I work in the oil field and for years I had a rotation offshore. When I was home, I'd get bored.

A friend of mine owned an Irish pub that served lunch and sometimes I'd join him at lunch to serve drinks, cokes, run food, and kill some time during the day.

There was a small band of home schoolers that would come in with their moms and eat.

These kids, around the age of 12, were very impressive. They were all well behaved and intelligent. But what stood out most to me was the ease at which they were around adults. Manners were the rule, not the exception. Ordering was smooth. And they didn't need to be glued to a smartphone for entertainment.

I send my kids to a small private school that has a home-school like atmosphere. But my wife and I have pledged to each other that if private school ends, homeschooling begins.

Great article.