Why did you choose to homeschool?

Question

I have 3 children--6, 4 and 2 months. My husband and I are seriously considering homeschooling our oldest for now. We are not choosing to homeschool for religious reasons or because the schools in our area are bad. In fact, they are excellent. However I am a certified teacher, and really have enjoyed teaching my children in their preschool years. I would like to continue at least through elementary school. I feel that in general one-on-one instruction is better than one on 25. I also feel that I could teach content on a deeper level than the schools could. Is that a good enough reason to homeschool?

Answer 1

Yes, that is an excellent reason to home school. The two children that I taught to read at home, are much better readers than the other two who learned in a formal school setting.  One of the big reasons we wanted to home school is because adults are better role models for children than other children. Most of the behaviors and mindsets that children pick up from other kids are negative. We did take our children to activities with other home schooled kids and they had a great time.  There are many activities homeschoolers do together such as sports, dance, junior theater, science clubs, etc. etc. Also we were able to tailor our curriculum to our children's interests.  A fun little bonus is being able to take our family vacations off-season when attractions are less crowded. We home schooled until junior high. Our kids made the transition from home school to public school fairly easily. Good luck and have fun!

Answer 2

Wow its great that you and your children can also have that bond and that he can have one on one learning, but i do have to ask will this effect his social skills. What I mean is this good that he will be secluded from other kids his age? Sometimes children become distant from others when there alone, you don't want him to keep to himself later on in life. Or see when hes in high school if you decide to send him that there are different activities done at school then home.

Answer 3

Yes, that's an excellent reason to educate your little ones yourself.

Personally, I'm 15 and one of several home-educated siblings. We homeschool because:

i) we live in a remote area where there are no schools (the closest high school is a 16hr drive away, our closest primary is 4 hrs away);

ii) the costs of sending all of us mob to boarding school would be prohibitively expensive;

iii) our dad is anti-school (mainly because he had such a bad time at school himself);

iv) going away to school would mean us having to leave our community and our culture for an alien society that has little relevance to our lives either now or in the future;

v) at least two of us have health problems that mean few, if any, boarding schools would be falling over themselves with enthusiasm to take responsibility for us for 40 weeks a year;

vi) I want (and demand) a far more difficult, challenging and rigorous education than seems to be available to kids in the developed world in 2008.  

(We're not religious either and generally schools in my country are excellent when compared to those of other comparable nations, they're just not demanding enough of their students for my liking.)

Answer 4

do it for this reason if any think of this most collages look for homeschooled kids.  There more likey to be more intent on learning then other kids from a normal school and 90% of the time they are smarter then the rest also look S A T scores at home schooled kids to the rest you will see a big diff on knowage between the 2 look at most of the genis kids they are 99% home schooled also    most of all who do you want to teach them there morals you or a stranger i feel its better to raise them the way i think and feel i dont want someone else telling my kids(grand) whats is right and wrong and that they most conform to there ideas you raise them not someone else i just feel and think its better for them and you

Answer 5

Every family has their own very different reasons for homeschooling and ALL those reasons are valid reasons for making the choice to homeschool.  You care about your children and their learning needs, and that's all that matters!

I know several families who have homeschooled from the start, no other reason than that they wanted to guide their children's learning rather than leave it up to someone else. One mom I know sent her child to kindergarten only eventually to keep her home because she missed her child!  :o)  

We chose homeschooling because the public school did not meet our children's high academic needs which resulted in severe emotional distress for both my older kids and myself.  Not something I wish on anyone.  My 6yo has never been in school and never will be if I have anything to say about it, and she's doing just fine without the experience.

Good luck making your decision!

:o)

Answer 6

That sounds like a great reason to homeschool. There are as many reasons people decide to homeschool, and then there are many more why the continue to homeschool.

I wanted to hs my kids because I think that 5 is just to little to be sent away from me all day long. Then before my DD was even old enough to worry about school, we found she was advanced. Now at the age of 3 she is reading and has accomplished what she would learn in Kindergarten. We will continue to hs for many reasons, the main one being that our DD just will not fit into the public school expectations.

Answer 7

Yes.  You have my approval. (smile)  The reason we homeschool is for the same reason.  One on one instruction works for our son.

Answer 8

Yeah if you teach your children you could help them better with their problems, and that could really help them later on. In middle school, they could be ahead and get in gifted and talented class if you teach them. You could teach them more than they need to know. But there would be a problem because they wouldn't be spending time with other kids their age and might not know how to act in Middle school. And might have some trouble making friends.

Answer 9

Yes, that's an excellent reason to homeschool.

You will probably find that your children will learn amazingly well through your one-on-one teaching - and because you're not bringing them out of a school environment, homeschooling will be a smooth transition for them.  

I've found, through homeschooling, that I can address the needs of my son more quickly and on a deeper level than would be possible in a classroom.  I've also found that we have a much better relationship than any of his ps friends have with their parents - this is something that both he and I are thankful for.  (He's 10, we've been homeschooling since he was 6 1/2.)

And for those who bring up the same, tired, socialization thing...this is not something that you need to worry about.  Life pretty much goes on, same as normal, once you start "formally" homeschooling.  The truth is, you already are homeschooling - you are already the primary teacher for every one of your children.  Something tells me that you don't lock them in the house, refusing to let them see other children or be exposed to society, just because they're not in public school :-)  When you start homeschooling, you keep the same playdates, park days, lessons, etc. as before; you also have the option to add new activities through a homeschool group, if you so choose.

I think that homeschooling would probably be a great choice for your family.  You know exactly what it takes to teach your children, you're actually already doing so, and they can continue to learn on their level, at their pace, and under your care.  As they get older, you can expose them to new discoveries and get the chance to learn right along with them.  It's really a pretty amazing thing!

I very much encourage you to do so - I think you'll be glad you did!

Answer 10

That is an excellent reason to homeschool. Many homeschoolers do not factor religion into the educational equation. For many it is an academic and personal choice. I think you will find the work at once challenging and rewarding. HS brings a family closer together and has many advantages over the best public school. I encourage you to research every method of homeschooling before you decide how you will go about it. Also, be willing to be flexible. The method you choose, may need to be altered as time goes by. Have fun and enjoy your time with your little ones.

Answer 11

my stepson was ADHD, and having trouble in gradeschool. He had a horrid reading level at third grade (he was rated at a kindergarten style).

We homeschooled him for a year, and brought him up to a fifthgrade reading level!! All because we made him sit down, and FOCUS on what he was doing!

There's NOTHING better for any kind of learning than one on one instruction. But there's also the isolation that happens from it. Homeschoolers that don't associate with other kids often grow up lonely, and quite resentful of what they're learning. Even if it is a level that's untouched by normal public schools.

You might think about a hybrid of the two. Also, many homeschool clubs and associations do such get togethers and smaller schooling systems like 1-10 kids... so that their kids continue to to get the benefits of the homeschooling system, with the public benefits as well!

Answer 12

yes and check out this program www.k12.com awesome love it good luck

Answer 13

"Is that a good enough reason to homeschool?"

Why do you even need a reason to homeschool other than the desire to do so? Aren't they your children? You don't need to have a reason to choose private schools other than you want to, and you don't need to have a reason to homeschool other than you want to. Public schools are in place because the governments made education mandatory--so they had to fund schools so everybody had access to education.

You love your kids, you've already been doing learning things with them, and you want to continue. You sound like a parent who should consider homeschooling as the first option and everything else as an alternative. Because, truly, when you get to the heart of it, all schools, other than the home, ARE the alternatives and have always been the alternatives to learning at home.

To answer your first question, I am a former public school elementary teacher and my dh is a junior high teacher. We don't like the social environment at school and wanted our children to grow up in something healthier than that. We also want a more individualized education for them, and I like being a parent and like raising my kids and don't want to send them over to a "part-time parent" for K-12.

A P.S.: Do try connecting with a homeschool group or 2 (or more) in your area, online, etc. It's a great opportunity to learn about resources, activities, set up playdates, field trips and more.

Answer 14

I was lazy and never fit in in school. Plus I hated getting up early in the morning 5 days a week, as if I were holding down a full time job.

I quit school after 7th grade.

Still, school, college, and work are the only places a person meets others. It may be important for an individual to stay in school and be forced into a social environment. I'm 26 and a virtual loner, and my quitting of school may have had a big factor in that. I think that if I would've stayed in school and forced out of my comfort zone I would've become outgoing and have met a girl or two.

Answer 15

I decided that i wanted to do corresspondance at age 15 going on 16.. why? because i didn't like school... simply just wasn't my thing.

I always felt bored around the other students, the other girls were always gossiping about clothes, partying, boys etc and i felt kind of 'too mature' for them, i wasn't up-myself though :)

I also didn't like being told what to do by teachers, and how to do things i was always doing things my way.. how i wore my uniform, how i did my work and in what order, whether or not i felt the homework was worth it or not... you get the point lol.

Now i can do my school work in whatever order and how ever i want, in the middle of the night sitting on my bed, or sitting or the lawn in the sun... and now i even have a 3-mornings-a-week job..

As for the 'they won't be socialised enough' thing, is absolute cr@p.

Socialising at school is like going for a swim to warm yourself up..

At school i had no friends (because i didn't like the other girls), had no self confidence, i thought i had no talents, was bored/frustrated, and was just generally unhappy.. bordering on depressed.

On top of that i didn't even like myself that much... i was so shy that i wouldn't even go shopping by myself, or even talk to someone i didn't know.

Well exactly one year later of not being at school... i have made friends, i am self confident, happy, and now i think 'what am i going to do when i am older.. i have so much potential' and it actually makes me excited to think about the future now. And guess what, i now going shopping by myself, talking to complete strangers with lots of confidence... i even went and asked an absolute stranger for a part time job!!, and not once did i doubt myself or feel insecure about anything, i can talk to guys my age without feeling embarrassed... i even went to my first party the other night :)

Oh dear sorry for the novel... but my point is even if you don't have a point to home-school, you should do it anyway, it realy is great. And even though i never ask my parents for any help.. when i went to school i would wake up in the morning and feel homesick... eventually i realised it was because i missed spending time at home with my parent/horse/animals and everything else that i was familiar with..  now i don't get that feeling at all.

I'll shut up now :D good luck with your decision!!!

Answer 16

Sure, so long as it works.

If it works it's great and that even applies to Public schooling.

It's when things, for one reason or another, don't work that alternatives have to be considered.

5-10% of kids do outstanding in public schools and may not do as well in homeschool.

40% of public schoolers are marginal or failing and many (not all) of those could do better in homeschool.

The whole point is havig options.

Homeschool, unschool, trade school, private school, magnet schools, charter school, public school.

These are all tools and some work for some and others work for others.