I have nothing against homeschooling, as long as the kids are exposed to others their age. It’s great to expose them to a variety, but peers are important. I also think it’s important that you’re not homeschooling for the wrong reasons, such as paranoia or other personal baggage. I only have one anecdotal experience with homeschoolers. They were Mormons who kept their kids hidden from the evils of the world, which caused them to emerge a little socially inept, but not as bad as you would think. Needless to say, they missed out on a lot.
I do suspect some homeschoolers must have had a terrible experience in school themselves (sorry, prison). I went to good schools, and as I recall, we spent our days learning, not mindlessly conforming, with a few breaks for socializing. My elementary school days were competitive, challenging, and fun. I could have skipped high school and college altogether and been virtually the same person I am today, but I would not have missed those prior years for anything. At that age, it feels good to be in a group of kids, life is about experiencing as much as it is learning, and in my mind, the real prison would be at home with the parents. In hindsight, I would feel cheated if I had missed school. I actually left high school early to go to college, and now regret that decision.
I also disagree with the notion that school is unnatural. It’s been done this way for thousands of years because it is so natural to have the subject matter experts teach/babysit while the parents (who often aren’t educated themselves) work. We’re social animals, so grouping and learning from elders is instinctive. It can also go from being a great thing to a very bad thing if class size gets out of hand.
Sure, there are problems such as bullying, so we need to find solutions, rather than throw out what is mostly a good system. We can start with public education being made a privilege rather than a right. Not that that would be an easy change, or would ever happen in this country.
And then there are the teachers. Being exposed to such a large variety is a good thing. You might have one or two Nazis, but most are good, and a handful are inspiring and remembered fondly for the rest of your life. Talk about good karma.
