[Kosh5]

Umm - I hate to break this to you, but there are something on the order of 1.7 million homeschooled children across the U.S. I have forgotten the true comparison, but this number is something like the size of the 10 smallest states' public school system enrollments.

HS'ing has become a big thing in this country. There was a time when it was an underground and sometimes illegal movement. In the 70's and 80's, it gained a more public presence. In the 80's and 90's, it gained public recognition through forums like Focus on The Family and gained a critical mass that is propelling it today.

The bottom line is that the public schools are in shambles. Parents want their children to be taught values consistent with their values - and the public school systems are a very far cry from such values for most parents in this country. The quality (or lack thereof) of public school educations in the past 10-20 years is a documented fact. HS'ers consistently and repeatedly outperform their public school counterparts on every academic standard available (standardized tests, SAT's, etc.).

I will also deal with the socialization issue since someone will undoubtedly bring it up. The best response I have ever heard: have you ever read The Lord of the Flies?

[Tom Bombadil]

have you ever read The Lord of the Flies?

The one I always use is "what socialization? The kind that occurs on the playground, or the kind that occurs on the schoolbus"? ....you can see the light click on if they are really interested and listening because..... you are right, it is 'Lord of the Flies" in both cases.

[nmh]

"HS'ers consistently and repeatedly outperform their public school counterparts on every academic standard available (standardized tests, SAT's, etc."

That's precisely why states like California are trying to push the truancy crap and get them back in public schools so hs'ers are just as stupid as the public shoolers. It's much easier to control those that operate ONLY on emotions and possess no knowledge.

[Nam Vet]

"I will also deal with the socialization issue since someone will undoubtedly bring it up. The best response I have ever heard: have you ever read The Lord of the Flies?"

My wife and I give our homeschooled youngest the public school experience by, once a month, taking him to the bathroom, beating him up and stealing his lunch money. heh heh

Actually this little funny was stolen from another Freeper, but does illustrate the stupidity of the 'socialization' cr*p we must listen to.

Nam Vet

[valkyrieanne]

I will also deal with the socialization issue since someone will undoubtedly bring it up. The best response I have ever heard: have you ever read The Lord of the Flies?

You don't want to go there. The boys in Lord of the Flies were *private school* students - an elite English boarding school (which the British call "public schools.") The choir was the worst of all - under their leader Jack they became first the hunters, and ultimately the crazed murderers who ended up setting the whole island ablaze.

I happen to like William Golding's writings very much, but this story is *not* the one to drag out about "socialization" and homeschooling. The boys wind up on the island in the first place because there has been a nuclear war - their plane crashes during the evacuation. At the end, they are rescued by a British navy ship - but the quite plain question at the end is, who is going to rescue the grownups? That's Ralph's final, bitter insight.

While I don't know if Golding was a Christian in later life, he was raised in the church and had a definite sense of original sin (which is really what this book is about.) If you want to really draw an analogy between LOTF and homeschooling, consider all of the homeschoolers in the past two years who have been arrested for beating, starving, abusing children etc. Yes, they are a small minority, but *everyone* has the capability for evil in them, no human system is perfect, and the grownups need rescuing too.

[homeschool mama]

I'd much rather have civilized children than socialized children. :o)

[Straight Vermonter]

[Eva]

Socialization is the biggest reason to homeschool your kids. It was the drug culture of the public school system that drove us to send our son to a private Christian school.

[Hostage]

I was under the impression that socialization under homeschooling was proceeding through formation of regional networks, much like AYSO for youth soccer.

Socialization for that matter can also proceed through such things as soccer camps, nature walks, vacation bible schools, etc. I'd like to hear more about it because as you said, the biggest negative that public school proponents bring up about homeschooling is the issue of socialization.

People assume that homeschooling is about kids being home isolated from the world. In that sense, homeschooling may be a misnomer. It may be more aptly described as "family schooling".

[d101302]

Is the a major homeschooling association to protect and promote homeschooling?

[ChiMark]

There is another effect of bad public schooling. population trends show that a large
percent of middle class families escape the city once their children are of school age. Some of the reasons being physical safety for their kids along with dumbed down schooling. So what we see in Chicago is the absence of the middle class family, minority and white alike. They usually opt for smaller suburban areas with better schools. Private school is an option but the tuition costs are high. I have no clue about the numbers of home schooled.

[TomSmedley]

I will also deal with the socialization issue since someone will undoubtedly bring it up. The best response I have ever heard: have you ever read The Lord of the Flies?

I did an MS thesis on the topic a while ago. It's fun to see an atheist capitalist, a marxist jesuit, several new-age management gurus, and some rock-ribbed calvinists all singing from the same page -- PS sux.

[CWRWinger]

The Lord of the Flies

Excellent description of all the publik sckool superintendents I know of.

The superintendent flies are sometimes culled from NEA principal maggots.

[Johnny Gage]

Gotta add in all the private schooled kids as well.