As a homeschool mom who has also had children spend quite a bit of time in both a public school & private school settings, I believe I have a unique view of education that many homeschool moms may not. So here are my top 25 reasons we went with homeschooling.
1. You can start at whatever time you want.
No more stressful ungodly early mornings, unless you prefer it that way! (Our house was up every morning at 4am to get everyone to the bus stop by 6:20am)
2. You can end whenever you want.
Have something planned for the day? Stop early. Having too much fun? Keep it going. It’s entirely up to you!
3. You can condense your learning into manageable increments.
6 hour days are simply not necessary. (2 of my 4 kids absolutely can not handle 6 hours 5 days a week)
4. You can take breaks whenever you want.
No more notes from the teacher about your wiggle worm. Frequent breaks are welcome at home! (Quick bike rides, skate board breaks etc.)
5. Your kids can learn whatever they want.
Children learn so much better when they actually have a say in what they learn about.
6. No standardized test-based education.
Standardized tests have completely removed any effectiveness schools may have still possessed. (1 of my 4 would start crying for days when they found out standardized test days were coming up, so terrified of them because a teacher told them last year they scored poorly)
7. Your kids are free from negative influences.
I worry more about the socialization of kids in public school than I ever would about a homeschooled child. (Example: when attending public school my kids came home using language I didn’t want to know even existed, and when I asked the teacher about it she simply said we can’t stop them its free speech and they have the right to express themselves.)
8. Your kids are free from questionable curriculum.
Homeschool families have complete control over what their children learn. We recognize that education is about learning, not social engineering.
9. Your kids are free from questionable teaching.
It’s no secret that there are more than a few teachers who would rather spout off their political views to a captive audience, instead of actually teaching. (Growing I experienced several teachers who did this)
10. Your kids are safe from school bullies.
With the number of children who are committing suicide because of being bullied, I’m astounded that so many parents still believe that it’s better to let kids face adversity in school as a life lesson, rather than protecting them.
11. Your child is safe from increasing school violence.
From school shootings to drugs to assaults, I’m only too happy that my kids are safe at home.
12. You can embrace your child’s individuality.
Face it. Not all kids want to learn the same thing, and not all kids learn the same way. Homeschooling easily solves that problem.
13. Your child can learn at their own pace.
Schools have to keep things moving at a steady pace because they have so many students. Unfortunately, too many kids are held back, while others are left behind. Or pushed forward with zero skills to be successful in the next grade level.
14. There’s no mad morning rush.
No need to frantically locate shoes, homework, toothbrushes, and coats that were honestly laid out the night before.
15. There’s no after-school frenzy.
No more being bombarded by papers for after-school programs, questions about homework, and siblings squabbling to make up for lost time.
16. You won’t be guilted into signing up your child for every single after-school enrichment program known to man.
“But, Mom! My teacher said if we don’t take this class we won’t get a “proficient” on our PSSAs!”
17. No more fundraisers.
Enough said.
18. You have the freedom to stay up late whenever you want to or need to.
After all, you can always sleep in.
19. You don’t have to ask permission to take your kids on vacation.
It boggles my mind that parents have to answer to principals over whether or not their kids are “allowed” to go on vacation.
20. You get playgrounds and museums all to yourself.
As a mom of many, it is such a relief to not have to try to keep an eye on my kids in the midst of a slew of other kids. Plus you usually meet other awesome homeschool families!
21. Your kids will have the benefit of one-on-one learning.
Schools simply can’t offer that. If you give your child just 15 minutes of one-on-one time that’s 95% (possibly even 98%) more than they would get at public school.
22. Your children will get a superior education.
Children who are interested and engaged will invariably learn so much better than children who are simply talked to at all day and assigned textbook pages to complete.
23. Your kids will have more time to be kids.
When your children don’t have others telling them how to dress, how to act, and who to like, they can grow up free to develop at their own pace and just enjoy being kids.
24. Your kids have a chance to develop hobbies.
When your children don’t come home as burnt out zombies they have free time to take music lessons, singing lessons, art lessons, build a wood project, make jewelry….do anything that interests them. They are all things that lead to great new life skills.
25. YOU cannot fail.
NO ONE love your kids more than YOU. You are the superhero. You know exactly what makes your child tick and how to reach them. When we first started homeschooling I was terrified I would let them down that somehow I was not qualified to do this. BUT that was just a huge lie straight from the devil. God gave ME these children and therefore I AM more than qualified because God chose ME! Guess what? That means so are YOU!
Homeschooling is not all rainbows and sunshine. There are REALLY tough days, but that’s just life and what a FANTASTIC learning experience those tough days turn out to be…you get to navigate those days TOGETHER. Your kids will see you totally lose it, but they’ll also see you turn around with humility and love to say hey I’m sorry let’s start over.