Why Homeschool?

Daily, no, hourly I have an internal debate about homeschooling. It has been a topic of many, many conversations between Lane and I. I really want to believe in homeschooling, but honestly, I am skeptical about it. Yet every time we go round and round through all the issues we keep coming back to it being the best decision for us, for right now.

I’ve already mentioned that JD is home with me for preschool. We have a curriculum from Sonlight, which we truly love, but we are rather… um… spontaneous, I guess would describe how we lack the ability to follow the schedule but love digging into it whenever it strikes our fancy. Personally, I think this is perfect for preschool. He’ll have plenty of time for structure and “have to do that even if you don’t want to” with school later, but for now he learns mainly through playing and exploring.

JD is so funny about preschool too. I always laugh when he tells other people, even random strangers, “I’m in preschool. At home!” He seems so very proud of it. I was discussing kindergarten with him about a month ago, telling him how we needed to decide soon about sending him to a school with a teacher or keeping him home. He replied with the most adoring look of love, “Mommy if I stay home, I’ll have a teacher, and it will be you!”

We are not against traditional schools, even public schools. We know amazing teachers. We know that great things can go on there. We value the input that other people can bring to our children. Just ask JD sometime about his Sunday School teacher and you’ll get an earful of praise and adoration. I love that he enjoys learning from someone else too.

Personally, I am a product of thirteen wonderful years in a Christian school. Lane is a product of mainly public schools. We turned out pretty well. Lane did anyway - he’s the super smart one. And amazingly this is the first time I have considered that our children are following in the footsteps of two valedictorian parents. No pressure there, eh?

Anyway, I wanted to give you a few of our reasons for homeschooling. This is not an exhaustive list, just some key things that we have discussed over and over.

1. We are a military family which means moving often. Moving schools, friends, church, everything, every few years. We cannot change that. But we can provide the kids with a consistent education no matter where Uncle Sam sends us. I don’t know if this is a long term or short term decision. I don’t even know what state (or country) we will be living in two years from now. We will prayerfully consider the schooling options each time we move and decide from there.



2. We can give individual attention to each child. We are observing and trying to find out what style of learning each of our children has. JD learns mainly by reading and asking tons of questions, so we have found a curriculum that focuses on a lot of reading. If we find it isn’t working for him, we can try something else.
   
   As much as I loved my education, I do remember being a bit bored from time to time. I remember a math teacher in junior high sending me off to work ahead on my own for the remainder of the semester while he backtracked with the rest of the class. That exact class was what brought me to love mathematics, when I could do it at my own pace, teaching myself.



3. "Would you send a young child out as a missionary?"
   
   This was a powerful question brought up by one of our friends. We cannot completely shelter our children from the world, but we can be right beside them helping them see God’s perspective through it. Believe me, just hanging out with the neighborhood kids has provided many an opportunity to see the world already.



4. Finally I will quote from two books because I like they way they explain it. There’s a wealth of information on the internet about homeschooling and many great books too, but I wouldn’t want to overwhelm you, like I am, so we’ll stick to just two.
   
   The first is my all time favorite book about homeschooling, So You’re Thinking About Homeschooling by Lisa Welchel.
   
   "Homeschooling is not necessarily the best option for everyone. But I do believe it is such a fabulous alternative that no one should reject it without first looking full into the face of it....
   
   I understand what must be swirling around in your mind if you are even considering educating your children at home: Is it even legal? How much will it cost? Can I really teach my children? Will I ruin them for life? What about what I don’t know? What about what I don’t know I don’t know? Will my kids become social misfits? What will my mother-in-law think? Will I go crazy in the process? What if I need to work outside the home? Must I have twelve children, raise goats, and bake my own bread? Where do I start?
   
   You’ve already started. Think about it. Who taught your child how to walk? How to use a spoon? How to go potty like a big boy? Did you send your children away to an institution to learn their ABC’s, count their ten little Indians, or speak in complete sentences? I’ve considered hiring a professional to teach my children to brush their teeth, clean their rooms, and get along with each other but I doubt it would yield any better results. What makes parents think that once our children reach the age of five, we are no longer capable of teaching them?"
   
   The second is one of the books that influenced Lane’s decision about homeschooling, at least for the early years, Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson:
   
   "Research shows that if immature boys in particular can be kept home for a few more years and shielded from the impact of social pressure, they tend to be more confident, more independent, and often emerge as leaders three or four years later.
   
   If acquainting children with ridicule, rejection, physical threats, and the rigors of the pecking order is necessary to socialize our children, I’d recommend that we keep them 'unsocialized' for a little longer."

So there you have it. I am uncertain that I will have the organization and patience to make it really work. Being a teacher has never been a job that I saw myself doing, but isn’t God funny that way sometimes? He really has changed my heart on it over the years. I am finally excited and want to do this. I cannot believe how amazing it is already to help JD as he figures out how to read simple words. Even Matt amazes us with how much he is soaking up by listening in to the preschool time.

Children really are so amazing. I look forward to being here learning with them for just as long as God wants me to be, whether that’s one year or many more.