I have been hesitant to post on this subject mostly because it could get picked up by homeschooling apologists, misinterpreted, unread and commented on in a vitriolic manner. Please read the whole thing before you comment. Also visit my not so short list of reasons why we have chosen to homeschool.

Before continuing I want to give full disclosure to those reading this post that I am a proponent of homeschooling. Many on the internet have claimed to look for a list of homeschooling negatives. They have further complained that all they find is a set of straw men picked apart by people who are in favor of homeschooling and in the end they have not been given the balance they are looking for when researching their possible choice to homeschool. The straw man there, of course, is that those making a decision to homeschool are incapable of finding the negatives of a situation and commenting on them. I would think anyone who has made a big decision in their life can find fault with that logic. Most of us try to make decisions considering ALL of the available information before taking the plunge. Most homeschoolers have identified negatives and chosen to go ahead with it taking into consideration those negatives and dealing with them appropriately.

I have run this list by a small set of homeschooling parents and they would prefer for me to call them "challenges" or "things to think about". That is fair however we can call it whatever we want. People are searching on "homeschooling negatives". They want fair criticism of the choice. That is what I aim to offer here.

Second this list doesn't apply to all homeschooling families but individual items certainly can apply to some. In at least one case the "negative" seems to apply to all (#4).

Obviously these are open to discussion in fact I plan to comment on most myself.

Homeschooling negatives

1. With homeschooling you are removing yourself from the common experience of society.
2. Some talented athletes require a school to achieve their potential (I am thinking football mostly).
3. Homeschooling is difficult without solid support (at least in my experience -- the quality of the local co-op/support group makes a big difference).
4. You will be misunderstood and constantly have to defend your decision. You may even be criticized within homeschooling circles for curriculum choice etc.
5. Lack of peer competition. In some cases groups have less children of one age group than another.
6. Socializing (as opposed to socialization) - This is a practical problem for some families whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
7. Unexpected costs - For example, in our case this is the necessity to drive to most group functions resulting in high gas costs.
8. Access to high end lab equipment is easier in a school situation.
9. A Stanford professor who studied homeschooling determined lack of access to different teaching styles and viewpoints as his main criticism of homeschooling.
10. Dealing with curfew and truancy laws
11. Cost and access to good music and art lessons
12. One article I read cited the necessity of a parent staying home as a negative because of loss of income
13. Failed expectations in terms of the amount of time required to perform adequate instruction with some children
14. Failed expectations in terms of progress also becomes a burden
15. State and legal requirements can often be a burden especially in terms of documentation
16. Friction is often encountered if one should need/desire to enter the public school system for any reason after homeschooling
17. Housework becomes a lower priority. In some homes it is to be expected that it will not retain that museum like quality
18. I have heard homeschooling graduates complain about the amount of time spent with their parents.
19. I have heard homeschooling graduates complain about gaps in their education stemming from mistakes by their parents (curriculum choice etc)
20. All of us have heard of parents who had no business educating their children.
21. Interpersonal relationships do not cease in a homeschooling environment. You will find disagreeable people (bullies even) in a group.

Now obviously these need to be considered in light of the positives and possible solutions one can come up with to deal with these. Almost all homeschooling families for example, are not raising the next Barry Sanders,so #2 is likely not a huge concern for them. Still if someone WERE raising the next Barry Sanders in a homeschooling environment, the world would be deprived of his great talent because he was never in a system that allowed his talent to shine.

I have some comments on each of these in a post below this one in terms of my experience and situation.