I respectfully disagree and this is why.

I have a friend whose daughter has dyslexia. She could not read until her mom pulled her out of public school and home schooled her.

I have another friend whose son was getting bullied constantly. He’s a nerdy kid, but really nice. She went to the principle several times, nothing worked. She home schools her child.

I’ve read of African Americans and Hispanics whose kids are stuck in failing public schools. They can’t afford private schools and their kids are not learning in public schools.

I myself am a child of immigrants. If I’d had kids I would have either sent them to a Montessori school or home schooled because I would want my children to be independent thinkers and I value academics. It’s amazing the number of public school teachers who send their kids to private school and the politicians who do so as well.

An agnostic friend of mine adopted a daughter. He and his wife are highly educated — both have PhDs. Thy are also white, the daughter is black. She was born to a drug-addicted mom so she had behavioral issues. They home-schooled. Despite her issues, the girl is really bright. By the time she was 10 she was trilingual (English, Spanish, German), played the piano and sang beautifully, was working on algebra and was involved in gymnastics. Now she is 16 and absolutely a confident, lovely young lady. She is fluent in several languages and has decided to spend a year in Germany with friends before college. Yes, she will be going to college at 17.

Another friend of mine who chose to home-school her kids is very religious, but her children are regularly exposed to many types of people. They have attended a Muslim friend’s wedding ceremony in a mosque, they have friends of all races. And, their kids are very advanced academically. Their younger daughter just graduated high school at 16 and has been taking college courses before she goes to college.

In Indiana, where I lived at one point, I remember doing some research on this because I was intrigued at the time. Public school teachers were paid about 40% more than private school teachers yet the outcomes were much worse. On average, kids in private and parochial schools read 2 years above their public school counterparts.

For parents who value education, there is a real reason to home-school. And, frankly, historically, the children of the wealthy were always home-schooled, often with private tutors. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson — most of our founding fathers were home-schooled. The US public school system was based on the Prussian model. That was great for producing compliance, not so much at academics.

If I had children, I would want them to ask questions, to feel free to challenge authority and not simply follow in lockstep. The kids I have met who are home-schooled are some of the most mature, independent thinkers I know.

The older daughter of the neighbor I mentioned started her own business at 14. This is only a middle class family — the father is a nurse. The oldest son also started his own business, at 12. These kids are very well behaved and very self-empowered. They are religious, but they are also aware of the world around them and interact with many types of people.