Personally, I’ve read half these posts and heard a whole lot of closed-mindedness. I’m very open-minded, but I have a very strong view of this subject. I’m a 16 year old girl, and I have experienced Catholic and public high school and would never choose to participate in a homeschooled alternative. When I was little, I didn’t have a concept of popularity, and chose to flock to what I enjoyed: the arts and music, math and science, writing, and trying to make friends and grow up. School got harder, though, when kids got nasty. I was told “my dad didn’t make enough money” and that my Goodwill clothes were my bully’s “garbage. I was wearing their garbage.” (aided by a cruel *sniff sniff*-you stink comment) When these issues started presenting themselves, I got plenty of sympathy and love and care from my terrific, successful parents, but they still chose to keep me in school, a choice I did not understand until I grew up. I dealt with this torture from kids for years (might I add, this was a Catholic school) and it grew into teasing because of my strong faith, because immorality was funnier, fun, and the cool thing to do. By freshman year, I had dealt with enough. One of the most “popular” girls in the clique that had caused me so much trouble my freshman year was a new transfer student, who came from a strong homeschool program.. I know this is certainly not the case with all Catholic schools, or many, for that matter, but I knew it served a purpose of exposure to this argument.
The past year was my first in public schools. I have found a niche, the oral interp team and choir, that share my quirky and eclectic tastes. My classes are filled with friends, ones I made after our classes did group work and we realized our common interests. I applaud the social atmosphere I have been introduced to. I have not once been  bullied for my Catholic faith, my short hair, my odd music tastes, or my sarcastic and  ”grown-up” humor. In fact, my faith has been improved, especially now that I’ve made new Catholic-in-public-school friends, and others, who respect my religious choices, my hair has gotten shorter, because I don’t concern myself with the thoughts of others, my music tastes have expanded and delved further, and my humor is more witty than ever. I have received encouragement I never had before, and I thank my parents for making me deal with cruelty to come out a stronger, happier person. They knew that people are always going to be harsh (before you disagree, how often do you hear water-cooler gossip, or hear friends talking about others, or even speak on what bothers you about others?) and they constantly reassured me that the kids were wrong. I love my parents and knew they truly cared about me because every night I came home, they unceasingly showed me how truly unique, special, and loved I was. Through all the torture, they helped solidify who I was and, in the end, I accepted myself like they had all along and finally acquired the confidence to stand out as who I was. 

My success now that I am not afraid has been aided by the traditional schooling system. My first shot at the ACT, no study courses, since I was using it as a general gauge, was a 32, highest in my class and second in that above mine. I never truly became solid in what I wanted to do until this year, when my teachers encouraged me. Last year, I thought I would maybe do a general major and go back and teach or something, but now, my English, Physics, and Speech/choir teachers have inspired me to go into journalism, Physics, and the arts, and I’ve been receiving college mail from schools I never imagined pursuing me saying they want me in their programs. I’ve won state-wide and competed in national competitions for poetry, writing, oral interp/speech, chorus, vocal solos, and academics, opportunities I would have never seized if i were not in traditional school. I feel so adequately prepared, because I have had a slew of incredible teachers, despite a few who were difficult and were perhaps not as vivacious about teaching. My parents are always surprised at things I know, and admit they don’t understand most things I am learning.. Knowing that, should I really desire them to teach me? They are highly successful in their fields, but I would never ask them to give that up to teach me subjects they don’t know as well as my teachers. I don’t want my parents teaching me AP Physics unless they feel like they have a mastery of that college course. Coming from a student who has experienced AP teachers, I love my parents, but would never choose to take that class from them. Computer/online classes have a much lower success rate in the general public, because the presence of a teacher, always available for help, is critical in education.

Personally, I enjoy the diversity of traditional schools. Rather than a select group of kids around me, I am exposed to different attitudes, family situations, religions, cultures, talents, and thinking. My mother said after picking me up from school one day that she had never seen a Muslim woman in full dress in real life that day. People skills are important, and I’ve learned them through every class, dealing with kids I don’t want to deal with. From what I’ve observed, in my own opinion, I’ve noticed homeschool kids are very “my way or the high way” because they haven’t had to learn outside a personalized system. These details make for a very select group and a huge bias. Also, competition is very healthy, and I’ve learned that school is a place where it can truly thrive. Stress and pressure, to an extent, is necessary and healthy, and if people take their kids away from it, every time it presents itself, it sends a message that problems are to be run from and not dealt with. Homeschool statistics show great success, but don’t forget that those statistics are skewed greatly. For the most part, homeschooled kids are in a very encouraging family, one that clearly is willing to sacrifice time and perhaps a great part of income from the parent taking charge of the education. Typically, they have a fairly stable family environment, and they get to personalize what they want to learn, when they want to learn it, a method that doesn’t teach structure, a critical skill necessary in adult life. If only kids meeting those criteria in public schools were evaluated, statistics might not lean so far towards the homeschool end of the spectrum. I don’t want to disparage homeschooling or the homeschooled, I just have to make the point that I, an “annoying” sophomore with odd tastes who has been bullied for years, find traditional school a much healthier and beneficial alternative to the (in my personal opinion) coddled and misled format of homeschooling.

It is great all your children are doing so well – but I put you into the camp of over-parenting, micro managing could just well be that you are control freaks – a small percentage of the population.  Homeschool is good in cases where there are mental health issues, sickness, severe bullying but the rest why don’t you just teach your kids out of school hours – your kids will grow up to be loners with avoidant personalities.  Confronting but the truth – I bet you have your own issues to deal with from your education!

not sure what blog/comments you were reading.  Is it possible your comment got posted to wrong page?

 We have to wonder what your “view ” would be.

 You scare me.  Pray more and blog less, please.  Also, find another homeschool parent to teach your kids.  Not sure what kind of Christian you are but, certainly not Catholic.  I would be weary of what you have learned about Christianity.  Maybe homeschooling would have been beneficial to you.  Also, if your husband is anything like you and teaching, God help us all.

 See, another institutionally educated person speaks of what they do not know.

Actually, I’m homeschooled. My mom doesn’t teach me any classes. There are books and student directed cds and everything. Also, if you get stuck, you can always call the author and they will help you. Trust me, I’m a normal 16 year old girl. I take things like band and choir at the public school and I have plenty of friends there. My parents don’t “coddle” me. I am an individual who knows what I like and don’t like. What I believe in and what i think is wrong. I’m my own person. No, schools aren’t full of bullies, but there are enough. How often do you hear stories of homeschooled kids commiting suicide because they were teased? Or coming into a school and shooting everyone? Not many. I know plenty of public school kids who have no friends. Not every kid does well in the public school system, not every kid does well private schooled, and not every kid does well homeschooled. Everyones needs are different. So don’t go hating on homeschooling any more than you on anyother education system. And if you cant say anything good, then you’re bitter.

 I would like to have the reference to this as my understanding is that Einstein attended Gymnasium which is the equivalent of Prep school or grammar (i.e. it prepares you for University) here in Germany. Only the top third of students attended Gymnasium and the students are rigorously tested each year before being allowed to continue to the next stage. Here is what Wikipedia has to say “The Einsteins were non-observant Jews. Albert attended a Catholic Elementary school from the age of five for three years. Later, at the age of eight, Einstein was transferred to the Luitpold Gymnasium where he received advanced primary and secondary school education until he left Germany seven years later.Although it has been thought that Einstein had early speech
difficulties, this is disputed by the Albert Einstein Archives, and he
excelled at the first school that he attended “

 If my son is homeschooled, he will (and currently is) most certainly be exposed to people from all backgrounds.  Certainly I will join a homeschooling support group that is consistent with our Faith and values, but homeschooled kids don’t just sit at home all day.  They’re out in the community.  My son at age 4 has already been exposed to children from all different backgrounds at playgroups, the library, Kindermusik, etc.  These enrichment experiences in the greater community will continue throughout his childhood, and he will also accompany me as I interact in the community while running errands, etc.  

You’re mean. Were you home schooled?

The home schooled children I know are exposed to music, arts, sports, and service.  For example, many are accomplished pianists. They act in Youth Shakespeare productions. They play sports. They are active in their church, and they are always achieving in spectacular ways.  They get National Merit scholarships and are recruited by the best colleges. And they are nice and well behaved and innocent in the best way, most of them.  They don’t need the peer pressure to dress like kids do nowadays, to listen to mind-rotting music, and to be immersed in popular culture.  They don’t need the stress.  

 I would just like to add that dyslexia (a reading disability) and dysgraphia (a writing disability – yes it is real and not made up) are not created by homeschooling or by public schooling or by private schooling.  Disabilities exist independent of the educational methods or the educational location used

Other parents (non-homeschooling) always comment on how much they like my 13-year-old son. They wonder why he’s able to entertain himself and others without electronic gadgets hanging from his fingers.  They are amazed at how he treats kids of all ages with respect and will actually PLAY with younger boys instead of look down on them. Because of these 2 attributes, he is a parent favorite who is requested to come to their homes to play with their sons. Because of economics, we had to put him in school this year. But I attribute his ability to respect and have fun with all ages of boys to the fact that he was never “forced” to be with his own age AND he was never in competition with his friends to be the best athlete or student.  We chose homeschooling for his younger years, and it was defi
nitely the best decision for each of my kids. I wish we could have continued, but I hope the foundation they received to be “weird” will stay with them throughout their lives.

Yup — one of the things that’s great about homeschooling is the way it brings together people from across the political-ideological spectrum, united around one goal — the desire to treat children as human beings.

Once, when I announced my homeschooling status to someone, she actually said the very words: “what about socialization.”  
My calm reply was:  ”My kids have over 100 first cousins.  I don’t think that’ll be a problem!

Marla, I do believe you have somehow missed the entire point.

Well, you’re wrong. 

I wasn’t homeschooled. I am weird, ‘abnormal’, out of the box and a little (okay, a lot) crazy! I homeschool my kids and I preach this to my oldest child all of the time…he has advantages that I, his dad, and so many other PS or charter school kids don’t. He can be himself without being bullied like I was. Or being teased and taunted, afraid to speak, afraid to show my ‘real’ intelligence, like I was. Here, at homeschool, he can be free to be himself, ask questions (and he does…lol)…his sisters can be free to be themselves. They can be free to be physically strong females like me, and not have to worry about crushing some silly little boys ego because she’s tough. They won’t be ridiculed for being tomboys in pink! And yes, a lot of people talk about socialization as top priority, never once questioning my academic and intellectual ability to properly educate my child, or seek help in areas where I’m weak…nope, it’s about ‘socializing’! Tell me this: in school, we were told to sit down, shut up, pay attention, follow instructions. We were only given a chance to run around in PE in high school, and we only had 10mins or so (give or take a minute) to ‘socialize’ and catch up with our peers. Me growing up in Chicago…the south side, I ‘socialized’ with pregnant teenagers, drug dealers and smokers, a couple of pimps (no joke, true story), and people that were in the ‘in crowd’ and got talked about because I didn’t fit in…THESE were the types of people I socialized with…and they’ve only gotten worse! So….what’s that about socializing now?….lol

Maureen: I believe I can speak to your assumptions as we homeschooled our two daughters through High School back in 1987. Both my wife and I are Chemists by profession. After my chemistry degree I pursued a degree in Secondary Education from a different University. I taught Chemistry and Physics in High School and College before starting a career as a Materials Engineer for a well known engineering company in their Aerospace Division where I worked and retired.

Your entire comment can be summed up by “and was a very motivated student.” When I was in school, I was one of those “annoying” students and was motivated as well. Looking back, students learn because of or in spite of their teachers. When I was teaching, I stepped out of the way of motivated students and became a counselor directing their pursuit of knowledge. Unmotivated students had to be entertained so they would learn “because of.”

While I was in school for my Secondary Education degree I obviously had to take education classes. Some of this was good, interesting and applicable. I had one Professor bring in an article published in an established educational journal describing research regarding the use of TV to teach math classes, so the researcher was obviously a math teacher. Our Professor asked us to read the article and then make some comments. There were over twenty teachers in the class pursuing post graduate degrees and every one of them said that the article definitely showed that TV was a better way to teach math. When I looked at the article I had wondered how he figured out his statistics because he couldn’t have calculated the published significance level from his sample size but I didn’t say anything. The Professor, noting my silence, specifically asked me what my opinion was and of course I stated the above thought and received the appalled looks from the other students. After a very long silent pause, the Professor said that he had brought the article in just for that reason. Not all research is reliable and needs to be verified before it is acceptable. This is something that a scientist knows whereas the teachers did not find it necessary to check the reliability of the source.

Neither of our daughters became chemists or scientists though both are involved in the biomedical industry in managerial positions. The learning skills developed during homeschooling far surpassed those presented in a traditional school setting and allowed both to move forward with their careers.

One comment about Socialization – Traditional schools do not promote socialization. The do not foster the ability of one generation to easily communicate with other generations. Our daughters both had experiences that involved them with the elderly, youngsters and other cultures.

Every mother is an educator, whether or not her children go to school outside the home. I hope you didn’t impart sarcasm and superiority to your children. That would definitely be an educational abuse.

Sounds like you subscribe to all of the myths about homeschooling. Clearly, you’ve never participated in it.

The whole “socialization” argument is a ruse in my opinion. I have yet to meet a home schooled kid I wasn’t flat out impressed by. They actually use their brains and when compared side by side with a same age public schooled kid it’s like talking to someone ten years older. ADHD is a load of crap, kids are curious when they’re allowed to be and best I can tell kids in public school are pushed to assimilate to a certain set of bogus rules/guidelines and ideals. If they don’t comply it’s because of ADHD. Why don’t you ladies try replacing the word “weird” with the word “GREAT”. I’m floored by the fact so few of you can see this, even if you have kids. I’m a single Christian man trying to find a woman who uses her brain, is not swayed by bogus “public opinion” and can see what I already can. If you think your kids should shut up, look pretty and stand silently in some corner you are doing them a huge disservice. For those of you who do home school, I think you’re doing both your children and society at large a huge favor allowing your kids to become truly great individuals. Don’t listen to any naysayers.

These types of reply comments are what I use, in my confirmation class, to illustrate the need for the Authority of thr Church. Without the Church we are forced to interpret black and white words(bible), using the life experience glasses we wear. Sadly our “glasses” blurr the truth.

Using this comment and its replies let’s examine what was said and what may have been meant. I enjoyed reading the original comment by Virginia. When I read the reply by Schala I giggled because I assumed she, like me, enjoyed reading not just the words, but seeing the inflection of voice in Virginia’s writing. I was then sucker punched reading the attacks on Schala. I had not interpreted what she had written as sarcastic, but as a sincere compliment to Virginia’s “fun” writing style.

These comments are not documents or textbooks meant to share the facts and only the facts. These comments are trying to convey feelings, tone of voice, emotions. Sadly, we are often on the defensive, probably from our childhood experiences. It is easier to assume the worst of our fellow man; thereby protecting us from being vulnerable to ridicule.

When we read each article and the comments below, please try to remember we are brothers and sister in Christ. Lets raise the bar and assume the best, not the worst of each other.

Claire, the student in question is working on her MASTERS, apparently she can write. The punctuation and capitalization were obviously intended to show feeling. They were not errors, as you will, no dobt, find throughout m writing. That is why I believe Schala was being playful, not mean. My point was how often fights and disagreements online are not because people don’t agree but because we can’t see facial expression or hear tone of voice. It is why the Church is so important in reading the Bible. It is vital that we read Scripture through the eyes of the Chuch and not through our fallen blurred ones. I didn’t write my reply to criticize you (I was trying to reply to the original comment apparently I did not reply properly), which prove my point. My interpretation of what was written, according to you, was “a stretch”. You reaffirmed, without evidence, that you know she was “attacking”. You interpretated what I wrote was criticism. I meant it as a comfort for those that often feel they need to be constantly “on guard”. I sincerely apologize if my comments, regardless of my intent, “made” you feel insulted. I had hoped others would read my comment and feel comfort that maybe people from different backgrounds have different ways of expressing humor and that they need not assume injury.

Clare, I wish I was smart enough to plan “I have to admit that it seems a little bit like a set-up”. I am the worse chess player because I can not see one move ahead much less several. Thanks for understanding that, although I am not always the best at expressing myself, I really didn’t mean to criticize you. It deeply saddens me when there is “infighting” on a “family”, aka Catholic site.