Not so easy for home-schoolers to stretch wings
BevK August 20th, 2007
Hodding Carter II has this dire comment to make about homeschooling:
My concern about our educational system is for those who aren’t part of it - those who are home-schooled:
An estimated 1.7 million to 2.5 million will be taught at home by a parent this year. Not letting kids try out their own wings after we’ve provided the right roots will disadvantage them later in life.
Laura Derrick’s, president, National Home Education Network, response hits the nail on the head:
“Children can’t fly if they aren’t free, and they aren’t free if the conformity of a classroom is the only acceptable path to education.”
If you believe that homeschoolers are never allowed to test their wings, you know very little about homeschoolers. My children have always amazed me with their confidence. Adults who interact with them for the first time often complement us on what great kids they are. My oldest took her first community college class at the age of 16. A class icebreaker required the class members to line up by age. She went to the end of the line automatically believing correctly that she was the youngest. She was questioned on this by several class members who were surprised when she announced she was just 16. She had no problem stretching her wings in adult classroom receiving an A in class that required a lot of interaction among class members. That’s just one story about my oldest. I have four other amazing (if I say so myself — and I do) children.
