All governments are ordained by God, but none compare to government by God, theocracy.

All the homeschooling parents I know meet on a regular basis with other families. They organize field trips, cooking classes, reading clubs and Scout troops. Their children tend to be happy, confident and socially engaged.

Without knowing it, I had stumbled upon one of the basic postulates of homeschooling: Anything you do with a home-schooled child outside the home can be described as a "field trip", thus rendering whatever activity you pursue a legitimate educational experience.

The process of socialization is nowhere near complete at age five or six, when modern children start spending up to half their waking hours taking their cues from other people's children. Because they accompany their parents' daily routine, homeschooled kids spend plenty of time interacting with people of all ages, which I think most people would agree is a far more natural, organic way to socialize.

Homeschooling will certainly produce some socially awkward adults, but the odds are good they would have been just as quirky had they spent twelve years raising their hand for permission to go to the bathroom.

At then end of this experiment we call Alice's childhood, I imagine if she's as eager to move ahead with her passions as the graduates I'd just met, and as fond of her family as these kids seemed to be of theirs, I'll have my answer.

Homeschool Rules1) Get out of your seat2) Talk in class3) Don't raise your hand4) Kiss your teacher5) Chew gum

Had I ever spent the day in our neighborhood public high school as an invisible woman while my children were still enrolled there, I no doubt would have insisted on home schooling.

More important...you've assembled a curriculum that works for him. It's his education. I suspect he's more likely to have a real education, an education that sticks, if he's part of shaping it.

We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans.