Homeschool World Forum

I am a unfortunate junior at a public school. Right now we are doing research papers on a topic of our choice. I chose the topic of home schooling becuase it seems a good alternative education option to me. We are required to give a "balanced survey" to 50 people and I only know one homeschooled girl! So I need some homeschooled kids (or some parents to ask their homeschooled kids) to answer these quick 4 questions.
Thanks!

6. Would you continue homeschooling given the opportunity?
Yes No

7. What is the best aspect of being homeschooled?
I can go my own speed.
I can choose what I want to learn.
It’s a good environment.
My schooling has flexibility.
Other______________________________________________

8. Do you feel you receive a better education than students attending public school?
Yes No

9. How would you characterize public school students?
(intelligent, unintelligent, the same as any student, radical, religious, snobbish, motivated, sophisticated, socially inept, isolated, unmotivated, corrupt, ect.)

_____________________________

6. Would you continue homeschooling given the opportunity?
Yes

7. What is the best aspect of being homeschooled?
It's a hard choice between environment and flexibility, but I think I'll go with the latter. Not everyone does better with a lot of flexibility, but everyone needs a good environment.

8. Do you feel you receive a better education than students attending public school?
Yes

9. How would you characterize public school students?
None of the listed options applies well as an absolute, but I can say that, comparatively speaking, public schoolers:

Have the same level of intelligence (though the capacity for acquiring knowledge is not the same thing as knowledge itself)...
Are less radical (where radical is defined as having strong views, different from the majority, that you are able to defend)...
Are less religious (and therefore more corrupt)...
Are less motivated...
Are less sophisticated (you need a good education to be sophisticated)...

I won't comment on snobbishness, social ineptness, and isolation, since these can be interpreted a number of different ways depending on your point of view. For instance, is it possible to be isolated while surrounded by hundreds of people? Is it more important to be skilled at interacting with adolescents, or with adults?

I just made a list of adjectives that I thought could apply to public schooled or homeschooled kids. I think that snobbishness, social ineptness, and isolation would more likely be sited by kids at a public school about kids being homeschooled. I wouldn't agree with those statements, but they are common sterotypes.

And I think you can be isolated in a school surrouned by hundreds of kids. I even feel that way at times. I think you need skills, though, to interact with both your peers your age and adults. Think about it. In ten years from now all those immature peers of yours will be adults you will then have to interact with- you can't just keep interacting with people older than you forever.

Yes, but either they will have learned to act like adults by then, or you won't be interacting with them much. Colleges and the business world have little tolerance for adolescent behavior. I would debate that while being able to interact with other children is good (and homeschooled children have little trouble interacting with other children who hold the same interests), what's most important is learning how to act like an adult and interact with adults, since that's what you'll be doing for most of your life.