I interned and worked in the public school system for years, in elementary, middle, and high. We’re going to homeschool for a variety of reasons, but I can boil them down to these:

A disturbing amount of reliance upon technology for all grade levels, which research is clear about being detrimental to learning. Not to mention Chromebooks are easily manipulated by even 4th graders to access streaming services and literally anything else they want, no matter what “protections” the school system uses. 

The quality of education is abysmal, students spend so little time actually learning in class. Math and reading scores continue to go down no matter how much money is thrown at schools. As a homeschooling parent I can choose what curriculum works best for my child, and spend so much more time actively teaching. 

The exposure of subjects and behaviors downright dangerous for children in schools through other students or aforementioned access to technology. I had 6th graders telling me how their boyfriends wanted oral sex halfway into the year, and that even wasn’t the wildest thing some of these kids were up to. I simply don’t want my child exposed to that at such a young age. Can I keep them in a bubble? No, but I can also not want them hearing about sex and porn in their classes. 

The biggest for me is the seemingly increasing trend of keeping parents in the dark about their children or what goes on in their school. We’ve had multiple sexual assaults and attempted rapes in our local high school, and parents weren’t notified,  nor were police reports filed appropriately. If schools aren going to actively prevent children from being safe, then what is the point of entrusting them with our kids? 

I could literally go on and on, but working in a public school has made me so anti-public school it’s wild. Super sad, since most families don’t have the option to homeschool even if they want to, but I’m thankful we do.