Homeschooling...

I homeschool my children. My children are very active and have friends. They can carry on a conversation with people of all ages and backgrounds. They have a wide variety of interests including Legos, air soft wars, World of Warcraft, writing, reading, painting, and most recently Rock Band. We are a musical family in that most of us can play two instruments (piano and guitar), and our oldest child sings. We love Jesus and are actively involved in our church. We do not live in seclusion. I do not own a denim jumper.

We started thinking about this option about 14 years ago and took the leap when my oldest was preparing to begin school. At first we followed the Robinson Curriculum, and that worked well for a while, but we have settled on what I call an ecletic mix of classical education using The Well Trained Mind (see link under Favorites) as our "spine." Even if you are not a homeschooler, this book is a wonderful read for any child's education. The author has another book, The Well Educated Mind, which kind of goes along with the former book but also can be used as a "lifelong learner" guide for continuing education.

Some 10 years or so later, my oldest child is excelling in a dual-type enrollment. He homeschools part of his subjects and attends classes part-time at the local high school. My middle schooler is continuing along with his subjects, and we are about to start all over again with my youngest who is kindergarten age.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. I am curious to see what I will or will not do differently with my youngest child as opposed to the older two boys. I now have the confidence, the assurity, that yes, I can do this. I can direct my children's education even into and through high school!