Anecdotal, homeschooling (HS) seems to be on the rise in America. I’m quite surprised at the number of friends, acquaintances, and former classmates who are choosing to homeschool their children. A fairly recent government study confirms my experience. I call the topic a minefield because it seems to be a touchy topic for HS parents. I’m sure that they believe they are doing what is best for their children and making every effort to ensure success. Indeed, I applaud their dedication to their children’s education. This post is not to question their good intentions, but to express what I consider problematic with HS.

First, though I want to offer a disclaimer and list some things I consider home schooling does well. I have no children of my own. If and when I have a kid of schooling age, I don’t know what choices I’ll make. Secondly, I am not an educator nor am I an expert in education. My experience with being an educator is limited to teaching college mathematics for four years. Thus I have very little first-hand knowledge of these topics.

One thing that HS offers that is positive is individualized attention/curriculum. The entire educational experience can be tailor suited for a student’s learning style, speed, and abilities. Of course such an environment enhances a student’s ability to learn. It does nothing to for the parents’ ability to teach, but more on that later.

This post only covers two reasons why I dislike homeschooling. For my other reasons, I’m hoping to do some more research and to get some input from those who are closer to the educational system.

Okay, into the minefield I march!

Read the rest of this entry »