Will My Child Be Ready For College?

Not too long ago, I was asked about homeschooling. The parent
was interested in if homeschooling would prepare children for the
large lecture classes in college.

Interesting question. I think I understand where it may have
been coming from, too. Does homeschooling leave a student less
prepared for the college classroom of 100 or more students?

What I’ve witnessed, personally, makes me think that homeschool
children are, on the whole, better prepared. Not just for
college, but for what comes after college. Life.

Some anecdotal support. My wife just came back from a homeschool
conference in Puyallup, Washington. Besides interested parents,
also attending were college recruiters. These recruiters were
making it very clear that they were seeking out homeschooled
students.

Why better prepared?

I suspect they, typically, learn to take their education into
their own hands. They are allowed to be self-learners. And when
it comes to success after college, self-learning is one of the
biggies!

In our family, we already see how strong self-learning is in our
daughters.

I am not saying all children in public and private schools are
doomed to needing spoon feeding. They aren’t. Parental
involvement has a huge impact.

Which is, of course, exactly what the homeschool experience
offers.

Don’t take my word for it. Just ask a college professor.
Especially, community college teachers. How well prepared are
their students for college classes?

My bet is that the experienced teachers will tell you something
that may (or, may not) surprise you. Over the course of their
careers they see students entering college being less and less
able to handle college level course work.

I’m not just making this up. I’ve had college teachers tell me
this personally. And they were not referring to children that
were home schooled!

I offer no suggestions as to how to fix education in America.

I will offer something else. Children are fully capable of
learning from the day they are born. It’s our job to provide the
resources, time, guidance and life experiences.

Then we just need to remember one thing. Stay out of their way!