Reasons I Don’t Homeschool

This is prompted by an article at Front Porch Republic offering shock at concerns about home schooled children and socialization.  Yes, a communitarian site finds public schooling antithetical, go figure.

1. Homeschooling children would have burdened my wife.  While this impediment can be overcome, one shouldn’t gratuitously burden one’s spouse.  For some it would have been a joyful burden, but not my wife.
2. Public schools aren’t that bad.  In fact they can be quite good at educating your child.  My son has taken advantage of the gifted and talented program that is being phased out at his level.  My daughter has taken advantage of speech therapy.  I’m in fact kicking myself for not considering living in Milwaukee when I was down in that area due to the wonderful gifted and talented programs they have.
3. There are two ways to protect one’s child.  a)  One can insure one’s child doesn’t encounter adversity.  b)  One can train one’s child in how to deal with adversity.  My mother looked at me with shock when I proclaimed that my 7-year-old wasn’t really a child any more.  He was no longer going to be doting because my pleasure was all he needed.  I am still surprised at the benchmark myself.  This is the age the Church says a child is capable of committing sin, and there is wisdom there.  At one time, I thought the best course would be to shelter my child until he was past college.  With the benefit of seeing the experiences of others, I can see that that philosophy doesn’t solve any problems; it makes different ones.  You would think preachers’ kids would be so much better than average children, but instead they are a perplexing stereotype we laugh awkwardly about.
4. The whole idea that America was built by commonsense is hooey and propaganda.  For those following the royal wedding, it is like the princess bride’s working class millionaire family.  The average American has a 6th grade education, and dreaming that your child is going to be the next Bill Gates because he works hard and tries is just so much crap.  First, Bill Gates was a Harvard drop out with a millionaire father and a deft mother.  Second, I get so sick and tired of hearing Hallmarkian sentimentalism.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard the expression “He could be the next Bill Gates.”  I like stories of success as much as the next guy, but once you get beyond the propaganda you find that people that make breakthroughs have advanced educations.  (Yes, people thought Einstein wasn’t that smart, for a bachelor level physicist.  If people think your little Johnny is under-appreciated when he’s at that level, I will be more understanding, not when he is 12 or 14.)  At some point, the child has to leave the nest.  Mommy and Daddy’s claims about him being above grade level won’t mean anything at some point.
5. This whole idea that the impure other is ruining everything has really got to stop.  It rains on the just and the unjust.  Life happens.  People don’t lose their humanity because they are outside of the cult.  A kid your child meets in public school (or even the local Catholic school) might just turn out to be a wonderful influence and a great lifelong friend.  The kid from your approved family might treat your kid horribly and be an awful influence.  Even outside the cult you find parents trying to raise good wholesome children.  They might even worry about their daughter coming home after an evening with your son.