I was recently contacted by a friend from high school that I hadn't spoken to in years. In high school she was the only one of our *group* who KNEW what she wanted to BE. After high school she immediately went off to college to become a lawyer. Somehow her vocation took a slight detour...and she decided to become a teacher.

In our recent email correspondence I mentioned that we were beginning homeschooling this year. As a former teacher you might think her response would be shock and/or dismay. Far from it. Having been *in the trenches* for more than 5 years, she has been nothing but encouraging!

I had to share some of her thoughts...

I'm a strong believer in being held accountable for your work - was all for the FCAT (which is a pretty good test, no matter what those lazy teachers complain about - it tests basic skills everyone should have, and I always taught those skills within the context of good literature quite easily; it just takes more prep time - God forbid)... it annoyed me to no end that most of the other teachers would just complain and not even try. State jobs are a funny thing. If they are established by statute, the employee has a constitutional right to it, which means that it is next to impossible to get rid of substandard workers.

Straight from the horse's mouth...no offense intended!

My friend has given up teaching to work in the private sector where her skills and work ethic will be appreciated. She's now working in a law firm and studying to take the Bar in Ohio. I have no doubt she'll pass with flying colors!

The United States spends an average of $6,043 per primary school student. Only 3 countries spend as much on their students: Denmark, Switzerland and Austria.

The United States spends an average of $7,764 per secondary school student. Only 2 countries spend as much money per child: Switzerland and Austria.

The average primary teacher's salary starts at $25,707, the 5th highest starting salary in the world. After 15 years of experience, the average Primary teacher earns $34,705, still the 5th highest in the world.

You would think that our children's skills might be proportional.

Our 12th graders rank 14th in science, 17th in math.

If our personal experience of the schools here in Broward County are any measure of the United States as a whole, our system of Education is abysmal.

From the statistics above, it doesn't seem to be failing because we aren't throwing enough money at it!

Our family is embarking on a new adventure... homeschooling.

We (as a family) have determined that the public and private school options we've experienced so far have not been up to par. The latest year spent in a private, Lutheran school has nearly been the worst yet. It is time to try something else.

Some people wonder about this decision and question our capability to manage and educate a 13 year old. Others deplore the idea and lament that our child will transform into a hermit with no social skills or friends.

I've recently read a few books on the subject...and I've found a few quotes I want to share.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that public schooling, a brilliant alternative to ignorance, was no match for a loving private education on any level - intellectual, emotional, or sociological - not when that education is overseen by earnest, excited parents who love life and children and who are still capable of wonder. (from Homeschool Your Children for Free by Gold and Zielinski)

That quote really rang a chord with me. I believe we've done a great job of afterschooling (in accordance with any public/private schooling our son has been in), so much so that at this point I feel that with one-on-one attention we can far surpass whatever curriculum he'd be learning next year at any school we could enroll him in.

I've never before had the opportunity to stay at home and tutor my son (I was back at work 1 month after his birth). Now that we have our own home-based business, this is no longer an issue.

As for the socialization question...I guess this is a major concern for any parent that considers home schooling. You have to go out and look for social opportunities - youth groups, homeschooling groups, intramural sports, etc. I have been told strongly that my son should be in school with other kids so that he can learn how to deal with idiots because some day he'll need to work with these type of people. Excuse me? My retort to that was that I'd be schooling him not to work with idiots, but to hire them - or have the opportunity NOT to hire them ;)

I have found another great that really gets the point across...

"Refrain from institutionalizing your child and choose instead to homeschool, unschool, or nonschool. Let your child learn genuine socialization instead of false and negative socialization and negative coping behaviors."

If you're in the Fort Lauderdale area and are looking for a homeschooling group, I found a good one. H.E.L.P.S. - Home Educators Lending Parents Support. Their website is not up to date (which I may soon help to fix), but they are a great group of people.