Home Schooling Best Choice for Some

Re “Staying Home to Go to School,” May 8: When I read the comments of Paul Houston, I first had a laugh, then asked my home-schooled son if he felt he was “withdrawn from the social context.” He said, “Not really,” with a puzzled expression. I’d like to let Houston know that in the three years we’ve been home-schooling, we have had more social opportunities than we can handle and of much better quality than were offered in public school.

As for the comments of Wayne Johnson regarding home teaching being bad for most children and weakening the public school system, all I can say is that when my son left public school, his math level was fourth grade (he had just graduated from sixth), he hated writing, had little interest in history and was becoming a withdrawn, unhappy person due to the relentless peer pressure he felt. Today his math is almost back on grade level, he loves to write, is very interested in studying war (not my choice, but it’s history) and is a happy, outgoing person with a satisfying social life.

I’m getting tired of school officials trotting out the same old myths about home schooling. Home-schooled kids are not sitting at a kitchen table all day working out of workbooks while Mom stands over them. I have yet to meet a home-schooling parent who doesn’t work hard to find the best program for his/her kids and to make sure the children have plenty of opportunities for social interaction with people of all ages and in many contexts.

Home schooling is not for everyone, just as the public school system is not for everyone. I wish school officials would see that home schooling can be the best choice for many families.

Cathy Hake

Santa Clarita

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The articles I have seen give glowing examples of children whose highly educated parents are providing home schooling. Understandably, these children are excelling. I suspect that the profile curve of parents who home-school is bimodal: one a group of highly educated parents whose primary concerns are educational, and one a group of less-educated parents whose concerns are primarily religious and/or societal.

I have had some contact with some home-schooling families. Although these families are loving and truly concerned about their children, many have had very little formal education. Their reasons for home schooling vary. As far as I can tell, the children are not being tested to see if they meet state standards for grade level.

Your article says that it is estimated that about 4% of school-age children are educated at home, but there’s no real way to know because many of these parents never register their children with the school system. Many home-school groups are informal systems of parents who home-school.

Carol J. Smith

Burbank