Educate The People

26 Responses to “Why are so many people choosing to home-school their kids?”

1. By Inthefastlane on May 10, 2009

   A lot of the time its for number 2
   Espically with smaller schools who might not get its teachers "inspected" or something like that

2. By Roxy on May 10, 2009

   NO probelms

3. By Kevin on May 10, 2009

   http://www.homeschool.com/articles/Socialization/default.asp

4. By Ms. Jo on May 10, 2009

   I am a librarian and many of my patrons are home-schooling parents and home-schooled children. Some of them are religious, but not all. One family that I know has 3 children. The oldest has received so many scholarships that she is actually being paid to attend college. The middle child has been to the national spelling bee twice. She is at an 11th grade level although she is only 13. I don't know too much about the youngest. All of the children have basically normal social lives. You may argue that highly intelligent children will learn and achieve no matter where they get their education. I disagree. I believe that if parents have the time and educational background to privately teach their children, the children will be able to move at whatever pace is right for them and parents can really help to make learning more hands on by taking extra field trips and doing more experiments.

   I know that there are many home-schooled children who are not getting this type of treatment and attention. I believe that municipal government is responsible to check and make sure that curriculum goals are being met.

   BTW: I have a couple of patrons who are now in cyber school. It is sort of like half home-school and half online school. It is an interesting concept. Teachers have more students but less behavior problems and a whole lot more parent participation and enthusiasm.

5. By Terri on May 10, 2009

   I appreciate you sharing your views on home education, although I can tell by your thoughts that you have not researched the topic at all.
   I'm not going to go in to all the reasons why I chose to homeschool my children, basically because I feel by your statements that your mind is made up.
   However, I will tell you that I am not nor ever have been "scared" of the influence of other students. That's quite funny, actually!
   Second, over protection is not quite an accurate or fair statement, as my children are actively involved in their community through service projects and missions work. They actually work with people they would never run into in a neighborhood public school.
   Third, misguided or misinformed? Again, a funny statement, as media is actually pro public school and anti homeschooling. I honestly believe you have that backwards. I researched home education for over a year before I even began to seriously consider it. Lastly, I am not against public education. homeschooling is not for everyone, and I firmly believe it takes all types of learning opportunities to meet the needs of all types of people.
   Once again, I think this is a perfect example of what happens when someone sits in judgment from the outside of a situation and does not take the time to research what they speak out against.
   And I make the statement that you speak out against home education because I have been tracking your responses in this forum. you have quite an extensive history of making negative comments, so I believe that is a fair statement to make based on the evidence available to me.

6. By Pronk1984 on May 10, 2009

   If people want their kids to just get a GED and work at McDonald's all their life then let them. This does happen to about 95% of home schooled children. Spending two hours a day doing workbooks and watching TV all day isn't an education.

7. By ? Val ? on May 10, 2009

   I like your opinion, personally I think public schools are good because kids learn to socialize, make friends, learn to be in society with other people, etc.. I would just get bored being couped up at home all day.

8. By glurpy on May 10, 2009

   This is very long. Patience, please.

   I was a public school teacher and first thought of homeschooling while teaching elementary. This was before I had kids. I saw how much kids' maturity levels were bound by the constant presence of many children the same age. I specifically saw the effects on two split classes in a school I was teaching at. One was a grade 3/4 split and the other a grade 2/3 split. The 3's had all been together the previous, grade 2, year. By the end of the year, the grade 3's in the 3/4 split were very mature in their thinking and behaviour, being very much like kids going off into grade 5. The other grade 3's, however, behaved very young for their age, having been outnumbered by the grade 2's all year.

   That was a huge wake-up call to how same-age groupings negatively affect child development. I had wondered why teens were so incapable of being responsible for things in modern years when they were apprentices and starting families in the past and I truly believe the single-age groupings are a huge factor in the immaturity levels we see today.

   I also really saw that I was raising these children for a year. The idea of having older children, mainly 12+, in school bothered me less than the idea of young children (who are still so impressionable and need clear and consistent guidance) being raised in an environment where there are inconsistent rules (one family does one thing, another does something else), morals and values. Furthermore, where a lot of the influence was from other children the same age, immature in their moral development. We used to have very common values and morals in the past and school continued enforcing those values and morals; that time is gone and school is no longer a place to help that development.

   So, when I first thought of homeschooling, I was just thinking the elementary years. I found accounts of people homeschooling for the elementary years and then sending their children off to junior high and that encouraged that thinking. The accounts stated that the homeschooled children had a strong sense of right and wrong and of themselves and did fine in school at that point.

   When the topic came up spontaneously with my dh (he actually brought it up), his concern was junior high (he is a junior high teacher). Our first is a daughter and he saw, and continues to see, what goes on among the girls at school. The hallway for the grade 8 students was known for sometime, and perhaps still is, as the Red Light Hall. That was a huge concern because if it can happen in his school, one that's rated as being quite good in terms of social environment, it can happen anywhere. Even the girls from the best families with the most involved parents still got caught up in the atrocious fashion wear and unfortunately school administration would not do anything about it.

   He caught brief whisperings here and there about various objectionable things the students were involved with which was another concern. He also felt that, espeically for grades 7 and 8, the primary focus of kids that age is to socialize, socialize, socialize. We don't mind the idea of socializing; we would like our children to actually get an education at the same time. It's actually not an uncommon joke with teachers around here that grade 8 students should be homeschooled simply because their attention, for most of them, is not on their studies.

   As our children grew, my desire to stay with them grew. We adjusted things so that I could be home with them when they were babies and toddlers. Why should I stop being with them just because they've reached school age?

   Seeing how individual they were made me see just how rigid the public school model, at least here, is. For my dd, it would have been a poor fit for K-2 and might be okay now (she's grade 4). For my ds, there's just no way. (He's grade 1.) His natural learning style is so opposite of what happens in schools. I also tutored students during the time my children were babies and toddlers, students who were struggling in large part because of a forced rate curriculum and teachers who just didn't give a damn. There were kids spending 3 hours a night trying to do their homework, and I'm not talking high school kids. After having spent all day at school and not getting the help they needed. Their parents could have spent 3 hours with them in the morning, given them one-on-one attention with much less stress and those kids would have had time to be kids and enjoy their evenings. I didn't understand why they would continue putting themselves through that when they had other options.

   As I got to know homeschoolers in our very socially active homeschooling community and got to see for myself how most of the homeschooled kids are, I could see what a benefit homeschooling could be to families who were willing and able to choose it. It encouraged both me and my dh to pursue this as long as it works for us.

   There's some background information for you on why we chose to homeschool. I would say, though, that we are not the norm here, having decided before school age. A good 75% of the homeschoolers I know are people who had their children in school and got fed up at some point with some aspect of what was going on. ALL of the children did much better academically, emotionally and socially at home. Many parents were unexpectedly pleased to see their children's poor attitudes about themselves and learning change over the course of their first year of homeschooling. Improved behaviour came as a natural result of the change in attitude and better monitoring on the adult's part. Well, not only that. When you don't have a bunch of same-aged kids next to you, you are not going to adopt their behaviour as your own.

   I'm a strong proponent of choice. Where I live, homeschooling is presented by the government as an educational choice, just as charter schools, public schools and private schools (including boarding schools) are. Some parents feel certain private schools will maintain their academic and moral standards and send their children there. Others are fine accepting the free public schools. Others want something more specialized and use charter schools. And yet others have the desire and the willingness to take their child's long-term education upon themselves, either because there is no suitable school where they live or because they simply have the drive to do what they need to do to make it work at home. Not one homeschooling parent I know has blindly nor naively taken the task on.

9. By BeachBoundBrigitte on May 10, 2009

   ive been homeschooling my daughter since the 5th grade, shes now 15 and just started her first year at the local city college. She also takes dance classes thats shes extremely talented at and she also teaches 9 gymnastics classes a week. (she has her work permit.) This kid is going places and Im very proud of her. She is so social and friendly to people of all ages, i get compliments on her all the time. When people find out shes homeschooled they comment on how that must be the reason she is the way that she is. I would not have changed anything with my decision to homeschool!

   check out this post, it makes some great comments from the homeschoolers opinions about their decisions!

   http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnXPiY3bFxzMdkYHiJCosQrzy6IX?qid=20060902165635AAeaT6h

10. By Smooth Operator on May 10, 2009

    Hello sir. In response to your questions,I think that more parents are choosing to homeschool their children because sometimes the school officials neglect their students' needs.I understand that all public schools are not like this.But on the other hand,many are…I am 17.I have been a homeschool student myself for three years before.I am now private schooled.Another reason is that many public school systems operate on the students' money.To many schools,the students are means of larger profit.When they operate like this,they become corrupted in a way.The way being:they become blinded by annual profits,numbers,and by soon doing,they end up neglecting the needs of the students.Parents are becoming aware of these factors,this is why parents are becoming more protective of their children.They are trying to ensure the best education possible for their children.Many times over,in the newspapers,you find cases where children are caught up in drug dealings,vandalism,offenses,and other questionable acts of conduct.These things have happened,and I believe that these are very determining factors that parents observe.You see,I left public school,because I was always given the 3rd degree,or double standard.The kids or teenagers that did cause trouble,got off the hook scott free…so to speak.And the ones that did'nt,they are the ones that recieved punishment,and lots of times,that goes on their record. Many times,the only way to escape this false favoritism and misuse of school powers,is to leave the school.And start homeschool.These are just reasons that I think parents choose homeschool.It's nothing against you or your fellow teachers. I would like to thank you for being patient,and forthcaring enough to listen…

11. By homeschoolmom on May 10, 2009

    We started homeschooling because my older son was obviously gifted (his teachers and others confirmed this to us), but his public school's idea of a gifted program was to require MORE work from the students, not more CHALLENGING work.

    We took him out 1/2-way through 2nd grade (nearly four years ago) and he has really excelled. He's reading at about a 12th grade level (he'd be in 6th this year) and working at an 8th grade level in math. Is he gifted in all areas? Of course not, but homeschooling allows us the opportunity to accelerate him in the areas of his gifting and keep him on pace in the other areas.

    Secondary to that is the fact that we can include religion as part of our daily studies, although we were doing that even before we started homeschooling.

    I guess my answer would really be: all of the above. The schools here are not terrible or horribly unsafe, but I feel my boys are getting a better education simply because they are getting more individualized attention.

    I agree that public schools offer many opportunities that are not generally available to homeschoolers. But it has been my experience (over just the last four years) that the opportunities for homeschoolers (in our area, anyway) are expanding at an alarming rate – we have sports teams; chess, math, and robotics clubs; debate and other academic teams; an annual science fair (that allows students to compete in the regional and higher public school fair); art and music classes – most of the things you would find in a small to medium-sized school district.

    The US DoE completed a study several years ago as to why parents choose homeschooling. The link below isn't the full report (which was published in 1999), but you can access the full report from there.

12. By ldylili on May 10, 2009

    The top reason I began homeschooling my child was because I had been teaching at his (private) school and while I loved my students, I was afraid of missing out on watching my son grow up. Already I had left him at 3 months of age to return to work. I was fortunate that my husband was able to be home with him during those early years and when my son started preschool he was attending school where I worked.

    After a few months of homeschooling I realized he is dyslexic and that a flexible learning program with 1:1 instruction was a heaven-sent for my child. Fast forward five years later, he is a very happy, very social boy with manners that so many people compliment, a gentle soul, and a kick-butt soccer player. He is also two belt levels from a black belt in karate, a decent piano player, and very responsible with all his pets. I mention this because we may not been able to pursue all the activities and interests with a full day at a regular school (one after school sport would take enough time out of his schedule on top of homework, so he would have to choose one sport and maybe no piano, no art class, etc.), but with the flexibility of homeschooling we have learned how he best learns and we can make adjustments to his learning plan.

    In the beginning I did worry that he was somehow missing out of the good stuff that a regular classroom and peers offer, but we balance his life and experiences well that he has not seemed to miss it and he has the option of returning to regular school at anytime, though so far he has not wanted to.

    As for the religious reason, we are Christian and I did teach at a Christian school. I like that I can incorporate the Word into our daily learning, but we are a very realistic family and we know that we can not (and do not) shelter our children from everything. My son is bound to hear a bad word on the soccer field or be exposed to a dangerous situation just being out and about, so of course we prepare our son for this. He is not overly protected. We do let him experience life–one day he will need to navigate life on his own and we are preparing him for that.

    I went to public school and did fine. Our school district is very bad though (I don't want to disclose the district though because it is my community and I also taught in this district) and public school was never an option for us, thus, private school. But in our case, homeschooling was a very wonderful option and we have had zero regrets.

    I hope this was the honest answer you were seeking.

13. By jdeekdee on May 10, 2009

    Bless you for asking this!
    My reason is that my child has learning problems and the school fought to no end to NOT help her for three years!!
    they lie, cheat, violate laws, and everything else to make parents think your child is 'doing fine'.
    It took a while, but I learned the tricks the schools do because they dont' want to help children with special education.
    And my case is not an isolated one, this is rampant all across the country.
    My school told me my child could NOT learn and not sure if she EVER would.
    In the very first week of homeschooling, my child improved drastically. I coulnd't believe it was the same child.
    I still cry wondering what would have happened to her if I left her in that god forsaken place.
    And this is a school that is considered the best in our area.
    Yea, right. I hope soon they will learn the truth….

    Other reasons are that NCLB law forces teachers to teach only certain things. What about the other things kids need to learn? And, teachers teach ONLY what is going to be on these stupid tests. Just so the schools can get MORE MONEY!!
    How many parents know about that, huh???
    And, a lot of schools are lying and not counting the low scores students make, so they can get MORE MONEY.
    It was on the front page of the yahoo website that in my state GA, the STATE departement of education is ALLOWING schools to do this!!!!!!
    A 'stipulation' of the NCLB is that schools who have fewest disclipline reports get MORE MONEY.
    So,,, schools are IGNORING the bullying and trouble making kids, and let this continue so they can GET MORE MONEY.
    How many parents know about that, huh??
    When you consider all the times that it's the GOOD kids who get in trouble instead of the trouble maker, it's all starting to make sense HHHNMMMMMMMM

    Please go to http://www.schwablearning.org and sign up for free to ask your questions on their 'parent to parent' message board, and find out all about it!!!

14. By p2of9 on May 10, 2009

    My kids are 3 1/2 and 4 1/2, so we're just starting out with homeschooling. I have 2 reasons for teaching them myself:

    1) They're MY kids, and I should be their role model for morals/values, etc., not some teacher I don't know, and definately not a bunch of kids.

    2) My 4 1/2 year old is speech delayed. He was is a state-mandated "Birth-to-Three" program for 2 years, where he was LABELED "delayed" and "retarded"! He learned nothing in said program, except 4 words in Sign Language. When he turned 3, he graduated the program, no better off than when he started it. Since I've been working with him myself the last year and a half, he has learned to speak in full sentences, and can now initiate and participate in conversations. He's very bright , despite the labels he was given. I just don't trust the public school system after this business!

15. By sl_dillon on May 10, 2009

    I home school my children because I believe I am more interested in child's success period!

    For the best Home Schooling information go to:

    http://www.choosehomeschooling.com

16. By old lady on May 10, 2009

    I am sure you were a very conscientious teacher for 30 years, but you have obviously never home schooled. People seem to have the idea that parents teach the kids themselves, and all the teaching is done by the parents. This isn't so. Most of the home schooling courses are set by the Department of Education. The workbooks are assigned, and the lessons are set out, just as a classroom teacher would do lesson plans for each day, but in this case, they are provided for the parent or the supervising adult. Or, in some cases, for the students themselves in the higher grades. So it doesn't become a question of whether the parent can successfully guide the child through physics and nuclear science, but whether the parent can read and follow instructions.
    Tests are sent in to the home schooling department to be marked, and on-line support is always available. Computers play an integral part in home schooling.
    If you have been teaching for 30 years, you likely remember correspondence courses. Well, home schooling is something like that. By concentrating on one student, it is possible to get through a full school day's worth of material in just a few hours, leaving lots of time for extra curricular and social activities.
    Home schooling, at least in our family, has been predicated upon meeting the needs of the children, recognizing the values of the family, and accommodating some special requirements, which include travel, that would have made conventional schooling a nightmare.

17. By Kathy F on May 10, 2009

    I will try to be more brief…
    First of all my oldest of three was a stutterer and we enrolled him in a special program at age 4 that didn't help and the kids just made fun of him. Then we moved to a new state (husband is military). I went to the local school and they had a sign outside of each classroom door that said "this classroom has been fight free for ___ days". I found that a bit interesting. We decided that I could homeschool him for kindergarten. Ok, so now we move again and decide that because we keep moving maybe it is better to do this homeschooling thing. Now, in the meantime, I am going to a church that has an umbrella home school program and we get enrolled. Now, child number 2 is learning at home. (nothing wrong with him)
    Child number 1 is struggling and the stuttering is about gone. We have him tested and he has an LD and is labeled ADHD. Child number 3 is now being homeschooled.
    We move again. This time to California. CA is known for not having the best programs for LD kids and I continue to homeschool while child number 1 gets one on one educational therapy. He goes from reading level 1st grade in the 4th grade to past his grade level reading in the three years of therapy. No real signs of ADHD, because we gave him no drugs, just individualized training.
    Last year he started HS and we decided on a public school/home school alternative school and he did AWESOME!!! No IEP, no special treatment, just the regular school work like his peers.
    Because we have always gone to church and volunteered outside of the home in many ways, they are all three very social and had no difficulty plugging into the new school. I too have been told by almost everyone that we meet that my kids are great! They are helpful to everyone they see, can clean, cook, take care of anything in the house including changing my brake pads on my car. My 12 year old has been babysitting since she was 10 on her own because she is mature beyond her years and has a special place in her heart to adore children and takes great care of them.
    Looking back… I wouldn't have changed a thing. My husband has retired now and we are staying put (I hope) and the kids are all enrolled in the special public school program… half in school/half at home. They are all doing great and will be very successful. They have the four year plan all figured out to best get them into a college of their choice. (paid for by my husband's retirement if they go to college here in CA)

    I do believe that they have had some level of protection, (sheltered) but only in the sense that their school focus has always been on school, not what clothes they are wearing, or who is dating who etc. My boys are almost 17 and 16 and they are not head over heels with lust for young girls. They have a good foundation in the Word of God and what God wants for them. They are not getting easily distracted by what the world has to offer. (sex, drugs, alcohol, trash music etc.) They have most definitely not been sheltered. We have helped or been friends with homeless people, gays/lesbians, alcoholics, exchange students from many countries and more. My kids have been beside me to witness me showing Christ's love to the world and they now show it as well. They won't be caught off guard by the nonsense that distracts the rest of our teenages and young adults. They don't judge people for what they do, they know to just love them, but don't follow them in their failures or sins.
    But that is just why I have homeschooled!!!!

18. By mombobbloggerpants on May 10, 2009

    I am not religious in any way…

    spiritual maybe…

    i do not want to abandon my child to strangers (for 6hrs a day 5 days a week for 12 years)…these strangers try and shove square pegs into a triangular holes… and in my humble opinion ….this is probably 8/10 ths the reason we have the problems with youth today…

    i do not believe in my child's self esteem being tied up in test scores, the attention or lack thereof of an adult at the front of a room, or "keeping up" with the latest and greatest in the material world…

    i do not believe that education and learning go hand in hand…

    i do not believe that children are learning to care about the world around them in schools… or even how to function once they leave school… (how many know the ins and outs of getting a mortgage or how important your credit rating is or how to work a budget….?)

    I strongly feel that "Dumbing us down" should be read by every parent that is even considering sending their kid to public schools….

    And exactly what "opportunities" does public school offer that homeschooled kids do not get?

    It must be scarey for a teacher to think that your livelyhood is at stake with people starting to homeschool…

    The reigning motivation for an "institution" is not to do what it says that it set out to do…but only to survive… Survival (and hopefully to flourish) is number one and it's "mission" is number two…

    If you would like to suggest to book on how wonderful public school is … I would read it…

    …but until you have read "dumbing us down"… you really have no leg to stand on…

    to make such a statement that publically schooled kids have more opportunites than the homeschooled shows your lack of knowledge in this area…

    please read up… then a true debate can occur….

19. By Jessie P on May 10, 2009

    I chose to homeschool my children because 33% of our schools are failing the no child left behind standards. I have seen the report. Many of the schools in our area have failed in standardized testing. Our state is VERY, VERY low in the education rankings. I could go on, but I won't.

    Also, the public schools in my area are dangerous. We have on duty police officers on patrol in the public schools, even as low as elementary school.

    I went to public school, was in the advanced program and I hated it. I didn't feel safe (maybe that's because I was jumped a few times for being white? I dunno, just a guess….).
    Also, even though I was in the AP program, I still don't feel like I learned anything. I struggled my first year of college with math and sciences and ended up taking remedial math. And I was AP…..hmmmmm………
    And let's not forget all the cliques, the gangs, the bad/unhealthy food in the cafeteria, the peer pressure, the oral sex parties, and so on and so forth.

    You can have public school. And I was not misinformed by the media, I was THERE.

20. By selfteachingworks on May 10, 2009

    When I first began home-schooling my children it was because my husband chose this method of education for our family.

    I did the research in order to understand what I was "getting into". All of the reasons you mention were once part of the picture for us.

    But now, after 23 years of home-schooling I can tell you that my reasons have changed!!!!

    I home school now because I know it works. I choose to home school because I see the results of the past 23 years. My children learn something new every day. They study. They work. They play. They have more friends than I ever knew (and I was in public school). They get good jobs. They go to college. They know how to think. They know how to learn to do anything they want in life. They know how to help others. Plus many many more things!

    I can confidently say that I home school because it is my job. After home schooling for all of these years I have learned many things.

    I have learned that parenting *is* teaching. And that teaching is parenting. I don't have to pay anyone else to do my job.

    I do it now because I love home schooling. I love my children. I love being with them during their academic study.

    That is why we home school.

    (and as a side note: Our local news program has a regular presentation of "Classrooms in Crisis" that is meant to elicit support for the gov't schools by complaining about the dwindling dollar and over populated classrooms…. I'm saving the school teachers from having four more students to cry over and from having four more students to use up spent dollars. —- tongue in cheek —–)

    I'm curious about your question and your statements. Are you sure that home school parents are misinformed? I have met many active teachers that recommend home schooling as a very worthwhile pursuit. My husband works in the public schools and the teachers and principals are some of our strongest supporters! Go figure?

21. By daryavaush on May 10, 2009

    In addition to your four reasons, I think a lot of parents also want their kids to be educated along with a moral system — why it is wrong to practice pre-marital sex, do illegal drugs, smoking, breaking the law, drinking alcohol, learning to bully (which seems to be the #1 social activity for public schoolers nowadays), playing with knives and guns, etc. Plus many parents don't want their kids doing what their peers are doing, especially if the parents are very family oriented. I mean, if Susie jumps off a cliff, should your Billy do the same thing? and so on.

    For the record, if and when I do have kids, yes, they will be homeschooled; I don't believe in turning my child over to some educational "experts" just because the NEA says to do so. As for my qualifications, I have a B.A. and am working towards a Masters. As for "socialization", my kids can do the same activities I did when a kid — Girl Scouts (or Boy Scouts if I have a son), the local Children's Club, and library activities.

22. By lucky on May 10, 2009

    There are many reasons I chose to homeschool. I pulled my kids out of public school. and have been homeschooling 2 years now. I have 3 kids two of which were in the public school system
    1) We live in a big city and there were 32-34 kids in a class room with one teacher.(who by the way could not control some of the kids which meant some days barely any teaching was going on.)
    2) Both of my children were on the honor roll in school. My daughter could not do simple math (like multiply), she didn't do her homework (because she did not bring it home) and the teacher never once called me or said anything about it. If I was home and she was at school how could I "make" her bring it home, by the time I realized she wasn't bringing all her homework home it was the middle of the school year. My son was very bored in school he would do all his school work way faster than any other kid in his class and then get into everything else (I would get a call daily about the mischief he was getting into, and he is not bad, he was bored to death)
    3) My kids were teased and pushed around because they are smaller than most kids their age. My daughter was sexually harassed by a first grader when she was in second grade(things I wouldn't even repeat, and if some one said those words to me I would have Hauled off and knocked them a good one)My son would get pushed and teased about being a baby.
    4)Lastly, While I was researching homeschooling and talking to some good friends this happens…. I guy with a gun gets on my kids bus and wouldn't let anyone off. It is one of the scariest things my kids have ever had to go through.
    But to be honest homeschooling really works for my family.
    My youngest daughter is 4 and she is doing kindergarten this year, My son is in 3rd grade and he is doing 4th and 5th grade work, My oldest daughter is 10 and she is doing 5th – 8th grade work. the school tested the two oldest for the mentally gifted program My daughter tested in the 95% and my son tested in the 99%. They did great on their standardized tests. And I think they are so smart.
    By the way if you asked my kids they would tell you they don't want to go back to school, and they have been there.
    P.S. We don't do only workbooks and 2 hours of school, the work they are doing is very challenging.
    Religion does play a part in it too.

23. By cpt_emily on May 10, 2009

    My older brother wanted to learn how to read when he was three years old, so my Mom found some books and started teaching him. When he'd learned how to read she realized that it wasn't actually that hard to teach him, and she just carried on. He did go to public schools for four years (grades 2-3 and 11-12), but I was homeschooled all the way through high school (I'm in college now), and my two sisters are currently being homeschooled. In grades 11-12 my brother was enrolled in a program where he could get high school and college credit at the same time. My last three years of homeschooling were through a correspondence school (so that I graduated with a high school diploma). I would not hesitate to homeschool my own children in the future, mainly because I've seen that homeschooling does work and in many cases homeschooled kids do far better in standardized tests that public school kids. I really think that homeschooling can provide a better education than public schools. I also think that public schools provide a whole lot of unnecessary negative influences. I should also say that I am planning on studying to become a teacher, so I do think that schools are necessary and do a lot of good in society.

24. By bobcarney55 on May 10, 2009

    Extreme amount of hype from book publishers.

25. By mR sHah on May 10, 2009

    try ur self

26. By suni on May 10, 2009

    Hello there. There are many many anwers to your question.Every person you could talk to would give you a reason that was specific to thier child or situation. Some will have come out of the public system,some will have come out of the private system, some will have always home schooled. What ever the reasons that caused them to make this decision, it seems that worldwide people are homeschooling successfully.There are no opportunities that any school (private,public or community) offers that home educated students don't have access to. There are so many homeschool networks that what ever the students interest, they can access information and courses in that area.All of my children are homeschooled, the eldest having come out of the private school system at high school level.Due to the failure of the private school sysyem to educate him. He now is an aviation engineer and a pilot.My second son came out of the private system in yr 5, again due to the failings of the system. He is now a qualified mechanic, and apprentice of the year nominee(he was awarded 2nd place)he also won 2 scholarships during his aprenticeship and was sent on training exchanges with overseas colleges.My other children have always been home educated and are in high school and primary. All love life and are involved in many outside school activities, are musical(singing in choirs and playing instruments)are sporting(running,long distance bike riding,swimming etc), are learning other languages,and sponsor children from underdeveloped countries(so that these children will have the opportunity to advance thier lives through education) and have friends,- local,national and international that they keep in contact with .I think as in all situations in life there are many reasons for people choosing different ways to do things. Just as there is no one way to learn to type, there is no one way to educate but quite a few different systems, all that seem to have slightly different ways to learn, and all that have success and failure rates. different strokes for different folks. You say that you taught public school for 30 years, does that mean you are retired now? I'm sure your skills as an educator would be greatly appreciated by the homeschool community, as the knowledge you have would be invalueable to those needing extra help, and this would allow you do do further study into the area of homeschooling and further your study of educational differences.I wish you success as you further your knowledge and hope you get many answers that take the time to answer your question properly.