As I have mentioned before, the idea of putting my children into a public school terrifies me. And, this is after years of being on the “inside.” I have observed, worked with, and learned from more teachers than I can count, and, unfortunately, I have only found a few that I would entrust with my child’s education, safety, happiness and well-being. If that isn’t depressing, I don’t know what is.
There is a stigma attached to homeschooling- you all know exactly what I’m talking about- the “if you homeschool you must be an anti-social, religious freak” stigma. I have casually mentioned that I’m considering homeschooling on numerous occasions, and more often than not, the responses wouldn’t have been any different had I said I’m considering letting wolves raise my baby for the next couple months. At least that’s what I inferred from the audible gasps, the “WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU EVER WANT TO DO THAT?!” questions and the raised eyebrows.
The following article caught my eye today, and it was truly a breath of fresh air. Its nice to hear a positive spin on the choice to homeschool, and even more inspiring to hear that the stigma is beginning to fade as homeschooling is becoming more and more mainstream in America.
Why Urban Educated Parents Are Turning To DIY Education
What are your thoughts? Are there any GREAT public schools out there anymore? If so, please give me names so we can move! 🙂
Andrea
The Mielke Way 
You are more qualified to teach your own children than any public school will ever be. I say go for it. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” -Proverbs 22:6
Ultimately you have to make the best decision for yourself and your family. I know families here in Wyoming that home school for a variety of reasons. Most it works out very well for and others not. A big reason for our retirement back to Laramie was the public school system for Sarah. And overall, I have pleased with the education she has received. I especially liked all of her grade school teachers – here grade school goes through 6th grade, then 3 years of middle school and 3 years of high school. Her largest class size was 17 kids and she always had UW students doing their student teaching in her classes. Her best experiences in high school have been her AP classes. She likes to be challenged in school. Next year she only needs a couple of required classes to finish up, so will also be taking some college classes. I do think our experience in a small university town may well not be representative of many communities. As long as you are happy with your child’s education regardless of how they get it, public, private or home, that is what matters.
More and more people are homeschooling. The best choice is what is right for the child, their type of learning and temperament.