Why do you home school your children?

Question

Why do you home school your children?

Answer 1

I homeschool him for many reasons:

*I want him to be challenged (which our local schools have told me they're unable to do)

*I don't want him medicated (which is their solution for a highly gifted dyslexic child)

*He needs individual instruction in some areas (which our local schools can't provide him with) and accelerated individual study in others (which they also can't accommodate)

*He just plain learns and retains better in an individual or small group environment, rather than in a group of 1200 11-12yo's packed into classrooms in the same building (our local 6th grade center)

*He has much more freedom over his schedule and his extracurricular activities - he can choose from the entire community's worth of activities rather than just what's offered at his school

*He's a lot healthier, since he can sleep according to a schedule that fits his developmental needs, eat when he's hungry, get a lot more fresh air and outside time, and doesn't need to be around all the diseases that go through a school building

*He has less stress, since he's more in charge of his time

*He's able to progress to the next grade when he's ready, not when the state says he can...hence, he's currently 2-5 years above grade level in almost every subject

*He's just plain happier - he chose to homeschool (begged, actually) and really thrives on it.  It's not for everyone - no one educational option is - but it's right for him.

*Lastly, I homeschool him because I love him enough to do what's right for him.  It really is what's best for my son, so it's completely worth it in every way.

Answer 2

I don't have kids. People do it because they are unhappy with the local schools in their area. It's the only alternative to private schools for those who cannot afford them. Schools in not-so-nice neighborhoods here in L.A. are truly an abomination. I would never subject my kid to that.

Answer 3

I don't and never would.  Home schooled kids are much more likely to turn out socially inept because they weren't properly socialized at a young age.

Answer 4

I'm 15 and just a few of the many reasons I'm home-educated are:

i) I want to grow up in my own culture and community and in the society that I'm going to spend the rest of my life in (rather than go away to school in an alien society that, following school, I would never return to);

ii) I want the sort of challenging & academic education that no longer goes in schools;

iii) Home-ed enables me to spend my time in learning the many skills that are actually going to be of use to me in my future;

iv) Home-ed enables me to concentrate on learning the stuff I'm actually going to need to know as an adult;

  

v) Home-ed enables me to stay at home & grow up surrounded by my parents, siblings and friends, as opposed to being stuck at boarding school a thousand kilometres away;

vi) Being home-educated means I'm able to be raised by my parents to be the person I was born to be. I am not being raised by the government and its agents (schools) to become the person they want/need me to become;

vii) Home-ed encourages independence, resourcefulness, self-reliance, responsibility & motivation in a way that schools can't (or just don't want to);

viii) Home-ed is freedom.

Answer 5

I want her to have a good education and a happy childhood.

Answer 6

Multiple reasons.  A few are given, but in no particular order.  (Note, I am answering this from the point-of-view of someone with homeschooled children.)

*Personal experience with homeschooling.

I was homeschooled for a few years.  I know, from my own experience, that it is the best form of education, with the least amount of wasted time.  And, no, homeschoolers are NOT social misfits; often the reverse is true, because they've had more guidance in dealing with social situations, haven't had to learn from the "law of the jungle", haven't been convinced that only people their own age are worth being around, get to meet a wide variety of people of various ages in various situations as their parents take them with them most everywhere.  The homeschoolers that I've met are usually more friendly, better able to communicate, better speakers, better able to handle themselves in a wide variety of social settings.

*Personal experience with the school system.

As a former classroom teacher, and the spouse of a current one, I know a lot about the public and private school systems of today.  Most parents think of schools a few decades ago when they think of schools, but schools have gone wayyyy downhill in recent decades.  Bullies ran rampant, schools are afraid to discipline, parents treat teachers like the enemy and believe without question that their children are always in the right (making it very hard to teach a large group), standards have gone downhill, etc.  Plus schools have always been designed to offer assembly-line education--despite what some claim, they are not designed to meet the individual needs of every child.

*Knowing my own children.

If mine were in school, they'd be bored since they already knew so much before they were old enough for kindergarten.  I've heard of kinderagarten classes for gifted children that still start out working on the letters of the alphabet despite the fact that many of the children are already reading.  Some children can sit quietly while the teacher goes over things that they learned years ago, but some can't; some would be in trouble on a regular basis because they'd find something "interesting" to do in order to avoid the boredom.

Also, I can help encourage their strengths more and give more time to needed weaknesses, I can gear the curriculum to their own individual needs.  

*Knowing children in general.

Schools today are geared more to passive children.  They are set up for kids who are more compliant and able to sit for long stretches of time.  Recess is gone at many elementary schools, as is P.E. (or gym) time.  Active children end up getting drugged to make them fit the mold, because schools don't offer options for working off energy.  

*The best education my money can buy.

Private schools are very expensive.  Yet a homeschool education can easily outdo them since the learning is geared to the child's individual needs.  My children don't need to spend weeks working on things that they mastered long ago.  When they express an interest in something, they can research it in depth (and be more likely to remember it since they were ready for it at that time).  I can get a much better education for much less money.  (There was a time when everyone knew that learning at home, whether learning from your mother or a governess or a tutor, was the best education.  Schools were then considered second-rate, for those who didn't have the option of learning at home.)

*Family time.

Families with children in school often find their family time eaten up by school-related activities and assignments.  They have to do everything according to the school calendar, or their children suffer.  If they celebrate holidays that aren't those of the main group, they suffer in some way with a lesser celebration or penalties for missing what the others were doing in school.  If the family has an emergency, such as a death in the family, the children suffer during missed school and are then expected to dive right in and catch up while they are still dealing with the trauma.  Homeschooling families can make their schooling schedule fit the family's needs.  They can get more work done in less time (since they are dealing with the bureaucracy and huge crowds), so they have lots more time left for family.  They have more control over their own schedules.

*Because I enjoy it!

My children and I have so much fun.  We do so many interesting things that I wouldn't be likely to have time for if they were in school.  We read fun books, go interesting places, participate in interesting activities and events, and so on.  I like spending a lot of time with my children and try to help them to enjoy learning.

Answer 7

Because I can give my children a far more superior education.

I do NOT want then introduced to guns, drugs, s*x and violence in a school they need to be taught approprietly about those topics!

I am also Very annoyed by the fact that the Bible is not taught or at least given as a choice!

That is why!

Answer 8

My sister-in-law homeschools her children because a child in her son's class asked him to pull down his pants.  The school did nothing about it.  It's sad because these kids need the social interaction, but it's scary how some public schools are these days.  I'm debating on homeschooling my own children though.  I've seen studies that say homeschooled children score higher on ACT and SAT tests.

Answer 9

Why we homeschool:

* A more natural way of learning.

* Family bonds strengthened.

* Parents and siblings are not your enemies nor are they from another planet.

* Independence.

* More individuality and much less peer dependence.

* Responsibility for yourself and your actions.

* Moral convictions stregthened instead of constantly degraded.

* Greater sense of self and self worth.

* Learning can happen anywhere at any time and is not limited to a classroom full of children the same age from 7:30a-3:00p .

* Learning is fun. And many times happens when you least expect it.

* Actually retaining knowledge.

* Finding out that knowledge is power and not a negative thing as it is in public school.(just ask anyone that's being bullied for being a nerd, geek, smart, etc.)

* Research backs up the claims of overall better education, better social life, better ACT/SAT scores, more happiness and involvement in community as adults than those public and even privately schooled.

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00...

* With all the activities/educational supplies available, it's easy to spend too much money and stretch yourself thin. But I guess that could help reinforce the ideas and lessons of personal responsibility and proper planning.

I can't think of any more.

BTW, You could find most of this just using google.

Also, check out some of John Gatto's view of public school. http://johntaylorgatto.com/hp/frames.htm

Answer 10

Good question, but people should not say they wont have there kids homeschooled, what if your unhappy with the school..at least its an option

Answer 11

I know why I want to be home schooled I have tried public and private school ever since I was two I could talk and was articulate and really mature. At this point I could prob. have an intresting conversation with a senior which i have had from charity work . I dont want to keep saying no i dont want to ______ . I just dont want to do bad things so i am close with my small family and only want to spend time with them and mature adults

Answer 12

I home school because I love my kids.  They are some of the most interesting people I know and they make me laugh a lot.

I home school because I felt that school was priming my children to be good little robots.  I hated the fact that when my child called, crying because he forgot his lunch or homework, I had to sign in with 2 different people to drop it off, and there was no way they were going to let me see him.   I felt that this was sending my child the message that he needed to be protected from his parents by a govt. authority figure.

I found out that if there is a disaster, FEMA can have my child bussed to an undisclosed location without my permission.

My son was given a "healthy " snack at school which consisted of a Little Debbie snack cake and a fruit drink (not juice).  This made him crabby and hyper - not a pleasant combination for a child who is being raised on home grown organic food.

I was afraid they were going to tell me he needed Ritalin to deal with his junk food reaction.

His 3rd grade teacher sent home nasty notes for a whole year about him being too "dreamy".  I went in and talked to her 15 times, asking "Is he disruptive?  Is he disrespectful?  Is he acting out?" to which the answer was always "No",  before I figured out the real message was "I have 5 special needs kids in here and I don't have time to repeat instructions to a child who wasn't paying attention simply because he is bored."  

I just feel that our schools have become prisons - lockdowns, metal detectors, security systems, etc. and that we are allowing them to brainwash our children into becoming obedient followers rather than independent thinkers.

I am enjoying watching my children in the throes of learning, following their own interests and having a wonderful time.

Answer 13

I feel that I can give him a better education than the public school can supply.    By 'better', I mean an education that is applicable to his goals, aptitude, talents, interests, and learning style.

I also like spending this time with him and having time for conversation.

The schedule we had while he was in public school was hectic and left little  for 'down time'.   Our homeschooling schedule gives us more time for our priorities instead of trying to fit more than possible in 24 hours.