Why Home School?

I believe that every parent/family has the obligation to choose how to educate their children. Last year I had a friend who had chosen to home school her 3 boys. On our run each morning we would talk about every aspect of our lives and I especially enjoyed her telling me about what she was doing at home with her kids. Her life wasn't easy in any way and she didn't hold back when it came to describing the difficulties that home school presented. At the same time I was starting my oldest in the local public school and was really excited for this new part of her life.

Kindergarten started out really great, and she loved going to school. My husband and I volunteered to come in to her class every week and help out where we could. It was one of these days that I was in her class that I noticed that she wasn't really getting the experience that we had hoped for her. On this day, for math, the teacher had them measuring the lengths of their feet with connectable cubes, then they were comparing the lengths. The teacher had a list of the kids' names up on the projector and was going around asking the kids to tell her their length and then she was recording the number of cubes long up on the screen. Since Elizabeth's name was longer than the other students' names, the teacher didn't notice that she hadn't placed a number at the end of Elizabeth's name. Elizabeth quietly raised her hand and when the teacher called on her she tried to tell her that she had been missed, but in all the chaos and loudness the teacher didn't really hear her and just kind of nodded her head and moved on. Elizabeth looked so disappointed but just continued to sit quietly in her chair while the teacher moved on with the lesson. After noticing this, I realized that Elizabeth's behavior at school was completely different than at home. She was quiet and shy and obedient. Not that any of these things are bad, they are in fact the perfect way a child should act in a public school setting. I noticed it because she has always been the child with 1000 questions, that would rather play outside than color, that needs extra love and attention, and that needs to be told how wonderful she is on a regular basis.

Perhaps you think that I hold on to her too tight, or that I need to make her be quiet and encourage her to be shy of those in authority. The thing that I am coming to realize is that I want to encourage her to be herself. I want her in an environment where she can develop her personality in a healthy and positive way. Now, am I perfect at encouraging her to be inquisitive? No because sometimes I can't handle the thousands of questions! But I am improving every day, just as she is getting better at asking real, honest, thoughtful questions.

This experience prompted me to begin searching for something better. My husband, Joshua, was completely against home schooling. He had known some kids growing up that were home schooled and thought they were weird and backward. He wouldn't even consider the possibility. I prayed every night for guidance and strength and for my husband to experience a change of heart. I wasn't really, at this point, ready to fully embrace the idea of home schooling, but I did want at least to be able to have this conversation with my husband. In the end my friend's husband was at the park with his kids and my husband and our kids and Joshua was asking him questions about their kids and what he thought of home schooling. In the end my friend's husband told my husband that it couldn't hurt to try. How far behind can they be really by second grade? He figured that was true and why not travel down the path less traveled. So we began discussing and agreed to try it out for 1 school year. Guess what? He loves it! He loves our bright, intelligent, inquisitive child and really enjoys diong her science lessons with her when he can! Who would have thought?

Now, after the 1st year of home school I have gained a better grasp of what is required of me, yet I know that I am still lacking. I have often felt as though I have left my 5 yr old and my 3 yr old to fend for themselves. It has definitely been a struggle to give each of them the attention that they need. But, you know what? Rachel and Jorgan have become such good little friends. They play together so well! Yes sometimes they fight and yes sometimes they get into things that they are not supposed to. But that's how kids learn and grow! I still have a long way to go in figuring out how to give every one what they need, including myself, and including my husband! At least this way we are learning and growing together instead of separately. Both my husband and I have concerns about what will happen this next year when we have a 2nd grader, and kindergartener, and a preschooler. However, we still have an entire summer to work out the details and an entire school year to figure it out. It's not perfect but it's what we think is the best that we can do.
In conclusion I want to share a thought with you.

Last week Joshua and I attended a parenting class put on by a group funded buy the county we live in. The guest speaker was a professor from the local university that taught in the child development department. There were several things that he said that struck me as critically important, and hopefully I will be able to share more of those with you later, but I want to share just one of those now. He said, pointing to the parents, "It is your responsibility to educate your children. The state has given you a tool called school, but it is primarily your responsibility to educate your children." Now he is not a homeschooling parent, he talked about several of his children who attended public school. I am not trying to bash the public school system, every system of education has its difficulties, but I really want you to take to heart what he said. Now you go and choose the way that you want to educate your children! There are so many ways out there, just find the tools that are most helpful to you and use them! But never forget that YOU are in charge of educating your children! Take that responsibility fully to heart and you can never go wrong!