Why do you homeschool?

[Wheres Toto]

We started because of some of my son's little quirks. He was constantly getting in trouble in preschool. He went to Early Intervention for a year for speech and even though he was declassified, it was clear that sitting still in a classroom wasn't something he was cut out for. He was advanced, constantly asks questions and doesn't like to sit still - not good in public school. So, we started working with him at home for Pre-K and decided to keep doing it. My older brother was ADHD (and probably Aspergers) and was miserable in school. I didn't want that for my son.

 

Now that we've started I appreciate being able to pick curriculum that works for him, teaching him more interesting/advanced material, lots of time to play, explore and run around....

 

My youngest will be homeschooled pretty much because her brother is but I can see signs that she won't do great in a school setting as well.

 

My oldest goes to public school, always has and does very well. It works for her and we've never had any issues or problems.

[twins05]

1. Quality of education

2. Better chance of instilling a lifelong love of learning

3. Choice of curriculum

4. More time to be a kid and use that imagination

5. More time with siblings

6. Fewer negative interactions with peers

7. No homework in the evenings!

 

Thanks for the great posts! This will be my second year homeschooling. My main reason for starting was quality of education. After reading the WTM, I was sold. Of course, now I see many more benefits, too. If it weren't for the time spent planning, I don't think I'd have any negatives!

[Guest Cindie2dds]

I want my children to have the freedom to explore their interests.

 

I want my children to have an education that is molded to their needs rather than trying to mold them to the needs of the public education system.

 

:iagree:

 

 

Plus I want to see their milestones first hand. I want to go on field trips with them where we want to go. Selfishly, I would miss them terribly.

[Beth in SW WA]

control freaks unite!!!

 

I'm in. :)

[TheCoffeeChick]

Everyone has listed my reasons already, but one main reason I want to continue to homeschooling now and through all the years is that I think it would be greatly INCONVENIENT to have to match my schedule to the school system!! :tongue_smilie: Mostly, I like being spontaneous and being forced to send my kids to a school building for 6+ hours a day would squash that in a hurry.

[Snowfall]

You know, the more I read this thread, the more I have to say. :lol: I really, really agree with Rosie about not wanting to be responsible for my kids' education if I'm not allowed to have any control over it. I just recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who is a teacher. I was commenting on how our local elementary school teaches a list of 27 "sight" words in the first couple of months, even though all but 3 of those words are phonetically regular and easily decodable. (The three are 'one', 'are', and 'two'.) I said it was really no wonder American kids weren't generally good spellers, given that this is the way they're taught to recognize words. She then basically gave a speech about how parents are supposed to be doing their part, rather than counting on the schools to do everything. She gave the old, "If parents read to their kids a lot..." speech, wherein a child who doesn't read or spell well must clearly have parents who don't read to them.

 

I have a big problem with that. Yes, OF COURSE parents have some influence over how well their kids do in school. BUT, if I don't get to choose my child's teacher, what my child will be taught, when she'll be taught it, what methods will be used to teach it to her, how many other kids she'll be expected to keep up with or stay back with (basically, stay on the same level with), how long she'll have to learn something before moving on to the next thing, how much downtime she'll have in between subjects in the classroom, or ANYTHING ELSE to do with how she's educated, then WHY ON EARTH am I supposed to assume complete responsibility for the outcome?!?!?! It's maddening.

 

When educators fail students, educators inevitably blame the parents. It is as predictable as death and taxes that if a student isn't responding well to the methods of a particular school, the school officials are going to blame the parents. Well, either that or attempt to dx the child with a learning disability of some sort. Yes, parental involvement and concern is important, but it is not the only thing that matters, and I refuse to hand over complete control of my child's education to people who have no accountability to anyone - not even me - and who will be the first to turn on me should their methods fail to produce the desired results. I simply won't do it.

[Holly]

--we can pray together and learn about the Bible throughout our day

--I can decide what they learn and when

--they can learn at their own pace

--I don't have to wonder what they did all day

--I am able to help them with bullies instead of having them deal with it alone

--we can tailor school to fit their interests

--I love that they get along so well

--we can take a day off if we need to

--we can school whenever we want (evenings, weekends, etc.)

--I know for a fact that they are loved by their teacher :D

 

I'm sure there are more, but these are my biggest reasons.

[Tracy]

Well, for us, the easy reason I always find myself giving is that I have a very bright, advanced dd who is also physically very small for her age. Even if she could be accellerated in school, I worry that her peers would have difficulty accepting her as their peer. She is also emotionally sensitive, so I worry about bullying. Moreover, I like the opportunities that homeschooled children have in the teen years for jobs and college classes.

 

But I was talking with a mom recently who was homeschooled starting at the age of 15yo, along with 3 younger siblings. She said her parents brought all the kids home, because they wanted their family to be more unified and loving toward each other. I realized that this is also a big part of my desire to homeschool, as well. DH and I both have family members that have cut themselves off from the rest of the family, and I find that to be very painful. I want to make sure each of my family members is not just off leading their own lives in a bubble.

 

This was an important realization for me. If I focus on the first reason, then I am emphasizing advanced studies and accelleration beyond other considerations. Understanding the importance of family unity and bonding has helped me to pull back substantially on the academics so that we can focus more on family relationships and just letting kids be kids.

[EKS]

We started homeschooling after my older son essentially flunked 1st grade. We have continued because there are no educational options where we live that even come close to what my children can get at home.

 

There are other reasons too. I prefer the socialization that homeschooling provides. I like the flexibility in scheduling. I like learning along with my kids. I like that we can go at a pace that is appropriate for each child and that I can choose the materials and experiences that are best for each child. I like having an excuse to buy books. That sort of thing.

[Jennefer@SSA]

I like having an excuse to buy books. That sort of thing.

:lol::lol: but also :iagree:

[Love2teach0307]

We always consider the destination before starting the journey understanding that detours will occur. Our goal:

 

Raising our kids to be well-educated, well-mannered, and most importantly, biblically-minded adults.

 

The most effective way for us to do this is through homeschooling. Plus, I LOVE being around my girls all day. Why would I trade that to go teach and "mother" 30 other kids in a classroom all day and be exhausted when I see my girls? As a bonus, I get to share my faith and the Bible daily with my girls and teach them how to respond to real-world situations.

[FriedClams]

1. Because I don't want my kids indoctrinated with the humanist viewpoint that is pervasive in the public school system.

2. Religion.

3. Academic rigor.

4. Family time together and the general lifestyle we get to live because of hs.

5.To provide an environment where my children can develop a thirst for learning and to be inspired to follow their passions.

 

Those are ours in a nutshell. I also see a huge benefit as TIME. Time together, to read, to rest, to play, to think, to create. And, travel. We travel a TON and we just couldn't do it on a traditional schedule.

[amlee]

Why do I homeschool? Because I love my son.

 

this is very nice :)

thank you for posting it

[lisabelle]

This is my first year homeschooling my ds, Matt, who would be in 6th grade this year. He went to a "choice" public school, one that you have to enter a lottery to attend. The school is known for its strong parent volunteer program and for its mixed-age classrooms. What has become glaringly obvious to me over time is that Matt doesn't "get" kids his age. And as they get older (and more wild in the classroom setting), it's hard for him to concentrate. The social things also became really difficult for him to navigate this past year, he was bullied, the school was not interested in intervening...I suppose understandably...with a zero-tolerance policy against bullies, they don't *want* to label kids as bullies...they prefer to view it as a developmental stage. I can't really blame them.

 

I made Matt finish out the school year, because I wanted him to see that things *do* get better. I didn't want him to end his public education on such a negative note. And things did get better. But the problem remained that the public school setting is not a good learning setting for him.

 

We are fortunate that we have the financial luxury for me to stay home and be my son's teacher. So that's a big part of it. I *want* a more rigorous education for Matt, and I think I can make it fun for both of us. There is no natural aversion to learning. He spent 3 weeks, 5 hours a day at Summer Music School and had a very good time. Right now, he's studying to pass the Amateur Radio Exam, totally self-motivated. Our district has a very strong Homeschool Resource Center, which is 2 blocks away. It offers classes, with much smaller teacher-student ratios for the "extras" that he might want. It also provides some small amount of more-supervised peer socializing.

 

I'm excited about the flexibility homeschooling offers. No longer are we limited to the school calendar to travel (though having done 5 plane trips in the past 8 months means I am *done* travelling for awhile). Really, I'm excited about the whole thing!

 

Lisa