A Case Against Homeschooling Your Children (Despite the Success of Tim Tebow!)

Parents who homeschool their children are the strongest advocates for this form of education. I acknowledge their right to do so, and respect the time, effort, commitment and passion which fuels that decision.

Perhaps the best-known, and most current, 'success story' of a homeschooled student is that of University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow, the son of evangelical Christian missionaries and the youngest of five children, was homeschooled by his parents. As a youngster, Tebow displayed prodigous talent on the football field. Under Florida law, he was allowed to participate in the sport at Neese High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, where he led the team to a state championship. Tebow was one of Florida's most highly-recruited football prospects, despite - against great odds? - his homeschooled status. As Tebow enters his senior year at UF, he has racked up some pretty impressive sports statistics: the only sophomore to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy in the history of the award; quarterbacking the Gators to two national championships, and quite possibly, repeating both as a Heisman winner and the quarterback of yet another championship team.

His academic record is equally impressive: a 3.9 grade point average in his chosen field of study, Family and Community Sciences. (He may not be majoring in physics, chemical engineering, law or architecture, but a 3.9 GPA in any area of study really shouldn't be dismissed.)

And, yet, I still have serious concerns - despite the success of Tim Tebow, or perhaps even because of it - about homeschooling your child.

My children graduated from both public and private high schools. (One of the private schools was a Roman Catholic high school.) We live in a town that boasts of a "prep school" mentality for its public schools, one which sends 97% of its high school graduates off to four-year colleges. Last year's graduating class sent students off to M.I.T., Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Boston University, Brown, Cornell, Notre Dame, Smith, Haverford, Wake Forest, the Universities of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, to name literally just a few. The Catholic high school, while not as academically rigorous, was a wonderful, enriching experience overall for another of our children. We have also had three close families that we consider friends who homeschooled their children, and I draw upon their experiences as well as my own.

The doubts that I have regarding the long-term benefits of homeschooling are as follows. I welcome your rebuttal as to any points that I raise; my issues are sincere, genuine and based upon personal experiences.

1. The sense of isolation, both social and academic. Many parents homeschool their children based upon strong religious beliefs. They genuinely feel that public schooling would be detrimental to the spiritual well-being of their child. While I respect their beliefs, I feel that isolating a child based upon religious differences does injustice to the overall well-being of a child. In public schools, students are exposed to a wide variety of different cultures and religions. Schools no longer celebrate Christmas for the most part; generally, 'winter holidays' are the theme. So much can learned from those who are different from ourselves; they bring a rich bounty of centuries-old tradition to the proverbial table of education. My children - including the one who attended a Catholic school - met so many children whose faith and values were different - not better, not worse, just different - than our own. By having friends who were Muslim, Jewish, Evangelical, Baptist, Methodist, Hindu, so many new worlds were opened up to them. They learned about different cultures' way of dress, dietary restrictions, beliefs in an after life, even acceptable ways of socializing. The value of exposing your child at an early age to people who are different from themselves not only enriches their life by contrast, it also prepares them at a later stage in life to be better and more well-rounded citizens of the nation and the world.

Insofar as academic isolation, I raise the concern that public schools have funding and facilities that are often far superior to what a parent is able to offer. State of the art labs, computer centers, music programs, art programs, are just the tip of the iceberg. Our high school has a functioning green house; it also has a renowned fine arts program, both for instrumental and vocal music as well as painting, mixed media and sculpture. Our parents' association offers a program entitled "Arts Throughout The Ages", which is a volunteer program in which trained parent-docents present different genres of "art" - painting, sculpture, silk screen, etc. - beginning with the first grade.

Programs such as Author Days are also highly valuable; well-regarded, carefully selected authors spend a day with students, reading from their works and answering childrens' questions. At the high school level, published authors have also taken part in upper-level student writer workshops and seminars.

Another interesting layer to the diversity of education is the ability of public school students to take part in mock debate programs and model congresses, such as those offered at Harvard and Penn Universities. The same holds true for local, county and state science fairs and "invention conventions". I know of families whose children have taken part in science fairs, and done very well. Having succeeded in one area does not a well-rounded education make, though. I doubt that many parents who homeschool their child can afford to 'prep' them and pay for their participation in model congress and debate programs - programs which are highly supported, at least in our town, and paid for by the Board of Education for its students.

Of course, field trips add another layer of enrichment to learning. it is not difficult to place a value on the importance of trips to museums, Broadway shows, plays, Colonial villages reenacted, and artisans' cooperatives. The idea of going as a group enhances the experience, as each child brings home with them a different perspective on what they have seen, have learned, have a thirst to learn more. For many children, these school-sponsored trips provide what may be their only opportunity to have this type of cultural, enriching experience.

Growing up with people who are unlike yourself not only broadens your world, it also makes you better prepared as a world citizen. You have the competive edge of having dealt with a broad variety of societal differences and beliefs.

2. Physical well-being and health. In public schools, students have a wide array of sports from which they're able to chose, if they chose. Homeschooled children do not have that option in many cases. The Tebow family, for instance, chose to reside in the state of Florida because Florida is one of those states that allows its homeschooled resident students to participate in public-school sports programs. My current home state of New Jersey does not. I have a friend who is homeschooling her third grade daughter, who came to this country by way of China. She constantly looks for ways in which to engage her daughter in physical activities, especially team programs. While our town boasts a very large and well-run recreation department, many, many states and towns do not afford this luxury. Being part of a team - whether it's a Model Congress or a soccer team - builds character. It should be a natural part of a child's progression through life. Learning how to adapt and deal with others in sports has so many benefits: a child learns fair play, a child learns the importance of exercise and good nutrition, of honing their skills off the field as well as on. This is particularly important for young girls, who continue to be overlooked even at the public school level when it comes to sports. Women need to know how to compete on the playing field as well as in the classroom and eventually the board room. Sports is the great equalizer. You may not be gifted in one area, but you learn, through trial and error, which sports suit you best. A child also learns at an early age the importance of continuing sports - and thus maintaining good health and exercise habits - throughout their life: golf, tennis, skiing, swimming are the first to come to mind.

While I respectfully regard the rights of a parent to homeschool their child, I also urge them to look outside the conventional box of this type of education, and seek out opportunities - either within their public school system or town - to broaden their child's overall learning experience. Inclusion in education is a very good thing in and of itself.