Why do uneducated people homeschool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we need more regulation for homeschooling. First there needs to a monthly exam to make sure they are actually learning.

And two there needs to be some psych evaluation and wellness check. I always think of the Turpin family, where the parents sed homeschooling as a cover to hide the kids, they abused severely.

Also, they should be enrolled in some organized extracurricular that is not sectarian/religious.

But public schools take these regular exams and students are failing, and nothing happens, so why should we hold homeschoolers to higher standards?

[Anonymous]

I am a long time professional educator and homeschooler. I know all kinds of homeschoolers—some very educated, some not. Some parents homeschool out of necessity—severe bullying in schools, medical conditions that cannot be accommodated for, educational needs not being met, etc. For example, I’ve know several kids with severe dyslexia, and the schools were doing a total s*it job of helping the kids, in spite of much advocacy on the part of the parent. Knowing what those kids went through in school, I don’t blame the parents for pulling them out. Some parents find themselves between a rock and a hard place, and they make the best of a difficult situation. I knew one parent who became educated in a specific program that helps kids with dyslexia learn to read so that she could help her kid. She was even turned down by a school for kids with dyslexia—they told her they couldn’t help her kid. So the mom did what she had to do on her own. Of course, this kind of situation does not apply to everyone who homeschools, but there are a lot of families in this category. For those families that are less prepared or capable of homeschooling, many rely on curriculum they purchase, local co-ops, online classes, etc. And even very educated parents use these resources a lot. Most homeschoolers—at least in the DMV—are not taking on the entire task of educating their homeschooler themselves—it just doesn’t work that way. Also, I know some highly educated parents who don’t do much at all in terms of educating their kid themselves. Every family is very different. Yes, kids might be getting less/worse education than others. That also happens in public school. That being said, I’m not opposed to more oversight to make sure that kids are getting what they need. The truth is some parents could use a little guidance, especially if they are a little lost. But also, how are they supposed to get help from the school system that was not meeting their kid’s needs when they were in school? There is no easy answer there.

[Anonymous]

A lot of moms out there have no business homeschooling. Then again, there’s a lot of educators out there that shouldn’t be teaching either.