Homeschooling, part 2

In the process of deciding if we should homeschool, My list of reasons to do it was growing very large. It has been really helpful and encouraging to read the lists I've found of why people homeschool. So I thought I'd add to the list of lists and share our reasons for why we have decided to homeschool our children. (This is in no particular order.) 

1. Student:teacher ratio. Currently I have 2 children, with the thought of having 1 or 2 more. A 4:1 ratio compared to a 28:1 ratio, I'll let you do the math. :)

2. I don't want my kids to struggle with being a different learning type than what their teachers teaching style will be. I feel like that can have the potential for "behavior problems". 

3. I love the idea that we can get "book work" done in a much shorter time frame than what they spend in school. Leaving more time for hands on, exploratory learning, field trips, etc.

4. Less time in structured school = more quality family time.

5. Zero to very little " home work". If you were to ask my husband why he goes to work, he would say, "to support me family". If you asked him if he enjoyed his job, he would say, "That is not important, I do it for my family". Family is very important to us. When I hear about how much time people spend doing homework and other extra curricular things that are keeping families from being together and enjoying time together, it makes me a little bit queasy. Not to say that these things are bad, it just seems like there is too much of it. Too much distraction from quality family time. My husband has 3 hours a day to spend with our children during the week, we don't want to have to spend that time doing homework, projects, or anything else we don't feel is worth our time and helping our family grow together.

6. I can protect their innocence a little longer. Am I trying to shelter them from the big bad world? No. However, I do think that children are exposed to much more than what is appropriate. If I can protect them from things until they are old enough and mature enough to process said exposure, then yes I will. 

In my process of researching homeschooling, I read a lot of people's reasons for why they home school. There are some awesome lists out there, but one I really liked was Erica's from COAH. If I could have copied and pasted her list I would've. One thing in particular I really liked was this, in talking about socialization she said, "I read this in an article by Manfred B Zyskthis: “Go to your local middle school, junior high, or high school, walk down the hallways, and tell me which behavior you see that you think our son should emulate." How true! 

7. We can really incorporate the gospel into our studies and day. Currently we start out each school time with a prayer. Not only does it help us to start out calm, but it helps me to remember the bigger picture and what is really important. Being able to have even just this one thing makes a big difference for us. Having the luxury of teaching my children about our faith without the worry of offending or making anyone uncomfortable is a huge plus in my book. 8. Studies are showing home school kids are generally in the 85-89% where public school kids are around 56% in testing levels. That is a huge difference. 9. They can start college courses sooner. Often at a lower tuition cost, too. Who doesn't like the idea of saving money on college and being done with it sooner?10. I really liked the idea of dual enrollment (a mix of home and public/charter school), when I heard about it. It feels like it opens up a lot of opportunities. 11. I believe children (and adults) are more likely to enjoy learning if they are able to learn about stuff they enjoy. Homeschooling allows a great deal of flexibility in that.

12. I think the way kids are tested in school is too much. In the real world you won't be told you can't have notes or books or help from a colleague. There is value in testing, but I don't think it needs to be so much. I have been hearing a lot about how kids are often cramming for tests just enough to remember the information in their short term memory just to go and forget most of it as soon as their testing is done. How sad. 

13. The unlimited amount of time they can spend on something they enjoy, to me = learning to love learning.
14. I have a friend who used to be a teacher and she said her goal was not just to teach the kids  information, but to teach them to learn how to learn. It's the same idea as you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. You teach a man to fish, he eats for life. I have noticed this common idea in the blogs and books I have been reading. Homeschooling is not about how we teach or what we know, but it's about teaching our children to learn how to learn. And knowing that it can look completely different day to day, week to week, year to year, and that that is ok, is awesome!

15. Going to Public school is not a guarantee that your kids won't be weird and socially accepted. There were plenty of weird kids in my classes.

16. More time to do extra curricular activities that don't take up a ton of valuable family time. I can't remember where I read this, but there was a suggestion to do extra curricular activities during the day, when schools are still going. Often times you can get a better deal on cost too. This is for things like piano, swim lessons, music lessons, etc. By doing this, we don't eat up our valuable evening time with dad. :) 

17. I don't know if I am "meant" to do this or not , but I feel that where I have been so drawn to it, there has to be something in that. Every time I start to question this decision I always end up thinking, how can I not do this. 
18. I want to be the one to witness my children's "ah-ha" moments.
19. My children will only be little for a short time. I want to see and enjoy as much as I possibly can. 

20. There have been many moments that I have felt life is too busy. In some weird way, I feel that homeschooling will help us to slow down. I love the idea that we can take things at our own pace. If we want to take all of December off  to celebrate and enjoy the Christmas season we can. We can really focus on the things that are important to us. 

21. I want to be with my children in the morning when they are at their best. 

22. Sick days won't be an issue. Meaning, if my kids get sick, I don't have to worry about what learning they will miss out on, or how much makeup work they will have to do. (I will also never have to battle for the "after school" appointment times at our doctor offices).

23. I am not an early morning person so I have never looked forward to the idea of having to get my kids up, fed and ready for school by 7:30. So the idea of not having to rush through or battle through breakfast and getting dressed just to get them to school on time sounds amazing to me. I like that we can get up, have a good breakfast and be relaxed in our morning routines. I'm sure there will be times of struggle in getting school time started, but even then there are 2 or 3 elements I won't ever have to worry about. 

24. Knowing that we can change things if something isn't working for us is a comfort and just makes sense. For example if we chose a math program that isn't working for us for any reason, we won't have to talk to any teachers or counselors, try to explain why  it's not working, change classes or schedules. We can just decide it isn't working and simply try something else. Why should we have to make our children battle through an education that doesn't work for them? To me that makes learning a negative experience, which is the exact opposite of what I want my child's education to be. 

25. One of our goals is that our children will learn how to learn. I believe that homeschooling will teach them to become self-motivated, disciplined, and learn how to really study and understand the information they are working with. I feel like that will give them a huge advantage in their college courses and in life in general. 

26. At my last job, the dentist I worked for would often have kids come in for a few hours or days to see what it was like to be a dentist or hygienist. They would sit in on procedures, ask questions, and really get a feel for if it was something they were interested in or not. Ever since then I have planned on having my kids do that. Going to public school wouldn't prevent this, but again the flexibility and freedom of doing this in our own time frame will make it much more possible and hopefully effective. 

27. As I have been doing school time with my 3 yr old the last few months I have noticed that he likes to wiggle, A LOT. Normal, right? I have the feeling that moving around a lot and wiggle worms may possibly be frowned upon in a classroom. :) Understandably so. But I want my kids to be able to move around and wiggle, and be active while they are kids. To me, that is part of being a kid. This is a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but to me it feels important to have that freedom. 

Homeschooling is not for everyone. But neither is public school. As I think about my children and my family and what is best for them, homeschooling is a better fit for us. I admire school teachers and all they do. I believe they are unsung hero's in today's society. But I believe that I know my children best and have more love for them than any school teacher or system out there. So while I may not be a history buff, a math whiz, or English scholar, I am their mother and I know them best and love them unconditionally. I believe because of that, I am the most qualified to teach them.