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their curriculum to meet their individual needs.

Socialization was always one of the major questions that we received. While many think that socialization is lacking in a homeschool setting, this is usually far from the truth. We made sure that the children were able to socialize with other children. The main factor for socialization for us was joining a home school support group. Play dates, picnics, study groups and just hanging out at the park were things we did several times a week. Not only were we able to socialize with students who were the same age, but we also socialized with babies, toddlers, adolescents, teenagers, adults and seniors. This pretty much covered the entire spectrum of socialization. My children learned to appropriately interact with all age groups and learned to respect all of those around them.

Eventually my children returned to public school. Upon returning, I will admit that their grades did fall and they did struggle in some subjects and on standardized tests. The reason for this was mainly adjustment. They were used to a particular style and then had to change to another style. Adjustment will always take time but will eventually even out. After a year or so back in public school, their grades did even out and again they excelled in some subjects, worked on grade level in some subjects and we saw subjects where they scored lower.

When my children returned to public school, I worked very closely with the teachers and school staff, I made sure that I knew what they were learning, what they were having trouble with and what subjects they were scoring above average in. Anytime I had a question, I would write a note, or call the teacher. I visited the school regularly and kept myself well informed of my children's progress. While this is a little more difficult to do in the public realm, it can be done with some determination. By working closely with the school and the teachers, I could work with my children at home on subjects that they needed more help in. They still had to follow state curriculum guidelines and learn the same core subjects that we did in homeschool. They had a little less freedom on what they were permitted to study in public school but we continued instilling that thirst for knowledge after school. We set study times for after school during which they could do their homework and when they were finished, they had the freedom to choose what they wanted to work on.

Socialization in public school was a bit different than

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