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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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”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.”
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Experts caution that home schooling is not for everyone.