I know my closest friends know that I’ve been pondering and praying about the idea of homeschooling my kids for some time now!
And now here we are, coming up on another school year, and once again, I’m standing at the edge of this homeschooling cliff.
Dare I jump?
I couldn’t bring myself to do it last year for first grade.
Or the year before that for kindergarten.
I wanted to, both times…..but I’m staring over the edge of that cliff, and I’m not really sure what’s down there.
Public school, I kinda feel secure with that….been there, came out ok….and I really, really, really do like our elementary school. At least, I should say, I know what to expect. It may not be ideal, but I know what to expect.
If I were to homeschool, let me clarify that it is definitely NOT because I have any kind of negative opinion about our school.
Now, our Middle School, that’s a different story, and by 6th grade you can be guaranteed that I will be one denim-jumper-wearing, violin-playing, 15-passenger-van-driving, herb-growing homeschooling momma* because my child will NOT, I repeat, NOT be going to that school.
*Except for the denim jumper and the van.
*And probably the violin.
IF I were to homeschool, it would be more about the ‘Pros’ than necessarily avoiding the ‘Cons’ (at least for elementary school)
….more quality time with my girl who desperately longs for it,
….more peace since we’d have less time-constraints,
….more experiences because I could pick and choose which field trips to take and we could actually take our time and appreciate, say, the Art Museum, rather than being shuffled through like cattle,
….more rest because she would be finished with ‘school’ LOOOOONG before 3:00 pm,
….more of me being in control of my child’s education,
….more Bible curriculum (significantly more than the ‘zero’ she will get at public school)
….I LOVE to learn, and would love to share that with my kiddos.
I could go on and on.
So just for the sole purpose of conversation….what do you think about homeschooling?
If you do it…why?
If not….why not?
My only requirement is that if you are anti-homeschooling, just please spare me the ‘socialization’ argument….you know, that “homeschoolers are just so socially awkward…”
Please. As if *NO* public school kids are awkward??? NONE of them? Public school is just a monoculture of super coolness? The absolute cure for being geeky? Come on now….
I’d be willing to bet that we all went to high school with several dorky socially-awkward types and could probably name them by first and last name even after all these years.
And believe it or not (you may want to sit down before you read my next statement because it is so incredibly monumental that you might faint)…
…I’ve actually met more than one homeschooled person who turned out……. dare I say it……. NORMAL? Normal as in, wears clothing that isn’t necessarily a homemade denim jumper and may even at times be considered stylish AND can function and possibly even carry on a conversation in a variety of social situations.
I know that comes as a huge shock to you as it did to me.
So avoiding dorkyness isn’t reason enough for me to NOT homeschool.
And if you have no opinion on the subject, just for fun, read this post and the 800+ comments after it.
Whichever side of the homeschooling argument you stand on, its guaranteed to make your day. 🙂
I love the idea of homeschooling. My husband was home schooled from the end of junior high through high school graduation. He's an excellent special ed teacher working on two masters degrees. I hope you end up doing it. 🙂
Homeschooling seems to either work out incredibly well or not at all, so I think what's really important is that you're the sort of person who is able to be honest about how things are going, if you do. <br />We'd always planned on homeschooling our children. Always. Our oldest child – even at three! – was dead-set against the idea, and so we had to take that into account. We MIGHT –
You can do it! I am admittedly biased but when my girls were younger, we used Five in a Row and loved it. We are still part of a small group that started out centered around FIAR-those families are now among our dearest friends.<br /><br />FIAR has message boards here: http://www.fiarhq.com/~gbprnhrz/forum/index.php<br />You can ask questions and get a feel for how it works by looking around
You know I have a 9 mth old little boy – I call him my little vegemite…..I am a born and bred Aussie living in the US with my husband who is American…..schooling is a huge issue and I see more and more mums who are debating the same as you are. I think about it too because I am not in favor of alot of what I see here school wise…..sorry!!! I think that if you can do it, and if your kids
This would be the perfect year to try it…if she doesn't like it, go back..as long as you do it before TAKS..so she wouldn't have to take it in the summer…But, I'll bet you'll love it…Again, I wish I would have done it…
Of course you know that we do homeschool. I could not and would not tell any one that it is right for them because I don't know. All I know is that it is sooooo working for us. I have been able to watch Grayson grow so much this year. <br />The geeky and nerdy comments of homeschoolers is so off base. Like you said , we all know people like that and they were not homeschooled. My thought is,
I was homeschooled from 2nd grade-highschool…. I loved it! I now have 3 kids of my own and have started homeschooling with them. We all love it. This yr (as it was just kindergarten with the oldest) was really laid back. I would like to try the My Father's World program when we start "for real" in the fall. We choose to homschool because we want be the ones training and leading
All I can contribute at this point is this…<br /><br />As we are about to begin our homeschool journey this year…in 6th and 10th grades, and as I have spent hour upon hour researching homeschooling, I have repeatedly told my husband that I sooo wish we had started earlier! <br /><br />For more reasons than I can even begin to list!<br /><br />I am very excited, but at the same time, I am
If you decide to homeschool, make sure you know exactly WHY you are homeschooling your children. If you choose to homeschool b/c it sounds fun and you've always wanted to do it, even though those are good reasons, long term success is not likely. If you are homeschooling out of conviction rather than preference, then you WILL be successful. <br /><br />Some things to check out:<br />
I'm a grandmother so my perspective may be different. When I was raising my child, homeschooling was practically unheard of where we live. Now there are numerous families HSing and I must tell you the children seem so well-adjusted, socially adept, and intellectually able. Several have gone on to college where they did very well. I can think of only one family whose children did not blossom
A few more things to check out:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq_tcyPV7Vg&feature=related <br />The Socialization Trap by: Rick Boyer<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWGsj5NgZ5Y&feature=related<br />ANY book about homeschooling by Raymond Moore
Great words for thought…I'm considering homeschooling because I refuse to deal with the politics and insane money required for just preschool entry in the Bay Area! <br /><br />I've met many homeschooled children and they are very intelligent, sociable, and articulate.
You've GOT to read this one:<br />http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2009/6/25_Top_Five_REasons_Not_to_Send_Your_Kids_Back_to_Govt._School.html