Suzy Snaps

Every day (that I remember LOL) I’ll post something about one of the topics on my mind lately Today’s is homeschool. School for us is right around the corner so I’ve been doing some more shopping/ reading the last few days

So, why homeschool? I have so many reasons for homeschooling… today I’ll talk about the educational aspect.. while I do think you can get an education no matter what system you use.. the facts are that homeschooled students score higher on tests than private schooled students, who score higher than public schooled students.

For example.. this chart shows the grade level that students test at

You can see that until age 5 students test on average one grade higher than public schooled students. The gap then starts to widen until homeschool students are testing 4 grades higher than public schooled students.

Here are the results of a study done comparing homeschool/ private/ public schooled students (done by a non-homeschooler)

Major findings: Demographics

• Home school parents have more formal education than parents in the general population; 88% continued their education beyond high school compared to 50% for the nation as a whole.
• The median income for home school families ($52,000) is significantly higher than that of all families with children ($36,000) in the United States.
• Almost all home school students (98%) are in married couple families. Most home school mothers (77%) do not participate in the labor force; almost all home school fathers (98%) do work.
• Home school students watch much less television than students nationwide; 65% of home school students watch one hour or less per day compared to 25% nationally.
• The median amount of money spent annually on educational materials is about $400 per home school student.
• The distribution of home school students by grade in grades 1-6 is consistent with that of all school children. Proportionally fewer home school students are enrolled at the high school level.

Major findings: Achievement

• Almost 25% of home school students are enrolled one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools.
• Home school student achievement test scores are exceptionally high. The median scores for every subtest at every grade (typically in the 70th to 80th percentile) are well above those of public and Catholic/Private school students.
• On average, home school students in grades 1 to 4 perform one grade level above their age-level public/private school peers on achievement tests.
• The achievement test score gap between home school students and public/private school students starts to widen in grade 5.
• Students who have been home schooled their entire academic life have higher scholastic achievement test scores than students who have also attended other educational programs.
• There are no meaningful differences in achievement by gender, whether the student is enrolled in a full-service curriculum, or whether a parent holds a state issued teaching certificate.
• There are significant achievement differences among home school students when classified by amount of money spent on education, family income, parent education, and television viewing.

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And, that’s one of the reasons.. and on to the #1 comment I get about homeschool ..

“what about socialization??”

Look at the public school system – where and when else in life are you going to segregated kids by age and, on top of it, expect them to get along? I would say most parents, Christian or non-Christian, somewhat screen their kids’ friends and say “Yay” or “Nay” to social interaction accordingly. Parents who send their kids to school give up control of that choice between 8am and 3pm. And don’t think Christian schools are that much different these days!

School should NOT be the primary method of socialization. I hate when people say that children should socialize at school. School is not about socializing. It is a structured environment meant for learning. Because so many parents think that students should socialize in school, emphasis has been taken off academics and placed on social skills. Social skills are taught at home, in the community, and through activities outside the classroom. Think about it, when was the last time you had to raise your hand to speak to your friends?

I personally think “socialization” is over rated LOL.. but it’s almost funny to assume that you get that from public school but not from homeschool.

If public school were a true picture of the real world..

Your Employer is auditing the Inter-Office Email system and comes across a personal note between you and a coworker. You are required to stand at the podium in the next sales meeting to read it aloud to your coworkers. The Police knock on your door, and announce that because you and your neighbor have gotten so close, they’re separating you. You must move your home and your belongings to the other side of town, and you may only meet at public places on weekends.

You’re applying for a job and in an unconventional hiring practice, you are made to line up with other applicants, and wait patiently while representatives from two competing companies take their pick from the lineup.

You’re taking your parents out for an anniversary dinner. After you find a table, a waiter tells you that seniors have a separate dining room, lest they “corrupt” the younger members of society.

You go to the grocery store only to find that since you are 32 years old you must shop at the store for 32 year olds. It’s 8 miles away and they don’t sell meat because the manager is a vegetarian, but your birthday is coming up and soon you’ll be able to shop at the store for 33 yr. olds.

You’d like to learn about Aviation History. You go to the library and check out a book on the subject only to be given a list of “other subjects” that you must read about before you are permitted to check out the aviation book.

You’re having a hard time finding what you need in the local department store. The saleslady explains that each item is arranged alphabetically in the store, so instead of having a section for shoes, you will find the men’s shoes in between the maternity clothes and the mirrors.

You apply for a job only to be told that this job is for 29 year olds. Since you’re 32, you’ll have to stay with your level.

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Many homeschoolers I know go to places where there is a variety of ages, they volunteer, they go to co-ops, they take music lessons (and many many other activities that aren’t common knowledge to even those that see them several times a week at church) they are getting socialization in the best way possible .. in the real world This is thankfully possible in public schools to.. 4-H programs and the like are a great example.. but don’t forget.. those programs are available to homeschoolers as well. Like I said.. I think socialization is over rated but it’s certainly not something left out of homeschool!

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Hopefully that makes sense to some of you guys! Yes, homeschool can be done wrong.. but if done correctly it’s the best education out there. I also got tired of answering the “socialization” question LOL (I lost count how many times I’ve had that brought up after about person #35.)