maviskw

This is a wonderful thread.
I went to a Catholic school and feel I got a wonderful education in most things. They were a little lax on history and geography. But I picked that up well later. I had to opportunities to do so and have traveled all over the world.

Some home school parents do a wonderful job, some do not. A family I know home-schooled in the late eighties and early nineties. Father was a square dance caller and a lot of his dancers were family and relatives and their friends. There were two squares of just teenagers. These children were interacting with all ages. They are now wonderful adults and at least two of them are square dance callers. There were eleven squares on the floor at one of their recent dances. Three generations are dancing and interacting together. I think that is important.

I certainly disagree with putting our children in "boxes". We send our children to Day Care when they are days old. Tiny ones are in one room, one and two year olds are together. Throughout life they keep to their age groups.

The homeschoolers in my area have a group that gets together every once in a while for socializing and fun and sports. There they meet other children of all ages, not just ones of their own age.

As a teacher in a one room school museum, I have children come in each day to learn about a 1904 school day. A different school brings their 4th graders each day. Once in a while the home schooled group comes. What I have learned is different about this group is that I find one or two who know very much about history; they can name all the presidents and their vice-presidents. Some are a whiz at math. Some are excellent spellers or can do cursive like Palmer. Do they all catch up later? Maybe.