Good Words for Home Schooling

From Stand in the Trenches:

. . . an article about home schooling from a person who didn’t start out thinking it was a good idea:

Like many critics, I used to feel vaguely sorry for home-schooled kids. What a shame, I thought, that they might be deprived of the well-rounded education and social skills to become integrated, productive members of society. I never thought to question why cafeteria food fights or the predatory pack habits of teenage girls would be better for molding productive members of society.

This uninformed, critical opinion lasted precisely until I met my first home-schooled children several years ago. Within one month I met five home-schooling families, and their 13 children were among the most polite, well-adjusted, socially adept and academically advanced kids I’d ever seen. Being home-educated seemed to have given them a confidence and maturity — and yes, social skill — far beyond their years. They had many friends, but didn’t seem dependent on their peers for approval — a far cry from what I remember as a kid.

Many home schoolers, of course, are Christians who don’t see the public schools as promoting the values they want their kids to have.

Thus we might wonder whether a real school choice program — one that would allow parents to choose a relgious school — wouldn’t radically reduce the demand for home schooling.

But perhaps the advantages are such that many parents would persist even if faced with real school choice.