Ok here we go:

1. What was your motivation for homeschooling? Was it based on religious reasons? Was is it based on curriculum - did you want more freedom in choosing what your children were being taught? Was it based on socializing - wanting to have more control in the people with whom your children came into contact with? Was it based on logistics - the nearest school being 20 miles away? What made you finally decide to go this route?

-I decided to homeschool for several reasons.  The first and foremost was because I work afternoon shift.  I really am not an early morning person, and I my work is 35 miles away, so I can’t do midnight d/t the long drive, so it’s afternoons for me.  If ds went to public school, then I’d never see him.  Also, I feel homeschool is a far superior education to public school.  I also like to have control over his “socialization”.  Next, my sister homeschools, and it looked like a lot of fun (and it is!)

2. Don’t hate me for asking this. How to you handle socialization? What steps do you take to make sure your children are around other children and adults? Are you active in a home school group? Do you spend a lot of time at church activities? Maybe you utilize the local Y for activities and they meet friends there?

-Public school is for education, not socialization.  Socialization is the responsibility of the family, and that starts at birth.  We have a grandma in the nsg home, so he is exposed to the elderly there.  We play baseball, and now joined swimming.  He has a whole neighborhood full of kids that he can play with when the weather is nice.  Plus we have lots of family in the area.  He goes to another homeschooler to be watched when I work, until my husband (who works days) gets home.  And let me tell you, this kid of mine can hold a conversation with ANYONE :) 

3. Do you use the public school system for any part of your child’s routine? Some children here come to the school for band or chorus, or maybe for science class. Do you send your child to the public school to take advantage of any of their programs?

-DS will be swimming for a non-school related swim team this fall/winter… and that is held at the local high school swimming pool.  After hours it is run as a public rec. center… so in a sense, yes, he’s at the PS pool, but not really.  Otherwise, I avoid PS like the plague.

4. Do your children begin and end school at the same time each day? Do they have a strict schedule, at least as far as waking up and reporting to the school area of your home? If not, when/how will you transition your children into following a more rigid schedule - awaking at the same time each day so that they can follow a routine outside of the home like for college and work?

-Nope.  We don’t follow a rigid schedule.  That’s part of the glory of homeschool!  As for the rigid schedule being “prep” for work later in life, I can say as a supervisor, there is absolutely no correlation between the two.   First off, many of the younger employees have little dedication to their place of employment.  Secondly, both young and older employees can have attendance issues… tardiness, playing the “system”, etc.  If this is the quality of employee we are guarenteed from the PS system, then something is wrong.  Other reasons why I think that considering the PS system as a trainer for real life is a fallicy are:  1.  In no other job (except PS teacher) do you get 3 months, every weekend and every holliday off every year.  2.  You enter college/work and are no longer in age-segregated peer groups.  You might be working and have to train someone twice your age.  That doesn’t happen in PS!  3.  Not all jobs are 9-5.   I work 2:30pm- 11pm.  Can’t say PS keeps those hours.  4.  Grade school is manditory by law, having a good job and keeping it is not.  

We do try to keep a morning routine.  It helps me more than anything…..

5. How many spelling bees has your child won? Oh, I’m kidding. We all know most of the recent national spelling bee winners have been home schooled children. I just wanted to throw a little funny in there?

-haha.  No, my son is not a strong speller.  It’s good we homeschool, because we can work at his pace, using techniques that help him the most, without inducing frustration and low self esteem by assigning D’s and F’s, when he can learn, it just takes longer… Just like there can only be so many Olympic champions, there can only be so many champion spellers.

6. Do you have a sense of humor? It’s probably a little late for me to ask that but…

-Yes, but most of my humor is not appropriate for this type of post.

7. Where do you find your curriculum? Do you shop for it and order it? Do you create your own?

-Gatta love Rainbow Resouce, their catalog is over 1200 pages, in small print.  We also (mostly) follow Susan Wise Bauer’s idea of the trivium.

8. Do you have any worries at all about teaching your teenagers the higher level math and sciences? I, for one, could not teach chemistry to my children but I could probably teach them calculus. Is this a concern for you?

-No, it’s not really a concern for me.  I’m refreshing my memory and learning along the way.  We can also utilize tutors if needed.  I did honors sciences, but never calculus.  Very hard subjects won’t spring up on me without my prior knowing… no surprises here.  Plus, we are only in 3rd grade right now!  I think I can teach that, I did pass, after all

9. What bothers you the most about the reputation home schoolers have? What things do you hate to hear people say about you for your choice? I really hope you don’t say that it’s my previous post.

-I really don’t know what the “reputation” of homeschoolers is.  I missed your previous post (probably good thing, if it wasn’t nice).  I think of homeschoolers and hard working, loving, free-minded parents come to mind.  Read John Taylor Gatto and maybe you’ll think differently of public school.  www.johntaylorgatto.com

10. Be honest, do you, at least in your mind sometimes, judge those of us who choose public school? Do you ever think we are making a bad choice for our children? Are you vocal about that disapproval?

-I’m not vocal about it.  I just am vocal when parents say about homeschool “I could never do that, aren’t you concerned about socialization??”  and “I really like sending my kid away and having the day all to my self “.   um…. so why DID you breed, anyway?  It also ticks me off when they complain about who little johnny is playing with at school, the bad attitudes he developed, etc…. and then question my ability to socialize my kid.  Well, if playing with, and morphing into, the riff-raff of public school is socialization, I think I’ll pass, thanks.

11. Is “home school” one word or two? I’ve seen it both ways. With spellcheck, it shows it as ONE word when used as a verb, but two words when used otherwise. Please enlighten me.

-It’s one word, but who’s a champion speller, anyways….