We have four kids . . .we started the first two out in a very strong Christian-based school that only had kindergarten and 1st grade . .from there we put them in an actual Christian school. We found out rather quickly that the kids in a christian school still have the same mannerisms and characteristics as public school kids so that was a bit disheartening. Then my wife became very motivated within herself to quit her job, stay home and home school them. Our oldest are two girls who were only a year and a half apart. One was very social, the other very introverted.
At the time the homeschooling began, they were only about 9 and 11. We were told it wouldn't be healthy to take them out of the social networking of the school system. Homeschooling was nothing like what it is today. now, it has a very strong track-record of producing some very intelligent and career-driven kids. But it all depends on the parental engagement. Some systems allow the student to be totally independent where everything is on video or the internet. This only works if the student is self-motivated. Our older one was very much so and this just accentuated that. Our younger daughter . . not so much.
What we learned is this . . . whether it's homeschooling, private or public, for us, it wasn't about what "we" thought would be best. But it depended on the personality of the child. In the end, our oldest graduated through the home-school program and our younger one chose to return to public school and she graduated through that. We found that the best way for them to learn is through the avenue that they are most willing to "want" to learn.
Now, with the last two, the twins are only 6 and homeschooling them wasn't even an option this time. They are extremely out going, very social and they both love school. And now my wife is back in the work force as a nurse's aid at the "middle" school in our town. This year has been quite a year of transition. We had our second daughter graduate, both daughters move out and the twins going into first grade and now my wife is working again and in the school system where she thrives being around the students.
Home school worked out great for our oldest daughter . . .it was "okay" for the younger one but she felt more comfortable in a public one and the boys have already proven that public school is where they're to be at this particular juncture of our lives.
Let me also add this . . .early on, we felt our kids would never be in a public school due to all the filth and ungodliness that comes out of those schools. Then we saw the push to take the bibles out of the school libraries and we shook our finger at society for their ignorance. But it wasn't until later that I came to realize that the only way that they can remove God from the school systems is not by taking the bibles away, but only if they remove the students themselves. God doesn't live in a book . . .he lives in the kids. That kinda shifted our opinion about public or private.
