Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Argument of Public School Vs. Homeschooling

I hated public school growing up (after the 3rd grade).  I hated being put down by my teachers for saying I wanted to be a homemaker when I grew up.  I hated being bullied, picked on, and called a freak because I was a Christian.  I hated having things thrown at me in science class because I disagreed with my teacher about evolution.  I hated the fact that in 8th grade they messed up my records and accidentally made me repeat the 8th grade twice.  "Sorry" just doesn't cut it.  I hated boys making plans to rape me in the hallways. I hated that the football coach was in on it.  I hate that boys would grab at my butt when I would walk by.  I hated being called a prude and shouted at because I was a virgin.  Public schooling was not fun for me by any means.  Finally, when my life was being threatened just because I was a virgin, I quit and got my GED.  Do you know what I did after that?  I went to college with mature adults. Had the best time ever and really got to learn.  I loved just walking into a classroom without dodging the bullies or being afraid to raise my hand.  I It was so nice not having a teacher ask me if I'm stupid in front of the whole class.  

No, I don't look down on public school kids because those schools are a blessing and GREATLY needed.  Not every kid can be homeschooled and maybe some shouldn't.  It just depends on the parent and the situation.  My kids have been in public school several times when I needed the break and have at times had really good teachers.  It was very rocky in those years because my kids also went through some really bad stuff.  I don't think anyone should be put down whether they have their kids in public school, charter, private, or homeschooled.  Honestly, its America and we should feel blessed we have the freedom of choice.

On the other side of the coin, public schooling can be a safe haven for kids that have parents on drugs, alcohol, poverty, or just parents who can give a crud.  Going to school every day is their freedom.  A place they might feel safe and have hot food to eat. Thank goodness for that.  
I do think there is more freedom in homeschooling for some as far as being able to expound on interests and beliefs.  In school I was the freak for being a Christian and was even looked at as disgusting because I was a virgin.  It was weird because the football team had a competition going called "Who can get Virginia in bed first."  The coach helped the football team surround me at one time and I was very scared.  The first boy that came up to me I kicked in the knards (cleanest word I could think of) and ran as fast as I could.  I even tried going to the principals office and they thought it was a joke.  Do I feel that it's safe for my daughter to attend school?  Well, I don't know.  I wasn't safe for me.  In fact, I hated high school so much I threw up every day before school.  

Still, there are some good schools out there I'm sure.  I think there is a lot of pressure when you don't allow your kids to attend the dances there.  My kids were forced last year when I specifically told the staff my kids were not to be any part of it. To my utter dismay, my kids came home with stories about their first dance, the songs I never allow them to hear, and what girls tried to dance with them.  I feel like my trust has been broken too many times.  Whats next?  My kids are forced to go to Sex Ed?  My friend's son had to go when he was in Kindergarten.  Thank goodness my kids school didn't do those classes at such a tender age.  I think that should be a job for the parents or the kid's doctor.  Never from a school that hands out condoms.  

Have you had good experiences?  Bad?  I KNOW that picture on the top does NOT apply to everyone but it really, really did for me.  

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I was homeschooled for 11 years and loved every minute of it. When I was in high school (at home), that terrible shooting at Columbine happened and I just thanked God that I was being schooled in the safety of my home. I would not trade being homeschooled for the WORLD. It was the best experience EVER. The funniest part was when people would look at me and say *gulp* "do you have ANY friends???????" HA HA!!! Yeah, I am a lonely little nobody with no life, no friends and no fun whatsoever. NOT! :) You definitely have good reasons to dislike public school. How awful that must have been for you. :(

Tereza said...

I was public schooled and wasnt bullied. It was an OK but super boring experience:):)

Rebecca said...

I was always teased in school as a kid. I was never perfect had what I should or wore what everyone else did. It made concentrating on school work that much harder. My parents weren't very religious we would go to church sometimes and then we wouldn't. I chose to remain a virgin till I was 20 not because of any reason other than for me I knew I wasn't ready and I most likely could have waited longer I was just tired of being teased. For me people would say that if I was a virgin at 20 I must be Gay. I grew up in a time of teacher strikes where they would hire anyone, one of my teachers told me and another girl to come to class in a skirt and no underwear and we would get A's. I proudly took that F we told the principal and nothing came of it. I still put my kids in public school but removed them and opted for homeschooling when they didn't care about my child's safety. be proud of yourself for following your morals and doing what you think is right for your children. Screw what anyone else thinks if you aren't harming them then it is no one Else's business but your own. The image you posted is very true in my honest opinion.

Taryn said...

We had our oldest son go to a Christian high school. Two sons went to the government high school across the street(not directly). Our youngest son was home educated through high school. All 6 of our children were home educated. If I could do it all over(we home educated 1985-2011) I would home educate them all through high school. We didn't have any drug problems,etc. I remember before home educating I would have to explain to their teachers that we were Bible Christians(Baptist church) and didn't celebrate Halloween,May Day,etc. My children didn't go to school on Helloween-even in high school. I saw a lot of bullying on my own Catholic high school and public high school buses.

Virginia Revoir said...

Wow, I knew there were other people that had some crazy experiences but hadn't really talked about it much with other people to find out. I guess I just hate the constant bickering between moms about public vs. homeschooling. Some have found fantastic schools and some just aren't so lucky. Just have to follow your heart. Thanks for commenting! :D