Florida homeschooling said to be growing

A ping-pong article. The people who homeschool support homeschooling. The experts aren’t so sure about it. Assertion then rebuttal; pick a side. Rinse and repeat.

More children going to school at home, 20 April 2008, Miami Herald, Miami, Florida

… Statewide, more than 55,000 students are home-schooled — a 34 percent increase since 2001 and a remarkable number, experts say, considering that the practice was illegal in Florida a little more than two decades ago.

Over the past decade, the trend has given rise to a multimillion-dollar industry. Co-ops and support groups abound. Online, virtual support groups and lesson plans are just a click away.

For years, home education has been a subject of intense criticism. Teachers unions across the country have blasted the practice, saying that parents are underqualified to teach their children.

Psychologists have also raised concerns about socialization. But Monica Dowling, a child psychologist at the University of Miami, said that educating children at home does not necessarily inhibit social development.

”Most people think that we don’t have any friends and we don’t get out much,” said Loren Pizarro, 18, a spirited and well-spoken teenager from Davie. “That’s totally not true. We have a lot of fun together.”

Experts caution that home schooling is not for everyone.

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