It's actually shocking to me that people think being stuck in a room for 8 hour with kids that are the same age and socio-economic status is natural socializing. The modern school room is an anomaly in history. Before compulsory attendance in public schools Children stayed at home with their mother learning how to run a household. Then they would go and learn a trade by becoming an apprentice. They interacted with people off all ages but mostly with their families. This is normal and actually very in harmony with the Gospel if you think about it.
Also why on earth would you care if you child is "behind grade level"? Those standards are made up by administrators in the government and have NOTHING to do with how well your child will be able to interact with the world as an adult. Many Kids who have been through the public school system get to graduation "at grade level" and are still unable to function as an adult in society. Your child will always learn at their own pace and there really are not any standards of what they "should" know that are not arbitrary.
My 11 year old cousin has major ADHD and had been home-schooled for many years. He was way behind "grade level" in math and reading. Then his mom started unschooling him and when he took the state standardized test he was so far above his "grade level" that his mom decided that he didn't have to take the tests any more. She never did formal lessons, she just allowed him to explore math and reading on his own, offering him lots of help when he asked and making sure he had lots of resources.
Children love to learn and if we don't beat that out of them they will seek knowledge as surely as any scholar. If your child needs to know something the will seek out the information because it is important to them. You don't "teach" your child to smile, walk, talk or feed themselves. They learn to do these things by observing you. Children can also learn to read on their own so long as they have a rich environment and a good example. (this doesn't mean don't help if they ask, but some times they don't even need help)
I respect all home school methods, but I think every home school mom needs to look at their kids and determine if doing things they way the public school does them, is really the most effective way or if there is something better.
