Additional thoughts to March 5, 2010 post:
1. Common sense should tell us that socialization concerns are a straw man. Homeschooled children are generally much more appropriately socialized because they are socialized by adults, not other unsocialized children. I've watched the development of many from birth to adulthood/marriage/and children, and will testify to this emphatically. I also have reams of firsthand experience with my own children's social development.
2. The current trend to use video instruction seems very negative to me because it circumvents personal parent-child interaction, one of the premier advantages to homeschooling.
3. My husband and I never took money from the public school system, though offered, nor allowed them to monitor us because we do not believe their "in loco parentis" stance to be Biblical. It is not the Lord's intention for anyone to take the place of the parents.
4. Homeschool is very inexpensivie. I bought texts for kindergarten through 6th grade for around $600. It's probably 3 times that by now, or more, but one year of private school can easily cost from $3,000 - $18,000 per year.
5. I recommend ordering the Calvert School kindergarten curriculum, because it's like Christmas in a box. We used their craft supplies for over 10 years! They were plentiful and very high quality.
6. We tested every year to keep the relatives mollified, but this may not be necessary now that there is greater public acceptance. When our final two entered Kings Academy as 8th & 9th graders, they tested at college level.
7. I would be happy to demonstrate how I structured the morning to accommodate all ages. It's a lot easier than it sounds, and the instruction time only ran about 4 hours. The remainder of the day after lunch was free!
Though the above may sound like it (and I did absolutely love homeschooling and the way it impacted my sons), I don't think it is the only way to go. I will pray for you as you deliberate over the educations choices for your children and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
