I expect to get flamed for this, but here I go.
I am a teacher. I teach English Literature. I firmly support a person's right to homeschool their children. That said, here is my one problem:
My cousin is a lawyer and a good one. He wants nothing more than to homeschool his children, but he has serious problems with mathematics. Algebra was a foreign language to him and forget about anything above that. (He made one 'C' in college...in College Algebra). Since he has such issues with mathematics, and the standardized tests put such emphasis on math, how can he, an obviously intelligent person, be reasonably expected to prepare his children for the rigors of math?
This may be an isolated incident, but does shed a big light on some more serious homeschool issues. Do most homeschool parents have the necessary skills to teach some of the more difficult courses? What about languages, which are often required for entrance to college?
Please do not get me wrong. I am 100% for your right to do what you will with your children, only that I question how well you can provide all the time.
Saxon DIVE CD's and Rosetta Stone languages.
You ask good questions, and I am assuming, for the right reasons. Unlike most of the stupid questions us homeschooling parents usually get. This "socialization" issue is a myth. Homeschooled kids I know are the most respectful, articulate people I've met. They can speak appropriately to adults, and are kind to other kids they play with. They aren't hyper, angry, malicious, or sexually inappropriate. These characteristics are all PREVALENT in public school settings, and i know this because up until this year, my kids all have gone to public schools. School teachers and principals admit to me, that my kids NEVER initiated any violence or teasing or taunting with others, even though each of my four children have been subjected to frequent hitting, pushing, shoving, sexually suggestive teasing, ridicule for haircuts & clothing, and just about anything else that occurs DAILY in public school, right under teachers' noses.
We live in an affluent neighborhood and community. It still goes on. They have "strict" rules against bullying. It still goes on, and it goes on daily. How in God's name does this teach our kids about "socialization", other than to constantly have them on edge emotionally, always navigating their way around the meanest kids in class or on the playground? My kids have been through hell in their former life (I'm adopting all four) -- they don't need to live every day in that hellwhole of public school, where very VERY little actual learning takes place, around all the lining up, recesses, school assemblies, classroom movies, and dress up parades that happen throughout each school year. Academically every class is dumbed down to teach "to the middle" as teachers say, and the low ones and the high ones (i have both) get totally left behind.
As for subjects we don't know much about, us homeschool parents live in the real world, and aren't as arrogant as many of you think we are. As our children grow up, we know how to find tutors or other homeschooled parents and resources to provide our kids the tools they need to obtain the education they need to succeed.
I honestly know very few homeschooled kids who are remedial, who are behind academically, or who are even maintained only at the state standardized grade levels. Our kids don't have to compete for the teacher's attention against 30 other students she has to check on and "teach". We can go as fast through curriculum as we want to, and each of my kids LOVES schoolwork and LOVES learning, and are anything but anti-social because we now homeschool.
Homeschooling in our community is quite mainstream and common. The biggest problem I have is keeping our activity level manageable, since there are tons of homeschool groups (both formal and informal) that provide a wide variety of sports, music, art and field trip experiences for homeschooled families.
I'm not anti-public schools. I'm just pro-kids and pro-learning and pro-values, none of which are honestly important to the educational system in our country. I'm tired of the public schools de-valuing parents, and treating us like we're stupid and incapable of understand the "complexities" of teaching children. It's not complex at all. And it's not about teaching what really counts.
If your cousin is clever enough to get through law school, then I think we can assume that he (or his wife) is clever enough to investigate, evaluate, and choose one of the many options available for homeschooling subjects in which the parent is not personally expert.
Frankly, it amazes me that anyone is still asking this question. Even if one has not researched homeschool curriculum for personal use, it's only common sense to assume that others have discovered some mechanism to have their children taught calculus or Russian at home, even if the parents are not skilled in higher math or Slavic languages.
"Please do not get me wrong. I am 100% for your right to do what you will with your children, only that I question how well you can provide all the time."
The problem is that the average teacher isn't much better than a "well-meaning amatuer" parent. So much of classroom time isn't relevant to learning any specific subject. Teacher opinion, discipline, silly social engineering games. Public school test scores are a testimony to how little learning actually takes place. Even a sloppy attempt by a parent following a homeschool curriculum manual will do better in most circumstances.
I have many family members who work in the public school system ranging from principal to 40 year teacher. They all support and encourage my homeschooling efforts. You wouldn't believe the stories I hear from my brother who is a principal of an elementary school in California... about the teachers! That being said, I don't mean to offend the precious few outstanding teachers out there. We know you're there and that you do good work.. but it won't repair 4 years of sloppy teaching by the others.
No flaming... You asked a legitimate question. Many non-homeschoolers misunderstand homeschooling, as did I before we began homeschooling our children.
I am not a "teacher" any more than every good parent is a teacher. Homeschooling fosters independent learning. Once a child learns basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, they become independent learners. Schools foster "dependent" learning where a teacher tells the children what to learn. But, in homeschooling, I purchase books and other materials and give them to my kids. Then I check their work. They proceed at their own pace.
Though at times it may present challenges, the academic part of homeschooling is a breeze.
Every subject can be learned independently, even a foreign language, but I put my children into foreign language classes so that they can learn it from someone who can speak it.