Homeschooling - Anaheim,CA

We have an amazing school down here: the Classical Academies (http://classicalacademy.com/). They offer tons of great interactive activities in addition to homeschooling. Their campus is incredible (I just interviewed for a teaching job there). If I were you, I would call them & ask if they know of any similar programs in OC. Best of luck!

Why don't you try another school with more rules such as a fundamental school, or religious school or perhaps private school. I don't agree with the home schooling idea as it is a time where she should be exposed to other children so she will grow socially and be able to cope with different people and personalities.

Hi C.,

I have been there ....... in the process of making a decision to home school my children. It was not easy at all, but it turned into a wonderful and rewarding experience for all of us, as a family, as a whole.
I was raised attending to a Catholic School, my husband went to Public school and my older child attended public school until the half of 3rd grade. It was a decision that I never thought I would have to make, but I did it and I don't regret it.
After reading, asking and doing lot of research, we came to a decision to pull our son out from school. It is amazing, but he is very happy, he is learning and he is thriving. He has more friends than ever before.
Homeschooling changes your lifestyle; it takes time to find the right curriculum for your children because the style and curriculum that works for a friend of your friend not always will work for you or for another friend. The first year is an inevitable step that you have to overcome together with your children; it is not easy but an interesting way of learning and getting to know deeper your children.
Start with an open mind and forget about others' comments. It is a unique experience for each family, for each child and for each mom. Every child has a different learning style, and every single family is so different from another one. I had exactly the same questions as yourself and probably the same thoughts and doubts you are having right now.
You also have to think of balancing chores, spouse, schoolwork and else. Remember that at the beginning you will struggle with this, but you will find the way to do everything at your pace with the help and support of your children . They will be there with you, so they will learn eventually to cooperate in some way.
Do not try to do the perfect thing, just try to do your best. Every day is also different not bad or better, just different and know that either way your children are always learning something. It took me time to learn this also. After long time, I learned that there is no the right way, it's the way that works for YOU and YOUR family. Do not compare to another family or mom who home schools her children and have faith on yourself and your children. Be positive but realistic, set realistic goals for your kids and for yourself, you are all a team.
There are plenty of material and resources, free and not free, online, support groups or playgroups, library, different organizations that will help you to start and keep going. You will find several structured and unstructured curricula to work with depending on what you want to teach your children. I like the freedom and flexibility; however, I need to keep certain structure. I like to know what I and the kids are going to do the next day, even if sometimes we just wake up and change our schedule. Life is full of surprises and unscheduled situations. Some moms work this way and some others don't. It is up to you and yours.
Most of the time, we cover the material in 4 hours. We have more breaks than recess at public school, but we study more than the "basics". We distribute our hours of study as 2 hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon;sometimes the kids want to keep reading or working on something else and the time flies! I have learned to work with both kids with different ages, something I thought that I will never accomplish! While I and my older child are studying or working on something, we have the little one listening while he is drawing, coloring or painting. Sometimes he is watching an educative but fun video or building a puzzle or something else. The little ones learn indirectly to pay attention to what amuse them and looks interesting to them! the key is making it fun, and with the passing of time you as mom learn to be so creative!!! Simple things are the best!
I work with a Day School located in California; they send me all the material I need, textbooks, exams, forms and course plans, etc. (which I adapt or adjust to our needs but keeping the laws requisites in mind)I have an academic advisor available as well who helps us very much. It's the way I chose to home school, and I am sure that will change with the passing of time due to experience, upper grades and other changes.
Socialization happens everywhere: sports, neighbors, swim class, playgrounds, parks, family. Also, many recreational centers offer a variety of class or activities for home schoolers (that is the way I found my group and my kids' friends, wonderful people!) By the way, you will find educated and uneducated people, nice and rude people EVERYWHERE, home schooled or not..it is just life....so don't sweat on it. It is part of learning also for your kids.
Flexibility is one of the things my kids and myself love. When the rest of the students are attending school, we leave the city and we go out to take a nice vacation. We travel out of the country or out of the state several times a year. We go to different places and have fun learning. We meet new places and new people.
The best thing? I am teaching my children the love for learning, independence and responsibility. My older kid (he's 10) says to me: "Mommy I like reading! I like what we do and now I like math!, can you believe me?!" and you know what, C.? I believe him! I love our long conversations with the kids while having breakfast. I love reading together in a cozy sofa on snow days..I love listening to music with the kids before going to bed without worrying about sleep in on Mondays and be late for school...I love having lunch with my children for mooooore than 15 minutes..We enjoy our togetherness....
Oh yeah..I have some spare time for myself. There are plenty of moments where the kids are reading or playing on their own, and I am reading or talking to a good friend in the balcony. I exercise and I take days off too!
***On another hand, I don't think that this is a matter of being part of a team (homeschoolers vs public/private schools) I am surprised to see how much attack or bad attitude there is against each other. It shouldn't exist!. This a matter of choices, and every family choose what it is best for them. For some families public schools are a great choice, for others private schools and for another group of families home schooling. I sincerely respect all of them and each group. My kids have wonderful friends from public/private schools and homeschoolers. So, take it that way and do what is best for your kids and your family. It is just another option, and we should make our options work for us respecting others'.***

Good luck with your decision, and I apologize that it has been such a loooong message!

I have homeschooled my 3 children for 7 years now. My oldest went from Kinder thru 4th grade in traditional private school, but was diagnosed with ADD and a genius IQ in 3rd grade, with her Drs recommending Independent Study. It took us a year to research our options and make the choice, but we haven't regretted it for a second!
The first year, we hired a professional teacher to come to our home and work specifically with our then-5th grader, and coach me in teaching our 1st grader. By the following year, I felt confident about doing this myself. As I said, I now homeschool all 3 of my kids. My oldest is getting ready to take her SATs.

They all work above-level, are interested in their studies, and we follow only the basic State guidelines, so each curriculum is personalized. My children are calmer, more responsible, and just flat- out HAPPIER than the other kids we know. They get along well with each other and kids and adults of ALL ages, and are not socially awkward. I get compliments all the time about my kids' maturity, work-ethic, and positive attitudes. How many teens can you say that about? Yet they all have friends and are well-liked; they are not the "weird kids". :-)

We do organized sports, local extension classes at the college, visit museums, travel when we want to, and yes, we do have to work harder at finding other kids sometimes. But I know so many homeschooling families now- some of whom have taken their kids from kinder through to college- and the consensus is that MOST homeschooled kids are more confident and have far fewer behavioural issues. We believe that the so-called "socialization" people talk about is actually NEGATIVE socialization. Peer pressure, bullying, etc., are not necessary for a healthy, normal life, right?

I'd recommend homeschooling to anyone who is willing to put in the extra work and time. Find a local homeschooling group (they're everywhere now, but even online will help you) to find educational and social resources in your area.

My older 2 children graduated with honors from public school and went on to graduate from the college and university of their choice. We are homeschooling our younger two - we started when they were in 2nd and 6th grade respectively - and if I could go back, I would homeschool my older two as well.

Since you didn't ask about academic reasons, I won't address those, but believe me, there are many!

In adult life, we are not forced into several hours a day of interactions with those who can't, or won't follow the rules. Think about any workplace - would the kind of disrespect for others and for authority, and the disregard for rules, that we see in schools be tolerated? Absolutely not. Those individuals would be fired. The law requires all children to be in school, but in the adult world, no one is mandated by law to be in a certain workplace. In the workplace, no one has to share a desk with 3 to 5 other workers, do the exact same work that everyone else is doing, and progress only when everyone around them is ready to progress. Adults also do not spend our day surrounded by people born the same year we were born and living in the same neighborhood we do.

Homeschooled kids get plenty of interaction with other kids. We belong to a co-op (meeting once a week), several field trip groups, two faith based groups, Scout troops, PE groups, etc. Many of the homeschooled kids I know have group classes or individual lessons 3 to 5 times a week. The differences between these groups and "regular" school are many, but the most obvious are size and expectation. The classes have fewer students, students who have actually chosen to be there, and teachers who do not hesitate to send an unruly student out of the classroom. There's the other big difference - the parents are always close by, and willing to back up disciplinary measures. I have never seen a homeschooling parent turn on a teacher and demand, "What were the other kids doing?" or, "Why are you picking on my child?" They correctly chastize the student, make them apologize, and don't let them return to the room until they can behave.

My children have actually made more, and closer, friends since we've been homeschooling than they did in public school.

I'll end here in the interest of space ( ;D ), but I could go on and on. Homeschooling is a great option for any family that desires a good education in a safe and friendly environment.

I've homeschooled for ten years and there are MANY support groups and homeschool groups out there that have park days, field trips, etc. They have SO much interaction with classes they take, scouts, Awana, church group, etc. There are homeschool groups where they have teachers that visit once a month, there are ones where you help out in some way, there are ones that have classes you can take, there are ones that have book clubs for the kids, teen nights, etc. It's not ' you're isolated in a room with your child all day and not getting any social interaction'. There's a LOT out there. It's amazing when you see how many kids are homeschooled.

I want to give you another perspective - I HATED and loathed every day and every minute of homeschooling, I tried 3 different curriculums in the 2.5 years that I did it, all of which were very highly recommended (sonlight, time4learning and bob jones, bob jones is very good btw). but I still felt like an incompetent fool most of the time lol.

what I disliked most of all about homeschooling was the lack of interaction, for myself and my son, I live in a very small town, with not much going on, there was a homeschool group which met once a month, and he went to gym and fitness, and a couple of other things - I have to be honest, there were horrid kids in those groups also, wherever ther are kids there seems to be bullying, that won't change too much.

also my daughter just was not getting the attention she needed, people laud that you can homeschool for 2 hours and your done - well I did not see that, and would think that 2 hours would not give a very rounded education, if you want to include some music, crafts, playing games etc, our school day took at least 4, and what was I supposed to do with my duaghter all that time? she really would distract my son.
also I wore way to many hats, teacher and mother for me didn't mix, I missed just spending time with my son without having to goad and chide him all the time, or worry about planning stuff for lessons.

if you live in a place where there is lots going on for h/s and you don't have toddlers you will probably enjoy it way more than I did!

my son is now in a private christian school, and is really thriving.

Social interaction is not an issue with my homeschooled children. We have a homeschool support group with regular get togethers. We have a P.E. class, park days, and field trips. There are also Mom's Night out. We even have teachers who teach some of the harder classes. You can get your kids involved in sports and after school activities and church groups. I think homeschooling is awesome and I think you and your daughter would find it very beneficial!

Hi C.,
I have been homeschooling my 13 yr old for 4 yrs. We both love it. She has even said she wants to be homeschooled for high school. She is a huge social butterfly so it was a big transition but we made it through. It is all about finding activities that keep your child active and around kids that act right. We tried out many different homeschooling places, there are so many, and you have to find what works for your child. You can't say I am going with this school only and if it doesn't fit oh well.
That is the hardest part. Once you find the best fit the schooling comes easily. We use CAVA http://www.k12.com/cava/ Which is K12 curriculum. for us the work is much harder then the public school my daughter was in before homeschooling, She needed the more challenging work. She was bored in regular school.

It is our job as parents to teach our kids what they need to survive in the real world not the schools. Homeschooling is not easy by any means! It is worth it to see you child learn new concepts. It has been the best thing for my family. My Daughter and I are best friends. I would not change things.
Oh CAVA has over 1000 fieldtrips, social activities on the schedule at any time and if there is a certain place you would like to go just ask your teacher to do a field trip. There are so many yahoo groups to support us parents of homeschoolers. If you have any questions feel free to message me!
Good luck on your journey!

Find a homeschool group. My state lets our kids try out for sports in the public schools if they want to. I homeschool and there is nothing wrong with my boys social skills. We join soccer and baseball and go to church. I'd rather my boys learn from me than from a schoolmate how to behave.

Hi C.

I have home schooled my 3 children for the past ten years. I am so glad that we chose to do it.....it has been an incredible journey. Not only have my kids grown in leaps and bounds but I have as well. I have treasured the privilege I have been given in helping to teach my own children in both their strengths and weaknesses. Strengths and weaknesses I may have not seen if put in a regular school.

Homeschooling is a whole new ball game now. There is tons of help and resources out there. For us, belonging to a home school hub has been most beneficial. You have other families to learn with, co-op classes where you share teach, physical education choices like swimming, horseback riding, bowling, etc....... We belong to a group called Advantage Preparatory Schools, a very reputable home school hub where the administrators are wonderful people who care and stand alongside of you where and when needed. All I have do is ask. My three kids have formed long time friendships and have had tons of opportunities to socialize.

Bottom line..... It's really what you make of it. It's definitely a sacrifice on the parents part but absolutely most rewarding. It is a team effort that I believe grows families in bonding together as a unit. Even if you choose to do it for a time, you will not regret it.

Btw.....I've worked within the school system and have seen first hand the time lost in the classroom. Attention given to the most needy children and then the ones forgotten who could really excel if just taken notice of. I've seen the foul mouths of children and how mean and nasty they have become in our society today. It's very scary for the more meek and mild ones. And just when I thought the children were a nightmare, I met the parents.......wow! No wonder!

Anyway.......I would give it some deep thought and research your area for those home school hubs and what they offer. Like everything we choose to do in life, we get out of it what we put into it.

Blessings of peace!
~t

I'm personally not a big fan of homeschooling (personal reasons). I grew-up in public schools and had a great education. Our neighbors homeschooled their 5 children until about 2 years ago when the age differences became too big of an issue.

My concerns would also be social as well as having activities to put on their transcript/high school resume for admission to college. I don't think anyone disregards that homeschooled children are often extremely bright and academically advanced; I just personally believe that the social drama of being in a formal school environment (both public and private) is as much an important part of education as the actual academic instruction.

When I was in college, I taught gymnastics, and there was a noticeable different (usually) between kids in more traditional school environments vs. those who were home schooled. It's a broad generalization, but an observation I encountered.

When I was growing-up, my family moved to a new house that fed into a different school than the one my sister had attended since Kintergarten. She was going into 6th grade, and the county granted her "Pupil Placement". Have you checked with your school system to see if there are programs in place to move her to a less disruptive school based upon the criteria you mention?

Good luck!

You're right... the social atmosphere WILL be different... and there are some ways in which it plain and simple cannot be recreated BUT unless it's your intent to hide from the world, you will probably find that her social interactions (if you homeschool) actually increase. In part, this is because you will now have the TIME for it. Not only will you have the time for multiple activities & classes... but you won't be cramming in HW, family time, an activity, playdates, dinner, & bedtime all into a 3-5 hour block every day.

Just to give you an example... let me outline my kiddo's outside class & activity schedule for the year with you (all of which are group classes, taught by adults other than myself):

Fall
- soccer x 3 days a week (2 practices + 1 game)
- gymnastics x 2 days a week
- swimming x 3 days a week
- art class x 2 days a week (1 general, 1 piano)
- music class x 2 days a week
- field trips x 1 day per week (on average, sometimes more, sometimes less... many times we go on our own, but we frequently -at least once a month- arrange a group of friends or join a homeschool fieldtrip someone else arranged)
- Camp: Theatre (during parent teacher conference week, put on a scene from Around the World in 80 days with 20 other kids)
- Camp: Gymnastics (during thanksgiving break)
- Seminar: Kids in Medicine (medical class -including gowning up and using surgical equipment, and using real organs for 7-12 year olds)

Winter
((We took all of December "off" for xmas break... part of this included a 1 week Theatre Camp where they put on "Where the Wild Things Are", it also included 2 backstage fieldtrips -aka we saw the plays and then were backstage with other kids talking to the actors, & the orchestra members, & having a lecture by the directors, and got to get the kids in makeup/costume... and generally spent the whole day at the theatre for both the ballet "Nutcracker" and the play "A Christmas Carol")) Back from break:

- Snowboarding x 3-4 days per week (ALL day, as in we would leave home at 5am, and get back around 6pm, eat and go to bed by 7pm -we did school during hot chocolate breaks those days)
- Gymnastics x 1
- Swimming x 1-2
- Basketball x 2
- Art x 1
- Music x 1

Spring

ditto fall class schedule, but change out baseball for soccer
- camp: theatre x 1 week
- camp: gymnastics x 3days
- 3 seminars : observatory
(( We were going to be spending a month in Argentina this spring, but are moving it to next fall, after "Not Back To School Days" at Disneyland. Since you're already in Anaheim... here's the website and class list http://www.notbacktoschooldays.com/
http://www.notbacktoschooldays.com/education/education.htm ))

Summer we're still working out...

This schedule might looks nuts to anyone currently in school. BUT it means that (except for snowboarding, or during camps) it means that kiddo is "gone" from 2-4 hours a day. Which, after dealing with kiddo being gone 8+ hours a day for public school is *nothing*. Excluding travel, we spend an average of $150 a month for all of his outside classes and activities. A great many of which we get homeschool discounts.

It's important to me that kiddo have time without me around to be interacting with kids and adults... so I "drop off" about 1/2 the time (and it's funny the assumptions other parents make who are trying to get time with their kids during their classes)... but whether I'm there or not kiddo is getting a LOT of social and academic time with others. He also has about 6 great friends and about 200 acquaintances that he sees on a regular basis.

It was challenging in the beginning... when the neighborhood emptied out every day, because most kids are in school until 4. But now... now... we have soooooo many opportunities that it's actually a matter of having to choose. We had originally thought of doing "afterschool" care for social interaction (through the Y), but we've turned out to just plain and simple not have the time!!!

My kids are in public school and we are happy with it, however if the kids that your daughter would be socializing with are as bad as you say why would you want your daughter to have that kind of socialization? Missing out on that doesn't seem to be a bad thing.

There are plenty of opportunities to socialize outside of the traditional classroom, you just have to be prepared to make the time to schedule these opportunities and (in some cases) pay for them.

Good luck,
K.

find a homeschool group.
Most homeschool kids are also apart of a larger group that go to museums, parks, zoos etc. together.
Also check out http://www.k12.com/

http://www.irvinehomeschool.org/

Most areas I have looked at have support groups for homeschoolers. I have to see if I can get a site from a mom I was talking to at soccer. She said the groups plan stuff all the time like field trips and such and if you are willing to do places, your children won't be out the socialization one bit.

My husband and I have decided to either homeschool or send our kids to a private school as well. We have talked about the same issues with socialization I when the time comes, we are going to involve our kids with sports in the community and/or learning an instrument, etc. Do you go to church? There may be children there you will feel better about in regard to letting your kids socialize. I've heard there are homeschool groups in communities that get together as well.

Don't forget to involve your kids in many of the things you do. Since you will be home with them during the day, maybe once a week you could do some volunteer work with them (i.e. visit the elderly in the nursing home, or babysit at a homeless shelter, whatever floats your boat). Volunteering will expose your kids to other people and will give them an appreciation for treating others less fortunate with dignity. In my opinion, this will have a greater effect on thier character as an adult than socializing with 30 peers thier same age everyday.

No matter where you go, you will always find a few bad apples. There is lousy language everywhere. As a matter of fact, some of the worst language I ever heard came from a homeschooled kid! (I was blown away by that, BTW.)
I teach at a private school - there is horrid behavior there because the parents don't back up the teachers. The parents believe their little Johnny is an angel and that the teachers are mean. The administration believes that the parents are the customer, and since the customer is always right, that leaves us teachers with no recourse... (Yes, I'm resigning this June.)

Bad behavior in the classroom is the teacher's fault. If she doesn't demand respect and nice language, she's going to have an unruly classroom filled with vulgar language. I subbed for a teacher's maternity leave - the kids were awful until I whipped them into shape - unfortunately, when the teacher returned, so did all their bad habits... I had those same kids for a different class, and guess what? No bad behavior - because that second teacher didn't allow it.
Have you spoken to the principal about it the bad language and behavior?
Homeschooling is great for some.
There are plenty of homeschooling groups out there and since you live in civilization, there should be many.
Good luck!
LBC

Hello, While I think that some parents can (and) do a very good job of home-schooling, I also know that some do not. It is much more than "field trips" and art as some seem to think. If you decide to try it, there are other ways to give your daughter the social interaction she needs; softball, baseball, gymnastics, art classes, dance, etc. However, you should know that my oldest daughter works for a large organization and has found that many of the home-schooled young people who come to seek jobs there turn out to be the least responsible and least prepared for their responsibilities. She is in charge of hiring and sometimes firing and sometimes has to let them go because they don't seem to get that they have to be there and also have to interract with public in a certain way. So, if you decide to do this, you might want to set up a schedule and stick to it like a school would do.
Also, the behavior in a classroom is a reflection of the teacher's ability to control it. I was an aide and worked with some teachers who had complete control in their classes and some who didn't. The ones with the control had students who were able to learn well. I now volunteer in my grandkids' school and find the same there. I had my own E.S.L. groups in my own room and always had control there. The students learned English at a quick pace and loved being there.
Good luck with your precious family and with your decision.
K. K.

My parents pulled me out of public school when I was the same age as your daughter...about 25 years ago. Homeschooling was not at all what it is today. My parents had to find activities for us as there were little to no homeschooling groups at the time, and the ones that existed were kind of weird. ;) We were involved with our church youth group, city orchestras, 4-H, and we even went on field trips, football games and to prom with the public schools. She will have no problem socializing in this day and age of homeschooling...there are so many groups and activities now!
So, just as an example, with little or no resources, I was home-schooled from 3rd grade on, "graduated" a year early, went on to get a 4 year degree at a private college, have friends from all over and I have great social skills if I do say so myself. :)
Your intuition is your best resource! Good luck to you!

So, What kind of social interactions are you thinking of? with whom? those rude kids? It seems to me that what you need to avoid are social interactions...Loved, attended to, respected, respectful kids will be able to navigate adult life just fine...without the trauma of trying to make sense of modern classrooms. Also, most homeschooling resourses these days include ways to connect regularly with other like minded families for group events.

You will get lots of responses - pros and cons. Ultimately it's your decision to do what's best for you child. Unless your child's needs are not being met at school or is literally suffering, I don't think it's a good idea.

1) Teachers are educated and trained to teach your child. Do you have those credentials?
2) Children learn from each other - from their questions, experiences and literally explaining a concept in terms they can understand
3) Different teachers have different expectations and grading standards, not unlike the real world. If you're the only one grading & judging their work, how will they get this concept? And, can you really be unbiased on an essay, art project, etc?
4) Children in school learn that it's not all about them, that others sometimes come first, get a turn, have a say, etc. They may not even get a say. If they're the only student in class, they don't learn this.
5) Other students naturally foster a sense of competition and goal to achieve. If they're the only student, they have no benchmark and no one to compete with.
6) It's good for students to hear other views on things and to be able to hear all sides of something and to develop their own opinion and thoughts, not just mimic yours. Even if you don't agree with what they come up with, it's important that they be their own person.

Yes, there are lots of pros. But every home-schooled child I've ever met just didn't seem to know how to fit in with the other kids, sometimes even seeming socially backward. Going to school is about more than feeding the brain some knowledge. They need socialization.

If you want to be more involved and have more control and say - then research the schools in your area (public & private) and find the right one. And, then get involved at the school and participate in all of your childs education and activities.

I attend all sporting events, church activities, assist in homework, vocalize my values and beliefs and back them up with reasoning, help research and fully debate topics of interest that maybe we don't agree upon or that they've heard about and have questions.

Good luck - you obviously care - so you'll grow amazing children I'm sure!

I am also thinking about homeschooling my 5 yo for Kindergarten this Fall. My neighbor and close friend has been homeschooling her two girls for 2 years now and loves it! They do their homeschooling through a charter school (a public school for homeschoolers). They get all of their supplies and curriculum from the charter school. The one they use is in Escondido. It's called Classical Academy (http://www.classicalacademy.com/). They have 3 tracts that you can use. The first two tracts consist of the student going to the campus 2 days a week from 815 to 215 and homeschooling 3 days a week. The 3rd tract is where you pick up the curriculum packet and supplies from the campus every 5 weeks, meet with your assigned education specialist and turn in the previous 5 weeks work. My friend does the third track with her two kids.

There is also a group called http://www.cfssd.org/portal/ that provides support for Christian homeschoolers. I know our local group meets up about twice a week for different activities and classes for both kids and parents.

Like others have said, ask a lot of questions. I have been asking the teachers at my kids preschools, asking moms that I see at the park, and researching online. I am currently waiting for a call back from Classical Academy to set up a tour. I am really thinking about doing the third track of homeschooling for my son for Kindergarten. I figure Kindergarten is a good year for me to try my hand at it since the schoolwork is less intense than later grades.

Good luck with your decision.

There is an interesting book called Hang onto your Kids: Why Parents Should Matter More Than Peers...by Gordon neufeld. (A canadian child psych with kids of his own)
We have been pushed to regard peer relationships as essential to the creation of a stable hapy human being in our society...so much so, that it is now EXPECTED that relationships with adults and parents will deteriorate. Maybe this is just not the case throughout most of human history and throughout the world even today.
This book helped me put things into perspective. Yes friends are fun to have. Social skills are great too...but if they are only well-practiced with those close to your age...how good are they really?
You can link up with other homeschoolers pretty easily...and have your pick of the better mannere families. (No need to isolate yourself)
Good luck!