This question is often asked of me by homeschooled students and their parents, usually when the student is between 16 and 17. “I mean, after all, I have been doing great so far. I have found so many amazing learning opportunities through the Internet. I’ve been taking on-line courses from Harvard, even! There are some really interesting people in our community that I’ve been talking about literature with, including a former professor from Occidental. I’ve even had research opportunities through the local community college, and I’m very involved and committed to some community service projects here in town that I’ve been working on for several years. I can’t imagine abandoning them. So why college? I just don’t see the point!” Parents say, “Why send him to a place where he is likely to feel a bit like a fish out of water, because he probably doesn’t share the social values of most of the students there? And besides, we love having him around! We are having a great time, learning together!"

Well, that’s all true, and as a parent of five homeschoolers (now all college graduates), I understand those sentiments very, very well. Homeschoolers learn so effectively and so much without the confines of the regular elementary/high schooling experience. They have freedom of time without classes; they aren’t subjected to comparisons (their own or their teachers’) with other children/teens....