Poll: Why does your husband homeschool/entrust you with homeschooling?

[Wee Pip]

Dh has realized that homeschool moms may not be on the same page as homeschool dads (can you imagine the conversations that led him to that conclusion? LOL) So howabout a poll? What is the #1 reason your dh/(or male s.o.) homeschools or entrusts you to homeschool?

[Renee in NC]

Because he doesn't want our dc to be like other dc.

[Caitilin]

Because I want to do it. :) And, like Renee's DH, because he wants our kids to be different from others.

[Ginevra]

Because I brow-beat him into accepting it. Not that I recommend that approach, however. :tongue_smilie:

[secular_mom]

He knows that PS does not work for our children OR me. That is all.

[dangermom]

He was on board from the first--better education, lack of the horrible school environment, all-around a good idea. It was pretty funny, I was waffling for a long time about whether or not I really wanted to do it (I did, but I was scared!) and he wouldn't give his opinion because he didn't want me to feel pushed into it.:001_smile:

[angela in ohio]

Because he wants our dc to be influenced by me instead of someone else. :D

 

I checked 'Both,' because he means that in both academic and religious ways.

[nukeswife]

#1 because we move so much

 

#2 because he believes my kids will get a better education from me since it will be personalized to the child and meet all of their needs at the time they need them to be met. This did not happen for my oldest when he was in PS for K and 1st, and dh saw that it was causing great stress for both me and our son.

 

#3 because the kids ask for it and he wants us all to be happy.

 

#4 because it allows us to have time as a family when we need it, not when the PS says it's ok to have that free time.

[StartingOver]

I homeschool to provide and individualized education for each of my children.

 

My husband was against homeschooling, but was going to tolerate it. Until we found out his daughter has severe allergies, now suddenly he is all for it, because it will keep her safe.

[Testimony]

He know that they are getting a rich education.

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Goodallmomma]

we have a top ten reasons why we homeschool : http://goodallmommalifenotes.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-do-goodalls-home-school.html

 

This was written 2 years into homeschooling during a New To Homeschooling class we went to last summer. It wasn't until this class that we got on the same page. He wasn't really interested or "happy" about my decision until then. He just felt it as a burden and an extra expense.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Goodallmomma

[Crissy]

I chose other, since what my husband trusts me with are the decisions about how we will best educate our boys (we homeschool, use online classes and the public school).

His trust is based on the fact that he understands how important our family's education is to me.

[linders]

Better education than the public schools and better able to accommodate the learning styles of our DC - especially DS9, who is bright but needs help in focusing.

 

(The real answer, of course, is so that homeschooling gives me an excuse to buy lots of books:001_smile:.)

[KrissiK]

We were both ps educated and see how, even in the 70's, schools were substandard. We want our children to have a better education. Also, we are conservative politically and do not want our children indoctrinated with liberal philosophy. We'll indoctrinate them ourselves. Also, we are Christians and want to educate our children according to our faith.

[SquirrellyMama]

Neither of us have a love for the public school system for different reasons. His reason is because he can't stand some of the wacky teaching theories that are put out there as fact.

 

My reason is because I found school to be much too social (dating service) than educational.

 

The other big reason is our ds (6). He'd be sent home the first day (if he made it the whole day) with a request for medication.

 

Oh, how could I forget this one.

 

I love it when I'm sitting on my bed and my 4 yr old comes by and yells, "Momma snuggle!" and jumps on the bed with me. Then of course there are 3 kids on the bed with me. Love it!

[Chris in VA]

I think dh lets me homeschool because I'm pretty passionate about it. He knows I'm capable, that dd is doing well; he'd be ok with her in school, too.

[Saille]

Our primary reason is academic excellence. Dh was unsure when I first suggested hs'ing. However, he visits ps sometimes for his job, and once he started looking at it with our kids in mind, he realized he didn't want them there. We do teach religion, but that wasn't initially why we hs'ed, so I didn't check that box. However, we teach subjects (religion, civics, foreign languages) and include materials that are outside the scope of the ps curriculum.

 

ETA that this was a team decision, b/c that's how we do it. Looking back at my post, I realized it didn't really read that way.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Saille

[elise1mds]

He "lets" me home school because he has realized it's the best for our son and he knows I'm competent. He also knows that if he didn't "let" me do it, I'd do it, anyway!

[myfunnybunch]

My husband doesn't much care one way or the other.

 

However, he does tell me that our children are doing great, that he likes the way I teach them and that he thinks I do a great job.

 

Cat

[Penelope]

He agreed to it at first because I really wanted to do it, and because we both thought we could provide an excellent education ourselves. But now we continue it for educational, social, and religious reasons, along with family relationships, which is inter-related with all of the above. :)

[Parrothead]

Dh never wanted any of our dc to go to public school. Things ended up that we only had dd.

 

When dd was ready to start school we could not afford private school. I did some research, told him the awful parts of what goes on in schools (sex, both student to student and student to teacher along with sexual indoctrination; drugs; and violence) and we decided to homeschool. Those were our main reasons along with academic excellence.

 

We continue to homeschool for several reasons, it fits into our life style better (dh works shift work and is very rarely off on Saturday and Sunday).

 

Although I don't do a catechism at home any more we are able to discuss our faith at any time it come up and we can live our faith. Religion was not a reason to home school, but it became a side benefit.

 

We benefit from being a close knit family.

 

We move often and dd's curriculum has continuity.

 

So in a nut shell we have a variety of reasons to homeschool.

[extendedforecast]

Dh has realized that homeschool moms may not be on the same page as homeschool dads (can you imagine the conversations that led him to that conclusion? LOL) So howabout a poll? What is the #1 reason your dh/(or male s.o.) homeschools or entrusts you to homeschool?

 

 

I chose other. My husband loves being with our kids. When they are enrolled in school, my children are stressed, irritable, and not fun to be around. There is a lot more fighting that goes on between the children as well as more name-calling and talking back. So I would say that their behavior is the number one reason for my husband. The second reason is preventing the spread of illness, the germophobe that he is. Finally, he likes the idea that we can teach our kids the material that we choose, not what is on the state exam.

Edited to add that DH works from home, so he gets to actually enjoy them during the day.

Cindy

Edited January 25, 2010 by extendedforecast

[Wyndie]

Because the kids allergies are so severe that it's impossible to keep them safe in the school setting.

[Ellie]

Because I'm with the dc more than he is and I see things he doesn't, so if I think hsing is best, then he's with me all the way.

[Unicorn.]

Because he doesn't want our dc to be like other dc.

 

:iagree: Exactly. Dh is a ps teacher, and he doesn't want that environment for our children. We ran into one of his students at the store last week. She just turned 13 and is 2 months pregnant. The father is also 13. Our 13 yo likes to play w/ army men and play board games. We want to keep it that way....kwim. Oh, and the education system in TX is such that teachers are only allowed to teach to the test, so he thinks they are better off at home academically too.

[Guest Katia]

Dh is the one that asked me to homeschool the kids. He has been certified to teach in 5 different states, and has taught in the public schools at all grade levels, taught in the private school sector, the Christian school setting and now at the college level.

 

What he observed in those public schools (small, large, city, inner-city, country) led him to see that whatever I did at home with the kids would be miles above whatever was happening in the public schools.

 

Yes, I see posted on here that this is a myth. I don't reply to those posts, but dh has been there and seen it. On my worst days when I thought the kids should be put back into ps because I was ruining them, he encouraged me that my worst days were better than the best teaching days in ps.

 

The last 16yrs homeschooling our dc has borne this out. Our kids have had a lot of ps friends, and dh has been asked to tutor a lot of ps kids, and has gone back to do some requested ps substituting. We know for a fact from the inside what is not taught and not accomplished.

 

Dh had faith that I could do better no matter what. Since we have one dc graduated from college, one dc in college and one going into college next year.....all with academic scholarships.......his faith in me was borne out.

 

To all the nay-sayers over the years, his response was always, "The proof is in the pudding", and he was right.

[EthiopianFood]

Higher educational standards. :)

[Nicole M]

Honestly, I have no idea. He doesn't really have a choice, and he knows it. :D

[sthompson]

Better education than ps.

 

Also, the less government is involved in our lives the better.

[Donna T.]

My husband saw alot of bullying while he was in school. He wasn't usually the one who was bullied, but he was very upset by the things that he saw going on. He usually jumped in to protect the victim and took on a Protector relationship with alot of the nerdy wimps. He found the whole environment in his high school to be discouraging... alot of fighting, early physical relationships between boys and girls, alot of cheating, kids skipping classes, alot of favoritism shown towards certain groups of kids but not others. He just saw alot of unjust things that bothered him.

 

He wants us to homeschool because he thinks they will be better off academically (I'm not convinced of that, but I'm giving it my best :)), he wants our homeschool to be focused on God and the Bible, he wants a flexible schedule for our family, AND he wants to protect them from negative peer interactions.

[Alenee]

I voted other because it's "all of the above, and then some".

[CherylG]

We've talked so much about what we want for our dc. He knows that we are on the same page as to the outcome: a well-rounded, passion-fulfilled, educated adult that is a blessing to others and brings glory to God. His trust makes me push myself to go on when I want to cruise. It's a good cycle...

 

Cheryl

[mom2jjka]

Because he witnessed how traumatic school was for my son. :-(

[Ester Maria]

#1: Appalled by the American school system. (Cultural and educational differences, he felt he did not want our daughters to be part of that system.) A solid education was an absolute must for our daughters.

#2: Good private boarding school was an option, and financially we could have handled it, but the girls were so little and so tied to us, it would have been cruel to send them away at the age of 5-6.

#3: Both of the girls were gifted, so they needed extra attention, one on one approach, and extra work in order to profit from their education; the typical public school education would strive to drown them in the mass, and we did not want it.

#4: Italian education. We did not want our daughters to speak their first language on the level of a second one. We wanted full Italian education for them (language, literature, culture), as well as that they go through the entire Italian curriculum in Italian and do their exams in Italy every year, to avoid problems when we come back.

#5: Some level of Jewish education was a must too, however, being atheists, we felt extremely uncomfortable about sending them to Jewish school which would stress the religion and not only the cultural and the linguistic aspect.

#6: We travel a lot abroad, the girls spend all summers in Italy and winter holidays in the Alps, and they go with or without us to other places during the year, so we needed more flexible schedule, as they're technically out of school about 1/4, maybe even 1/3 of the year.

#7: Cultural reasons. He wanted our daughters to maintain a distinct complex national and cultural identity and he felt that allowing them to mingle with the local children in all contexts (not only playing and having friends, but also sharing education, sharing popular culture, etc.) would make them grow up entirely in a foreign culture, absorb only foreign customs and manners and thus assimilate and feel foreign in their primary culture, to which we will inevitably go back eventually.

[Colleen]

I chose other, since what my husband trusts me with are the decisions about how we will best educate our boys (we homeschool, use online classes and the public school).

His trust is based on the fact that he understands how important our family's education is to me.

Yes, same here. I'm not sure I even understand the question, actually...

[bluemongoose]

I put both, but it is mostly the 1st one. Also we do not have a private school here so there were only two choices anyway.

 

My DH went to public school as a gifted child, he hated his experience. Our DD is very like him, he wanted to save her from the "dumbing down" and boredom factor.

[PollyOR]

DH is neutral but he does support my choice. He wouldn't mind if they attended public school.

[Tutor]

When we were pregnant with our oldest, dh and I looked around for parents and families that we admired and sought them out for advice and just spent time with them so we could observe up-close what made them and their families so appealing to us. It turned out that the majority of the families homeschooled, so we decided to homeschool if we could. The biggest draw to homeschooling for my dh is that he feels that it allowed us to directly nurture and encourage each of our children's unique gifts and personalities.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Initially it was because it was important to me (it was actually a tie-breaker for me as to if we would even get married). He has fond memories of his ps experience and didn't care too much as long as I kept up with it. Last year after 6 years of formal homeschooling, I was ready to put the kids into ps because my health was spiraling downward. I was shocked when he was adamant that we continue to homeschool - after I took a two month break to get major medical help. Now he is 100% for it for academic, character, religious and relationship reasons.

[chiguirre]

At first, we just couldn't find any other good option. I sent dh to a meeting with the ps so that they could pitch their plan for ds2 to him and he agreed that it was unacceptable. He grudgingly accepted bringing dd home in PK and keeping her home in K and 1st because he couldn't provide transportation to school daily and I just can't swing taking the boys to dd's drop off, bringing them home for 20 minutes and then taking the eldest to school.

 

About 2 months ago he told me how impressed he was by dd's math skills and general knowledge. Dh is very mathy, so he was pleased to see dd's understanding of math concepts. He's also pretty impressed with her grasp of ancient history and Greek mythology. I doubt I'll here about school for at least a few years now.

[AngelBee]

Because I want to do it. :) And, like Renee's DH, because he wants our kids to be different from others.

 

:iagree:

[Danestress]

better (he thinks) education, better social environment, better lifestyle, less stress, more flexibility. My DH is probably a bigger fan of HS than I am.

[kmacnchs]

I think the main reason was originally that we live in a rural town that has HORRIBLE educational opportunities...other reasons? I'm home anyway, why not? religious - we want to teach her how to act, what to believe, etc., not have someone else do it., the fact that she is so advanced, I would not know what she would do in ps!, and to top it off, dh has a crazy schedule and this way they are able to see him whenever he is home (we drop everything) not to mention we get to go on vaca's in Sept and May!...shall I go on? the reasons are endless!!!

[KidsHappen]

My hubby originally trusted me to homeschool because he trusts me. Over the years, he has also come to the conclusion that he doesn't want the government to raise his children.

[Murphy101]

My dh is the one that wanted me to home school. He didn't have to twist my arm, but it was entirely his idea bc he thinks it's a better way of educating and of life and bc I'm too much of workaholic and worrier for him to have to worry about it much.

[Sahamamama]

And he says, "It's you, Babe. You are the Number One reason why I believe in home educating our daughters." Wow, who knew? :lol:

 

The sweetie goes on to say that (can I type this fast enough?) he has wanted to home school his children since before he ever met me, and that when we met (through e-Harmony, folks) there were so many reasons why I, of all women on the earth, was The One for him. One of those reasons was my own desire and ability to home school, another of those reasons was that he saw the way I interacted with children, another was that he saw/heard me working as a teacher, and another was the "quality of woman" that I am... (am I really typing this?). He wants that character passed on to his children.

 

There ya have it. I am the reason.

 

Anyway, Wee Pip, thanks for posting this question. My husband is home from work early, the girls are still napping, maybe I will sign off now, so I can go, um, thank said husband for his profuse praises of me. :D

Edited January 25, 2010 by Sahamamama

[Oakblossoms]

I chose other. I hear often that husbands don't support homeschooling. I'm so sorry for their spouses. My husband hates public education. He really hates it. He thinks its just awful, for all the reasons you put on the poll and many more. Some of it is personal. He was treated so horribly in school. Not by friends, but my school teachers. He was labeled and thrown away. He was encouraged by a teacher to go and find himself:confused:

 

He loves to learn though. He is quite the unschooler really. I think my kids would probably never crack a piece of curriculum open if it wasn't for me. He is great for all that hands on stuff and making us "work out" and get out of the house. I'm grateful for that. I would stay inside a read all day if allowed:lol:

 

He likes that our children still have their innocence. They are funny and humorous. They enjoy a good British comedy. Yet our almost 13 year old is not having sex. He is not chasing young ladies around. And, the ones he likes are really awesome ones.

[Mom-ninja.]

DH trusted me enough to have children so he trusts me to raise them. Home schooling is an extension of that. He knows I'm a smart person, strive to do my best, and want what's best for the kids.

[Desert Rat]

My dh and I made the decision together to hs our boys because we wanted a better education than ps could give in our area. Our decision may have been different if we lived in a different part of the country. Maybe not. Huck is very advanced and we knew we were headed for trouble if we just put him in kindy when he was already so far ahead of that.

I continue hsing because I like it and it works for us. My dh continues to support hsing because he sees other kids and likes that our boys are a bit more innocent and a little more well behaved, at least sometimes. ;).

[Rosie_0801]

ME: "Hey, there's a poll! Why do you trust me to homeschool the kids?"

DH: "Because you're smart, you care about them and I think you'll do a good job."

 

Aw wasn't that nice? :001_wub:

 

That and I research so much he thinks it's impossible for me to muck it up. Plus I care more about their education than anyone, including him.

 

Rosie