Enter to Win a Homeschool Curriculum and Gift Basket from Oak Meadow! - Page 19

[avaylee]

Why homeschool?

 - To spend as much time with this beautiful creature that I brought into the world as possible

 - To let her become her own person in her own time, without needing to hold her back or push her ahead unnecessarily

 - To claim my rights and responsibilities as her parent

 - To see my child appreciate learning as a lifelong skill, one that can be enhanced in an environment of unconditional love

 - To focus on the arts as much as we want because there is beauty everywhere

 - To let her explore the natural environment as much as possible because it is important to our family

[sweetpeasmama]

We originally started homeschooling because after looking at our local public school (no recess), not getting into any of the charter or magnet schools, and not being able to afford any of the private or parochial schools, we were left with homeschooling as our last option.  Halfway through our first year of homeschooling we moved to an area where the schools were better and there were more options overall.  Thinking I would enroll my older son in school after his kindergarten year was over, I quickly came to realize that we were thriving as a family and there was no way that even the best school could compete with what we were providing for our two sons.  We make our own schedules, we spend an abundant amount of time with our children, and we get to see our friends regularly (including myself!).  We have now been homeschooling for four years, and attending school has become the back-up plan.  I couldn't imagine it any other way now!  

[Lavender Mom]

I have 1,000 + reasons I continue to choose homeschooling, but my five children tell me they love having time to be friends with one another and the time to have longer recess when the sun is high. I think they are beginning to understand that homeschool gives us more opportunities to nurture the soul rather than just body and mind.
 

[lolitaerb]

There is nothing more important to me than what and how my child learns and I do not feel comfortable handing over the responsibility of teaching him to a stranger whose focus is passing some standardized test.

[ccbeachrose]

We home-school because it allows us more time and influence with our children.  There is nothing like seeing your child understand something new and being a part of bringing that to them. I am so happy that I can choose to school them in a nurturing, humane way. I love that everyone constantly comments on how unique are children are. They have been given the space and time to explore their interests. It's also pretty satisfying when our grown children rave about how fortunate they feel that we make choice to home-school them.  It's a win win to homeschool ,one of the best choices we made as parents. 

[ccbeachrose]

I also shared on facebook :) It would be so great to win a level! 

[tranquilbuddha]

As the father of two young children (and having lost my first son to cancer at the age of five), they are the core of my being and of our lives. We have had various, mostly positive experiences with schools, almost all Waldorf-Steiner or Reggio-Waldorf, but our most recent, with our son, who is eight, involved a bad class dynamic and bullying that the school refused to recognize or deal with - even though it is a Waldorf school. This, in turn, led to major health issues for him.

We turned to homeschooling because we believe that each child is unique in their needs, their love of learning, their schedule, their social interaction, and is best served by parents and teachers who give full attention to the whole child and who work with them to give them structure and discipline, but at the same time to power their natural love of exploring the world and asking questions about literally everything.

Each day, our children ask us simple-sounding questions that have us searching the web (usually turning first to Wikipedia, an extraordinary resource for us all) and searching through our own books and those at the library. "What is electricity" moved our son, even at the age of eight, into the realm of atoms, and a simple explanation of a helium atom, with its two spinning electrons. "Are teeth living cells?" led to a question to our dentist, who kindly explained in very clear terms how cells form the matrix that creates tooth enamel.

We learn (or are refreshed) as our children learn - and there is so much to know. Our four year old daughter is just starting to demonstrate her fascination with letters and numbers, and is already making connections with shapes and with her own age. Homeschooling is wonderfully organic, in that "school" never really begins or ends - it is a natural part of life, just as it should be, rather than a standardized system with an over-emphasis on testing and competition.

I am a lifelong professional author and screenwriter, and each new project involves massive amounts of research for me. I love it, it's one of my favorite parts of the process. I am always learning - and also learning that what I knew 20 years ago may not be accurate today! Homeschooling, more than any other approach to education, allows us all to participate in our children's education to the fullest possible extent: to learn with them, to let them teach us and surprise us, and to let their natural creativity and rhythms and desire to explore and understand, blossom in this extraordinary universe we inhabit.
 

- Alexander Chow-Stuart

[Snugglebunnymama]

Why homeschool? Because LIFE is learning. 

You're always learning and, especially if you take a "life is learning" approach and are constantly on the lookout for learning opportunities, you'd be surprised just HOW MUCH is out there. 

 

Take Disney, for instance. Now, when most people think of Disney they think of vacation, playing, fun, magical moments, pin trading, and Dole Whips. Of course, Disney is every one of those things! 

 

It also offers a plethora of learning opportunities! {See our Disneyschooling page for more on that and search posts on this site tagged "Disneyschooling" for real examples.}

 

For example: we have never done Social Studies in our homeschooling. Well, we did use the Social Studies PACEs for about 3-4 months... but besides that, we've never had anything structured in that subject area. So, the kids didn't use a textbook or anything for that area. Yet, they learned:
 

• How to read a map (and all of a map's components, such as a legend, compass rose, scale, etc.).
• That people come from all over the world and speak various languages.
• That people from other countries and other parts of the world dress and often look different from us.
• That people from all over the world have interesting things to share and talk about--especially as you're sitting right next to each other waiting for a parade to begin.
   

They learned all of these things simply by BEING at (okay, being raised at!) Disney. Speaking of people from other countries, EPCOT is fantastic for this obviously...but it really is very special to sit next to families from other countries while waiting for a parade or a show to start and speaking TO these people about life in their country (we've also got a British neighbor who is like extended family that teaches us about England, so we like learning about other countries from fellow Guests at Disney). You don't get this type of education in a textbook! You also don't get it from non-textbook-but-still-teacher-guided materials and activities, either.

 

(This answer comes from something I originally had on my site but pasted here for the sake of convenience.)

[lalainiah]

Why Homeschool?  I have actually wrestled with this concept for quite a while.  While it is an easy decision to homeschool my daughter....not so much for my son.  But isnt that what education is all about?  Its different for everyone.  The difference to me, to homeschool versus public school is about the genuine experience and a little selfishness on my part.  My kids wont be kids forever and I want to enjoy them while they are young for as long as I can.  Homeschool allows you to do this while also providing the kind of experiences and learning environment you feel best suits your child and what you ethically stand for.  Homeschool is a brilliant combination of authenticity, flexibility, family togetherness, and memorable learning expriences to name a few.  Where public school has its many pros, homeschool takes the lead with its realisitc life lessons and opportunities that just arent always possible in a classroom.  

I shared this post on my wall as well. 

[Snugglebunnymama]

Comment #2: I shared on Facebook! :) 

[lalainiah]

Why Homeschool?  I have wrestled with this decision for quite some time now.  Where the decision is easy where my daughter is concerned, not so much with my son.  Isnt that what education and learning is all about though?  Different learning styles and different approaches.  Choosing to homeschool for me, is a collection of wanting to provide the best foundation for my childhood mixed in with a little selfishness of my own.  Kids dont stay kids forever and enjoying them to the fullest, especially while they are young is so important.  Sharing in their learning experiences is precious and its time you cant get back once they grow up.  To me, homeschooling is a wonderful combination of flexibility, authenticity, family togetherness and memorable learning experiences to name a few.  Where public school has many pros, homeschool takes the lead with its realistic life lessons and oppotrunities.  Many of which cannot be provided by the public school system.  

I shared this post as well. 

[DanWC]

Homeschool because your life should be your own. Homeschool to live according to your interests and priorities, not those of the state or the business interests that dictate the curricula of our schools. Homeschool to live the life you want to live now, rather than deferring it to after or outside of school.

[laurela]

We intend to homeschool our son because we're drawn to the freedom, the flexibility and the creativity we believe this lifestyle holds.

[cece mama]

I am currently homeschooling my preschooler because I know how important it is to emphasize creativity, emotional intelligence, reverence for nature, strong sense of self and a genuine passion for learning!  I also want to honor the intrinsic person my child is so that she can foster the interests and further explore the things she genuinely responds to while also developing a sense of curiosity about all things as well as her critical thinking skills.  The culture of the public school system seems to institutionalize and perpetuate so many of the values that are the opposite of what I am working so hard to teach my child, it just seems to make so much sense to physically be there to support her development and education for as long as I can.  :)  Yep, psychology and conflict resolution educational background is what I have here. In case you couldn't tell!  haha  

[krchafamily]

We homeschool because we all love being around each other! Each of us is an important part of the other's life and learning process.

[krchafamily]

I shared this giveaway!

[EllasMommy10]

We are choosing to homeschool for so many reasons. I think homeschooling will allow my daughter to learn so much more than what she could learn sitting in school all day. I went to college for elementary education and was truly disappointed in what I saw while in the classroom. There is no way to give each child the attention they deserve, especially when it all seems to be about numbers. I knew I wanted more for my own children. I also feel education needs to be holistic, which is why I love Oak Meadow so much!

[Jennifer Mendez]

Why homeschool?

I would like to homeschool because I semi-homeschooled my daughter prior to kindergarten and she thrived so much on it. I would homeschool because I can make sure that what my child is learning is geared specifically to her needs and aspirations, not the general 5, 6, 7 (etc.) year old. I would homeschool because it keeps families centered and can teach children cooperation, and self discipline in a more "real world" setting. And most of all, I would homeschool because it feels right for us.

[FreckledMomma]

We homeschool because I want to give my children a well rounded education where they get to explore topics that interest them more in depth than they would be able to in a public school setting. I believe this will ensure a love of learning that will continue throughout their lives. I also decided to homeschool because I wanted to play a larger role in my children's education. I want us to be a close family that learns together. We are working on a building a small self-sustaining farm together and it works well with our lifestyle. 

[FreckledMomma]

Shared on my Facebook wall