The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

February 19, 2009 Ozzy6900, CT (avid baseball & Red Sox fan) writes:

As long as the home-school pupil is able to get a proper education, I have no problem with this. My question is where is the money that is supposedly saved? Each home-school child has to be registered with the City or Town so there IS a way to track this savings down. Unless, of course, the funds disappear into some General Fund.

February 19, 2009 Jason’s Blog » Homeschoolers Save Taxpayers Billions Per Year writes:

[...] Shared Link: Homeschoolers Save Taxpayers Billions Per Year [...]

February 19, 2009 theLordismyGod,Pennsylvania writes:

Indeed,a very good idea! Lets have more of it! Not only saves money but helps our children too.

February 19, 2009 John Galt writes:

I think that if you take the opportunity to home school your child, you should be exempt from paying the taxes that fund the education of all the other children in government schools…same goes for people paying for private education.

If they want to save money, why not look into paying 1 teacher to teach a class virtually to 10 classrooms at a time. We need to start thinking of new ideas, how about a credit hour system like they have in college, with core classes and electives that you can pick and choose. Teachers would then have to “sell” the value of their classes in order to stay employed…just some ideas.

Oh well….Shrugg

February 19, 2009 jody writes:

I think home schooling deprives a child of social interaction. Also , some people that choose to home school are totally ignorant!They have never read a book other than what was required . If you don;t like the public schools near you then work to make them better or send your kids off to the nuns. They will keep them straight!

February 19, 2009 Roger Searcy, Kansas writes:

Jody,
Was not home schooling outlawed by Marx? Public(re:government) education by the state the ONLY venue for an education of the Children…I understand that the majority of second generation Hispanics in the Dallas School system fail to graduate from High School….Socialist?
If you are ready, I will place home schooled versus Government schooled…I am a high school grad only, but I would to Love to hear your Proletariat bent….Thanx..
Roger

February 19, 2009 Spiritof76, New Hampshire writes:

Jody makes sweeping deprecating statements about home schooling. Home schooled students are academically superior to most of the public school factory trained students. Another ridiculous argument against home schooling is that the children miss social interaction. Where does it say that the children must learn that only in the school setting? More over majority of the public schools are drug havens. Parents have to worry about the safety of their children while attending public schools. In some cases, even the teachers are afraid of some of their students.
Another argument mostly by the entrenched teachers union is that parents that teach their children are not qualified. I dare say that many of the teachers in the public schools are not only not qualified but also not motivated. And, you can not fire them because of the union. Look at the end product of the public schools by any measure- SAT scores, OECD international tests, remedial courses following high school graduation either on the job or prior to attending a college because they come out of school with less than 8th grade capabilities!
The last comment that you should make our schools better is also a standard line from public education bureaucrats. In our school district, we spend $18,000 per student per year for less than average academic achievement and one in five drop out. The only way you can make any improvement to the public schools is to get rid of the teachers union and their protectionism. Another way, is to take that $18,000 and give it to the parents of the child and tell them to send their child to any school of their choice. The teachers union stands in the way of that improvement. Why should their be only pro-choice in abortion debate? Why not favor pro-choice in schools?
I hope more parents can afford to educate their children in their homes. At least that way, they will learn American history, about the US Constitution, about our founding principles and about our founders. Public schools brainwash the children about collectivism and deliberately degrade our founding principles based on individual liberty.

February 20, 2009 Ashley, Houston, Tx writes:

Why would I want to send my child to school to have social interaction???? They are not allowd to talk during lunch without getting in big trouble. If they do talk, they will spend their 10 min. recess staring at the wall. There is 1 teacher for every 20-30 kids. How will she know and teach my child like I can? How many interruptions take place in one day in a single classroom? There are many wasted hours every day. At home, my child can learn everything and more in 3 hours. Then, we are free to go to the grocery store, post office, library and many other businesses where my child can have “social interaction” with people of ALL ages. He also will learn how to deal with real life situations instead of only being around kids his own age stuck inside a classroom. Maybe homeschoolers aren’t the ignorant ones. Have you ever read a book?

February 20, 2009 Jeannie-Austin, TX writes:

To Jody–I agree w/ you that there are some homeschooling parents who probably should not be teaching their children. By the same token, my adult daughter, who went to public school K-12, also had several teachers who should not have been teaching. Not only did they lack some knowledge in the subject they were teaching, but some behaved as if they’d rather be somewhere else. Having a certified teacher by no means guarantees a qualified teacher. I know many parents who home-school who are not certified and they do an outstanding job teaching their children. If you have the desire to offer your child a better education choice that drives most home-schooling families. The home-schooling community is huge. There are so many curricula that you are sure to find one that suits your specific child’s learning style. Public school curricula is chosen based on who knows what—–remember the teacher has 25 students to teach—-they don’t have time to consider every kid’s learning style.

Now to address your point about social interaction. I’m here to tell you that my 14yr. daughter, along with many other homes-choolers in our area, get plenty of social interaction through extra curricular activities that they participate in weekly. Most of the children in my neighborhood attend public, and they constantly ask their parents to home-school them as well largely because of what they see in our home. They tell us about the social interactions that you seem to think home-school students NEED have been mostly about the bullying that goes on daily, as well as about kids who lack respect for themselves and everyone else. They tell of teachers who want to teach but cannot do so because they can’t get control of the classroom. With all due respect Jody, when we home-schooling parents hear comments like yours, you are the one who looks ignorant to us. If you do not know enough about something then you should research it before you make a judgment. Otherwise, please keep quiet.

February 20, 2009 Lisa Keller, TX writes:

I love it when people bring up socialization as a reason NOT to homeschool. I love it because it always makes me smile. It is a comment people make who know little about those 1.5 million homeschool kids out there. Maybe they’ve seen the recluse family and so that is how they judge 1.5 million kids. It’s like seeing the goths at a high school and then judging that all highschoolers are goths and that makes me smile. My 9 year old was sitting next to an unknown adult the other night at a local high school music concert and the man commented to me afterwards how impressed he was that my son could carry on such an intelligent and interesting conversation with an adult. He talked a lot with the man, (as he sat by me) asked intelligent questions and generally really enjoyed interacting with the adult. Why? Because he’s homeschooled! Homeschooling takes down the barriers of the stunting same age socialization.
The homeschoolers I know, in the 100’s, are mostly highly and wisely socialized and not by a group of kids just their own age. (homeschoolers have their socially backwards “goth” types just as any educational system does though) My 9 year old and my 6 year old can play happily with a 4 year old or a 15 year old. They do not have the limited socialization that comes at school when children are only around people their own age. An added benefit is that they LOVE playing with their own sibling and have not learned that only kids their own age are cool. I love it because THAT is real world. When they are grown up and get out in the real world, will they work with people just their age? NO. They’ll have to know how to intelligently interact and relate with people of all ages and most homeschoolers receive that experience their whole lives not just a crash course at age 21. So, you can put your mind at ease about socialization and homeschoolers, it is a non-issue.. unless of course, they get around a bunch of kids who are socialized to think others their own age of are the only ones to be with .. then they might be a bit out of their element.

February 20, 2009 Linda, Idaho writes:

I homeschooled my son (he’s now in college, btw — no worries about the quality of his education at home!), but do not feel that homeschoolers should be exempt from school taxes, anymore than people who have no children should be. We all benefit from those children being educated. If, instead, there were NO public schools, some of those children would be home-educated, and some would have no education, some would possibly be abused, because their parents really can’t handle 24/7 parenting… and there would be a less educated workforce later.

I also pay taxes that support the library, as do all of us — whether we choose to use it or not. I would, however, like to see MAJOR reform of the public education system, to the point where it would really not look like it currently does at all.

February 20, 2009 HoppingHappy writes:

Isn’t it funny how Jody writes that “Some people that choose to home school are totally ignorant~”… after making the most ignorant comment about homeschoolers…. “I think homeschooling deprives children of social interaction.”

Educate yourself about modern homeschooling before making yourself look like an ignorant blowhard.

See, you think homeschoolers stay home, chained to a desk while chanting some bible verses. Man are you ignorant.

Do your own research.
Or are you simply exposing your research skills you learned in government schools?

When my kids were in school they could not talk in class, could not talk in the hall, could not talk in lunch, of all places and could not talk on the bus. I kid you not. They were lucky to get ONE DAY of GYM class….

Sounds more like the stereotypical homeschooler to me….

Whereas, we get our academics done by noon, then head out to all the social interaction you can imagine.

There is a whole other world out there with people “Privately Directing the Education of their Children”. You are so LAST century! Welcome to the future, where parents take the opportunity to choose to be completely responsible for their children’s education.

And by the way, it is a two way street….
If you say that public education diplomas have value, then you are saying that graduating highschool means I MASTERED the material, yes?

Then mastering the material means I should be able to recall it, yes? (To prove I know the material, as in a test.) Yes??

Then what makes me so ignorant, all of the sudden that I can’t teach a kid how to add…. or that I cannot locate a tutor or co-op class to discuss Shakespeare?

Get out of your box and come play with us, or shut up.

February 20, 2009 Stacie, Texas writes:

Jody’s argument about the lack of socialization for homeschoolers is an out-dated one. With homeschooling becoming more popular, there are several homeschooling groups in which parents and children can join for activities and field trips. But my response to that particular argument is that public schools are NOT the kind of socialization I want my children to have. I do not want my children to associate with others who are rude, vulgar, crude, and to be bullied and tormented. Quite frankly, I do not feel public schools are safe. I do not want my children to be taught by adults who have poor moral standards, and there are more teachers who fall into that catagory.

As for being an ignorant parent, I hold a B.A. in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English. I taught 7th grade language arts for three years and high school English for three. In short, because of my experience as a teacher, I decided there was no way I would send my children to public schools. As a result, my 5 year old who is technically in his kindergarten year is reading at a second grade level. It is also interesting to note how many teachers are choosing to homeschool their children. That speaks volumes.

February 20, 2009 Homeschooling Dad, Florida writes:

Alarms go off whenever I hear about taxes being collected from us then we herold them not being spent as ‘money saved.’ In my view once it is collected as taxes, it is spent and furthermore spent in a way that rarely benefits the people of this country.

Also, the article neglects the privately schooled kids that also ’save’ the government money.

P.S. Socialization in schools is like having your kids raised by wolves.

February 20, 2009 Zane M writes:

Like most states they budget x amount of dollars, than they divide by the number of students in the state to get the cost per student. however many students your school has you multiply by that value to gte each school’s allocation of state funding. That is why attendance/enrollment matters so much to schools. So by your child not being in a school it doens’t save any $$$, it just increases the value per student. Or if you want to look at it in a negative way by your child not being in the public school it decreases the amount of money that school would get, but class size would be smaller.

February 20, 2009 Homeschools Save the U.S. $4 - 10 Billion Each Year « Kansas Education: Public Policy in Kansas and Elsewhere writes:

[...] Homeschools Save the U.S. $4 - 10 Billion Each Year Filed under: Home schools — kansaseducation @ 10:50 am Homeschoolers pay taxes just like anyone else, yet they don’t put their children in public schools. If they did, the demand on school budgets would be much higher–according to one estimate, $4 to $10 billion higher each year. [...]

February 20, 2009 Kim Sparks, Albuquerque, NM writes:

My twelve year-old is a social butterfly, Jody. She interacts with people on an adult level and wouldn’t know what marijuana, cocaine, or birth control pills were if they fell from the sky by the million. The “social interaction” you refer to as being “missed out on” is overwhelming sexual interaction, introduction to drugs, alcohol, and gangs. All six of my children get socialized very well through home school co-ops, church activities, and boy scouts and girl scouts. Think before you speak my dear.

February 20, 2009 Gem writes:

Many people have a misunderstanding about homeschooling. The word itself implies public school at home and for many that means all day at the kitchen table. In my state we are legally called private schools and I am the educator. Our educational base, if you will, is the home, however, we are not there much. The world is the classroom so for science we go to the local parks and rivers to study biology, ecosystems, etc. as well as science museums. For the arts, we visit museums and attend concerts, plays and other stage performances. To understand and help our community, we do volunteer work and each child has their own charity project. I could go on for paragraphs, but I think you get the idea. In my opinion, the problem with today’s education is that the objective is to fill the children’s brains with facts and figures so they can pass a test and then move on to the next test. I agree that all children should have basic knowledge, however, there is more to life than facts and figures so when do children learn about their world? Going to a public school or a private school for that matter does not guarantee proper socialization and yet the issue always comes up when talking about homeschooling simply because the term is taken literally. Homeschooling means that the parents (grandparents, too) have taken full responsibility for their children’s education. Like public or private education, it is not a perfect system, but it is a viable alternative. And for hundreds of families nationwide it works. So whether it saves taxpayer money or not, who cares. Energy should be spent trying to fix problems in each educational system, not demonize one over the other.

February 20, 2009 Tim Az writes:

First of all you need to understand what a liberal means when they use the phrase social interaction among children at a gov. school. It has nothing to do with children talking to each other. It’s about indoctrinating your children in the guilt based religion of greenism and other useless ideologies. They want your children ignorant and guilt ridden. The purpose of filling their heads with green guilt and other useless ideologies is to make them supple and obedient to the govt. that we now have. This makes the Child one of two things sometimes both. Often times these children are made victims of depression or attention deficit disorder also known as oppositional Defiant Disorder. I whole heartedly believe attention deficit disorder is the child defiantly opposing be saddled with guilt base greenism and other useless ideologies. Much like a child covering their ears and making noise and saying I cant hear a word you’re saying because I can’t hear you. These children are very intelligent they know when their being spoon fed BS. If they are determined to have attention deficit disorder they become secondary income to the school. How can this be? govt. Schools are given extra govt. money for each child they dope up on amphetamines causing depression and sometimes suicide sometimes taking others with them. why in the world would loving parents send their children to govt. schools to be molded into the liberals own image. Govt. schools are a total failure at teaching Math,Science,English,and the most dangerous of all American History as it truly happened not how liberal elitist wanted it to have happened. American history instills pride in ones own heritage. Pride in ones own heritage is defiant opposition to everything in the liberals ideology.

February 20, 2009 Lisa Prochaska, Texas writes:

In response to this comment: I think you are basically correct… however, if all the homeschoolers and private school students were in public schools then a lot more schools would need to be built. PLUS, I don’t think anyone takes into account all the bonds that school districts and counties take out to fund the building of the schools. Most times I think interest only is paid on these bonds. At some time, all the bond principal will become due and it will be time to pay the piper. Where is this money going to come from? I think parents should have freedom to choose what is best for their children: homeschool, private school or public school. The dollars could follow the parents choice and then competition would demand changes or schools would fail.

—————————————–
Like most states they budget x amount of dollars, than they divide by the number of students in the state to get the cost per student. however many students your school has you multiply by that value to gte each school’s allocation of state funding. That is why attendance/enrollment matters so much to schools. So by your child not being in a school it doens’t save any $$$, it just increases the value per student. Or if you want to look at it in a negative way by your child not being in the public school it decreases the amount of money that school would get, but class size would be smaller.

February 22, 2009 Dawn writes:

Tim Az writes, “First of all you need to understand what a liberal means when they use the phrase social interaction among children at a gov. school.”

Tim, liberals homeschool too, and when it comes to socialization, often for reasons very similar to those of more conservative homeschoolers. I realize some people like to grind their political axes in every discussion they enter but this is a little riiculous.

February 26, 2009 Kevin, Omaha, NE writes:

First: Social Interaction. My Children have Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Gymnastics, along with many other activities they attend.
Second: We Pay for all books and other material used for schooling, and most Home schoolers do better the public schools on SAT’s.
Third: In 2008 I paid over $2500.00 in properity taxes that the statement said is for school. The ones we never use.

February 27, 2009 larry, florida writes:

I certainly hope that Tim Az isn’t homeschooling his children. His post is rife with grammar errors and his logic is incomprehensible. If he’s teaching his kids to write they’ll never make it at college.

March 5, 2009 Melissa, Houston,TX writes:

Not all homeschoolers save the tax-payers money. I home-school my 12 year old daughter. She uses a program called K-12 and is enrolled in the Texas Virtual Academy or TXVA. We have a certified teacher with whom we stay in contact and have parent-teacher conferences monthly. It is considered public school at home. It has saved my family a bundle on home-school supplies. They sent us all of our books, a computer, a printer with ink,several supplemental material as well as art, P.E., and lab supplies. It is very structured and she has all of her benchmarks and state testing. This is our second year and we are very pleased. We chose to put her in home-school because of the negative socialization at school. She is extremely well-rounded and is socially adept.

March 9, 2009 Dianne, Marietta, GA writes:

Many years ago, I homeschooled one of my children. I learned a few things from that experience: 1) Teaching one on one is always better than 30 to 1- My child’s aptitude achievement test scores were much higher after homeschooling than they had been previously. 2) I also learned the school attendance forms that are filled out and sent into the state department of education, to “prove” you are educating your child regularly, are used to give the public school the tax dollars that they would get if your child had attended the public school. If you do not send these forms in you will be arrested. This is even better for public schools than if you had your child attend, because they get a full 185 days worth of funds and if your child attended they would only receive funds for actual days attended (with absent days deducted) and they are not expected to accomplish anything for the money. So the notion that tax dollars are “saved,” is debatable (in more than just concept), is actually erroneous.

If my grammar/punctuation, language skills are poor, thank the Arizona public school system for my education, even though I have degrees with honors.

I, currently teach art, graphic art, art history to a “homeschool” group (approximately 100 students), along with many other teachers of subjects from Latin to Calculus, Music to Health and much more. We meet with the students 2 days a week. These children are taking the state testing, and their scores are superior to the publically educated students in our state. They are also at an advantage to public schooled students when they attend university, because they are accustomed to self-motivated learning with minimal teacher interaction. Oh yes, they are socialized too, but in a manner that develops good character.

March 11, 2009 Leigh Myrtle Beach SC writes:

@ Jody- I’d like my children to be civilized- not socialized.

My children have been home schooled for 4 years and are far from socially deprived. They are involved in many after school activities, as are most of the home schooled kids we know. Crazy as this may sound, I am able to more easily monitor who they are making friends with. As a result, they have no bad influences in their lives at this vulnerable pre-teen age. And their education, sex included, is far superior because their parents have a vested interest in it.

May 6, 2009 Azriel, Ohio writes:

holy crap? Jody is it? do you even live in the real world?

i let my kids attend public school. then one day my 3rd grader ( in advanced classes & Extra “Arts” classes{dance, drama, art, music} who was ALSO in the “gifted student” program cause she’s really smart!! HAH & also in the dulcimer choir) was in class, on this day the last straw to me.
as the teacher was reading the instructions in fact BEFORE the teacher was finished with the instructions, my girl had done the classwork, done her homework, and was quietly reading a book. SHE GOT YELLED AT BY THE TEACHER FOR IT!! um, what exactly did she do wrong? work ahead? read extra? get her homework done so as to have extra playtime @ home? yeah. that was it. she went the last month of school and i’ve homeschooled her via an “online charter school” where she can go at HER pace, ever since! if she really pick it up the next few years, she’ll have her highschool diploma by the time she is 15. and have several years of her college classes done by the time she is 18. yeah homeschooling is so horrible!! get a clue lady!
my son is a “special needs child”, his education is more difficult due to his issues. but, the mind behind the diagnosis is BRILLIANT!! i’ll see to it he learns what he needs to live a moderately happy life.

the whole “no student left behind” bit cracks me up. miss-titled to. should be “play to the lowest denominator so we look good to the taxpayers to keep the gravy train rolling” ! they aren’t helping our kids, they are MAKING THEM DUMBER!!!
socialization.. *ROTFL* my kids can hold a conversation with an adult and play with kids their own age as well as younger. they are well thought of where we live because i’ve taught them respect, common decency & common courtesy. my kids hold doors open for the elderly & women, they say please, they say thank you, they say excuse me….they didn’t learn that in public school!! when we go to my mothers house they take “granny’s ” trash out for her, they fill the bird feeder, they feed & water the cat for her, they lift the heavy stuff for her..etc etc.etc. you don’t see that in “public school” !!
compassion, mercy, strength, all taught to my children by me. not the public schools.

sorry for the tangent here, but it’s all interconnected really. now if gov. strickland gets his way? charter schools will be done. and at that point i will teach my children at home by myself!! will it be easy? nope. will it be fun? maybe. will it be what’s best for MY kids? you bet your ass!
in any event, y’all take care, and keep teaching your children what most important, not the bizarre drivel most schools are pouring down the kids throats! and have HOPE!! most kids are WWWWWAAAAAYYYY smarter than what people want to see. MOST know a steaming pile of BS when they see it.
Cheers!

May 9, 2009 Jennifer in Columbus, OH writes:

Wow! Azriel! I’ll have what you’re having, sister! Woo Hoo!

Strickland also vetoed austistic vouchers last budget (and is now trying to put the responsibility on small businesses to pay for it via HB 8 vs. coming out of the education budget like it should). Nothing says “I’m paying back the union hacks of the educational lobby like stripping resources from the most vulnerable children among us.

Not a word from government school robots about his vetoing the autistic vouchers (Selective outrage you see).

We’ll see if the senate puts the charter school funding back…they should, but who knows what the weak-kneed r’s will give up b/c of that.

At the local level, all of these levies put many of us at odds with our God-given right to raise our families as we see fit. The idea is of course, that if we cannot move out of the oppressive districts, we cannot afford any other alternative but government schools.

This is exactly why home schoolers are discriminated against and was EXACTLY what Marx’s manifesto had as it’s number one goal: government-controlled education. And with thunderous applause, our freedoms die as all the government school robots say “yes! It’s for the children!”

My guess is that when their children start coming home in brown shirts, it will be too late…

May 11, 2009 Dale in San Diego, California writes:

Wow. I’m not sure if this article or the comments make me more sad. Calling names because some people are in favor of educating children rather than making more ignorant religious wackos? I want to cry for your children because I don’t need to look any further than your comments to see what they will become.

May 11, 2009 Dale in San Diego, California writes:

p.s. How do you people not laugh at yourselves as you call other people brainwashed robots while chanting “Marx! Marx! Marx!” any time someone says something in favor of education?

May 12, 2009 Dawn in San Diego, CA writes:

I think we’ve gotten off the path of how homeschool has benefitted the children. After all, this is what it’s about. My daughter started out in school. Her class was too big, so I took her out (class ratio was 30-1). Not only has our relationship gotten better, but her grades have greatly improved. I think the ideal situation is for the children to be taught by their parents first. I gave birth to my child, I should have a say as to how she is raised. If that is not feasible, then other methods should be sought. Our basic reasoning for homeschooling is that we love and care about our kids and what happens to them. If our kids learn better in a caring environment, then who’s to say that’s a bad thing? Socialization has never been an issue for my daughter. She has more friends now in homeschooling than she ever did in school. If we do not see her friends everyday, we see them every other day. The argument is overused and outdated. People really don’t care about how socialized my child is. If they did, then homeschooling wouldn’t be legal in the state of California. When we see a spade we can truthfully call it a spade. There are too many different agendas being pushed in different directions that even California has left it where is–legal. We can all get into splitting hairs as to the pros and cons, but what it all boils down to is personal right and using that judgement to the benefit of your own child. Home is a great place to start.

May 24, 2009 Mary from California writes:

I would like to address all those people who are opposed to homeschooling. I am a retired, credentialed public/private school teacher who taught for 36 years. My husband and I presently run a tutoring academy, and I am shocked at the quality of learning that is being touted as “eduation.” Many of the parents that contact us are looking for educational enrichment for their children, as opposed to remedial, primarily because of the poor quality of teaching in their public and private schools. Many teachers today have been filled with political indoctrination in our schools of education, not knowledge, and they pass this same empty rhetoric on to the students. They do an excellent job of teaching our children “what to think,” rather than “how to think.” My own children attended both public and private schools, but in those days one could still find some superior teachers in both. When my own daughter criticized her son’s school for not correcting his spelling errors in first grade, the response was, “We do not believe in correcting their spelling because we believe in “creative spelling.” My response would have been, “Oh, do you also believe in creative math?”
I praise those parents who have the awareness and opportunity to educate their own children. America had better wake up!

September 3, 2009 Jacque from New Jersey writes:

Last February we removed our 8 year old son from public school. We couldn’t take it any more! You see, he had been diagnosed with ADHD two years before. After trying many,many different meds and combinations of meds, the side effects were horrible. The school ignored our input, took away recess,moved his desk 5 feet away from the other students (next to the open door),took him to a room by himself for hours at a time…Homeschooling has been so much easier than the stress of dealing with the public school.We have joined homeschool co-ops, field trips and many places offer” homeschool days ” and discounts. He is in scouts, CCD at church, music lessons, sports…I just hope Obama doesn’t try to force evberyone back to ublic schools….

September 24, 2009 Jessica from Germany writes:

Dawn in San Diego wrote,”We can all get into splitting hairs as to the pros and cons, but what it all boils down to is personal right and using that judgement to the benefit of your own child. Home is a great place to start.”

I totally agree with you Dawn!! Bring them home where they belong!

October 14, 2009 Becky, Arizona writes:

Hey Jody,

Sorry, but I do not send my kids to school for socialization. They are there to get an education. At home we choose the peers that are most likely to be a good fit as a friend. My home schooled kids see friends 6-7 days a week and they are friends we actually like and want to interact with. That is not that different than a “traditional classroom” level of peer interaction. We also meet with a co-op where they take classes including writing, speech, geopgraphy, art, and American Sign Language. Believe me, they have no difficulty communicating with anyone (and they speak French too). We are very social and quite literate. Maybe you should look into what constitutes home school before you label us antisocial. Now you are the one who looks like you don’t know what you are talking about. Get educated sweetie!

October 30, 2009 LKC, Houston writes:

I am a teacher for an online school, and all of my students are educated at home. I came from a brick and mortar environment. The students I am teaching now are by far better educated, better mannered, and I know they socialize (seeing them at monthly outings)! First of all they are getting a better education, in most cases, because there is not the constant distraction of discipline issues from other students to contend with. Not to mention they are learning on their level at all times. These are outgoing, happy great students that love what they are doing! They socialize with all of the grades, not just cliques. There is no bullying.
Dale, What are you even talking about?

November 19, 2009 Kelli from Chesterfield Va writes:

Lots of misinformed people question homeschooling because of socialization is lacking. Well, let me inform you. There are so many more
opportunities for homeschooled kids to socialize it’s unreal.
We have had to pick and choose.. let’s see.. skating, bowling, softball,football,soccer,basketball,roller hockey, all kinds of music- piano etc..
art,drama,etc… and the list goes on and on.So I don’t think homeschooled kids are lacking in socializing.I think one really nice difference about most homeschooled kids is that they are most diversed in their social skills. They are exposed to
many different generations and ages and different backgrounds. They know how to behave with younger kids and seniors. They are getting a more rounded experience. Teaching them more about life and how to treat people. There is not a lot of peer pressure either.
My 3 teenagers have had to deal with very little peer pressure problems with any of their friends. They mostly just encourage each other. Homeschooling allows the student to focus on getting an education and not
have to deal with all the negative things that goes on in public schools.
What I would like to do is to challenge parents to take a more active role in their kids education. Be involved in what is being taught in your schools. Part of the problem with schools today is lack of parental involvement. Parents, it is your responsibility to see that your kids are educated
not our government’s. Take a stand and demand a bigger say in your kid’s education.