It's strange how people who don't homeschool – and presumably have minimal, if any, experience with representative homsechoolers – have strong negative views on the topic. (It's a bit ironic, given the matter involves quality of thinking. It seems to me.)
The objections I often hear don't line up with what I observe, though I acknowledge my experience is reasonably limited.
I homeschool my seven year old daughter.
She's socially adroit – based on what others tell us about her, and what is plain to us –and she's doing stuff well beyond what she'd do in a normal school.
Last night I told her all primes (except 2 and 3) are within 1 of a multiple of six. After searching for a counterexample and failing, she asked how one can prove the claim. Then she ran to her mom to explain the fact.
I myself went to public schools in Baton Rouge. I sure wasn't thinking about number theory when I was seven; nor was I using GRE vocab words in my ordinary speech (not even in high school).
More important for me as a dad: I'm getting the opportunity to know my kid very well. My own father did not have the luxury – and it is a luxury, I know.
There's a lot of upside potential that the haters seems to neglect when poo-pooing homsechooling.
If I used worst-case outcomes to dictate my own behavior, I'd never drive or fly or take any risks.
When one considers the entire distribution of feasible homeschool outcomes, I think the picture is more optimistic than dudes who like to argue on twitter might have one believe. It seems to me.
@charlescwcooke@AlexThomp Do her supporters 1) not believe she’s an empty shell or 2) believe she is an empty shell but hate Trump so much they won’t say so?
It’s not at all clear to me which of those two best explains the modal supporter.