I home school mine and fully expect them to be equipped for college... academically, socially, and maturely....
I home school for a variety of reasons...
1... academics... (my kids are each 1 1/2 grades ahead in many subjects and they need more work in others. I think public school's "no child left behind' has really left their academics a mess.
2...health... my kids are trimmer and more active when they are home with me. (we DID do a few years of public school, and my kids were getting really chunky and inactive!)
3...religious beliefs... we taught a class of about 15 pre-teens about creation for three months. At the end of the three months, they still believed evolution based on their answers to questions because evolution was so ingrained in them from school. (p.s. most of these kids had been 'in church' all their lives and one in particular was our children's pastor's kid!) I also can teach them about all kinds of religions and peoples based on our faith... I can teach them about Christian heros, the bible, devotions, etc... I can open our school time in prayer and stop and pray for them whenever they get discouraged or off track.
4...I can choose how to teach the controversial issues... I had some really negative experiences in Sex Ed in several schools we moved to... REALLY negative.
5...Social issues.... hey, lets face it... suicide and suicidal thoughts are on the rise in our young people due mainly to two things, bullying at school and problems at home. Guns in school, knives, etc... Not to mention the same old drugs, alcohol, teen sex, etc... Really, that is not what I want my child to learn socially... they can get socialization in clubs, activities, neighbor friends, and church... but 8-9 hours a day of what goes on in schools is ridiculous!!! It's not sheltering them... it's protecting them... I make it important that they socialize, but as one mom told me... PROPER socialization starts at home....
6...family bond... Let me tell you, our family is closer than it could have been if they'd been in school all the time. We have CONSTANT activities, field trips, devotions, volunteering, etc... that we wouldn't be able to do.
7...responsibility and maturity... ok, I babysit school aged kids.... I love them... they come from moral homes that "sorta" follow God... (yeah, don't ask>> LOL!) but they have NO sense of responsibility. They are STUNNED that my kids don't GET a ton of things... they are AMAZED that we limit TV time, sugary foods and drinks, and the older ones feel we are poor because we don't have the stuff they have. None of them do chores at home... except MAYBE picking up their rooms... (mine clean their room, the school room/daycare room EVERY night plus do dishes, clean off table, clean up dog poop from yard, do laundry, fold clothes, etc...) It's because they have the time to do these things and still have play time!!! But I feel that in many ways my kids are ALOT more responsible and mature..... but I'll admit... there are some ways my kids are more innocent and maybe not quite as mature.
Ok, there are a lot more, but that's enuff...
I love home schooling!!!
I know some one the other day said that many of their kids' school friends have come to know God through their witness, and that IS one trade off... but you can witness to friends/neighbors as a home school student, too. It's not like my kids don't have friends and not all of them are from our church! They aren't old enough to "run the neighborhood" yet, but they have a small group of kids they play with here, and know a few other kids from the rest of the neighborhood. ( Not sure at what age it's appropriate to let your kids run... I'm torn because of how much evil is in the world and the closer we get to the end days... the more that evil seems prevalent. That is probably another topic )
But... either way you school them, remember that school teaches them academics.... you still need to strive to find time to teach them how to decide what they believe and hopefully you train them up in such a way, they come to know Jesus and the Bible as truth and can stand for what they believe.