[originaltext] A new school year has begun in America. But some children do

A new school year has begun in America. But some children do not go to school. Instead, they learn at home, usually with parents as teachers. Educational companies, libraries, school systems and the internet provide families with teaching material. Homeschooling is increasingly popular. Homeschooling groups estimate that two-million children, around two percent, learned at home in 1985. The government estimate was 2.5 million in 2001. Some parents choose homeschooling because of their religious beliefs. Others say it provides more time for the family to be together. Many parents also believe homeschooling avoids problems of a lot of traditional schools. One problem is classes with too many students.
    Critics say children need to attend school with other children to help them learn things like social skills. They also say that me homeschooled children do not get a very good education.
    All fifty states and the District of Columbia permit homeachcoling. Some, however, require more preparation of parents. Homeschooling is as old as the country. In farm areas, people often lived far from a school. So their parents had to teach them at home. In 1852, there were about 50,000 children studying at home, so the state of Massachusetts passed the first law to require all children to attend school and limited support was given to children in the farm areas.