I LOVE homeschooling and am not afraid to admit it!
We believe it’s truly what God desires for our family and, even though that would be enough to convince us to follow through, we are so blessed to have so many additional reasons why we love it!
Here are some of those reasons, in no particular order:
1. There is so much more choice available to homeschool families than is available in an average public school system. Education isn’t one-size-fits-all.
2. My children thrive at home in their regular surroundings.
3. Michael and I were both public schooled and I can attest to how incredibly difficult it was for me. High school was brutal and I experienced way too much of “life” and things that teenagers should not be exposed to or involved in.
4. God gave us these blessings to nurture and instill in them His Word and His ways and all of the other life skills necessary to lead productive lives and be an integral part of society and spread the Good News. 18 years just doesn’t seem long enough to accomplish all of this when so many hours are spent away from home (at school) during the majority of those years. Homeschooling offers us a way to integrate it all together for a complete education.
5. We have SO much fun!
6. We are not tied to a typical daily school schedule (though we do typically follow a schedule). I don’t have to work appointments around a child’s school schedule or when I can pick them up, etc. Instead, we work our school schedule around whatever outside appointments we might have.
7. Our vacations or family trips aren’t dictated by the school holiday schedule. We school year-round, which allows us the ability to schedule our vacations and trips during non-peak times or whenever we desire.
8. We can do our school work outside if we so choose!
9. My children can ask all sorts of questions regarding anything they are curious about, anytime they choose and we can look those things up and learn more about them on the internet or in our books. Most things in life turn into teaching experiences and fuel my childrens’ desire for more knowledge.
10. I am learning a lot about myself and re-educating myself in many areas and I’m having so much fun at the same time.
11. I love that my 6 year old, who would be in kindergarten if he were in public school, can work at his own pace. For us, this means he is almost half-way through his 1st grade math curriculum kindergarten phonics/basic reading and writing. But, in other areas he is working at grade level.
12. Currently, it takes us about 3 hours to complete school work. Compare that to the 7-8 hours most children spend away from home and then the amount of homework they still have to accomplish in the evening.
13. Homeschooling is portable. We are moving overseas soon and prior to that we will be visiting my family in Florida for approximately 5 weeks. There is no extra planning needed to school while we’re away, or to pick back up once we move. No racing to get ahead on the assignments or cramming to catch back up after a vacation. We simply, steadily move along.
What about you? What is your schooling choice for your children? If you are a homeschooler, I would love to hear more about “why.”
Note: I realize that homeschooling is not the proper choice for everyone. I am not against public or private schools. These are simply the choices my MY family has made and some of the reasons why. Whether you homeschool or not, I hope you have learned a little more about why it’s the choice many families make. Also, I am NOT an expert, my oldest is only 6 and I’ve only been at this a little over a year, but have already seen so many benefits, that I’m now a huge believer!
If you’re not a homeschooling family, I encourage you to read this post by Cheryl from Somewhat Crunchy. It’s a little insight into how others’ misunderstanding of what homeschooling truly is can affect us as homeschooling families.
This post is linked to:
Things I Love Thursday
Thursday 13
I can see where homeschooling is important for you and I’m glad you’re able to do it
In my day of raising our two kids, I do wish we HAD that choice. If we did, our kids would have been taught at home by ME!
Here is MY Thursday 13. You’ll need to scroll down below my Thursday Thunks to view them. Do stop by for a visit if you can find time. Hope your day is super.
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You’re a great person. I never could have put up with my kids for an entire day.
Have a great day!
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Hi- I’m visiting from Diaper Diaries. Love your post about loving homeschooling. We are a homeschooling family and we LOVE it, too. It’s a calling AND a gift from God. I’m going to follow you now ~ maybe we can share homeschooling resouces/ideas.
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This is so great! Thank you for listing your reasons! This is something I am praying about for our family and when I share it with friends and even some family I am often met with some resistance. Besides feeling called by God, which is certainly enough, I feel I have to have better, more thorough explainations as to why. You have helped me see some very valid points that I hadn’t thought about.
Blessings,
Kelli @ SustainingCreativity
Happy to help!
It’s sometimes very discouraging for me to feel the need to justify what we have decided is right for our family. As I’m sure you already know, there is tremendous support on the internet and pray God will direct you in how to overcome the discouragement and make the best decision for your family.
I was homeschooled for two years (grades 2 and 3). The first year was wonderful and enjoyable, just my brother and I and our mom teaching. The next year a neighbor and former teacher offered to teach her kids and us at the same time–total nightmare. When I went to school in grade 4 I was thrilled to be there, even though it was an hour drive each way!
So glad it’s working out for you and your family. I have thought of it for my boy as well, but doesn’t fit our family situation (long story) and right now he’s thriving and challenged so I’m OK with where he’s at.
Happy TT!
So sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Every family is so different and has to do what is right for them. It sounds like you’re doing just that!!
Stopping by from Thursday Thirteen.
Sounds like it’s going great for you. I never really thought about it as an option for my kids, I don’t think I have the patience – lol.
Thanks for sharing. ♥
Patience… I’m constantly working on that one and it’s not always easy!
I am so encouraged by this post, and the fact there there are so many homeschooling bloggers and internet resources out there now. I’m not sure what we’re going to do yet, but we are seriously considering homeschooling for many of the reasons/benefits you listed. Thanks!
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There is definitely a wealth of information available on the internet. It’s so comforting to know that we aren’t the only ones who are in this boat. It’s also wonderful to be able to look to other, more seasoned homeschooling families for advice.
Thank you for your kind words.
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Hi! I like how straightforward you are about homeschooling! We send our kids to school and try for a ‘best of both worlds’ approach. If they are interested in something, we go after learning about it, but I do not have the calling to teach – my kids or anyone else’s and their school is super parent-involved so I am there alot while they are learning and we love it. I can see why your kids love being homeschooled; I think mine would, I just don’t think I have what it takes.
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homeschool i believe is the best school
somehow it is comfy and very right for kids
Not Afraid
My parents homeschooled my two sisters and me and I loved it! When I was in high school I was interested in becoming a midwife. Being homeschooled allowed me the flexibility to pursue that interest. I know it was a lot of work for my parents, but I’m so glad they did it!
We hope to be able to facilitate wonderful things like that as well. Experiencing things in the ‘real’ world that they wouldn’t necessarily get to do if sitting in a classroom all day. Glad you had a good experience!!
I homeschooled my three children (who are now 24, 21, and 16). I did it for social, psychological and pedagogical reasons, not religious. I wanted my children to have a good, solid sense of who they were and what their values were before they had to defend themselves to a class of children. Though I knew they would go to school eventually, I saw no reason to hurry them into it.
Though (as it happens) I am a teacher, I don’t see that as essential AT ALL. What IS essential is that the teaching parent love learning, have a calm, loving authority, and love spending lots of time with their children.
My eldest started school in fifth grade. It went beautifully. My second wanted to start in grade three, but I didn’t think he was ready. He waited another two years, and again, it went beautifully. My third started in grade four, and was homeschooled again for grade eight before starting and staying with school in grade nine.
Even when I ended up divorced (when they were 10, 7, and 3) I found a female housemate to share the rent and managed to find a career I could do from home, so I wouldn’t have to send them to school before the time was right for them. We didn’t have a lot of money for a while there, but we managed just fine!
All three of them have done very well in ‘real’ school. They are leaders, not followers. They make decisions for themselves, not because of what’s popular. My oldest has completed university, and is an independent adult with a good job and her own home. My middle child is finishing his second year of college, and my youngest is now done grade 11. All have career plans (or, in the case of my eldest, has started her career).
I loved, loved, loved homeschooling. Though there were things I made sure we accomplished — they learned to read, they learned math skills, etc. — our curriculum was open-ended and child-directed. I never spent more than 45 minutes a day in direct instruction, and yet when they each started school, they were at the top of their class within two months. I think this is because my children see education as something they do for themselves, not something that is done to them, and, moreover, they actively enjoy it.
And that, to me, is my measure of success as a homeschool parent.
I have homeschooled my children for 11 years. I have five children, 15, 13, 10, 8 and 4. I have always been nervous academically because I’m not the smartest person, but we have been truly blest. We are close as a family, the children have grown in their faith, and are not ashamed of who they are. Lachlan who is 13 started Scotch College ( a very expensive school), this year, he is doing fine academically, but he had a huge problem with bad language and lack of discipline. He is maturing in a tough atmosphere. My eldest girl will be doing year 11 and 12 at a community college next year, she will have no problems with that. Keep at it Laura, it is such a privillage to raise godly children, what a delight!
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