comment: >
  
  Do you have the research to share on the two assertions you've made 'home schooled children being better educated"  and "better at socializing" ? I'd be interested to see.
context: Now THIS is an unpopular opinion lol >
  
  Because its wrong. 
  A lot of studies show homeschooled children have trouble socializing and their education is pretty much directly tied to whether or not their parents hired an at home teacher. >
  
  My first thought is that homeschooling success is largely dependent on the parents… their commitment to it, their own level of education, and understanding of the subject matter. If you don’t hire a home teacher and are truly doing it yourself, if you don’t understand the material how can you teach it to someone else and hope they understand it… >
  
  I was going to say, I imagine there's a bias if such research exists since homeschooled kids are often from homes where the parents are passionate about teaching, or are/were teachers themselves. They're also likely affluent enough in order to afford to have a SAH parent or hire an at-home teacher, thus we can extrapolate that they are likely well educated themselves if they can afford such luxuries. The majority of the populace is not that well off or well educated to teach their own kids. Just look how "smart" the average population is and we were all taught more or less the same thing. 
  If you allowed parents to make the choices about what to teach their kids, there would be no equality/consensus in what is taught and you would have a world full of extremely varying education levels with no standardization on education. 
  Then the only kids in public schools would be ones from poor families, which would be underfunded and treated poorly due to their lower status causing even greater social divisions. Education needs to be free and fair in society if we want a chance of any equality. >
  
  Having done the homeschool thing for a bit, I disagree. I think the majority of homeschool parents are choosing it for religious reasons. They often do not have any teaching background. They do not tend to be affluent. Affluent parents send their kids to private schools. They tend to be middle or lower middle class. There’s also a subset who pulled their kid from public school because they have a special need and didn’t feel the school was meeting that need. >
  
  Yep, for every "dedicated ex teacher" or whatever makes them competent and involved (good on them) there 10 families homeschooling because of their cult. >
  
  As a formerly homeschooled student- homeschooling works great only when the parents are diligent about making sure the kids are actually learning and when the kids have regular assessments and testing. My parents truly went above and beyond, and I had a great experience. Not all homeschooling families are like this tho. And to be fair-public schools also only “work” when they have proper funding, good teachers, and parents are diligent. >
  
  In addition it requires the kid to be motivated and curious.  It can be absolutely awesome.  Usually it is not.  I also think it works better at lower levels, and can be tough in high school >
  
  There are actually a lot of programs for homeschooled students to take AP courses, science labs, etc during high school. I did this and I also took classes at a local college when I was just a teenager, which lowered the number of credits I needed when I started my first degree. Altogether a GREAT experience-10/10 recommend.
  I never would have been able to do either of these if my parents hadn’t actually taken the initiative to learn, or if they couldn’t pay for them, or if had to work multiple jobs. I think money is a big reason public schools need to remain a big option. >
  
  One of my old coworkers actually had her son take college classes at the community college over summers, as they didn't have a GED requirement to attend classes. He ended up graduating high school with an associates degree along with his high school diploma. >
  
  That would require an economy that doesn't often need both parents working full time jobs. >
  
  And parents who take education seriously. >
  
  And parents who are educated themselves >
  
  And parents >
  
  And children >
  
  And stuff to teach >
  
  And atoms >
  
  And my axe! >
  
  There are so many broad assumptions here.
  If a family can afford to homeschool, they can also afford to have a parent home. Maybe the advantages you are seeing tied to homeschooling are really the advantages that economic security provides children?
  Homeschooling would put millions of children whose parents can't afford to homeschool them at a disadvantage. Having an educated public with zero financial barriers to education benefits society as a whole. We all end up smarter, more educated. Even the garbage man or the burger flipper can read. That wasn't always the case before public school was the norm.
  I have seen some very intelligent homeschooled children, and some children whose only literature exposure was the bible, who believe the earth is flat, and who have no social skills. Homeschooling only works sometimes. >
  
  This. I’ve met some very socially awkward homeschooled adults to the point where I could just point that fact out when I first met them. There’s honestly something lacking when you don’t age along side your peers on a consistent basis. As much as I think our public schools are failing the children and private schools are usually a religious cash grab, I think for mental development especially with social dynamics, the child will only learn from exposure which is usually only offered in a standard school setting and is sometimes overlooked when being homeschooled. >
  
  The conclusions about home-schooled versus public-schooled students made in the OP are bizarre and nonsensical. I’ve taught hundreds of home-schooled students, and there is no measure that can be used to justify the claim that they are “better educated” than traditional students. They are generally woefully underprepared, in large part because most people don’t have the training or wherewithal to be responsible for their children’s education.
  I’ve taught for twelve years, and of the 100 students I’ve had who were the most lost, the least capable of growth, and had the fewest “tools,” at least 90 of them were home-schooled. This isn’t an unpopular opinion, it’s just wrong - and probably can be/has been empirically disproven. >
  
  I’m surprised this comment is so down-thread.  Kids who were homeschooled post on the internet all the time about how they were totally unprepared for High School, often having no “general knowledge” of English Lit or Geography. >
  
  I’ve talked about this recently in other unrelated threads, but a few years ago I taught classes at a university that really recruited home-schooled kids from throughout the Midwest. Broadly speaking, their gaps were noticeable and profound, and their attitudes toward education were incredibly combative. >
  
  What university? I was "homeschooled" (unschooled) in the Midwest and am feeling very lost. >
  
  This was at Huntington University in Indiana. I would not recommend that anyone attend it. It is a regressive evangelical diploma mill. They don’t teach anything, they just shove students through (the average time to degree is 3 years) with no curriculum and expel anyone who is queer. >
  
  Just because you are a parent doesn't mean you're smart enough to train your kids academically. No. >
  
  I would be a horrible homeschool teacher if I had kids. I’m good at reading and science so I could teach those okay, but I swear to god I’m like an 8th grade math level on a good day. The last thing my dumb, genetically mathematically challenged kids would need is ME trying to explain how geometry works >
  
  
  genetically mathematically challenged kids
  
  Be careful with telling them things like this. Don't quote me on this, I've read it in The Art of Learning by Joshua Waitzkin (I think) and haven't fact checked, but children who grow up believing success is related to their intrinsic characteristics pefrom worse than children who believe it's attained through practice. There's a whole concept of mathematical anxiety which may cause them to underperform if they're afraid that they're naturally bad at it.
  There's correlation between general intelligence and math ability and there are probably other genetic factors that play into it. But there's no need to emphasize that and make them afraid that they're doomed from the start.
  If they're already in school and struggling, check out Khan Academy, it's a great & completely free resource, helped me a lot throughout school and even a bit in college! >
  
  I don’t have any kids and I don’t plan on it, most likely, but yeah this is a thing for sure. Although there certainly won’t be any rocket scientists coming from my womb 🥲 >
  
  Every home schooled kit I’ve ever met were awkward as fuck. Some of them were good with adults, sure, but they did not represent normal kids. >
  
  I’ve met a lot of them from doing archery in middle and high school and a lot of them were awkward or rude. There were some exceptions but we didn’t expect much when we were paired up with them >
  
  At least its unpopular! On Reddit at least. >
  
  I’m pretty sure this is an unpopular opinion of most people… not just Reddit. 
  I am very biased because I’m a teacher- but I’ve also met a bunch of lazy homeschool parents. Unschooling parents who think it’s okay their 8 year old can’t read, and doesn’t want to learn yet… >
  
  Of all the homeschool parents I’ve known, there is only one who I think is capable, and she was a teacher before she decided to homeschool. She “unschools”, but she is not some fringe lunatic. She’s very thoughtful in the way she teaches kids, is not religious, and has formed a co op.  She has a lot to be proud of and I would have no problem letting my kid learn from her.
  The rest of them have zero business teaching their kids or anyone else’s. >
  
  I disagree with everything you've written >
  
  id go as far as to say I agree with the exact opposite of what OP has written >
  
  So homeschooling should be only the exemption at specific cases rather then the norm or a choice of the parents? >
  
  Honestly yeah. The parents should at least have to prove that they can give them a proper education. >
  
  Feels incredibly negligent that this isn't already a requirement imo >
  
  Growing up homeschooled with culty/extremist parents is a one way ticket to brainwashing >
  
  Yeah, when you're a child and literally every person you know believes the world is 6,000 years old guess what you'll believe without any other real option? >
  
  I was raised like that. I think the only thing that saved me was that I had unrestricted internet access. My parents weren't technology literate enough to know how the internet worked and I think they just thought internet = church Facebook pages. I basically learned to read through it. I know other homeschool students who weren't allowed to have internet access or any modern technology. Taught that the earth is 6,000 years old, evolution is fake, DnD / Harry Potter / rock music / Pokemon is satanic, etc >
  
  Homeschooling should be the norm?
  As in it should be the norm to hire professional tutors to come give your child individual attention…boy I wonder what type of families can afford that… >
  
  Definitely the norm type of family. >
  
  I’ve been around lots of homeschooled kids. They lack social skills and they struggle with reading rooms. >
  
  Literally me (I’m not homeschooled, I have asd) >
  
  Better educated? So parents are somehow able to teach better than TEACHERS who went to school for that?
  My parents couldn’t even help me with my Algebra homework but now I’m expecting them to teach me Calculus? >
  
  This is why I don't know Math lol
  I was also taught creationism. I believed WHEN I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL that the earth was 6000 years old(I did have my doubts though lol) >
  
  Wasn’t homeschooled but went through conservative Christian schools all the way through college. Didn’t embrace evolution until adulthood. Shit’s crazy. One of my good friends declared himself an atheist in high school and immediately became everyone’s “mission project” to save his soul. >
  
  We only had atheists in my catholic high school lmao. The school knew and didn’t try to bullshit you with things like creationism and we even only had like 3 masses a year, whereas they placed more emphasis on community spirit and outreach with programs like charity drives and a weekly BBQ in the park for the homeless. I even saw on their socials a few months ago that they were celebrating LBGTQ pride day for “dignity week” >
  
  It would be highly unusual for a catholic school to be peddling creationism. The Catholic Church’s official stance on evolution is basically « I don’t know, ask the scientists. » They don’t really care what people think, but they have said that evolution doesn’t contradict the bible. 
  There are some special catholic nutjobs that are creationists though. >
  
  Having been homeschooled and known many other homeschooling families…
  There is so much variation. Some students went to fantastic colleges (a couple ivy league) and did very well. I went to an average college but got my shit together did well and am now in med school (MD, not top 10 but nowhere near the bottom tier).
  HOWEVER many others didn’t really do much actually schooling. Many failed SATs and ACTs hardcore. Some failed out of community college their first semester.
  There are many adults who absolutely SHOULD NOT teach anything academic. It can be done well, but mass is a terrible idea.
  Edit: Also some kids turned out normal (socialized through sports, clubs, neighborhood friends). But a good few are just WEIRD. >
  
  This is all true of normally schooled kids as well. Many fail college (and a significant number must take remedial classes when they enter college). Many struggle socially, actually more and more kids struggle socially across the board. >
  
  Home-schooling is crazy expensive and not standardised (which means there is no way for colleges to objectively compare 2 students). Also, it requires parents be responsible. Most aren't. >
  
  I've never met a homeschooled kid who was more educated tbh
  Of course this is my experience, but most of the parents just didn't teach them or only taught them religious doctorin >
  
  I’ve also never met a homeschooled kid who’s better at socializing lmao >
  
  I’ve never met a homeschooled kid >
  
  Hi >
  
  I was homeschooled my entire childhood by relatively wealthy parents and a stay at home mom with a degree in elementary education. My parents poured a lot of resources into making sure my siblings and I had as many advantages as possible: most people wouldn't be able to do as much as they did. Even still, I and ALL my siblings grew up to be socially crippled and we all have/had a great deal of difficulty adjusting to independent adult life. We were in 4H, swimming, were regularly taken to adult spaces and encouraged to interact with adults: it's not enough. We grew up not knowing how to interact with somebody as a peer. We were so isolated we had almost nothing in common with other people. 
  My own mother (who's still homeschooling my underage siblings and fully agrees with the OP) said that the covid lockdown didn't really affect my family because very little changed in their day to day life. Let that sink in: a lockdown that severely damaged the mental health of pretty much everyone and destroyed a ton of social circles barely affected a lot of homeschooled families because that's how their life is all the time. And I'd like to reiterate: my siblings did 4H, competitive swimming, and theater before the lockdown. Getting out of the house and interacting with other people 2-3 times a week is NOT healthy socialization.
  I would never homeschool my child unless I felt their safety was in danger at any other school they could go to. It's an inherently harmful practice even when "done right" and with all possible advantages. >
  
  I was homeschooled "well" from 3rd through 12th and I couldn't agree with you more. I got an excellent academic education -- other than the Young Earth Creationism and the belief that slavery wasn't actually the point of the Civil War. But it took me a good three years of hard work in college to learn how to have a conversation with another person. Once a week of Girl Scouts and sitting in a church pew a few hours a week did not prepare me for life. It did, however, give me an anxiety disorder that I'm still battling 20 years later. 
  Incidentally, my parents said the same thing about not much changing for them during lockdown. >
  
  Hearing the horror stories from teachers right now about how far behind the current students are due to COVID makes me think this doesn't work like you think it does. >
  
  
  Homeschooled children tend to be better educated than their public school peers,
  
  Source : trust me bro >
  
  Yeah I don't think any of those points are true, especially when you look at countries with good public education >
  
  Parents should be their own doctors too. I mean it’s working out so well already, why not make it mandatory? /s >
  
  That would be great if single income families could be the norm. >
  
  Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
  I was homeschooled. I thought I was well-rounded while I was being homeschooled.
  I am not. 
  Homeschooling should absolutely not be the default nor should it be normalized. None of what you said in your post is true for me or for any other homeschooled person I know. >
  
  I’m pretty sure you did NOT check any of those points for accuracy. So yeah, sounds like something a home-school advocate would say! >
  
  You can say whatever you want as long as you don’t look at the data.
  99.9% of people believe this to be true. >
  
  
  also tend to be better at socializing with people of all age groups rather than just their own.
  
  As a homeschooling person... no... there is no socialization with anyone but your parents and occasionally family members. >
  
  And people from your church >
  
  This is a genuinely unpopular opinion >
  
  This is just an extension of the modern idea that experts aren't needed. Do your own research on vaccines! What do epidemiologists know? Amirite? 
  SO MANY kids are being "educated" by parents with such divergent ideas about reality that I can't help but think that 18 years from now, there'll no longer be a concept of shared reality. The point of education is to learn things that you otherwise wouldn't. Homeschooling, almost by definition, reinforces the parents own prejudices. I'm not even touching on all the misinformation deliberately told to kids about science by religious parents. This is not good for society benefits when the majority believes things that are true. >
  
  Hell no. If those things you listed are facts, that's because only certain type of parents homeschool right now. I would've probably killed myself when I was 10yo if I hadn't have the chance to escape my home life to school and if I wouldn't had all my friends who I met in school.
  If homeschooling would be the norm, kids in shitty situations wouldn't be reached by any help. Who would notice what's going on in your life, if only adults in your life are your parents who abuse and neglect you? 
  Your post reeks privilege. >
  
  In some cases going to school is the only way a kid can get a decent meal during the day. Some kids live in a fucked up world. >
  
  Yeah definitely, sometimes it was the only meal I was getting. >
  
  "homeschooled children tend to be better educated"
  Is that why I have the math level of a 5 yr old and can't do long division or anything past that? Is that why I can't remember off the top of my head what year Columbus "discovered" America? Is that why the only understanding I have of science comes from watching the science channel on TV?
  "more options to learn at their own pace"
  You know what it meant for me to learn at my own pace? As soon as I was taught basic reading, my homeschooling turned into "here, have this school book and sit here for hours in front of it with zero assistance and magically learn something". By the time I was 9 years old my parents gave up completely and decided I was just going to be unschooled.
  If I got a random urge, I could try to teach myself things, but how is a tween/teenager who's never been taught self discipline supposed to stick with anything at all unless it's enforced?
  "Better at socializing with people of all age groups"
  I don't think my crippling social anxiety makes me better at being around people. I don't think my distrust of people because of the neglect I endured as a child from my family makes me better at being around people. I don't think taking over 3 years to finally trust my found family because I was terrified of them hurting me makes me better at being around people.
  Furthermore, this absolutely screams right wing dog whistle to me. As someone who was heavily indoctrinated as a kid into this belief system, the reason I got along better with older people tended to be because they were also right wing, homophobic, racist bigots, like I used to be because I was literally brainwashed. 
  Guess which president it was that I almost got kicked out of my house at 16 with no education, no car or driver's license or ID, no job or place to stay, for saying I didn't think he was a terrorist? 
  You sincerely need to open your eyes and listen to what survivors of homeschooling are saying, before you continue spreading this harmful rhetoric. >
  
  Lemme guess Obama right? >
  
  /r/HomeschoolRecovery 
  Go through our stories, and tell me you think every child deserves to go through this. This isn't just an unpopular opinion. It's wrong. A parent cannot call in a substitute when they're sick, a parent does not have a teaching degree, there are no mandatory reporters at home so if there is abuse there is no escape, there is no outside reprieve if a parent decides to indoctrinate instead of educate, there is no real regulatory body overseeing academic milestones, we are consistently the least able to socialize with their peers (I have no idea where you got the idea that we're better at it), the list goes on. 
  I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, and hope you mean this with good intent, but you are just wildly incorrect. This should never happen. Homeschooling should be illegal. >
  
  Most of the home schooled kids I know are better educated about the following:
  
  mom and dad’s interpretation of the Bible
  mom and dad’s interpretation of the US constitution
  why dinosaurs prove the flood really happened >
  
  Flat Earth too >
  
  
  Homeschooled children tend to be [...] better at socializing
  
  In no world is this true- even with the "people of all age groups rather than just their own" bit at the end. >
  
  The amount of stupid adults i regularly interact with tells me this is a horrible idea. let the professionals with degrees and extensive knowledge on subjects handle the teaching. >
  
  imagine QAnoners homeschooling their kids >
  
  Actually, that’s pretty much the people who already are homeschooling their kids. >
  
  I have looked into this recently because I have been considering homeschooling for my kid. However, most of the homeschooling data should come with a massive aesthetic.
  A lot of research considers a student a homeschooled student even if they are partially homeschooled. Or home-schooled for high school only. Thus screwing up statistics significantly. Also when it comes to public school statistics, which are frequently compared with homeschooling, all the public schools are bunched together. It is no secret that some public schools, like inner city ones, are massively underperforming compared to others. This is a dishonest comparison. If you compare homeschooling to private schools, you can clearly see that there is not difference.
  IMHO, Homeschooling can be great if parents are educated and capable of guiding kids. It definitely should not be the norm. >
  
  I would have no idea how to teach.  I'd want my kids to be with qualified teachers who know how to teach children.  I don't have the skill or the patience to teach. I'm not sure how you think they would be socialized when they wouldn't be with other students or teachers.  They need to become independent from parents and not tied to their apron strings.  Sheltering them from a public or private school doesn't give them life experience that will be needed when they graduate and go off to college.  I've seen more sheltered kids self-destruct in college because they have no idea about real life and making choices such for themselves. >
  
  Yeah. My personal experience: the people that home school aren’t smart enough to teach anyone anything. Those that are smart enough to home school, don’t, because they’re contributing to society in other ways. >
  
  My cousin homeschooled her kids and didn't teach about evolution. If it was mentioned, they just said "and God made it that way." When their oldest was looking at colleges, they wanted to major in biology, so their first priority when finding a college was finding a Christian one. Well, it's difficult to find a heavily Christian college that has chapel every half hour, so they found a college that was Christian enough and the kid majored in music and something else religious. They dropped out after a year. Homeschooling can be good, but it can also be a disaster. >
  
  You can’t study biology honestly with a disbelief in evolution. You can be a doctor or a nurse at a stretch. But as soon as you begin to understand and appreciate the diversity of life, you yourself embark upon the same journey Darwin had to. 
  On an related note - I ordered a university press set of books on liberal education. Partially out of vanity and partially out of an aspiration that I will work my way through it in life. The fuckers didn’t include the Darwin volume. >
  
  I felt so bad for the kid having to give up their education because mom and dad didn't approve of it. >
  
  As someone that went to school to learn how to teach I can confidently say that every single thing you have written here is wrong. >
  
  Kids taught by their parents, who usually have no qualifications in either teaching or the substantive subjects they are attempting to teach, are better educated? Pull the other one. >
  
  Think of how dumb the average person is. You want the next generation to be educated by them? Absolutely awful idea. >
  
  ”think of how dumb the average person is, now realize half the people are dumber than that” George Carlin >
  
  
  Homeschooled children tend to be better educated than their public school peers
  
  Only in whatever field their parents are educated in, school has many teachers because one person cannot teach every subject.
  
  better at socializing with people of all age groups
  
  Who else are they socializing with when at home with just their parents? >
  
  My sister in law home schooled 2 of my nephews for a school year when they were younger. One of them was in first grade. When she put them back in school, he had to repeat first grade. >
  
  As someone who wasn't homeschooled I was looking forward to reading the sources you cited, but it doesn't look like you learned how to do that. >
  
  Home schooled people are weird, and a lot of families can't afford to exist on only one income.
  Dumb.
  Next. >
  
  What if parents want to... You know, haven't a normal job, instead of being their 8-grade son's Chemistry and English teacher? >
  
  And I think you are very privileged if you think this should be the norm - it means you haven't met enough parents yet that would prove this to be a horrible idea. Good for you. >
  
  I think it really just depends on the kid but I know when Covid forced some schools to go into online learning, the overall experience/take away these kids had dropped significantly. This could be from multiple factors such as depression due to having to isolate, not being used to learning purely online, and other things. But there are a lot of people out there who would not thrive from mainly online learning. This also makes it difficult to make sure a child is being properly educated as parents will force their own views into things and shelter them from things they don’t want to be taught like history or science. >
  
  Any evidence that home schooled kids are better educated than their public school perrs? >
  
  If you’ve been around a group of homeschooled kids, I think you’d realize the social aspect of school is more important than the education itself being a little better. >
  
  Most parents are not qualified to be teachers. Half of them aren’t qualified to be parents in the first place… >
  
  What?! Hell no!! Thanks god its not allowed in my country >
  
  Please elaborate on why you think homeschooled children are better at socializing because that has never been my experience with people who were homeschooled. >
  
  ..are any of these beliefs of yours based on reality? >
  
  Take it from a former homeschooler, my social skills took a very long time to develop and that impacted me greatly in my life. It all depends though, I was in a rural area and was from a conservative Christian home. 
  I think there can be more freedom to learn what is needed however it can also accentuate good or bad depending upon how good or shitty your parents are. >
  
  Every person I knew that was homeschooled was not better at socializing with their peers, quite the opposite. There is a lot they miss out when removed from every day interactions involving their age group. >
  
  We just had a pandemic where everyone got homeschooled. I work as a teacher, from what I’ve seen so far it was a complete disaster >
  
  Very unpopular opinion. Socialization is absolutely necessary for growing up and not being fucking weird >
  
  I homeschool my kids and they’re out of the house taking classes and doing activities with other kids 6 days a week. Some homeschool parents are lazy and don’t do that, or are crazy religious people who are only ever around other crazy religious people, and that’s what gives homeschoolers the socially awkward reputation. Parents who are homeschooling for academic or logistical reasons generally do a good job with giving their kids normal social experiences so they don’t turn out to be weirdos. 
  The other thing is, once you’re an adult past a certain age it rarely comes up that another adult was homeschooled unless they’re a weirdo and it becomes a question. That adds to the stereotype because you just don’t hear about the normal ones. >
  
  
  lack social skills and lack independence
  by far, more expensive and definitely not possible for about 70% of the population
  can’t do it if you’re a single parent
  can‘t do it if you’re dependent on two incomes
  degree won’t be accepted in most countries outside your own
  individual special teaching is possible (and less expensive) if just done by a private tutor
  in most cases no actual pedagogic knowledge
  in most cases no knowledge of a curriculum at all
  
  Homeschooling is a thing for people which can afford private tutors for next to every subject AND are so far detached from society that everything ordinary is deemed as pure evil. >
  
  Wow a truly unpopular opinion. This is an awful
  take hahaha not only would this imply parents not having to work it also means children would only learn what their parents want. I’ve never met a single home schooled person who was smarter than their peers hahaha what the hell?? >
  
  As someone from a European country with a very high quality of education, homeschooling seems bananas to me. Not just because the schools offers such a high educational standard here but I find it hard to believe that social skills in a school environment can be offered at home. 
  Just my opinion. >
  
  They absolutely can't. I went through it, and I'm stunted badly because of it still at 34. Any ex-homeschooler who has accessed therapy and can be honest with themselves will tell you this. It simply shouldn't be legal. >
  
  Half the people I knew growing up who were homeschooled couldn't read into their teens.. >
  
  In my experience the kids that were home schooled did not function very well if and when they went to a public school. Kids need to socialize with other kids otherwise they don't  develop correctly. Also the kid is bombarded with what their PARENT thinks they should learn which never goes well. I agree though this is a very unpopular decision. >
  
  I was homeschooled until high school and did various social activities such as martial arts and co ops with other homeschooled kids. Even after all that I still had difficulties socially when I went to public school starting my freshman year of highschool and was picked on. I guess the school environment was such a different breed and I remember it was really intimidating and other kids could pick up on it I guess. >
  
  This is dumb af lololol >
  
  There is very little over sight when it comes to home schooling. Religious nuts can teach their children all sorts of backwards information. 
  Plus schools are often where you can catch children that are being abused. If it was the norm to be home schooled a lot more abuse would go under the radar. >
  
  Why not let kids be taught by professional teachers and let them hang around with people their own age? >
  
  It could make sense if it was 2-3 hours per day. The problem is it’s so bloody inefficient as to be abuse and grand-theft childhood. You folks all seem to have forgotten how much you loved snow days and getting the hell out of that hellhole. >
  
  I hate school just as much as the next person, but I don’t think all parents have the time or resources to be able to teach their kids effectively. >
  
  Is this backed up by research or just your experience? >
  
  Not sure if this is unpopular or just rich people opinion >
  
  Amazing. Everything you just said was wrong. >
  
  So the fact that a person have sex and get a baby makes them superior to a teacher that specialized years and years into one field. Yeah, makes sense. In my country, Sweden, home schooling is not even legal. Probably because its dumb as fuck. >
  
  h-have you met homeschooled kids? >
  
  The only normal ones I ever met got that eat by specifically defying their parents wishes at every opportunity. >
  
  
  and also tend to be better at socializing with people of all age groups rather than just their own
  
  I’m going to call bullshit. Every home schooled kid I’ve met has been a fucking weirdo, you can just tell someone has been homeschooled by the way the carry & present themselves. >
  
  I was homeschooled. It's child abuse. Anybody who isolates their kids like that is hiding something.
  I really didn't understand how weird my mother was until long after I got out and eventually had kids of my own. >
  
  Homeschooled kids do actually perform better in tests.
  The reason why is pretty simple though. Their parents are wealthier, and they come from two parent homes. >
  
  The tests are also extremely easy unless you are talking about standardized tests like the ACT and SAT. >
  
  Those are required of any student to get into college >
  
  I know. I’m saying if those tests specifically are what they are referring to. >
  
  How children supposed to socialise if they sit at home all day? >
  
  What is your evidence? >
  
  Both my parents are dyslexic and most likely wouldn’t be able to afford hiring someone to teach me or my siblings especially with the different age levels and intellectual levels on different things. Also being at home with distractions ( and knowing my brothers ) this simply wouldn’t work for all of us. If it was just me then yeah maybe >
  
  Do you have a source for the claim that they're better educated than their peers? Because in my, admittedly anecdotal, experience, the opposite is often true. >
  
  I do agree if parents are actually qualified to teach their kids, they should be able to. My only issue is that this suggestion will let the dumbest parents, who think they know it all, will teach their children, thus making them just as dumb. >
  
  Definitely not! Just because you can procreate doesn't mean you can educate >
  
  Most homeschoolers are worse educated and far worse socially. Where do you get this info from? >
  
  Nope, no single person can teach somebody else everything that they’ll need or have interest in. Can you teach your kid advanced maths, biology and then teach them music? Probably not and that’s only 3/7 or so subjects that will need to be taught in one day. Ontop of that, kids understanding the concepts of things when young to begin with will require nuance of a subject that you just won’t possess, the people teaching kids studied to be a teacher, for years, even if you’re the smartest person alive, it just isn’t possible to teach kids as efficiently and appropriately as a school can
  Another big factor is biased learning, it’d be a cesspool for brain drain >
  
  I have a cousin who never finished high school and her husband is illiterate (he’s nearly 40). They have a son. Not exactly an ideal situation for the child if they tried to homeschool him. >
  
  Actually , as a school counselor,  I can tell you this will never happen. >
  
  No no no no no no no no. People are fucking stupid. I do not want my further workers to all have a wildly different understanding of everything 
  Most people do not make good parents, even less make good teachers 
  Teaching is something everyone thinks they can do until it actually comes to it. It is a very hard thing to do well since every learns differently 
  Your opinion of teachers is very low 
  Teachers should be one of the best paid jobs in society >
  
  I don’t think I’ve ever met a homeschooled kid with social skills. Not trying to be degrading, just stating my personal observations. My cousins were all homeschooled and talking to them is like talking to a brick wall. Well, at least until the oldest came home from his LDS mission. >
  
  Worst take I've heard in a while. This is not only stupid but also dangerous and negligent. You need to realize that there's a reason why teachers have to study for years. It's also incredibly classist. >
  
  Being homeschooled doesn’t give you secondary socialisation. Secondary socialization is important because it teaches you how to interact with people who aren't emotionally close to you, which is the majority of the people we will come into contact with in our adult lives. >
  
  Homeschool education outcomes only look higher because they are not required to make any reporting of education metrics to the government. The only data that we can use to compare are university/other higher education acceptance rates, which as you know are significantly warped, because the vast majority of home schooled children do not ever apply. Meaning is a greater self selection bias, because for the homeschooled children, they only ever apply if they are exceptionally well equipped.
  Comparing higher educational acceptance rate of both groups of both with the entire population of students, not just those that apply, publicly educated individuals blow homeschooling out of the water >
  
  There are so many things wrong with this, I am just too lazy to type them all out >
  
  Who is gonna homeschool all these kids? >
  
  As a formerly homeschooled student, fuck no. This is a terrible idea, so good job on the unpopular opinion you got my upvote. >
  
  "Better at socializing" no they are not >
  
  i have never met a homeschooled kid and thought to myself “what a sociable and well-adjusted person”. i think the socialization that we get in public schools is vital to developing as a human being in society. also, you can’t trust every parent to have enough time, to be a good educator, or to not have some batshit agenda. i know several homeschooled kids and most of their families are anti-vax or something like that. it seems like a lot of people who choose to homeschool only really do so in order to brainwash their child with some insane propaganda >
  
  Homeschooled children are almost always worse at socializing. And Karen down the road is not more qualified to teach than someone with a degree in it. This is stupid top to bottom. >
  
  Not so much homeschooling as more personalized educational curricula tailored towards each child's learning style and study habits, while also affording them a chance at branching out for more extracurricular activities to become better-rounded people. 
  I mean, we have to fight to get school lunches and basic funding for every public school student already, but in a perfect world, sure, we could have schooling that doesn't so closely resemble incarceration/institutionalization for kids that's overly restrictive and beholden to archaic standardization focused on meeting test score quotas. >
  
  No. kids need to be exposed to a diverse set of values so they can form their own opinions.
  That's why I think all people should go to college. It's important in modern society for all people to learn to talk and form relationships with people not from their home town/ home country.
  Also, Even if your parents are PHDs they still aren't qualified to be solely in charge of a person's education  because they still only have the knowledge and experience of one person.
  To get through k-12 you get to learn from the experience of several dozen people and that is extremely valuable >
  
  I was going to say this same thing, but now I don’t have to. Thanks. >
  
  Every kid I’ve encountered that was homeschooled has had poor social skills and were far below where they should have been. >
  
  its not always the case, but an overwhelming majority of the home schooled kids ive ever met have been behind socially. i was very much a public school kid and while not perfect, public schooling does a really good job of giving kids the opportunity to socialize in a wide range of environments. 
  to add to that, if i was in the position of hiring for one position that had two great candidates, but one had worked with people their entire life and the other had his education catered to him in mostly isolation, i know who i would pick.
  there’s so many variables though >
  
  If you are taught by only one person you are limited by the strengths and depth of knowledge of that one person if you are taught by many people you are limited by the collective whole of those peoples expertise and own knowledge. I could teach math and science well but no way I could teach English at all. Besides schooling permits a kid to experience people different from themselves and understand other backgrounds and ideas. Usually homeschooled kids are not as socially adept because they weren’t surrounded by social opportunities and experiences one would in a school. Absolutely no way Homeschool should be a norm. But you did fit the bill of “unpopular opinion” >
  
  As a teacher, homeschooled kids are almost always multiple years behind and socially inept. 
  It’s basically comparing a dog caged and never encountered other dogs or people with a well socialized and obedient dog. 
  I know, “I’ll socialize my kids.” You won’t! They’ll be horrible. >
  
  Yes so many schools are absolute ass, but better at socializing? How do you figure this? >
  
  Based on how many people lost their minds when kids were at home during Covid, I’m pretty sure many wouldn’t go for it. Covid made it pretty clear that some parents couldn’t deal with being around their kids that much. Also, homeschooling is great for parents who want to get away with hiding abusive or negligent behaviors, because there are far fewer adults seeing the kids on a regular basis. Homeschooled kids are great at spelling bees, so there’s that. >
  
  You wanna source any of your claims?
  I could use my anecdotal evidence of my homeschooled uncle who is completely incapable of holding a conversation and is extremely uneducated to say that homeschooling is a disaster. >
  
  Hahahahahaha. I’ve met dozens of people who have been homeschooled, and all of them are weird as fuck who can’t work with people for the life of them. >
  
  Do you have kids? Lol >
  
  Homeschooling stats get dragged down by those who choose that option because they think schools teach lies.
  If a parent isn't able to accurately distinguish between fact and fiction, it doesn't generally indicate that they will be good teachers. >
  
  have you ever met a homeschooled kid?
  they lack a lot of social skills >
  
  The homeschool kid is a stereotype for a reason >
  
  Yeah: The tyranny of the majority. >
  
  People don’t seem to understand the difference between opinion and fact. You are saying things that are provably false and provide nothing to the contrary. If your argument is that home schooling is better and you have the proof, share that and it can be discussed. >
  
  Have you ever met a homeschooled kid? They are good at socializing with people their parents age and that’s about it. >
  
  Absolutely not. I'm a tutor these days, not a classroom teacher anymore, and I can 100% guarantee you that the average parent is not only absolutely unsuitable to be a teacher but they are also absolutely not smart enough to be teaching a child. 
  Just the stupidity of this post alone shows you haven't the foggiest and would be one of the parents I referenced in the above text. To assume that a kid taught by a professional vs a kid taught by a random suburban mum would come out better or smarter or even wiser is just not true at all for the vast majority of pupils. >
  
  They actually don't socialize better. My younger cousin was homeschooled most of her life and she's so bad at socializing with anyone. I imagine it's the same with other homeschooled kids >
  
  Hard disagree with the socializing aspect.  Home schooling is pretty broad, and some kids have virtually no interaction with other people. >
  
  troll alert.
  Oh come on /u/Mountain_Air1544 ! Do not leave us hanging like this ! :)
  You can not make a post like that and delete everything in your history ! What is next a new reddit user id ? >
  
  Yeah but homeschooling requires a world where both parents aren't busy with full time jobs and a world where all parents will teach their kids the truth rather than their version of it 
  for example, alot of Christian parents will restrict what their kid does and doesn't learn about the world, like not teaching proper history or sex ed (if they decide to teach sex ed at all) and would try their best to prevent their kid from being an individual rather than their own person with their own beliefs 
  Also children need to socialize and the main way they do that is via school, isolation is horrible for your mental and physical health so kids should atleast go to public elementary school so they have the chance to make friends they can socialize with
  Homeschooling is good for some people, but alot of people would misuse it if it was the norm and alot of parents don't have enough knowledge on all subjects to properly teach their children.
  Online school (like edgenuity) would be nice as the norm if it weren't for the isolation >
  
  So you think parents have the full knowledge of all teachers that would be teaching a child in a school, and they have the ability to teach a child? I excelled at math and sciences in school. No one in my family would have been able to teach these subjects to me. The collective knowledge and skills of teachers in a school will far exceed the knowledge of most children's parents. >
  
  Absolutely the fuck not.
  I was homeschooled, and I'll tell you that the abuse, the indoctrination, and the neglect that I saw is disgusting. Parents are not qualified to teach their kids 99.9999% of the time. I'll resent my parents for the rest of my life for homeschooling me.
  Maybe, just maybe, we could try to reform the school systems before doing a system that would kill kids? Just maybe? >
  
  I’m with you here. I love my parents and they tried their best but l’m not sure if I’ll ever forgive them for homeschooling me. I basically have no education aside from reading, writing (still suck at grammar) and other basic things. >
  
  I think we could benefit from supporting those interested in homeschooling more. There is something to be said about it in some ways as a learning environment. You might have a point about socializing in a wider range of age groups.
  That said, there is selection bias at play. Not everyone is temperamentally suited for that kind of study, or has the practical resources to pull it off. Expanding it to the whole school population will cause lots of problems. >
  
  I disagree with this. I think that if parents are perfect, and have the resources -- they CAN do a good job with this. But, it's better to try and work collectively to make a good school experience because kids will get more out of learning from different people.
  Ideally, they aren't going to a nightmare environment -- because, in either case that doesn't get good results.
  But, all things being equal, more people is better. Having relationships and interaction is important. Learning there are other ways of doing things and solving problems is useful.
  And, homeschooling is super resource intensive -- you take one person out of the workforce. That might not be an issue in the near future -- but, it was a part of why we could never afford to homeschool in large numbers. And, I really don't want to do that all day -- I need to get out as a parent as well. >
  
  Home schooling is amazing when your parents are smart, it's terrible when your parents aren't. And is really like some evidence that homeschooled students are better at socialising with anyone >
  
  Who tf gave this a platinum!? >
  
  Too many parents use homeschooling as the opposite to keep them brainwashed into evangelical Christianity with anti science views. I have met a few well rounded homeschooled kids, but mostly, no. They’re not social and they turn out to be assholes hating anyone not like them. >
  
  Some of us have to work for a living >
  
  Having taught secondary school in the past I can say that the kids who had been homeschooled were socially awkward and tended to have average or below average skills. Apparently, having 1-2 parents with zero training and at best knowledge of 2 subjects tends not to be as good as having s kid educated by people trained in their fields. >
  
  It would be a fine idea if a lot of parents weren’t dumb. Being a parent doesn’t qualify you to be a teacher >
  
  I disagree with them being better at socializing. If anything it will hinder their social skills. And They won’t have any friends. Not to mention, they won’t be exposed to enough diversity. And being exposed to different races and cultures is extremely important. >
  
  Not all parents are qualified to teach, and most homeschool kids have poor social skills. >
  
  You’re stoned if you think homeschooled kids get better socialization >
  
  Tend to be better at socializing? Are you sure about that? >
  
  Nah mate a professional at teaching teaches better than a parent. Specifically better than parents who didn't get much education in a first place >
  
  And while you’re at it make parents responsible for healthcare - no under 18s allowed into hospitals. Parents can use Google or you tube for any procedures etc. How hard can it be ? Professionals are a complete waste of time ! >
  
  Sadly a lot of parents are barely able to raise their kids at all, let alone school them too. >
  
  Better socialized?? That doesn't make any sense >
  
  One of the worst things that ever happened to me was being homeschooled for most of my education. I was in a tiny unaccredited school for the other years, so I never went to a traditional public school. To this day, I have trouble relating to my peers about life experience during K-12. It tooks me years to properly integrate with society after high school. 
  Not to mention all the previous comments about having parents who are capable and engaged in homeschooling. Mine were not. Thankfully, I'm naturally academically inclined so I didn't struggle with learning. My siblings were not. It got so bad my parents sent them to public school, but not me. They never did catch up...because my parents still weren't engaged. >
  
  I dunno. The many home schooled kids I k ow are weird. Anti social. Have zero socialskills and really don't know squat. Like my wife is one. I'm league's smarter when It comes to book smarts or.street smarts. Yet she got a masters degree and can't do math in her head. >
  
  I worked as a museum educator. We got thousands of students come through our program, primarily in 5th grade. We hated the homeschool groups. Those kids had no sense of time management, oh we are due at museum B at 10:45 to start the tour, let’s show up at 11. You mean I have to actually stand here and listen, I can’t just wander off and play?
  I disagree. >
  
  This is an unpopular opinion because it is a terrible idea. >
  
  This isn't an unpopular opinion, it's a wrong opinion. >
  
  Homeschooling works in certain cases, because the parents are intelligent enough, wealthy enough and have the time for it. 
  There are a few issues that can make it fail horribly.
  - parent(s) with insufficient teaching skills.
  - parent(s) with little time, money etc.
  - parent(s) with strong opinions that are disproven by facts. 
  The only part that I agree with is the part where kids can learn at their own pace, which schools should be working to improve (a lot).
  Then again, I live in a country (Netherlands) where home schooling is not allowed... And now I'm wondering how our academic scores hold up compared to countries that do allow home schooling 🤔 >
  
  Not to be mean but every homeschooled kid I know is a fucking weirdo and always behind in subjects. >
  
  someone who was homeschooled here. I agree. >
  
  Every homeschooling kid I've ever known has been socially and academically fucked up lmao >
  
  "also tend to be better at socializing with people of all age groups rather than just their own“
  i have to disagree here. if they’re at home most of the time, how do they learn to socialize at all?
  doesn’t make sense >
  
  Speaking as someone who was homeschooled. 
  ~no~ >
  
  Bro ur just straight up lying about the social skills. I actually know a couple families whose kids were homeschooled till middle school/high school, they hated homeschooling and had trouble socializing once they integrated. >
  
  As someone who has been homeschooled for most of their life, your opinion is trash. Socializing? lol. This sounds like the opinion of someone who wasn't homeschooled for long enough(or at all) to gain an idea of just how bad it is >
  
  you volunteering to quit your job and school your own kids, homeboy? How you gonna pay the rent and feed and clothe those kids again, homeboy?  
  GTFO LMAO >
  
  This cannot be real haha >
  
  Think about the two for more than a second.
  Homeschooling situates you with parents or relatives who generally do not have any academic prowess beyond their grades from 20 years ago from which curriculums have most definitely changed. This leads to a lack of social opportunity beyond your immediate vicinity not to mention other aspects such as where you live, your wealth and relationship with parents which directly impact your homeschool education.
  School situates you with various people who have studied to be able to teach you, their sole purpose is to teach you. You're also surrounded by kids of your age from within your locale to nearby cities and towns, this allows you to interact with more people helping to develop your social skills and also your ability to network as you grow older. Of course school also has negatives namely bullying but in the sense of academics and socialising school outclass homeschooling in most cases. There are rarities which I'm sure some people experienced which make them believe homeschooling is better and that's fair but generally homeschooling is a bad idea because most people frankly dont know how to teach, don't know what they are teaching or dont have the time to teach. >
  
  Bro stop 😂 >
  
  I really disagree. I was homeschooled all my school years and I do NOT have a good education. Homeschool is often a mask for conservative families to brainwash their children. How are growing humans supposed to experience something other than their home life so they can be informed as to the future they want?
  This is my personal experience, but many of my peers have similar ones. If you’re homeschooled, I’m glad your experience is good, but please recognize that you’re likely not in the majority. >
  
  Yah, well I have to go to work to pay for school supplies. While I’m doing that, who’s homeschooling my kids? >
  
  I agree with the point that learning should be done rather from home than from the school building.
  But not as it is done now. It just makes no sense to take the school system and put it into private homes.
  We would have to invent a new education system where everyone should learn for themselves. Kids (and also you g adults in colleges etc.) should feel the urge to learn, not feel the fear of failing classes. Humans have an intrinsic need and desire to learn things, therefore it should be an everyday trait to use online and digital learning media to simply learn stuff in an self-educated manner. That I can agree upon.
  Sure, not everyone would be responsible and learn stuff that way, but meh, those won't learn in school either. >
  
  If you have the means to do so and want to, then do it. Most families have zero option but to send their kids to school to be educated. Single mothers, carers, people who have to work - many other factors prevent it happening. >
  
  My mom shoved a bag of weed into my face at age twelve and my dad left. >
  
  Honestly, it seems only to be useful for kids with development issues or socialization issues.
  Homeschooling doesn't have a massive enough graduation rate to supplement the loss of a second income.
  It would be fair to say it should be encouraged for specific cases and not default. >
  
  
  Honestly, it seems only to be useful for kids with development issues or socialization issues
  
  I think this is the best pro argument for homeschooling. Most kids with development issues don't fail cause they "suck" but because they are competing with a school system that isnt designed for them. So individual schooling should definitely be the norm in this case. >
  
  lol no >
  
  Biased sample. People who are both willing and able to home-school their kids are more likely to produce these results, but not every parent that does it will produce the same results. >
  
  OP can also homeschool her kids on how to properly read tarot cards, so let’s not discount that important educational advantage. >
  
  Everyone I know who’s been homeschooled has almost no education, I have a 20 year old friend with no math skills. >
  
  Yeah it would be better for some people but not for everyone. Someone people actually benefit from school compared to parents. >
  
  Not many parents are capable to do so, either financially or knowledge wise. It also leaves the door open to all of the nonsense some religions teach. >
  
  That’s not accurate. And not feasible for most American families. >
  
  Bruh what, what's the source on homeschooled kids being smarter and better at socializing because the only homeschool kids I've known were terrible at both >
  
  I was homeschooled in an online school and socialisation is not my thing. Are you sure that’s an accurate depiction? >
  
  i was homeschooled until nine years old. i didnt make a single friend until i was twelve because i didnt know how to interact with people. i still fund ut difficult.
  my mother was also manipulative and abusive,so theres that >
  
  as a formerly homeschooled child, no. >
  
  Not only is this unpopular but nearly everything you claimed is objectively false lol >
  
  r/HomeschoolRecovery >
  
  lmao, I've probably spent more time on that sub then doing school. :( >
  
  Of course every parents are well educated and wealthy. /s >
  
  Is this a joke? >
  
  I am very surprised this post didn't get a LOT more upvotes. Btw, could you please cite a study indicating that homeschooled children tend to be better educated than their public school peers, and that they tend to be better at socializing with people of all age groups. >
  
  Let me guess, you just also happen to be deeply religious. >
  
  No thanks, there’s a reason I didn’t choose teacher as a profession. >
  
  Absolutely the fuck not.
  Signed,
  A homeschooler >
  
  This is not unpopular it is incorrect >
  
  I wouldn't say the norm but more prevalent. >
  
  Kids will make no friends lol. Every single one of my friends I’ve gone to school with. >
  
  Interesting opinion. You came to the right place. That 6 years of university to become a teacher means nothing to you? Giving birth to a child does not give you the tools to educate them. Can you provide some data to support the claims you make? For example “better educated”? >
  
  All I can think of is the amount of shitty abusive parents who would take advantage of this. Parents who both work full time, parents are not lisenced education etc. Absolute unpopular opinion for sure >
  
  I honestly do agree with you, but society is a disgrace. It's one of the reasons why I wouldn't bring a child into this world, I'm against the whole doctranation. Pink Floyd is on the ball, just another brick in the wall. We're just cogs in the machine. I believe everyone has something special, a certain skill, but the whole system is just making us prisoners. Also as the eagles sang, were just prisoners here. >
  
  I started in public school, but late middle school/early high school I was homeschooled. I graduated my sophomore year and started college at 16. While it was nice to be ahead of the game, I always felt like I missed out on a lot socially. >
  
  You mean better educated in superstitions and social ineptitude. >
  
  Will live in nannies be provided, or will we all be having our current standard of living reduced.