Public school is better for developing life skills than Home Schooling

Sad to see a closing round =( I had a lot of fun with this =) "My opponent says homeschooled children are taught the same core curriculum. If you look at my source, then you will see that weeding a vegetable garden can be considered a science lesson and walking a dog can be a nature experiment. Seriously? You say to me this is core curriculum? To me it is almost laughable. "Well since they are doing better on national standerdize tests on all subjects, then then be learning more. " When I stated my source and told my opponent that weeding is a science lesson and walking a dog is a nature experiment his only argument was that "Well since they are doing better on national standerdize tests on all subjects, then then be learning more. " As I said before tests are self-selective and I do not believe he has tried to deny that it is a self-selected test and he also stated it is mandatory for them to take the SAT test. That is true, but only if you are planning on going to college =). "Yes true, but it is mandatory to take the SAT's, and those tests where considered in the studies above. Also most kids take ERB's or the EXPLORE tests. And they still get better scores. So the ones take it do better, and just because a parent choses doesnt deny the valididy of the studies. Just because you have an option doesnt mean that the studies are flawed. And also that should hurt your case, since there are less kids than it would be harder to get a good average, so these kids must be smarter. " Most take ERB's or EXPLORE tests? I didn't find anything that said homeschooled children take this test. Also, that test is for private schools, I think? We are talking about public vs homeschool, so a private school test is irrelevant to our debate =). But I'll go on what you say and think that homeschooled children do take these tests. I have pointed out and you also have point out, that the tests are self-selecting. You try to tell me that the parents choosing to opt out of these tests don't hurt the validity of the studies? And that this hurts my case since less homeschooled children would make it harder to get a good average? It is time for a Math lesson my young friend =) Let me show you how by using a baseball team's average pay (I choose baseball since it is popular in America XD). If a baseball team has 25 players, with the highest paid player making $30 million, the next highest player making $20 million, and the other 23 players each making $500,000, the average is $2,460,000. But since 23 of the players make only $500,000, that can be misleading. Now, you tell me how less homeschooled children's scores hurt me? The way I see it, if you have a smaller number of very intelligent children taking a test instead of all the kids, then you will produce a greater average =). So, again your whole argument is based on test scores that are self-selecting, which you even stated as true. So tests are flawed due to the total number of homeschoolers are unknown and being able to refuse to take the tests. " "Also, I would like to point out, like I mentioned above, that typically a homeschool student belongs to a family that have obtained bachelor degrees and masters; by law, the only qualification a parent or guardian needs is a high school diploma or GED at best. " Hey, wait a second, you are critizising the teachers in home schools. Yet it seems as though this doesnt matter much ecause the kids are doing better in life, socially (yu didneven refute that) and on standardised tests. So if the teachers in homeschools are so bad, why are their stidents doing better? Just ask thet to yourself. " Actually, I'm only showing you that the qualifications for homeschooling your child is very low and that if every parent decided to homeschool their kids then the end result would be bad. I would think kids from rich families would have a better social life, lol, their rich! "Do you need every single person? Many stidies that are accurite only have a smalle of the population, yet they are accurute. Also the self-selection still means nothing. Most of the homes and the public schoolers are average intelegence, you needn't be smart to do well on those tests, yet one must be. .. educated. So according to this on average a home schooler is smarter. Self-selection means nothing. You think only smart homeschoolers get forced to do it, but that is false, this argument to has some flaws. " I never said smart homeschoolers get "forced" to do anything. Don't be silly. I merely showed that parents with kids that do exceptionally well are more inclined to let their children take these tests =). Self-selecting means everything, but you are too young and inexperienced to see that. You say you hope to be a politician, correct? Look at polls that MSM has been doing on the republican candidate, Ron Paul. There you will see if you limit the polls to a certain few just like with these tests, then you will get the desired results =) "Well, heres the thing, they do save every one money, not just you, ebcaus of taxes. Many people get taxed, so saving 10 billion dollars a year means you save someone somwhere in america some money. So you save your money, and someone elses. Also you claim that some people t a free ride, which is true, but the majority of taxpaers in america pay these taxes. " Taxes will be paid whether it's for a child going to school or a man going to prison. And you did not argue that it is only cheaper to the parent that is homeschooling the child depending on the methods they choose to use to educate that child, so it could turn out MORE expensive =) "1. This is contradictory to your statement above, you are saying that most people that h their kids in homeschool are smart and educated, but up their you said they werent. So you contradicted yourself. Also if they are highly educted and wealthy than the kids are in good hands. 2. Jus because people are rich and smart means what their k does in the futere? I am in an upper class family, and my parentsnew other rich people when they where young, and some of them are poor, drugies, and murderers. So the class doesnt matteu do later in life, look at bill gates, started poor, and is now rich. The same can happen to rich people, started rich, ended poor. So this argument is flawed. " My point is that as a whole, homeschooling is NOT the right chose for the majority of children. If you are rich and have the available resources; then yes, it could be better, but let's face it, most Americans are poor these days and so public school is going to be able to provide a better education to the child. In your last statement, are you trying to say teachers do poor jobs? ? I have no idea what you wanted me to understand from that, so I will not comment. Final conclusion: A majority of my opponents argument was based around test scores, which I think I proven is very flawed and my example further in forces that it can be misleading and he has agreed that these tests are self-selecting for the homeschooled children. He said it is cheaper to homeschool a child. He did not deny that it is only cheaper depending on the methods one chooses to educate the child; and so, it could prove more expensive to homeschool. He said it gives taxpayers a break, but I have shown you get educational credits on your taxes at the end of the year and as I said, taxes will be paid out whether it is for a child in public school or a person in prison. When I told you that people with a GED probably dropped out of school due to the fact that they lacked the interest, drugs, alcohol, pregnancy to complete traditional schooling, it was to show you that since the qualifications to be a homeschool parent where low could subject the child to a poor education and I used the "weeding could be considered a science lesson and walking a dog could be a nature experiment" to show that. My argument was homeschooling is not for the majority, which I have proven.