I read it myself (the first of many times) a long time ago. Granted, it's a bit late for my particular area of interest (I did my grad work in Anglo-Saxon and Old Icelandic literature), but I still am conversant enough to have taught it in college.
Of course, there are some on this board who would prefer to be taught literature by their moms. In many cases, I would wager that a concerned parent would give a better education than some of the intellectual slums that pass for schools in America. But, their mom probably doesn't read Beowulf in the original Old English, either...
So? How will that prepare them for normal society and job searches? That's a waste of time. Push that junk aside, and move onto the important things. Geeez. Get a grip!
This homeschooling mom does.