I think the negative responses from others has to do with lack of knowledge, combined with some very bad examples of homeschooling, and little exposure to children that are homeschooled. I have to say that I knew little about homeschooling, and the few examples of children that I knew that were homeschooled (even some in my family) were not so good. Maybe it is the way things were done, maybe the socialization wasn't as good as it should be, but whatever the case it lead to some negative outcomes socially. I am sure public school can lead to negative outcomes as well, just a larger sample so harder to pinpoint. I have heard of some great things that homeschoolers are doing. But I have also heard of parents that pull their kids out of school and say they are homeschooling but don't (I have had parents with mental health issues that pull kids out and no one can keep any tabs on these children). Being a school social worker, that is quite concerning. I have also had parents that say they are homeschooling and don't do it...and kids start failing and then parents stick them back in public school and they are quite behind. After being more educated on it, for some kids I think it is a great option, but it has to be a good fit for parents and for kids. That is too bad that when you say it you get an immediate reaction like that. I wish people were more open minded.
