Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Molly Brown's avatar

I homeschooled my kids from 6th and 3rd grade to college. Did public and private religious before that. Homeschooling is not for everyone but if is is for your family it is heaven. Schools, whether public or private are set up and run for the convenience of the school. Not your family and not your child. That is a hard fact. Homeschooling is about Your Child and Your Family. Your schedule. Peace.

I do believe many people still romanticize the American school as the place where 'The Melting Pot' and love for our brilliant system of government 'of the people, by the people, for the people' happens. Um, no. It happened in my father's classroom but not anymore.

Although I come from a teaching family, I have to say that teaching through the 8th grade is not rocket science! Anyone with competent reading and organizational skills can do it. High school is harder but there is so much more help out there now. it can be done. And as far as the 'S' word goes, kids are much better off with a just a couple of hours a day doing an extra curricular - whether sports or drama or something else that truly interests them - with like minded others - than imprisoned in a snake pit of peer judgment for 6 hours a day. No wonder they are all miserable!

A classical chronological education will make a conservative for life - no preaching required - it comes from seeing the long view of history. They may drift away for a while in college but they come back - mine did.*

My answer to all the friends and relations who thought my husband and I were nuts to homeschool; 'If it was good enough for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abe Lincoln, it's good enough for my kids!"

Best lesson I learned from homeschooling and hard experience as far as academics goes; Drill math facts all year round.

Think about it - would you expect anyone to be a good reader if they stopped reading 3 months a year?

* My little Doubting Thomas is now an elder in his church.

* My daughter telling me about the reactions to her having been homeschooled from the classmates

at her elite university; 'I thought all homechoolers were awkward and weird. But you aren't weird or

awkward, you're like that Lady Mary on Downton Abbey. So classy.

Frances Leader: What you are talking about is not genuine homeschooling. Parents get sucked into it by the offer of free online programs. The schools love it because they don't have to teach and they will still get their federal funds. But families are still tied to the school district's schedule and curriculum, among other requirements. That is 'Remote Learning'. Learning, ha! Genuine 'Homeschooling' is completely divorced from the school system and the curriculum is chosen and delivered by the parent.

Expand full comment
Joseph Kaplan's avatar

There once was a Senator from NC. Jesse helms. His slogan was: get the US out of the U.N. and the U.N. out the US “. He was considered a radical right wing nut. That was about fifty years. He was right then. He is still right. Too bad no one listened

Expand full comment
7 more comments...

No posts