Home school?

Home School.  When I first heard about home school (can’t remember when that was), I first thought it was for children who stay home and learn from their parents instead of going home.  Then, I learned that it is more than that.  I learned that any parents can home school their children even if they are attending a regular school.

I send my children to a small christian school where AP classes are not offered and top few students from the school’s middle school transfer to a large public school when they start 9th grade.  My older son did not want to go to a large public school where he can easily become just a number.  So, he is staying with his small school, in a way deprived of some opportunities found in bigger schools.  To provide my son with the opportunities that he is missing out, I decided to home school him while he is still attending his high school.  What?  Let me explain.

I believe that parents should be in charge of their children’s education, not the school or the state.  Parents send their children to school to fulfill the requirements for graduation from high school, and parents send their children to different after school programs after school, taking music lessons, art lessons, sports or whatever, or send them to different summer programs.  That is not much different from what home schooling parents are doing.  Even if you send your children to regular schools, do not fool yourself thinking that you have given your children all the opportunities they deserve.

I live in a small town.  I send my children to a small school.  But I am taking charge of their education.  I select the best music teachers I can afford for them.  No AP classes at school?  I and my older son are going to prepare to take some AP tests after preparing at home.  It won’t be easy.  But I think it will make my son stand out more if he goes beyond what was available to him.  In a way, I am homeshooling my children.  All of us are homeschooling our children.  What do you think?