On 4/6/2010 8:58 AM, John wrote:
On Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:40:51 -0500, cavelamb""cavelamb\"@ X
earthlink.net" wrote:

On 4/5/2010 10:36 AM, Ed Huntress wrote:

In other words, home-schooling may be the stupidest economic move anyone
ever made in education.



Is that all that matters, Ed?

The economics of it?

If so, what they get for their money may be things you overlooked.

Safe environment.
no knives, guns, rape, beatings, disease.

Individual instruction.
self paced - not having to wait for the slow learners.

More satisfactory control of the subject matter.
and more responsive to the student's interests and aptitude.

Not a clock driven day.
Work on it until it's done.


Better selection (in parent's opinion) of subject matter.


Things like that


Richard, I think you are looking at home schooling with rose tinted
glasses and for elementary schooling you are probably mostly right but
what about Higher School? I took elementary calculus in high school,
admittedly an introductory course but are the average Mom& Dad
qualified to teach that? Geometry? Chemistry - got the Lab right down
the hall there? Physics? It is quite handy to have a "lab" of sorts
there too, at the very least a weight and a lever and a fulcrum.

In addition, I might comment, the high school I attended, in a little
pokey town in up-state New England, had a fully equipped woodworking
and machine shop and the "Industrial Arts" students learned pattern
making and machine shop theory and practice. They actually
manufactured, in a small way, band saws, wood plainers and jointers
and bench grinders, which were sold through local hardware shops. Not
everyone has a home workshop or is a skilled pattern maker to say
nothing of a master-machinist.

I suggest that rather then the all encompassing term "Home Schooling"
a bit more detailed description is probably needed. Home schooling
through 8th grade? Probably as satisfactory as Public school. Home
Schooling through Secondary School graduation? I would say, rather
doubtful. Home Schooling through Under-graduate degree? Home schooling
through Advanced degree?

Cheers,

John D.
(jdslocombatgmail)

Hi Johm,

I've known several families who home schooled.

As you said, through high school.

Moms learn as they teach. So did Dads.
And yes, that included calculus, chemistry, physics.
All those kids are at or going to go to college.

No, most don't have that kind of infrastructure (labs and shops) at home.
For that there are dedicated teachers who specialize and do have better
set ups.

It's not that home schooled is so great, folks.

It's just that public education in this country sucks hard,



--

Richard Lamb
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cavelamb/