A question for home schooling families?

Question

What made you decide to home school?

Answer 1

It was our public school district's idea.  Our son was in their 4 yr old preschool, and obviously was performing at at least the 4th grade level.  They knew the district couldn't support his academic needs.  The state would not allow grade skipping in Kdg, and the gifted program didn't start until 2nd grade.

So we looked into HS'ing and it was really our only option for our son.  We first comitted to only 2 years, but then quickly realized we were in it for the long haul.  At age 7, the school district formally tested him for IQ & acheivement and still said we needed to homeschool him - which we already knew.  His testing showed him to be profoundly gifted and the district's gifted coordinator had only worked with two other kids like him in 25 years.

HS'ing our son gives us the opportunity to allow him to work at a variety of grade levels, depending on his skill.  He currently has courses from 5th grade to college at age 10. He gets to work at his own pace, plus he gets 4-6 hours a day to indulge in independent, self-directed learning.

Our daughter has always been in the public school system.  We do what works best for each child.

Answer 2

I first had the idea of homeschooling while I was still teaching in an elementary school. The first part of it was the social atmosphere--they were each other's role models, instead of older kids (except in mixed-grade classrooms--that really showed me the positive effect of having multiple ages together) or even their parents--I spent more time with them than they did with their parents; some of the kids had to live the 7 hours a day, 5 days a week with stupid, stupid social stuff; all kinds of little social things that I opened my eyes to and thought that there had to be a better way.

My second concern was the academics: school is so rigidly tied to the government-enforced curriculum, with everybody being required to go the same pace, which means the slower kids aren't getting the education they deserve and neither are the faster kids. There was also so little room to cover topics that were actually meaningful to the kids.

My husband was the first to actually bring the subject up when our daughter was a baby. He's a jr. high teacher and has always had problems with the social milieu at school. His feeling has been from the beginning that he doesn't want our kids in that type of environment if we can at all help it. As time has moved on, he's read more and talked more and thought more and has become convinced that kids with decent parents are far better off spending the bulk of their time with them than at school, that our kids are benefiting from the multi-age groups they are involved with, and that the academics they are getting are far better suited to them than what they would be forced through in school. Our son, in particular, just has his own way, his own pace, which would not go over well in school at all.

Answer 3

We decided to home school because the public school system was failing our child.  The "No child left behind" act has made it impossible for the schools to effectively educate.  Instead of helping the students that need help they lower the standards so everyone passes no matter what.  We also wanted our child to be socialized and that was impossible in the public school system.  They have forced socialization, where you are stuck in a class with 25 other kids your same age that you are not allowed to talk to.  With home schooling you get to socialize with all kinds of people from all different backgrounds.  You learn to think and problem solve in a home school setting; not just memorize standard answers.   A child can go at their own pace and get their schooling done faster.  Colleges also actively seek out home schooled students.  It also brought us much closer as a family.

Answer 4

Two reasons.  One is that my kids were in public school until they were about to enter middle school and I realized that they just weren't learning anything really.  It was all about what they could pass on a stupid test.  Also that the school system focuses way too much on NCLB and attendance and has taken away parental controls on our own kids.  It got to the point I would enter the school to visit my child and was told I had to have an appointment?  Um, no?  I was threatened that the police would be called if I walked down the hall to his classroom.  I told them to bring it on that they cannot tell me I cannot see my own child.  And so...the decision was easy.

The other reason is because I was taunted relentlessly from 6-12 grade and will not have my kids treated the same way.  Sticks and stones don't break bones but they DO hurt and have lasting effects on self esteem.  I'd rather have more control over their playmates and activities than sticking them in a classroom with kids that don't know who their daddy is and put my kids down for having one or every other word is a curse word (honestly, this happened to us!!).

Answer 5

Because we love our children more than we wish to be part of the status quo.  Because we took Deuteronomy's instructions to heart and chose to serve God in educating our children.

Answer 6

We first decided to homeschool when we moved to a state (OK) that was a full year behind where we moved from (CA) and my son already knew everything that was planned for the year.  I tried to get him accelerated, I even offered to prep enrichment material myself and send it for when he was finished with his work; the teacher's response was to recommend him for medication on the second day of school.  (He was done in five minutes with an assignment she allotted 30 minutes for...imagine the gall of a bored 6yo, *talking*!  Gasp!)

I checked around into all of our area schools, the only school that could accommodate him (highly gifted, dyslexic, and already over a year ahead) was a 40 minute drive one way and cost $15,000 a year.  This was not in our budget, and we didn't feel the need to stick our son in the car for an hour and a half each day simply to attend school., so we started homeschooling.

Since we started, he's been happier, healthier, less stressed, and is confident in who he is.  He's been above grade level in most subjects for the past five years, and is now above in all of them (even through his dyslexia).  He also has the time to pursue goals that he sets for himself and to participate heavily in things like sports, Scouts, and church activities.  He already has goals for what he wants to do in life (at 10) and has charted out, educationally, how to reach those goals.  He also has made dozens of friends who accept him for who he is and who don't expect him to conform to their views.

Overall, I've got to say homeschooling has been an extremely positive experience for us.  There are days that get rocky, of course, but there would be if he was in school, too.  All in all, I wouldn't trade it for anything.