Why Home School?
This is a valid question no matter how determined you are to homeschool your children. I am told that homeschooling is not easy. Since we have not technically begun homeschooling, I am only speaking from the limited experience of homeschooling a four and a half year old preschooler. We have received our share of questions from friends and family. They want to know why we are homeschooling. The answer to this question is more valuable to us than it is for our family and friends. The list of reasons why we have made this choice will server us best as encouragement when reviewed on the tough days that will come in the future. Below are a few my answers to the question.
- Best opportunity for moral training based on family values
- Best student to teacher ratio
- More opportunities to build family relationships
- Dynamic learning environment
May 29th, 2007 at 10:44 am
The longer you homeschool, the more reasons you’ll find to love it.
May 29th, 2007 at 11:19 am
I know for sure that I’m in no way a home school mom. My children need more then I can give. I think it’s cool when you can do that for your children and do it well.
May 30th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Hi. I just had to put in my 2 cents…. My family has just completed our first full year of homeschooling (we did a partial last year after removing our oldest son from public K), and we LOVE it. Reason why..
1. We can put God in our classroom and not feel like we have to hide it. I love that my children get Bible study time everyday… and my oldest is yearning to dig deeper. He even prays before he takes a test.
2. Not everyone is the same and I can fix a curriculum for my child…
3. More family time.
4. LOTS OF LOVE…
5. In school my son was learning how to defend himself… Now he is learning how to uplift others
6. I love watching the lights come on in their minds when they finally figure out something.
7. I love knowing that I am the one they come to when they have a question….
Okay I could keep going with my list but I will stop for now…
For those that might feel like homeschooling but feel like they just can’t…. Think about it… If God put that in your heart he is going to equip you to do it just like anything else.
Hugs
Addie
May 31st, 2007 at 1:32 am
It’s interesting that some think that God has been taken out of the classroom. He’s still in those public schools. I’ve seen His work in action. My children have been encouraged by teachers to talk about the church. My son took a Bible for show and tell. We have a moment of silence every morning and I encourage my children to take the time to pray. At a recent school event a Southern Gospel band was set up giving out information and playing.
I was able to get to know several of the teachers from one of my son’s schools and they are Christians. One never gave homework on weekends or on Wednesday nights. One is a minister’s wife.
I know that my children need more then we can provide for them with friends and in learning.
I think it’s great when home schooling is done well but just like public schools it can also go wrong. Knowing our limits is a good thing.
I see the lights going on in my children because I take the time to work with them. Public school just like home school needs parents to be involved.
May 31st, 2007 at 9:27 am
Milly,
God is being taken out of the schools in many places. There are parents who are fortunate to have a school for their children where this is not happening and that is wonderful.
I agree 100% that parents need to be involved. The problem is that they are not involved in many classrooms. When they are involved, they are often confrontational and only interested in their own child’s welfare no matter what the cost to the school are the other children. My wife is a former public school teacher and she saw this first hand.
My wife and I read Aunt Addie’s list last night. Number five “In school my son was learning how to defend himself… Now he is learning how to uplift others” got a resounding HMM, Oh yes. Aunt Addie’s reference ties well to Hebrews 10:24 and is a great passage for all parents to focus on in the pre-school and elementary years of their children’s lives in particular.
My wife did not see the fruits of this type of training in the children who entered her third grade classroom. What she saw was the reality TV mentality which is to do whatever it takes to get what you think you deserve no matter what it takes.
To ALL:
Thanks for the comments!
I have a post coming up soon on the subject of world view. Everyone has a world view, meaning that everyone has a set of ideas, beliefs, and values that they use to formulate their opinion on the big picture of life on this planet. The world view of many teachers, even those claiming to be Christian, may not be as aligned with your family values as you might think. Teachers are not given a morality and character test before being allowed to enter the classroom. And in most cases you do not get to choose your child’s teacher. So for 6-7 hours per day for 180 days out of a year, you get that one teacher’s moral and ethical values transferred into your child’s heart and soul no matter how much you agree or disagree with that teacher. Stay tuned for more on world view….
May 31st, 2007 at 12:50 pm
I do have to remind myself that not everyone was raised in the same world view I was. Looking forward to it.
I am also aware that we have been blessed with good teachers for our children. Not every teacher cares as much as my children’s have. I pray that we are blessed in the next fast moving years.
July 2nd, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I like your list and I’ve enjoyed the ongoing discussion. I am a homeschooling mother and have been for some time. We decided to homeschool for many reasons and we share many of your reasons. Public schools are certainly out of hand and incapable of education our children. My blog is solely focused on homeschool issues. Feel free to drop by if your interested. Thanks for posting. Its good to see these sorts of discussions taking place.