I have four children that I homeschooled for five years. The youngest was just a babe so he wasn't actually homeschooled, just involved in the activities of our life as much as it is possible for a baby. I decided to homeschool as a lifestyle choice. I was a stay at home Mom with a working husband. I began their education in the public schools and was a very involved parent, did lots of volunteering in their classrooms and got first hand exposure to what they where learning (or not), and how they were learning. By the time my oldest finished 4th grade, I had decided to homeschool. I started by purchasing a curriculum through Oak Meadow, rather pricey, but had all the information, including a "teacher's" guide with it. Where I live, there are loads of homeschooler's so we were able to join two different groups right away. My kids did homeschool swim, they took a quilting class, nature stuff at the Audobon Society, fieldtrips, just tons of different social things. They never lacked for socialization. By the next year, I felt more confident in our capabilities and adapted more of an unschooling style. I let the kids really follow their own bliss while trying to open up new areas to them by simply providing lots of new experiences.
Then things fell apart.
My husband quit working, had a breakdown, went to jail on drug charges. I left him and had to go back to work. I had an extensive network of homeschooling friends that helped me out the first two years, but it wasn't the same. My second in line son had reading disabilities and I was having a difficult time paying a tutor. It was tough shuffling them out of the house every day. I have two younger kids and two older kids, so I often had to try to find two separate places for the two groups each day.
My oldest went to a private Quaker high school when it was time. The second oldest lives with his Dad, dosn't go to school will maybe get his GED if he can read the exam, and the two youngest are in public school all day. I wish that I could spend more time with them, give them the same great experiences their brothers had but I had to make the decision to be a working Mom rather than a welfare Mom (and I don't say that in judgment against any Mom that is.)
Homeschooling, unschooling, freeschooling are all fabulous educational alternatives. I think that everone has to make the decision that works best for them and not feel guilty about what they do end up deciding.
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