Should I consider the idea of switching my child(ren) from public school to home schooling?

I homeschool my own three kids and always have. I'm on my state's homeschooling network board and mentor many new homeschoolers. You have a very astute son there!

I don't think I'd be worried about his character or social abilities at all, if he was able to research this issue himself and present it in such a way to you. He also sounds like he would be able to be largely independent in his homeschooling, especially if he's old enough to drive to get himself to the various myriad activities, classes and support groups that are available in many areas. My own oldest is almost 15 and by age in 8th grade (because of the way Indiana does things; hi, neighbor!), although by grade level he's actually in high school in most subjects.

That's the cool thing about homeschooling: no one is there to hold you back if you're ready to move on. It's funny, but in no competitive training program are students held back to their age level, but in government school (and some private schools) that's the policy.In my daughter's pre-pro ballet training, she was jumped a level to study with a class that was *mostly* 2-3 years older (and she's homeschooled, too), some kids who *would* have been in that new class by age were again another 2 levels above, simply because they were ready. One of my daughter's classmates just took first place for the under-12 age group at the North American Regionals of one of the top international student ballet competitions.

Again. If they were held together by virtue of age, I doubt this could have happened. A similar thing is true on my son's gymnastics team: they aren't held together by age, but by ability and hard work.

Both training schools, incidentally, are run by former Russians. They really drill hard work into the kids, and the word "talent" is not allowed in either school. Talk about developing character!

I subscribe to an e-list, two of them actually, for homeschoolers who want their kids to get into top colleges, and another for homeschooling gifted kids. One thing that keeps coming up on both lists is what do those colleges want to see? The vast majority of applicants they see have gone through government school, or they've gone through some other form of mass education.

It's like looking at a giant box of crayons that are infintesmally different shades. Really, really hard to weed out, even using test scores. Very homogeneous, because that's what government schools are about.

So homeschoolers automatically become that much more interesting, because none of them have had such a homogeneous educational experience. What the top schools really want to see, it turns out, is 1) a unique educational experience and 2) a person with a passion who is using his talent and passion to help others. This even trumps test scores when looking at two applicants side by side.

The person with a high SAT from a mass education setting who took Spanish, ran track, took AP courses and got a 5 will be trumped by the person who felt such compassion for people in Africa with poor water supplies that he rallied his town to raise money for a bike-powered well that he designed after being tutored by a local engineer, and then raised money to go help install it, learning Swahili in the 6 months he was there, even though he didn't play sports and had a lower SAT score. That's because the university likely had over 100,000 applicants just like the first guy, but only a handful like the second. Homeschooling a boy like your son who is already showing initiative should not take a whole lot of time for your wife, because he's old enough to work independently.

This is what I'm finding with my son, and even my next one, at 11, who is not requiring nearly as much of my time as she did even last year. Both of my older kids have ADD/ADHD (in that order). Especially if your wife is having to re-teach your younger son for hours nightly, she may find homeschooling him takes less time than she's currently spending.

One of the big keys with all kids, but especially with kids who have ADD/ADHD, is picking an educational method that fits their learning style. Many kids with ADD need more of a hands-on curriculum than is used in most mass education settings, but not all do. So it's worthwhile to research that when you're making your decision.

Working in harmony with his learning style will definitely reduce stress all around, and speed his learning along.As far as how it would affect their professional and higher education choices, employers, colleges and the military like homeschoolers. Homeschoolers have not had the chance to hide behind someone else when the teacher is calling for answers; they can't cheat, because what would be the point and how would they? The focus for most homeschoolers is not cramming just enough to get by to get the test score only to forget the information afterwards, but to actually learn.

They tend to be self-starters able to think outside the box. Those are traits colleges, the military and future employers value. One of the biggest myths out there about homeschooling is "socialization".

People don't make a distinction between "socializing" and "socialization". The first is having the opportunity to have fun with friends, and there's plenty of opportunity for that--many homeschoolers have a bumpersticker that reads "Why do they call it 'home'schooling when we're never home? " All those classes, clubs, actvities don't happen in the proverbial closet!

I don't know where you're at in Illinois, but all across Indiana, homeschoolers perform in local theatre, community bands and orchestras and choirs (or in special homeschooling ones in some areas); are members of Scouts and similar organizations; play all kinds of sports for community leagues (and in Indiana for some private and even public schools); participate in homeschooling co-ops for everything from lab sciences to Regency poetry to Chinese; take various classes online, at colleges, at dance and martial arts centers; volunteer at animal shelters/rehab centers/food pantries. There is no reason to be isolated unless you want to be, and you and your kids will actually have more time, not less, to participate in life now that your schedule is your own! "Socialization", on the other hand, is the passing down of a society's rules and expectations from one generation to another.

That's the dictionary definition. Not from one 7-year-old to another, or from one 15-year-old to another, yet that's what happens in giant schools where the kids outnumber the adults by 35 to 1. That's not socialization.

That's how a society declines, especially when it's a stranger's kids who are teaching yours how to act. Every study of homeschooled students out there has shown that homeschoolers are better socialized, in the true and desirable sense of the word, than their mass-educated counterparts. They act more mature for their ages without loosing their sense of fun.

They are able to converse with older people and younger children with a sense of valuation of the other (or respect, in other words). Because they actually encounter people from all walks of life just by going out and living, they tend to have a wider experience of the world than kids who are segregated by age and zip code and placed within walls all day. I see a lot of people deciding to homeschool for a lot of different reasons: the school gave them no other choice (illegal for the school to do so); the kids are being bullied by other students or by the teacher; the school is unable to meet the child's educational needs or physical needs.

You're actually in a very good position to have this be a success, because your son wants it badly enough that he's researched it and is making a very good case to you why it would be a good idea. He sounds like quite a kid! I hope I've given you some good ideas why this could work.

Feel free to contact me through my profile page if you have any more questions. I can put you in contact with the Illinois homeschooling volunteer network that parallels my own.

I have homeschooled other people's children as well as my own for over 10 years. Here are some of the things I have learned in the journey. 1.It will consume some time for your wife, the amount of time is completely up to what curriculum she chooses.

There are curricula out there that will only require an hour a day of your wife, and there are more hands on choices to require her attention all day. Check out Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Picks for Homeschooling.In her book, she tells you how to figure out what type of student your child is, what type of teacher you are, and what curriculum would mesh best with those things in mind. 2.

Public School is not necessarily "bad" . It works for some kids and not others. It sounds like it would be a great fit for your ADD son, and if your other son wants to try it, why not?

If it doesn't work out, you can re enroll him. We have 4 kids and we re evaluate each year. 3.

Socialization is not a problem for most homeschoolers. There are homeschool skate days, homeschool park days, homeschool sports, ..the list goes on and on. 4.

Homeschooling allows you to challenge your kids when they need it, and to let them take things at their own pace if they need that instead. You get a lot more done in 4 hours at home then a whole day at school. 5.

Finally, more and more colleges are looking for homeschoolers to attend. They know that homeschoolers are self driven, challenge themselves, and are for the most part good students, Good luck in your journey!

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