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Jar

04/16/03 5:04 PM

#15017 RE: sarals #15016

>>not my kids! I can help with most homework, but I would not make a good teacher. I do have a couple friends who stay home full time and home school their kids. It's not for everyone.

Home schooling is not for everyone, but it's not as daunting as it first seems. If you start when the kids are 5, it's just simple reading and math. You build slowly each year. At middle school and high school there are co-ops so you can pool with other parents who are better at biology, calculus, music, etc.

Most folks think of homeschool as trying to duplicate the 7 hour school day with age specific textbooks, etc. Also the adjustment for pulling kids out of their social network, etc. However, if you start at home and slowly build year by year, you have none of these problems.

You also don't have to deal with the negatives of the kids' friends peer-pressure, fashion, etc. So you spend less time fussing with your kids and more time together on the couch reading great books and learning together. Total cost for 2 kids is less than $500 a year for all books and materials.