What is your opinion of the rise in popularity of US homeschooling? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

There are probably many reasons why more people are choosing homeschooling over traditional public education. One reason might be ideological puritanism—that is, parents like mine who kept their children out of school so they would not be exposed to ideas that they, the parents, disagree with.

But there are other reasons a parent might consider homeschool. I think some people are frustrated with our public education system and feel that they could perhaps provide a better education for their children at home. In some cases, they may be right. My brother Tyler homeschools his children. He and his wife are devoted to it, and I’ve never seen such curious and knowledgeable children, and they are very well adjusted socially because their parents make sure they get exposure to other children.

When it comes to homeschool, my rule of thumb is this: if you want to homeschool your child, ask yourself why. If you want to limit their perspective so that they are only exposed to ideas that you agree with, I submit that your real motivation has nothing to do with education. That is about control. If, on the other hand, you really believe that you can provide a better education for your child than a public institution, then perhaps you can. And no doubt you will be careful and thoughtful about it, and you will know when your child has learned all you can teach him and needs something new.

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