So how are unschooled kids assessed in their mental development? For any parent, their child is always the brightest when in fact academic deficiencies are growing.

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I expose my child to the real world. He learns what he is interested in.

He learns how to budget, plan, use a computer and the internet, etc and may enter classes that interest him such as tai kwan do.

He interacts with people of all ages. Adults are there to help him - not boss him around and tell him what he should or shouldn't learn.

Institutional learning is not real world experience. It is a place where everyone learns the same thing at the same time in the same way and in the same place with the same people for 12 + years of their lives.

We have the freedom to go places when we feel like it - we are not ruled by a schedule made by other people.

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I agree with Deb R. "I found the article condescending. Good parenting skills involves "homeschooling" all the time. I do not expect the schools to raise our kids, but they are an important learning tool in themselves."
As someone who attended public school, I would never have known all the possibilities of the world if I hadn't been introduced to the various disciplines. How can a child decide what they're passionate about if they aren't exposed to a variety of things (math, science, art, music)?
I teach art enrichment classes to home school kids, and I'm often surprised at how little they know--academically, societally, manners, etc. While I agree that "one size doesn't fit all," I firmly believe that the public school system does more good than harm.
For many, home schooling has become its own limiting and constrained environment, where kids become so me-focused that they have no concept of the greater world. In a society that's becoming increasingly "globally minded," teaching children that only "our family's" beliefs are right and/or good sets them up for intolerance and lack of respect for the larger community of humankind. Also, teaching a child that they needn't learn to follow directions, or studying something that doesn't particularly interest them sets them up for failure in adult life. How many jobs exist where you can do whatever you choose, without regard to coworkers feelings, or consideration job description?

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Although I like the questions Megan presents, I'm not sure she addresses it properly. It's ALWAYS up to the parents on what a child learns - because the key point Megan misses is that regardless of home or public school - learning is 24/7.
Here are some thoughts:
1) We should teach children that following a passion doesn't need a structured environment - home or school.
2) The very people our children will spend their lives with are mostly going to have spent time in public/private schools. What a great way to TEACH your children how to question information, how to deal with social situations on their own, how to gain compasion for those not as fortunate, etc. ...
3) home schooling may be great for those lucky enough to have intelligent parents who can afford the luxury of having one dedicate themselves to homeschooling. But all-in-all I'd venture to say that there are many parents that are simply ill-equiped to be sucessful in this task.
4) Being schooled has given me an opportunity to teach my children how to debate, discuss and explore subjects. Especially the ones that I don't really agree with from school.

Our job as parents is to prepare our children to be productive, independant, happy adults - not to get them in to a great college or get good grades. That is where the focus must return! How it's achieved is up to parents..regardless of where formal educaiton is administered. Let's not forget the goal!

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"Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living." ~~ John Dewey

"It's not what is poured into a student, but what is planted." ~~ Linda Conway

“You cannot teach anybody anything. You can only help them discover it within themselves.” ~~ Galileo

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Hi,

I am unable to divorce myself from 'the system' because I have an ex. Interestingly we have a 20 year old who was homeschooled from 6th grade on because as a 'learning different child 'the system' was literally making him ill.Homeschooling saved his mental health. There was some tutoring but mainly he got to live, breath and explore again as a child.
This year he is entering UCLA as a senior because he began taking community college classes at age fourteen. It was his choice to take college classes - he took all the sciences and made A's and B's and formed great relationships with his professor's - who he helped in labs and field trips.I only registered him every year and made sure he got there and back safely. Additionally he went on all the audubon trips with the 'old folks' for years among other community activities.

My son took the required subjects( his challeges) of english and math in his last semesters.Because of he had the freedom to follow his own interests, given time back as his natural allie for healing he had developed the drive and maturity to face his hardest academic challeges . He no longer measured himself by 'the systems' flat, dead and utterly disrespectful yardstick. The one set up to offer only rewards and punishments, that shoved his nose each day into his academic & dyslexic' weaknesses Monday - Friday plus.

My beautiful, talented, graduating with honors son was nearly destroyed because he couldn't spell and his handwritin

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"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire." W.B Yeats

"Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way." George Evans

Because of institutional schooling, I agree with the following quote:

"You can fool too many of the people too much of the time." James Thurber

Children are taught at a young age that they are not able to learn on their own. Then they grow up and believe the same thing about their own children.

We live in an age of information! We are not pioneers living out in the sticks with no access to educational materials. As adults, we are still learning - we can learn together with our kids.

"When they tell you to grow up, they mean stop growing." ~~ Pablo Picasso

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What a bunch of gobblygook!!

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I'd like to become a teacher to help kids, but I haven't pursued it yet because I just get so angry over "the system". Its a very sad thing that is happening to the education of so many kids.

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My daughter homeschooled for 9th grade due to some unusual circumstances. All of the other years of her life we still homeschooled around her school schedule. We had the "shooting star" moments as described in the article. Life is full of teachable moments. She has now graduated from high school and is taking a year off to work to save money for university.
Being in a bricks and mortar school taught her more than math worksheets (BTW, she loved math worksheets...being able to practice a new skill gave her a sense of accomplishment). She learned how to deal with kids and teachers that she had conflicts with. She learned about deadlines, timelines and puntuality. All of these things are serving her well in her job this year. She knows how to dress appropriately (her homeschool years saw many pajama days), she gets up and catches the bus to work on time. She is respectful of older workers with whose opinions that she does not always agree. She never complains that something isn't fair. She digs deep when she has deadlines to meet and can handle the stress.
She will be well prepared for university and I would not have changed a thing, and neither would she.
One size does not fit all.
I found the article condescending. Good parenting skills involves "homeschooling" all the time. I do not expect the schools to raise our kids, but they are an important learning tool in themselves.

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