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Each family must make their own decision. I have taught in public school, private school, and thus I homeschool my kids. I love the flexibility it fosters and the creativity. It also allows my eldest son to be himself and yet at the same time learn to read and write. He is not the sit still kind of a kid and though he has a great heart he just can't sit still for more than a few minutes. I am certain in a public school setting I would be getting notes home and demerits and then would be told "you have to give him medication"--fat chance. So he still learns how to read, write, add and subtract, but in such a way that he can still be himself. This fall (he is in 1st grade-ish) we get to study as a family the weather, Native Americans, and then the usual addition subtraction, writing, and reading. An additional advantage to this is that the younger children learn alongside the older (if they want to) so my 4 year old daughter can read almost as well as my 6 year old son, though he has a much better concept of math and numbers.

However I will say that if you don't want to homeschool, you shouldn't, because it can be hard and you have to always evaluate your methods, so you do have to be committed to the process.

Now on the socialization--which for the most part is utter nonsense. Do you know when I am asked the most about that--when I am at a park and my children are playing with the other's mom's children. Or while my son is at flag football practice running around with everyone else. When has public school ever been a model of socialization skills? Do I know some awkward homeschoolers--yep--I knew some awkward public school students too. The difference I have seen is that the public school kids take longer to get over their social ineptness because they are pecked half to death by their classmates and thus learn the only way to survive is to retreat into their own little world. The home school students I know that have that same awkwardness are not ridiculed, but are instead taught simple skills to overcome shyness. Could they be taught this in public school--maybe--but that was not what I observed as the SOP. Should the parents do this at home--yes, but the parents have to know that this is going on. If their kids are with someone else 8-10 hours a day, have 2 hours a day of homework, and then they sleep another 8-9 hours, there is not much time left for observation and education and oh yes we need to eat too!

For us the choice is homeschool. I support each family in doing whatsoever is best for their own family. Some it will be state school, some private schools, some homeschool. Consider what you need to then make the best decision for you and your children.