It’s not so much weariness and stress, though I won’t deny those are factors. If I were to turn to the government or the public school, it would be an acknowledgment of my need for help in teaching something I’ve failed at so far. Remember, I’m talking about three children who are 16, 13 and 11, who need a good remedial program in reading and spelling. Enlisting the help of an outsider for this is no different from my sending my girls to a piano teacher instead of teaching them myself, since I never got past Gr. 4 piano. And in this case, I would still be teaching them.

As to getting financial help, you would be appalled, I think, if you knew how little we have to spend on homeschooling. We have bought no new curriculum since we ordered Saxon Algebra 2 for our son five years ago. We spend *maybe* $200 total per year for paper, notebooks, pencils and other supplies. That’s it. That’s all we *have* to spend.

Molly, I have been using the Robinson Curriculum for almost five years, and also adapt it to the needs of my own family. I love the philosophy, but I don’t know anyone who is using it “to a T.” I use other phonics and reading programs to teach them to read. I use other books for reading as well, especially when the children are new readers, because there are not enough books on the CD’s to give a child all the practice he needs to become good at reading.