LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Q: What are the drawbacks to homeschooling and how do you address them?

It appears the one drawback that gave homeschoolers the most concern was the perception that homeschooling means less social interaction. After all, how else will a kid learn about social mores, peer pressure, popularity, dating, and so on? 

Intrepid parents however, found solutions. It was immediately apparent that suggesting homeschooled children are "isolated" is a popular misconception. A homeschooled child remains only as cloistered as a parent chooses, which doesn't have to be hardly at all. Since a homeschooled student does not have to keep the same hours as a child in a public school, a parent can arrange social activities at any time, and be there to supervise, if they so desire. 

Homeschooled kids often have siblings, enjoy weekends, vacations, and other activities just like any other child. Homeschooled kids are even allowed to play sports through various private organizations that sponsor homeschooled athletes. 

Lisa Morgan of Austin, TX said, "I have worked to find activities to do with other homeschooling families." A number of other respondents also mentioned that they were able to network with other homeschool families in their area and plan group activities including field trips. 

Linda Biewer of St. John's MI, said "We have a good homeschooling support group in our area. I have our homeschooling group over twice a month. The kids play and the mothers talk. There is also a large group of Catholic homeschoolers in the Lansing area. We usually have an opening school mass and a graduation mass. There have been various groups that my children have participated in--Socrates Cafe, Reader's Club, Writers Club, Homeschoolers-4-Life, flag football and ultimate frisbee."

Biewer also discussed her daughter, of whom she is very proud. "...I ended up sending my daughter, Catherine to high school for her senior year. She wanted to go too," Biewer explained. What I found was that Catherine was not behind in any of her studies. She ended up being nominated for Student of the Week and the National Honor Society. She got all A's. She is now attending Aquinas College in Grand Rapids.  She earned a 3.95 GPA for her freshman year. One of her professors told her she was the most impressive freshman that he had ever had and that she was head and shoulders above the rest of the students.  He said that it makes him want to homeschool his children. What this says to me is that what I perceive as drawbacks to homeschooling, really aren't. My children are learning in spite of me and my anxieties.

Q: Why did you choose homeschooling?

Reasons to homeschool are varied, but always in the best interest of the child. For some, it is to protect children from the controversial material being taught in schools - not to isolate them from it, but to manage the introduction and exposure to it. In other cases, it is simply the best fit for the child. Sometimes a child has difficulty fitting in at school and if teachers and administrators are indifferent to the child's welfare, homeschooling may be a better option. 

Such was the case for George Goodsaid of Murrieta, CA. Goodsaid was homeschooled for a couple years as a child and all the way through high school. 

"When my parents first put me in homeschool, it was because the public school system was being absolutely cruel to me. I was halfway through the 2nd grade, I had ADD, and was ordered to take Ritalin just so I would be quiet and pay attention better in class. I took Ritalin for a while, but it was later discovered that Ritalin was causing harm to my health, my family told the school about this, but they did not care at all. They wanted me to keep taking the Ritalin even though they knew it was harmful to my health, so my family put me in homeschooling, and ever since then, I was getting better grades, studying more effectively without distractions from bullies and teachers who did not care about me, and I was much happier."

Goodsaid continued, "When I was homeschooled again in high school, I was safe because I didn't have bullies hitting me everyday. Public schools are filled with bullies. [there are] teachers and administrators who do not care about these very serious incidents. All they care about is that the students get good grades and have good attendance. Bullying and fighting is also an important issue. Homeschooling does not have these problems because it is just the teacher and student one on one, no bullies, and no problems."

Other respondents say they decided to homeschool because they have experience as teachers and did not want to see their children get put through a system they see as inadequate and inefficient. Public education is ...