Why Homeschool?!

One of the main reasons I decided to try documenting our lives through this blog is because our family is seriously considering the idea of homeschooling for the next academic year. We've done research, talked with lots of people (on all sides of the issue!), and even done a "homeschool trial period" to see how our days would actually flow. Right now, I'm at a stage where I think it's important that we write down what our goals would be, including a mission statement for the upcoming year. Having things in writing always makes me feel like it's more official -- and hopefully I can use it as a reference on the "not so good" days when I ask myself "why?!" we are doing this. (As a disclaimer - if/when the time comes when I decide to share this blog with friends and family -- please know that the reasoning below is applicable to MY family, and has no bearing on what I think others should do with THEIR family.)

The number one reason, above and beyond all others is TIME. There are so many directions that I could go with this - but what it boils down to is that I love to spend time with my children, and frankly, when they spend over 7 hours a day in a school, I don't get to spend enough time with them. People of my grandparent's age are constantly saying things to me like "enjoy them while they are little, you will blink one day and they will all be grown up and moved out!". Which makes me realize, while my kids are still little now, that won't be the case forever, and I refuse to wake up one day and regret that I didn't give them enough of my time. I gave up a career path that I was passionate about because I value time with my family above all other worldly pursuits, and it doesn't make sense to alter my values when the kids reach an age that society has arbitrarily deemed "appropriate" to start public school.

While the kids were in public school, I spent a lot of this precious time trying to supplement their (lack of) ACADEMIC teachings. They would get home around 3:30, tired and exhausted from a full day of school, and because it was evident that they weren't learning anything, I would spend the next several hours teaching them how to read, write, do mathematics, etc. By the time we completed these tasks, it would be a mad rush to get dinner ready, prepare the home for Dave's arrival from work, and prevent all sorts of caused-by-pure-exhaustion meltdowns! By keeping the kids home for schooling I will be able to individually tailor their educational curriculum to their ability, and ensure that they actually learn something during the instructional day. We'll avoid schooling during times when they are sick, tired, or ill-prepared for instruction - and ensure that we have time to spend together as a family in a non-rushed, non-chaotic atmosphere.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 says "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." The bible tells me to teach my children about God all throughout my day -- yet how am I to fulfill this commandment if my children are not with me during my day? In the public schools my children are not even allowed to learn about their Savior - yet the bible clearly instructs me to ensure that God is at the center of all things.

In Luke 6:40 it states, "A student is not above his TEACHER, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." This leads me to question who I want my children to emulate... which teacher do I want them to be like? Would I choose a randomly assigned public-school teacher for them as a role-model, or would I choose myself and Dave, the ones God saw fit to bless with the privilege and responsibility of raising these precious little children? Of course I have bad moments... I'd like to pretend that I'm perfect, but I realize that I am far from perfection. Yet, I know that my imperfections are loved by Jesus just the same, and that even with my imperfections I'd rather let God work through Dave and myself, than leave my children's primary upbringing to a stranger.

Some additional reasons include being able to PROTECT THEIR INNOCENCE for just a little while longer as well as INFLUENCE WHOM THEY BEFRIEND. Before sending them off to the public schools the kids adored watching Signing Times, Go Diego, and Sid the Science Kid on TV. After just one year in the system those were no longer the "cool" shows, but Hannah Montana, SpongeBob SquarePants, and the Twilight characters were the names my kindergartener was dropping. (Thankfully after just a few weeks of summer vacation, we're back to thinking Sid isn't so bad again!) I realize that they will be exposed to "real life" and friendships outside of my control eventually, I would just prefer to defer it to a time when they are more mature and better able to comprehend what they are seeing and hearing, and consequentially, able to understand why certain actions are not embraced or acceptable in our family.

Lastly, I realize that we can REEVALUATE this decision at any point in time, and if it doesn't work - we send them back to public school! The world won't end and life will go on... but in the meantime, I will get the opportunity to spend a little extra time with my kiddos and experiment with something (homeschool!) that I've felt pulling at my heart strings for a long time now.

So - with the above established, here are Dave and my broad goals for our homeschool:

• Instill in our children a passion for learning, so that they choose to become life-long learners through higher education and beyond
• Help them develop desirable character traits including compassion, respect, confidence, honesty, humbleness, and a servant's heart
  
• Show them the importance of both God and family in their lives, so that their actions reflect that importance

Does it sound like we have fully embraced the homeschool option?! Truthfully, we are still thinking and praying about this potential endeavor all the time. Although we are right on the edge of the pool, ready to jump in - we still have some reservations. Thankfully I've been in contact with a local homeschool support group and I'm hopefully that these new friends will help persuade us that we can do this (or at least attempt it!). And every time I read my above reasoning, I become more convinced that this is the right option for our family...