Why did you decide to Homeschool? - Page 2

[Reebekah]

i'm so happy to know that i'm not the only one who is planned so far in advance. my kids are only 3.5, 20 months, and i'm due again in september. i have spent the last year reading books and websites, posting on message boards, researching state laws, etc. i have started doing some preschool stuff with my oldest, and i'm so excited! i guess a number of things made me decided that homeschooling will be right for us:
- in the 6 months that i was off work for the birth of my 2nd son, i taught my first son (then only 2 - 2.5) SOOOO much that it was amazing....it really gave me the confidence that i needed to know that i AM capable to teaching my kids in major and meaningful ways.
- i was feeling totally rushed and stressed that i had a limited amount of time with my kids before they were sent off to school all day every day........when i found out that i didnt have to "turn them over to the system" at around age 5, i was SO relieved and excited.
-my son WANTS to be home with me and learn from me
-i always wanted to be a teacher, and now i have my chance
-i do NOT like what i see coming out of schools today.....in many ways
-i cant believe some of the stories my coworkers have told me about their kids and school....homework until 11pm, etc.
-i met a few homeschool families and i felt that i have a lot in common with them as far as my idea of a good life......one that involves time with my kids and a lot of flexibility
-i think my kids are really bright, and i want to do all that i can to enhance their life and knowledge...and I want to be the one who gets to pick curriculum etc.
i could go on and on.....

[momtokea]

I homeschool my children simply because I want to

[Ravin]

I decided to homeschool before I even got married or had kids. A combination of making friends with a homeschooling family, my own lousy experiences in school, and increased awareness of the options and possibilities with homeschooling all made it seem like the right thing to do.

[umbrella]

It just seemed like a good idea.

I remember in high school, meeting some former homeschoolers (back when it was more "necessary" for college bound homeschoolers to finish up in a traditional high school), and I was just impressed with their academic progress and attitude, and so a little seed was planted.

Then when I had a baby, I read more books, and also though back on my own Good traditional schooling experience, which compared to what I expected with homeschooling, was rather inefficient and full of odd hassled bases on the fact of the school having to deal with hundreds of families at a time. I thought back to the hoops I had to jump through just to take the appropriate classes in high school instead of the standard schedule for the average college prep student.

And then when my first child was nearing school age, and could have gone to a truly excellent school, I realized that how academically intense it was, wasn't what I wanted for a 5 year old. And that long day including transportation, for about 7 am to 4 pm, it just didn't fit into the lifestyle I envisioned for the family. What an exhausting schedule for a small child! And it was! We knew others in our neighborhood who said their young children were just pooped, and combined with homework, and still needing 11-12 hours of sleep, they hardly saw their working parent (compared with the kind of schedule we could choose to keep).

Overall, school just seems like a hassle. And it's not a hassle we Need, so we don't take it on. With homeschooling, we can make of it what we want. We can make changes at the drop of a hat if something is not working out so well.

[ErinYay]

I hear you on the whole "zomg I'm really starting this early" thing! (I'm only 15 weeks pg rn!)

My husband is what I could safely call a radical libertarian, who has for years planned to homeschool his kids. His reasonings are based more in a total lack of trust or respect for government schooling than anything else.

I have been planning on homeschooling my kids for nearly a decade, as well (boy are we lucky to have found each other, in so many ways!) partly due to skepticism of the government, but also because I don't feel that the "socialization" that goes on in public OR private schooling is something I want for my kids, and because I feel that academically, a huge amount of time is wasted and materials are not covered.

We fully agree with each of our independent reasons, as well as the idea that teaching critical thought, possibly one of the most important things a child can learn, is deliberately avoided and rubbed out in children who have a grasp of it, and god forbid they attempt to put their thoughts into practice!

We ALSO want a somewhat, though not overwhelming, faith-based curriculum with a heavy emphasis on morality and ethics, and I'm particularly (much more than he is) anti-consumerist, and can't stomach the idea of our heavily-supervised tv-watching kid being inundated daily with pop culture, branding, and consumerism.

ALSO, we both love to teach and learn, and think it will be a great adventure for the whole family!

[joy_seeker]

Originally Posted by umbrella

Overall, school just seems like a hassle. And it's not a hassle we Need, so we don't take it on.

This sums it up nicely- I don't think I've ever thought of it in those exact terms but as soon I saw it I just thought, "YES, that's what I think!"

[Daffodil103]

Originally Posted by Katwoman

My oldest is academically very smart, but not very emotionally mature. I could sense much time spent at school advocating for her to get the academic stimulation she needed and supporting her maturing process. Also, I'm vehemently opposed the concept of treating every child exactly the same with no responsibility on the part of the school to keep order. (Talking behavior issues and zero tolerance rules.)

I decided if I was going to spend that much time advocating and intervening on her behalf, I'd rather teacher her myself. We can spend time on what we want and she can get what she needs at her pace without having to "blend in with the crowd".

That could be me. I always say, energywise, it's more cost-effective for me to teach my own that advocate.

[dannic]

I always knew I would homeschool. My parents had chosen a private school for me, but it had a waiting list, so they homeschooled me til 3rd grade, when I entered the private school. After two yrs there, I was again hsed until highschool, when I decided to go to public highschool. Having run the gamut, I really feel homeschooling is the best option. DH jumped on board fairly easily, seeing that I was hsed and had turned out okay, lol.
I enjoy the flexibility that hsing offers
I get to decide what gets taught
I am not comfortable with the early sexualization, long hours, and NCLB standards
I individualize learning to each child
I get to spend the day with them
I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

[rzberrymom]

Some of our reasons:

- I remember staying with a friend of mine and watching the incredible hassles school caused. She had to hassle her kiddo to do his homework for most of the evening, she had to hassle him to get to bed at a reasonable time, and then she had to hassle him to get back up in the morning--it was all a constant struggle. I SWORE I never wanted my kids' lives to be like that!

- I like learning along with my kiddo--it keeps me feeling young!

- I'd like my kiddo to be able to remain earnest about learning and free of sarcasm and the culture of "cool" for as long as possible. This kind of earnestness seems very rare among school kids I know, but rather commonplace among homeschoolers I know.

[Leta]

Scheduling is our biggest one. DH has pretty awesome family man hours for preschool age kids- he works from 4:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and he's pulling in our driveway by 1:00 p.m. most days.
This is a job that we are planning on him having for another 28 years, so the idea that he'll move jobs or shift hours once our kids are school age is unrealistic.

During the week, DH is alseep by seven. If our kids were in school until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, plus bus ride and/or any extra curriculars, they'd only get to see their dad on weekends. That's not okay with us.

There are several other reasons, too, but that's the biggest one.

I may come back and elaborate later.