can anyone home school their kids?

[meandfee]

how do you get the info or work you need? what if your not a smart person? do you think hme schooling is better than public school?

[The Luckiest Guy on Earth]

I haven't looked up much info on this at all, so I'll just give you my opinion. For getting the info/work you can probably consult the nearest school and they should be able to hook you up with someone that can give you both of them.
If you aren't a smart person then learn what you are going teach so that you can teach it, otherwise I would say send them to a public school or another homeschooling person.
Personaly I would think homeschooling would be better, it would have been for me at least. You won't have the bullying that you'd get in public schooling, and your kid won't be limited by what the public schools teach (I.E. my school can't teach us hardly anything because we got a bunch of people who dick off and don't do anything so the teachers have to try and get their butts in line, which they can't do, before they go onto the next subject). Also you don't have to teach like schools do... you can actually put some fun into learning and unlike schools you can teach with religion or stuff like that that school isn't aloud to get in or doesn't bother to get in because of restrictions on it (I.E. school isn't aloud to teach evolution without teaching intelligent design because of some dumb religous zealots, and they can't teach intelligent design without getting into religion, and the teaching of religion in school is illegal... so they can't teach evolution. etc.). I could go on with stuff if I kept thinking. But one downside is the social aspect, you need to get them with other homeschool friends or with extra-curricular activity groups or something so they have people to hang out with. I imagine there are other cons, but you can work around them.

[jazzy]

Here's some general info for you:
http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/homeschooling-information.html

Overall, I think homeschooling is better than public school. Here's a comparison:
http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/homeschooling-vs-public-schooling.html

Here's some info on qualifications:
http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/homeschooling-qualifications.html

Once you decide to homeschool, you choose what and how you will teach your child and choose a curriculum.

I hope this info is helpful to you!

[Alexandre]

Unfortunately, anyone can homeschool. In the vast majority of cases (around 80-90%), people do it to shelter their kids from opposing religious opinions. No matter what your belief system is, that can't be good news for the kids who grow up with the crooked view that the whole world is monolithic.

There is nothing that compares to the social environment that school provides. And if you think that isn't sufficient, learning-wise, there's lots you can do at home as well to compensate.

[Glee, gloves off]

Yes, anyone can homeschool their children. If you are not smart, you will work harder to learn what you need to know, but you can learn. If you are not capable of that, then tutors may be a good investment for you. I think homeschool is a better alternative for my family. It isn't perfect for everyone.

[metaphysics1221]

I won't pretend to answer your question objectively like some of the other answers have, because I believe it is impossible.

Legally yes, anyone can home school. I have been home schooled since 1st grade and it works well for me. However, I don't think that it is for everyone, it takes a lot of determination and curiosity on the part of the child, as well as resolve and patience on the part of the parent.

There are fully constructed courses you can buy for your children, but with the guidance of other home schoolers via the internet and meetings, I believe anyone can home school.

[a good helper]

you have to take a home schooling core then apply for a certificate then you are set to go!

[Barb]

The U.S. Department of Education (Institute of Education Sciences; NCES) released in August a report dated July 2004 entitled “1.1 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2003” (by Princiotta, Bielick, & Chapman) in which the authors estimate the number of homeschooled students in the United States (i.e., homeschool population size). Dr. Ray, however, still estimates that there were 1.7 to 2.1 million K-12 homeschool students in the US during the 2002-2003 year Consistent with Dr. Ray’s findings (see Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling), the researchers found that homeschooling has grown about 7% per year during the past 4 years.

Dr. Ray, in “A Brief Review of Educational Neglect and Compulsory Schooling: A Status Report,” provides a critical look (as of January 28, 2006) at a new report written by Philip Kelly, Robert Barr, & James Weatherby that relates to homeschooling (click here ).

In summary, the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) is a key leader when it comes to conducting and reporting on homeschooling as it relates to homeschool research (i.e., home-school research), homeschool statistics, homeschool data, homeschool reports, homeschool facts, homeschool consulting, homeschool studies, homeschool population, homeschool demographics, and homeschool expert witness.

You can read the entire web page that contains the above information at:
www.nheri.org

The numbers reflected in the study are only indicative of the homeschoolers that have declared themselves. There are thousands more that homeschool in *private* and they are still active in group events.

The curriculum choices are endless. You can get material on the internet (there are numerous websites of companies that provide educational material), from book stores, at libraries, from friends and family, at garage sales, etc.

You don't have to be a *smart* person to be smart!!!! And your children can study for themselves with a little guidance and a lot of supervision. They will most likely become more knowledgeable than yourself! It's an amazing thing to watch.

I was an honors student in public high school. I didn't attend college. My children have all passed my level leaving me in the dust! It is wonderful! They are all at a higher level of math than I could ever hope to understand. One is in college getting A's in her courses.

"Home-schooling on its worst day is better than the best day of public school!"

And as a friend taught me when I was overwhelmed and ready to give up, "Homeschooling works even when it doesn't work!". She really made me think about all of the reasons we started homeschooling and how those things were indeed still valid. AND I realized that even when it seemed that my son wasn't getting anywhere day after day... he could still pass the tests with ease!!! So, he was fine. Ornery but learning. Now he is a supervisor at his job. He trains others to do the work that he does. He is smart, outgoing and well liked. He knows his business and does great work.

I wouldn't trade all 25 years of homeschool for all the riches in the world.

Home-school is the best!

[hsmomlovinit]

Yes, anyone can legally homeschool their kids; no, not everyone can do it well. In order to homeschool your kids, it takes commitment, determination, and a desire to work directly with them. Honestly, not everyone has this - and not every child is well-suited to homeschooling.

For those parents that do have these traits, and children that are well-suited to homeschooling, there are tons of resources available. There are curricula for every subject, level, and learning style; online programs that suit computer-based learners well, and DVD/CDRom programs that will teach directly to the student. There are classes, lessons, internships/mentorships, etc. available in most areas to make up for any area that the parent is not comfortable teaching.

My son is in 5th grade, and we're finishing up our 4th year of homeschooling. The majority of his outside instructors have been college professors and degreed scientists, along with working artists and trained musicians. I'm a linguist, and I teach foreign languages to homeschool kids in our area. He's had baseball lessons from a former Atlanta Brave, art and writing lessons from college professors, and enjoys discussing what he's learned with area scientists. We don't pay through the nose for these people to work with him, they see that he truly wants to learn and are happy to help. (We did pay for the baseball lessons, of course...but no more than any other lessons in town.)

I'm not stating any of that to brag or anything, but to show what resources are readily available to homeschool students.

By "smart", do you mean "formally educated"? Studies have shown that there are no differences in test scores between students of college-educated homeschool parents and those with a high school diploma or GED. Formal education, while important and beneficial, is not the only form of education; people who make a lifestyle out of learning, formally or not, often make the best homeschoolers.

Which is better? That really depends on the student and the school. Every school is different - some are fabulous, some I wouldn't subject a rabid wolf to, and thousands lay somewhere in between. The same thing goes for students - some are very motivated and do well in an individual learning environment, and some really thrive in the structure and competition of a classroom.

It all comes down to this: education can never be truly standardized, unless we want to output a bunch of little factory-made robots. Our kids aren't robots - they're people. Some kids work well in a public school, some in a private/charter/magnet school, and some in a homeschool. (If a parent is not willing to put in the time and commitment necessary, homeschooling may not be the best choice.) The options are open to everyone so that parents can make the decision based on what is best for their kids. That's what America was founded on - the ability of a people to govern themselves and make decisions based on their individual needs while still working together to form a strong nation. Educational choice is part of that ideal.

Hope that helps!

Edit - Alexandre, not quite sure where you got your stats, since they don't exist. The majority of homeschoolers in this country aren't even required to tell any governmental authority that they *are* homeschooling, so it's impossible to track *why* they homeschool. The studies that have been done have shown that 30-40% of homeschoolers polled do so for religious reasons.

As far as the wonderful social training that goes on in schools...sorry, but public school is not meant to teach kids how to get along in the "real world". It's nothing like the "real world". Where in the real world is your day run by a series of bells? Where in the real world do you have to raise your hand and ask permission to take care of bodily functions? Where in the real world does your entire universe revolve around what other people think of you, and what group you're part of? Where in the real world does a group of people stand around, pointing and mocking, at a handicapped, disabled, or "geeky" person just to make themselves feel big? (That's illegal in the "real world", by the way.)

School isn't meant to prepare kids for the social structure of normal society - it's meant to offer an efficient education to as many people as possible. It's designed toward the median 50% or so of kids, and is not able to meet the needs of those who fall outside that demographic. For kids who don't fit the mold of the public school classroom, other educational options are better.