What is your opinion about home schooling?

I was home schooled for four years as a child. I loved it. I think if a child is home schooled they need to be involved in activities and sports though so they have that social aspect, if not they don't know the real world.

it works

It is very important to remember that home schooling is fine if the parent understands what a child truly needs. At school, they learn more than just facts, they learn valuable social skills that cannot be taught in a home. If the parent understands the needs then they will enroll the child in many character building programs in their town.

I think those kids are damn lucky cos they never gotta walk through the halls gettin made fun of... but theyre also unlucky because they dont get to chill with theyre friends durring lunch and stuff.

I was home schooled all through high school. I loved it! The only problem was the lack of friends. :/

I'm all for it. I taught in public schools, substitute teach now and I would NEVER let a kid of mine go to public school.

So much of their time is just wasted. They are lucky to get 1-1/2 hours of real instruction time because of all the behavioral issues, the special announcements, the extracurricular activities, etc.

Then, there is the bullying, the competitiveness and just plain nastiness among kids, esp. middle schoolers.

Nope, no public school for any kid I care about. Home schooling is great and those kids do very well in later life as far as college and jobs., etc. They can get social skills and sports outside of school, so they don't have to miss out on socialization at all.

I think it's not great since socialization is part of education and you don't get the chance to BE mocked so when an isolated person later encounters it, they're devastated.
More importantly, any parent thinking they alone can teach maths, languages [MORE than one], history, science, art games, music, and sports is DEE LU DEAD!!

When I was in high school I went on this trip and met this guy who was home schooled. He was so weird and quirky, he totally did not know how to act around girls, and actually adored being a suck up.

Personally I don't think home schooling is best, especially as kids get older, because you need to have contact with other students in order to develop relationships and grow. Sharing common experiences, developing crushes, forming lasting friendships -- this is part of school life and it's forever.

It works for some people in some situations. The main disadvantage is the deprivation of social experiences that one is exposed to in a regular school.

While I think there is the opportunity to give your child(ren) a much 'deeper' intellectual educational experience I question whether the missing social aspects of 'school life' are worth the trade-off. There is also the element that other 'after school activities' like sports, clubs, band/theater, etc. are at a minimum difficult to undertake and usually nearly impossible to participate in.

Some parents are really great with teaching their children, but some are not! I had a friend that couldn't read a wall clock at the age of 15 because her parents never took the time to teach her. They just left her to her books when she was old enough to read and she passed each year, so they never thought anything of it.

I think there are pros and cons to the social/public school system and home schooling. Although most home schooling programs offer some social programs once a month or so, this really can't make up for daily learning and social situations with other peers, and most importantly other people.
Social experiences are the things that help us grow and develop, and without an adequate amount of these, the child may lack certain social skills and understanding of how to behave appropriately with others. It is also important to consider why you want to home school... to ease your own fears?

Kids learn so much more from school than what is taught in class. They learn social skills and how to act and interact with others. A kid 'may' learn more at home but he will be an outcast with no social skills.

As long as the parent has the skills to teach the subject material, home schooling is a huge academic plus.

The kids do need to participate in social activities with other kids though - a lot of school districts will allow home schooled kids to join sports & after-school groups.

For kids who are already social outcasts in public school, home schooling could make the difference between getting a diploma & dropping out. It may even save their lives.