WHY ARE YOU HOMESCHOOLING? 1/9/08

So I am new to homeschooling as my husband and I recently decided to take our 10 year old daughter out of public school at winter break and begin teaching her at home. This was not something that I decided overnight and yet people are stunned when I tell them the news. The biggest question that I get asked is "WHY ARE YOU HOMESCHOOLING?" Over the last few years I have looked at every sort of schooling out there...public, private, charter, Montesorri, Waldorf, Core Knowledge, you name it I investigated it...and none of them seemed to make sense for our family. Here are just a few of the questions that have floated through our household and helped us make the decision to homeschool our little faerie...What is the point of being able to do 100 multiplication problems in 2 minutes? REALLY what is the point. Statistically speaking if you get the first 20 right you will get the last 80 right. While I am not saying that it is not important to learn multiplication, decimals, fractions and so on, but really in this day and age who does not use a calculator or have a program to figure out the numbers for them.Why is it okay to withhold children's basic rights in order to educate them? Is it really okay for my daughter to be told she can't go to the bathroom until snack time? You must be hungry and thirsty only when it is scheduled in as well, gee how is that healthy. I can see the lawsuits that would be filed if a company tried to tell it's employees they could only go to the bathroom from 10 to 10:15 or 1 to 1:15.If a child gets up and is rushed out the door to be at on the bus for 1 hr., at school for 6 hrs, on the bus again for 1 hr., and doing homework for 3 hrs, and are suppose to sleep for at least 8 - 10 hrs., when exactly do they get to be a kid? If they have to do 3 or more hours of homework afterschool, what are they doing all day. My child IS NOT broken...simple as that. Not all children learn the same way, in fact most people learn different subjects in different ways, as different parts of your brain control information and actions related to different subjects. Until the system that is set up to teach the masses figures out a way to handle and teach the individuals it will continue to be a system that is lacking.When I am asked WHY? it is difficult for me to answer without sounding cocky, rude or totally against the public school system. I assure you I am aware that public school has worked for many children and I want to make sure that people understand that I am not against it. It just is not the right fit for MY daughter.