I am intrigued by this idea. This is definitely an American thing, we dont 'homeschool' over here. I dont think it could benefit a child as much educationally as attending school can. I went to a fantastic school and my parents could never in a million years have taught me to the standard I was. Plus, there are national set exams, so you have to follow a strict curriculum and are assessed along the way. I have seen a lot of homeschooled missionaries-we had one such individual from Utah who was homeschooled. He was so naive bless him, coming to england was a huge shock for him. He thought it was all little cottages and afternoon tea. In the course of knowing him we learnt that he did not realise England was an island! He thought it was joined to the rest of europe! I was absolutely staggered by this having been introduced to a map of the world before I could even read. His knowledge was probably as basic as a primary school child, we spent DAs teaching him things because he knew so little. He didnt know the capitals of many obvious countries in the world, had never heard of a few well known historical figures in my opinion. He knew all the American presidents and that was probably the biggest thing he knew. We have had many similar elders all homeschooled from Utah.
So, my question is to those of you who homeschool-why? Why not send them to a proper educational institution where the people are trained and specifically qualified to teach in a particluar subject? Id be interested to know the answer to this because personally I cant see any benefits-No social interaction with other children, team work or learning confidence and independance in a new environment can only hinder a childs progress surely? I'm not trying to be argumentative I just cant see why anybody would choose this route. look forward to your answers!
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