Home Schooling

Argus Leader:

University of Sioux Falls associate professor William Lugo thought home-schoolers might not be well-prepared for college. That is, until he met Daniel Haggar.  "Daniel changed my perception about home-schooled students," Lugo said.

At age 21, Daniel Haggar said most stereotypes people hold about home-schooling aren't true. Carrying a 3.7 GPA, the criminal justice and political science major attributes his study skills and motivation to the 12 years he spent studying at home.

And Lugo has seen the results of a healthy home-schooling experience.  "Before I met him, I had the perception that they would be a little stand-offish and not as prepared when they hit college. In Daniel's case, the opposite is true," Lugo said. "Daniel is more prepared. He always does his reading, always has his assignments done, is always at class and has a real passion for learning that you do not see in a lot of students."

Haggar said he learned at home how to be responsible for his own research and learning.  "When I was home-schooled, I was allowed to pursue what I wanted to learn ... I had to go to the Internet or library for sources to learn about it," he said.

According to a 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program, more than 1.1 million students in the United States are home-schooled.