What was your primary motivation for homeschooling? - Page 2

[onlyzombiecat]

Originally Posted by MittensKittens 
So what I am curious about is whether you, as parents, already decided you were going to homeschool before your kids were born, or when they were young - based on conviction and your own preferences? Or did you only become open to the idea of homeschooling after your child or children showed clear signs that public school would not be a good fit for them, either before

I was attracted to the idea of homeschooling before dd was born. I thought it would be an awesome way to learn and wished I had been homeschooled.

I don't think we are oddball parents but we are not terribly worried about fitting in and being like everyone else in most ways either.

Both dh and I had negative public school experiences which probably made looking for alternatives for dd more appealing.

We want dd to be happy and learn just like other parents wish for their children. We feel that public schools are not the best option for our dd to be happy and learn because of her personality, the environment and emphasis on grades and testing.

I think over time I have developed the conviction that ps as it is now is not really the ideal situation for many children.

[sarahtar]

Originally Posted by onlyzombiecat 

I don't think we are oddball parents but we are not terribly worried about fitting in and being like everyone else in most ways either.

You know, you make a point. My sister, for example, is VERY conscious of what others think of her, fitting in with her peer group, being like everyone else as much as possible. Her daughter, who starts K in the fall, is already much the same, at least in terms of what she notices and prefers in clothing, activities, etc. I know, for this reason alone, though it would be subconscious for her, my sister would NEVER consider homeschooling. None of her friends do, it's not the normal socially acceptable thing to do, and she just could not realistically ever consider doing something that makes her different.

So, in that respect, I'm OK with the word "oddball" if "oddball" means I'm not like that.

[hippiemombian]

For me I don't think it was either. When my children were young I never had it planned that they would be home schooled. DD1 went to kindergarten and half of 1st grade and she fit in wonderfully. She is a smart and bright kid, had lots of friends etc. I chose to home school her for two reasons, the first was that we were moving around a lot. She went to two elementary schools in kindergarten and 3 elementary schools in 1st grade. I thought home school would provide a sense of stability in regards to her education. What keeps her at home now that we are settled is the social influences that I am not comfortable with. It concerns me that 6 year olds are more concerned with what they look like or being "in love" with Justin Bieber. They language and the bullying that is going on is ridiculous. Although my daughter is a wonderful kid and she liked school, I want to have control over what my kids are exposed to. My kids also have two moms, which in this day and age is sad to think that they would get picked on for that, but its a reality. I had a horrible school experience, as far back as I can remember and I don't want that for my kids. To this day I still deal with the insecurities that were made so prevalent in school. I could go on and on, but for right now I am content with where we are. I'm not opposed to her never going back to school, but it won't be while we live around here.

[Katwoman]

I want my children to LOVE to learn.  Learning is a life long process.  I want them to know how to do it, do it well, and enjoy every moment of it. 

My public school experience was pretty awful and I wouldn't want my kids to go through something like that.  Of all the stuff I learned in school,  I never learned how to actually learn.  So while I'm awesome at what I can do, and I can acquire new information.  The process by which I learn isn't enjoyable and I wish I could download info into my brain instead of learning it. 

The fact that one of my DD's is brain smart but a bit behind in her emotionally maturity just added to our resolve.  I could picture myself in her school advocating for her and helping the system/her work together.  All of a sudden I thought, if I'm going to put that much effort into her schooling, we're going to learn what she wants to learn, individualized for her as a person.  (She's 7 and we've been doing science experiments for two years.)

I used to think homeschoolers were a bit odd.  But the reality is, and this is just my opinion, they aren't odd, they're free thinkers that aren't willing to follow the masses just because so many other people are. 

My girlfriend actually said she doesn't expect her dd to get anything out of elementary school except how to listen and follow the rules.  Elementary school is 7 YEARS long!  And that's our expectation? 

Besides, I really like my kids!  I like being around them.  I can't imagine spending 2 hours a day - including dinner time - with them 5 days a week.  Now I don't have too.  :D