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Comment by FatalBaboon | Hacker News Reader

Homeschooling is not a solution massively applicable, you cannot rest on the assumption that every parent is good teacher or can give reasonable access to the learning material required.

The diversity of people kids meet and clashes of opinions are important and cannot be fully experienced in a small scattered community of people that think alike. I learn a lot more from my ennemies than my friends.

Your comment read a lot like: "I was super privileged and it was great!" So great, in fact, that you forgot about your neighbours.

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It doesn't need to be. Furthermore, I don't think any/many homeschool parents would advocate that it should be the only alternative to public school. Right now, there are dozens of educational options available to parents from the most hands off (public school) to the most hands on (homeschooling) and everything in between (charter schools, Montessori, Waldorf, part-time school, no school, etc.). Each parent should at least look at the options available to them and make a decision based on their own circumstances and goals for their children, family, and themselves. At the same time, respect the decisions that others make that may not look like the decision that you make.

I agree with you that home school is not scalable, but for different reasons. We certainly cannot rest on the assumption that every teacher is a good teacher, and with a $40 internet connection and $500 computer, reasonable access to learning material is virtually guaranteed. Furthermore, I don't think the presence or absence of diversity will have much impact on the most desirable measurables of child rearing, which in my book are: ability to support one's self, being a good citizen (not stealing or hurting people), reading ability, and grasp of basic primary school subject matter.

The reason why home schooling is not scalable is that parents of under-performing students are predominantly poor, and are either single parents or if there are two of them, both need to work to make ends meet.

Have you heard of Khan Academy? You don't need a super-smart parent to teach you anything at all.

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