We’ve been lucky that the vast majority of our friends and family support our decision to homeschool. In general, the better they know us, the more supportive they are. That’s because they see that it’s working for our son.

But we’ve also experienced some rather bewildered reactions. Such reactions typically come from people who have experienced nothing but traditional schooling. One person asked if our son had any friends, but nobody who knows him well would ask that. Although many worry that homeschooling hampers socialization, our experience has been quite the opposite.

Maybe I’ll address socialization at some point, but for now I’ve focused on five lessons my family has learned from our experience with homeschooling.

[Ted has some great insights into the myriad decisions and choices that go into homeschooling, and how tailoring it to the child’s interests works best as an overall strategy. And I feel I must endorse with all the energy I have the idea to make Mad Magazine part of the curricula, even for a short while. Anyway, be sure to read it all. — Ed]