kvanlaan
Puritan Board Doctor
I was homeschooled, and I have to say that my Mom couldn't teach us the calculus stuff, and all that, but what we did come away from school with was a good work ethic, and the ability to think independently. We lived on a farm, and had to care for animals, vegetables, etc, which taught us responsibility, and my dad also had a home business, which taught us where our money came from... the work of our hands! I think these things are very important, besides the obvious training and discipling in God's word.
That makes me think of one other angle in all this: we are not expecting our children to be on the Harvard rowing team at any point in their lives. To us, their schooling is primarily there to make them useful instruments in God's kingdom. They will be in the workforce and should be trained for that future (that is, we don't want them to suffer financially because they were given an education that eschewed any planning for a career) but we are not in it for high-octane academics leading to an Ivy League school first and foremost.