Why We Homeschool
~ By Heidi
Homeschooling for us didn’t just happen; God literally led us to it. For some reason before having kids, both Joey and I had a very negative image of homeschooling. But God used our kids to change us. Our oldest child had a quiet, introverted personality, and at the age of three, I knew we were going to have to keep him home for Kindergarten. Even though it was three years away, I knew school would crush him. I started attending homeschooling conferences and reading books about it. By the time Caleb was six and ready for Kindergarten, I was sold on homeschooling. It took Joey a little longer though. He wanted me to homeschool until third grade and then introduce Caleb to school and “socialize” him. I didn’t want to homeschool without Joey’s support, so I started praying hard about it and trapped him in the car on road trips to read some of the books I had read. I also coerced him into coming to a Carole Joy Seid homeschooling conference with me. In the end, he asked me to homeschool each of the kids through highschool! Not only that, he changed his method of teaching his highschool students from the information he learned.
Homeschooling isn't something I am comfortable with every minute of everyday, but it is something that I am learning to give to God every morning. He is in charge of my children's education. My job is to listen to His voice and follow His leading.
Our family homeschools for a variety of reasons. Whole books have been written on each of our reasons so I'll try and keep it brief. The main reasons we homeschool are:
- The reason of freedom; allowing our children the freedom to experience the wonder and curiosity of childhood, with many hours outdoors free from homework and free from bullying, peer pressure, and comparing, and to provide for a learning environment free from stress . We homeschool to prevent burnout. I have seen children as young as eight begin to burn-out on school. They are frantic and stressed-out. It’s school during the day and homework in the evening. When do they get time to play, to be kids, to use their imagination, to find things they are interested in, to discover their talents and hobbies? When do they get time to hang out with their parents and read together or play games? Homeschooling means we don’t have to spend the whole day in school even when we spend much of the day learning. My kids have one-on-one teaching which allows us to spend more family time together. They don’t have homework to do when Dad comes home from work; we are able to swim, or read, or play a game.
- We homeschool our kids because of the ability to tailor each of our children's education individually, considering learning readiness and abilities, strengths and gender differences, individual interests, and providing for learning that is not "one size fits all'. We are able to teach each of our children in the way they learn best and are able to spend more time on the subjects they are most interested in. For example, our oldest son is interested in becoming a farmer. Because of this, we have started our “Kinderfarm” and have been learning about gardening, companion planting, crop rotation, common garden pests, organic pest control, chickens, keeping a ledger etc…. We are able to be creative and approach learning from a different perspective. For example, we learn about math by keeping a ledger for the kids' egg business or while working in our garden. We are able to make learning useful and fun. Will we still have to teach our children subjects they don't really have an interest in or want to learn about? Absolutely. But our freer schedule allows more time to focus on their interests.
- We homeschool because it allows us more freedom from traditional learning. We're able to create an environment where children are respected and where their "Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life" (Charlotte Mason). We use 'living books' to educate our kids instead of textbooks to instill a love of reading in our children (see Clay Clarkson’s Educating the Wholehearted Child book, Carole Joy Seid, and Charlotte Mason for more thoughts on this). We use narration instead of tests and we journal and notebook instead of using worksheets. We also spend many hours outdoors in nature.
- Another reason we homeschool is because we want our children to be different. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Homeschooling allows us time to focus on character training. We want them to be strong and confident in who they are, to be able to know what they believe in, and have the courage to stand up for it. And as they begin to compare themselves to others, we want them to feel secure and confident of who they are in Jesus. There are so many children who don't know who they are and they either waste valuable time figuring it out later in life or they suffer the consequences from never knowing. We want our children to be leaders rather than followers, to use the Bible as their guide instead of the latest cultural trend.
- Among the many valuable reasons we chose to homeschool, reinforcing our relationshipby spending more time with my children is the reason I treasure the most. Time is one word that captures all of the reasons for homeschooling our children. We want the time to work on character development and allow them unrushed time to spend with Jesus. We want to have the best relationship we can have with our children. We want our children to really know us and for us to really know them, and the best way to do that is to spend as much time with each other as we can. Homeschooling has the amazing ability of slowing time. Kids grow up too fast and we want to take advantage of every moment we have with them. We love hanging out with them, spending time with them, getting to know them better each day. We are the ones with the privilege to influence, mold, and shape them, while we teach them. We want to educate them to be on fire for Jesus, educate them for an eternity in heaven. The best hours of most family's days are spent fragmented, in school and at work - away from each other. Kids and parents come home from their day apart feeling tired and grumpy. There is supper to make and homework yet to do, an instrument to practice, and baseball to rush off to. When is there time to really get to know one another? Homeschooling stops the rush and slows time.
These are the main reasons that WE homeschool. Why do you? It's important that every family follow God’s leading and decide what works best for them.
~ Heidi
The following link has an informative discussion on homeschooling between Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Raymond Moore.
Here is a list of books that have had a tremendous impact on our decision to homeschool:
Clay Clarkson: Educating the WholeHearted Child
Sally Clarkson: The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity
Sally Clarkson: The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children
Chris and Ellyn Davis: I Saw the Angel in the Marble
Ellyn Davis: I Carved the Angel From the Marble
Richard Louv: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Susan Schaeffer Macaulay: For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School
Raymond Moore: Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child's Education
Raymond Moore: Home Grown Kids
Raymond Moore: The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook
Marie Winn: The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life
