you eat outside, or lose your hearing on the cold ones where you are crammed into the cafeteria/multipurpose room, and hope no one asks you for the one food item you do want to eat because you're starving from the lack of nutrition but chose the so called "hot lunch" because it was cool or you'd be made fun of for eating REAL food. If you throw a bully or two, or perhaps a wicked food worker into the scenario, it gets real memorable....oh joy.

The answerer's post neglected to mention other things homeschoolers miss out on:

being bullied by their peers

using only clear or mesh backpacks so as not to conceal a weapon

going through a security gate so as not to conceal a weapon ( I guess if homeschoolers want to experience this, we can always take a field trip to the airport)

being forced to sit quietly in the lunchroom when others won't be quiet enough to suit the cafeteria monitor

having their lunch money stolen

being forced to wait on the rest of the class class to catch up before moving onto a new math formula, new history lesson, new scientific principle, etc.

having to comply with a dress code put into place by school administrators just because of a few kids who don't dress with respect for others

having to wait 12 years to graduate when he might have been ready to do it in only ten

being recruited for a gang

being offered drugs on a campus

being sexually pressured to fit into the cool crowd

p.s. Homeschool kids do have lunch every day too LOL! And since when is detention a rite of passage no kid should miss out on?

I just have to laugh at this list. I am so very thankful my daughter will missing all of these things. They surely will only dumb her down and are not important in the whole scheme of things. Who in the heck cares about first day of school, last day of school, we have schedules, we have lunch and are not rushed thru it or limited as to what we can eat, we can play all day long if we want anywhere we want and not stuck with kids our own age and limited to what and where we can play for a limit amount of time, we get breaks all the time and not just Holidays, my daughter will have her first crush and her first kiss with some guy that hasn't been around the block many times over, awww to think she is already safe at home, she has the freedom of speech and has no need to "pass notes", to me she is on the honor roll everyday and gets praised for it, she learns in a positive manner from her mistakes and is not forced into detention and ridiculed, she gets to meet a variety of people and meets new friends everyday, she gets to learn to be a part of this huge world we live in, she won't have to struggle alone and will get one on one to learn it, oh she will still suffer from embarrasment that is just a part of life no matter where you are, oh she gets to be away from me all the time, she will learn much more important things inlife including about all the things mentioned above.

I don't even know why I responded to this because it is just ridiculous and written by someone that has zero experience with homeschooling and is clearly against something that don't now Jack Squat about.

Yes, thank goodness, they do miss out on most of that junk. Rather than being limited to a few 'special' days, every day can be special in home education. Every day is a new exploration.

They also miss out on bullying, being humiliated, getting bad grades, having to stop work because the bell rang, negative peer pressure, being expected to conform, and much more.

But they learn a great deal more than most of the kids who go to school, in less time, and in more enjoyable ways. They can choose whether or not to take part in music, sports, art, drama and so on - and have more time to do so. They make friends of all ages rather than just those in their year-group, and they have no problem adjusting to life as adults.

Yes you missed some things.....

1.child crying because they don't want to ride the bus.

2.getting in fights

3.coming home crying, because someone want talk to her because your child talk to someone else .... the "I'm not your friend anymore"

4 being told santa isn't real before you are ready to tell

5 learning all kinds of sexual things and dirty words before they are old enough

6 being ignored by underpaid, tired teachers... while your child falls further behind in a subject they are having trouble with.

7. being told by the principle that your child got an unexcused absence because we were out of state for a court hearing and could in no way get her there.

8. All the drama that happens at school and not the teaching that should be...

9. Shall I remind people of Columbine and all the other schools that have had shootings

10. Teachers that physically abuse kids.

I can name more things.... shall I?

Homeschooled kids do experience most of those things, but kids don't need all of those experiences. Until about 150 years ago only a few kids had the experience of going to school, because they were taught at home by their parents.

Kids in a "traditional" school setting miss out on things too. Things like:

one on one instruction

the chance to interact with people of different ages, backgrounds, and economic levels

The flexibility to work their education around their interests

The chance to really know their parents and siblings

A better academic education

The chance to learn most of their manners from adults and older children rather than their peers

DHC

You do have the right to your own opinion.

Homeschool parents tend to be defensive because we answer the same questions over and over again. We shouldn't have to defend our choices at all, because they are our decisions to make and no one else's business.

I find it interesting that you feel the need to express your opinion so forcefully and repetitiously when you are free to choose public schools for your own family. Why do you care so much about homeschooling?