Recently OFTP received a letter which elicited a lot of response from the membership on the oftp email list. It is quite possible that the views expressed are common among people considering home education as a means of choosing something besides a problem-ridden public school system. The writer, more than likely not conversant with home education philosophy, expresses concern over the following issues that are a result of reading the OFTP web site: the great amount of detail on regulation/monitoring, and personal choice of curriculum; the tendency away from structured curriculum toward putting one’’s trust into a child-centered curriculum. Questions are raised such as: ““How do you teach your children to cope with a formal setting?”” “”How do you teach your children to know how to learn from a book?” ““Is homeschooling more for children not suited to post secondary education?” The writer equates guidelines with quality control, and quality control with a successful finished product (the product in this case being a skilled worker who can compete for jobs and live with others successfully in society). The vision of life is one of a very competitive market, if not presently then certainly in the future. The thought is that an educational approach which was learner-directed would not achieve these goals. ““The other thing that concerns us is the lack of guidelines.””  ““Despite your dislike for guidelines and government curriculum, it is a reality.”” The question OFTP needs to ask itself is whether this writer’’s perception of us from our website is universal for the uninitiated parent who has little or no knowledge of home learning. The following statement is somewhat alarming as it is gained after reading our website: ““I couldn’t imagine ‘’going with the flow’’ until my child was left behind in the dust.”” Here is the writer’s original text: I, along with two other mothers are seriously considering home education.  Not because our children are being left behind, but because we felt that they would move ahead at a faster pace than they are with one teacher spread over 25 children. After reading your site it seems a bit scary! We may be a little overprotective or maybe not picking up on what you are trying to get across, but, it seems like you want to wing it with your children, and are happy with them learning to read and add as long as they have fun and pick up other more important things like what shapes we can find in the clouds?  Where does the preparation for formal education, when you can no longer just have them help cut a pie as math class? My daughter decided to be a vet when she was three and really wanted to reach that goal, I obviously can’’t teach her medical school, so how do you teach your children to cope with a formal setting. To know how to learn from a book?  Or is homeschooling more for children not suited to post secondary education. The other thing that concerns us is the lack of guidelines. What can be done if you let your child relax and learn things like reading when they are 10-12.  How does he fit in with peers? Is this fair to your child? We assumed homeschooling was a better alternative because of the individual attention each child would receive, but after reading your site, we feel like we are setting our children up for failure, a fun childhood but ultimately failure in society.  Really how many jobs are there where there is no structure and you can just do as you like all day and work when you ‘’feel’’ like it?  It almost sounds like the Montessori disaster that some children have been exposed to. Not that I am any happier with our school system, everyone (except one little girl) in our group is highly motivated and way ahead of their class, essentially bored with school.  I would really like to get a better feel for this so we will be picking up the books you recommended and hopefully it will have a different tone than the website that just seems to go on and on about no curriculum or standardized testing as guidelines for homeschooling. Personally that would make me, and it is unanimous in our group, feel much better. To know that we have taught our children so well they can compete or bypass the education level of children at the same learning stage (i.e. my 6 year old passing a typical grade 2 or 3 test) . I couldn’’t imagine ‘’going with the flow’’ until my child was left behind in the dust. Despite your dislike for guidelines and government curriculum, it is a reality and with homeschooling only making up 1% of the school age children population, one day our children will have to compete for jobs, etc. with the school-educated child. Our goal is to have them much better equipped than the school taught child.  If there is anyone in my area that you could recommend us talking with we would really appreciate any help offered. Some OFTP members chose to respond to the writer’s concerns. Here are some excerpts from their letters: Structure and lack of structure in home education curriculum, Bruce writes: “One of the great benefits of homeschooling over the school system is that you can design your program with as much or as little structure, include or exclude topics, and teach or let your children learn in whatever way you see fit. Some of your concern about the school system is probably your dislike of the fact that in school, your kids must learn a certain topic, at a certain time, in a certain way, and if your kids are ahead or behind that arbitrary schedule, it’’s too bad for them. If you homeschool your children, you determine how much structure and how much curricular material you need. There are several good curricula out there for purchase. Moreover, not all homeschoolers are completely unstructured