Hello landjsmom - I'm the mom from earlier with the 14 yr old son. We are in Shippensburg, PA and have had the same experience as you. Our son has a GIEP, was grade-skipped, the district provided EPGY math classes in elementary school and Johns Hopkins classes in math and writing in middle school. They also allowed him to do independent study in math so he covered Algebra II and PreCalc in a single year. What was harder to get was actual differentiation of the curriculum in other classes like science and social studies because the teachers simply have too much to do already. We have huge differences in ability within the classroom and I really began to feel I was simply asking too much. This is where bookstores and the library came in handy and our son just went deeper into topics on his own.
I still believe very strongly in outside enrichment. Music, especially, but also sports and travel. My son still seems to have plenty of "sitting around playing video games" time. I never considered homeschooling personally because my experience in school was so much fun. I can't imagine my kids missing the typical American childhood. They are thriving participating in marching band, sports, plays, etc. I know when they are adults they will look back and remember great friendships, the excitement of Friday night football games, nerves before quiz bowl competitions and a lot of silliness.
Amy
