I grew up on Signal Mountain and we had a neighboring family who made decision to home school all of their 4 or 5 kids. Both were Christian to th e point of being just strange - but they sincerely believed that homeschooling was the right decision because they would have the ultimate influence over what and how their kids were learning.

In college, years after moving off the mountain, I ran into a few of the kids and even the parents at one point. As it turned out, every one of their kids was a punked out, dope smoking, lazy piece of crap. The parents were both lawyers and very smart - the mom gave up her career to raise the kids while the dad continued his practice - so the way the kids turned out in no way reflected who the parent's character.

The parents simply had no clue what they were doing. They weren't teachers and had no business attempting to imitate teachers. I believe that being prepared to send your kids to the best schools possible (i.e. private) is necessary for a quality education. Attempting to homeschool kids without prior experience or proper counseling is irresponsible.

This is just my opinion and those neighbors could very well be the exception.

I have a couple of thoughts in response to Joshua's comments. First, David's article, and his outrage (which I share) over it, regard the issue of parental versus governmental authority over children. A government should absolutely not have the right to take children from their parents because of a disagreement on how well the children are being brought up. It is much too subjective a matter.
The family you cited probably had issues that went beyond the educational arrangement the parents chose. Ultimately, how a child "turns out" (though hopefully this end does not occur in his college years) is a matter of God's sovereignty.
I do think home-based education is ideal when it doesn't just move the classroom and the workbooks to the home, but it allows a child to learn in the context of life and literature, ideas and experiences. To borrow from the ideas of Charlotte Mason, education is not about filling a child's mind, but acknowledging that a child's mind is a tool to be utilized in the (lifelong) pursuit of learning. This does require commitment from parents. Not all parents should do it, but it's great when they attempt to do what they regard is best, out of love for their children. That is parenting.

Well said, although your statement "Ultimately, how a child 'turns out'...is a matter of God's sovereignty" scares me a little. If you're saying that it is the parents who, through God's power, have equipped themselves with the proper tools and mindset to educate a child then yes, I agree. If on the other hand you're saying that sometimes a child will turn out to be a punk despite the parents' best efforts then I'd have to emphatically disagree.

Joshua, what I believe you're discussing here is parental responsibility in the context of God's sovereignty. I believe that God's will is supreme, no matter the parents' best efforts or dismal irresponsibility. That does not give anybody less responsibility to do what is right, just the freedom to relinquish control over the outcome to the one who is the source of perfect love.

This relates to another point I should have mentioned earlier. Every parent is responsible for his child's education. A homeschooling parent takes a more active role in this, but even parents who send their children to public or private schools are not replacing themselves. They are still the most influential teachers their children have.

Joshua, some times a child WILL turn out to be a "punk" in spite of all of the parents' best efforts. That's one of the truly terrifying things about being a parent. (I don't believe what BS a Gothard-ite may try to interject at this point; those people ARE punks.)

And keep in mind that ones early 20s do not necessarily portend the end of the story. I'm a pastor's kid, and my brother went so far around the bend for a while that we thought he was past our reach.

But just a few Sundays ago, I went to see him and his wife join a church (affirming their faith in the process) and baptize their child. (My mom was in tears, but that's another story.)

God is never finished with us, and much praise for that.