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I really liked the curriculum at K12.com. It was just difficult for me to move around as much as I needed to, and as much as my children liked to. For my family a good fit is a combonation of classical, Montessori and unschooling . I do follow most of the guidelines laid out in the books Well Educated Child and the Well Trained Mind. I love most of the manipulatives of Montessori theory.

Mostly I am glad I am able to explore other options and discover the best fit for my family.

I don't think the idea of public school is bad, in itself. I say you are a homeschooler, and no one will change my mind. I waelcome cyber schoolers to my groups becauce I think you all are paving the way to educational freedom as much as we are. Keep up the good work!

Interesting you mention Montessori, my 2nd oldest is at a Montessori school :). We pulled him out of public school mid-year a couple years ago after a series of disturbing incidents with his teacher (who I don't think really liked children and who ended up suddenly leaving the school later that year) and the principal, and are so grateful we did, as overnight our child changed from someone who was starting to hate school to someone who loved it! The "hands-on" atmosphere and manipulatives, ability to move at will and learn to plan his own time, and individual teacher attention all were exactly what he needed. At public school he was being "squashed," emotionally and academically, when expected to sit still for up to two hours with 34 other kids (recesses eliminated in upper grades, one of my pet peeves, argh!), teach himself to do things from written directions (he is very hands-on and visual), etc. Now he is confident and enthused about learning. Some people have told me Montessori school, with its relative freedom in multiple areas (from classroom movement to choosing one's own "goals" to working at the child's own pace, which might be one "grade" in one subject and another "grade" in a different subject), might be the closest form of school to homeschooling, which is an interesting idea.

Classical appeals to me as well, as I love history and literature, etc., and the idea of exposing children to various concepts and critical thinking at an earlier age than happens in public school (one relative with early education training called it "opening a file" in the child's brain, which can be added to with increasing levels of complexity as they mature -- I love that description). K12 seems to combine some classical ideas with hands-on options, which seemed a good place for us to start. Thanks for sharing your experience!

And thanks for the encouragement! As a first-timer I have been a bit nervous (mostly about also juggling my at-home work) but find I'm getting increasingly excited as September draws near.