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Hi. I'm really hoping to get some input from the homeschoolers out there.

Background: Our dd8 is in public school now (4th grade after a skip and she's a fall birthday). Her situation is ok for this year and is a vast improvement over last year's, but next year isn't looking good. Her district has implemented a new policy for next year where all children must remain in their main school of instruction (I think it's budget reasons, but they won't be specific about it). So she will no longer get bused to the MS for math. And the great teacher she has this year isn't looping and our choices for next year do not reassure me. The district doesn't do any 'gifted education' but instead has 'enrichment' which four years ago sounded great but we have found it really isn't implemented well and doesn't provide any additional challenge at our dd's level (or even close to her level).

Both my husband and I are so frustrated with the situation and we agree that we could provide a better academic education for her at home, but my husband is very concerned about socialization. She has a lot of friends in school, she is very social, and her favorite part of school is getting to see her friends. He feels that taking her away from that wouldn't be good for her. He thinks she should be learning in a group setting. I feel like I could cover the academics in much less time, freeing up afternoons to do activities like sports, play-dates, Girl Scouts, and fun programs at our local Y.

How easy/difficult is it as homeschooling parents to provide social opportunities to your children? What types of activities are they involved in? If your child was previously in school but is now homeschooled, how much did he/she miss the social interactions of school, and was it short lived or do they still pine for that constant, daily interaction with peers?

I really appreciate any advice you can give. We don't know anyone personally who has made the decision to homeschool and we feel like we are in uncharted waters. We're struggling with whether this would be the best move for daughter. Thanks for reading!
I don't homeschool but know people who do around here. I would recommend scoping about the homeschooling scene in your area. I think the ease of socialization depends on where you live. Where I'm at there's so many homeschoolers and I think it wouldn't be that tough to socialize but I can see in other areas it would be.

See if there's any yahoo groups or other organizations that can lead you to local homeschoolers. Perhaps if you get to know them a bit now it would ease everyones minds about next year.
I have a friend who homeschools her kids. They use an online course with a teacher they talk to thru email and phone. She is involved in a homescool group activites, sports and scouts. She feels this is meeting their social needs. All the repetion was really bother her kids and they were not being challenged enough. Her son's behavior has improved at home after reliving him of these stresses.

I would check into lirary, parks, recreation centers, and museums programs for homeschooler.

I don't homeschool but it could be a great experience.
Hi Ruby,

I'm not a homeschooler, but some of the moms here point out that their very social children have thrived because of homeschooling, not in spite of it.

Try this link:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art27055.asp

Love and More Love,
Grinity
I pulled DS out of public school in Dec. to homeschool. He goes to school every day to do specials(gym, art, music, and enrichment)So he is able to socialize with his classmates every day. It can be a pain because the class is only 45 minutes long and you have to consider travel time.

There are also homeschooling groups you can join in your area. Look up homeschooling forums in your state.
It might depend on your location, but I feel like we have TOO many social opportunities rather than too few. I would start googling for "homeschool MY TOWN STATE" and see what you come up with? Do you know anyone else who is homeschooling in your area that could be a resource? It seems like there is a great divide here between the secular and religious homeschooling groups/communities around these parts and that can make a difference too depending on what groups you would prefer. I literally can barely get through my e-mail daily with all the stuff we have to choose from. Many weeks I feel like we forgo curriculum for social and hands on learning.

My child was in PS for 2 years (K, 1st) and didn't miss anything socially (and he is very social). He does lots of activities - piano, unicycle, soccer, taking drama this spring, doing 2-3 camps this summer, HS swimming lessons, and we live in a neighborhood with kids he loves. It's been great for us! We took a 3 week road trip this winter and a 2 week one after Labor day last fall. My husband was definitely a skeptic, now he's a huge fan and advocate of homeschooling. And it started as a 1 year experiment, if that might help you wrap your minds around it.

Ditto what Kim said. We've been homeschooling for nearly 3 school years now, and it seems like we are on the go all the time. DS8 does not lack for social time! Here's an off-the-top-of-my-head list of everything social or group-oriented that he's done in the past 3 years:

>School for homeschoolers (not common, but a handy private school with a college-like approach to selecting a menu of classes that suits your needs, plus recesses, yearbook photos, t-shirts, etc.)
>Homeschool co-op
>Homeschool group (parties, activities, learning-oriented gatherings, park days, etc.)
>Boy Scouts
>YMCA classes (sports, of course, but also science, cooking, art, etc.)
>Gifted enrichment classes by a nonprofit group
>Art classes
>Group piano lessons
>Soccer team
>Summer camp
>Junior First Lego League
>Foreign language lessons
>playdates: especially handy are the standing weekly ones, so that it's always scheduled and painless
>free time at the park after school hours
>play with neighbor kids who are not homeschooled

It hasn't been hard at all. Granted, not everyone has a school for homeschoolers in their neighborhood. But some public schools allow part-time attendance like Tall Boys is describing (ours does not), and private schools might allow a similar partial enrollment to ours if they're not full.

An active homeschooling community is helpful, certainly. Some places are better than others.

Keep talking if you need more help. smile
Thank you all for your responses.

Grinity, thanks for the link! I just looked and my library has a copy of that book. I'll be checking it out.

Kriston and kimck, I appreciate you sharing your personal experiences. I know our library and local Y have groups for homeschoolers. I don't know much about them, but I'm going to look into them. But other than that, I don't know of any that aren't religiously focused, which wouldn't work for us. I will keep looking.

I already do a lot of social activities with her in addition to school because she craves so much interaction. I became a Brownie leader so she could have a troop, we took sign language classes, she's been in gymnastics, swimming, soccer and chess club, but that's after school, through the school. And we have playdates every week. She also plays the violin and trumpet.

I feel like doing those, plus adding interactions with other homeschoolers and maintaining friendships she's had through school should be enough. But I can't seem to convince my husband. He's afraid that she will be missing out socially because she would be working with me mostly and won't have the benefit of being in a classroom 6+ hours a day, eating lunch with friends, working on projects with friends, that sort of thing.

Kimck, you said your husband was a skeptic. If you don't mind me asking, what were his objections and what has changed his opinion? Kriston, did you encounter any of these concerns from your husband or other family members? And if so, how were you able to persuade them?

Originally Posted by Ruby
I feel like doing those, plus adding interactions with other homeschoolers and maintaining friendships she's had through school should be enough. But I can't seem to convince my husband. He's afraid that she will be missing out socially because she would be working with me mostly and won't have the benefit of being in a classroom 6+ hours a day, eating lunch with friends, working on projects with friends, that sort of thing.

Idea #1 - go out of town for a week and arrange for DH to do all the driving and scout team meetings for just one week, and then see if he can say with a straight face that she might not get enough social time.

Idea #2 - there is a diffence between 'being social' and 'being socialized' - see if he isn't worried about the latter.

Best Wishes -
Grinity
I'm not sure how to say this w/out sounding rude b/c I don't mean it that way. How about having your DH consider the family closeness that will result rather than your DD being close to outsiders? I think a lot of the problems w/ kids these days are that they are so peer-oriented. I read an article along these lines. Never before have kids been so peer-focused....on the cell phone, texting, on facebook or myspace constantly. She's young. If she were high school age, then I agree that it would be nice for her to have classes with others, learn from different teachers with differing teaching styles etc. How about doing family game night? how a bout all of you learning to play chess together?

My son says they only had 20min for lunch...barely enough time to swallow. And exactly what are the benefits of being in classroom 6+ hours/day being taught below your level?

The benefits for us is that we can get all of our work done and still have 2hrs to spend hiking in the spring when the weather is nice. My boys are very connected to nature, exploring, animals, plants - they would not have that opportunity being in a classroom 6+hrs/day. Yes we'd have the afternoons but DS hated homework that was below his level anyway so it would take him 2hrs to do it - and that was 1st grade. Then there would be afterschool activities. Now we can go to the pond and watch the frogs mate, lay eggs, what the eggs develop in the wild, and sit next to pond while THOUSANDS of baby toads emerge from the pond like popcorn popping..and watch the dragon flies lay eggs, then come back and catch the dragonfly larvae in nets (putting them back safely of course) etc. Also, they get to take an archaeology course from a professor of archaeology who is passionate about his work and developing critical thinking in kids.

Anyhow, off my soapbox...as you can tell, I'm not in a good mood today. Just read my post in Resources and you'll know why.

Dazey

We don't have a lot of HSers near us so our opportunities are more limited. But we have a couple of families where the kids all adore each other and they get together several days per week. WHen my son was in school, he had tons of friends...but oddly none that he asked to see during the summer and when the school year started, he'd get a new batch of friends. This way, he has really fostered meaningful friendships...friends that he miss when we or they are away....friends that he's learned to accept their differences and have learned to work on conflict. So for us, it's quality over quantity. But, here's a huge caveat.....I have boys and I know they are different animals socially from girls.
We're making this change for next year, so I don't speak from actual experience...BUT, one thing that we've noticed (in DSs case) is that it's not any more social at school than it is after school here at home or in his extracurricular activity. Once homework is done, he's out the door playing and socializing with the neighborhood kids, (almost all go to the same school). Some he sees at school, some he doesn't.

According to him, he doesn't socialize all that much at school. He's got to be quiet during class most of the time unless it's a discussion or groupwork (which to me isn't really 'social' time). I can tell the days he was chatty at lunch, because most of his lunch is still in his lunchbox. Of course, there's recess, but that's what...15-20 minutes? When considering the social aspect in our decision, we looked at how much time was realistically spent socializing at school compared to what he gets at home and would also get with different activities once he's homeschooled. Oh, and his extracurricular activity mirrors a class - he's got a 'teacher' and other 'students', so he's getting the experience of a group setting and will continue to learn from that environment, as well. Just my thoughts. Good luck in your decision.
We are in the same spot with a 9y/o fall bd 4th grader (no skip, so she's a year older than your dd). She is doing some supplemental math with EPGY this year b/c she wouldn't be learning anything in math otherwise and I've hsed dd11 in the past. My big concern and reason for wanting dd9 home next year is that I see her morphing into what she sees as acceptable socially -- which is not true to her self and her intelligence. She doesn't want to be smart b/c she doesn't want to be different. She is also a very erratic achiever in school.

Are you a SAHM already? For us, it requires losing my income, so that's probably the biggest issue. I'm trying to see if there is a way to get a hs co-op together where I live to see if that could help with the social aspect and maybe allow me to still work a little. My dd is very, very outgoing as well. She, however, is also very interested in hsing. How does your dd feel about that option? (You don't happen to live in Colorado do you -- lol?)
Go to yahoo groups and search for secular homeschool groups in your state and town. That may call up some you are finding on other searches. Looking at email lists is an easy way to get a sense of the local scene. I will say in my area secular groups were not the first ones the largest or first ones I found, but ultimately there turned out to be many nonreligious homeschoolers in my area. I echo other posters that especially during elementary school there are daily options for co-ops, field trips, and social activities.

I would also remember that homeschooling is not a forever decision. You could try it for fourth grade and see what happens. Best case scenario you find a good community, enjoy the academics together and discover something great for your family. Worst case scenario you don't find a lot going on during the day and the afterschool activities you put together don't fully meet her social needs, but you had a fun academically satisfying year together. Doesn't seem like too much of a risk to give that a try.
We are just officially starting home education of our children - my oldest would be starting school this year. But really it is just the extension of what we are already doing with them, and I hadn't returned to work yet either, so it wasn't as much of a change as 'going back' to home education would be.

We find that the children could easily be doing something for at least half the day everyday of the week if we wanted to. So seeing other children isn't the problem.

What sealed the deal for my DH (who wasn't very hard to convince really) was an article that broke down how much time children spent doing various things at school (waiting for their turn, packing away, taking the roll, listening to announcements, waiting while other students were chastised, etc,) But I just spent 15 minutes looking for to it I CAN'T find it. So my memory of it is as follows: it turns out only about 3 hours spread over
a week were actually spent learning, and there is of course no guarantee that any of that time is on your child's level or that that doesn't happen to be the three hours your children were sleepy or tuned out or what ever. So we figured it wouldn't be hard for us to beat that. laugh
Originally Posted by Ruby
Kriston and kimck, I appreciate you sharing your personal experiences. I know our library and local Y have groups for homeschoolers. I don't know much about them, but I'm going to look into them. But other than that, I don't know of any that aren't religiously focused, which wouldn't work for us. I will keep looking.

The classes at the YMCA and the library are a good sign that there's an active homeschooling community.

I'd strongly recommend asking people you see out with older kids in the middle of the day if they're homeschooling, and if so, what are they doing for homeschooling groups. (Make sure to be clear that you're interested because you plan to homeschool, not because you're meddling. Some people ask questions like that because they want to criticize. <eye roll>)

One of the most active inclusive homeschooling groups in our area is completely invisible unless you know someone already in the group. They have no Internet presence and they're not listed anywhere "official." It's all word-of-mouth. So ask around! Start now.

Originally Posted by Ruby
I feel like doing those, plus adding interactions with other homeschoolers and maintaining friendships she's had through school should be enough. But I can't seem to convince my husband. He's afraid that she will be missing out socially because she would be working with me mostly and won't have the benefit of being in a classroom 6+ hours a day, eating lunch with friends, working on projects with friends, that sort of thing.

...Kriston, did you encounter any of these concerns from your husband or other family members? And if so, how were you able to persuade them?


Grinity asks a good question: what precisely is it that worries your husband? Ask him to be specific. Is he afraid she won't know how to behave in a college classroom when the time comes? Or is he worried that she won't have any friends? Those are two very different issues.

My husband was behind homeschooling 100%, but my mom, a former teacher with some very negative views of homeschooling, was not. I approached her by telling her why I thought homeschooling was a better fit for DS than our other options. Then I asked her what her concerns were. I researched for answers--honest answers! (Nothing is all good or all bad!)--and I presented these to her.

Mostly she was worried that he would have no interaction with "the real world." We discussed how "real" it is to be in a room with one adult who is "the boss" and a bunch of kids who are within 12 months of your age. We talked about when in life you have to ask permission to go to the bathroom and have to wait for everyone to catch up to you before you can move on. (Imagine that in an office...)

I showed her my plan for classes and teams that DS could be part of, so that he would have experience working in groups. I showed her a list of fun social events the homeschool group had each year. I listed off the friendships he had that we would nurture through playdates.

She was also worried that DS would have only one perspective to learn from: mine. I reminded her that elementary students in our schools have one teacher, plus seeing an art, P.E., and/or music teacher for a few minutes each week. My homeschooled son has 7 different teachers this year. That doesn't include non-school leaders like coaches. Even before we found the school for homeschoolers, he always had plenty of classroom-type activities led by people other than me.

She was not completely sold, but when she saw that I was addressing the issues head-on, she was okay with letting us try it. It has been very successful, and she now seems to value homeschooling as a good solution in DS's case. She actually did some homeschooling of DS8 last year so that I could volunteer in DS5's preschool class. She was excited about the projects he was doing. Progress!

But I'm very direct. That head-on approach might not work for everyone. And ultimately, my mother had no real choice but to accept our decision. I was honoring her by addressing her concerns, but the final decision had nothing to do with her, really. A husband is a tougher nut to crack.

What sort of evidence is persuasive to him? Does he follow his gut or is he a data sort of guy?
You guys are great! You bring up so many good points. I did share with my husband what I've learned from you. JDAx3 and GeoMamma, the amount of time kids get to actually socialize in school is an excellent point. My husband's main concern socially was that my daughter wouldn't be learning to make friends on her own without my involvement, the way kids do at school. After talking about it a lot last night, I got him to accept the fact that we might be able to provide these opportunities for her and he'd be willing to concede on that point and give it a try, IF he didn't have other concerns....

So apparently that wasn't his only issue, nor did he see it as the major issue. He now tells me his biggest objection is that my daughter and I often butt heads, particularly when I'm trying to get her to do something she doesn't want to do. He definitely has some valid points. We are strong personalities and she will often do the least amount of work unless prodded (one of the problems that I have with her school is they don't expect enough of her and she's getting lazy). She is very emotional and still, at 8, prone to outbursts (she spend a lot of time in her room 'thinking about how she could have handled that without yelling and crying'). We deal with some of these issues just trying to get her to put more effort into her writing homework. He thinks it's a disaster waiting to happen and will lead to a lot of stress for me (and ultimately, the family) and that we will both be miserable.

To answer Cricket2's questions, I'm a SAHM, so there is no change in income for the family if I were to do this. Also my daughter is definitely warming to the idea. She doesn't really deal with change well and she has lots of concerns BUT she said she loves the idea of being able to spend more time reading and following her own interests and she admits she doesn't learn anything new in school, so she's excited about that. She also hates the pace and repetition. She sees a lot of positives about homeschooling and is willing to try it.

To answer Kriston's question, my husband is a data guy. And I'm sure I will be getting lots of concern from family members (many of whom are in education). I like your approach and will have to remember that.

So this brings me to a whole other questions....

Anybody that homeschools, did you or do you struggle with getting your child to accept that you are now their teacher and they have to do assignments the way you expect them to be done? I foresee difficulties particularly with writing, which is my biggest issue with the school. The school expects very little in the way of spelling, grammar, or sentence structure. I feel like my daughter is not getting a good basis in basic writing. I know it is going to be a struggle for both of us, at least for a while, but I think it is worth working through. My husband thinks it will be a constant battle. Anyone else with these concerns when you were thinking about homeschooling and how did it work out?

Again, I really appreciate all your responses. This is such a big decision, and not knowing anyone who has been through it, I didn't know where to turn. You guys have been a wonderful source of information and support!
Originally Posted by Ruby
Kimck, you said your husband was a skeptic. If you don't mind me asking, what were his objections and what has changed his opinion? Kriston, did you encounter any of these concerns from your husband or other family members? And if so, how were you able to persuade them?

My husband was (and probably is) very much in denial about the whole HG-PG thing. If you ask him to this day, he'd say we're homeschooling because "My wife wants to." ROFL! laugh Of course, I do want to. That's definitely a necessary ingredient. But if I thought I could find an equally good fit at a school, we'd be there.

For him, it was seeing where DS was at socially and academically after about 6 months time. He was so crabby going to school, and he is mostly a really easy kid now. We very much considered last year an experiment. My daughter was at preschool and I was home anyway. But it definitely made him change his tune. He didn't even bat an eye when our daughter declared she needed to be homeschooled too. This year was an experiment with her in the mix. But that's been great too.
Originally Posted by kimck
My husband was (and probably is) very much in denial about the whole HG-PG thing. If you ask him to this day, he'd say we're homeschooling because "My wife wants to." ROFL! laugh
My dh doesn't really think that our girls are that far out of the norm either. Even if he is willing to admit that they are bright, he doesn't see their being gifted as something that impacts much other than thinking that it should allow them to be good students. I, on the other hand, see the way that they are wired as impacting the entire way they process and experience the world.
I will say I think this issue your husband is raising is more legitimate than the socialization one and it is worth considering and planning for. My main response would be that one way or another you and your daughter will need to find a way to work together. That relationship doesn't go away because she goes to school. It just shifts over into homework time - a time when people are tired and tempers and already flaring. This isn't a really good way to evaluate what homeschooling will be like because her overall level of stress will likely be much lower as a homeschooler. School work can happen when she's got the most energy for the day and it can be customized to be appropriate for her needs. That's really different than being the enforcer on a homework assignment that may not be particularly appropriate.

And, again, it is a year. If he you butt heads you find a way to work through that or not. Worst case scenario you conclude you will never be her teacher. Best case scenario you both find ways to adapt and work together better.
I agree that the new issue brought up is more significant than the socialization one unless you have an extremely social child that needs that level of interaction daily. I know for us, my DS and I BUTTED heads every. single. day when he was at school. Homework took 2hrs or more for 1st grade. I would get anxious knowing it was time for him to get off the bus. Then I had to deal w/ tears and anxiety about going the school next day and how boring and dull and "I thought you go to school to learn?" questions. For us, HSing relieved all that stress. We hit the road running. WE later developed a whole another issue.....after about 4months of figuring out where he was academically, I began challenging him and he started missing math questions and his ego/self-esteem couldn't handle it and he shut down for over 2months. After that it was a tough rest of the year. But you know what, I see these issues, not as ones to return him to school (although I threatened him with it often) but one of helping him to deal with these issues. There are/were many times I wish I could just be mom and not teacher and pass the buck to someone else but that is just not to be. It's hard a job.

I like the contract idea. Talk to your DD and DH. Map out objectives for the year. Write up a contract and everyone sign it. If it doesn't work out, you can always send her back to school. Honestly, it took half way through our 2nd year of HSing to feel I was in the groove.

One thing that stuck with me .... I read on the WTM board that often issues HSers have when starting out, are issues that were there before HSing. But with the kid being away from home so much of the day, there was less time/chances of interaction for the problem to occur and less time/inclination for dealing with it properly. A friend's son was having HUGE behavioral issues. There wasn't enough time at the end of the day to deal with it. With HSing, she had the time to deal with the issues in a controlled situation and the kid is like a different person now. My point is, sometimes we don't deal w/ issues when they are in school, issues we should deal with ... b/c there is no time, HSing can afford you that time.

Would your DD be more responsive to your DH? I know a friend whose DH checks over the work in the evenings, discusses what DC learned that day, gets apprised of any behavioral issues that occurred that day and that helps w/ any issues.

And no decision is final.....you can always send her back unless you run the risk of losing a magnet spot as my friend did when she chose to HS.
Originally Posted by Dazed&Confuzed
I agree that the new issue brought up is more significant than the socialization one unless you have an extremely social child that needs that level of interaction daily. I know for us, my DS and I BUTTED heads every. single. day when he was at school. Homework took 2hrs or more for 1st grade.

My son was often butting heads with everyone when he was attending school too. The biggest behavioral problems he's had in his life were on the play ground after school.

We have a pretty laid back approach to homeschooling. As long as we're reading, writing, doing some math daily and then getting regular exposure to history and science I'm fine. Especially after we had achievement testing that really did show we really are that far ahead. That did help clinch for my DH a bit. I consider my son and I a team and if something isn't working we sit down and work out a solution. My DS also takes piano, which is an area is regularly challenged and pushed in. But in general, I require very little "output" and no more acadmics than a normal kid his age gets. That just gives him that much more time to dive into his own interests, where some of his best learning takes place. He is also a kid that reads for an hour or 2 a day without prodding, which makes life simpler too.
O)ooh, good advice everyone, and worth me remembering!
I, too, generally find it easier to work with DS8 now than I did when he was doing homework assigned by the school. The contract we have REALLY helps. He accepts that the state requires a certain amount of work, and that I have promised that I would provide that. We treat is as a nonnegotiable duty.

Of course, he's human, and he has bad days sometimes, but they're generally rare if he's onboard with the schedule. We had 2 good years, and then at the start of this year, he wasn't really cooperating because of some minor schedule changes I'd made. It was a rough period. But we worked through it and things are good again. I adjusted the work to make it more challenging for him, and we talked more extensively about the reasons for the minor changes. Once he saw why things were different (and I gave him some other options, all of which he rejected as less desirable than what we were doing), he was back on the team.

I also try to make sure there are natural consequences: if he doesn't finish his work, his brother goes out to play while he stays in to work.

I do worry about how things would go with DS5 if we decide to homeschool him next year because he is more emotional and generally less cooperative with me than DS8 is. I think we'll work it out if homeschooling seems like the thing to do for him. But I'm certainly less confident about our choosing that for him than I was when we made it for DS8, who was VERY unhappy at school. For DS5, it's more iffy.

I'd recommend approaching your daughter as a partner. Top-down dictation of what she will do is generally going to be less effective than teamwork from the very planning of things. I'd say something like, "Here's the deal. You have to do some writing and grammar. That's not open for debate. But how we approach it--what you write about and how you learn it--is open for discussion. What would you like to do? What do you not want to do?" Research as needed and talk to her some more. Make a plan together and hold her to it.

I recommend if you find down the line that it's not working, be willing to adjust. We review what we're doing every semester at least, and more often if necessary. As long as you adjust because you're still learning what works and because it's the right thing to do, not to give in to her, it's a good adjustment. About the only thing you can do really wrong with homeschooling is to keep plugging away at something that just isn't working. The first year is all about learning--for the parent!
I haven't a whole lot to add beyond some of the preceding great posts. But I will say that there's socialization, and there's socialization.

My kids definitely saw more children when they were in public school. And yeah, they learned a lot of things from the experience, at least superficially (and admittedly there are some instances in which I'm glad the exposure was only superficial). OTOH, we've honestly run into far more cultural and socioeconomic diversity homeschooling than we would in Suburban Heights Middle School. They've had far more opportunity to interact with people who are not age-mates. And they've been able to make real-world connections to real-world people who use the things they're studying on a regular basis: learning not just about art or math, but also about artists and accountants.

In the interest of fairness, I'll say that this is how it's worked out for us. Homeschooling in a different part of the country, where there are far better schools and more obstacles to homeschooling, might be a whole 'nother ball of wax. We're in a very homeschool-friendly part of the country, and there are a lot of us here. So our options are different than they might be in, say, rural North Dakota.
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