eleothegreat Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 I just came accross this article, and this surely raises some questions for parents who have school age kids. we're sending my brother to a good international private school that costs around 100k pesos each school year - including books, school bus, school supplies and meals. he only has two classmates, since the school is still new. however, i think the school is really great - his grades have improved (his grades now range from 95 to 98, and in his previous school they were 82 to 90), his english speaking skills have also become better, he is more confident and his social skills are better as well. regular private schools cost only around 20 - 30k pesos per year, but that would mean around 25 to as much as 40 students inside a classroom. I'm thinking of sending my daughter to my brother's school when she's old enough to go to school. Although it's quite expensive for a middle class family like ours, the price might just be worth it. But then I came across this article, and I'm thinking twice of sending my daughter to school for prep. I might just home school her. http://socyberty.com/education/how-even-the-best-schools-harm-our-kids-a-teacher%E2%80%99s-story/ What do you think about home schooling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 I think the teacher is the important component here. If you think you can home school your child and have the time, patience, talent to do so, then give it a go. For me, I believe that conventional school is just fine, especially if the parents take an interest in school activities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eleothegreat Posted October 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 True. I just like the idea that I can teach her the lessons that she gets in shcool the whole day in just three hours at home. Think about it, she can learn violin or ballet or art - or even the three of them in the afternoon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Homeschooling makes it more difficult to master socialization skills which is FAR more important than academic crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Homeschooling makes it more difficult to master socialization skills which is FAR more important than academic crap. I would not say FAR more than academics but social skills are important. Something home school children sometimes are lacking. Why not do both conventional schooling and home schooling? Make ballet or violin a fun thing and it won't be school overload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 One guy I knew in the States who home schooled his kids had very poor social schools and now I'm sure the pattern is being repeated with his kids. He's a Christian who (I think) wants to protect his kids from bad influences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyExpat Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Homeschooling can be great for the right child and parent. I think the social interactions that occur between a child and school mates are very important and many life lessons are learned this way. I understand the desire to protect your child. I would suggest making sure you are open and active daily discussions are held as well as staying VERY active at your child's school and knowing all the other parents, teachers and children. If you are in the loop on everything, it may be better than homeschooling. For me, the threat was always Military School as I was a little bastard. My mother would not have wanted me at home all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eleothegreat Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 I suppose so. It's just funny how the kids learn socialization skills at school - they don't really learn proper and good socialization skills because they're always made to shut up and not talk unless called during class hours. They get to learn socialization skills from their peers, who are just as unexperienced as them, during recess and lunch. Don't we ever wonder why our kids come home one day and spill out names and curses (mild or not) from their mouths? But I sUPPOSse that's better than no socialization at all, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaGo Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 My sister home-schooled her three sons using a Christian curriculum (and while living in a small Southern town.) All three "graduated" with unsophisticated, homogenous worldviews that were out of sync with current political, scientific and societal realities. Because they were ill-prepared for the world, each one lost his way for a while and made some serious mistakes (drugs, jail, unwanted pregnancies, etc). I think kids who are home-schooled do not gain the world experience they need to properly adjust to adulthood. At the same time, I can understand why parents would not want them to gain some of the experiences kids get today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaifan Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Homeschooling can occasionally be better than good schooling but very rarely. I think carefully choosing a good school and ensuring you become active and encourage your kids to join in lots of extra-curricular interests (notice I said encourage not force)is probably best. I think some Public Schools (emphasis on some) are excellent and if you are lucky enough to live in the right place it is un-necessary to pay high fees for private schooling. I think the choice depends on the parent some choose private schools purely from a 'status' point of view. If you care for your kids you will search out the best school for them (them not you). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvdkeyes Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Parents of conventionally schooled children need to be involved with the school. Many parents send the kids off to school and expect the teacher to do it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Homeschooling makes it more difficult to master socialization skills which is FAR more important than academic crap. I'm with you on this one. While I know many of the parents mean well, most of the home-schooled kids and young adults I've ever met seem a bit socially stilted in my view. That also applies to the kids I see that go to one of the small exclusive (private) schools in my neck of the woods. I'm not sure what the right mix may be but I do believe it's very important for the kids to be socially attuned (and not awkward) with kids of their own age group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 I'm not sure what the right mix may be but I do believe it's very important for the kids to be socially attuned (and not awkward) with kids of their own age group. That is so true. I feel it is very hard for a home school child to be socially attuned. The best situation would be a school with dedicated teachers and parents that are involved. A hard combination to obtain in this busy world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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