Your editorial, "Home-school move doesn't make sense" (April 13), is absolutely correct. However, you're inaccurate about "monitoring attendance and occasional testing."
Home-schoolers must have nine months of school. And, home-schoolers must take end-of-grade tests every year.
Non-public education saves North Carolinians $980 million per year. We pay county school taxes that publicly educated children benefit from, not our own.
For more than 10 years, several champions, and eight of the top 10 contenders, for the National Spelling and Geography Bees have been home-schooled. Many families home-school for religious reasons. We tried two private Christian schools and found them nearly as worldly as public schools. Our children take ballet, art, gymnastics, roller skating and other extracurricular activities every week. There are also soccer, basketball and football teams. Don't think they don't develop social skills.
Yes, sir, you're right. Why change a system that upholds personal choice and yields such financial benefits for all North Carolina taxpayers? Keep up the good work.
John Shuke Jr.
Siler City
Comments (2)
Home schooling in NC is a crock. Yes, home schoolers must take end of grade tests, but they are not administered in a controlled environment and could easily be completed by someone other than the student. As far as I know there are no requirements as to the number of days or hours per day that the student must be schooled. If there are, how on earth is this enforced? My sister, who has only a GED, was allowed by the great educators in NC to home school her daughter, who is now about as dumb as a post. My neice, unfortunately, spent many days in front of a T.V. or visiting her adult brother's house rather than being "schooled" in anything relevant or appropriate. Home schooling...what a joke!
Posted by Carolyn | April 25, 2005 1:43 PM
Carolyn, Your lack of knowledge about home schooling is apparent in your post. And your assessment, based on one experience, is not the norm. Home schooled children academically out-perform children who receive a public education on a fairly consistent basis.
I have two grandchildren who are/were home schooled. As in most cases, when my eldest grandchild wanted to go to public school when he reached his junior year and was tested, he was well beyond that level. His sister is still being home schooled.
They have a certain number of days they have to attend just as in public school. They have a curriculum to follow as in public schools. In fact, the basic difference is they can attend in their pj's, they don't have the disruptions to deal with, their parent knows they aren't getting drugs from other students, they are not exposed to unruly, disrespectful, belligerent students who take valuable time away from kids who want to learn and their parents don't have to worry about being sued when they discipline their child.
All things considered, if parents could work it out, home schooling would be one of the most beneficial things they could give their children, IMO.
Posted by Yvonne | April 25, 2005 4:29 PM