We are a homeschooling family and WE LOVE IT! We believe in the rightness of it and in the educational advantage of it. And give us half a chance and we’ll be trying to convince you to homeschool, too!
Now don’t get me wrong–I get frustrated and overwhelmed with my children sometimes, too, but I have to remember the window of time I have them in my care is incredibly, heart-breakingly brief!
And tell me, when’s the last time you heard some aged person say, “If I could go back and do it all over again, I would not have spent so much time with my kids!”
When I’m old, I can’t say I won’t have any regrets, but I will be able to say I gave the best of my time to my children while they were in my home and under my care.
Christian parents can teach their children the Bible and the ways of God whether they homeschool or not, but certainly time constraints make it more of a challenge when children are spending hours in school everyday. When my oldest two were in Christian school I had wonderful intentions of doing regular Bible study with them, but it rarely happened. Mornings were absolute CHAOS as we tried to get out the door for school and afternoons were rushed as we hurried back to pick up two exhausted little girls. Then it was suppertime. Then there was cleanup. Then there was laundry. Then it was bedtime. And far too often days would pass without much talk about the things of God at all!
But when I have my children home with me all day every day, I have far more opportunity to teach them the things I most want them to learn. And what’s more, I can weave God and the Bible into every subject throughout the course of the day, presenting each one in the light of God’s Word. How awesome is that?
I truly believe many parents would be surprised and disturbed to find out what their children are learning in their schools, viewpoints and attitudes that run contrary to everything they believe as individuals. Like it or not, the most involved parent in the world cannot control everything their child is exposed to when they are outside of their supervision for hours each day. But even if your child’s teacher is your best friend and their school’s principal is a devout Christian whom you know personally, that in no way protects your kids from the awful influences that may surround them on a daily basis, even in a Christian school.
But I have the benefit of knowing exactly what my children are learning, both from their teacher and their fellow students. The curriculum has been approved by ME, not some school board who doesn’t know me or my values. And I know the background of the kid sitting next to my little guy or gal, (since I’m raising that one, too,) and so I don’t have to live in fear of the inappropriate jokes he’ll be telling or stories he’ll be sharing or music he’ll be singing. That’s a level of protection the best parent in the world can’t provide when their child is regularly outside the care of the home.
An age-based, one-size-fits-all approach to schooling simply cannot provide the most effective form of education. All children of the same age do not and cannot perform on an equal level or progress at an equal rate. In a traditional school, exceptionally bright students are often left unchallenged and never permitted to reach their potential while slow learners just fall through the cracks.
But with homeschooling, I can hold a struggling child back as long as it takes for them to grasp the material we’re covering, all without the stigma that normally goes along with being “held back” or moved to an “LD” class. At the same time, if I have a child who excels, I can skip ahead in the material or add material to challenge them.
If I have an artsy child, (and I do,) I can offer more opportunities to nurture that talent. If I have an aspiring writer, (and I do,) I can encourage and challenge them with more creative writing assignments. Even the best teachers at the best public or private schools in the nation cannot provide that kind of tailored education to every individual student.
In the beginning I truly believed homeschooling and all the time we were about to spend together would leave us utterly sick of one another! How amazing to find that the opposite has been true! I honestly don’t know that our family has ever been closer.
Do my children fight sometimes? Of course! Do I get aggravated with them sometimes? I don’t think I’d be human if I didn’t! But rather than driving us all to despise one another, I truly believe the time spent together has helped us appreciate and tolerate our differences more. As I’ve learned patience with my children, they’ve learned patience with each other, (and probably with me, too!) And it seems we can focus more now on the joy of being together.
I love it when I hear my children say how much they love our family. They don’t seek to be away from it or roll their eyes at the mention of a “family trip”. For them, “family” means love and security and joy that’s worth some of the minor personality conflict that sometimes comes along with it.
“It’s a tough job,” they might say, “but we get great benefits.”
Val Young says
Amen!
Neighbor Chick says
Your kids are very fortunate to live such a great environment. You are being a wonderful example!! Have a lovely day.
Neighbors About Town Blog
kentuckysketches says
Our home isn't perfect, but I always want it to be a safe haven for my kids!
Thank you so much for visiting!
Jennifer Ellis says
So much truth in this post! We are much closer as a family since we've been homeschooling. I can't imagine life any other way. There really is so much joy in teaching our children!
kentuckysketches says
So true, Jennifer! Just a few years ago I would have told you I would never homeschool…now my heart breaks at the thought of what I might have missed! It's been such an incredible blessing!
Thank you for dropping by!
LaVonne Long says
Tanya, this is a great post about why you homeschool. I really enjoyed it. I too will be homeschooling my daughter. She is starting Kindergarten in the fall. I am a bit scared, overwhelmed, and excited all at once. But this is best for our family.
kentuckysketches says
Homeschooling is an adventure! Be prepared to learn much more than your Kindergartener! 😉 And be prepared for incredible blessings along the way…
I'm so happy to hear of your choice to homeschool. I wish you the absolute best in it!
Margo says
Well said, and some good points! I enjoy your writing style. Would love for you to share at our link party which starts at 9:00pm EST on Wednesday nights!
http://joyfulhomemaking.com
kentuckysketches says
Thank you so much! I would love the opportunity to join in your link up. Thanks for the invitation! And thank you for stopping by today!
Jessy says
Stopping by from The Hip Homeschool Hop! What a GREAT list! I will be starting my 10th year homeschooling this fall. It's never completely easy, but it's so POSITIVE is SO many ways. This year in particular, with all the significant changes in our family, will mean more time to heal as a family. Thanks so much for sharing! Love your cute blog!
kentuckysketches says
Thank you so much! You've been homeschooling for TWICE as long as I have, so my hat's off to you! It's been one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do, (especially in the beginning,) but it has become one of the greatest blessings of my life.
I wish you the best in your coming year! Thanks so much for stopping by!
momstheword says
This is great! I can't even pick a favorite thing to comment on!
I used to hear people say "I can't homeschool because I'm not patient. You must be soooo patient" a lot too. I used to tell people that you LEARN patience. After all, you can't effectively homeschool your children when you're screaming at them, lol!
I remember how my friends would start to get really stressed out when vacations or summer was coming because they said that they didn't know what they were going to do with their kids all day.
I would just laugh because my kids were with me all day long and I loved it! Of course, it had its moments as you said, lol! Thanks so much for linking up to the "Making Your Home Sing Monday" linky party! 🙂
kentuckysketches says
Thank you so much for the opportunity! I'm still new to link ups and enjoying the connection with other bloggers SOOO much!
And thank you for your kind words. Homeschooling has been an adventure and I've found such incredible BLESSING along the way!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Carrie says
Great post. I am so thankful for the privilege of homeschooling!
Thanks for linking this up to Think Tank Thursday. I have featured you today.
http://www.saving4six.com/2013/07/welcome-to-think-tank-thursday-38.html
kentuckysketches says
Thank you so much for the opportunity! And for featuring me today as well! I still feel fairly new to link ups and I'm LOVING connecting with other moms this way!