[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by minn_stat

In contrast, consider a family I know very well that has been home schooling for quite a few years. I would love for my children to look up to this family as role models, to seek to be like them.

The oldest child is a sophomore at BYU, even though she is not yet 19 years old. She is on scholarship, is an A student, is an excellent flute player, and is active in sports. She is very friendly, interacts well with people of all ages, and shows a maturity and wisdom beyond her years.

The second is sixteen, and excels similarly in academics. She has received state-level accolades for her clarinet skills, and has participated in various sports as well. She is like her sister in her social/maturity levels.

The third, a boy, is 14, and is the best musician of them all. He is an accomplished pianist, a top-notch student, and a good basketball player. He has a bit of the moodiness often seen in teenagers at this age, but is for the most part a friendly, level-headed, and mature kid.

They also have three younger children that appear to be following in their older children's footsteps in most ways.

I know their parents focus on classical music and literature, but are not mullahs on keeping the influences of pop culture out of their home. None of these children seem very interested in pop culture, and all have a strong work ethic and good moral reasoning skills.

How did this happen, given that they are the product of a home school?

Tim Tebow was also homeschooled, but that doesn't make him representative. There is no "typical" homeschooling family. That's the whole point of the practice.

I would be more interested to hear about this family ten or twelve years down the road, when there's more evidence of what kind of decisions these kids made once they were away from the parents' sphere of influence.