I first learned the concept of homeschool from some friends whom are already doing it. That time I think I was either pregnant or have my small baby with me. I saw the homeschool kids, and I really like them! With a young age, they have good attitude, they know God and learn His principles. They talk with confident and politeness to adults (not only to their peers), and have good manners. That was something I lack even when I was 18, and was graduate from a so-called boarding school.
Hubby and I did consider homeschooling when we my eldest daughter reaching pre-school age. One main reason is because it is a way of life. Later, I read a book and learned about how school came about...
Before 19th century, there are no such things as public school, adolescence, or gender gap. Age was not consider important to complete studies. People graduated at different age, some at 17, some at 28. Students matured at their own rate, progressing at their work on own level. Even social gatherings, children mingled with adults.
End of 19th century, Horace Mann was the first to put students in classes with a fixed learning pace separating them. Then early 20th century, Granville Stanley Hall wrote a book "Adolescence: It's Psychology, and its Relationas to Physiology, Anthropology, Sociology, Sex, Crime, Religion and Education". He believed that the stages of man were the same as the stage of history, and felt that adolescence required teenagers to be separated from those older and younger than themselves. Basically, this set the groundwork for rebellion to be accepted as part of "being a teenager". Many social psychologists since have viewed this rebellion as a good thing, and credit Hall with inventing adolescence.
Dewey was Hall's most renowned follower, and taught this to educators at the University of Chicago. Dewey created High Schools. Thus, by 1950, within a generation after Dewey we saw, for the first time in the western world, an adolescent sub-culture. The generation gap appeared in the difference of own music, literature, dressing, language. Contrary to the scripture teaching: "You shall rise up before the gray headed, and honor the presence of an old man and fear your God".
One of the most frequent questions people asks regarding homeschooling is about the kids' socialization. I found a very good site that can explain about socialization, which open my mind on this interesting explanation.
