Seven Reasons We Keep Homeschooling
Every family has a tipping point, something that makes them decide to homeschool. But the most important question is why we continue.
Here are the top seven reasons we KEEP homeschooling:
1. Total freedom from schedules. We really can take family vacations whenever we want. We can go places when the lines are short, when crowds are smaller, and can enjoy things at a more leisurely pace. We can make our school year fit our life. For example, if I have a baby in January, we can take a few months a little lighter then and pick up the pace in the summer.
2. We can cater to the children’s strengths and avoid any senseless busywork. I never liked busywork and came to despise it when my oldest daughter came home from school one day with the assignment to write all her spelling words 25 times each as a class punishment for being too loud. I was frustrated because my daughter was a stellar speller, and this punishment did not fit the problem at all. Instead of controlling the class, the children were sent home, where our whole family’s plans had to be adjusted for this one assignment. Now, we homeschool, and I still do not have my children do things which have no benefit for their education.
3. We can tutor them in their struggles. If they have a hard time with learning their times tables, we can simply review them longer, take more time for them, and eventually have them down pat. If they struggle with spelling or reading or memorizing, we can work together to find a way to make learning better possible.
4. We can do what it takes to help them be healthy. We can adjust diets for a child with food allergies. We can unapologetically let them sleep the right amount for their bodies. We can help them find exercise that they love and school them on handwashing. We can also use whatever alternative treatments we like for common illnesses, such as essential oils, herbal remedies, and letting low-grade fevers run their course. If they need to rest a bit and skip some schoolwork, no one is stuck making up days and days of work after missing classes. We can be sure they spend time outside in the fresh air and sunshine.
5. We can choose the priorities. We put the discipline of Bible study and the art of getting along with one another higher than other life basics. We don’t think math and reading are unimportant; we just think spiritual training and character are more important.
6. In addition to all the benefits, we also are free to serve. When my elderly parents needed constant help, my teen daughters were able to step in, take their schoolwork along, and help their grandparents. The girls have also offered free childcare to moms who needed it, even if it was during their normal school hours. They could double up some subjects on other days or work outside traditional school hours.
7. I love having them with me. I love seeing them learn things for the first time, and I am excited to be the one they share their new discoveries with. I also love learning alongside them. The things they are learning are enriching my life as well as their own.
Malia Russell is the blessed wife to Duncan, thankful mother to six children, ages 5-27, a grandmother, and an author, conference speaker, and director of www.homemaking911.com. She has home-educated her children since 2000 and has been blogging at Homemaking 911 since 2007.
