"I have a 17 year old who is the 11th grade at a public school. Right now I really don't know what to do. Last week she had a fight at school with a girl that kept instigating a fight and deliberately struck her, she fought back to defend herself but was suspended. Now that she returned I was told that if she had snother fight she would be cuffed, sent to juvenile then alternative school. This would happen even if she was struck first. I really want to avoid this but I have to be an another school area to enroll her elsewhere. She only has one year left and I don't want her to jeopardize her future. These girls have made the comment that they are gonna gang up on her so now I'm concern that she'll get into problems for defending herself. That is why now i'm thinking maybe I should have homeschool for her. If it's safer. "

"I believe that the option of home schooling is interesting and that all you need is to be determined and willing to go to new levels for your kids I've read the whole page because i have a 4 year old and we are already having 'problems' with him in the public school (its only voluntary pre-kindergarten) it scares me to think my son will continue to let the other children affect how he learns and how he is treated by the teachers. how do we know what goes on in public schools? how are we to know that these teachers are so much more qualified than the average person. sometimes all it takes is extra time and patients for our children the one thing a teacher with 26 children to teach does not have. as far as socialization, it is natural my 4 year old has more guts than i did in my middle school years to go play with other children and it is not because he goes to pre- school it is because as an individual he is outgoing i was not. that is the way it is we are all diffe! rent and there will be goods and bads about every aspect of our whole lives. back to the subject i have nothing but respect and admiration for those homeschooling there kids because they care and are willing to put nothing above there children's quality of life. keep up the good work and make our children's future bright. "

"where do i obtain the legal process for homeschooling for the state of Georgia."

"Scard is spelled Scared-- I just felt uncomfortable not pointing that out since you'll be homeschooling your child."

"I read in one of these blogs that 'what percentages of children get into Ivy league schools???' Answer; ask the author of Eragon....he wrote the book at age 15. I'm sure his mom knows, since he was home schooled."

"My daughter homeschools her 4 kids, and they're 2 grades ahead of the public schools in her area. If I could afford to stay home(not work), I would do the same with my son-he's having a hard time with reading,math,history. His ADHD seems to get in the way sometimes-even with meds."

"i need to know what i have to do to start home schooling my kids and what do i have to have to homeschool them please e-mail me back with some information thank you"

"Someone wrote: 'Homeschooling in my opinion is great if taught by a creditialed teacher - at least. How can a parent who did not attend or complete college begin to teach their own children? I have a financial degree and I'm not comfortable teaching my own children.' What is a 'credentialed teacher' anyway? In most places you take all of six courses and, voila, you're a teacher! No experience necessary. In my state, they are begging for people who want a career change to become teachers, as the pay is so lousy all the experienced teachers are going to other states where the pay is higher. They call it a 'fast track' to a new career. Just take a few classes on Classroom Management and - boom - you're a teacher! Wow. Pardon me if I'm totally not impressed. How much experience do each of the teachers at your school have? Do they know your child like you do? Do they care like you do? (BTW, I went to a private school where all of my teachers had at least Master's degrees and some Doctorates in their given subjects. None of them were 'certified'. A few of them were lousy, but most were excellent. Taking classes on 'how' to teach doesn't make a teacher effective. The best way would be for a teacher to observe a wonderful teacher in an internship-type situation. Sadly, the government schools seem to be satisfied with the assembly line method to turning out carbon copy teachers.) A 'credentialed' teacher might not care - and, more often, doesn't have time to care - if little Beatrice can't read words with more than two syllables, or if little Horace doesn't know what 'place value' means. They have a schedule and they must not digress, or they will get behind. Beatrice and Horace are the problem of next year's teacher who, hopefully, will notice. With all of the curriculum options (online schools and DVD courses) and special classes available to homeschoolers through co-ops and private instructors, a parent need not worry about teaching Trigonometry or Chemistry. At the very least, there are local community colleges who offer such classes. So, you're telling me that you have the ability to help your child learn how to walk, say words, recognize the alphabet, hang up their clothes, sing a song, make a peanut butter sandwich, say 'please' and 'thank you', and millions of other things, but you can't teach your child to read? You have a financial degree, but don't think you can teach your child math - even with the help of a curriculum that shows you step by step what to teach, and some are even scripted? IMO, you either have a low opinion of yourself and what you can do - which is terrible, or you just don't have the desire to do it - which is fine. However, you shouldn't go throwing around statements about thinking a 'credentialed' teacher would be any better at teaching a child than their own parent, who knows them best and desires for them to learn, grow and succeed."

"Since October 22, 2007, I have been home schooling my daughter who is in 9th grade. My school district will not give a curriculum and textbooks. The children are not allowed to be in school and participate in any school activities. I had to come up with my own curriculum. This is New York State. Just thought you should know about this!"

"To the person writing the comment of 10/29/07. I do hope that you find a solution for your family, it is difficult to find the right fit for students who have been diagnosed with ADHD. Hopefully you will find a team of caring educators who are willing to accomodate your students' individual learning styles. However, you should know the reason some parents have decided to educate their children at home is because they've seen grammatical/spelling/punctuation errors in notes written by public school teachers and/or administrators."

"I have two children who are in public school. Both of them have ADHD and are having a hard time with math and reading. I am looking for solutions for their education. I have been reading posts on this site from home school parents and even from a few students. What stands out to me is the large number of posts that contain spelling errors and grammar mistakes. I believe that a lot of parents are well-intentioned but not capable of providing quality education to their children at home. "

"I don't see much mention of the results of homeschooling here. What is the percentage of homeschooled children getting into Ivy League schools, compared with the national average? I have seen that statistically, homeschoolers do much better getting into top colleges. Isn't that what all parents want? N."

"I love the information on this page. I'm a sixth grader who might begin homeschooling this year. This site has really helped me out. Thanks!"

"Colored people????? Are you serious. Who uses that word in the new millenium?"

" I wanted to stop in and leave a comment for myself. Growing up, I really despised going to school everyday. Sure, I had some friends. But as I got older my classmates became more of a burden on me. In 5th grade my mom enrolled my brothers and I into a local 'Charter/Private' school. I hated it there too, it was mostly full of colored people, and there were only 2 other white students in my class. The school year was full of racism, fights, and etc. I was always shy in school and to myself, but those students brought out the worst in me. It wasn't until 7th Grade when we moved out here to California (I previously lived in Michigan), that my mom met someone who homeschooled all of her 4 kids on her own. She lived up in the foot hills. So my mom asked me and I was ecstatic about the idea. It was hard the first year for my mom because she couldn't get my brothers to co-operate and do their work. I loved it and went through my work like water, lol! In 8th grade my mom re-enrolled my brothers into Private School, and I refused to go to attend a public school again. One of her other friends told her about a local Independent Studies school. Its fantastic. At that school they give you all your books, you have a one-on-one teacher meeting every week to discuss your school work. (you teach yourself at home) There are tudors available, home work classes, Math classes, and etc all available to any student. This is all free, as well. The school also has every student take all the State Tests. I excelled in every subject except Math. Its my only lagging subject, but I'm Advanced in Science, Literature, and others. I've been attending this school for 4 years and I love it. I'm actively involved with two local Church Youth Groups, and last year I worked for a year, earning my own money. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it helped me learn my own spending, and saving, habbits. Being homeschooled gives me a lot of extra free time to enjoy life at my own pace, as well as the option to do extra-curricular things. I thought about attending High School last year and this year for my Senior year, but I know a lot of people that attend several Highschools around here and it makes me cringe at the thought of going there everyday. Being homeschooled has helped me stay focused on my moral standards and keep me out of trouble and away from bad influences around me. I am in no way 'dumb' to the world. I know more than I'd like too. But being home and teaching myself has helped me in a lot of ways. Emotionally, mentally, and Spiritually. I reccomend the idea to all other teenagers and parents! ~Paul (Fresno, California.) "

"High schools, in most neighborhoods, are like battle fields. Our Teenagers are targets of gang bangers (not considered as terrorists), drugs, alcohol and etc. I was searching for a Online High School Education, Public School, and all I found was K-8. Our teenagers are droping out of our high schools due to the reasons mention above, and it is sad that the state (Illinois) does not even provide parents with a peace of mind. No child left behind???"

"My response to some of the negative feedbacks left below is 'They're our children'that is what keeps us individuals.Chosing to homeschool does not make the children outcasts or hide them from the world. We teach our children to say no to drugs and to not talk to strangers. Then why would we be okay with only one way to educate our kids. In todays world if you want to teach your child in a differnt way then'WHY NOT'. I think maybe the kids will appreciate the fact that their parents took that extra step to ensure the time was truly spent on them not one teacher trying to divide their time for 28 or more students. Schools today label to quickly to put children on medication. I think it's a shame that parents are bullied to believe that medicating a child so a teacher can handle their work load will be beneficial for all. These aren't the people I want teaching my children."

"One positive thing I can say about homeschooling is that my seven year old daughter would not have been physically bullied every day at school by an obviously disturbed girl. My son would have been spared learning about incest from a six year old classmate who claimed he was having sex with his cousin. And, lastly, my husband and I would not be in the unfortunate position of suing the middle school where an oversized male student picked up my son over his head and threw him head first to the ground at a pre-planned outdoor Field Day, this after being told to 'settle down' after he picked up other kids off the ground and let them drop. With my son, he said to the teacher 'Oh Yeah?' in defiance and proceeded to pick him up, but instead of just dropping him down, he needed to make a statement. Well, they both won't be seeing the inside of any school any time soon."

"I am giving a presentation on homeschooling for a Public Speaking class I am taking in college. I was searching sites such as this just to find some quick interesting facts that I will be able to include. After reading a few of the comments that were posted by other individuals, I felt very moved to post my opinions and experiences. I was homeschooled for 7 years (second through eighth grade). The reason I was pulled from the school system is because there was a lot of politic-ing going on, and my parents wanted none of it. My father worked 60 hours a week, so it was up to my mother to be the teacher. I also had two younger brothers and a younger sister (the brothers were 2 and 4 years younger than I, and the sister is 7 years younger). All of us were homeschooled for at least 6 years. I played baseball in the local summer leagues, and basketball in local winter leagues. I was able to meet plenty of friends and have a great social life even though I did not attend the public or private school systems. There were also several homeschooling families in our area that we would meet with once a month to socialize and talk about school with. We would also take field trips once every couple of months to the same type of places that a lot of the local schools visited. There were many great families in this grou! p, and to this day I am still very close friends with some. The reason I went back to high school was so I could participate in Junior High/High School Athletics. I could have participated in these activites even though I was homeschooled, but I just wanted to try something different. So I enrolled at the local public school. I had to take an entry test to see where I stood compared to the other kids 'supposedly in my grade.' The reason I quote 'supposedly' is because the counselor at the school thought that I would be way behind, and did not believe a home-taught education could compare to the local public school education. In reality, the test results placed me two years ahead of all the other kids in my 'supposed' grade. I did not go there though, I wanted to stay with friends I met from baseball and basketball, and other kids my age. I graduated in 2003, 20th in a class of 600. I was voted Vice President of Student Senate, onto the Student Advisory Council, and was even! on Homecoming court. I also participated in Theare, Athletics! , Honors Society, and various other programs. I am not listing these items to brag, but rather to show that not all home schooled children are introverts. I knew some that were, but this number was a fraction of the percentage of introverted and non-social students I met in the school systems. I am now one year away from graduating college with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. One of my younger brothers will be entering his junior year of college majoring in performing arts. My other younger brother will be enrolling this fall at a large Division 1 school's honors business program. My sister is successfully making her way through high school, entering her sophomore year this fall. All of us homeshcooled for a long time, during the years where a lot of people make friends that last a lifetime. None of us have had a problem going from homeschooling to a public school. We have all been successful, and made many close friends. If anything, homeschooling helped me when I ! got to college because when every other student was waiting for the professors to spoon feed the information to them, I was reading the text book and teaching myself, just the way I did it when I was home taught (From about 4th grade to 8th grade I had to teach myself, because my mother had two and then three other kids to teach, and was not 'qualified' enough to teach me the math and sciences I took, because she had either forgot it or never learned it in the first place when she was in school). Homeschooling was very rewarding to me. There is no one reason to believe that it inhibited me in any way, compared to all of the people that I graduated high school with. Also, I am in no way a 'one in a million example' of how homeschooling students are. We are the majority. The kids that grow up without friends, and see the world pass them by are by far the minority. Congratulations to all of the parents who have decided to home school their kids. Best of luck to you with every step of the way. Do not let anyone tell you that it is the wrong decision. If you ever have feelings of doubt, that you might not be able to do it, do not give up hope. There are plenty of resources out there. Also, there is a good possibiliy that there are families not too far from you that do it as well. There are more of us than you think."

"I'm thinking of homeschooling my little ones for the elementary years and have to take issue with comments like all homeschooled kids are socially akward. Hello, I believe that's an overgeneralization and negative stereotype. That would be like me saying 'oh I knew a family whose kids went to public school and they did drugs, so therefore all kids in public schools do drugs'. All kids who go to public schools are not the same and neither are homeschooled kids. I think it takes real effort on the part of home schooling parents to motivate their children and to get them involved in activities outside the home. IF our family chooses to homeschool I doubt the kids will be at home most of the day, they'll be in lessons, 4H, scouts, museums, libraries, field trips, etc., which I feel is much more reflective of the real world than sitting in a classroom with a bunch of kids your own age. Where else in the 'real world' is it like that?"

"I lived behind a family who homeschooled their children. Poor little guys. Everytime, my kids % & * yrs old) had their friends over swimming, I would see the homeschooled kid's little heads peek over, wishing they could join us in all the fun. I never saw them outside playing. It was very heartbreaking to see those lovely boys look so lost and alone. Oh wait, they did have their parents to play with. No one on the block even knows their names. That's very sad, I do realize that is not the norm, but I can't help but think any different."

"How are your children ever going to get by in the real world if you don't let them experience the real world? Get a life! I've seen the homeschooled 18-24 year olds come in to work and they quit after a week or two because they can't hack dealing with real people, work experiences or other people's beliefs. Here comes an entire generation who will never be able to do anything but sit on their butts at home and 'communicate' with the world only with their computers... geez... how are these kids ever even going to get married? Arranged marriages? Won't be long and that will be their only option."

"I am a homeschooling mother of 3 boys, and we are just finishing our third year of homeschooling. The first year was so difficult, the second year was a little better, and this year was actually enjoyable. It does get better! The most common 'concern' I get is 'what about socialization?' Okay, first of all, what is it about the 'socialization' that goes on in a public or private school that is supposed to be superior than the socialization that goes on at home? And I am sure that most homeschooled kids are not only and always at home. Homeschooled kids have more of a careful and watchful eye on them; but they also get more room to explore and question, to be creative and spontaneous, and to learn at a pace that fosters a love of learning. I disagree that homeschool parents should have a certain type of education; but I do believe homeschool parents should possess a real desire to give their child(ren) lots of care, nurturance, direction, and instruction. I do have a higher e! ducation, which I believe is an asset. But I do not know that it is a necessity. I also think that if parents struggle in a certain academic area, they should be willing to seek outside help. Overall, however, most parents can homeschool their children. If you're commited, you'll keep getting better at it and your children will be so much better off! Best regards!!"

"I am looking to home school my daughter she will be in the 6th grade where do I start how do I find out the laws I have tried the internet we live in columbus nebrasks can you heip anyone?"

"Homeschooling in my opinion is great if taught by a creditialed teacher - at least. How can a parent who did not attend or complete college begin to teach their own children? I have a financial degree and I'm not comfortable teaching my own children. God forbid, when it came time to teach them how a mutual fund works, understand stocks, the DOW, a buyout or what happens in a Merger and Aquisition. What would that parent do? That is only one subject of many advanced classes. I was taught in High School all these and understood them when I graduated. I also think, its important that kids listen to others points of views on different subjects because its the REAL world. Having only the parents views will create a sheltered point of view and thus, not able to 'fit in'"

"To answer many of the questions others posted... I don't have the patience to teach. I don’t either! It is a great thing to have to teach my boys since I am now forced to finally, after all these years, learn real patience. I have been told my child must stay in school to develop good social skills. That is very wrong. In a school setting who is whispering in your child’s ear “the proper response is ‘X’”? Instead he either gets teased, ignored, or yelled at by the teacher but doesn’t ever fully understand what exactly he should be doing. He only understands that he keeps messing up. Think of all the social outcasts you know that went though many years of traditional schooling! Homeschooling is a wonderful opportunity to take your child by the hand and explain proper responses. And homeschooling does not mean that you only stay at home. It is great to be in a public setting and coach your child about how to deal with people in everyday situations. If you have lots of kids even better! Learning to deal well with your siblings will teach you wonderful social skills. I am not smart enough. Well, you were taught in traditional school! You probably remember all of the things you hated about school, don’t do those. You might even remember a few times when you really loved school and really learned, try to do that. It is so expensive! Remember the library. Even small libraries will often get books from other libraries for you free of charge. Find a homeschool group and ask a member if you can go to their house and look though all of their old homeschool material. Often seeing it in person, when you are not pressured by time, will make it easy to see what will work for you and your children. You might even be able to borrow some materials from a group member for a week to do a ‘trial run’ before you buy your own. Many museums and universities have different science kits in a box for very low cost that you can rent for a month (like a box all about sea otters that has a pelt, some bones, rubber scat, hand puppets, and some videos and books)"

"Like most parents considering homeschooling their children, I too have concerns regarding my children's education. I am not satisified with the level of education that they are receiving through the public school system. However, I sometimes doubt my ability to have enough patience teaching my three boys at home. I worry about their social development, as well. I want the best for my sons, so I feel that homeschooling has to be the best option for our family. Whatever doubts that I may have, ultimately I have to decide what is right for my children and commit to nurturing their educational future. I would not condescend to label myself as a 'religious nut' or having a 'superior attitude' towards the public school system, but I know that I will face alot of opposition from teachers and administrators here in our local school district when I begin homeschooling my children next year. Has anyone else faced harrassment or any legal issues concerning homeschooling? Does anyone el! se have the same doubts or fears that I have? If so, how do I deal with these issues? Any advice from anyone?"

"I am looking into homescholing my girls, I am looking for a not so costy curriculum, can anyone recomend one?"

"We are getting set up and will be starting to home school on 1 Nov. We are excited as well as scard, but we know that they will learn much more at home that they do at pub school. "