Why Homeschool?

I have found that I am getting a lot of criticism over my choice to homeschool my children. So I’ve compiled the following list for other mothers and fathers who run into nay-sayers rather than supporters. Yeah, there can be a down-side to homeschooling. Less “free” time. Glitter on the kitchen table that doesn’t seem to come off for three whole days. The fine art on your walls is made of construction paper, yarn, and buttons. But it’s what us homeschool parents “put up with” to give our kids a great education. So here are some reasons why we homeschool our children (in no particular order):

• You get to teach your children to read! To me this was the most exciting process. Better than when my children learned to add or understood a scientific process. And maybe it’s because I’m a writer and an avid reader. At first your child learns the alphabet song, then how to recognize the letters. Next they are understanding that each letter has a sound and they begin to put those sounds together. And when my daughters, first Annie and then Allie, realized that they could read… the look on their faces… the pride. I was there. I saw it all.
• You get to learn, too. I didn’t know whether or not Hawaiian Punch would condensate in its red color or just clear water, but it was sure fun finding out! (Not including having to clean up the red stain when the first bag of punch leaked all over my windowsill.)
• The public schools teach to the lowest common denominator. My child deserves to be taught at the highest level that she can learn. Only I can provide that for her.
• Homeschooling begins at birth. While most parents read to their children, homeschooling goes beyond that. My 16-month-old son is learning sign language, just like his sisters did. Every time he hears something or sees something he doesn’t recognize, he gets my attention and frantically signs “where.” This gives me the opportunity to explain not only where it is, but what it is.
• School can be anywhere and everywhere. Whether you are on vacation or at the grocery store, school can be anywhere. On our trip to Savannah, Georgia, we discussed temperature changes not only from our home in Ohio to the southern heat, but also from the foot of a mountain to its snowy top in the Smoky Mountain National Park. The grocery store provides opportunities for math (adding, estimating, budgeting), health (healthy meal planning), language arts and more. One or our favorite ways to make a trip to the grocery store more enjoyable – and educational – for the kids is to print a blank page with the letters A-Z on it. Allie is still learning to associate the sounds of letters with their name, so she has to draw something that begins with each letter. Annie is learning spelling and writing, so she must write out a word for each letter.
• We have school outside as often as possible. Chalk on the sidewalk is much better than on a chalkboard inside a stuffy school room. We take nature walks to collect leaf specimens for our leaf collection. We photograph signs of spring for our springtime book.
• My kids are fully socialized, thank you very much. No, my children aren’t introverts who are incapable of being away from home. My son has just gone through a stage of separation anxiety, but what toddler doesn’t? And he’s way over that now. ;) My 5-year-old refuses to talk to doctors. It’s her rule. But kids that age feel empowered by making their own rules, and this is one of hers. There are sports, social groups (scouting, 4H), and homeschool groups within any community that allow for children to “be socialized.”
• My children learn what they want to learn about when they want to learn it. I started a lesson on dinosaurs. I had done a lot of research and printed out some information from the Internet. But within minutes of the discussion, we began to talk about volcanoes. My lesson plans were out the window, and we were gathered around YouTube watching volcanoes erupt and even making our own volcano in the kitchen.

I’ll be adding more to this list for the rest of my life… so check back. Oh, and if you have a reason to homeschool, email me at laurieharley@hotmail.com and I’ll list it with your name and location. Let’s support each other in our decisions to teach our children. We know them best.

Annie works on our family tree.

Allie wins a race on Jump Start.

Tyler draws a picture.

If you liked this, then read this (please!): Back to Homeschool