EducationNews.org

Are you kidding me?!  Homeschooling my son has been nothing but a positive experience for him and me!  Socialization--he has much more quality interactions then he would have had these last three years in middle school.  His self esteem has been regained, and he is so much more independent than his peers.  How many 14-year-olds do you know that keep their calendar on their cell phone, can independently get up in the morning and take care of their hygiene, chores and school work without an adult supervising them?  Academics--we received a superior rating at our May review...in all areas except math, and that was excellent!  Plus, when he left public school at the end of fifth grade, he was receiving D's and F's...he is now 2 years ahead of his peers and is back on the A's and B's!  Curriculum--there are so many free materials through the library, internet and other homeschoolers...I've spent less than $200 in the three years I have been homeschooling.  You are obviously talking to the wrong people. 

Wow, that is the one of the most unfactual things that I have ever read.  I think the author of this article needs to do a little more actual research on Homeschooling before writing a ridiculous article like this.  There is actual research out there that completely contradicts what this author is saying!  There is a reason why many colleges and employers are seeking after homeschoolers.  Please, do some real homework on the issue before you write something like this, and slander so many of us homeschoolers who are doing the best thing for our children. 

Dear Sir,

As a mother who has homeschooled her three children from the beginning (my oldest is almost fifteen), I take issue with the lack of proof you provide.  I have not done a scientific study on homeschooling-- from reading your post, I see you have not either-- but can share my own experience.

Cost:  We are not wealthy-- we land just above the median income for our state-- and yet are able to provide an excellent learning environment for our children.  All of my kids read above grade level, play musical instruments (two of my kids play multiple instruments), sing, act, write stories for fun, enjoy nature, like swimming and gymnastics and calisthenics, and do well on standardized tests.   I provide for the kids' outside classes by teaching piano in my home (either bartering classes for lessons or using my income to pay for classes).  As you can see, homeschooling on a shoestring has not hampered our learning environment.

Time:  It does take a lot of time to educate children, but our family has chosen to do this with our time.  If I weren't teaching the kids, I might be out in the workforce-- yes, even teaching other people's kids.  I might be doing the same thing for a living, and then coming home at the end of the day needing time to decompress and reconnect with my family-- and might be obligated to spend that time helping them with homework rather than connecting on a personal level-- having to fix supper and keep up with laundry on top of being gone all day.  Since I am home for at least half of almost every day, I am able to integrate housekeeping into my teaching day-- not to mention having three great helpers!  Sounds like an advantage to me!

Parents inability to instruct:  Despite my lack of a college degree, my kids are getting a good education, even to the point of being competitive with their public-schooled peers.  My oldest competes (and places) in regional science fairs with middle school students from private and public schools across our metro area, and has even participated in the state competition.  She has been recognized by a couple of scientific societies not affiliated with homeschooling, and has already been invited by a college to consider its science program when she moves on to higher education.  This despite the fact that my background is in music and not science.  DH's background is theater arts.  Go figure. 

You also wrote, "Most of the time, there is not a set routine."  I would be embarrassed to put such a statement into an article without providing statistics, or at least anecdotal examples.  In our case, we do have a set routine, and, even more importantly, my husband and I have firm expectations where the kids' work is concerned.  They are given assignments and trusted to carry them out, and experience negative consequences if those assignments are not completed.  This is remarkably similar to how things work in the 'real world'. 

Lack of contact with other children (learning how to socialize):  My kids have contact with other kids every day of the week-- through outside classes, church and playing in the neighborhood.  Yes, they have even been teased and bullied.  I am thankful for their attitude when neighbor kids make fun of them-- they laugh!  Laugh.  And invite the kids to play, diffusing the situation.  (Sometimes the other kids want to play and become friends.  Other times they are nonplussed and leave.)  My kids do not get uptight about fads and trying to be like all the other kids, but they do enjoy other kids.  This attitude is prevalent among the homeschooled kids I know (and I know more than five homeschooled kids).

Lack of interpersonal and communication skills:  As I pointed out above, the kids are involved in a number of outside activities.  In fact, my oldest has been invited several times to assist in teaching and day camp situations because she is so good with children.   Other kids enjoy playing with my kids because of their creativity and easygoing natures.  Grown-ups like my kids because they are polite and respectful.  As the girls get older, I find they are wanted everywhere.  They are able to communicate through both writing and speaking, and are not shy about saying what they think.

Lack of mentors:  As my kids get older they are forming relationships with other adults independent of mine and my husband's relationships.  My oldest has friendships with her acting teacher, a mom in the neighborhood she babysits for, her Girl Scout leaders, and her Spanish teacher, as well as numerous other adults (family, church friends) she can confide in.  Several of our church friends are teachers in the public schools, and one is a counselor, and they all provide support for us.  We are also members of the local homeschool support group and belong to online communities, which involve both kids and parents.

Being overprotected from the real world:  We have chosen to expose our children to the ills and ideas of this world gradually, first through carefully selected books and experiences, and eventually broadening into full knowledge.  At age fourteen, my oldest has had both tutoring and classroom experiences, is exposed to current events, has an opinion on many of the questions of the day, has stood up to bullies, has been involved in public service projects, volunteered at the public library, co-taught classes (of mostly public schooled students), given public speeches (once to a group of more than one hundred adults and children), and been subjected to adjudication of her work by independent panels of judges (once in oral interview form). 

As you can see, our homeschooling situation is quite different from what you describe, although I concede that we are only one family, and are not finished with our homeschooling "experiment".  I recommend you review the scientific method and do more research before making assertions like the ones above.  Obviously, your sampling of homeschoolers is too small.

Hmmm, sounds like an article which will enable the unions to demand more money.  How dare people educate children on less money,  cope with these little terrors all day and still stay sane.  Is educating people not about teaching them freedom instead of "structuring" every waking hour.  OH I forgot, the other unions need people willing to work that way.  Bummer.

Most of the article was overly negative.  Eg, despite the author's mention of talking to "college professors, employers," etc, his opinion of their answers is clearly not what is typically heard.  Many college professors even homeschool their OWN children, often as a result of being impressed with them in class.

One thing school teachers often do not realize is that most of the kids who used to be homeschooled but wind up in public school are the ones who were struggling with homeschooling in the first place. This is not a very representative sample, but it does show that the parents care enough about their kids to do something else, if homeschool simply isn't working.  (That's not true of all homeschoolers who enter public school, of course, but is true for most.  If homeschooling is working well for a family, you will never see them.)

Also, many times, the kids who look "normal" are never asked if they homeschool.    Any "geeky" kid who is known to be in public school is also not asked.  That leaves only "geeky" kids of unknown schooling being asked, which greatly skews the sample.  This is a lousy use of statistics, of course.

In my area, there is a $250 textbook fee, not to mention fees for field trips, clubs, etc.  

Most of what I pay for, I would do anyways--trips to the zoo, piano lessons, notebook paper, internet access, etc.   Library cards also get you great mileage.

Between a library card and internet access, there is little I could not find and teach, even advanced math or science concepts.

"Equipping" a parent to teach does not require formal training.   Most teacher education has more to do with managing a classroom of 30 or more kids than the content itself.  A parent who knows and loves his/her child can pretty easily figure out both what and how to teach them.    I could never manage 30 kids, but teaching my own is not difficult.  

Most homeschooled children have a wide variety of social outlets, and they are actually ALLOWED to talk to other kids while there!    Some outlets are clubs or classes that require learning to wait for others, not to talk when inappropriate, etc.   Almost all have quite a bit of time before and after, under light supervision, where kids can play, talk, and just be kids.   The lower number of kids per adult, however, helps play to be positive, so there is far less bullying, and kids are not taught to be afraid of others or develop unhealthy responses.  When bullying does occur, the kids come at it from a healthy self-esteem to start with, and deal with it better than kids who are already socially stressed.

In fact, your last sentence, "This will result in children feeling isolated, passive, lethargic and alone or ill-equipped to handle situations where interaction is required," goes clearly against all available research.    Contrary to your assertion, it turns out that grown-up homeschooled kids are better off on all marks of both social and emotional health--they are more likely to be happy, to participate in various groups, to read a variety of newspapers and magazines, to vote, to volunteer, and many more such things.     Check out this website, if you wish to see real statistics:  http://www.nheri.org/Research-Facts-on-Homeschooli...

Most of the difficult issues that we come up against in our homeschooling have to do with basic discipline or relationships.  This can be a challenge, but really, it's part of what we need to do as parents, anyways.   Homeschooling forces me to do what I really should do to start with--things like learning to correct wisely and with compassion, but also making sure I do correct and not let things slide.

My husband makes a decent income, and we do not need a fancy house, etc.  (We do have a large one, and pay our share of property taxes, thus freeing up money for other kids in public schools to use.)

That said, it's not a bad thing to think seriously about possible downsides, especially before we start.   

Income issues can be significant, for some.  
There is a significant time commitment, and we need to be willing to make it.
If there are subjects we can't teach, we do need to figure out how to get our kids that information. 
We do need some time to plan and grade (though not as much as those who have to manage an entire classroom of varying abilities).   Many subjects, at least through jr high, we can read and learn right along with our children, if we have forgotten or never learned it.    We interpret it more quickly, and with a much greater understanding, so we can teach the rest to our kids as they go.  If we need help, there are usually plenty of websites, people, or books around to figure it out.  (In real life, later on, they will need to use this type of learning much of the time, so it's a very good skill to teach the kids, as well.)

It's good to think these things through, but in the end, most of them turn out not to be negatives, after all.    Many famillies have been greatly blessed by making these "sacrifices."  To us, including to my kids, it is very much worthwhile.

The Libertarian Alliance believes absolutely in the right of people to educate their children in their own values - whether these be of their family, their faith, their community or themselves. So far, the British State has not interfered with this right, and Britain is one of the most liberal environments on Earth for home education. In this respect, we are much luckier than Germany - where home education was outlawed by Hitler in 1938, or even many American jurisdictions.

This liberal environment may be about to change, with the acceptance of the Badman Report by the british Government. This will bring in compulsory registration of all home educators, together with inspection and control. These will not at first be very burdonsome. But they will form a precedent for more and more burdonsome regulation, until the right is effectively abolished. Action now means not negotiating a compromise with the authorities. This will simply concede the principle of regulation and buy a little time before effective abolition. We must oppose the very principle of regulation, and raise such a storm of opposition that the authorities back away from this attempt and are forced to wait at least a decade before trying again.

For this reason, WE MUST ACT NOW. The Libertarian Alliance makes no claim to leadership in this campaign. As said, we believe absolutely in the
right to home education. The President and Director do have children of their own, and are interested in home education as an option. But we have limited resources, and there are home education movements in the United Kingdom with far greater organisational abilities in this area.

This being said, we do wish to make our own contribution. Here, then, are some of our writings on home education.

1. Our news release of the 11th June 2009. This sets out the nature of the threat, gives our summary response, and provides names and addresses  of the politicians concerned for those who wish to write to them.
http://www.libertarian.co.uk/news/nr075.htm

2. An essay by Sean Gabb from 2004, which sets out the main arguments for home education. http://www.seangabb.co.uk/flcomm/flc129.htm

3. "Home Schooling: A British Perspective" by Sean Gabb. Written in 2004, this was published in an American book in 2005. It explains at some length the present legal status of home education, and looks sympathetically at the arguments in favour of home education.
http://www.seangabb.co.uk/academic/homeschooling.htm

4. Professor John Kersey, "The Belgian State versus Home Schooling: The Persecution of Dr Alexandra Colen and Dr Paul Belien", 2006. This provides an interesting and chilling case study on what happens in a country where home education is formally legal, but subject to state
regulation. http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/educn/educn038.pdf

5. David Botsford, "Compulsion Versus Liberty in Education, X: Home Education in Britain". Published in 1993, this sets out another case for home education, written from a libertarian perspective. http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/educn/educn024.pdf

6. David Botsford, "Ivan Illich and the Deschooling Movement". Also from 1993, this continues the case against forcing children to attend schools,
whether state or private. http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/educn/educn013.pdf

7. As background to libertarian views on education in general, we would recommend all the essays in our "Educational Notes" series. http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/educn/edcindex.htm

Whether or not you are a parent with children of school age, whether or not you live in the United Kingdom, our New Labour Government - even when shambling round like the political equivalent of George A, Romero's zombies - is set on destroying yet another ancient freedom in this country. If that attempt is successful, it will form a precedent for attacks in other countries. Please do take this matter seriously.

Regards,

Sean Gabb
Director
The Libertarian Alliance

--
Sean Gabb
Director, The Libertarian Alliance (Carbon Positive since 1979)
sean@libertarian.co.uk
Tel: 07956 472 199
Skype Username: seangabb

http://www.libertarian.co.uk
http://www.seangabb.co.uk
http://www.hampdenpress.co.uk
http://libertarianalliance.wordpress.com
http://vimeo.com/seangabb

Wikipedia Entry: http://tinyurl.com/23jvoz

FREE download of my book - "Cultural Revolution, Culture War: How
Conservatives Lost England, and How to Get It Back" - http://tinyurl.com/34e2o3

  Thank you for the article. As homeschoolers, we are always loooking for useful examples of poorly written and poorly researched papers for our kids to critique for grammatical and logical flaws. Your screed will provide my kids with an excellent example of what is considered acceptable product from a well socialized, publicly schooled individual, as well as an example of what I find unacceptably poor work.

I was homeschooled for 8 years, from first through eighth grade. Then I started high school in ninth grade. You say in your article that homeschoolers lack interpersonal and communication skills, I had no such problems when I entered high school. Because, contrary to what you may think there are lots of people who homeschool and homeschoolers do socialize with other homeschoolers. So there is really no lack of communication skills. And if there are homeschool field trips, like you say in your article, then obviously homeschoolers are getting out into the "real world" as you put it, and interacting with other people in public places.

Also I would very much disagree with your assumption that most homeschooling parents are not capable of teaching their kids. Both of my parents are very intelligent people who attended universities such as Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland College Park. My mother is actually a math tutor for kids in the public school system and seriously, some of those kids are not getting the best teaching out of teachers that are actually qualified to teach. I have been in the public school system and I have had teachers and had friends who have had teachers who are less than qualified for the job.

While we are on the subject of qualifications, what qualifications do you have to go making generalizations about all homeschoolers based on a sample size of 5? There are thousands of homeschoolers in the U.S. Look it up. Oh, that would be too much effort, for you to actually do some research before you wrote something. And another thing, most of your article is about the stress on the parents and you rarely talk about the kids. Now what qualifications do you have exactly? You are judging the amount of stress that parents can handle while homeschooling? Did I actually hear you right?

Oh and another thing, maybe you should actually take a statistics class, or maybe just go for some remedial math tutoring in Algebra 1 HSA material because any idiot that has passed the HSA knows that a sample of 5 people when there are thousands of homeschoolers is way way too small of a sample size. I bet you are a fan of all that stuff like "No Child Left Behind" aren't you? I think you should try to take the HSA and see how you do if you don't even know that 5 people out of thousands in the nation is too small of a sample size.

Also you talk about how at school there are counselors and teachers that the students can come to if they have questions or anything like that. Well who better to answer a young childs questions than their parent? The parent is ultimately responsible for raising the child. 

I hope that you are not insinuating in your article that my parents, and all of the other parents of my friends who were homeschooled, are not capable of raising their own child? Because if you actually are, then you have personally offended a lot of young teenagers and adults that have read this article.

My parents are very competant people and fully capable of raising me and my brothers. And just to let you know I am going to college next year and have plans to be a doctor. So whatever you have in your mind about homeschoolers being inferior to kids who have gone to public schools their entire lives, I am about to prove you wrong. 

If you read other articles by this same person you will see he has written articles about how public schools are failing children and need so much improvment. How hypocritical!!!

When I attended public school in the 1970's -1980's I was constantly told I was NOT there to socialize, I was there to get an education. Yet my homeschooled children are supposed to go to public school to socialize? No wonder schools are failing! They are partying instead of educating!

This is a very poorly written article, that is not researched based and is only one persons opinion who seems to know nothing of what they are talking about. Can you imagine someone writing an article saying I have known five public school children and they had serious issues according to my observation. Doctors and other professionals also found they had serious issues too. The disadvantages are the availabilty of drugs, lack of adult oversight, pushing an agenda that the child and the child's parents may not be interested in and may not match the child's families beliefs. Also there are expenses of unhealthy expensive school lunches, transportation to school, name-brand clothes so the children don't get made fun of, doctor bills when child is beat up and said name-brand clothes are stolen. One child I knew had her faced bashed into a locker until she was unconscious and had to be life-flighted out of the school. And it has been known that many children have been shot and killed in public schools. Therefore, all public schools are health risks and parents should think twice before they put their students into one of these environments.  

Do you see the ridiculousness of basing my opinion on only a few people and only the negative side? Seriously, as a homeschooling graduate, teaching credential graduate and homeschooling mother of five, I disagree with you. Here is an article I wrote that talks about all of these so called experts and nonexperts and their opnion of homeschoolers http://melissacalapp.blogspot.com/2007/02/attitudes-toward-homeschooling.html#links while I know it is not directly the same topic it will give you someplace to start to educate yourself and correct your statements of what the "professionals" think and what really happens when research is done and whether you can pick out the homeschoolers in a room of twenty kids.

We home-schooled our 3 for all grades and created our own curriculum and a school; one is  now a grad student at mit, another an undergrad there, the oldest just finished a 5 year msee. Happy, cultured, helpful, brilliant children. I think that the author here misunderstands what "social" means.  We are not religious, but respect everyones right to believe what is within them. Cheers! It was a great amount of fun, but parenting is a life long endeavor. Home-school your children, it brings great rewards and you will know them.

Twenty-Seven year veterans of home schooling here. Seven children; three still at home.

Socialization: One answer is larger families; it's a joy and a benefit to have more children. Socialization at a good church, and at alternative organizations where the parents can monitor what friends are being made. Ours have never one time had a problem adapting to other young people, and they can handle serious adult conversation as well.

Children can be taught to read and research at a very early age. Ours were truly readers by the time they were 5 years old. We started with Samuel Blumenfelds AlphaPhonics --- within 128 days they could read the words in virtually any book we set in front of them. We taught them how to use dictionaries and encyclopedia.  We taught them how to find the books in the library. When children can read well and they have instilled in them a love for books . . . guess what? -- they can virtually teach themselves.

One of the major problems in government schools? Nobody teaches these children how to read.

The arguments against home schooling are rather old, re-hashed, and incorrect.

Curriculum cost? Ours has never been more than $300 per year.

Public schools provide for free? No, I'm a home-owner. I help pay for the schools I don't and wouldn't use. Public school is not free at all!

Was this story written by a public  high school student?

It is a surface paper with  no hard evidence to back-up statements, it repeats the public school anti-homeschooling anthem of "no socialization", and it gave a very lopsided view.

The author obviously knows nothing about the social networking of homeschoolers.  Knows nothing of the home-directed classes available in many areas for homeschool students.  Knows nothing about the sports, debate, FFA, dual credit classes, theater, choir and service opportunities afforded homeschoolers.

Most homeschooling parents are much more aware of the financial issues in homeschooling than this author's poor attempt to describe what is involved.  However, they willing accept the financial restraints.

Further to your poor argument regarding spotting  homeschooling children from the rest of the pack.  I take that as a compliment.  My homeschool child just completed high school while completing dual credit classes at a local junior college.  All of her instructors have been very complimentary to her and were all surprised she was homeschooled.  One went so far as to offer a letter of recommendation (UNSOLICITED) should my daughter need one in the future.  All of her instructors have been very pleased and complimentary toward her ability to express her self clearly both verbally and in writing.

The author of this paper had an agenda and poorly expressed it.  In my homeschool class room he/she would have received a "C".

 

 

It is most telling not that the arguments of this poorly-written piece are stupid, transparent, and incoherently jumbled but that it has been picked up by a site dedicated to institutional education and placed, of all things, on the front page.

Oh, dear.  The irony.

Dear Mr. Mitchell,

Wake up and smell the coffee! If you would like to do an article about homeschooling, you should go to a home school group not the five people you know. By the way, what credentials do you have, because if you had taken elementary statistics you would know that a group of 5 people is not a good sampling when there are hundreds of thousands of home school families across the United States. 

Maybe I am taking this a little personal but the only thing you had correct in your article is the fact that home school can be financially expensive if a second income was lost.  This is a choice that the parents have to make not you!

I home schooled my 4 children for 7 years.  In the last year I have had to go back to work since my husband lost his job so we had to enroll the children into public school.  I now have a freshmen in high school who is in advanced English, an 8th grader in Algebra, a sixth grade honor student and a 3rd grade 4 time math award winner with straight A's.  You cannot tell me that it was the one and only year in public school that made them like that. 

I think you need to rewrite your article and get to know the majority of home school families not the minority.  I am not saying that those types of families do not exist, I am just saying you should not judge all of us for the few who choose to not do it correctly.

I am an advocate and have been since I started home schooling that the parents and the county they reside in are responsible to the community to ensure that each student is making significant progress in their education.  Yes, I am an advocate of testing and evaluations, not done by the states but by third parties unrelated to the family.

I hope you find that you have been ignorant in your thinking and at least post a retraction or redo your article with better information.

No socialization......that's a laugh. Why would I want my five old granddaughter to socialize with 30 misbehaving five year olds.
This is the most bogus article written in along time.
My grand-kids are home schooled. Already testing two grade levels ahead. They meet twice a week with other home schoolers for group art classes, and science labs. They are enrolled in music, Spanish classes and are on a baseball or soccer or swim teams (depending on the time of year).
They have a wide variety of friends, of all ages.
Ok, so what wrong with homeschool?

WOW!  I am new to homeschooling and have to say it was a difficult choice to make in the beginning because of people like Mr. Mitchell.  But, the more homeschooling families I met the more I couldn't wait to homeschool.  I taught in the public school system for 8 years before becoming a parent.  I knew that the "system"  was not what I wanted for my children.  I wanted them to be creative and love learning.

I am friends with several homeschool families with children that have graduated from college to preschoolers.  I only hope that I "a teacher with a college education through my master's degree"  can serve my children as well as most of the other homeschool families I have met.  It amazes me when I meet families that are so different yet meet extraordinary goals with their children.  I know families that range from doing school in their pajamas to families that are scheduled from the time their feet hit the floor to the time their head hits the pillow at night.  Homeschooling is all about what works for your family.  I find that incredibly refreshing compared to students sitting at desks for a minimum of 5-6 hours a day, getting music, p.e. and art once a week if they are lucky.

As for socialization, that is a joke!  I know as a teacher and remember as a student what that entails.  My favorite response to the question about my children being strange when they are older.  Is to tell the story of a teenage girl engaging me in conversation in the bathroom at homeschool co-op while she and her friends were fixing their hair.  That would have not happened in a public high school.  They may have snickered to each other or completely ignored me but they would have never approached me in conversation.  Strange yes, I pray that my children are strange if it means having the self confidence to speak to anyone and open doors for strangers while greeting them with a smile.  That is my experience with homeschooling and it is just the beginning. I can't wait to see what this journey will bring not only to my children, but to my entire family.

Hats off to all you wonderful and dedicated homeschoolers!  I have a great deal of respect for homeschooling families.

I have two teenagers in private school and two in public schools. The private school is infinitely better than the public. In fact, the academic standards at the public school have dropped as fast as a lead balloon just in the past year. It is very scary.  My girls learned absolutely nothing in the past year, and I have heard the same opinion from too many other parents. The entire last quarter was spent drilling for SOL tests! I'll bet the kids forgot the facts the moment the test was over.

The socialization piece is very funny!  Let me explain how socialization in the public school works.  About the only time students are free to socialize is at lunch in the cafeteria. But much of that time, aides and other adults are telling the students to be quiet and eat. Then when students get too loud, they call SILENCE!  Students must stop eating and be silent. If a student says a word, they get an office referral for after school or in school detention. During detention, they are either segregated from peers or not allowed to talk. 

Another time for socialization is recess. But struggling kids must spend that time in the classroom, silent, making up classwork and sitting staring into space (this is true, I have been a witness to this). Hence struggling students continue to struggle and miss recess.

Yet another highlight of the year is Field Day. Yep, you got it! Students who have had office referrals during the year for talking during times of socialization lose Field Day priveleges and must spend 2 hours in the cafeteria being, you got it, silent.

Their is very little difference between prisons and public schools. It is border-line child-abuse. The only kids who are learning in public schools are those who are after-schooled. The ones whose parents aren't about to let them be "left-behind" and who work with them at night and on weekends until they have mastered reading and math skills and can work independently at school.

Did you all know that teachers are no longer teachers in public schools? They instead "facillitate" learning. Homeschoolers do this also but only after they have taught their children to proficiency in skilled-based areas - reading, math, writing. This is not done in public schools.

Kudos to all you homeschoolers! 

I think Mr. Mitchell was playing devil's advocate all along!  He knew there would be a multitude of comments on the advantages of homeschooling.  The facts are behind denying anymore.  Any arguments against homeschoolers are falling very flat these day!

This is the silliest piece of "journalism" I have ever read. As a former public school teacher who decided to home educate her children (and have been doing so for 11 years), I can comfortably state that Mr. Mitchell hasn't the faintest idea of what he is talking about.

My favorite line in his piece was, "A parent must be motivated and exercise laser focus when instructing." Mr. Mitchell, what public school teacher has laser focus when instructing? As a teacher employed by the government, I was interrupted every few minutes. Here are some examples... "runners" coming in for the milk count for the lunchroom, attendance needing to be taken and sent to the office, in-services, assemblies, recess, runners coming around for me to sign cards for retirees, illnesses, anniversaries, etc., clipboards coming around for me to sign up for something, parents who want or need something when they want or need it, calling for the custodian because someone wet their pants or lost their lunch. Oh, by the way, how about the discipline problems within the class? One year, the house across the street was being sandblasted - that took three days. We could not hear each other while in the room - had to keep relocating around campus to find empty corners to sit in to try and get something done.

Mr. Mitchell, society has told us that all must be equal - everyone must be made to feel good about themselves. So, we decided to mainstream all children together. The extraordinarily bright children must learn alongside the child new to the country just learning English, or the disabled child who cannot fully participate, or the slow learner. I realized, while teaching in public school, that the gifted children are losing. We wait many years before we try to meet their needs, and for some of them, they've lost interest by that time. Our nation's educational standing in the world backs that up.

One of your main points was the amount of money it costs. How selfish can you be? I cannot invest enough in my children. Have you compared the cost of sending mom to work? Daycare. Professional Wardrobe. Transportation. Eating out more because she has no time to make dinner. I did not have children in order to send them to someone else to raise, or educate, for that matter. Do we do without - yes! No one ever promised me a flat screen tv with surround sound, exotic vacations, or a new car every few years. Are we suffering because of it? NO!

We chose to homeschool for many reasons - one, as described above was because I knew I could teach to my child's skill level, and not be interrupted countless times. Do we get interrupted? Sure, but not as often as in public school, and it's easier to get back on track.

Another reason I chose to homeschool was the quality and character of my fellow teachers. I believe that teachers are to be held to a higher standard of morality. An old-fashioned idea, I know, but it's the one I lived when I was a teacher. I was appalled at the immorality I saw in those I worked with - adultery, fornication, alcoholism, etc.. The final straw was two male teachers having an affair and having arguments in the hall about it with children and parents within earshot. I didn't want those influences on my children, and Mr. Mitchell, our character does spill through everything we do.

I have yet to meet a homeschooling family who does not allow their children to socialize. I know that in our case, as well as the dozens of homeschooling families I know, we are turning away opportunities. My children come in contact with well over 100 children each week via Bible clubs, choirs, classes, etc.

I am raising four delightful daughters, all of whom I am proud to take anywhere. Almost every time we go out, someone asks if we homeschool. When I respond that we do, they always tell me that they could tell by the girls' good behavior and ability to speak well with adults. Then, they tell me a positive story about someone they know who homeschools. My sixteen year old twin daughters just helped their father work at a trade show booth. They held their own with people three and four times their age - so much so, that people wrote about them in their blogs.

So, Mr. Mitchell, perhaps you'd like to spend some time with homeschoolers who are making a positive difference in this world. There are hundreds of thousands. It may give you an honest perspective.

 

I wonder if the author feels parents are capable of parenting.  Afterall, most parents aren't formally trained in child rearing, and parenting is really hard work.  Not to mention raising children does a number on one's finances. 

I can accept that the author doesn't feel homeschooling is right for him, but his stance against it is poorly argued.

I have been homeschooling for years. My husband has an Electrical Engineering degree from one of our Nations finest colleges, a minor in Physics and is a memeber of Mensa.... Trust me... My child will get a much better education at home than in the Public School System. My son took the state test and received 98% in Math.. Now I ask you- if that alone is not well worth keeping him out of the public schools. As for community involvement he is a volunteer at the fire dept and is constantly helping out our neighbors (for free) when they need the help because of an injury. Oh by the way... My neighbors have children my sons age who WON'T help their parents and are extremely RUDE to their parents when they ask for the littlest thing. I have had a lot of parents in my community say "what a great kid you got there"... The article I just read is very one sided... not to mention a lie... I recently myself was taking some college classes and had homeschool students in every one of the classes that I was in... My professors loved these kids. They came on time, Worked hard, and even got the professors jokes that seemed to be above the public school kids understanding. In addition the college comment is foolish... Harvard, Yale, and other top IVY league schools actively RECRUIT homeschool kids. When do you get your info.. So sad... However, as a homeschooler I base my opinion on fact and TRUE statistics. I honestly have to wonder how much research if ANY you did. Well I am  not going to sit here and type all day.. Just wanted to take a second and let you know that you come off VERY uneducated and biased.

The author wrote:

"...Many parents don’t have any formal training, lack discipline, or lack organization skills..."

Interesting, since many (if not all) of these parents are products of the public school system you speak so highly of. 

Based on your research, can we expect the current public school system to do a better job (better than the past) of producing competent (disciplined, organized, focused) adults?

Also, what are your thoughts about trusting these un-trained, undisciplined parents... who are adults, with the task and responsiblity of voting? Running hospitals?  Being policemen/women?  Or doing any of the many other jobs they are currently doing?

Do you think these jobs require less focus than homeschooling?

One final question... what kind of "formal training" did you receive before writing this article?

---linda :)

 

So I am new at this whole blogging thing, but oh my goodness, I'm glad that I can reply to this article and have my voice heard. There are definate advantages and disadvantages to both, but this article is ridiculous! It is completely one sided. I was both home schooled and sent to public school. When you want credibility as a writer, speaker, or even a person, you shouldn't say anything inaccurate, you will loose your audience. I skimmed through the article after the first paragraph! People need to know their facts before they become an 'expert' on anything!

I am a 17 year old homeschooled student. I have posted a response to this on my blog.

http://bit.ly/1538AM

 

Amy

As an adult who was homeschooled as a teen, I've written about some of the Disadvantages of Homeschool.

We have been homeschooling for more then 11 years. This has to be the most ridiculous article I have ever read. My kids work outside the home 4 - 6 days a week with ages 0 - 95 on a regular bases. They also have youth pastors and small youth groups who work with them when talking to mom or dad might not be the answer.

My oldest son has been in the Army, a Merchant Marine and is now in Liberty University. Our youngest is 12 with classes and events involving "all" ages running 5 - 6 days a week including Kids College & Teen College. He gets along with everyone no matter what the age difference or disability. Not to mention that his test scores are off the charts for his age.

This person must be brain washed with media drama. Your mind is like a parachute - it works better if it is open. Try it, you might like it. If you have not tried it, don't knock it. Like most investigative writing, they only post opinions that match their own agenda. To me this is prejudice writing. My kids can do better. My main goal at heart while homeschooling my children: Coexisting with all manner of people. Try it, you might like it too.

Regards,

M

As a parent who homeschooled two of my three children from preschool through high school and certainly has a lot more contact with homeschooled children than the author of the article, I could not disagree more strongly with all the points made.

Yes it can be expensive to homeschool your children, but it can also be done very creatively and affordably.  Where there is a will there is a way.  I could go into many options, but that would take too long. Suffice it to say, if a person wants to homeschool his/her children, there are many support groups out there to help with every aspect of the process.  Not to mention that some of the most successful homeschool programs are the ones where the children and parents together start a small business, which interests the children and use their profits to support their school needs, while at the same time learning most of their school lessons through the running of the business.

As for the socialization argument, that one is so phony and so worn out, it is hardly worth dignifying with a comment, but since homeschool detractors never tire of using it, I will have to respond to it.  The fact is that children in school are supposed to be listening to the teacher for the better part of the day---not socializing.  When they do have free time to socialize they spend that time with a whole group of children who are exactly the same age as they are, which is hardly a healthy or natural social environment, and leads bullying and other destructive behavior that we hear about constantly in the schools.  There is never enough adult supervision on the playground or wherever the children socialize, and it does not appear that the adults who are there are really helping to redirect the children's energies effectively.  

Most of the homeschoolers I have met get more time to socialize than their public school counterparts, and when they do socialize, it is with people of all ages from infants through adults.  Yes, they need time with children their own age, and they get it, but they also need to learn from older children how to be a bit more mature, and they need to learn how to nurture and care for younger children as well. In addition, they need a lot more quality time with caring adults than most children in school are able to get.

My own daughter want to a week long camp program one spring during her homeschool years.  She was the only homeschooled child there and the counselors had heard that there was a homeschooler at the camp, but they did not know who it was.  When they figured it out, they told her that they would never in a million years have thought it was her.  She just did not fit their steriotype of a homeschooler.  I'm sure many other homeschool parents and children can tell similar stories.

This comment is already too long, so I will not discuss the other arguments made against homeschooling.  I would just suggest that anyone considering this great adventure, make the effort to go to some homeschool support meetings, and ask all your questions.  I promise you will get honest answers.  No one will try to hard sell homeschooling.  It does take a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment, but there is nothing in the world that is more rewarding.  

My own children did not fully appreciate their homeshooling until they got to college and saw how poorly their peer were doing.  My son chose to only associate with foreign students in college, since they were the only ones he could find who actually took their education seriously and had goals in life. 

Mr. Mitchell neglected to mention the disadvantage to the economy - US pharmaceutical companies, losing possibly millions of dollars to parents who choose to homeschool and accommodate their sensory kids who need to move! and create! instead of drug their children so they can sit rigidly in a chair for 7 hours/day.

As an aside, in the county where I live, our "free" public education costs more than I would ever spend homeschooling.  $2800 of our annual property tax bill is specifically mandated for the PS budget.  On top of that, there are charges for each field trip, special "planners" required for each child, activity and sports fees.  You want to play football?  That will be $90.  Uniforms, instruments, yearbooks, etc. are not included.  One could easily rack up $1,000 for these "no-charge" costs at government schools.

My children are thriving and have plenty of honest, qualified, trustworthy "mentors" available to them if needed.  They are not better than or smarter than anyone else but simply in the situation that is best for them.  As for socialization - with all the activity and fellowship choices out there in our community, one could spend all day doing nothing but.

I think someone who writes an article on education needs to be more educated.  These are tired, rehashed, disproved theories reminiscent of an 8th grade class research project.

 

We really need a good statistician and sociologist to do the comparison of homeschoolers to other school-aged children, if there is a need to do a comparison at all.  Factors that are missed in your argument:

Many parents who choose to homeschool, do so because their children have special needs or are gifted.  Some behavioral observations of a very small sample of homeschoolers may have little to do with being homeschooled and have more to do with a behavior that would have been noticed in any situation. 

For example, I have a shy child that would be shy in any situation, however people who haven't known us for very long assume she is shy because of homeschooling.  Bad assumption.  Another bad assumption would be to think she would overcome her shyness in a traditional school setting.  She actually made friends a lot quicker and more effectively in homeschool groups.  This may be due to the fact that homeschool activities are well supervised and the kids are less likely to bully vulnerable children.  Point: you need a better sample size and more analysis.

Another statistical factor is the income of families who homeschool.  According to a USA Today article, more affluent families are homeschooling.   However, statistically speaking, a family in suburban America can literally homeschool on a shoestring simply because of the low-cost resources available to them from museums, public libraries, clubs, churches, rec centers, and government agencies.  I can't speak for rural America, but again, that's why we need a statistician and sociologist to do the work.  

Finally, I think a statistician could resolve some of the stereotypes everyone seems to have about a child's liklihood of success in any educational setting.  America's dropout rate is a clear indication that some of our kids are not successful in school.  When you investigate what number of those kids have special needs or were "bored" in school, it's no wonder that a parent might consider homeschooling if they think their own child is at risk.  We need hard numbers.  

However, we do know that homeschooled children are doing well on standardized tests and getting accepted into college.  So some fraction of the homeschool parents are doing a great job managing their schedules and lesson plans, just as much as some fraction of schools are doing a great job.  

Point: We should all be quiet and let a few, hopefully unbiased, professionals report on the state of educational options in America.

Dear Olympian,

Your article states you've spoken with a sample of 5 kids.  How many families does that represent?  You are generalizing from a group of 5 without knowing that the 5 are representative? Could it be that the 5 kids in fact do represent the disadvantages you discuss?
Have you read in the newspapers that the spelling bees are frequently won by homeschoolers?   I wonder why?
Have you done any research on the percent of homeschoolers who attend college or are granted scholarships?
We are a homeschool family.  My daughter, who has just graduated from home high school and received a large college scholarship ,laughed at your article. 
At the same time, I would agree that there are some families for whom homeschooling would not be the ideal choice.  But for those who choose homeschooling, they discover that they can figure it out or they can always go back to public school.
For those who have experience with homeschooling, your article only serves to reflect badly upon your reasoning skills and your personal bias.  I hope that you will have an opportunity to become educated about the preponderance of homeschoolers.  Perhaps then you will discover the enriching environment and success that these families and young learners are achieving.
Best wishes to you in your future scholarship.  I shudder to think about the volumes of email which are about to descend upon you to enlighten your experience.
Marie L

The author writes:

It has been my finding that a large number of parents are not equipped to be home school instructors. Many parents don’t have any formal training, lack discipline, or lack organization skills.

This assertion does not hold up. A lack of formal training does not necessarily mean a parent is unequipped to be a home school instructor. I have yet to meet a homeschooling family whose parent has undergone "formal training", yet their children are typically successfully completing work above their designated grade level.

Dear Sir,

It is my finding that you are ill equipped to do a study based on FIVE homeschooling students.  I could undoubtedly find one hundred public schooled children to your five that are on drugs, drinking, NOT ATTENDING school (probably smoking pot in the bathrooms) and likely forging parents signatures for detention slips.  In addition, many public schooled children that I know can not even do basic math.  Most do not know an adjective from an adverb and could not piece together a college level sentence.  When they graduate, many public schooled children must waste money to attend remedial math and english classes.  That, to me sir, shows a failure in our public education services.  This does not even include the violence taking place in the public schools. 

I have a dear friend who was an English teacher for ninth graders; a frustrated teacher I might add.  She informed me that approximately 90% of her time was spent discipling her students, which disrupted the learning of other students.  Then had to deal with the back lashing of parents who did not want to accept the responsibility of their child's disruptive behavior.

Do I want my child subjected to the above?  NO!

Am I willing to pay monitarily for books with truth? YES!

Can I forgo a spectacular "Good Housekeeping" award for some awesome science experiments?  ABSOLUTELY!!!

Do I feel equipped to teach my children respect towards others by using polite terms such as "yes ma'am, yes sir" as opposed to terms such as "Whatever"?  WITHOUT A DOUBT!! 

You, sir, seem quite ill informed yourself.  Perhaps you should spend some time trying to improve our government run schools and less time on degrading those of us who are doing our very best to give our children the best education that we can.

Kindest Regards,

Tami