I read this and had to shout a hearty "Amen!"

To Homeschool or Not to Home School?

By Wendy Roberts

Most people do not realize is that homeschooling does not look, feel, smell, taste or sound like public school. Homeschoolers should not try to follow the public school model because it does not work at home.

Public school feels like a hospital or prison, clean, sterile, huge and impersonal. Homeschool feels like a kitchen cosy, loving, lived in, and nurturing.

Public school is structure, schedules and conformity. Homeschool is spontaneity, flexibility and individual interests.

Public school smells like cleansers, cafeteria food and gym socks. Homeschool smells like homemade bread, cookies or the latest chemistry experiment. Some times all at the same time.

Public school is about desks, chalkboards, and textbooks. Homeschool is science feeding the ducks at the park, cuddling to read “Chronicles of Narnia“ on the couch, writing letters to Grandma far away, and learning fractions by doubling your favourite recipe.

Public school is separation from family and familiarity. Homeschool is solidifying family bonds and rules.

Public school is competition- teachers vs. students, the learned vs. the unlearned, the smart vs. the dumb, the winners vs. the losers, the popular vs. the geeks. Homeschool is cooperation- us, we and ours. Everyone working together to learn naturally.

Public School teaches there are “stupid questions“. And don’t interrupt the Teachers lesson with a student’s questions. Homeschooling is about valuing questions and the adventure that ensues to find the answers. It is over due library books and high-speed internet. However, just as important in our educational arsenal are the robins nesting outside the kitchen window and the telescope set up in the back yard.

Homeschool is studying the Redwoods from tent and trail. Public school is about the Redwoods, textbook or lecture version.

Wendy Roberts is the homeschooling mother of 7 wonderful children. The Roberts family has been homeschooling for 7 years from Atlantic to Pacific. They currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their most recent studies include the mysteries of magnets, Hamlet, and pinhole cameras. Their family hobbies are geocaching, hiking, and astronomy.

Look for her homeschooling book comming Spring 2007