As a public service announcement for homeschoolers
everywhere,
I want to offer the following information.
We are not freaks
Not all home scholars are radical religious cult members,
hippies or anarchist.
We don’t all make our own bread and yogurt.
Only the lucky ones.
Most of us are regular people.
Check out the stats there.
Socialization
Contrary to popular belief, home schooled children
are not
missing out on honing their social skills.
We are not turning out painfully shy, socially stunted,
weak
willed wimps.
Statistics prove it is just the opposite.
Home learners are among the most
secure,
confident children in America.
A recent study found that home learners ranked 84th
while public schooled students ranked 23rd
when tested using the
Vineyard Adaptive Behavior Scales
in areas of maturity and well adapted
behaviors in children.
See the
article here.
Academics
A popular misconception is that home learners
do not receive
quality education.
There is an idea floating out there that home learners
mostly sit at home in their pjs eating tree bark and gravel granola
while quoting Bible
verses and counting on their fingers.
It’s just plain wrong.
We
do get dressed when we go to the library.
The majority of homeschoolers do better on their college
placement tests than public scholars.
A study published by CBS here found that home learners have
higher ACT scores, earn more college credits,
have higher GPA’s
during college and graduate with higher GPA’s.
They also had a higher college
completion rate.
When looking at
homeschoolers as adults,
the study found that homeschooled graduates were more
likely
to have voted and volunteered in community service projects
than
non-homeschooled.
Home schooling is
NOT for everyone
When it comes to education, there is NO one-size-fits-all
method.
Just like you can wash
your clothes at a laundromat,
or in your home, or hire a housekeeper to do it,
the method of educating your children
is up to you.
is up to you.
Different things work for different people.
Respect for each other’s decisions is of paramount
importance
when it comes to the decisions each family makes
regarding the
education of their children.
I am thankful for the public school teachers
and the private
school teachers who shared
the wonderful world of knowledge with me.
I am grateful to my mother, a retired
public school teacher
and all the wonderful public
and private school teachers
I call friends.
The world is a
BETTER place
because you are sharing your gifts with children.
Every family needs to do what works BEST for their
family.
For some of us, that means learning at home.