The Whys Behind Our Decision to Homeschool
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I’m not sure we fit the stereotypical homeschool family mold (although we seem to be heading that way with our country living and growing family…) when it comes to our decision to homeschool, and I wanted to share some of our reasons here.
To explain the whys of our decision, let me start by telling you a bit about myself.
I had the privilege of attending a Montessori school until 8th grade, and that experience played a huge part in who I am today. I then attended a public school followed by a Christian school and finished out high school at home through the University of Nebraska’s High School Correspondence program.
Another important thing to know is that I love school. Despite the fact that worksheets and desk work are pretty much the antithesis of the Montessori philosophy, I love those things. And I loved my college classes (which were just as eclectic as my high school experience, with community college, CLEP tests, university classes and online coursework rounding out the lot). I would be a professional student if I had the time and money, and the list of degrees I would love to earn grows longer each year.
Reason #1
So I guess you could say that the number one reason I decided to homeschool (and really, it was a decision I made when I was 16 years old) was because I wanted my children to have a unique and rigorous education that challenged them and was tailored to their interests and strengths while helping them overcome their weaknesses.
Thankfully, my husband agreed, and we’ve always known we would homeschool our children.
Add to that the fact that we built a house on the lot we’d always dreamed of that just happens to be in one of the worst counties in one of the worst states in America, educationally speaking, and our decision was sealed.
Reason #2
Then I had kids, and you know what I realized? I realized that I don’t want to send them to someone else for 6-8 hours a day. I don’t want someone else to have the privilege of teaching them new things and watching their eyes light up when they discover something new. They’re still my babies, and I want them home with me. I’m sure I’ll have moments when that might not motivate me as much as it does now, but I also know that they’re going to graduate and leave my home soon enough as it is, and I plan to make the most of every moment with them in the meantime!
Reason #3
Which brings us to Reason #3: I want them to have time to just be kids. I think one reason kids end up overbooked these days is because they spend so much of their day at school, commuting to and from school and doing homework after school that it doesn’t really leave that much time for extracurricular activities or free time. Most experienced homeschoolers tell me that school should only take a couple of hours in these early years, which leaves plenty of time to just, you know, play.
Reason #4
If you’re expecting one of my reasons to be that I want to shelter my kids from that evils of this world and from non-Christian influences, I’m afraid I’m about to disappoint you. Our fourth reason for homeschooling is actually the exact opposite of that. I want to expose them to the real world and other belief systems. I want them to question and wrestle with their faith and deal with the hard questions. I just want to be there with them along the way to answer their questions, pray with and for them and use every opportunity I can to tackle those hard issues together!
So that, in a nutshell (depending on your definition of a nutshell, I suppose), sums up the reasons behind our decision to homeschool!
If you’re a homeschooler, I’d love to hear your reasons for homeschooling (and it really is okay if you disagree with any of mine!). And if you’ve consciously chosen not to homeschool, I’d love to hear your reasons too. Just remember please be respectful of other people’s decisions and their right to choose what they believe is best for their family!
My children are 20 and 3 months, respectively, and I am already constantly thinking about homeschooling. To be honest, the thoughts terrify me, but I feel like I’m being led in that direction. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences as our family considers the option of homeschooling.
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We have five kids, our oldest being 19, and have homeschooled all the way through…she is now a sophomore in college. We homeschool for the reasons you do, just different order. Our primary reason is our faith…not to shelter them from others (as you so eloquently put it) but to solidly introduce them to ours and then be able to think through everything else from our worldview. We also like that they have time to explore their interests…our oldest volunteered once a week in a first grade classroom and worked with an interior designer. Our second gets to explore her love of photography! We are just discovering the others’ loves, but we have time to see them develop!
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I completely agree.
Those are our reasons almost verbatim. I want my kids to be kids. I want to teach them… not someone else. I want them to know what they believe and why they believe it. And, pretty much everything else you just said.
Thanks, Mandi! I love it!
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Mandi, your reasons are great.
Some of our reasons are different - or maybe not. Maybe we’re just a little farther down the road than you are.
1. I want my kids to be friends. They aren’t off in different places all day, so they’re learning to cheer each other on, cry on each other’s shoulders, pick each other up and brush each other off. They read to each other, sing together, cook together, and hang out together. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
2. As they get old enough to have educational preferences, we have the time to let them really explore the bunny trails they want to explore. We’re not just box-checking.
3. When Dad’s schedule is crazy (always, in our family) we have the flexibility to rearrange everyone else’s day to maximize our time with him. This is no small deal.
I’ll think of more. Good topic, Mandi!
I especially like your reason #3, as that would be one of my main reason for choosing (and considering, at this moment), homeschooling.
Another reason for me is that I’m not sure I 100% believe in the school system. Ironically enough, just like you, I ADORE school, and would absolutely be a professional student if I had the time/money/energy.
However, I find that there is more and more of a push toward early academics with kids, heck, even toddlers, and even in elementary years, focus is often put on achievement and grades. In fact, studies have shown that homework might even be counterproductive before high school…
This being said, there certainly are great schools out there, if chosen careful. But that’s the thing - you gotta look for them, they may not be close-by, and often times, they are private, and therefore not always an option depending on one’s budget. My husband and I considered it (including Montessori), but we want 3-4 children, and we never could afford to send all of them to private school. Next best thing? Homeschool
I should mention that I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, too. Since I was about 4 years old. And it never went away - the only thing that changed was which grades I wanted to teach (from kindergarten to University), and the subjects
Hi Mandi - Let me start by saying I love your blogs. I’ve been following your Organizing Your Way blog for awhile and just started exploring your personal blog. Which leads me to my real comments…
I have two kids, ages 4yrs and 2yrs, and really want a 3rd. Hubby and I are negotiating on that one
I love the idea of homeschool and worry about my son a bit when he starts school. He’s an energetic boy who is 4yrs old and can read at a 3rd grade level - I’m not sure how school will handle that. Anyway, I’m curious how you find time to do all your blogging, plus organize school activities for your kids, plus not go insane? As it is I have trouble maintianing a clean and happy home, balancing the kids’ needs, hubby’s needs, and sneaking in a little alone time for myself. How do you juggle all of that??
Also, how do you handle objections from you kids. If you try to teach them something they aren’t interested in learning. Are there tips for that, or if they resist does it just mean they aren’t ready to learn it yet? Just curious. Perhaps future blog ideas
Thanks for taking the time to do all your great blogging! Good luck with doodle #4.
- Tessa (Lex & Eve)