Besides, the reason of taking children out of school in order to give them individualized attention is probably only one reason amongst many that parents choose to do this. And as a parent, we have a right to choose to do what is best for our children. While we all must do our part to make our voices heard in the government, we cannot use that as the basis to keep our children in school, when we believe it is in their best interest to be educated at home. Granted, teachers are underpaid but then again, homeschoolers are the most underpaid! It has little to do with "hiding their light under a bushel" and more to do with taking into their hands the education of their own children.

I personally do appreciate and always have appreciated what teachers do. I admire and respect them. At the same time, I have three children that I believe are better off being homeschooled. That decision does not mean I think otherwise of teachers. May God bless you in your work!

Stephanie R.

Teaching is a difficult job, and no one does it simply for the pay or the 'career path'. That's also the very reason why we homeschool. We feel that we are our children's first and best teachers. We can pass along our values and knowledge in a way we never thought possible. And we, ourselves, can learn in the process.

Managing stress is a skill we all need to nurture. It doesn't matter if we homeschool or not. I was much more stressed in my '9-5' job before I started homeschooling than afterwards. The homeschooling gave me the focus I needed outside of my job to put everything into perspective. I found that I had strength and talents that no one could have told me I had several months ago.

This is my first homeschooling year and my 4-year-old is doing wonderfully with his kindergarten curriculum. I don't know how long I will homeschool, but I can't get this experience for him by putting him in a public school, no matter how involved I become.

There is no committee to decide which approach of teaching works best for my son. There is no group of people I rarely see choosing the books specific to educate my values into my child. It is the autonomy of our experience and the ability to individualize the learning path for each child which makes homeschooling what it is. No amount of public 'participation' would change public schools into a homeschooling environment.

"While government schools spend an average of $5,325 per student per year to attain a 50th percentile performance ranking among the states, $1.5 million home-schooled children cost U.S. families only about $400 per student annually, to achieve test scores averaging 25 percent higher at the 75th percentile. In the largest research study to date, completed this year by Dr. Lawrence Rudner of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, the average eighth grade homeschooled student performs four grade levels above the national average. This outstanding academic performance by home-educated students makes homeschooling an attractive alternative to the traditional classroom. Home-schooling involves one-on-one instruction - known to be an ideal format in which to learn. With the efficiency of individual instruction, and without the distractions of a crowded classroom, parents often find their children accomplish more academic work in less time."
http://www.come-over.to/homeschool/homeschoolnews.htm

Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, former Senior Policy Advisor in the U.S. Department of Education, blew the whistle in the `80s on government activities withheld from the public. Her inside knowledge will help you protect your children from controversial methods and programs. In her book, "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" you will discover:
How good teachers across America have been forced to use controversial, non-academic methodology in their classrooms.
how "school choice" is being used to further dangerous reform goals, and how home schooling and private education are especially vulnerable. How workforce training (school-to-work) is an essential part of an overall plan for a global economy, and how this plan will short-circuit your child's future career plans and opportunities.
how the international, national, regional, state and local agendas for education reform are all interconnected and have been for decades.
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/book.ht