[jyl]

I can't imagine having the time and energy to do a really good job of homeschooling my kids. If I was a stay-at-home parent, maybe.

Nor do I have the knowledge to do so. Given >6 hours/day for preparation and instruction, I could teach my kids math, some history, English, French, a little art. Not Chinese, biology, chemistry, music, dance, most art, most history, or a myriad of other subjects. The kid would get my view/outlook - not a diversity of views - and my teaching approach - not a range of approaches.

Is it the best use of time? If you have access to good schools and your kid is the type who does well in a school environment, is the several hours per day required for really good homeschooling actually going to pay off in a kid who is better educated, better socialized, better prepared for college/admissions, etc? I think that's the main question to ask.

I'm not pro- or anti- home schooling. I know kids who are being home-schooled with, so far, excellent results. I personally was semi-home schooled, as a practical matter. I started high school knowing math through integral calculus, fluent in French, but no other systematic education other self-teaching through reading and various forgettable 1 and 2-year stints in a succession of random schools in different countries. It worked out fine. But that was when a so-so student could still get into UCLA and UC Berkeley (so my high school transcript of either "A"s or "F"s, plus good SAT/ACTs was sufficient) and when a modest-income family could still afford college and graduate school. I suspect things may be different today.