[LiteKeeper]

should I just stop thinking about it until it's closer to when my yet unconceived child will start school, or is it good to start planning way in advance

Just a thought - Homeschooling, which I advocate, requires a very different lifestyle than the other two. Homeschooling means you may not be able to have a two family income household...are you prepared to live on one income? If not, is that something that you are prepared to shift to? One income households require a simpler lifestyle since there is less income. Alternatives? Home-based business, or non-standard business during other than normal business hours.

As I said, just a thought

[AZamericonnie]

If I had it to do over I never would have sent my son to a public school. I have always had to work so that would have been difficult but I have met others who work opposing shifts in order to homeschool.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

I think you are right to think about it now. I started researching homeschooling when my son was first born, and I am glad I did. We homeschool- which is the best for my family. I advocate homeschool, but understand it is not a perfect fit for all families.

IF you have the time now, get involved with the school district. Volunteer for something interesting to you and get to know the folks at the school. You will make many contacts and they will have some good resources for you... no matter what you choose to do, and even if you are not in that district when your children are school age.

Take the time now, because there is so much information out there it could take years to absorb it all. Then when the times comes you will be prepared , instead of rushed.

I think the best advice I was given was know the reason you are homeschooling. Sounds simplistic, I know.. but it is not really. Now that I understand the Why.. the how is much easier for me.

Good luck.. and freepmail me if I can help you.

Here is a link to get you started: HERE

[katz]

They need to love every one and feel good? Then send them to a government school. If you want them educated, home school or use a private school.

[ZGuy]

Hi livianne.

Start doing your research now. You are right -- it is a “big thing” and you will be able to do a much more thorough yet much more relaxed job of choosing the path you and your children are going to take if you start now and just keep doing a little research here and a little research there.

To start, read this (ignoring the typos) :

Home Schools: The Hope Of America

If this approach seems interesting to you, here are links to some other articles by the same author :

1 2 3 4 5

Your comment that you think it may be more than you can handle etc. is a concern of most parents looking into homeschooling. One way to avoid the pressure on you and still get a great education for your children is to use a style similar to that used in the Robinson curriculum. In short, the key concepts are :

1. That the you teach the child to read and then the child becomes educated by devouring books rather than by mommy standing up in front of them and lecturing them every day.

2. That they use great books to learn from. Example - Why have them learn about the civil war by reading a modern book written by some unknown and probably indoctrinated post-grad student when they could learn about it by reading the autobiographies, etc. of those who actually were there and led the war efforts?

3. There is no reason to spend a fortune on homeschooling materials since most of the great literature and books are now public domain. Thus you can either get them for free via the internet or get a compilation of them on CD for a comparatively nominal cost. (Robinson Curriculum is set up as every book needed for K-12 (except math) for $200 (plus costs to print out materials on your printer at home)

Listen to the audio files here to learn more.

By the way, if you are interested in this approach you can get more for less cost here or as I said earlier, you can find your books online at places like this where you can access over 20,000 books online for free.

My wife and I have a two year old with a daughter due in July. Our decision is to go with a combination of the two philosophies I’ve mentioned above. Our goal is not just to have well-educated children, but to develop leaders in the process.

There are literally thousands of other educational options available for you out there. Some are great, some not-so-great. Some are teacher intensive, others are not. And of course, you can find materials focused on anything : Christian, character-building, etc.

I’m sure that whatever you choose -- you’ll do fine, because the research you are putting into it now will result in a great education for your kids later.

[mean lunch lady]

You are really smart to think about it ahead of time. I have two adult children (huh?) but if I had it to do again, I think I would seriously consider homeschooling. As long as they still had some activities where they were around other kids and learned to interact with their peers. I think most people who homeschool their children do make sure that they have opportunities to socialize with others. My daughter left high school convinced she could never do math. Some (not all) of her lack of confidence could be traced to a teacher who told the kids things like, "If you don't know that, I guess I'll see you here next year", etc. No help at all. Today she works for a large hotel where she is involved in convention billing and payroll. No thanks to the teacher who was supposed to be helping her.