Actually, the "paper" is nigh on worthless in and of itself: college and grad skool work merely as a screening mechanism. As for net worth: I pursue it for its real purpose, i.e., expanding philanthropy (and a good roof, of course).
But what do I *really* think?
When my neighbors in my town, with its $100MM+ high school and over-touted test scores, ask in surprise why I homeschool, I usually give them some fluff about "doing what's right for each student," and "ensuring the children have sufficient outside activities," and "different students respond to different situations."
I am lying through my teeth.
The truth?
Public school is--for anyone with a freakin' SPARK of creativity, imagination, or intellect--a monumental waste of time, filled with illiterate drudges, left-wing idealogues, and sub-moronic wonks.
As for the students--even (or, perhaps, especially) in my affluent 'burb--they are effectively neglected, lacking in self-control and direction, and bordering on a Lord-of-the-Flies mob mentality. Parents should be held liable for their effective abdication of their responsibilities (usually done in pursuit of higher income).
Critics of homeschooling worry about "socialization??" Socialization is the very reason that I do NOT want my children in the public schools! The educational window is so short--why would I doom my children to a ritalin-infested rathole, an intellectual gethsemane or, for those of you in need of rock-n-roll translation, a "teenage wastelan."
[Full disclosure: one of my teens, of her own choosing, attends a private day school; the others--a bit younger--continue to opt to homeschool).
Public school, in most cases, prepares one for little more than remedial classes. Indeed, if a college degree were not required for entree into the business/academic/political world, I would urge my children to just skip it. (That said, they will likely pursue useful and meaningful courses of study instead of, say, journalism, sociology, education, women's studies, or whatever it is that most schlubs are waste their money on these days.)
But that's okay: Dentists need dental techs; lawyers need paralegals; and Stop & Shop is always hiring.
Just so you know: it feels...refreshing to spew here what, for obvious reasons, I choose not to spew publicly. Ready?
Yes, I look down on public schools, consider them LESS than worthless (i.e., actively detrimental). They are beneath the effort of my spitting on them.
My children work hard, play hard, and study hard--and have a good time at those activities. They maintain strong and healthy ties with family, friends, and various sports and social organizations (indeed, they are leaders in several). [And, before you spout some silliness about "gee, hope they're not d*cks like you," trust me: they're not.] Indeed, I praise G-d (yes, that one) every day for blessing me with such ill-deserved fortune. Whoda thunk a hick boy would make it this far, and all by his'n self?
But y'all keep proppin' that there Teachers' Union claptrap--and the so-schul-eye-zation tripe, drone. Go choke on your own bile.
What was it Mark Twain said? "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."
TTFN