[eglyntine]

I was homeschooled from the 4th grade through HS along with my brother and sister. I graduated when I was 16 and went to college part-time from 13 on, initially taking extra-curricular math, science and language courses and then onto full-time college major studies after I graduated HS.

We were the second family to ever "officially" homeschool in the state of Maine and it was definitely a struggle. Constantly fighting the school board and state to prove that homeschooling wasn't a second rate education and to prove we wouldn't be some buck-toothed drooling social reject. What is amazing to me is that in the 25 years that I've been involved with the homeschooling scene the same ridiculous arguments against homeschooling are still being regurgitated even after it has been proven over and over that the kids that are and have been homeschooled have a superior education compared to traditional education and they lead very successful, self-sufficient and confident social lives.

Sorry to go off on my little tangent but I really do get tired of seeing the same misinformed phobias against homeschooling popup time and time again when there is very little actual examples of any homeschooled students falling into those categories. You have just as much chance if not more of one to turn out uneducated and socially inept coming out of public school as you would with homeschooling. Yet it seems that the only time these concerns ever pop up is when a discussion of homeschooling comes around.

Homeschooling has come a very long way since I was homeschooled, now you have co-ops and charter schools and many public schools allow homeschooled kids to participate in their extra-curricular activities right along with their students. There is no reason that the "anti-social" stigma thrown onto homeschooling should ever be brought up yet it's still the number one objection that ppl who know nothing about it or have even met a homeschooled kid brings up anytime the subject surfaces.

It's pretty sad to see that ppl are still more concerned about socializing than they are education. There are a million ways and opportunities to make sure your child has the proper "socialization" in today's world without sending them to public school.