"Homeschooled" Witness kids.

refiners fire

Some dub on Purelanguage asking for advice because his homeschooled son is having learning difficulties.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. My son is 13; and I am his teacher (homeschooled)

Interestingly, the father was only concerned that the kid wasnt paying attention at meetings!
This prompts a question. See, I was talking to an ex dub the other day who was telling me that his Brothers 3 daughters are (were)homeschooled here in Australia.
The eldest child just got admitted to hospital with Anorexia.
According to my source, the other two kids have now been ORDERED to attend school just like normal kids.
Anyone know if there is a great tendancy to "homeschooling" in the dubs?
Just wondering.

ARIE

I can't answer if a lot of JW's home school their children. I can give you my family experience though. I was DF'd when I was a teen, my mothers answer to protect my brother and sister from the evil "worldly influences" was to have them home schooled. I think it is a way to further isolate an individual. Neither are happy about the education that they recieved. I personally don't think it is a good idea.
As i mentioned it is a ploy to isolate people. How better to further "instruction" than to take away all association from others their own age. It is sad and in my opinion criminal.

refiners fire

I can see someone responded there, but I cant read the post!
Anyway.
further to the story, I can report that the daughter who is 15, has made remarkablerecovery in the few weeks she has been in hospital.looks a lot healthier, and is especially enjoying watching TV.
A word of advice for the kid. Dont "recover" TOO quickly.

Scully

RF:

Lots of JW children in my area of Canada are homeschooled.

Some of the JW children are so paranoid about "worldly" people, they are happy to be homeschooled. They have no association with "worldly" people, they spend 2 hours a day doing lessons, they go out in service in the mornings with their mom.

Depending on the motives for doing so, I think some kids will flourish in a homeschooled environment, and do better than their peers. However, the JW motivation for homeschooling appears to be to keep their children from being tainted with "the spirit of the world", to isolate them from other children their own age, and to give themselves a psychological spiritual boost compared to others in the congregation. Kids will know that they're "different", and it may just backfire on the parents some day.

Love, Scully

think41self

Interesting subject.

When I was a loyal JW and my oldest son reached 5th grade, I began to see examples of "worldly behavior" in him...so I reacted as a typical witness and took him and his younger brother out of school and began home schooling them. The older one hated it! He missed his friends, didn't like the lesson plans we did, and he let me know he wanted to go back asap. The younger one loved it, and actually did better.

Because of moving to a new location, I only home schooled them about a year, then put them back in. My oldest was happy, my youngest was miserable. We found out he has mild ADD and home schooling just worked better for him, he can work at his own pace and doesn't have low self esteem because of failing grades and teachers giving him a hard time for not paying attention. So, while I originally took them out to protect them from the "world"...I took the youngest back out because the public school system just isn't equipped to help kids with any kind of learning difficulty.

The oldest boy is a junior in high school now, stays on the A B honor roll, and is very well adjusted and "normal". The youngest is taking an accredited direct education program. They send him the books, he takes the tests on line, and has access to teachers on line and by telephone. He is flourishing as well. We enrolled him in whatever sports program he wanted to provide the social interaction he was missing by not attending school. So, home schooling can be good for some kids...but you're right. If the only reason is to isolate them, they will not develop emotionally and have the social skills they will need to get on in life. Just another thing the parents will probably regret later when they discover Armageddon isn't coming, and now their kids can't function as adults in this world.

think41self

lv4fer

In the area I live it is common to homeschool your kids. Especially when they reach middle school and High School. Of couse that isn't really in the best interest of the child because most of the jdubs are not the most educated people at least not in this area. Alot of the kids don't finish and end up with not even a high school diploma. Then they are qualified to do the same jobs as their parents, housekeeping etc.

Beck_Melbourne

Hi There Refiners

Yes Sir!! There was a strong tendancy to homeschool in my old congregation....there were quite a few families who did it. There was always a tendancy for the kids to become real intraverts...whether their schooling had anything to do with it. The kids only knew JW social skills...home school during the day....and meetings at night...what a life. The sad thing was...the kids didn't know any better...this was the only life they knew. It was a sure way to keep these kids in the troof...where else can they go?? Its not like they've developed any worldly friendships thru school??

Poor little mites...as for me...I loved school...time away from my mother and all the complications that come with being a JW kid.

Beck

ShaunaC

My parents took me and my younger sister out of public school when I was about to go into high school and my sister into 5th grade. This was back in 1988. My parents were one of the first in our area of Fresno, CA to do so and received much slack for it. The common complaint was that they were taking us out of our "preaching territory." How ridiculous!

I remained on a home school program for 2 years until I took my Proficiency Exam at 16. My sister did the same when she turned 16 or so.

I think homeschooling is different for every child. I was far advanced by the time I was taken out. The very reason my parents chose to take me out of public school was that in 8th grade I was already being prepped for college and had a good 5 hours of homework every night from advanced classes. My parents felt studying should best be done in the Society's publications. And besides, I wasn't going to be allowed to go to college. (Note: My dad has been an elder since I was 9 and I come from a very strong JW family). I continued to do well on homeschooling because I was that kind of student. My sister on the other hand was completely different.

Although I regret not enjoying high school things and not going to college, I know I wouldn't have been allowed to do any of those things anyway, so oh well. I was not free until 3 1/2 years ago at the age of 24.

Interestingly, although my parents were criticized for this, they ended up starting a trend in our area for the next few years. Then they were praised for it when at 16 I became a regular pioneer. You know how back-stabby JW's can be!

Anyway, just sharing! Sorry I haven't been around. Hi to all my friends!

Shauna

refiners fire

So its a fifty fifty ballgame. Some thrive, others dont.
Thanks all.
I still dont know which is worse. Going to school with your peers and being programmed to fear them because they hate you.
Or.Staying at home and being denied normal interaction in the school of reality.
I was sent to the wrong secondary education school myself. went to tech school learning woodwork and sheetmetal.Not my thing. I always been a "booklearnin" person.Should have gone to high school.

dungbeetle

some interesting stuff:

http://www.utah-uhea.org/stats.html

In 1975 a crack team of publishers was sentenced to death by a judicial commiteee. They promptly escaped from the cult and now live life on the run. If you have a problem ... and if you can find them ... maybe you can contact the A--postate Team"

"Homeschooled" Witness kids.

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