Is Homeschooling Good (Pro), or Bad (Con)

While you have raised completely legitimate points, I believe that the snark can be cut down by several orders of magnitude. He lists several problems with homeschooling, mostly built around a dysfunctional family. And that cookie had better be macadamia. To begin with (oh the rebuttal shall be grand). The expensive tutor would charge through the nose, for sure, but what of the gas prices? What of the personnel? What of government-subsidized online courses? There's a boarding school in Switzerland, 40k a year, that offers this: http://www.k12.com.... Through CAVA, a state-subsidized virtual academy, I was shipped a computer, a HP deskjet, a mic, and school materials. Even the Internet connection was subsidized. This is the same material. I freely admit that I may not know exactly how dysfunctional things may be in some households, but this seems focused on inner-city kids. There, stepping outside can get you shot anyway, so the kids staying inside could be better. You say public school is so much more. My response is that I said that homeschool is an alternative, not flat-out better. Then comes the sexual abuse from family members. I can safely say that if a home's that messed up, it would be happening anyway. It would just be later in the day. The posing of mediocrity is a very good point raised. For me, I was at a brick and mortar kindergarten to third, then fifth-grade through freshman, and I hated it. The teachers honestly wanted me to sit down and listen to the lecture even though I had already completed the day's homework, due to how the system worked. For me, the waste of time was eternal torment made manifest. I felt like I needed to take a shower afterwards. I had mild ADD and OCD then, there was a pretty girl directly in front of me (she was nice to me as well), and there were so many reflective objects that it wasn't even funny. Also, the lights glared directly into my eyes, no matter where I looked, partially from all those reflective objects. I may have been a little biased, and I freely admit this is a very specific example. Homeschool offered me relief from that. You bring up an excellent point on mental illness and a family's refusal to accept the concept. This has to happen in, what, one in several million households? The minority here is either hilariously vocal, or is simply another group that brick and mortar schools supposedly have a program for dealing with. There are people who do need special education. I will say no more on the subject. The families that are religious and anti-music, or religiously anti-music may curtail the loud annoying music any time they wish. They have a right to do that within their own household. I hated brick and mortar school. Girls terrified me, and there were a lot of them, so many that pro Korean Starcraft players would call "HACKS!" Also, see above. What of time spent shopping normally? Would they make extra shopping trips just to buy that extra 2000 kcal a day? Or would they but it all in one go? If there are sociopathic and psychotic parents, the kid has bigger problems than a mere lightbulb. Bigger problems on the level of abuse at home. The abuse would still happen if the kid attended a public school, just less often. Parents have the right to restrict their children, as they are paying for them. I was referring to the terrible, almost industrial flavor of the cardboard they call food. I honestly believed the pizza was cardboard marinated in oil. I didn't have that many friends, so I may be missing a few things. I was listing drawbacks, and you turned them up to eleven. I'm freely admitting that there are a few things that could be worked out, and the horrific abuse you mentioned makes up a very small percentage. I don't pretend to be a genius, but I'm smart enough to know how to get things done, and I know how to use that ability. And when things get done (by me), the benefits flow. When those benefits flow, I have power. When I have power, I can use it to gain more power. When I have more power, I become relevant. When I become relevant, I can grab even more power, and when I have even more power, I can influence even more things, as well as come out smelling like a rose. Just as planned. I am the villain, and when I take over the world, I want something worth ruling over. In terms of tropes, I am the Magnificent Bastard and Visionary Villain, rolled up into one package, with a healthy side of No Place For Me There. For dessert, I've got enough Refuge In Audacity, Pragmatic Villainy, and Xanatos Gambits to ensure nobody leaves unsatisfied. Besides, and this bears repeating, did I not say that homeschool is an alternative? While banning homeschoooling may be a bit extreme, by all means, send the kid to school, if you believe it best for the child. Percentage-wise, when all is said and done, homeschooling would represent a net gain. Have a nice day. Bring it on.