Every morning, Mary Jane, who is nine, doesn't have to worry about gulping down her cereal so she can be on time for school. School for Mary Jane is literally right at her doorstep.
             In this era of growing concerns about the quality of public education, increasing numbers of parents across the United States are choosing to educate their children at home. These parents believe they can do a better job teaching their children than their local schools can. Home schooling, as this practice is known, has become a national trend over the past twenty years. Home school advocates believe that the numbers may even be greater; many home scholars don't give official notice of what they are doing because they are still afraid of government interference.
             What is home schooling, and who are the parents choosing to teach their children at home? David Guterson, a high school teacher whose own children are home schooled, defines home schooling as "the attempt to gain an education outside of institutions." Home schooled children spend the majority of the conventional school day learning in or near their homes rather than in traditional schools; parents or guardians are the prime educators. Home-schooling parents create structured plans for their children, while others prefer looser environment. Most say they home school for one of two reasons: they are concerned about the way children are taught in public schools or they are concerned about exposing their children to secular education that may contradict their religious beliefs.
             The first group generally believes that children need individual attention and the opportunity to learn at their own paces in order to learn well. This group says that one teacher in a classroom of twenty to thirty children cannot give this kind of attention. These parents believe they can give their children greater enrichment and more specialized instruction than public schools can prov
             ...