I'm so grateful that I homeschool because.... - Page 2

[mntnmom]

My 4 yr. old is here counting smilies!

My six year old ASKED to play the math game on the computer last night.

My 2 year old is learning letters independantly, because he SEES the big kids doing it!!

[pixilixi]

OK, ds is only 3 1/2, but apart from avoiding the getting-up-early-and-get-out-the-door hassles in the morning, and not being tied down to the school timetable, the biggest advantage is:

EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM!

I am stoked that ds can learn WHAT he needs to, WHEN he needs to, and HOW he needs to, at the pace he needs to. No eeking out information on topics of interest at snail's pace. No busywork for topics in which he has no interest.

I am excited that he can spend as long as he likes on his interests and passions.

As long as it's not football...




.. just kidding.

[hotmamacita]

My children are intelligent, kind, and creative. I am thankful we have home educated them.

[meetoo]

My original reply sstated my kids are forming tighter bonds but the reality is our whole family is! We are taking it yr by yr, but I am so glad we chose to homeschool this yr. It has really brought us all much closer together already.

[pigpokey]

Because my preK age son is now reading at a mid second grade level. And because being around little boys does NOT improve his behavior. I'm not into isolation, I let him have his boy land. But EVERY DAY for most of the day with him trying to impress the other little boys with his baddddddnesssss? Not interested!

So many other reasons ... they are thriving.

[RiverSky]

Originally Posted by Chloe'sMama

Thank you for this from all the future HS parents out there. DD is 16 months and each time I read something like this I am more and more excited to HS when she is ready.

Thank you!

Awww, that's nice to hear.

Originally Posted by pixilixi

I am excited that he can spend as long as he likes on his interests and passions.

As long as it's not football...




.. just kidding.

Bwahaha! I can relate. My DH is a huge football fan and I am so NOT.

[phathui5]

I really needed this thread. We just moved to NY from Maryland two weeks ago and trying to do anything with them has been overwhelming. I hate to say it, but it's the first time school has ever been tempting.

[craft_media_hero]

We wake up and PLAY every morning!

Instead of cramming a granola bar, scrambling to get dressed, and running out the door in the cold to leave her in "the jungle".

[MamaMonica]

-we can enjoy a lot of time outdoors every day
-the kids have time and space to develop internal motivation and explore their interests
--in the evening, there is not homework, it all got done during the day. Same with weekends. They can do sports in the evening/weekend and then instead of doing homework, play and go to bed without rushing.
--we go places when fewer people are out and about. Less traffic, fewer lines, more wildlife in the parks because there are fewer people.
-lots of family time

[LucyRev]

I so needed this thread!

1. I'm grateful we are homeschooling because instead of being labeled, disheartened, and bored, my 6yr old DD is joyfully learning to read, very slowly, all on her own, voraciously, stubbornly, and at her own pace.

2. I love that my daughters will grow up knowing they can accomplish goals that are important to them, and that they don't need someone else to dictate what that should be. That whole intrinsic motivation thing.

3. They won't have had the curiousity stomped out of them at school.

4. My kids are free to be their own completely unique selves and not worry about fitting in.

5. My girls are best friends and our family has a great bond.

6. We want to take a road trip/camping trip across the country and we can do it anytime we want.

[greenthumb3]

Originally Posted by phathui5

I really needed this thread. We just moved to NY from Maryland two weeks ago and trying to do anything with them has been overwhelming. I hate to say it, but it's the first time school has ever been tempting.

[vintagetroll]

I have so many, really all coming down to the freedom to choose our own paths and days and lifestyle, but recently it has been such a blessing because my husband was almost killed at a work accident and without having to even think about school was able to shuttle her between my folks and us depending on our hospital stays and surgeries. It would have been such a struggle to have her in school at this moment. And yet despite the chaos we still have been learning so much- so much more than I think she would have were she in school knowing all the stress that was occuring.

now that my husband has a few months of recovery one of the things he is looking foward to the most is being involved more in the schooling and activities and having his own stamp to it. Another opportunity neither would have if she was in school right now. It just makes me feel so blessed to have a family unit that works in tandem even in the midst of challenges.

[notjustmamie]

Originally Posted by RiverSky

Originally Posted by pixilixi

I am excited that he can spend as long as he likes on his interests and passions.

As long as it's not football...




.. just kidding.

Bwahaha! I can relate. My DH is a huge football fan and I am so NOT.

See, I'm the football fan in our house. I love that I can teach it--and do pretty much every week.

• Passing, catching, and kicking skills (PE)
• Calculating player and team statistics (math)
• Studying US cities and mapping out routes to different games (geography)
• Learning the background of team names (history)
• Taking turns, following rules/facing consequences, being a gracious winner or loser (civics)
• Seeing the impact of wind and weather (science)
• Discussing injuries (health)

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Now, DD's only four, so we don't cover all of this yet, but there's so much potential!

[mamasaurus]

Originally Posted by notjustmamie

See, I'm the football fan in our house. I love that I can teach it--and do pretty much every week.

• Passing, catching, and kicking skills (PE)
• Calculating player and team statistics (math)
• Studying US cities and mapping out routes to different games (geography)
• Learning the background of team names (history)
• Taking turns, following rules/facing consequences, being a gracious winner or loser (civics)
• Seeing the impact of wind and weather (science)
• Discussing injuries (health)

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Now, DD's only four, so we don't cover all of this yet, but there's so much potential!

Love this!

[EXOLAX]

"I'm so grateful that I homeschool because...."

- It's given YDD the opportunity to maintain her intrinsic motivation in regards to her learning.

- It allows us time to follow her interests and passions as deeply as she wants to go.

- At 5 she feels like she has control over her learning.

- She doesn't have to prove repeatedly to other people what she already knows or how she learns.

- There are no moments of boredom wrt learning, only refreshing relaxation.


What I'm most looking forward too about schooling ODD at home next year:

- That her wish to set her pace of learning will finally be granted.

- That she will be allowed to follow her interests as deeply as she desires to take them.

[RiverSky]

Originally Posted by notjustmamie

See, I'm the football fan in our house. I love that I can teach it--and do pretty much every week.

• Passing, catching, and kicking skills (PE)
• Calculating player and team statistics (math)
• Studying US cities and mapping out routes to different games (geography)
• Learning the background of team names (history)
• Taking turns, following rules/facing consequences, being a gracious winner or loser (civics)
• Seeing the impact of wind and weather (science)
• Discussing injuries (health)

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Now, DD's only four, so we don't cover all of this yet, but there's so much potential!

[Jennifer3141]

Ok, I know where I'm sending my kids if they ever start to like football. Blech.

I like breakfasts. I like that breakfast on Tuesday at 10:00 can be French toast and sausage if we feel like it. I love that there's no rush to our mornings and that we decide if something is worth rushing off to do, as a family.

[maplesugar]

I am so glad I homeschool because:

No insanely early mornings. Ds tried public school last year and I got so tires of being compelled to get him up before seven in the morning every day to have him at school by 7:30. Now he sleeps untill 8 or 9 and stays up reading educational/ worthwhile books at night. We are better rested.

I love that we can focus on what we want to like cooking or hiking or kittens or whatever without feeling like we really should be doing the busy work the teacher sent home for the night.

I guess I mostly like the freedom: freedom from the banality of school rules, peer pressure, and morning hours.

Likewise I enjoy not having to drive to the school everyday at three for pickup, or worry about him taking the bus.

I just am really glad we homeschool for many reasons, but there are some highlights.

[EviesMom]

Freedom and time on small daily scales of when to eat and big annual scales of when to visit relatives

Learning to play with kids of other ages, especially siblings

Ability to learn what she wants to learn, and how she wants to learn it--PBS Dinosaur Train coupled with Museum of Natural History lately.

Ability to learn what I want her to learn, and how I want her to learn it--our regular lessons are short, but they're based around what I think she will like learning about and what I think she should know.

Ability to go to museums, zoos, etc. on our own timetable and much more often than school groups do! (The trip DDs pre-K took last year was about 45 min at the zoo and 35 minutes each way on the bus )


And although I think it would be a silly reason TO homeschool, it's a big "I'm grateful for" thing to me personally... Not having to deal with the gigantic mass of people at drop off and pick up!

[ankh]

Great thread!