5 Reasons Why We Home school and Conflicting Views

 

5 Reasons Why We Home school and Conflicting Views

Discloser: I realize homeschooling may not work for every family. 😊 We each come from different backgrounds and situations. My purpose is not to say, “You have your children in a regular school. Your way is wrong, my way is right.” This post is just observations I’ve seen with my own experience and friends. The purpose of this entry is to share thoughts and ideas for others who may be considering home school, and for some to get a glimpse into a day in the life of a home school family, if they’re curious at all.

I’ve been asked several times if I’m committing to home school all the way up until graduation. My answer? “I’m going to take it a year at a time and see how it goes.”

We’ve been blessed this day and age with many options such as Christian school, full-time home school, and a mix of both.

I’ve heard some people present conflicting views when they find out I am a home school mom.

“Oh. So mom never gets a break.” Or “Children who are home schooled are socially awkward.” Or “home schooled children are behind.” And something along the lines of, “you shouldn’t be wasting your time at home, you should be out doing a real career and making money.” A lot of their comments come from a lack of knowing what’s really going on behind the scenes, and their limited experience and perspective.

Reason #1- Tailored One-On-One Instruction

I taught in both public and Christian schools for several years. While I have many fond memories from those experiences, I know teachers can spend hours preparing lessons and it comes with many challenges. A teacher’s wish is to tailor the curriculum to students, which is not always an easy task. The fact that many classes are about 20 kids, can make it hard for a teacher to focus on those who are struggling, or gifted and talented, and find time to give one-on-one attention they need. There are many great programs in some schools designed to help those who are behind or gifted, but not all schools have this, or there is more help needed. For me, I remember having an aide at times that worked with kids that were struggling, but I felt they needed much more one-on-one time than was offered.

I’ve found that in homeschooling, my child receives that one-on-one without having to share time with other students. If my boy struggles with a concept, I’m able to slow down at his pace. If he picks up a concept quickly, I can move faster if needed. And if I want to take the lesson and incorporate P.E. or music last minute? I have that freedom. If my child is having a hard time focusing, I can tweak the lesson, where he is still learning the concept, but in a different way.  If he takes a special interest on a topic in social studies, I can design my own project based on what he’s interested in and run with it. My husband and I know our son best and what he responds to.

Reason #2-More Time with Kids

Our kids are only little for a short amount of time, and then they become adults and move out of the house. Homeschooling gives families more time together during those fun years and the joy of seeing milestones met. When they are in a classroom for 7 hours a day, some are only able to see their kids for a couple hours in the evenings, and even then, there’s extracurricular activities, dinner to cook, and other work to be done. For home schoolers, it’s wonderful to get a front row seat on their child’s education, and see firsthand the growth, passions, and interests that form.

Reason #3- Bible and Family Based Learning

For our family, we want Jesus to be the most important thing in our lives. Many schools are not permitted to focus on this. We want it to be the forefront of our kid’s education, and we love to be able to incorporate Christ into each subject.

Also, we’re able to tie what we study into our family’s history. In social studies, we’ve read books about different states and countries, and it’s been fun to be able to say things like, “Ukraine is the world’s leading producer of sunflower seeds. When I was a kid, we drove past miles of sunflower fields in western Kansas. Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe, and Kansas was known as the breadbasket of the U.S.” Or “this state over here has lots of cattle. Your great grandfather was a rancher…”

Reason #4- Flexibility and Freedom

Home schooling is a huge commitment. There are days honestly where it can be hard balancing the demands of a household or working outside the home, marriage, as well as being fully in charge of your child’s education and social life. But if a parent is committed to doing it well, learning all they can about it, and reaching out when they need help, it can be done. Community is the key and not doing it alone. I’ve seen families who didn’t know how to teach a certain class once their child reached middle school, so they utilized resources around them and were able to make it work.

With homeschooling, we can pick when our holiday breaks are, and what time of day we do our lessons. When I’m planning out time to travel or days to take off, I consider how I still would like to take a break in the summer from the regular curriculum. We still have Christmas break, Spring break, etc, and it doesn’t always have to follow what other schools do. I’ve seen some families home school year-round as well, giving them longer breaks and a less rigid schedule.

Some home school at the same time each day, while others fit their lessons in at different times each day, such as right before dinner, first thing in the morning, catching up on the weekends, or during breakfast. Each family’s day is going to look different, and that’s okay. Personally, I like to try and keep a schedule of Monday-Thursday lessons in the afternoons.

Reason #5-Socialization and Friendships Including the Whole Family

One of the main arguments against homeschooling is that the kids aren’t getting enough socialization time. There are those families I’ve seen who have chosen to isolate themselves, but it really does depend on the parents. In my experience, the majority of home school families are busy during the week taking their kids to things like gymnastics, dance, music and art lessons, play dates with friends, church activities, sports, and park days. The parents must be intentional about activities and having their kids spend time with others, based on what works for them. Sometimes it takes stepping out of their comfort zone.

For us, I love the fact that not only do I know my child’s friends, but I know their parents too and sometimes the extended family. We know who our kids are hanging out with and their family’s values. Our kids hang out with children of various ages, and not just those who are in their grade. At one community homeschool park day we attended, there were kids of various ages- babies, toddlers, early and late elementary, high schoolers, parents, and grandparents. It was a lot of fun getting to know the families all together. The children still face conflicts and challenges with other kids, just like in a regular school, it’s just easier when a parent can be nearby and guide their child through it. Once a family finds those consistent friends, it makes all the difference for the homeschool experience. Having a tribe helps tremendously to encourage, offer advice, point each other to resources, and relate to one another.

So those comments about homeschoolers being behind or socially awkward? Yes, some can be. And no, some are not at all. But so can children that attend a traditional school. I’ve seen it on both sides. There are homeschoolers that are shy. There are homeschoolers that are very outgoing. There are children who attend regular school who are socially awkward and behind.  Or the flip side. At the end of the day, whether we choose home school or not, most have the same goal: to raise our kids as loving and kind people and guide them to be able to properly function in today’s world. Kids can get that from homeschool. Kids can get that from a traditional school. It really depends on the effort and intentionality of the parents and what they choose to focus on.  

What have you found works best for your family and why? Homeschool, traditional school, or a mix? Would love to hear your comments!