I realize that this topic might be overdone but having recently made the decision to resume homeschooling I am using this blog as an outlet to clarify my personal reasons. While I don't feel the need to justify my choice I am also aware that there are some reading this post who genuinely cannot understand why anyone would want to educate their children at home.
Homeschool families are as unique as fingerprints. Methods, styles, techniques and approaches are adopted based on individual students and the family. Scheduling, activities and interests are not one size fits all when it comes to the average homeschooled child. However, while there are many differences from one family to the next I believe that all families share the following sentiment: We believe that we can do a better job educating our children in our own home. Bold? Maybe. True? I think so. The reasons are varied, but the fact that remains is that most people who homeschool are firmly convinced that the quality of education they are giving their children is higher than the one received by the average public school student.
But how can they homeschool if they are not qualified? This is an interesting question since in all actuality it is a subjective one. What makes a person qualified to teach anyway, a couple years of post secondary education and a fancy certificate? I beg to differ! While I am in a unique situation in that I am a qualified teacher (still working on an occasional basis) in my province I don't think that this directly relates to my ability to teach my own children in any way. On the other hand, I think that there are plenty of 'qualified' teachers who do not do a very good job in the education field. Some lack the passion and concern. Others see themselves as glorified babysitters just counting down the hours until the bell rings or counting down the months until they can pass "insert name" on to the next teacher. Not all teachers have this attitude. But the teachers that love their job, have genuine concern for the best interest of each child and can be creative in instilling a lifelong love of learning are the exception, not the rule. I can say this truthfully from a staff room insiders vantage point. I have been in countless schools where the children are talked down about, and the teachers have a generally lackadaisical attitude. This is not some well kept secret knowledge I am alluding to. Anyone who went to a public school growing up can think of some teachers who should not have been teachers.
Post secondary qualifications aside (which you don't actually need to homeschool) the reasons continue. Whether you want your children to be able to pursue and explore the arts more or to allow more time to develop their passion of writing, the individual benefits are staggering. Bumblebee loves art. She does not get her talent for this subject from me and yet I can nurture this interest and talent in a way that is not realistic to expect in an overflowing classroom. Monkey on the other hand is happiest when he can be active. He is a kinesthetic learner, arguably the worst kind of learner to be when it comes to most public school classrooms. Some teachers, who themselves were probably kinesthetic learners, recognize the different learning styles represented by their students and do their best to accomodate, but even their accomodation cannot be personally individualized. It is not logical just based on sheer numbers.
Now we come to the religious aspects of homeschooling. Many people think that all homeschoolers are convicted of their decision to homeschool as a direct result of their personal faith. This is not always the case. There are pagan homeschoolers, secular homeschoolers, and yes there are most certainly Christian homeschoolers. I personally know a very nice lady here in my city who educates her two children at home purely because she knew she could do a better job. She is not a christian but she saw the value and advantages that homeschooling could provide. I am a born again, bible-believing christian so in my case my faith did play some what of a role in my decision. I believe that I can better disciple my children in the faith at home. I think that I can protect their hearts, teach them about God and family, teach them to have their own ministry and minimize the negative influence of some peers. What about friends? I am certainly not suggesting that the children will be locked away from society just because I will be educating them at home. The last time we homeschooled Monkey played homeschool hockey, league hockey and baseball, and participated in various clubs and activities. One of the great joys of homeschooling is that you can help your children to both understand what friendship is, and then nurture those friendships. At the same time you can put the emphasis on something more important; family.
The freedom that comes with homeschooling is such a blessing. The work is often done by lunch time and then we can go out and explore our world. Parks, museums, hiking trails and road trips can be experienced with much more enthusiasm when the children are at home because the time is available. The typical 9-5 job with 2-3 children and activities is exhausting IMO. I prefer to be able to stop and smell the flowers, read a good book, enjoy creation and be able to better discover who my children are because they are around. The preceeding reasons I listed are just a few of the ones that played a role in my decision to homeschool. The first and foremost reason we came back to it is that God put it on our hearts that we should make disciples of our children. Since they are home with us we can talk to them, teach them, educate them and enjoy them. What a blessing!
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