I currently do not homeschool, but have researched it some. What really turned me on was a book by Lisa Whelchel, "So you're thinking about home schooling." It never occurred to me that kids spend almost 4 hours a day waiting on 24 other kids to go to the bathroom, get a drink, get their lunch, etc., and that they can use that 4 hours a day to just be a kid!

Now if I can only get my DH on the bandwagon. My MIL was a public school teacher for 30 years, so you can imagine his response. 

Over the years I have had friends who taught at public schools. Most of them have supported my decision to homeschool and several have told me I am doing the best thing for my children. I also know a few teachers who have quit working to homeschool.

In addition to the time consuming activities you mentioned, there is also the wait for the buses and the bus ride. It's not unheard of here for that to average an hour a day. I find it takes about four hours for us to cover our lessons and my children have been motivated on occasion to get all their work done in as little as two hours.

 This morning was reading over these posts. Summer been busy so missed some. I recently heard someone teaching about the verse, "Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart" The teaching was directed not on training them to be G'dly men but to find the skills that G'd has given them and then training your child to use those skills. It makes a lot of sense and connects with homeschooling. If your child is interested in art, music, cooking, cars.....whatever...accept that as a G'd given talent and let that be their goal.

Dont you think a lot of rebellion comes from the influence of the world .....telling our kids , Oh you need to do this, you need to learn this, need to buy that.. Who knows better our kids desires and strengths than us.

Going back to a few comments about our experience with the law and homeschool. It was worth it. 

Attitudes have changed about homeschooling in the past 30 years! I have 3 kids graduated, one is a pastor, one daycare provider(her own business), one a cook. All self taught, no big college loans to payback. All 3 did mentoring to learn their profession.

It was interesting last week, the cook said of his friend that recently graduated college ,has a new car, and a big paycheck....DD, why do I feel like Im the bigger man?   Isnt that our goal for homeschooling!  Kids with character and integrty.

That's A Stretcher!

This post has won a TASsie award.

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 I always describe homeschooling as a lifestyle because it is so much more encompassing that simply school.  My oldest son went to a broadcasting school for a 1 year program.  He may decide to go back to college for a different course of study in the future, but he is about to have his first child and that tends to change everything.  Our youngest (16) isn't sure what he wants to do yet.  We are letting him decide.  He recently began working, and his first job was especially challenging.  He now sees that he does not want to work in the fast food industry for very long!  One of the big differences that I notice between hs and public schooled kids is that ps seems to shield them from the reality of life for a long time.  I have two nephews and one niece who are super kids and great students who all chose their colleges based on their soccer programs.  Now, I realize that sports are important to kids, but the goal is not to get a degree in soccer.  Chances are they will not be playing sports professionally.  My niece quit both soccer and the college after one year.  She went on to an unrelated nursing program where she could not transfer her credits.  That's a lot of money to play soccer.  My nephew played for one year and became injured, and he will not be playing this year.  Now these are really smart, really together young people, but somewhere along the line there seems to be a breach between what is reality in highschool and what is reality in the real world....the thing you are supposed to be preparing for for the next 5 or 6 decades of life!  I have known many hs kids who are very passionate about their hobbies. Some are amazing musicians, some athletes, one a bmx-er, but I think that they better distinguish hobby from profession.  Actually, the bike crazy kid went to a university for a year on full scholarship and left to pursue his passions.  He is now traveling the world as a bike mechanic for the US Olympic team.  I may be wrong, but I notice more of a focus on the goal of productive adulthood. 

Great post! I have said that I am raising my children to become adults and giving them the foundation they need for life after childhood.

I agree with you Brandy and Pat.  My daughter will have the skills she will need to survive in the real world, and know what it is like in the real world.

A question for you experienced homeschoolers :)  My daughter is going to kindergarten in Sept. I have been thinking about homeschooling because there is a great program here and looks like lots of fun. The school she is going too is a very good public school with good kids. It is just a couple of blocks from our house.  If I homeschooled, the only real problem I foresee is getting her to listen to me and do the work. If she wants to do it, she is fine but if not it is a big battle. Of course not wanting to do it out ways the willing to do it part.  For example:  She is someone I can to basically force to potty train just after her 4th birthday. She was willing and capable but just refused too. Even my mother and mil didn't know what to do with her on that score lol. In a couple of mths she was dry though the night. Now she is on the beat the bladder mode. She seems to think that she can beat the need to go pee. you know how that ends :)  She is a lot better since mommy flipped her lid and she finally understand the lecture that she is part of the family, I am not the maid and as part of the family you help not hinder.  (we were on a time line cleaning and the kids refused to help but were hindering us doing the work too by fighting etc) .   Did you have stubborn kids? and if so how did you deal with them? 

Hoo-boy.  Everybody gets one like that, doesn't it seem?? 

The first thing I tried to do with all our kids was to make 'school time' different than any other things that needed to be done.  School had to be finished before lunch was eaten, (worked great on ds!) and before any free time, before any job, before any phone calls, before TV or computer time...you get the idea.  When they were small, I sat at the table with them, not only teaching but encouraging (pushing!) them along, dangling the carrot.  But the ground rules were the same, old or young - as they say, work doesn't have to be fun, but it has to be done.  And in the end, our 'principal' was the final disciplinarian - dad.  And no one wanted to argue with dad about school assignments. I only let them fuss so much, too, about how dumb or boring something was.  We call it 'stinkin' thinkin' and it uses up energy and time that should be used for schoolwork.  Try to be a firm, non-negotiating teacher from 9:00 to noon (or whatever time school is - Kindergarten only takes an hour or so, IIRC), and be mom again later. 

As they got older, we enrolled ours into an umbrella school.  It was nice having someone else setting work deadlines, formats and lengths of papers, etc.  I could accuse someone else for all the work being given to the poor dears   So third-party involvement can help, too.  Maybe you have reports that have to be given to school officials, or granny gives a dollar for each "A" earned, whatever.  Let her know who is waiting for what and that others have expectations of her, too, and they'll find her out if she tries to wiggle out of work!  HTH, Liz

Oh yes, my oldest is stubborn! One of the things I have to do with her is let her be a part of the decision making on curriculum and studies.

Brandy:

Great post! I have said that I am raising my children to become adults and giving them the foundation they need for life after childhood.

Thanks Brandy!  I have always said something similar...."We are not raising children, we are raising adults....I've seen grown up children, and it really isn't attractive"