HOME SCHOOLING: A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
             Home schooling can be the most rewarding and fulfilling experience a parent can give a child. There are many advantages to teaching at home. A child will not only obtain academic excellence, but will also receive invaluable life skills. The teaching parent will be able to freely impart religious values and build stronger family bonds.
             The home schooled child is governed by some laws of the state, but not all. For instance, the child must receive instruction the same number of days, as do children in public school. Basic subjects such as math, English, science, reading and social studies are also required, but the parent has the freedom to choose the curriculum that best suits the needs of the child. If a child excels in a subject, or is not grasping a concept, the parent can teach at the child's pace.
             As the parent of a home schooled child, I've been asked on more than one occasion about "socialization". Doesn't home schooling isolate your child from the real world? To that I say emphatically, NO! The four walls of one's home are not the only place to teach and learn.
             The world is exactly what the home schooled child is exposed to in a more realistic way. A home schooled child is not secluded or isolated. Not only is the child educated in the 3R's, many are also taught practical every day living skills such as budgeting, balancing a check book, cooking and housekeeping. A visit to the grocery store can be used to teach reading, science, and math, just by reading canned food labels. Being part of a variety of outside physical activities and support groups helps the parent to round out the child's education. If a parent is not knowledgeable in a subject, most support groups offer classes and tutors at little or no cost to parents. Children are not grouped according to age or grade in activities. Most times an older child is paired with...