Why Homeschool?

Her: Homeschooling was NEVER something I thought I would be doing.  Why keep your kids at home when you can send them off to be educated elsewhere while I am at the gym and Starbucks?  Troy and I lived in Texas before our kids were school age and many of my friends there homeschooled.  I thought they were nuts and probably told them so (Sorry about that ladies!).   As the time to put my eldest in school approached, putting her in school became impossible.  We were moving around a lot at the time and I didn’t have a definite school district to put her in.  Besides, Troy and I always went to private school so it was a big move for us to even consider public school.  There was no way we could afford private school so homeschooling it was.  “Just one year, I can survive just one year.” Five years later we are still homeschooling. 

I am truly grateful that I was forced into the idea.  Otherwise, I never would have given it a chance. Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  And, here’s why it has blessed our family:

1)    Learning is much more of a fluid process than I realized it was.  There have been so many times over the years that I have introduced a concept: reading, math, etc. that the kiddos were not ready for.  They became confused and frustrated.  So I put that concept on the shelf for a few months then reintroduced it.  This time it was a breeze.  They got it instantly because their brains were ready. 

2)   The kids have no one to measure their intelligence with.  They have no idea if they are behind or ahead of their classmates.  They get to learn without the insecurity of comparison. 

3)   They have so much more time in their day.  They don’t have to get up early and rush out the door.  They have enough time to do school, chores and play endlessly.  They can escape outside and make a huge fort for 3 hours in the afternoon instead of doing homework. 

4)   Our family schedule is not controlled by the school schedule.  We can take off for vacation in the middle of the year.  We can stay out late on a weekday.  We can sleep in when needed.  We can school in the evening or on the weekend if it works better. 

5)   Because the kids are home more, I can incorporate learning life skills such as cooking, cleaning and organization that we would otherwise not have time for.

6)   And, my favorite, we can incorporate God into each and every part of our day.  I get to instruct them on much more valuable things than just math and reading.  We get to discuss their attitudes about their schoolwork, their siblings, and me while learning.  If they were in school I would miss out on these opportunities or at least have fewer of them.

You may consider all of this sheltering and I understand where you are coming from.  I agree children need to be socialized.  The real world is a place full of competition and mean people that they need to be ready for and they need to learn how to make choices and traverse the ins and outs of life successfully. But, why throw them into life before they have the tools to cope with it?  You wouldn’t hire an employee and then throw them into the position without training.  You would specifically guide and prepare them and would not send them out until you were sure they would be successful.  Of course they will still make mistakes and will continue to learn but at least they’ll be equipped with the basic tools. Should we shelter them? No.  Should we prepare them? Yes! 

Ok, off my soapbox!  Is homeschooling for everyone?  Definitely not.  But, it has been absolutely fabulous for our family and I would recommend it to everyone!