I could write a thousand reasons to homeschool, but you probably don’t have time to read that kind of list.
Someone asked me last week, “So, what made you decide to homeschool?” She was considering it. People are curious. Perhaps you’ve thought about homeschooling.
Here are a few of my reasons:
1. I like being with my kids. I do. That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard. It’s very hard and wonderful all at the same time. But it’s way more than that. I feel like in order to teach them to live wisely and love God I need to be with them when we rise up, when we lie down, when we sit in our home and when we walk. (Deuteronomy 6) I want to help them develop character, the stuff of life that really matters. I want to be the one who shows them the world through the lens of truth. I want to tell them about sex, about drugs, about treating boys and girls like brothers and sisters until they are ready to find a spouse.
I want to show them the right way to respond to offenses, how to treat others and what it looks like to love your neighbor. That’s my job. And it’s full time.
2. Morning talks, snuggles and bonding. Before we started homeschooling, morning was one of our most stressful times. We hurried, huffed and hustled our way to the car, usually getting snappy and always losing precious moments of the stuff relationships are made of: time. Time to listen, to be still, to sit together and just talk. Now I consider it a significant part of our school day. Building relationships which require much time. That’s probably my biggest incentive to homeschool.
3. Giving my children freedom to pursue their individuality. People are vastly different, with vastly different interests, strengths and gifts. Outside of basic academics (reading, writing, general math), people need to learn in different directions, according to their interests and skills. School places way too little emphasis on this important distinction, and doesn’t give near the credence (or time) to artistic and entrepreneurial pursuits.
4. Learning to learn, not to take a test. When I think back over my school years, it’s disturbing to me how little I learned, how little I remember, and how much of my time was spent cramming information to pass a test, then forgetting it all. That’s not an education to me. And it’s not what I want for my kids. Life has a way of connecting subjects, making them relative and therefore meaningful. The freedom to learn this way creates a limitless education. Once we realize that people are wired to learn, and they’ve been learning since birth what is important in life, we can rest that “teaching” isn’t really our challenge. Giving them the space, inspiration, time and resources provides the best foundation for any learning.
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”
Albert Einstein
5. Flexibility. Our life is our life. We get to make the schedule, take off when we want and work around life. My 3 oldest children helped an older neighbor this morning with some things she needed done. That kind of availability is golden, and important to a real education.
6. Saves money. Because there isn’t as much peer pressure to “have all the stuff”, or shop at Abercrombie, we save a lot of money. Also, our flexibility allows the older children to work some, giving them their own spending money. Saves money.
7. Socialization. Yes, that’s a really important reason. And homeschoolers actually do leave the house, have friends, and participate in exciting activities.
(I sure hope I haven’t made any mistakes in this post. You can tell me if I did. Homeschooling moms are not allowed to make mistakes on the Internet.)
