I am a mother of a 3-year-old, who will be four in February 2010.  Although she won't be in school for at year or so longer, its getting about the time that my husband and I think about her formal education.

I am actually a certified teacher in the state of Georgia, and I have seen first hand the lack of real education in public schools.  It's all about "teaching to the test" which no one will admit to doing, of course.  Because of this and the unrealistic amount of pressure placed on teachers and students alike, from high school all the way down to Kindergarten, my husband and I have seriously considered both homeschooling and private schools.  We've looked into both options but we are still torn on what to do. 

Can anyone, especially those who have successfully homeschooled their children, give us any advice?

Thank you in advance!

Hi Becky. It seems as though you and your husband are willing to try homeschooling so that is a great idea. Since you have a couple of years before you need to make any definite decision, you have time to read books on homeschooling.

Some great ones are those by John Holt. including 1. Learning All the Time, 2. How Children Learn 3. How Children Fail and 4.Teach Your Own

There are literally hundreds of books about homeschooling available. Linda Dobson edited several that are helpful when you are just starting out.

My advice after homeschooling 4 children for 14 plus years and counting is to relax and trust that your children will learn. A common mistake many of us make in the beginning is to overdo everything: spend too much money on curricula, push too hard to get children to complete work, sign up for every class, play day, etc. Your child has a whole life of learning ahead and doesn't need to do everything at once and neither do you.

If you ultimately decide to take the homeschooling path, you will find there are many different ways to do it. Find one that works for your entire family. You don't really have anything to lose. After all, public school will always be there waiting if you decide to go that route.

Best of luck.