Why We Homeschool

My husband and I get asked questions about our decision to homeschool even though our oldest is only in preschool right now. Choosing to homeschool is becoming more popular, but it is still unusual enough in many circles that we get all types of questions about it. I thought I would just take a few moments to list the reasons we have come up with so far about why we are choosing to homeschool.

Our cutie, our oldest, about a year ago, see how much fun he's having?

In no particular order...

1. God desires us as parents to teach our children the things of God.
   Deuteronomy 4:9 is only one verse out of several in the Bible that illustrates this thought, and it says, "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." 
2. As their teacher, I can give my children tailored, personal, one-on-one teaching.
   Think, personal tutor.
3. I have the opportunity to make learning more fun!
   The crafts, hands-on activities, learning games, learning tools, and chances to experience learning are much greater in the homeschool environment.
4. We have flexibility with holidays and family events.
   Homeschoolers can learn all year round, taking breaks as desired. We can take off an entire month in December, or allow our children a free day on their birthday, the options are really endless!
5. Less (or no) danger from bullies, peer pressure, bus crashes, or school shootings.
6. We have better timing/control when introducing our children to sensitive topics, like sex or drugs, etc. 
   Between friends and many curricula in schools, our children may learn more details about these types of topics too soon. Of course we will speak to them about these vital topics, but hearing something on the bus as a second grader is not the preferred timing.
7. Our children can be trained in their character as well as book learning.
   Patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control are just as important to us as learning reading, writing, and arithmetic.
8. We get more free time- less time spent doing school, but with the same or higher academic achievement.
   How cool is it that homeschool kids finish school in a few hours then get to spend the day pursuing other hobbies and interests?
9. We get to spend more time together as a family.
10. Homeschool kids are not limited by grade. We can advance or slow down as needed by each individual child with no social/emotional negatives that could arise from jumping or holding back in a grade. This is one of my favorites perks!
    We will be blessed to tailor each child's education to their abilities. If I have a math whiz (which I doubt since I stink at math! Then again, my husband was an accountant before he became a pastor... but I digress) we can use a math curriculum any grade above his/her "age grade" easily. We can also stop and stay on the same lesson for a month if necessary, to ensure that our kid truly learns the lesson before having to move on. 
11. We are allowed to make Bible learning/teaching/reading/applying central
    Public schools ban this. Not all private schools share our beliefs, and those that do may have this as a separate class, but they do not always make it as central as we would have the opportunity to do. (Please read this as our personal beliefs, we are not criticizing any type of school!)
12. We won't have to undo as much learning that our kids come home from school with.
    Let's face it, we are a sinful, fallen people and this has to be dealt with everywhere, not just from the school setting! So again, I am not picking on the school system. I am just pointing out that as homeschoolers, we have less to address in our kids whether it's from evolution taught in the classroom, or learning disrespect towards adults from other students.
13. Better socializing skills, able to converse politely with all age groups, not just their own age friends.
    This one makes me chuckle a little because people wonder how our children can socialize if they are home with their families all the time. In a week, on average, my kids are in church, at  their grandparents, at the grocery store, play at the mall playground, stay 4-5 times a week at the YMCA daycare while I exercise, and have a regular play date with their friends. That is ample time to "socialize" with others of all ages. School children only socialize with their 20-30 same age classmates most of the day.
14. There is more time for learning fun things because less time is needed to finish book work.
    We can do more with music, art, or science than in a typical classroom education because we have more time in the day available to us.
15. We can focus on what my husband and I affectionately call Survival Skills (things like cooking, laundry, etc) which are hardly in schools anymore.
    Someday our kids will graduate and move out for college or career. We want our kids to already have practice balancing a budget, grocery shopping, cleaning house, being responsible enough to hold a job, or whatever. These things, that we may have had to learn by experience on our own, we can teach our children ahead of time to hopefully give them an advantage in life after living with Mom & Dad.
16. Learning does not need to be test based. We are able to truly assess if our kids are learning without rigorous testing.
    Proof of learning is not always on paper with an A+, it's finding application in life, or in the joy of teaching someone else a skill or lesson.
17. Similar to number 16, we can teach our kids to think and process, not simply regurgitate.
18. More time to gain life experiences or develop hobbies.
    Again, with less time in the classroom, our kids will have the opportunity to travel on missionary trips, raise a goat, train for a marathon, join sport or academic teams, try various jobs, create an invention, start a business, and so on- the list is really endless.

These are just some of the thoughts that have come out of the hours of discussion between my husband and I regarding the benefits of homeschooling. This choice is right for us- so I hope you don't feel as if I'm suggesting that everyone should take this academic view, because I am not. We just get excited about the possibilities ahead of us if we get to continue homeschooling our children. And I'm open to any homeschooling questions you have if I didn't touch on them in the list above, please feel free to ask!

You can see much of our homeschooling lifestyle via Instagram (@awifenmother).