My journey into the realm of home-school began in 1999, when my daughters begged for relief from the public school "zoolima". They each felt strongly about the need to "get out of the public school scene". I, on the other hand, knew very little about homeschooling, with the exception of the horror stories that I had heard about parents being arrested and having their children taken from them. I longed for more time with my children, yet, at the same time, worried about the issues that they could face and possibly resent in the long term.

Once the discovery that homeschooling no longer constituted "breaking the law", I became an avid self-learner on the subject. The pros and the cons of home-school both had merit, but in the final analysis, the pros for our family won out.

Most people I have spoken with were concerned with 3 major issues:
(1) Is it legal?
(2) How do you know what and "how" to teach?
(3) What about socialization for the child/ren?

There are, of course, many more questions that all would-be home-schoolers ask and with good reason. Homeschooling a child is a huge step and a huge responsibility. For most parents, we have been trained since birth to prepare our children and ourselves to "go to school". This is well and good for a large percentage of the population, but for those of us who wish to be the biggest influence on our child, home-school is a golden opportunity. It also places more responsibility on us as parents. No longer can it be said that "Jimmy would have done better, if the teacher liked him" or "Suzy isn't the most popular kid in class and she is unhappy at school because of it". No, it eliminates those types of problems. Yet, it can, without adequate planning, cause very real problems such as "Jack really misses his friends" and "Nancy wants to be in school programs and plays."

When comparing home-school to conventional public school forums, one must ask themselves the following questions:

(1)Do I have the time and dedication to give to my child everyday?

(2)What subjects are the most important to us?

(3)With whom do I want my child to associate with?

(4)What issues are of utmost importance to me as a parent?

(5)To what lengths am I willing to go to ensure my child is educated and has the socialization I feel he/she needs?

For all of the questions, the public school districts already have the answers:

(a1.) Public Schools hire people to teach on a full time basis. Whether they are excellent

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