Recently I saw the following headline at the bottom front page of USA Today, "Profound shift in kind of families who are home schooling their children". As I read through, it confirmed what I've seen on a local level, more families, especially, white, wealthy (who is really wealthy anymore?), and well-educated families are moving towards homeschooling. I think that this reflects people deciding to take ownership of what happens to their families as their confidence grows in making decisions who impacts their children.
In the article it cites various reasons families choose to homeschool; religious, educational, physical, and emotional reasons. It's interesting to see that the number of girls homeschooling has grown due to the increased focus and attention on the "mean girls" experience in a social setting. The fact that families are stepping in is fantastic.
I am not sure at what point in our nation's history it became expected and accepted that teens learn how to behave from other teens, which is exactly what happens in a typical high-school setting, rather than watching various ages model acceptable behavior. Parents usually only "hope" that the training they've provided up to that point will persevere in difficult situations. Keep those fingers crossed as research shows that the teenage brain is not fully developed, sometime, until a person (especially those guys) reaches the age of 25 years old!
To all of those who are considering homeschooling but are afraid that they can't do it...try. What do we tell our children when they are afraid to try something new? Try and do your best.
For a great read into the teen brain check out, The Myth of Maturity: What Teenagers Need from Parents to Become Adults by Terri Apter.
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