An Open Letter to Parents Thinking of Homeschooling a Gifted Child:

So you are thinking about homeschooling? First, know that you are not alone, and you are certainly not crazy for thinking you can take on the task of education at home. Last spring our family finished ten years of homeschooling, but at the beginning, we had no idea that we'd be homeschooling through high school or that learning at home would be such a good educational fit for our son. We only knew that we needed to try something different from traditional forms of classroom education. We wondered if we were crazy, and not a few of our friends and family wondered the same.

If you are thinking about homeschooling, don't be intimidated by what friends and family think. They are not ultimately responsible for your child's education. You are. They haven't witnessed on a daily basis your child's unique needs and the challenges of satisfying a gifted curiosity. The decision to homeschool is, for many parents, the ultimate act of advocacy for their child. If you believe in your heart that homeschooling is worth a try, you owe it to your child to make this choice.

If you are thinking of homeschooling, you are not of necessity "turning your back" on schools. I support our public schools at the same time that I know they are not a good choice for our son. In our house, "school" is not a bad word, although we certainly don't homeschool in a way that resembles classroom schooling. Homeschooling will not make you a bad citizen or an outcast of society, regardless of what anyone else might say.

If you are thinking about homeschooling, remember that you have little to lose. No one says you have to homeschool forever or even for a full year. One family I know homeschooled for only four months while they traveled to Mexico. Another homeschooled for three-fourths of a school year as they decided on the best schools for their two boys. Homeschooling is never a mistake, because even when it doesn't work for the long term, parents and children learn invaluable lessons about themselves and learning and what it means to become educated. On the other hand, you just might find that the decision to homeschool is the last educational choice you'll need to make.

If you are thinking of homeschooling, you are taking the first steps toward more time with your children — time to get to know them in all their joys and struggles, time to read together for hours at a time without the interruption of school buses or bells, time to learn at breakneck speed or with careful deliberation. Homeschooling is as much about home — family and parenting and growing up — as it is about school. In today's busy society, homeschooling offers a rare chance to regroup and rediscover each other.

If you are thinking about homeschooling, you can imagine an education that is tailored to your child's individual areas of strengths and struggles, that is based on your child's interests and that is adaptable to the changes of age, personality and family circumstances. Sounds like a dream?

If you are thinking about homeschooling, you can make it a reality.

Best of luck!!
Lisa Rivero