Moving: taking the school test

I read Opdyke's "In Our Move, We Failed the School Test" with partly sadness and partly derision. Sadness in that I had similar thoughts when I moved my family from Japan to San Jose and then to Austin. However, I can safely say that academically I was concerned about my future children's education since I was already a pro-home educator (schooling: not with my children you don't) long before I got married. In fact part of the move to Austin was because Texas had (and still has) a better homeschooling laws.

But I can't say I have thought in depth of the meaning of education as my wife and I see it now: our educational goals for our children is not for them to be in the elite college(s) or even be the smartest kid on the block. We want them to become responsible adults who can take care of themselves and their own family all under God's authory: i.e., become godly men.

In fact this is what we are taking into consideration as we start preparing to move to Los Angeles. We want our sons to establish close ties to their grandparents and their aunt by spending time on a weekly if not daily basis. We believe that developing and establishing ties to their blood relatives are important part of their education especially before they turn 18 and leave home. I personally want my sons to see and experience someone they know to slowly die in front of their face: considering that my mother had breast cancer and a recent stroke, I don't wish her to pass away but realistically she has the highest chance of doing so, sooner rather than later (my father's mother is still alive at almost 100, while both parents of my mother died many years ago). If either or both of my parents buys the farm today, it would be just a news item for my sons. It won't be the same once they develop emotional ties to them.