I just read through the entire thread and really feel the need to reply. I am a single mom to DS 7 and DD 10, and also a 7th grade Social Studies teacher at a public school. We all are very lucky to be in a district that offers wonderful opportunities for students and staff; that said, on many occasions and for different reasons, I have wished that finances did not prevent me from homeschooling my children.
Both of my children read and write well above grade level, and neither is challenged as much as I'd like to see. I do try to supplement at home, but as DD gets closer to those teen years, she's starting to resent what she sees as more work as opposed to enhancement. DS is so far ahead of his classmates that he feels different, an outsider. I worry almost constantly how this will play out over the future, and am weary of the regular conferences with teachers, counselors, and other staff about preventing depression due to his perceptions of differentness and lack of belonging. Again, we have an excellent school, but it cannot seem to adapt to my son's needs. Like
paigevz, I am lucky that I am a teacher there and am more aware of the environment and procedures so that I can continue to work with the school to hopefully find a solution soon. I also wish that we could spend more time together as a family and have more opportunities to explore the world together without being constrained by artificial schedules, whether daily or yearly.
On the topic of teacher training, I wanted to offer that my coursework was approximately 70% subject-centered (I have a B.A. in History) and 30% education-based. I never took any courses on classroom management; the closest I had was a course on adolescent psychology, where I learned the two major tenets of my own classroom management philosophy: 1. respect the child's psyche; and 2. keep the students meaningfully occupied and they won't have the time or desire to misbehave. It has helped me create a classroom environment which results in very few discipline referrals and overwhelmingly positive interactions between students and myself. I know that not all teachers have similar outlooks, but there are many of us who do try very hard to reach every child and help them reach their fullest potential.
Also,
crazymomof4, I also enjoy using diverse ways of teaching and learning in my classroom. Right now I'm trying out a variation of something called a layered curriculum, which allows students to choose different activities to learn the day's objectives. It's so much fun watching students figure out things in their own ways!
Lastly, I have seen some HS successes, but I have seen many instances of HS children who return to school saying that they had not opened a book in years. Most cannot write a sentence, let alone a paragraph. Obviously, the true success stories are more hidden because those students do not usually reenter the system here. At any rate, experiences like that do color many people's perceptions of HS - unfortunately, just like really bad PS experiences also color HS's views of what PS can offer children.
Upshot? I wish that every child could be offered diverse ways to learn at his or her own pace in safe public schools; and I wish that every parent who wanted to homeschool could have the opportunity to do so. Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts - I have greatly enjoyed reading this thread.
Oh, and PS - a thank-you to
Karla B. for giving me the fantastic idea of focusing on a nation of the World Showcase each month as an extra family activity. I've often considered something like this, but making it specific to WDW will keep my children much more invested in the concept.
. Were either of your sons into galidors? We got into them just as they started phasing them out of the stores. Good and bad....Bad because we had a hard time finding them / Good because when we did find them I only paid between about a dollar for most! Well, I just wanted to say "hi" to fellow 
First of all, LegoMom3, I can't believe DTD has a giant Vladek! I hope it will still be there for our fall 2005 trip!
