text: why is there such an emphasis put against homeschooling because of lack of sports teams, cheerleading, etc.? i grew up in a small town in the northern boonies where we had very little in terms of sports teams, certainly no football team, no tennis teams or anything like that. there were only 2 high schools and the nearest high school outside of town was an 8-hour drive. we had cheerleaders for the hockey team (yes, believe it or not) and that was it. there wasn't much in terms of clubs and most people didn't participate in any of this. i certainly didn't.  there are tons of people who grew up and are currently growing up in similar situations. if the supposed lack of teams and clubs is a valid reason to say that people shouldn't homeschool, then logic would dictate that nobody should live in a small town, especially not in the boonies, nor should they live in any city around the world where these things might not be available.  are those putting down homeschoolers because of the lack of team sports also willing to put down those who choose to live in places where there are no team sports? i agree with your point, but that's the problem. those that argue against homeschooling, do not do the research to back up their standpoint, and that is ignorant. someone on here said that they sit in a classroom and aren't distracted?! was my school the only one in the world who's students passed notes back and forth when the teacher's backs were turned, were obsessed with who was dating who, who dumped who, what was going on that weekend... instead of paying attention in class? for the record, when you're working with your child one on one, you don't need six hours of school a day. 2-3 is adequate enough. how can you get distracted with only 2-3 hours of school a day? even if you're having a sick day you can manage to work 2-3 hours, no problem. do the research before you talk. i never participated in school sports, thought they were retarded. i didn't like team activities, because unless you're really good at it, you get harassed by the ones who do... they're the ones with the attitudes. and, imagine that... i never participated in sports, never went to dances,etc. where all the drama was, yet i was able to be successful in every job i had and be a team player. hmmm, maybe maturity has more to do with being a team player than being on a sports team. stupid analogy for a teacher, you think you'd come up with something better than that. if my children decide they want to compete, there are plenty of city sports, karate classes, dance classes, all that compete and often go to other areas to do it, competing nationally. also, some schools work with homeschoolers instead of against them and allow the students to go to school just for p.e. and sports. there are more opportunities when you're homeschooled than in a public school. yes, i went to a 'normal' school growing up, and that's what made me decide on homeschooling. if 'normal' means backstabbing each other, lying, stealing, cheating, being self-centered, slacking off responsibility, and being constantly in a popularity contest, i don't want anything to do with it, and i certainly don't want my kids being 'normal' in that respect. because that is not a representation of real life when they graduate. you act like that on a job and you won't have a job anymore. school is nothing like the work force. we all get to pick what jobs we do, where we work, if we work. you don't get those options in school, you're stuck. at home, as long as the kids get the work done it really doesn't matter what hours they're doing it. if they have a bad day (my child is autistic, bad days happen and it's pointless to work on them), nobody is going to give him a bad mark because they're mad that they didn't get paid for him to be there, he simply picks it up the next day. there's much more choices for homeschooled kids then public, or even private. do the research or don't bother to answer the questions.