Home schooled witness kids (page 6)

stillin

Painted toenail, it sounds like your child has done OK. Is he still actively witnessing?

stillin-no, goes to the occasional meeting to placate Dad. I made sure to do lots of critical thinking exercises with my kids, they don't do much of that in public school, don't ever remember doing it actually...

nonjwspouse

Tech49

At the same time, we have seen others who choose not to do so, and "home-school" until the child is old enough to "pioneer". Virtually without exception, they are some of the most socially inept, uncharismatic, uneducated, lackluster, lazy, welfare-prone bunch that can be imagined. And most, if they have any gumption, bolt for the door the day they turn 18. Seen it happen over and over and over.

Sad really. I know there are exceptions to the rule, but as a whole, that's what usually happens.

Thhis is exactly what I have seen with the JWs I knew who homeschooled thier now adult children that turned out exactly as you describe, but did not bolt out the door at 18. They lived at home until they were near 30. No ambition for a job.

However, others I know who homeschool, who do so to give them a better education, those kids ,by the highest majority that I know, the best educated kids. Even better than those coming from the prestegious private schools around.

Those kids went on to graduate with high scores, very high performing majors in college, and usually get to college earlier than the regular school peers graduate high school.

It all depends heavily on the parent doing the schooling. If they value the education, and gear the education towards making sure the kids get the best of it, they will.

I think a big reason my husband did go to a community college for a while out of High school, and does have a good work ethic was because of his elder ( converted when he met my husband mother) father that obviously was not in agreement with the society's teachings that education as not important. He sat down with him and studied with him all the time ( my husband was in public schools) , helping with the math my husband had difficulty with. This was in the entire 70's when the stress was on stopping all those educational pursuits. His father was consistant with stressing the importance of his education. THANK YOU to my FIL for that.

Band on the Run

From the responses, it appears that the motivation of the parents makes all the difference. Looking back, I see problems in my public school. There was a group of us who attended good colleges. The state decided to test all juniors with a fifth grade arithmetic test. Three=quarters of my class failed. Our driver's education teacher neglected to teach us driving. I poured over the manual at home b/c I wanted to drive. When the test results came back, I was the only one who passed. I was able to make up for the lack of teaching time in certain subjects, such as English and History. My teachers would give me passes to do student council work b/c I was so bored. If they were teaching their subjects, I would be in my chair with full attention. It was interesting b/c I could not cut class and hang around NY b/c Integrated Science was one of my last classes. He taught. I tried.

I am certain there are educated Witnesses. It is just that I knew none. My parents were unable to help after a certain grade. There were only a handful of majors that I could pursue. The JW premium on ignorance scares me. I know I know so little. My JW relatives were certain they could do anything with the WT or Awake magazine. It seems that parents are the make it or break it component.

I read frequently in American history, esp. the Revolutionary and Federalist period. When I think back, many of the Founders were home educated. Abraham Lincoln was. Sometimes a tutor was hired. They had a true zest to learn the classics. College was valued. George Washington was not able to go to college for financial reasons. He became a surveyor and served in the military. Others called him stupid and pointed out his lack of formal education. Washington felt the stigma. He studied for hours every day of his life. While they attended college, college was not the same way as now. The classes were very small. There were few faculty members.

It is very sad that the impetus for education must come from parents. Teachers played a huge role in my life. When I was young, I just wanted to be a good Witness. They insisted that I attend college. I've repeated how I had to battle my father to finish high school. It is easy now to say how I rejected the Witnesses. If my teachers did not tell me a whole new world awaited me, I might still be a Witness. I just wish children could be insulated from the religious choices of their parents. Both my parents made school exciting for me. I fail to see how uneducated parents can home school their children. Ghetto schools are a form of child abuse. I do see children in magnet schools here. They seem excited to go to school.

Iown Mylife

Every generation has its own recognizable characteristics. If a kid doesn't grow up going to school they miss out on the imprint. As an adult trying to mix in social-business venues, they are quickly seen as being different, like something is a little "off." They don't have that instant cultural click with others their own age.

I know I'm not telling this well, but some may understand me. I'm speaking from experience.

Marina

Narcissistic Supply

JW's have shit for brains. That's awesome.

Loveyourneighbor

I was homeschooled, however my parents decision to do this was not to protect us from association with other children at public school, but because they had known others in our area that had been molested by school staff. My parents said as long as we were too young to defend ourselves then they wanted us close to them, but once we got to an age where we would not be easily intimidated then if we chose to go to public school we could. I decided to go to a vocational school offered in my area during my Jr. & Sr. years.

I was amazed at how uneducated some of these high school students were. I always strived to succeed and did very well. At first some of my classmates ridiculed me, but later said "Now I understand you. You don't do well just to show us up, you are doing it for yourself and so you feel proud and to show that homeschooling can be successful. "

However even during elementary years my parents gave us a structured curriculum. We were not homeschooled so that we could go be pioneers. In fact I RARELY went in FS on a school day.

And what irritates me is when many JW's say they are homeschooling their children but do nothing at all.

I believe that JW or non-JW homeschooling will work for some and not for others. It all depends on the kid and how they apply themselves. There are many high school students who graduate from public school illiterate.

So I believe it is a case by case thing.

Julia Orwell

Georgia wrote: I remember a girl in my KH who upon turning the age to start high school here in Oz - 13 - her parents withdrew her from public school to be home-schooled...

Hey Georgia, you don't live on the Gold Coast by any chance?

And then further on this topic, I was actually thinking about it today at work (teacher) while I was supervising a load of year 7 and 8 kids (12-13). I realised when watching the children talking, playing, negotiating and just doing normal kid things like chatting, talking about celebrities and music, sharing photos, talking trash to each otherwhile working on projects together, and even playing handball in the quad, that the thing JW parents fear is kids being kids. One, they fear the kids working with each other to explore their kid-world and develop, and also that the things teachers tell them they have no control over.

I've really noticed the difference between school kids at play during their lunch breaks and class activities and JW kids at halls and assemblies. The JW kids are under constant control in everything from the way they speak to each other, the things they talk about, and who they hang with. At school, the kids are more or less under constant supervision too, but the teachers on playground duty don't control what they look like (except for breaches of uniform code) and what they talk about and what games they play. The teachers' concern is that the kids are safe in the playground and learning in the classroom. How the kids use their time is up to them within loose guidelines.

The JW kid, in my observation in the school playground, is a normal kid too. She chats, she talks trash, she plays handball, she runs around, she yells, negotiates- all the things kids do with each other. But at the kh and home and assemblies, she has to be like a JW adult.

Kids being kids- THAT'S what JW parents fear.

ekruks

Homeschooling is not necessarily worse. Schools are full of crime, drugs, etc., lots of bullying, but the interaction with other people can teach social skills that you won't get sat at home with books. As for the actual academic skills, it depends on the parents, though they can never be an 100% effective teacher in any subject, but some schools have poor teaching. Personally, best the children go to school, and parents spend time on their homework.

Home schooled witness kids