Hi, everyone. I am the main breadwinner in my family right now. My husband is wonderful, intelligent and very hardworking, so that may change in the future, but English is is second language and he just doesn't have a knack for languages. He finds it extremely difficult, although he tries, which limits him here in the U.S. He does work full time but does not make enough to support our family. However, his dream really involves his career, which I respect, so having him stay home to educate my daughter is not an option. The one benefit that I do have is that I work from home. However, my work is often quite demanding. I work full time, which can mean 60-80 hour weeks. When I am working, I find it hard to care for dd or give her the attention she needs, so she spends a few hours every day at daycare so that I can get work done. Were any of you in similar situations when you realized you wanted a change? Any tips? Are any of you working full-time from home? How do you do it?

A. Balaban - I'd be interested in seeing the research if you are comfortable sharing it. Thanks, everyone for your thoughts!

Wow - What interesting responses! Thanks everyone. I did some searching to try to find the difference between Special Ed and mainstream spending, and didn't come up with much (admittedly, I didn't search long, so if anyone finds something more recent, please share!). But here is what I did find: http://www.csef-air.org/presentations/KS%20SE%20presentation%203-1-06.pdf If you go to slide 26, it shows the difference in expenditures between Special Education and regular ed students with no special needs. This estimates the average regular ed student to cost a over $6,000 per year, per student (in 1999-2000, so it's probably gone up since then). If that is the case, it would take too many students to pay a teacher what they can earn in a public school setting. Hmm. Still thinking and listening... :bigear:

I've been thinking a lot about this assertion. It seems to me (and I invite disagreement here, as I'm still learning and would learn from another perspective!) that the research is very solid in favor of homeschooling. I also understand the assertion that homeschooling isn't for everyone - mostly because not everyone has the time (some parents have to work full time) and not everyone has the desire. However, today something occurred to me. Did you know that the average per-pupil cost for public schooling is nearly $10,000? The average teacher makes a little over $50,000. Many homeschoolers homeschool five or six children. What if families that couldn't or didn't want to homeschool had the option to send their child to a personal tutor who would tutor no more than five-six children at once, and would do so for years (so the tutor wouldn't just be a teacher for one year, but would follow the child through his childhood, as long as the parents are satisfied with the work of the tutor). What if we had a voucher system that allowed parents to put the money that would go to public schools toward this "personal tutor," which would be as close to homeschooling as you can get without having the child's family doing the teaching? The tutor would thus earn what he or she earns teaching public school, but the job description would be different. Essentially, the tutor's job would be to do what homeschooling parents during the "school" portion of the day. Parents who like unschooling could send their child to an unschooling tutor. Parents who want their child to be taught formally throught the classics could find a tutor with that teaching style. Of course, parents who can homeschool themselves could - and could even invite other students to join them if they have capacity - but parents who couldn't would have the option of using voucher money to hire a tutor. Do you all think this would work? Do you attribute the success of homeschooling to the individualized attention and love the child gets (as a former teacher myself, I know that teachers do grow to love their students, and can only imagine that it would be even more true if teachers stayed with their children for many years)? Or do you think the fundamental success of homeschooling is that parents are the teachers?

Hi, all. I'm not clear on why the debate has become about whether or not it is okay for studetns to start learning certain skills in their teen years. Can someone help clarify? Are you all saying that you think the 100 hours estimate would only work in teen years, and that younger children, in your experience, always need significantly more help to learn *basic* reading, writing, and math skills?

Thanks, Parrothead! :) Ms. Mungo, I like that idea. Perhaps those over a certain age would be allowed to live in the neighborhood without paying dues if they live in one of the smaller homes and assist with the resource center in some way (tutoring, babysitting, leading workshops, etc). Of course, for very elderly people, we might make "assist" a very loose word to account for those who are unable to do much. But just being present and part of the community (attending events) would be enough, as it is good for children to be around the elderly, and vice versa! Then, maybe the way the neighborhood would continue to have families with children as well as age diversity would be that families whose kids have grown up would opt to sell their home but move into a smaller home in the neighborhood (which would, sadly, become available as the older people pass on) and continue to be part of the community in a new way. This would also make room for new families to come to the neighborhood. The real question is whether it really is the norm that older people sell their homes and move into smaller homes as they get older. If people would get older and the majority just stayed in the homes their children grew up in, SailorMom is right that the homeschooling neighborhood would fall apart, as new families won't want to move into a neighborhood in which their children are a real minority, and most of the people are elderly. In my experience people do move, but I really don't know. I know that it used to be that people bought houses for a lifetime, but I don't think that is the norm anymore.

Thanks, everyone, for your warm welcome and encouragement. I know it's sort of a long shot, but it is fun to have something to dream about for a while anyway. Scrappyhappymama, I definitely plan to stick around! So far I am greatly enjoying reading through these threads and can tell I might learn a lot here. SailorMom - Thanks for your comments. Can you help me understand why it might be a problem if there aren't a lot of non-homeschoolers nearby? Do you think homeschooling families and kids really differ that much from families and kids who use the public school system? In what ways? As for your point about what would happen when kids grow up, I'm thinking about that. It's a really good point. In my experience, when people retire they tend to move into smaller houses, leaving the neighborhoods where their kids grew up, but I don't know enough about housing to know if that is really the norm. I envisioned that some older people would remain (which is a positive thing), but a lot of younger families would move in as kids moved out and older folks moved into smaller housing outside the area. That's how the neighborhood I grew up in has changed over time, but again, I don't know if that's the norm or not. Happy, your area sounds perfect! You never know... :)

What an interesting conversation this has generated! Laura, thanks for the link. I have read that before, actually, but had forgotten about it. It's a fascinating story. I wonder how usual that kind of experience is at Sudbury schools? I think it is clear enough, though, that Gatto isn't exactly telling the truth when he says there is "ample evidence" that 100 hours is sufficient, at least in terms of controlled studies. However, it sounds like it isn't a completely unrealistic number, given sufficient interest and lack of significant learning disabilities.

Hi, Heather. He never makes it clear what he means by "learn." The overall context of his writing suggests to me that he means "learn enough to be able to self-teach with minimal assistance from that point forward." That's just a guess, though. But the fact that he says there is "ample research" to show this suggests to me that there might be actual studies. I'm not aware of any such studies, though. I'd be very interested to see them!

That's a good point. I made it clear in the proposal that you don't have to homeschool your kids to live there - you just have to support the Center. I still think that clause is important. Some families might worry that as their kids get older, they might want to go to school. They might not want to live in a place that wouldn't make that an option. To keep it attractive, I think it has to be open. But I agree that it is not at all discriminating to require people who choose to live there to support the center!

Ha ha ha. Didn't you see the part in my proposal about uzis? :lol: In my area, there are still new neighborhoods being built, so in places like the boonies in which I live, it might be possible. But I agree with you that it wouldn't be easy. For it to work, we'd have to drum up a lot of publicity, I think.

Hi, everyone. John Gatto is fond of saying that it only takes 100 hours to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. He also says there is "ample research" to demonstrate this. I am interested in finding any research that does demonstrate this. Is anyone aware of any? Also, does this figure match your experience in homeschooling your own children?

A toy library is such a great idea! Thanks, everyone! The contest closed last night, so I can't edit my idea any further. I really appreciate the comments you all left here. The winners will be announced in September. I'll keep you posted! :001_unsure:

Thanks for the link to Greenbelt. I had already added in information about New Urbanism, which is a way of developing neighborhoods that meets my ideal, but I like having a concrete neighborhood example to refer to. Helpful! Carrie, maybe I should consider making it a sliding scale. I would like to have older retired citizens living there as well, as I think it is good for kids (and adults) to associate with people of all ages. Farrarwilliams, I figured this neighborhood wouldn't be attractive to all who wish to homeschool. I know some people like their autonomy! I would be interested to hear what your reservations are, though. They might not change the idea, but could help me improve it.

The babysitting co-op is a great idea! I also like the idea of a street with townhomes. I definitely think there could be a daycare located at the center. I'll add that in. Thank you!