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Why Homeschool?
Homeschooling is like the cool new kid on the block, and everyone wants to hang out! More families are trading in the bus for a home classroom, and who can blame them? They get to customize their kids' learning experiences and set their own schedules—talk about a win-win! With the internet bursting with resources support groups, it's easier ever to turn your living room into a classroom. So, as more families join the homeschooling party, the education scene is getting a fun makeover.
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However, homeschooling isn't all the fun and games some influencers make it out to be. The main thing I want you to take out of this is homeschooling isn't just to pass the time; it's setting up your child's future. If you have sent your children to public or private schools, you entrust the system and the teachers to prepare your children for their future. When we decide to homeschool, we have to realize that burden has now been placed and shifted towards us as their parents, and honestly, who better to do the job.
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Now for the question as to the why we decided to homeschool. There are so many things in regard to homeschooling, however the main thing will be your decision factors in starting. This is something you'll want to hold on to and remind yourself off often. Why? Simply because of the number of times you'll want to give up!
We have been homeschooling for over a decade, and I don't think a year has gone by where I haven't wanted to give up, and yes - send them off to the dreaded public school system.
There will be times that it's not just a thought, a feeling, an overwhelm, sometimes it may be you've made up your mind to do it! I've also been in that situation where I've been questioning my decision, even though I know without a shadow of doubt it's the best choice for our children.
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It was over a decade ago when we decided to homeschool our children, even though we only had one child at that time. We knew the direction and vision we wanted for our children's future and saw it best fit with homeschooling. We also knew that public school wasn't an option for us. This was way back then, now unfortunately it seems the public school system has gone even further downhill. When we think about peer pressures, bullying and the many other influences that our children can face in their prime years of life, its a wake up call to keep and protect our children as best as we can.
My first reason for homeschooling was for the health of my first child. She was born with some health issues and needed medical attention throughout her early years and even into her teens. That was the main reason why we knew we had to homeschool, however over the years the list grew into many more reasons.
I will list many reasons as to why you can choose to homeschool and pick any that resonates with you. If you have any other reasons please leave them below in the comments to help others.
Let's go through just a few different reasons why someone may want to homeschool and remember all or some of these may resonate with you, and you may have completely different reasons as well! As I mentioned above, safety, bullying, peer pressure, influences, those are on the top of the list for me when it comes to homeschooling. These are a few other reasons why you can consider homeschooling and remember to keep these visions on your road ahead as a reminder when the days get tough.
1. For me, it was important to be that leader and teacher for my children. I tell my children; it starts at home. We cannot have that mentality of I'll behave one way at home, and differently elsewhere. While of course we are more comfortable at home (which is also such an important factor in life) we must learn principles at home. Respect, honor, manners, reliability, all these must start at home. And I think these things can flow into our homeschool day, and daily life which in turns help raise and build respectful, disciplined adults.
2. Flexibility. This one is huge, not only to me but to many parents. There have been so many times we have had to move things around and yet still get through our homeschool days. There have been many days we have taken off for certain things and didn't even need to catch up since we were already ahead. That's one of the biggest perks of homeschooling, is saying hey guys today we're having a beach day or going to Disney World! Now I do understand the importance of scheduled and routines, especially to children, however having that flexibility doesn't throw things off completely it just helps when we need to adjust things as needed.
3. Curriculum choices. This one is great, because children learn in so many different ways. There isn't just one way that someone can learn and having all the options simplifies the process. With homeschooling, you can choose all one curriculum and go with that for the year, if it doesn't work out you can switch things up, mix up different curriculums or do things how you see fit.
4. Speed. This reason is a huge win for me! The speed at which we do one or many subjects is a winner in my book. Sometimes a child can soar through a subject, or certain lessons in that subject and we can just zoom through it. Other times more practice is needed, and even lessons may need to be re-done, and we will take the time needed to work through and focus on problem areas.
5. One on One. To add to the above point, in a homeschool setting you can easily work with one child at a time. It's not that easy in a public-school setting where one teacher is responsible for 25+ students and therefore cannot have sufficient one on one time to focus individual needs. This is an amazing benefit of homeschooling. If you know your child is struggling in Math, or Algebra, you can take extra time, add extra practice, go back a few lessons, do whatever it takes to focus on that area until it's mastered.
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Whatever your reasons are for homeschooling, we have to keep them close to our heart as reminders throughout the hard days and why we choose this path. It's not easy as many influencers and even curriculum companies make it seem. It takes courage, passion, patience, and endurance to continue this journey for years and years. We are building the next generation, growing a garden or hearts, framing young minds, protecting young hearts. We can do this; we just must keep the courage and remind ourselves of our WHY.