Question for Secular Homeschoolers...

[elizabeth]

We had GIEP's (gifted IEP) for the kids in our PS. They were not worth the paper they were written on. :glare:

 

This.

[Peela]

Originally, for academic reasons- ds was 7 years old and falling though the cracks in 2nd grade. He was emotionally disturbed- so there were emotional reasons as well. We decided on a trial of 6 months, and after 2 weeks, dh was completely convinced this was the most wonderful thing in the world, (ds's personality had changed back to an innocent, curious, fun loving kid), and we took dd out of school too

 

So....the initial prompt was academic- ds was dyslexic. Then it because a lifestyle choice as well.

[tinkhs]

Another Christian homeschooling secularly. Another "I'll never!" here who is enjoying being proven wrong!

 

1. Environment at the local (and only) middle school was terrible. Below average academically, plus so much trouble with drugs, weapons, alcohol, etc. The behavior issues were more important to me than the academic issues, but academic issues were factored in.

 

2. My particular DD is very social and therefore a) hurt very easily by others and b) influenced and distracted very easily by others - note: we are working on this and I expect it to improve with more maturity and room to develop on her own.

 

That's why we are homeschooling!

 

The areas we disagree with in public schooling religiously, I was fully prepared to deal with and address. I did not homeschool for those reasons, but do admit it is nice not to have to deal with them quite so much. I am a parent though, who still exposes her to those issues (evolution, morality, sex education, etc) for discussion and reasoning. It is nice to have more control over the way they are presented to her - but it was not my original impetus to homeschool.

 

:iagree:

[Mommy22alyns]

Well, I'm using MFW in the fall, but I don't homeschool for religious reasons. I also live in a small town in the South, and I was also an "I'll NEVER!" ;)

 

We basically started for academic reasons. Social reasons are a benefit (Rebecca is extremely outgoing and we wanted her to be herself, not mold herself into what other kids wanted). Bonus that they're not just learning to pass a test.

[mcconnellboys]

I think hsing allows one to teach to the individual, both to strengths and weaknesses....

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I was afterschooling for academic reasons, wanting to homeschool, but dh was against it. After 2 miserable years in public school for my Aspie son, and dh dealing along with me with the awful teachers and idiotic principal and guidance counselor, he finally agreed that maybe we should try the homeschooling thing- at least until our kids age out of this particular school.

[HappyCamper]

The actual reason or the reason I tell people? I tell people that we homeschool because we love the flexibility and the individualized education. Both of which are true, of course. But the truEST reason is that deep in my control-freaky little heart, I firmly believe that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

 

:iagree:

We are going to homes hop for academic reasons!

[kmacnchs]

First and foremost we homeschool for academic reasons. Everything else is gravy.

 

:iagree:

[Charles Wallace]

We homeschool because I am a public school teacher.

 

No, I'm not being ironic. Actually, the only irony there is the lack of irony.:D

[LBS]

Because the lovely schools my older two kids went to, changed. This youngest kid needed more: more creativity, more patience, more freedom, more kindness, more challenge, more quiet, more safety, more family, more protection, more time.

 

It fit our whole family better, a side benefit we've discovered along the way.

[lovelaughs_times_three]

Thanks for all these great answers to my question! It encourages me. It gives me more words to explain to others (and sometimes to myself;)) why I am doing what I am doing. It keeps me stronger to remember all the wonderful reasons to homeschool. Thanks for taking the time to share! :001_smile:

[serendipitous journey]

... this reply is a bit late for the post, since I've been super busy at home and not much online lately; but I felt called to respond ...

 

The proximal cause for homeschooling was my dear, unusual little DS5 who is an extremely bright and extremely sensitive little guy. I didn't see how he could get along in a kindergarten class and really thrive. It seemed the teacher would need to require from all sorts of things he hates but which aren't that essential to his own growth (example: in preschool he was often the only one who didn't sit in the circle time circle, but rather quitely observed from a distant spot; or the only one who didn't get his face painted like a cat's; or the only one who wouldn't eat something, or wear a costume. What would they do with him on Culture Day?) and that we'd end up with a wrung-out child at the end of each day, for what gain?

 

On a grander scale, I've had homeschooling on my mind for many years. To be blunt, DH and I are among the most academically gifted people we know, and we have moved in rarefied circles. DS5 is our biological child, and shows similar abilities for thinking quite well, and I am quite concerned that his character development keep pace with his intellectual gifts. Being gifted in any area is a blessing, but to my mind is completely unrelated to one's value as a human being. I hope to raise him with a clear sense of his gifts and of his weaknesses, with a sense of humor about the whole package, with a profound sense of joy, and a determination to be of some use in this world; to not just be good, but to be good for something. Homeschooling seems my best shot.

 

And, finally, I was saddened by reports from friends with older children in middle and high school whose children's "free time" is dominated by academic responsibilities and extracurricular activities. I hope to have rich family experiences during those precious last few years -- the high school years, when the children will be becoming more engaged with the external world -- and to have for my children time, space, and resources to grapple with the Big Questions and come up with their own ethos, one that I am satisfied reflects strong character and fairly mature understanding.

 

At the very least, we'll have the three R's down pat :)

[Dawn in OH]

I have so many reasons for choosing to homeschool that I could sit here for an hour explaining them all. To summarize, I will say that I don't find the school environment to be healthy for many reasons, and that academically we can provide a better and more efficient education at home.

[Firestar Academy]

I just answered this question this past week to a public school teacher.

 

I said because my 11 year old daughter has a 1st grade spelling level, an 8th grade math level and is starting community college in the fall for some music classes.

 

robin

[Guest momk2000]

We knew when dd was about to start K that the classroom setting was just not going to happen for her. We are also Christian and not hsing for religious purposes. Frustrating when it comes to finding curriculum, and local HS groups. :tongue_smilie:

Now that dd is getting ready to begin grade 5, I finally feel like I (sort of ) have it together, as far as our course of study goes. I wish I knew when she was in K, what I know now. I'm now using resources with her younger sister that I wish I had used with her. I'm so thankful to TWTM (the boards and SWB's book). I have discovered things through TWTM that I otherwise likely would have never found. :)

[Runningmom80]

Academic reasons, and health reasons. My DS is gifted, and also suffers from multiple food allergies, some of which he is contact sensitive to. I wasn't cool with him sitting at his own table at lunch, when we would be sending him to school for the main purpose of "socialization."

 

 

The funny thi is, once I started researching homeschooling, I felt awful considering anything else, I would be short changing DS.

[JudyJudyJudy]

First and foremost, we homeschool for academic reasons. I am a certified teacher, and at various times I taught math, language arts, social studies, and science in middle school and math in high school. I didn't like what I saw, and I saw that it was only getting worse, not improving. I don't like the methods used now, especially in math and grammar (I'm "old school"), and I don't like "teaching to the test."

 

Health was another consideration. Ds has multiple food allergies, including some that are life-threatening; he has had serious reactions from contact. Also, he has chemical sensitivities and gets sick and wild-acting when he is exposed to fragrances. In addition to this, he has sensory issues, and especially in the earlier years, he was quite hyperactive. We never felt a need to get a diagnosis, and we were able to control this a lot with a special diet. We knew that it wouldn't be so easy in school, though.

 

Flexibility was important as well. Since ds was so hyperactive, it was important that we break the day up instead of trying to do everything at once. Also, he had some motor skills delays, so while he was ahead academically, his handwriting was another story. By homeschooling, we were able to take handwriting slowly while continuing to keep him on track academically.

 

Social issues are another plus for homeschooling here. The "cool" people here hate school, and I don't want ds exposed to that. Ds loves to learn, and I want that to continue.

 

As a couple of others have pointed out, religious reasons are a bonus. I live in the Bible Belt where many schools don't adhere to separation of church and state. It can be really tough for an atheist in school here.

[chepyl]

I thought I would never homeschool....then we had our first child and the school district we were in was not acceptable to me. I knew if we stayed where we were I would Homeschool. Then we moved to a new state and bought a house in a "good" district. DE missed the cutoff for kindergarten by 3 weeks last year; he was reading at a second grade level, adding his head and grasped the concept of multiplication. He did not need to be in preschool learning letters and numbers! I did not want him to be labeled a problem child because he got bored and started looking for something else to do. So my reasons were:

 

1. PS could not provide the level of academic work my child needed at his age.

2. Private Christian schools were the same. No one would put him in kindergarten, even though that was going to be a little slow for him as well.

3. I own a dance studio, if I had sent him to school, he would come home as I went to work. 4. With crazy performance schedules, HSing just works better for us.

5. He can do all the extracurricular he wants and not be exhausted! Dance, piano, theatre, and gymnastics.

6. We can focus his education around our religious beliefs. (Not our initial reason for our choice, but it has become an important part of our lives and we are happier for it.)

 

Like others have said, I believe God lead me to homeschooling in a gentle way over the first 5 years of of my son's life. But when someone asks, I did not avoid public schools because the are evil. I live in the heart of the Bible Belt....public schools here are not as scarry as other places. I know many wonderful Christians teaching in the district we live in, the schools have great reps and I know many amazing Christian children doing well in this district. HE is just best for is for many reasons.