Very true. I'd be crazy to take on hsing my kids if the decision was based on the quality of education in our town. Our schools are excellent, among the top 20 in the state.... which makes the decision to hs very, very hard for me. Can I accomplish what my local ps can? I don't know, but I'm trying to figure that out. What I do know is that NO ONE will love or care for my kid's mental, spiritual and emotional health the way that I will. I know that the negative peer pressure in a privileged school district and affluent town can be fierce. And I do know that I want some sort of say in my children's education, and that's not easily accomplished in my district. I'll keep reading this post with interest!

Granted, I'm very new here, and haven't even begun our homeschooling journey... but I must say that many of these posts make me feel uneasy. Is it a case of "we were here first" and those of us who follow can't possibly live up to the expectations? Is it a case of hsing becoming more mainstream and thus not the renegade choice that it once was? Am I a sheep? Are my decisions to homeschool "good enough"? Surely even in the pioneering days of homeschooling, there were families that just scraped by or failed their children, just as there were families who did amazing things and prospered. How is that any different now -- except that the numbers have gotten larger? What if acceptance to a competitive college is not the driving force behind homeschooling? Not good enough? I can't imagine anyone choosing hsing because it's *easier* than sending your kids off to ps... Sorry -- not sure where I'm going with all this. Just trying to digest it all. :lurk5:

Homework? In KINDERGARTEN? Keeping her in for recess? That's HORRIBLE. :angry:

You ladies have been so open and your stories are so heartfelt -- I love reading about your decisions/genesis. Thank you so much for sharing part of yourselves with me.

We're actually saving a lot in gas compared to a few months ago: 1. The kids are home instead of at school, which was a 45-minute trip EACH WAY. We're sticking pretty close to home, with a few longer trips here and there (camping/beach, etc). 2. We traded off our Minivan and bought a Mini Cooper. My husband drives this to the train station which is probably 7 miles away, and then takes the train to town. He's always commuted by train, though, so not really anything new. So between getting rid of the van and not driving to/from school, we've seen a huge difference. I'm hoping my little Subaru will last another 100K miles...

I read Don Quioxte waaaaay back in college and loved it then... I should go reread it now...

Count me in! Maybe I should go find the CS Lewis stuff to start? (Sorry, no blog... no time)

OHMYGOSH, you are funny (and right!)... I might need that whip. I've actually joked before that he has a very hard time saying *no* to me -- I'm not terribly unreasonable and haven't demanded too much (Ok, the camper was kinda big, but we're ALL having fun with that). But I've never felt like there was so much at stake. I swear, as soon as I've posted enough to dole out rep I'll be visiting you guys! (Now where did that post of nothingness go to? ;))

I'd love to contribute, but I've got to RUN to the cabinet to give my two crazies two fish oil capsules before dragging them up to bed... ;)

Hee hee, thanks. It sort of sums up where I am in my life. :willy_nilly:

I think we were headed down the very same road that you traveled. I thought Montessori was *IT* and reveled in the fact that we had found such a kind and gentle educational process. What happened though, after we transferred him to a larger Montessori in order to go all the way through 8th grade, is that he got lost. And then he regressed. The kid that knew all his letters before starting preschool, now could only name about 1/2 of them. And he couldn't count past 11. And Montessori isn't the same everywhere. At his first school, the kids were warm and helpful to their peers. At his second school, I saw children being corrected for trying to help a fellow student. They took "independence" to a whole new level, and I couldn't believe that his teacher was telling a kid not to help another one... to leave him alone and go work on his own stuff. What was that teaching my son? Shame on me, for turning over the education of my children to someone else, no matter how kind or gentle. BTW, my DD will also be one of those kids who would be fine in school. She would be popular and would live the life. Heck, she was already the center of her class at the Montessori school, and she was just 3... scary. :eek:

Yes! I've embraced all the things that make my little DS so incredibly special to me -- and these are the things that just don't translate to the group dynamic. I can see him as being somewhat of a follower -- and I don't want him to fall into the trap of conforming to gain his place in the crowd.

Totally in agreement -- if I can find the strength in my own convictions, and find some eloquent ways to express myself, I hope I can at least have him consider it for a year. Take it year by year...

I love this! I admit to occasional thoughts on what DS will be *missing* and you've summed it up beautifully.