"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding." Proverbs 3:13

Below is a short post from a man who experienced homseschooling. I thought he had some interesting comments. But be wary, the author is rather blunt, which some may find offensive. Read at your own risk.

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Thoughts from a Homeschooled Man

First off, hello. I'm Ryan. I was homeschooled from birth - high school. Neither of my parents were college graduates, and I had no tutors other than them. They did, however, take great pains to invest themselves in my learning to learn. As a result, I loved to read, and still do. I was (and am) completely capable of taking something completely foreign to me and learning it well in a short time. I am now 26, have a family of my own, and work with a diverse group of people in a civil service occupation with high marks by my supervisors. When I started prepping for college I tested in the 98% percentile on exams, had a 32 on the ACT, and did very well in college when I chose to apply myself appropriately. Ultimately, I chose not to finish a degree after 3 years of college and pursued my current occupation (professional firefighter) instead. This is my background, so you understand my experience in what I am saying.

1) People are hostile to homeschooling because it maintains that the PARENT is responsible for the education of their offspring. And after all, who in this society wants to look at their bratty kids and assume responsibility for that?? How much better to pawn them off on the government or private-school faculty and then blame the "powers that be" for any issues? This mindset of non-responsibility is evident to any intelligent, moral person who watches our society.

2) The reason homeschooled kids are often seen as 'anti-social' (especially re. those of similar age) is because they are usually leaps and bounds ahead of them both socially AND academically. Metaphorically: who of you WANTS to spend time trying to have meaningful conversation with toddlers? Talk about an exercise in frustration, I've been there!!! This explains why they relate more to adults than other children--not because they are underdeveloped, but because their PEERS are underdeveloped.

3) Non-homeschoolers are often hostile to homeschooling because homeschooled kids consistently spank other "normally" educated children on test scores and extra-curricular activities which require critical thought. Rather than take responsibility for dumping your kids into a broken system in order to reduce the inconvenience to yourself, why not just attack the only way which consistently produces FAR better results--both in the immediate products AND in the long-term life of the person!

My wife and I will homeschool our children - period! I have seen nothing in my observations of the current social system which gives me any reason to do otherwise. I believe that homeschooling will show the character of the parents more than anything else, because that child then is the direct result of your teaching or lack thereof. This is, I believe, why so many refuse to do it and blindly attack it--because deep in your hearts you know that your children will show you for who you really are, there is no hiding it. So out of intellectual laziness and a sinful denial of God-given responsibilities, they subject their children to the will of others, to the will of society at large. Just look at the products, my friends--just look at what the youth of today have become. It is enough to break your heart!

This is not against anyone on this board... I just was lurking around and saw a few ridiculous (and old, and unfounded) statements about homeschooling, and I had to pitch my .02 in as someone who has been there - lived that.

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source: public forum at CARM.org