I think to me the Pros would be freedom of choice.
The Cons would be it will be much more challenging.
That being said, who's responsibility is it to educate our children?
I personally feel that to put your own freedom and duty below some blanket
"best-for-the-children" concept put forward by the state is insane.
I'll take that responsibility.

Great post. I'd like to reply to it...

We homeschool both of our children, and have done so for almost five years now. My children both attended public school for a few years, then we pulled them out. We felt that the environment of the public school system was not adequately meeting the needs of our children. My son learned about things in the third grade that should not be discussed until much later in their life. There also is a pretty bad drug problem in the middle schools in our area. In addition, I felt it was not a good environment for our children in a spiritual sense as well.

Let me address some of the cons you see...

My wife does the majority of the teaching. She is an absolute genius in math and science. I am the "expert" in English and history. As a result, our kids are able to get a pretty well-rounded education.

We require our children to be on a schedule for their classes. It is posted at their desks, and they are expected to follow it accordingly. They enjoy being on a pretty tight schedule, as it allows them to get their work done in an efficient manner, as opposed to sitting around waiting for other students to finish their work, stand in line for the bathroom, etc. They're never bored, so this keeps them out of trouble.

The social aspect..my kids are both competitive swimmers, so they spend time with other kids at practice and swim meets. This is also an additional "real-world" schedule that they have to keep. My kids are also students at a co-op with over 200 other homeschoolers. They take their elective classes there. This gives them a chance to also spend time with people outside of the immediate family.

My wife has detailed lesson plans for each semester. There are programs that keep track of grades, work completed, etc. It's a great tool for being organized. Our kids are also tested every year, which is even more than is required for public school children. We get test scores back every year and see what aspects of education we need to work on with our children.

Overall, homeschooling is a great thing in my opinion. It also seems like more and more folks are looking into it as an option.

Let me know if you'd like to discuss more..it's a subject I enjoy talking about.

Originally posted by human8
I think to me the Pros would be freedom of choice.
The Cons would be it will be much more challenging.
That being said, who's responsibility is it to educate our children?
I personally feel that to put your own freedom and duty below some blanket
"best-for-the-children" concept put forward by the state is insane.
I'll take that responsibility.

Honestly I don't see that requiring the parents to be educated and prove that they are before they teach their own children academics.

I'm not talking about holding them to an unobtainable standard here, just that they can prove proficiency in the subjects they teach. We expect teachers at public or private schools to be educated, so I don't think it's unreasonable to hold homeschool teachers to a standard too.

I appreciate the kudos...I was always the smartest kid in class as well. It is a huge waste of time sitting around waiting on others. That's a plus with homeschooling - the kids move at their pace, and don't get easily bored.

I don't see why the state should have ANY influence in how my children are raised.

The 'education system' isn't designed to educate, it is clearly designed to indoctrinate and turn thinkers into obedient citizens.

Even a below average child can complete ten years of nonsense high school syllabus in a matter of months with the right coaching, but why bother, who really needs to know how many carbon atoms in a benzine ring (6) or where the limpopo flows (Indian ocean)?

One of the only redeeming aspects of school over home is learning how to beat the system and make them think you're complying whilst you inwardly rebel. Restriction and demonic control can be a great teacher of liberation.

when your kids get out of your house, they're still going to have to work to support themselves (and probably go to college to learn to do that.)

We don't have to 'work' or at least not in the way you infer here. We need to find a way to generate income, but that's not the same thing as you are suggesting. The school system does little or nothing to help us in this regard, in fact the opposite, it teaches us that we are worthless individuals who need to subjugate our own creativity and individualism to some faceless and soul-less authority in order to eek out a few financial scraps for our survival.

Again, even a below average student can learn more about making money in a day from the right coach that they will learn in a decade at school. Unless of course they develop some kind of non-curricular financial activity amongst their school mates.

Not every parent is fortunate enough to have the financial option of staying home with their children to teach them,

because they went to school (and probably college) where they were trained how to be poor and dependent for life. Thank you for the beautiful illustration of the inadequacy of a school 'education' in preparing an individual for the financial realities of life.

[edit on 11-8-2008 by RogerT]

I experienced both homeschooling and regular school.

I can't say which is better, as there are pros and cons for both. I think the child should have a choice. Some kids are motivated more when they have competition. Others can't concentrate with chattering kids nearby. Some parents make horrible teachers, others don't. It's really hard to say.

Depending on the parents/children/available schools in the area, it could be a good or bad thing. It depends on the circumstances and those involved. There's too much gray area here to apply the results to everyone.

If I ever have kids I would prefer to let them choose. After all, it's their education.

I see where you are going here, but I would argue that the homeschooling setting is actually more unrealistic. Public school much more closely resembles a work environment than does homeschooling, and when your kids get out of your house.

I understand the argument, but I really don't agree. Homeschooling does not in any way shape-or-form mean that the schooling is happening *at home*. Many groups form basically a charter-school type of cooperative. Also, many homeschoolers have their kids involved in actual paying jobs, apprenticeships, or vocational programs. So, while many public school children are pretending to work, homeschool children are holding actual jobs(e.g., working on a farm, being a veterinary assistant, working in a burger joint, church secretary, handyman).

In contrast, what jobs take place for 50 minutes 5x per week? Not many that I know.

I understand your argument, but it is really based on a stereotype that homeschool kids sit in a lonely room at a school desk like they do in a public school. This is rarely the case in my experience.

I'm not arguing for government control... Refer to the OP for clarification on what exactly I mean by that.

I read the OP. I suppose that I cannot see how parents can be required to have any sort of credentials (no matter what you call it, background, education, preparation, or otherwise) without having governmental control. And it is this control that the departments of education in various states and the teachers unions have attempted to assert in the past. Otherwise it will just be an honor system, no? Please clarify how this can happen without the government controlling the system.

Public schools are probably great for many kids, especially whose parents are too busy having careers to get involved... It is an issue of control.

That's a bit condescending.

Oh, I am sure that it sounds that way, sry. Remember that I have sent all my kids to public schools too, and I did so because of the financial and time burdens that homeschooling imposed. So, perhaps I should have stated this more softly.

I can also identify a lot of criticism that I have personally experienced has come from parents who do put their careers above their kids. My wife runs a childcare, and this is a huge problem in that arena as well -- where parents complain about the shortcomings of a "rent-a-mom" while they are busy with their careers. I feel that these parents just transfer these expectations as their children get older.

I would say that Homeschooled children are by-and-large better adjusted for real life

There are two sides to this, you know. Not everyone who goes to home school turns out "better off." A great majority of the people who go to public school come out of it just fine, as well.

Yes, this is true. But if we look at percentages, homeschool children are more often better adjusted, because the public system has the festering sore of inner-city schools, etc.

But even in a more fair comparison, what does fine mean? Fine to work as an insurance agent, or in a welfare office? Public schools, in my experience, do not hone critical thinking skills necessary for science and technology work -- these are either developed in college, or independently by the child as they engage in outside projects.

But, perhaps a more pertinent example that many would understand... the "Civil War" and the politics of slavery. There are two sides to this issue, and in the North, the "War of Northern Aggression" almost never gets a hearing. This was a complex issue of economics and states rights vs. centralization, and the Lincoln administration overstepped its bounds by denying the southern states from seceding from the Union. But in all my years in public schools, this was never discussed. Why?

Because the system is biased, and the students are a captive audience.