When did homeschooling become a "thing"

AMetts
Posts
1160
Joined
6/15/2022
Location
Lincolnton, NC US
2/6/2026 6:43am

I think a lot of people would probably prefer to homeschool their kids but making enough money to support children off of one income these days has got to be tough. 

14
1
JMR1976
Posts
1123
Joined
5/15/2015
Location
Aptos, CA US
2/6/2026 7:08am
Timo wrote:
Do you have any actual proof of kids acting like cats? I have been commissioning HVAC systems in several school districts since these claims came out...

Do you have any actual proof of kids acting like cats? I have been commissioning HVAC systems in several school districts since these claims came out and have seen zero kids shitting in litter boxes. I've seen pride flags, but also trump flags. Personally I don't really care or see why either are an issue. The biggest problem with schools these days are trying to keep extremest people in the public happy while maintaining a stable curriculum as school boards swing from one extreme to the other. People crying over flags or books they don't like that go to school board meetings and bitch about trivial things are the issue. 

Proof? He heard it on the internet so it has to be true. lol

5
4
HonDawg17
Posts
3738
Joined
2/8/2014
Location
Louisville, KY US
Fantasy
2/6/2026 7:31am
HonDawg17 wrote:
Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest"...

Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest". Because real parents won't allow their kids to be so stupid.

Timo wrote:
How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't...

How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't around back in the day, who would have thrown the tea into the bay? 

These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen. Not one of those kids could tell you why they are doing what they're doing. That's not protesting, that's skipping school. AND they're going against the people who are trying to get the pedos that want to harm THEM off the streets. They're literally protesting against their saviors. I hope the schools actually hold every kid accountable for their actions by lowering their grades for being tardy and skipping school. That's all they're doing.

9
12
RDnutz
Posts
558
Joined
2/13/2021
Location
Dolores, CO US
2/6/2026 7:42am

Child actors have been "homeschooled" for at least 1/2 a century, but the schooling is done at the worksite where they film.

2
1

The Shop

Mcflurry98
Posts
234
Joined
7/30/2020
Location
Canton, GA US
2/6/2026 7:42am
crt32 wrote:
Schools are not what they were back in the day. Now you have teachers with pride flags, group of kids who think theyre cats, and no...

Schools are not what they were back in the day. Now you have teachers with pride flags, group of kids who think theyre cats, and no critical thinking allowed. You have kids walking out for democrat protest and teachers sleeping with students. Homeschooling has nothing to do with motocross and is more about keeping kids away from the garbage system. 

Yes. There is a lot of garbage out there. And I don’t agree with almost any of it. However….

Pulling your kids away from it and sheltering them will only rob them of the opportunity to learn how to interact with people who think differently than them.  That’s a life skill that kids need to not be sheltered from developing. 

Coming from a father of 2 kids. So I understand the crux of the situation between influencing your kids and them being influenced by others.

3
1
2/6/2026 7:44am
HonDawg17 wrote:
These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen...

These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen. Not one of those kids could tell you why they are doing what they're doing. That's not protesting, that's skipping school. AND they're going against the people who are trying to get the pedos that want to harm THEM off the streets. They're literally protesting against their saviors. I hope the schools actually hold every kid accountable for their actions by lowering their grades for being tardy and skipping school. That's all they're doing.

Absolutely, public schools now days are all about indoctrination.

10
6
Boxvan446
Posts
229
Joined
3/4/2009
Location
Burlington, WI US
2/6/2026 7:45am

I remember the late 90s early 2000s hearing about it.  Fast forward 15ish years and my wife asked me about home schooling our kids.  I was hesitant at first, but now after doing it for almost 10 years, I can't imagine doing it any other way.  We don't race, so we didn't do it so little Jimmy could be the next Jett.  My wife was a teacher and would often comment about how broken the public school system is.  She saw the need for change and made it happen.  We are in a home school group with about 8-9 other families, collectively about 30-40 kids.  I think our kids problem solving and communication skills are above their peers in the public school sector.   I'll admit it's not for everybody, but it has been a very positive change for our family. 

21
Chuck_Nice
Posts
76
Joined
1/31/2011
Location
Indianapolis, IN US
2/6/2026 7:52am

Is there any qualification required to become a home school teacher?

RDnutz
Posts
558
Joined
2/13/2021
Location
Dolores, CO US
2/6/2026 7:56am
Chuck_Nice wrote:

Is there any qualification required to become a home school teacher?

not crazy, or twisted abusers like Turpin parents?

devotid
Posts
815
Joined
12/16/2018
Location
Saginaw, MI US
2/6/2026 8:00am

On a side note: Homeschooling metal shop class would have sucked at my house. My dad was a wood ONLY guy and didnt own ANY metal working tools. 😆 I learned to weld, do body work and run a CNC machine by the age of 17 because of my amazing shop teacher. (Thanks Mr Mendoza. I owe you big time).

7
2
HonDawg17
Posts
3738
Joined
2/8/2014
Location
Louisville, KY US
Fantasy
2/6/2026 8:01am
Chuck_Nice wrote:

Is there any qualification required to become a home school teacher?

Probably a diploma and stable home conditions. That's it. The state sends the paperwork for the curriculum needed to pass each grade. The parent just has to teach the child to understand what it is they're working on.

1
stillwelding
Posts
3235
Joined
1/22/2007
Location
Santa Clarita, CA US
2/6/2026 8:03am
devotid wrote:

In before this thread gets all whooped and rutted out... 

😀

1
Kyle978
Posts
1693
Joined
10/7/2013
Location
Dirt, NM US
2/6/2026 8:05am

A quick conversation with some of these mutants will show there's more "no-schooling" than homeschooling taking place.

7
5
joshd
Posts
686
Joined
3/17/2016
Location
Lucedale, MS US
2/6/2026 8:09am
HonDawg17 wrote:
Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest"...

Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest". Because real parents won't allow their kids to be so stupid.

Timo wrote:
How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't...

How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't around back in the day, who would have thrown the tea into the bay? 

HonDawg17 wrote:
These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen...

These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen. Not one of those kids could tell you why they are doing what they're doing. That's not protesting, that's skipping school. AND they're going against the people who are trying to get the pedos that want to harm THEM off the streets. They're literally protesting against their saviors. I hope the schools actually hold every kid accountable for their actions by lowering their grades for being tardy and skipping school. That's all they're doing.

Let me guess, boomer?

13
2/6/2026 8:10am
Boxvan446 wrote:
I remember the late 90s early 2000s hearing about it.  Fast forward 15ish years and my wife asked me about home schooling our kids.  I was...

I remember the late 90s early 2000s hearing about it.  Fast forward 15ish years and my wife asked me about home schooling our kids.  I was hesitant at first, but now after doing it for almost 10 years, I can't imagine doing it any other way.  We don't race, so we didn't do it so little Jimmy could be the next Jett.  My wife was a teacher and would often comment about how broken the public school system is.  She saw the need for change and made it happen.  We are in a home school group with about 8-9 other families, collectively about 30-40 kids.  I think our kids problem solving and communication skills are above their peers in the public school sector.   I'll admit it's not for everybody, but it has been a very positive change for our family. 

This . 


Also - 

I have a middle child who chooses to go to public school and a youngest and eldest who choose to homeschool. 

It’s a bummer seeing the middle one kept indoors all day on a beautiful day while we are outside doing awesome shit .

1
2/6/2026 8:11am
HonDawg17 wrote:
Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest"...

Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest". Because real parents won't allow their kids to be so stupid.

I went to rock& roll high school it was a Blast. 10th grade was last yr of bball if your a star your treated like a God. And get away with anything. My Mom worked 3-11 so I had 1/2 barrel parties on wed nights. Haha .  The Badgers rented a tour bus to bring me down. I said I wanted my team & a lot of girls to go too. A couple other colleges all the attention felt great at the time. 11,12th grade everyone was out of control partying & smoken hash in school.  In 8th grade hs kids said bring your albums & dj with me. Our hs had a radio station on cable tv , cable tv was new, that was fun.  Basically we were Really wild the teachers had no control.  The auditorium was packed for in school suspension . We skip out & go see gf,s from other schools , they had a better cafeteria or go skiing . Haha 

7
2
HonDawg17
Posts
3738
Joined
2/8/2014
Location
Louisville, KY US
Fantasy
2/6/2026 8:16am
Timo wrote:
How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't...

How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't around back in the day, who would have thrown the tea into the bay? 

HonDawg17 wrote:
These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen...

These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen. Not one of those kids could tell you why they are doing what they're doing. That's not protesting, that's skipping school. AND they're going against the people who are trying to get the pedos that want to harm THEM off the streets. They're literally protesting against their saviors. I hope the schools actually hold every kid accountable for their actions by lowering their grades for being tardy and skipping school. That's all they're doing.

joshd wrote:

Let me guess, boomer?

No. But let me guess you. Gen Z?

3
1
Sandusky26
Posts
3385
Joined
7/28/2021
Location
Eastern, NC US
2/6/2026 8:23am
Kyle978 wrote:

A quick conversation with some of these mutants will show there's more "no-schooling" than homeschooling taking place.

All of my friends who were homeschooled had trouble adapting to the real world. They don't let there kids ride, nor do they ride. I wouldn't home school my kid. He needs to learn how to deal with people that are different than him.

10
3
mark_swart
Posts
2524
Joined
11/2/2011
Location
Chapin, SC US
2/6/2026 8:27am
crt32 wrote:
Schools are not what they were back in the day. Now you have teachers with pride flags, group of kids who think theyre cats, and no...

Schools are not what they were back in the day. Now you have teachers with pride flags, group of kids who think theyre cats, and no critical thinking allowed. You have kids walking out for democrat protest and teachers sleeping with students. Homeschooling has nothing to do with motocross and is more about keeping kids away from the garbage system. 

Pretty sure that protest is a healthy part of democracy… you just don’t agree with what they are protesting about.

3
8
alien
Posts
123
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
US
2/6/2026 8:30am

Most parents of home schooled kids don't actually do the teaching they subscribe to a program like Abeka or something similar. Back in our day that involved  making sure your kid sat down and watched the DVD's of a teacher in a real classroom of a private school. My child was home schooled up until high school then attended  a private Christian high school. She is about to graduate college with a 4.0 gpa. in accounting. Yes, I did have to cut way back on racing to pay for it. 

3
1
mica.lagross
Posts
135
Joined
11/8/2015
Location
Skowhegan, ME US
2/6/2026 8:32am Edited Date/Time 2/6/2026 8:35am

We homeschool, it started during COVID when the schools would close for weeks at a time here and they weren't sending any packets of work or anything. So we have been homeschooling since then with 4 of our 5 kids, (one is only 3). That being said, they are all still highly involved with sports and other school events, so they're not in a bubble and missing out. Our oldest, a freshman in HS, goes to public school every other day for Science labs, foreign language and wood shop. We also have them take all of the beginning and end of year testing, where they have been scoring higher than 95% of their classmates. Their friends in middle school and high school have almost said that we do more school work, being homeschooled, than they do in actual school. Obviously this can be dependent on school/location around the nation. 

Also, we are lucky enough that I have a job that pays well enough where we can make this happen. I can see both sides to this debate, but if you're doing it right, homeschooling can be just as good or better. Or worse if you're unschooling.

7
RDnutz
Posts
558
Joined
2/13/2021
Location
Dolores, CO US
2/6/2026 8:35am

kids are getting "schooled" by their smart phones 24/7 365 these days. 

1
MOTO13
Posts
493
Joined
12/22/2017
Location
Elkhorn, WI US
2/6/2026 8:42am
HonDawg17 wrote:
Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest"...

Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest". Because real parents won't allow their kids to be so stupid.

Timo wrote:
How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't...

How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't around back in the day, who would have thrown the tea into the bay? 

99% of these fkng protesters don't even know why or wtf they're protesting about. Oh, they think they know, but most are so friggin clueless it sb illegal for them to steal oxygen. Peaceful, repectful protesting about something is one thing...burning down cities, buildings, standing in the road locking traffic, barging into churches and just general mayhem is something completely different. These fkng people have no business doing this and should have their asses thrown in prison. 

5
4
JAC
Posts
68
Joined
11/11/2016
Location
Memphis, TN US
2/6/2026 8:47am

We started hearing about MX related home-schooling in the early 2000's when our son was racing 50's.  Many of the top riders were doing it.  We saw parents try hard to make it work and we saw parents who did the opposite.  It's not impossible to make it work, but I personally think it's an incredibly bad idea.  Mainly due to the fact that most parents (not just MX parents) are not qualified to teach a child a full school-based curriculum and simultaneously provide the social development a quality school environment offers.  

Statistically, the odds of becoming a pro athlete are extremely small.  Less than 1%.  Ask your favorite LLM for the math.  It's not encouraging.  

So willfully choosing to forfeit the best path for your child's developing mind for the long-shot of any sport seems like a monumentally bad idea to me.

It's not a secret the public school system in many areas is terrible.  We chose a private school.  Yes, private schools are expensive, but it was MUCH less expensive than any year we raced MX.  

 

Joey Cartwright

 

1
1
Indy mxer
Posts
1824
Joined
6/15/2010
Location
The Villages, FL US
2/6/2026 8:50am Edited Date/Time 2/6/2026 8:51am
HonDawg17 wrote:
Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest"...

Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest". Because real parents won't allow their kids to be so stupid.

Timo wrote:
How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't...

How dare those kids go participate in a very American thing of protesting things they don't agree with! It's probably a good thing that homeschooling wasn't around back in the day, who would have thrown the tea into the bay? 

HonDawg17 wrote:
These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen...

These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen. Not one of those kids could tell you why they are doing what they're doing. That's not protesting, that's skipping school. AND they're going against the people who are trying to get the pedos that want to harm THEM off the streets. They're literally protesting against their saviors. I hope the schools actually hold every kid accountable for their actions by lowering their grades for being tardy and skipping school. That's all they're doing.

Exactly! 

I was in High School in th early 70's during the late stages of the Vietnam war. We did some walkouts as well, to "protest" the war.

We looked at it as an easy way to skip school that day. Yeah we wished the war would end, but it was much more about getting a day off. lol

Most of these kids protesting ICE are no different.

3
1
WhipMeister
Posts
5238
Joined
8/15/2006
Location
Big D, TX US
2/6/2026 8:59am

I don't have an opinion one way or the other. But do not think of Johnny sitting at the kitchen table with mom handling the flash cards. I think it's progressed a lot further than that. Homeschooling around here is impressively organized. I have served as a debate judge several times during an annual national competition for homeschooled kids. 1) There are hundreds of kids participating 2) They're very smart and grounded with their values and carry themselves very well.  3) They're highly organized. They have athletic leagues. They hire professional teachers (usually a student's parent, sometimes not) and conduct regular classes in public meeting places (e.g. hotel ballrooms).

I think the families of many aspirational athletes have the option to attend specialty private education forums married to their athletic pursuit. Ice skaters, gymnasts, etc, all have specialty academies that blend academics with specialty athletics.

3
seth505
Posts
10170
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
SD, CA US
2/6/2026 9:17am
HonDawg17 wrote:
Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest"...

Public schools are only good for making friends, and socializing. Nothing else. I bet you won't see a home schooled kid leaving class to go "protest". Because real parents won't allow their kids to be so stupid.

Plenty of public schools have great teachers who will help you excel if you have some motivation to do so.   

An understated advantage of public school in regard to socializing is learning about people who aren't exact replicas of yourself and your immediate family.   It is very beneficial to learning culture, street smarts, not getting punched in the face and not being ignorant to different perspectives. Protesting is a part of history in this country, all the way back to it's inception. They also teach this in public school.

As far as timeline, I remember even when I rode minis in the 90s there were kids being homeschooled.

7
2
mxpro252
Posts
459
Joined
11/15/2013
Location
WA US
2/6/2026 9:21am

Like a few others said, there’s a lot of really good home school curriculum packages out there now that are part of the reason home schooling in general is increasing. It’s definitely not what it was when I was a kid. 

2
joshd
Posts
686
Joined
3/17/2016
Location
Lucedale, MS US
2/6/2026 10:05am
HonDawg17 wrote:
These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen...

These kids aren't protesting. They're just skipping school and have zero clue what their doing. The teachers have clearly failed when they allow this to happen. Not one of those kids could tell you why they are doing what they're doing. That's not protesting, that's skipping school. AND they're going against the people who are trying to get the pedos that want to harm THEM off the streets. They're literally protesting against their saviors. I hope the schools actually hold every kid accountable for their actions by lowering their grades for being tardy and skipping school. That's all they're doing.

joshd wrote:

Let me guess, boomer?

HonDawg17 wrote:

No. But let me guess you. Gen Z?

No I’m 36. I do work with some Gen Z tho. Sure there are some zombies but these kids I work with are great hard working young men who just want to start a family. I get tired of the older generations talking about them like they are shit. These are your fellow Americans. We should be helping and guiding them not talking bad about them. 

1
1
lumpy790
Posts
11209
Joined
9/18/2007
Location
York, SC US
2/6/2026 10:11am Edited Date/Time 2/6/2026 10:15am

My guess is Kids and parents started chasing the amateur dream full time is probably when it exploded?

Pastrana was home schooled and he seemed to be pretty good socializing and he even took college classes too.

 

1

Post a reply to: When did homeschooling become a "thing"

The Latest