I must be one dumb sob, cause I would never sell a gold coin, of any kind, for less then the value of its metal content.

I buy/sell Krugerrands everyday for less than spot.

I pay spot for fractional gold in this market but not for one ounce.

And I would never call you a dumb sob bty…

As for what I liked about home schooling, it was mostly the ability to work at my own pace, rather than sitting around in a classroom while the pace was adjusted for the slowest three kids there, who obviously didn’t want to be in school anyway. Thus I could zip through my work in only a couple of hours a day and the rest of my time was all mine, so I used it to learn to play half a dozen musical instruments and to speak a dozen foreign languages and to read a few thousand books.

When I had kids there was no question about it–we homeschooled so we could learn more in less time (they were ready for college at 13), and have 3/4 of the day to spend with our friends, most of whom were also home schooled. Among the homeschooled kids we knew, every one of them was well adjusted, mature, self-reliant, self-motivating, responsible, and extremely popular among people of all ages.
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References :
http://www.scholarsonline.org/Info/index.php

The next thing to realize is that there’s a whole spectrum of what’s called "homeschool." Some people sign up with an online version of public school; that’s really technically not “homeschool,” since you’re counted as public school student and you’re assigned a teacher, a strict schedule, and predetermined workload as determined by the school district, etc. The dirty little secret here is that the district gets to keep the federal funds for you, as you’re a public school student this way. (Quite obviously, your school district will like this option best. Often when one queries the school as to the options available for “homeschool,” the school administrators will smile sweetly and mention just such an arrangement, conveniently omitting the rest of your options. This “lie by omission” quietly implies that this is the one and only way “homeschooling is done.” There’s a quite a debate in the homeschooling community about whether or not this constitutes an effort by the educational bureaucracy to redefine the meaning of homeschool, and what effect that would have on legislation and regulation of more traditional homeschool. But I digress.)

Other people may choose to buy materials from companies and enroll with online schools, but they’re "independent" of the school districts, and they don’t owe anyone a darned thing…their test scores (if any; few homeschoolers in the traditional sense are obligated to take state standardized tests) are their own business, as is the pace, order or depth at which they choose to go through the material.

Other people make up their own curriculum, based on their own personal criteria. Some states want you to keep a portfolio of material to prove you’re doing something there at home, other states want you to submit your curriculum for the year for approval, others may require testing that could send you back to public or private school if you fall below a particular percentile…just in case. Again, depends on the state.

Still other people endorse what they call "unschooling," and they throw out all books and tests altogether and simply follow what interests them. (See the writings of John Holt, or Google "unschooling" for more on that theory of education.) A good book for anyone over 12 years old is “The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education,” by Grace Llewellyn. Here’s an excerpt:

"Did your guidance counselor ever tell you to consider quitting school? That you have other choices, quite beyond lifelong hamburger flipping or inner-city crack dealing? That legally you can find a way out of school, that once you’re out you’ll learn and grow better, faster, and more naturally than you ever did in school, that there are zillions of alternatives, that you can quit school and still go to A Good College and even have a Real Life in the Suburbs if you so desire? Just in case your counselor never told you these things, I’m going to. That’s what this book is for."

Even if you don’t hold with what the author has to say, the point of view she has is dramatically different and can be a great springboard to help you get in touch with what you believe school and learning should be like. The book also outlines a very nice reference for curriculum, as well as chapters about dealing with your school, your parents, and your social life. It’s meant to be a very usable book.

As with many things, there’s a wide spectrum of “unschoolers,” as well. Many of them have a certain set of concepts they want their kids to get and don’t care HOW they get the information, while others take a much more laid-back approach and allow the student to set the list of concepts themselves…or not set one at all. All of these people will still consider themselves “unschoolers.”
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