“Why do you homeschool?” I get asked this question often. In real life. Here on my blog. On social media. I usually give quick little answers, but many times the person asking wants to know the real in-depth reasons for why we homeschool. I’ve tossed the idea of this blog post around in my mind for a long time now. It feels like a catch-22. I want to tell you my real heartfelt reasons, but I worry about backlash from those who may disagree with me. So, before I begin, let me set the ground rules: I will not tolerate any type of mean, negative, or derogatory comments regarding this decision for our family. Remember, this is my family. We are real people. And we have the freedom to make this choice. Also…I don’t ask a mom who sends her children to public {or private} school why she does that. But because homeschooling is not the norm (it is becoming extremely commonplace in the U.S. though) I want to give you a glimpse of why we homeschool because maybe you are considering this decision for your own family. {Insert happy dance!}
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Now that we have the framework set for this blog post. Let’s dive in.
Reasons Why We Homeschool:
1. I never felt at peace sending my children away from our family for 8 hours a day. Please know that my oldest child attended public school through the 2nd grade and my middle child went to kindergarten. Our decision to homeschool had absolutely nothing to do with the public school system. I just never got over sending them away all day for education. Not in a warped co-dependency way, but in a “this doesn’t feel right” kind of way. I never celebrated after my kids hopped onto the bus that very first day of each school year. Rather, I went home and bawled my eyes out. In my heart, I knew that they were supposed to be with me each day.
2. I realized after 3 years of public schooling that I didn’t “need” to do what everyone else was doing. Just because all the other children on the block got on the yellow bus each day, it didn’t mean that mine had to. We have the freedom in the U.S. (sadly, many countries do not) to choose the educational path for our children. With our decision to homeschool our children, I have come to absolutely love the fact that our time is our own. Our lives do not revolve around a calendar/schedule that is dictated by a school system. Yes, we have a year at a time to accomplish our educational goals, but we get to decide when to do school. I also no longer need to drag my sick child out of the house and pay a $25 {or more} co-pay to my pediatrician, just so that I have proof that my child was indeed home sick…with a viral infection. I don’t need to run out to Target at 9pm for supplies that my child needs to bring into school the next day. Even better: our evenings and weekends are free. There is no “homework” because it’s all home work. We’ve mastered that day’s lessons {on an individual basis} and there is no need to spend hours in the evening proving that.
3. We get to do life together and show our kids what life really is. I take seriously God’s desire for my husband and I to raise our children and, for us, that includes all hours of the day, as well as their education. The best way for me to raise them is to be with them. They learn from me. And, honestly, I’ve learned so much from them in the past 7 years…all because we homeschool. I am privileged to spend these fleeting impressionable years working alongside them. I don’t have to forfeit that time, training, learning, and character building. And we learn together. Our family bond is so much stronger than it would have been if we spent so much time separated from one another. We’ve learned to work with and through each other’s flaws and failures and that has made us stronger. {Homeschooling has definitely been a part of my sanctification process.} But we are also blessed to be out in the world together. We interact with, serve, and love people of all ages at any time. We feel that this will better equip our children when they leave our home. They will be used to being in the world when they embark on their own because they’ve learned to navigate it with us 24/7 for 18+ years.
4. I have the privilege of creating the love of learning within my children. For me, the public school system killed my desire to learn. The focus was 100% upon performing for a test. I dreaded every single day of middle and high school. And not because I was expected to learn. It was the environment that gave me no interest in learning about this wonderful world God created for us. The opposite is true of my children due to homeschooling. Do they love every single subject? Not really. But they see the value in all subjects. They realize that learning has benefits. But really, they just love to learn. Maybe not about everything, but they are so open to subjects that may even be tough for them. Homeschooling also provides the perfect environment for an accelerated or slower pace. There is no waiting for an entire classroom to catch up. You understand this concept? Great. Let’s move on. You aren’t getting this? Well, let’s rephrase it. And then revisit it for however many tomorrow’s it may take. Homeschooling is perfect to work with any type of gifted mind or one that struggles…on a one-on-one basis.
5. My children have the space and time to be themselves. In no way do I imply that our focus should be on ourselves, but homeschooling has given us the privilege of walking alongside our children as they discover the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has bestowed upon them. So that they can glorify Him through their lives. We haven’t gotten side-tracked by trying to be popular, wearing the latest fashions, or the need to know about the cool things. I don’t know about you, but those were the most important things to me during my school years. Unfortunately, it took me until my 30’s to really figure out and accept my gifts, talents, and abilities. And if I’m being completely honest, it has taken me until my 40’s to realize that being me is the best version of me that I should be. That doesn’t mean I am perfect…I desperately am in need of my Savior {every day…every hour}. But I don’t want my kids to flounder for half of their lives trying to be someone else. I want them to be who God created them to be. To find their identity in Christ. And I see homeschooling as the means to this beautiful end. Can I tell you that I already see this in my children? Cultivating their hearts and minds to be inclined to who God wants them to be is a beautiful process to watch. And having the time to pursue their gifts, talents, and abilities is possible with the time we are blessed with due to homeschooling.
Right there. That’s our why in a nutshell. Am I saying that you can’t have these things if you don’t homeschool? No. What I am saying is that homeschooling allows my family the time and energy for these to be our focus. I pray that God leads you in the direction He desires for your family. In the meantime, I thank you for your curiosity and subsequent respect for our reasons to homeschool. And if you ever have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you. ♥
xo,
Leigh
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