I totally understand your point, too. And who's to say that we won't get to that point in the future. My husband's thought is "over my dead body" when it comes to them going to PS. I feel that way to SOME degree, but I don't know how I'd respond if they said they WANTED to to. So far...though...since that time, they've stopped talking about wanting to go b/c I stopped threatening. They've counted the benefits to THEM. I hope what I said didn't come off as judgmental, or saying those that make a different choice means they're somehow inferior! If I did come off that way, I'm so sorry. I think as parents, we have to do what is best for the WHOLE family, and OUR family at that. And what works best for me, might not work best for you. And that's OKAY.
My husband attended Christian schools all the way up through College, and then went on to an Ivy League for graduate school. We had planned to go that route with our own children, but were detoured from Christian school when DD finished 2nd grade. We have been homeschooling ever since. Initially we had planned to make a judgment about the next year as each year came. The further we have gone, the more committed we are to homeschooling. My DD, who is a high-school sophomore right now is even considering working on her BS through Thomas Edison, and then going right to grad school. We have friends who have done this, and it saved them a lot of time and money. We certainly aren't opposed to sending our children to a brick and mortar college (she will likely have to take some of her classes at local campuses), but if she were go away to college we would not help pay for it unless it were a Christian college.
I homeschooled my oldest son sixth grade through 12th and he is now in his first year of college. I never thought about sending him back for high school and he didn't want to go back. As for the next four I have no plans for them to go to PS but if the Lord leads us in that direction we will obey. All my boys play sports and we will be praying when they hit high school if they should return for that reason. I think not but DH has other opinions on that matter. But in all things we pray pray pray and go where we are led.
When we took ds out of ps for 5th grade, my intention was to homeschool through high school. But then life circumstances took a 180, and while I was still earning the living, ds decided he needed to go get his GED and go on to vocational school. So I didn't get to finish MY plans because evidently God had other plans...
For us, the kids get the choice whether or not to go to high school. Both my girls go to public high school and it's been wonderful. I think if I lived in an area without a nice selection of schools, I'd steer them toward staying home for those years.
I've always said it depends. So, it looks like we're homeschooling through high school. Our ps here has a bad reputation, we can't afford private school, and my children enjoy being at home. I'm nervous, but we've made it thus far. We'll just keep pressing forward.
If you are going to homeschool, then it would be more beneficial to all concerned if you could do it until the child graduates from high school (if that is possible). As for college, let the kid decide about that. He will be an adult by then (legally), so let him take it from there. I am a homeschool mom of 3 kids who have all graduated high school from home. Two chose to go on to our local community college and did/are doing extremely well with that. Likewise, all 3 have done well on the job.
I took all this up with Jeannie's evaluator yesterday. He said if homeschooling is going fine, keep on. He said if problems come up, you evaluate and go from there. He told me if I feel led to put her in school over this math thing, give it a semester. If she's thriving, great. If enrollment isn't working, homeschooling can be resumed. I even asked him for advice on breaking this stressful cycle over math, and he had no real suggestions. He said each child has a subject they don't prefer so much and you just work with it. Lol- no kidding?
we believe in schooling all the way through. We have already graduated 14 of our 15 children! Our 16 yr old just finished up in May. We would never send a child of ours to public (or any other) school.
