I can only speak for my family, but the time and effort put into the Catholic Curriculum for our children is something my wife and I take very seriously. The socialization argument gets old and my opinion is that it's not an issue for most families. Our children get plenty of interaction with extended family and friends and my guess is most homeschooling families do too.

Anyway, the opinion of homeschooling by this school board is unfortunate...

West Virginia's Monongalia County Board of Education is proposing a new homeschool policy. In the document's "statement of purpose," the board refers to stale objections, which reveal a flawed and stereotyped view towards homeschooling. Despite the fact that homeschooling has decades worth of practical and scientific evidence documenting its success, there are still public school officials who re-use the same old criticism of homeschooling—teacher competency and socialization.

Here is the proposed policy's first paragraph:

"Monongalia County Board of Education encourages the enrollment of all school-age children [who] are residents in Monongalia County or in registered parochial or private schools so that they may enjoy the benefits a of well-planned educational program and the socialization possible in a group environment."

As if homeschooling programs are not well-planned or lack in providing “socialization” opportunities. The modern homeschool movement has been going on for 40 years and there is plenty of evidence showing that it not only works, but it actually works better than other forms of schooling. For resources that HSLDA has been involved with to show the benefits of homeschooling go to: HSLDA Homeschooling Research webpage or the HSLDA brochure, “The Best Kind of Socialization”.

Read School Board: Homeschooling Disorganized and Isolationist at HSLDA and check out the links about the research they've done that shows the benefits of homeschooling.

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Just wanted to share a quick note about this talk I listened to. It's call "Manager of His Home" and it's by Steve Maxwell of www.titus2.com. It's packed with scripture references and insight specifically for homeschooling dads and their homes. If you get a chance, I highly recommend it! Mr. Maxwell really dives into the husband as the head of the home and family and helps point you in the right direction to raising and teaching your kids and strengthening your relationship with your wife in the process. I've only listened to disc one so far, but am looking forward to part 2.

For more info, you can visit www.titus2.com. We discovered the site from my sister-in-law (who I borrowed the talk from as well) as they feature products for helping you organize and schedule your home and homeschool. Homeschooling is a very difficult endeavor, but the rewards are countless. If you're thinking about it or have any questions, drop me an email at jeremy@goodsaints.com.

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