Pluses and minuses...
Plus side
Homeschooling--means less out-of-wedlock pregnancy, drug usage, and (depending on the homeschooler and curriculum) better grades and education.
Minus side
No H.S. sports, proms, clubs, social interaction with "real world and situations" and, (in some cases) access to some really good and dedicated teachers.
Homeschoolers go to college if they want that experience...usually conservative ones.
The real world isn't like HS. Kids who are home schooled are actually out there in the real world, hence they have interaction with the real world. Kids sitting in rows of desks watching kids misbehave while the teacher struggles to maintain order -- those are the kids who aren't having interaction with "the real world".
Depends where you are. In some states, homeschoolers can participate in public or private school sports. In others, there are sufficient homeschoolers to run their own sports programs.
proms,
Same as sports. The homeschool association holds a formal dance here, and the LDS Church has a high school prom open to all highschoolers who are willing to dress and behave decently. It's attended by both school students and homeschoolers.
clubs, social interaction with "real world and situations" and, (in some cases) access to some really good and dedicated teachers.
All available in the community, with homeschooling associations, and through private educational programs. My high school students took a logic course (son) and an economics course using Thomas Sowell as a text (daughter) from a private instructor in the spring. There are so many opportunities that we couldn't eat or sleep if we took advantage of them all.
“Minus side”
No H.S. sports: No big loss but it’s not all together true. My homeschool nephew plays football against public schools as a part of a homeschool team.
proms: One of the dumbest thing ever inflicted on our kids and would be reason enough to keep my girls out of public school.
clubs: What clubs? Are there no valuable clubs outside of public schools our kids could join?
social interaction with “real world and situations”: Kids don’t need to interact in “real world situations” without interacting with their parents at the same time.
dedicated teachers: When a person decides to work for a Marxist propaganda mill they instantly lose access to my kids.
Oh yeah, about sports. Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner was home schooled through high school.
My homeschool son played soccer, ran track, and played golf - all on homeschool teams again Christian schools.... homeschooling and sports has changed dramatically and continues to do so as more and more parents see the dismal failure of publik education....
He was accepted at a major university where he is now studying to be an architect.
I call BS. Both of our girls are leaders among their peers in our congregation; it's the pube-lick skool kids who uniformly sit there like a bump on a log and don't volunteer to participate. They perform among the worship musicians, do sound for the congregation, do audio-visual work, and baby sit. They each find their way into the world in a manner that suits them. One of my daughters is effectively an officer on the board of directors of the community concert association (her mom holds the position legally while FReeper NattieShea does the actual job). The other goes to run in track meets at the local high school.
The beauty of home education is that the process of integrating them into adult life begins sooner and proceeds gradually. It's the public school kids who are sequestered from reality and then released clueless into a hostile world.
You need to rethink your minus side.
Home-schoolers have access to clubs such as honor society, dances (our home-school group had 2 per year) and sports teams. Our son played golf and tennis as well as fenced.
He also was a page at the governor’s office and at the NC
general assembly. And did I mention he went to Boy’s State where he was elected governor?
And I was a dedicated teacher, who did a pretty good job. He applied to 4 college/universities, was accepted by all 4 with scholarship offers from 3.
Less chance at bedding that groovy, hot teacher; too!
Wrong!
Most communities have a full roster of activities and sports available for homeschool students-—and they are usually better than those in public school. My kids have been in soccer, football, basketball and volleyball leagues/camps with homeschool kids. One son has been in a homeschool bowling league for a couple years now-—it’s so nice not to have to go to the bowling ally on the weekend.
My kids have been in homeschool bands, including marching in a Fourth of July parade, taught by wonderful trained musicians.
There are drama clubs, debating clubs, bookclubs, cooking co-ops. You name it, you can find it for homeschool kids, or start it yourself.
We also have a fishing club where I live.
As for academics, parents can ensure they are as outstanding as they want them to be.
As for social interaction, come on! The “social” interaction kids have in public schools is often very negative. Plus it is NOT real-world: they are in a world composed of children their own age, with a few interruptions by adults called teachers.
P.S. I have never understood this fascination with prom, as if a child’s childhood will be demented if he doesn’t attend prom.
Please.
Parents should watch a little MTV or similar to find out what “prom” today actually entails. Such as the movie where the plot line was “should I lose my virginity on prom night or not, my date is not very cute?”
I’m not busting on you, meandog, just sayin’, wow, let’s get some perspective on what’s important and what’s shallow in childhood.
Besides, there are plenty of “proms” set up for homeschoolers. They usually include all the regular stuff except for the sex, drugs, booze, drunk driving, $1000 dresses and limos, trashed hotel rooms and unintended pregnancies.