Why We Homeschool.....

I have to admit that I had never heard of homeschooling other than my aunt and uncle homeschooling my cousin in Oregon. I was young and it seemed such a foreign thing to me. I really didn't know what exactly it meant to homeschool and since we lived in NC I didn't get to "see" them homeschooling. I really didn't think much about it until we had our first child. I knew early on that I wanted to homeschool. At that time I really didn't have a reason other than it just seemed something deep within me that I felt the need to do.  I remember being very nervous to discuss it with my husband because again we didn't know anyone else that homeschooled. I recall that we were eating at Pizza Hut one day and I broached the subject with him. His response was sounds good and he's been on board ever since.

I remember that it was an adjustment in the friendship department because all of my friends at the time were sending their kids to public schools. It wasn't that they weren't supportive that I wanted to homeschool, but they didn't really understand. I think it was the mindset if public school was good enough for their children why wasn't it good enough for mine? It honestly wasn't that it wasn't good enough, but that I wanted something different. I know many homeschool because of issues they had in school, but I honestly felt that I had a good public school experience.  For the most part I had great teachers, did well in school and had friends.

When we started homeschooling I had NO idea all the information or choices that were out there. In some ways I think that was good because even now all the information can be hard for me to not flip flop around about what is best.  We lived in Ca at the time and used a Charter School. I know many don't like any type of government involvement, but I really liked our experience.  The kids were able to attend classes that we couldn't have otherwise afforded.  We also had access to materials that we couldn't have otherwise afforded.  When we moved to NC we didn't have that same option, so it was like starting over.  We have graduated one child, have a daughter that is a sophomore and a son that is in 5th grade.  I probably have more reasons to homeschool now than I did in the beginning :) Times have changed so much since we started homeschooling and that adds to some of my reasons.  Here are a few I came up with as I was starting to write this post.

* I enjoy being with my kids even on the rough days. There have been many days that I wondered if we were doing the right thing, but it always came down to the fact that I just can't imagine them not being here every day.

* I like that I can decide what I want to teach and how I'll teach it. I teach math, reading/english, science and history and then decide based on each child what other items we will work through.

* When a child has any type of learning issues it is very easy for them to fall through the cracks.  Our youngest has had quite a few medical issues since birthday. I have had to change my way of teaching because there are issues with his learning that I hadn't dealt with before. I've realized that when you have a child that can't focus you have to figure out how to get him to focus.  When he forgets his abc's or his addition facts then there might need to be more review. Sometimes I've realized that we just have to stop some days because it's not working. I like that with homeschooling I can change things easier than they could be changed in the public schools.

* I like being able to use games for learning.  Games can be a wonderful learning tool. Now with the internet it's even easier to find free printables to help your child with their learning. My son has learned so much through games and he's never even realized it was learning (LOL)

* I like that when the kids were younger and my husband would be off sometimes that we could just take the day off as well. It was helpful because often my husband worked long hours and sometimes we really only saw him on Sunday.

* I also enjoy making my own schedule.  If we have a day of appointments then I can just count it as a non-school day. When we get snow I can let the kids play and do a half day and I still feel we are productive. If I don't want to take a holiday off then that's my choice. It's the flexibility to work nights if we need too, Saturday's, the summer, etc.

* Basically homeschooling is a lot about our choices.  I want to be able to have my kids read the Bible and study it as part of their school education. That wouldn't happen if they were in public school.  I want the choices to change programs during the year if I need too or give up a book completely. I like that my kids can go visit a family member or go vacation with a friend because I don't have to worry about whether the public school will ok the time off.  It's my plan, my schedule and my choices.  It's a huge responsibility too though. There are many sleepless nights stressing over whether my kids are learning what they need to know or not.  Are they behind their peers, will they be productive adults, etc?

* There are so many safety issues now in the public school that I might make that my #1 reason if I was starting all over again. I know that we can't control everything that will happen to our children or keep them safe every place they go in life. When they are young though I don't want them to ever fear that if they go off to school they might not come home again. I feel that has become common in society now. Parents are having to discuss with their children about school shootings and how to behave.

My reasons are probably pretty much the same as most parents.  I want my kids to have a good childhood, learn to love learning and be productive citizens as they grow up.  I'm thankful that I have been able to be at home with my children for all these years and homeschool them.  If I was a new mom today I'd make the same choice.  I might make different choices in the schooling process, but I'd make this journey all over again.