why do you homeschool?

[DawnM]

And you picked one hometown guy you once knew......

Seriously, I don't get why you can't just let us do our thing....you don't agree.....then don't do it. Plain and simple.

So you come up with one football player (who is quirky and laughed at by most of the sports world), one person I have never heard of and a set of tennis twins...

How about a kid I tried to get to play high school football several years ago, was our best 8th grade player, but mom didn't want him to go to school with other kids... Of that 8th grade team, 4 kids signed full ride scholarships, the homeschooled kid was better than all of them and he never went to college because his family couldn't afford it..

 

[Nayan]

So you come up with one football player (who is quirky and laughed at by most of the sports world), one person I have never heard of and a set of tennis twins...

How about a kid I tried to get to play high school football several years ago, was our best 8th grade player, but mom didn't want him to go to school with other kids... Of that 8th grade team, 4 kids signed full ride scholarships, the homeschooled kid was better than all of them and he never went to college because his family couldn't afford it..

Shaun White? The Flying Tomato? Gold Medal Snowboarder? Ring a bell?

I know there are families who don't want their kids to interact with other kids in school (or really elsewhere, for that matter). In our homeschool group there were parents who insisted the rest of us were devil-spawn. They never let their kids do what the rest of us did, like watch movies, partake in certain classes, etc. I felt sorry for those kids, but the parents were very fundamental Christian and changing the way they thought wasn't even an option. So yes, there are kids who are very sheltered but not every homeschool family is like that. We sure aren't!

 

[jacksmomma]

I don't want our 4th grade daughter to be reading at the 9th grade level, I want her being a KID and having fun, her education is fine... I also want her playing competitive softball and if she so desires, another sport or two, maybe cheerleading if thats her thing..

If your child had the academic potential to read well above his or her grade level why would you not want to encourage that? Being smart does not mean you fail to be a child. So many people are worried about schools dumbing kids down...sounds like some parents are willing to do it too.

 

[mad madam mim78]

I get why people want to homeschool. It's a very personal choice. I know me personally I LOVED school. I loved having a life outside my family. Not all kids view school as a "prison". It was my freedom. I loved my school friends. Some teachers I had were the most inspirational people. I had some of the best moments of my life in school. I couldn't imagine spending every single day with my family. I would have gone insane. Don't any of you feel like even with your good intentions you might be stealing something amazing away from your children?

 

[DawnM]

I loved school too. My best friends are from high school.

Our reasons to homeschool aren't to "steal something amazing away from my children."

I will not post all of my justification for HSing because I don't feel I need to. It works for us and there are many, many reasons why.

My kids have amazing friends anyway. One of my son's best friends just got back from 3 weeks at Duke because he scored above a 95% on his SAT in 8th grade.

I don't lock them in a closet! We are out EVERY SINGLE DAY of the week doing something with other kids......golf, tennis, swimming, scouts, book club, science Olympiad, plays, museums, you name it.

My kids have the option to attend school. We don't make them homeschool. They are the ones who have chosen to continue homeshooling. Again, for many reasons.

Dawn

I get why people want to homeschool. It's a very personal choice. I know me personally I LOVED school. I loved having a life outside my family. Not all kids view school as a "prison". It was my freedom. I loved my school friends. Some teachers I had were the most inspirational people. I had some of the best moments of my life in school. I couldn't imagine spending every single day with my family. I would have gone insane. Don't any of you feel like even with your good intentions you might be stealing something amazing away from your children?

 

[Nayan]

I get why people want to homeschool. It's a very personal choice. I know me personally I LOVED school. I loved having a life outside my family. Not all kids view school as a "prison". It was my freedom. I loved my school friends. Some teachers I had were the most inspirational people. I had some of the best moments of my life in school. I couldn't imagine spending every single day with my family. I would have gone insane. Don't any of you feel like even with your good intentions you might be stealing something amazing away from your children?

Nope, not at all. The notion that all homeschoolers sit at home at the kitchen table doing nothing but work for hours is a wrong one. Like I said before, depending where you live, there is a wide range of activities for children of all ages, including classes, field trips, sports and other activities not to mention Boy/Girl Scouts, 4-H, YMCA, etc. I'm not sure how long ago you were in school or where, but it's nothing like what my DH and I remember and honestly I couldn't even tell you about any good teacher I had. I can tell you all about the bad ones though.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

If your child had the academic potential to read well above his or her grade level why would you not want to encourage that? Being smart does not mean you fail to be a child. So many people are worried about schools dumbing kids down...sounds like some parents are willing to do it too.

Its like the crazy dads that push and push their kids to be football all-stars when they are 8 years old, by time they mature in high schools, can't tell the difference between the kids that played 9 years of football and the kid that never played a single down if athletic ability is the same.. Our daughter does great in school, one of 7 kids out of about 150 kids in her class that rec'd straight A's..

And not going to risk our kid being a social outcast too...

 

[justakrazymom]

Its a SCHOOL team, just like a student can't attend a private school and play sports for their public high school, they shouldn't be able to show up for baseball practice after sitting at home all day..

What I see a lot of is this... Kid doesn't mix well at school, rather than work on improving that, kids are homeschooled so the awkward social expierence can be avoided.. is that really helping the problem?

Through all kinds of sports, whether youth football, travel softball/baseball, park district activities, basically the only time where I come in contact with homeschool kids, seems like most of those kids are socially awkward to the point that I feel bad for them..

Thing is you have probably met a ton of HS'd kids that you had no idea where HS'd. No one knows mine are at first and are usually shocked when they find out. My kids play 3 sports each PLUS dance, gymnastics,swim,cheerleading along with various other activities. Socially awkward they are NOT. We don't hs because they have social issues..we HS because I want a different type of education for my children.

My oldest wrestled for our local high school.. they were more than glad to have him even though he didn't go tot school there. I pay taxes whether my kids go to school or not and I get nothing back from the state to help with the curriculum I purchase( which i dont want anyway). We pay the money we should have access to sports..and luckily we do!

 

[fairestoneofall]

for us, it is several reasons. part of it is religious reasons. our children were in a Christian school prior to being home-schooled. also, the school systems here are hit and miss. most are miss though. yes, there are a few good schools, but most of them aren't that great.

it also saves us money.

we are hoping/planning to put our kids back into regular school for high school (possibly junior high). we will probably choose a private school again, because of the poor schools here.

 

[justakrazymom]

Why can't they do both?? My dd excels in academics and on the field.... My child is a kid and does all the same kid things any other kid would do except go to a traditional school. It doesnt make her awkward.... Have you been to a tradional school lately? In my years of teaching I have seen awkward kids and most of the hsers I know DO NOT fall in the "different" category.

Amen...my 5th grader reads at a college level ( so did his big brother who was PS'd until 6th grade btw) and he excels in 3 sports.. it is possible to be smart AND be a great athlete. And to still be a fun loving social kid. My son's 2 best friends go to PS...my kids are all very social.

 

[shalom]

I don't know where you became so ill informed on this topic, but pretty much everything you stated here is incorrect unless major IHSA violations are occuring..

I know nothing about the legalities involved, but they're not exactly hiding it: a quick google and I even found the name of the school district:

http://qctimes.com/news/local/ask-t...cle_5324d1ee-81e0-11e1-9acc-0019bb2963f4.html

Some teachers I had were the most inspirational people.

My physics teacher in high school was a finalist in a national best teacher contest, and was one of the teachers in NASA's "Teachers in Space". He was a terrific guy and a terrific teacher, and clearly I'm not the only one who thought so. I consider my 7th grade math teacher (who died the year I took her class ) and my 9th grade Government teacher positive influences to this day -- and I'm 51, so 7th grade was a long time ago.

But I didn't know any of those teachers socially, so their influence on me was probably pretty limited. My kids, OTOH, know any number of inspirational people who happen to be teachers, and they've known some of them most of their lives. The biology class my oldest son took last year was taught by an old friend of ours. One of his biking buddies was also his music teacher when he was younger. One of the reasons he biked to that seminar this week is that a friend and former teacher was doing a presentation there. And so on.

Inspirational teachers are not inspirational only in the school setting!

Don't any of you feel like even with your good intentions you might be stealing something amazing away from your children?

No. Obviously, if I felt that way, I wouldn't do it. Why would a parent deliberately steal "something amazing" from their children?

My mom loved school, too, however she also recognizes that a lot of the things she loved about it would drive most of my kids crazy.

Perhaps I haven't read with enough care, but I don't think anyone here has argued that public schools have no value. Clearly, homeschooled kids miss out on some good stuff -- but so, I would argue, do public schooled kids. The question is not, "Does public school have value?" Of course it does! The question for us is, "Does the value of public school justify the huge amount of time it demands?" For us, the answer was, "no."

Some of my best friends are public school teachers and although one of them wasn't too sure about homeschooling early on, at this point they all agree that our kids are not missing out. Some kids revel in the public school experience. Other kids... don't. And I think good school teachers have a pretty good idea which kid is which.

 

[disney1990]

Do we have any people here that are homeschooling their children that were homeschooled themselves?

 

[Granny square]

Lol, neither situation is always perfect and no parent always makes perfect desicions for their child. The public schools are let kids fall through the cracks everyday. So saying that a child is somehow losing out by not attending is a stretch. There are also more than a few shy, awkward or socially different kids in every school. Just like there are outgoing, public speaking social butterflies who are homeschooled. The nice thing about homeschooling is that talents can be encouraged, and other difficulties addressed in appropriate manners. It is far more social to travel, attend coops, 4h, Volunteer, not have homework after school, etc. Sitting in a class does not exactly do anything for a kid socially.

Asking if we don't feel we are depriving our kids is like asking you the same about sending them off to school every day. Pretty ignorant, because you obviously feel you are doing the best for your kid.

 

[Granny square]

Do we have any people here that are homeschooling their children that were homeschooled themselves?

My niece just started the process with her 5 year old. Her husband reache special Ed and was also homeschooled. (they met in college, they weren't hs sweethearts.) it is cute watching the continuing circle of life.

 

[mamato3girls]

It's something I had always considered. I knew I wanted certain opportunities for my kids and that didn't involve sitting in a kindergarten classroom doing worksheets for 5 hours a day. I wanted my kids to have the freedom to learn at their own pace and learn about things they are interested in. So when it came time to decide on schools my husband and I toured every school that we had the option of attending. I was horrified to see the schedules of some kindergarten classrooms. Sitting at a desk for 5 hours a day and 1+ hours of homework every evening. It just wasn't right for us. There were 2 other schools (1 charter and 1 magnet) that I loved and we applied but our names were not drawn in the lottery. So after a lot of soul searching we decided to homeschool. It is the best decision for our family and we are in our first year but I believe it is something we will continue. I have no desire for my kids to be way ahead academically, if they are....great! But I want them to be ahead because it is natural to them and we are moving at the pace they need to move at. Not because they need to get a certain grade on an end of year test or because that is the pace the rest of their class needs.

My kids are super involved in a lot, people are floored when they hear our schedules because we spend about 3 hours of daylight time at home and the rest of the time they are in some sort of activity. My girls do gymnastics, dance, girl scouts, homeschool coops, church activites. Currently they aren't interested in any other sort of sports but they are eligible to play on the public school teams if/when the time comes. But in reality the teams around here that get attention from the college scouts are allstar or "select" teams. Those kids are a mix of homeschool, private school and public school kids who try out and make the teams. They are the best of the best because tryouts are tough and it is from the whole county, not just a group of kids from 1 school.

We are fortunate to live in an area with a huge homeschool population. There are about 150 kids in our homeschool coop where they take various classes ranging from knitting to advanced anatomy and biology.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

I know nothing about the legalities involved, but they're not exactly hiding it: a quick google and I even found the name of the school district:

http://qctimes.com/news/local/ask-the-times/some-private-school-students-play-for-public-school-teams/article_5324d1ee-81e0-11e1-9acc-0019bb2963f4.html



My physics teacher in high school was a finalist in a national best teacher contest, and was one of the teachers in NASA's "Teachers in Space". He was a terrific guy and a terrific teacher, and clearly I'm not the only one who thought so. I consider my 7th grade math teacher (who died the year I took her class ) and my 9th grade Government teacher positive influences to this day -- and I'm 51, so 7th grade was a long time ago.

But I didn't know any of those teachers socially, so their influence on me was probably pretty limited. My kids, OTOH, know any number of inspirational people who happen to be teachers, and they've known some of them most of their lives. The biology class my oldest son took last year was taught by an old friend of ours. One of his biking buddies was also his music teacher when he was younger. One of the reasons he biked to that seminar this week is that a friend and former teacher was doing a presentation there. And so on.

Inspirational teachers are not inspirational only in the school setting!

No. Obviously, if I felt that way, I wouldn't do it. Why would a parent deliberately steal "something amazing" from their children?

My mom loved school, too, however she also recognizes that a lot of the things she loved about it would drive most of my kids crazy.

Perhaps I haven't read with enough care, but I don't think anyone here has argued that public schools have no value. Clearly, homeschooled kids miss out on some good stuff -- but so, I would argue, do public schooled kids. The question is not, "Does public school have value?" Of course it does! The question for us is, "Does the value of public school justify the huge amount of time it demands?" For us, the answer was, "no."

Some of my best friends are public school teachers and although one of them wasn't too sure about homeschooling early on, at this point they all agree that our kids are not missing out. Some kids revel in the public school experience. Other kids... don't. And I think good school teachers have a pretty good idea which kid is which.

Since I am in Illinois and saw Quad Cities, thought she was speaking of private schools playing at public schools in Illinois, which would never be allowed...

Thankfully our schools don't allow that garbage, if you want to play on our teams, heck yeah you better show up each day from 8-3:10.. It's a school team!!

 

[gladdiola]

Just wanted to applaud those of you succesfully homeschooling your kids. It's something I would like to do, but both DH and I have to work to pay for services for autistic DS6. Have DS6 in public school and DD4 & DD5 in Montessori school, which they love and are excited to return to in the fall.

My son is actually quite secluded in public school, he's in a class with 4 other autistic students from ages 5 to 10, and 3 teachers. Twice a week, 2 families come in with their homeschooled children to work with the kids. I love seeing how well-rounded they are and that their parents want them to have this type of exposure to special needs kids says a lot about their level of kindness, compassion and patience. I have quite a few co-workers whose children are homeschooled and I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from kids who attend a public school. They have plenty of opportunities to socialize with peers in city/private youth athletics, gymnastics, dance, church, art classes, etc. It's a wonderful thing to be able to individualize your child's education based on his/her needs (which is why I chose Montessori). Kudos to all of you making it work and getting to enjoy all that quality time with your kids.

 

[Granny square]

I agree that exposure to kids and people who are different (ability, race, religion or politics) is wonderful for kids and adults alike. that is one of the reason I am partial to not being involved in a peer/ability segregated system. But I do know some homeschool families who sequester themselves.

 

[OHmomof2]

So you come up with one football player (who is quirky and laughed at by most of the sports world), one person I have never heard of and a set of tennis twins...

How about a kid I tried to get to play high school football several years ago, was our best 8th grade player, but mom didn't want him to go to school with other kids... Of that 8th grade team, 4 kids signed full ride scholarships, the homeschooled kid was better than all of them and he never went to college because his family couldn't afford it..

There are a lot of reasons why parents have chosen to homeschool their children. There are also many people who will mistakenly doubt that any success can come to a child if they do not attend public school. This list include famous people who were homeschooled at some point in their educational lives and include both historical and modern homeschoolers.

Artists

Many artists were homeschooled, including Leonardo da Vinci, Caude Money, Grandma Moses, and Rembrandt Peale.

Athletes

Do you think homeschoolers are not good at sports or think there is no way they could ever succeed being an athlete? Tyler Baze, Mallery Code, Bobby Convey, Marie Fjordholm, Eric Jackson, Gabe Jennings, Kinsley Johnson-Hable, Jeny Keim, Michelle Kwan, Johnathan Loe, Ryan Lusk, Thumper Nagasako, Graeme Pitts, Brittany Reitz, Laura Robson, Jason Taylor, Tim Tebow, Darrell Waltrip, Rebecca Ward, Brianna Weissman as well as the famous tennis pros Serena and Venus Williams were all homeschooled.

Writers

Famous authors and book writers that were homeschooled include Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Atwood, Hans Christian Anderson, Stefan Merrill Block, Pearl S. Buck, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Robert Frost, Alex Haley, Makayla Holden, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Paolini, Beatrix Potter, Jedidiah Purdy, George Bernard Shaw, Adora Svitak, Mark Twain, Phillis Wheatley, and Virginia Woolf.

Business

Homeschooling nurtured the business savvy minds of Andrew Carnegie, Aaron Fessler, Patricia Fripp, Samuel Jero, Ray Kroc, Joseph Pulitzer, Colonel Harland Sanders, and Dave Thomas.

Internet

Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia was homeschooled.

Educators

Famous educators that were homeschooled include Ben Bolger, Professor at College of William and Mary Joyce Reed, former Associate Dean of the College, Brown University.

Mathematicians

Erik Demaine, a famous mathematician was homeschooled.

Composers and Musicians

Homeschooling does not mean that students do not learn to appreciate music. Famous composers that were homeschooled include 3 members of the Nickel Creek Band, Berlin, Billy Contreras, Josh Layne, Joanna MacGregor, Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Paskowitz, and John Philip Sousa.

Also, Michele Bolton was 17 years old when she was invited to play her French Horn at Carnegie Hall.

Performing Artists

Famous performing artists that were homeschooled include ballet dancer David Tamaki, actress Hailee Steinfeld, and actor Emile Hirsch. Lisa Whelchel, Spencer Breslin, Abigail Breslin and Tyler Hoechlin, all actors were also homeschooled. The son of actress Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, is also homeschooled.

Entertainers

Many people are under the assumption that homeschoolers do not have the skills to socialize. I think these famous entertainers, their parents, their agents, and their accountants would disagree with you. Famous homeschooled entertainers include Christina Aguilera, Alan Alda, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, Hilary Duff, Dakota Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, the Hanson boys, Jennifer Love Hewitt, LeAnne Rimes, and Justin Timberlake

Explorers

For those that think that homeschoolers are sheltered, just take a look at famous explorers who were homeschooled, including Davy Crockett and George Rogers Clark.

Inventors

If it weren't for these famous homeschooled inventors, you might still be living in the dark. Famous homeschooled inventors include Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Cyrus McCormick, Eli Whitney as well as Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Military Leaders

There are many famous military leaders that were homeschooled, including Stonewall Jackson, John Paul Jones, Douglas MacArthur, Matthew Perry, and George Patton.

Photographers

Ansel Adams, one of the most famous photographers in history, was homeschooled.

Presidents

There is a long list of presidents that were homeschooled, including John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Grover Cleveland, James Garfield, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, John Tyler, George Washington, and Woodrow Wilson.

Religious Leaders

One of the reasons some parents homeschool is for religious reasons. Famous religious leaders that were homeschooled include Joan of Arc, William Carey, Dwight L. Moody, John & Charles Wesley, and Brigham Young.

Scientists

Homeschooling allows students interested in a particular subject to learn and practice it as long as they like. Famous homeschooled scientists include George Washington Carver, Pierre Curie, Albert Einstein, Blaise Pascal, and Booker T. Washington.

Statesmen

Famous homeschooled statesmen include William Jennings Bryan, Winston Churchill, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, Daniel Webster, and William Penn.

United States Supreme Court Judges

The law is another area where there is a lot of famous homeschoolers. Famous U.S. Supreme Court Judges include John Jay, John Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, and John Rutledge.

Activists & Others

Homeschooling gives students who have a passion, a calling, or who want to pursue their own intersts instead of simply memorizing dates. News anchor Peter Jennings dropped out of his public high school and spent the remainder of his teen years being homeschooled.

Also homeschooled was Rebecca "Becky" Ogle, Disabilities Activist. Becky was appointed Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities in 1998.

Reed Colfax, a top attorney was homeschooled. Reed practices primarily in Civil Rights Litigation and has represented those in housing, public accommodations, and employment discrimination cases. His parents, David & Micki Colfax have written several books on homeschooling.

Women

There are plenty of famous women who do not fall in the above categories, including:

Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams

Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross

Florence Nightingale, nurse

Martha Washington, wife of George Washington

Susan B. Anthony, women's rights leader

Teresa Scanlan, Miss USA 2011 Winner

 

[Junebugwv]

......Artists

Many artists were homeschooled, including Leonardo da Vinci, Caude Money, Grandma Moses, and Rembrandt Peale.

Athletes

Do you think homeschoolers are not good at sports or think there is no way they could ever succeed being an athlete? Tyler Baze, Mallery Code, Bobby Convey, Marie Fjordholm, Eric Jackson, Gabe Jennings, Kinsley Johnson-Hable, Jeny Keim, Michelle Kwan, Johnathan Loe, Ryan Lusk, Thumper Nagasako, Graeme Pitts, Brittany Reitz, Laura Robson, Jason Taylor, Tim Tebow, Darrell Waltrip, Rebecca Ward, Brianna Weissman as well as the famous tennis pros Serena and Venus Williams were all homeschooled.

Writers

Famous authors and book writers that were homeschooled include Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Atwood, Hans Christian Anderson, Stefan Merrill Block, Pearl S. Buck, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Robert Frost, Alex Haley, Makayla Holden, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Paolini, Beatrix Potter, Jedidiah Purdy, George Bernard Shaw, Adora Svitak, Mark Twain, Phillis Wheatley, and Virginia Woolf.

Business

Homeschooling nurtured the business savvy minds of Andrew Carnegie, Aaron Fessler, Patricia Fripp, Samuel Jero, Ray Kroc, Joseph Pulitzer, Colonel Harland Sanders, and Dave Thomas.

Internet

Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia was homeschooled.

Educators

Famous educators that were homeschooled include Ben Bolger, Professor at College of William and Mary Joyce Reed, former Associate Dean of the College, Brown University.

Mathematicians

Erik Demaine, a famous mathematician was homeschooled.

Composers and Musicians

Homeschooling does not mean that students do not learn to appreciate music. Famous composers that were homeschooled include 3 members of the Nickel Creek Band, Berlin, Billy Contreras, Josh Layne, Joanna MacGregor, Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Paskowitz, and John Philip Sousa.

Also, Michele Bolton was 17 years old when she was invited to play her French Horn at Carnegie Hall.

Performing Artists

Famous performing artists that were homeschooled include ballet dancer David Tamaki, actress Hailee Steinfeld, and actor Emile Hirsch. Lisa Whelchel, Spencer Breslin, Abigail Breslin and Tyler Hoechlin, all actors were also homeschooled. The son of actress Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, is also homeschooled.

Entertainers

Many people are under the assumption that homeschoolers do not have the skills to socialize. I think these famous entertainers, their parents, their agents, and their accountants would disagree with you. Famous homeschooled entertainers include Christina Aguilera, Alan Alda, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, Hilary Duff, Dakota Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, the Hanson boys, Jennifer Love Hewitt, LeAnne Rimes, and Justin Timberlake

Explorers

For those that think that homeschoolers are sheltered, just take a look at famous explorers who were homeschooled, including Davy Crockett and George Rogers Clark.

Inventors

If it weren't for these famous homeschooled inventors, you might still be living in the dark. Famous homeschooled inventors include Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Cyrus McCormick, Eli Whitney as well as Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Military Leaders

There are many famous military leaders that were homeschooled, including Stonewall Jackson, John Paul Jones, Douglas MacArthur, Matthew Perry, and George Patton.

Photographers

Ansel Adams, one of the most famous photographers in history, was homeschooled.

Presidents

There is a long list of presidents that were homeschooled, including John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Grover Cleveland, James Garfield, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, John Tyler, George Washington, and Woodrow Wilson.

Religious Leaders

One of the reasons some parents homeschool is for religious reasons. Famous religious leaders that were homeschooled include Joan of Arc, William Carey, Dwight L. Moody, John & Charles Wesley, and Brigham Young.

Scientists

Homeschooling allows students interested in a particular subject to learn and practice it as long as they like. Famous homeschooled scientists include George Washington Carver, Pierre Curie, Albert Einstein, Blaise Pascal, and Booker T. Washington.

Statesmen

Famous homeschooled statesmen include William Jennings Bryan, Winston Churchill, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, Daniel Webster, and William Penn.

United States Supreme Court Judges

The law is another area where there is a lot of famous homeschoolers. Famous U.S. Supreme Court Judges include John Jay, John Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, and John Rutledge.

Activists & Others

Homeschooling gives students who have a passion, a calling, or who want to pursue their own intersts instead of simply memorizing dates. News anchor Peter Jennings dropped out of his public high school and spent the remainder of his teen years being homeschooled.

Also homeschooled was Rebecca "Becky" Ogle, Disabilities Activist. Becky was appointed Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities in 1998.

Reed Colfax, a top attorney was homeschooled. Reed practices primarily in Civil Rights Litigation and has represented those in housing, public accommodations, and employment discrimination cases. His parents, David & Micki Colfax have written several books on homeschooling.

Women

There are plenty of famous women who do not fall in the above categories, including:

Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams

Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross

Florence Nightingale, nurse

Martha Washington, wife of George Washington

Susan B. Anthony, women's rights leader

Teresa Scanlan, Miss USA 2011 Winner

Right, but were they sheltered?