Home-Schooling

                   Willard School Graduates from 1971 in 2012

   
     When I was growing up, home-schooling occurred when you had the Chicken Pox, were kept out of school for a week or two, and the teacher sent home assignments for you to keep up with the class.

     Beginning in the 1970s this changed as a growing number of parents didn't feel their children were receiving a good enough education from their public school and decided that they could do it better themselves at home.

     The biggest complaint about home-schooling is that it inhibits the habits of socialization learned in public school. This far outstrips anything you learn in the classroom. By this I mean coming to understand the fine shading of different personalities you can't help but encounter in a public school system and how to get along with each of them. When I visited a prep school in Massachusetts there was hardly a lick of difference between the students or their backgrounds. Though my brother's roommate was black and his posters adorned the walls, it wasn't in any way antagonistic or threatening. His skin was a shade darker but he shared his classmates' manners and upbringing so he fit into the student body with hardly a notice.

     The socialization I'm referring to regarding public school is exemplified by the subtle things you learn in the schoolyard like jumping rope, playing tag, and choosing up sides for a sporting contest. If you are home schooled you are still allowed to participate, even though the rules vary from state to state. But how are you going to hear about the event if you are not in school?

     Ever heard of a home-schooled student developing a crush on a teacher? I don't think so. Those sort of things only happen from close contact with an adult who is kind to you. The wild imaginings are usually all in the child's head, not the teacher.

     I'm not sure whether I would home school my kids since I don't have any so the point is moot. I have never been asked by my friends nor have I ever commented about the veracity of the idea. Teaching is a lot of work and requires a unique dedication and commitment. If someone wants to do this for the right reasons, like an underfunded or lack luster public school system, I'm not going to talk them out of it.

     I guess if I were to choose I'd begin children in the local public school. Be an active participant in the PTA and get to know the principal. Your mileage may vary, especially depending upon how far away you live from the grade school.