leeannpal Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm curious as to main reason you homeschool at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm curious as to main reason you homeschool at this time. I could write a full page outline of reasons, maybe more. When I have to pick a #1 reason, it's academics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 At the beginning, we lived in an area with terrible schools. Then we just started to like doing it - loved the freedom. DS had LD's and I was able to give him a lot of one-on-one attention, and other DS was in the upper ranges (I hate the G-word) and I was able to challenge him. We also hate standardized testing, and by hs-ing, we could avoid it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 We run a seasonal business that is closed during the winter months. We like being able to take off when we want and not have our vacations dictated by a school calendar. That's the main reason. An added benefit is that my son has some processing LDs that are much better served with a one-on-one teacher. In general, we love the homeschool lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 The absolute nightmare that our public school system has become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 My dominant reason: target their learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricia Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Because I'm their mom, I love them, I want to spend time with them and not give them away for the best part of their lives to some stranger to bring them up. That was the reason in the beginning 23 years ago when my family first began but now I have a million different reasons. Nearly all have been posted on my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 My dominant reason: target their learning. This has always been the main reason I wanted to homeschool DD. As it is, we do a lot of supplemental learning at home and in my classroom after school. I'm am so glad I'm going to get the chance to homeschool full-time next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 We just like it. :) I guess my main reasons are academic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I have no real main reason. There's a whole list of reasons that grows every day when I listen to the news or talk to friends who have children in ps or talk to a friend who's a teacher in ps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics and schedule: I own a dance studio. If I sent my kids to school all day, I would never see them. Also, due to DS's b-day, he would only be in Kindergarten this year. He is very advanced and always has been. The school district could not guarantee they could keep him busy at his level. I was not willing to take that chance and ruin his love of learning through boredom. We started kindergarten last year. He also wants to be homeschooled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarenM Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Because it's what I feel God is calling me to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 The initial reason was academics, and it still is the main reason. But since we started, I've discovered how important to me many of the other reasons are. DH and I were talking about how he would never get to see the kids if they were in school because his days off are weekdays, and his workdays usually involve him not getting home until after 8 p.m., when they would be getting ready for bed. He's a very hands-on dad, and that would just break his heart. So even he, who was resistant to anything outside the norm at the beginning of our parenting journey, has acknowledge how invaluable HSing has been for our family :001_wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 At this point in the game I'm hoping against hope that I'm not doing them a disservice academically. I started out thinking I could do better, of course, I could!! But I wonder, really, is that true? However I continue on because I am fundamentally opposed to a secular education or to compartmentalizing pieces of life. God belongs to this portion but has no place in this portion or we can get by just fine without God being in this portion. We cannot afford Christian school at this juncture. But even if, I worry about kids spending soooooo much time in a peer environment. Even "good" kids from "good" homes (mine included) seem to sink to the lowest denominator when in a group setting. I certainly don't shelter my kids and they are out and about amongst friends quite a bit and we have plenty of opportunities to talk about this "not sinking to the LCD." But right now I'm glad that their academics and their socializing are two separate things. I do worry about shrugging off school-work because that's what the crowd is doing. So maybe in the end, even though I won't be as great of a teacher in some respects in some subjects, my kids will be better students because they are not fighting the peer junk "it's not cool to be smart". Hopefully then, academically they'll still come out ahead. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Originally due to food allergies (which no longer apply) and now just because we see the benefits. We always planned on eventually homeschooling when the kids got older (for religious reasons), wound up starting earlier, and are just going to keep going with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics and schedule: I own a dance studio. If I sent my kids to school all day, I would never see them. Also, due to DS's b-day, he would only be in Kindergarten this year. He is very advanced and always has been. The school district could not guarantee they could keep him busy at his level. I was not willing to take that chance and ruin his love of learning through boredom. We started kindergarten last year. He also wants to be homeschooled. I have a similar issue with my five-year-old. He can already read on a kindergarten level. I thought about letting him go for K, while still homeschooling my other children, so he can have the experience for the "fun year". However, it would be a waste of a year since they learn the letters and how to read in K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 It suits our family style, and my children get an individualized education. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest momk2000 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Main reason: As the time approached to register oldest dd for K, we knew a classroom setting was just not going to work for her. She has since beed dx'd with PDD-NOS. We have been HSing her since K (now in 5th), and started "officially" HSing our youngest for K this past year. I don't even remember exactly how we learned about HSing, probably online. We never dreamed we would be doing anything like this, but now can't imagine it being any other way. The girls both love being HS'd, and we now plan to take it straight through 12th. Our list of whys has since grown tremendously. The more we learn about what goes on in the public schools, the more thankful we are to have been led to HSing. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I feel God calls us to raise our children in a Christ honoring environment. The school system is decidedly not one. Academics are an important, but secondary reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 My dh and I have been most concerned with the cultural/social influence on girls. I want my daughters to have a childhood and not be forced to grow up too soon. Also, at the top of the list, would be that our public school system is dismal at best. No way would I send my girls into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics was the reason I started, and still one of the top reasons. I found out that my oldest is dyslexic and the psychologist told me that home schooling has been the best thing for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturalhomestead Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 It is my husbands and my job according to the Bible to teach our children day and night. We love to be around our children and wouldn't want it any other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 So that we can go on vacation in October. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 We had an ugly incident with the administration at our school (my son is special needs so they were involved in his preschool services) and had to choose between our integrity and a mediocre PS education. We immediately chose to homeschool. Prior to that I hadn't even considered it. I now see what an excellent option it is, given how his special needs run. We had been told point blank that their goal was "average", and that he would not be challenged even if he was accelerated in certain areas. He reads above grade level, which is an adorable little novelty in a special ed preschool, but I wanted him to be more than a novelty when it came to his proper education. We were told we were lucky the school was even considering a mainstream classroom. I am of the mind that all children should be in a mainstream classroom, so that did not sit well with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Because I taught school for 6 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 academics, scheduling/freedom... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Main= academic. To get anything acceptable here, it would be over $20,000 a year post tax money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics-to try and provide a higher quality, more challenging and consistent education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I don't have one main reason. I started because we were in a bad school district. The benefit has been a custom education for my kids, challenging them where they need to be challenged, and slowing down and really mastering topics where they struggle. Although this is probably the main reason, the best side effect has been a very close family bond. We spend a lot of time together and talk a lot, all together and one-on-one. I love and like my kids. They seem to love and like me, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Main= academic. To get anything acceptable here, it would be over $20,000 a year post tax money. Here too--the cheapest private school I'd consider starts at $21,000 for K and goes up from there. The closest starts at $25,000 for K :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Ok, I'm going to be painfully honest. We started out because my then 5yo would have been one of the youngest in her class AND picking her up from school would have interrupted nap time. One year wouldn't hurt, right? I liked it. We kept going. Fast forward a few years. We weren't doing so hot, I was discouraged. I prayed about it through tears and got the answer that we were doing the right thing. Continued homeschooling. Fast forward again. Oldest at home was being treated for depression and anxiety. I offered to let her attend public school. She absolutely refused. Next child down feels she is too dumb to attend public school. Last child is struggling to read at 9yo and would be lost if we sent her. At this point I'm not sure I did the right thing by homeschooling them, but what's done is done and there is no do over. Every day I try to do the best I can for them. We have our good days and our :banghead: days. We celebrate their strengths and try to shore up their weaknesses. Some days I feel stuck and some days I feel the homeschool :001_wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in WA Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics and schedule. Ds13's gymnastics schedule (20 hours/week + meets) during the school year was completely incompatible with keeping him in the academically accelerated track in the "good" school district we were in. So we started homeschooling him. We had some in school and some home for a while but I hate that and still found managing gymnastics for ds13 to make managing homework for siblings nightmarish, so we started homeschooling everyone and then moved closer to the gym (in a less good school district) so I could lose less homeschool time to travel and we could get closer to the best of both worlds scenario we were after. For full disclosure, I had homeschooled for different reasons when my older children were young, had taught all of them to read at home prior to their start of school, and afterschooled math all along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 In short, academics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 DS is profoundly gifted and the schools couldn't come anywhere near to meeting his needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 academics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 um...that's hard because customized education and the freedom to travel for educational/family visits top right together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) Because our academically gifted son was not being challenged enough in the gifted program at school and because he was being bullied very badly, which was severely worsening his anxiety and making him less social. So we did a very low key approach for when he was in the 2nd grade and now that we have decided to continue for the 3rd grade, we are doing a more structured curriculum plan. We have found that he gets more social interaction with homeschooling than he did in school because in school he was shutting down to isolate himself from the bullying. We love the schedule freedom and being able to make the curriculum academically challenging for him. Edited August 13, 2011 by kijipt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm curious as to main reason you homeschool at this time. If I have to choose only 1 reason, I still need to choose 1 reason for each child. Ds15 has Aspergers. The school environment is not a good fit for him at all. He would suffer mentally and academically if he was forced to attend a brick and mortar school. And our school system does not allow part-time. It's all or nothing. Dd13 is a year ahead of where the school system would place her. The school system schedule would hold her back. She needs to work on her classes at her pace, especially because she is completing them ahead of what the school system schedules anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Academics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YLVD Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I just posted about this a bit ago. My DD had some medical issues, endocrine, and that caused migraines. She also has a minor learning disability. I started homeschooling her as a working single parent. It was hard! She started attending an online high school last year. She will be attending a small, community, alternative public school. We will be partially homeschooling but she will be in a public school, albeit a tiny non traditional one. I would not have homeschooled if DD did not have these particular issues. It's all about tailoring it to meet her needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I started homeschooling #1 because he was a follower and then because it was what he wanted to do. He grew up to be very independent and a leader. #2 mostly because I was already homeschooling #1. But she's very social and at this point I feel like she'll benefit more and be happier being around people. She's starting high school on Tuesday. #3 has a LD. I think that she'll probably be homeschooled all the way through. #4 & 5 are home right now because that's where I want them, but I'm open to sending them later if it looks like brick school would be a better fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Hmmm......general educational rebellion? Addicted to freedom in living, learning, moving, being? Wanting to have a non-compartmentalized life with a smooth flow from one area to the next? Desire to know my children better than I was known. Desire to be together more as a family than a traditional school schedule would allow. Desire to allow my kids to learn from a huge variety of resources in an atmosphere that is secure and relaxed. These are just a few. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Our reasons change every year. This year, it's because ds needs more oversight when it comes to learning how to plan his day and keep himself organized than the school can give him. Our side reasons are because we can travel more and he can be exposed to more things than he can at school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertmum Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 We are in a country where private schooling is the only option for expats. (Public schools are reserved for the locals). Private schools cost around $15,000 and we just don't have it. Also, academics. And, yes, I like to spend time with my child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 When we started homeschooling it was due to a teacher conflict and busing issues. Our daughter had to get up at 5am be at the bus stop at 6am for an hour ride into the nearest town for high school. We never saw the kid..she was exhausted after hours of homework, getting home late in the evening and it just wasn't working. With our last child..he's never been to public school. He is so different from our girls at this age. He's an absolute joy to be with and loves to learn. He starts hs high school next year and will be our first to never attend public school at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Main reason currently? Well, school simply can't compete with our home. They can't offer "Cato (Pink Panther) Weeks" where the kids never know if, or when, they are having school. When I ring the bell, we're having school. They come running, tumbling, and grinning from ear-to-ear. School teachers aren't allowed to teach in costume, and assume different characters on a rotating basis. :) Ironically, I run a structured homeschool. Normally, school starts at 6:30 a.m. (except for Cato weeks). We say the pledge and our prayer daily to start our day. I have 2 chalk boards. :tongue_smilie: Etc. But, just because we have structure, doesn't mean it has to be dull. :D And dull was my number 1 objection to school when I attended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9763653 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 A wide range of reasons. The main reason is academic. The school system here (Eastern Europe) is inadequate in general, but for my DD it would be an especially bad fit. She is 2E, gifted with dyspraxia. I don't want a stranger with only high school education (and peers!) to teach my children. Also, we are multiracial and I really fear my kids would be discriminated against. It happens already, from random strangers on the street, but it doesn't need to be a daily "pleasure". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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