All you moms and dads that homeschool your kids: I think you are doing such an admirable job. I wish I had?

Question

done that years ago,but I didn't understand it at the time.
So tell me, if you would, how did you came to the decision to home school? What was your motive behind it? To stay home with the kids or you didn't like public schools? (Which I can understand)

Answer 1

For us it was a combination of many things. Religious beliefs, it is important to us that she have a good grasp of what we believe and why we believe it. Poor school systems, school violence and bullying. A child should not have to go through everything that they have to now days just to get an education. Our area also has an amazing homeschool group, that does frequent outings, get togethers, play dates, etc. God blessed us with a beautiful child and it is our job as parents to protect her and we feel that if we sent her to public school we would not be doing that.

Answer 2

My sister homeschooled two of her three, and is currently homeschooling her third while working full-time. She was the first one that introduced the idea to me, and I decided long before having kids that's what I wanted to do. My husband agreed, much to my surprise! We both felt that public school is a glorified babysitting service, and not much else. It's not necessary to be in school for six hours, homeschooled kids learn the same amount, if not more, in only three hours a day! Then, in public school, they typically have 2-3 hours of homework on top of that, there's no time for a balance in life when you're stuck in a classroom all day, you can't learn about the real world like that. And we also don't agree with the 'cookie cutter' mentality that exits in a school setting because it doesn't take into account that every child is different, they learn differently and have different abilities. Homeschool allows more freedom in that area, so that they learn at their own pace. The more relaxed a child is, the faster they will learn and retain what they learn. Then add in the school violence and negative socialization, and that's reason enough right there. I got the chance to homeschool a niece when she was in kindergarten, as well as preschool with her and her cousin. Nothing in the world compares to teaching something that is really hard for that child to understand, and seeing that light go on as you find a way to explain it so that they get it! That concreted my desire to homeschool, even though it WAS tough, challenging, not as easy as I thought it would be. Four years ago we had our first child,and two years ago, our second. Our first is autistic, very high-functioning. I had already learned how ineffective our special ed classes were by watching a friend experience it first-hand, and knew there was no way I was going that route, so I started looking into homeschooling a special needs child, and have since come to the conclusion that it's the best thing that can be done for them. We started preschool this year and he is doing wonderfully! I babysit a two yr old with autism as well, so I just include him and my two yr old when we do school, and they are learning so much already, it's amazing. I also do my own therapy with them, too. My two yr old doesn't have autism but he has mild sensory issues, so he benefits from the therapy as well. I will be doing this until they graduate, as I truly believe it's the best thing for them. There's plenty of resources out there for when I get stuck teaching something, there's more time for positive socialization,and they get the benefit of learning in a postive environment. It's the best of everything that I can give them!

Answer 3

My kids were going so slow in school that they were bored. In Kindergarten my oldest only learned one thing that he didn't already know.

When my youngest was in Kindergarten he had a little bit of a speech impediment. It was his teacher's first year as a professional teacher, and she was constantly over-reacting to his frustration at not being understood. She decided he needed to go to special ed. He was intelligent and had a huge vocabulary at age 5, but it took time to get used to the way he spoke.

That's when I decided that even if I did a bad job homeschooling, it would be better than the Russian Roulette that I was playing with having my kids in public school.

BTW: that was 12 years ago, and those kids are doing great now. No one would ever know that the youngest had a speech problem (it got better as he got older-no therapy was needed). I put the kids back into public school after my divorce, and they integrated just fine. That frustrated Kindergartener was Student Body President at his middle school.

Answer 4

I decided to homeschool when my son was reading by 4 years and by 5 could read the Bible as well as an adult. The school we lived by did not offer an advance Kindergarten class but they did cater to English as a Second Language children. He could have tested into a higher grade but the school would not allow that. You had to stay in your age group even if you already learned the material. I personally do not agree with the school system now. I love homeschooling my children. I try not to shelter my children and no subject is taboo. I will always answer any question they have openly and honestly.

Answer 5

I home school my 9 year old daughter for many reasons, some of which I will list here.

She has a love of learning which I wanted to preserve - some kids her age are already bored and discouraged with school. Her 4 brothers & sisters all graduated high-school, but really only learned enough to get through each week's tests. They learned to read in grade 1, but not one of them has a love of books or reading.

My daughter is bright and funny and asks a lot of questions when we are learning, which I think is great, but a teacher probably wouldn't like that so much.

I can teach her WHAT I want, WHEN I want, HOW I want! My daughter is nine years old and at the moment wants to learn about Heiroglyphics (Mayan, not Egyptian), the Dark Ages, the Vikings, the care and breeding of horses, Poetry, there is a long list of things which interest her.

There are no bells ringing to tell us to stop what we are doing and go on to something else. We can spend as much or as little time on each topic as we like. If we don't feel like doing much on a particular day, then we go in the garden and work there - there is a lot to learn about germination, fertilization, growth.

When my older daughter was 8 years old she was ill and had to stay home for three weeks. The teacher gave us her work to be completed and we did it all the day before she went back to school. Guess what - she was ahead of the other students! We had covered in one full day, what a teacher with a class of 30 children took three weeks to cover!

I worked in the office of a High-school for a year and came to realize that my belief that people become teachers because they love kids was not always true. There are many wonderful teachers, but there are some who don't seem to like kids much!

We can travel whenever we like - we spent 4 weeks in England & Norway this spring visiting family, that was real education!

I have the freedom to take my daughter with me while we volunteer in our community. She has been a volunteer with the Meals-on-wheels program, delivering hot dinners to the elderly, for over 7 years. I wanted to focus on building her charactar in her early years, not just accademics.

Answer 6

My boyfriends mother has home schooled all but two kids and still is with a 13 year old and an eight year old. i think its amazing. Boys are much sweeter and pure when they are home school. My bf was and he's the most innocent. The motive behind her decision was because her husband was in the military and they kept moving around only two of them were not home schooled because they had settled for awhile. My bf started going to school when he was in 9th grade. It seems like a REALLY tough job especially not only teaching them ONE subject but all. i think the main focus should be math and SPELLING I not only say that to home schooled kids but also schooled kids. I had the best first grade teacher in spelling, but then again i lived in Canada. I don't know. I'm getting way off topic. Don't regret it if you are trying to say that. plus its too late to be thinking of that now. Others home school because their kids are doing terrible in school. And public schools are harsh, really harsh, but its what makes them learn and experience life. Have fun with all the information you get! Ciao

Answer 7

Dh and I decided after our experiences teaching in public schools--I taught elementary and he still teaches junior high. The first concern was the social atmosphere at school--the attitudes, the clothes, the language, the topics... But academics were also a concern because school would not allow our kids to go their own pace, be it faster than average or slower. We know as teachers that it would be wonderful if we could give the slower kids more time or let the faster kids go ahead. But that causes all kinds of problems in a system set up to go a single pace.

Those were our original reasons. I've since added my desire to be with my kids and allow the time to be kids.

Answer 8

The original decision to educate our children at home was from my husband. While planning our wedding he told me that whenever we have children he wanted me to "homeschool" them. Three years later when my oldest child was born I had already checked into the many resources that are available.

In the beginning we held to all of the common "reasons" for not sending the children to public school; negative peer influence, dumbing-down of material, over crowded classrooms, poorly paid whining teachers, good teachers with their "hands tied" by excessive gov't regulations and programs, blahblahblah.....

Anyway, after 20+, we now see things in a different light. It no longer matters that the schools are in disarray.

What matters is that we now know that home-education works! It really truly honestly and completely WORKS! Not only does it work but it is the right thing to do. The positive outcome of our "homeschooling" far outweighs the negative reasons that we first considered.

We started our official home school adventure when my first child was 4 and stopped and restarted when he was 6. He is now 23 --- educated at home and now raising his own family. He is smart, well-liked, and a good worker. He is in a supervisory position and trains others in his company. His closest in age sister is 20. She is attending her 2nd year of college. Her grades are high enough to be on the honor-roll. Our younger 2 children are nearly done with their studies and are fine examples of good citizens and excellent students.

Staying home with the kids is expensive!!! It takes a huge sacrifice for most parents. It's hard to give up one of two full-time incomes.

Thank you for the kudos! God bless you.

Barb

Answer 9

I decided when my oldest (almost 7) was born. Family and friends knew but didn't think I'd do it. My motive: I couldn't see sending him away from home from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It would have killed both of us to be apart (as we are rarely apart). I sent him to preschool (2-1/2 hours long) and to kindergarten (3 hours long), and kindergarten did it for us: mean teacher, mean kids, all work and no fun, anxiety and tears--I could go on and on. As for our little girl (age 3), I will ask her if she wants to go, but she doesn't have to. Homeschooling is freedom! You feel it as soon as you hear the school bus go up the road, and you feel free to do so much more! Admirable, thank you. I think the key is you have to like your kids.

Answer 10

I even have been the two. My first husband and that i divorced whilst my daughter grow to be 2 and that i grow to be a single mom and labored. Now i'm a stay at dwelling house mom and that i'm able to inform you that being a single mom and working grow to be with the help of a strategies the toughest undertaking I even have ever executed.. for me staying at house is a cake walk..I even have 3 a house good now a protracted time 14, 8 and four or perhaps in spite of the indisputable fact that at situations it extremely is quite loopy it extremely is with the help of a strategies greater undemanding than as quickly as I had one million and labored. I even have all of the sympathy for working mothers and single mothers it is not basic as a be counted of actuality it extremely is damn complicated. My hats are off to you..shop up the stable artwork and relax certain it gets greater undemanding .