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Are You Ready to Homeschool?

Leaving the System to Create Your Own

By Tara Swords

Erica says having Mom and Dad as teachers has enabled the family to tailor the learning experience to Erica's needs – and build a close relationship.

"One of my problems [with public school] was I had to wake up early and didn't get to sleep in late," she says. "I do my best learning at night. At this little coffee house my dad and I go and do math until late at night. We sit and drink coffee and do calculus."

While calculus isn't a favorite, it's a bit of a necessity. But Erica devotes most of her time to learning about subjects she enjoys. Her main interest is art, and she's considered becoming a fashion designer. She also has a love of forensics and proudly says she's learned more about forensics than most adults she knows.

"She's a real kinesthetic learner," says Erica's father. "She has to pick it up, turn it over and look at it. And it's a difficult kind of thing to measure."

"We joke about this," Michael says, laughing. "One of the questions people say is, 'That's a great idea. What about her socialization?' all in one breath."

It's a question put to home schoolers around the country by nay sayers, child psychologists and school officials alike. After all, home schoolers likely won't appear at a homecoming game, prom dance or tudent council convention, where many children learn to interact with their peers.