Here's an essay from one of the kids in our homeschool group. He's 14.

Public school vs. Home school
Joel C., 8th grade
November 10, 2008
Compare and contrast essay

Imagine you have a choice to either go to public school or to home school. This is an essay comparing the two choices. At first it may seem that the two have nothing in common. Though they are very different, there are some things they both share.

Things that both choices have in common are recess, teaching, tests, and friends. Whether you go to a public or home school you will receive teaching. It wouldn’t be school without that. Tests are just a part of life, they are used to assess where you are, how much you know and what you need help in. Recess and outdoor time will happen in both settings, but probably a homeschooler will be outdoors more. Lastly, unless you are really shy, you can make friends in both school settings.

Although I don’t have any personal experience with public schools I have talked to some friends about it. They say there are bullies, lots of homework, and an 8-hour school day. You have to wake up early and catch the bus or walk to school. They say they have to sit still in a chair during class. If you finish early you end up having more work and you still have to sit in your chair. You have to haul a heavy backpack around the entire day. They also said the food in the cafeteria stinks, but that seems to be a generalization. Things they like about school are: they get to get away from their brothers and sisters, they get to hang out with friends after school or at lunch, they like some of their classes and they like being on the school football team.

I have been home schooled since kindergarten and it is great. I have been unschooled, unit studied, car schooled, used workbooks and now I use a virtual academy (which technically is a public school choice, but is used at home.) I have a 4-hour school day or less. I can do my schoolwork on a desk, couch, or outside. When I finish a lesson I can go on to the next lesson without waiting. I can take a field trip on a moments notice. I might learn art by going to a museum, or learn science outside instead of in a classroom. I don’t have to wake up early or catch a bus. Even though it drives my mom crazy I can sit any way I want to in my chair as long as I get my work done. Things I like about homeschooling are: I can move around during school, my dog can be in my chair while I do my work, I can sleep late, if I get done early I can work on CAP stuff or things relating to airplanes. I am in Civil Air Patrol and do search and rescue and learn how to fly planes, I couldn’t spend the amount I time I want to on that if I were in a regular school setting.

If you think that home schooling sounds great I have a word of advice for you. Your parents have to be on board with the choice, you can’t stay home alone and you need them to teach you. So, if you have a parent that would like to spend the day with you, teach you, put up with you and guide you in school, then maybe home schooling can be a great option for you. If you like sports and teams, want a structured approach to school and don’t mind sitting in a chair for long periods of time, maybe a brick and mortar public school is the best choice for you. Whatever your choice is, remember to be open to both kinds of schooling since you never know where your path will lead you.