Let me start by giving you a short idea of whom we are as a family.  I have four children.  The youngest now is 16.  She is a beautiful young lady, who decided last year that she wanted to graduate from high school and begin college courses.  To my surprise, she qualified, passed the G.E.D. requirements and is now taking college courses online.  Our next youngest daughter is 18.  She graduated from high school courses with her younger sister.  Putting in the extra effort to graduate early was not one of her priorities.  She graduated when her friends, who were not home schooling graduated.  Just as a side note.  These two young ladies were signed up in distance learning through a private school.  One of the schools graduation requirements was to write a 250 page thesis on the history of the world.  These young ladies accomplished this monumental task.  I am quite please with the two of them.  I have a son, who is now 24; he around age 14 decided he wanted to attend public school.  He at present has not gone on to college.  There is no way to know what if this or what if that.  He does not have the curiosity to want to learn formally.  He is extremely smart, but has been turned off by education.  My oldest daughter is now 26, has two small children with a third on the way.  She was home schooled from the third grade until high school.  She decided to attend high school for social reasons.  All of her friends were going to high school.  She had no problems in high school; she was nearly a straight A student.  She went onto college.  In college she met a young man whom she later married.  She is still working towards her degree, though slowly.

Home schooling is not easy.  At the same time it is not difficult.  It is definitely different.  It requires a whole set of family changes, and accompanying responsibilities. 

When we started, I had questions on whether we could teach our children properly.  I discovered I was not alone.  There were other families wanting or actively home schooling nearby.  I had people to talk with about problems or fears I had.  When the children were younger, play activities were important.  These nearby resources were invaluable for playtime; and extra curricular activities.  Where it was impractical to call a company and ask for a private tour, with just my two, three, or four children; it was easy when we could say we had twenty or thirty.  Often the companies, who provided tours for public school children, were surprised when our children varied in age.  Our children were able to do; to discover; to learn everything that the public school children had the opportunity to learn. 

I said earlier that home schooling is not easy.  That statement is true, IT IS NOT EASY.  By that, I mean it requires a new regiment, and discipline.  We did not want to be a public school located in our home.  We wanted to be a fun place to learn for our children.  We wanted our children excited about learning.  We found that doing, required alot of time.  We didn't have set hours for specified subjects.  Things took time.  Someday little more than household chores would be accomplished.  Other days the children would work hours on end on their favorite projects.  As the children aged, my job was less and less that of a teacher, and more and more a counselor, a guide.  A child would have an interest in say bicycle mechanics; I had to locate books on the mechanics of bicycles.  Later, the interests may change to astronomy.  Again back to the library and or book store to fulfill their need for information.  It was not easy, because I had to be alert to determine their interests, wants and needs.  It took a lot of my time and energy.   The regiment of the house totally changes when you home school.  The children quickly learn that they are responsible for their learning.  They build an inner discipline to investigate and discover things around them. 

The opposite is also true; home schooling is not difficult.  There are resources available everywhere.  Public libraries, other families, businesses etcetera.  You say, businesses?  Yes businesses!  A hundred years ago it was common for a young man or woman to work as an apprentice.  Though laws make that difficult today; the opportunity is still available if you are willing to hunt it out.  There are also private, and some public school activities they can become involved in.  Our public school allowed our kids to take music appreciation; music discovery at the local school.  Private schools often have distance learning programs where specific subjects can be addressed. 

I mentioned bicycle mechanics.  What do you learn by learning bicycle mechanics.  Do you need to be able to read?  Does or could math skills be required in learning about the mechanics of a bicycle.  Their interests will require them to learn.  When it is their need to learn; they remain excited about learning, discovering the world around them.  When they are forced to learn, they often rebel.  I have heard people graduating from college exclaim that now they were finished.  They no longer had to go to school.  They no longer had someone to force them to read.  A child who has learned the discipline to self teach continues through out their lives to learn.  The world is a wonderful place.  A place of unlimited opportunities to discover.

Should a family have their children remain in public or private school; or should they begin home schooling?  That is the question.  Well, it takes alot of time.  It takes alot of discipline from everyone in the family.  It takes alot of backbone.  What? Backbone?  Yes backbone?  By that I mean, at times they may not progress as fast as other children seem to progress in the eyes of your relatives.  It may be a fact that they are not up on all subjects as fast as their peers in public school.  A child's interests causes them to vere off in different directions.  You have to have a backbone to stand up to your relatives; to be able to say with power that my children are learning.  My children will exceed their peers when it is time for them to enter college.  If you have that confidence, and communicate it to your children, they will excel.  Are you willing, able to give your children the time they need?  The answer determines your family's answer to the question should we home school.

In our case, it has definitely been the right decision.  Home schooling has taught my children discipline and integrity.  We have a small store here on eBay.  My two youngest work that store.  They have been the engine to the activity for several years now.  They know about inventory control, shipping, postage regulations, and a variety of other subjects required to operate this and the other family enterprises.  Yes, we have other family enterprises.  The other main enterprise is a bulk vending business.  They know how to service, build the machines, and sell to acquire location sights.  I am very proud of my children.  They would not have had the opportunity or time if we had followed the traditional route of public school.

Another factor, we were able to shelter them when they were young from drugs, gangs, and other social problems that are prevalent at the public schools.