[negril]

My boys are 11 and 7 and currently enrolled in the local parochial school. The school only goes through the 8th grade at which point my wife and I must choose between the public high school, driving the kids every day (an hour one way) to a private high school large enough to offer all the extra-curricular activities the public school offers or homeschooling. My kids will want a chance to play sports and engage in other activities that only the local high school offers, but I fear for them in the govt. school. What to do?

[RedBeaconNY]

Research your public school thoroughly. Visit it. Get to know the administration and the staff. If you like it, put your kids there. If it's like Ithaca High School, run far away. Look it up on Google. Know however that if you put them in public school, you will have to be very involved in their life outside of school, to counteract wacky teachers who graft politics in their lessons. It happens a lot...

I guess I believe that good parenting is the most effective tool against the disease plaguing public education.

[pamlet]

Start in vestigating and watching homeschool groups in your area. Depending on where you live there are many homeschool support groups that come together to provide those extra curricular things.

[kimmie7]

Most homeschool groups have lots of activities. In fact, with ours there's the distinct possibility of having too many. Beyond that, there are the city and county sports associations. My son played t-ball this summer, and is enrolled in soccer for the fall.