I get asked this question ALL.The.TIME! At the beginning I didn’t really know what to say because my reasons “why” were so personal. But now 3.5 years later…I am happy to share!
At the beginning, I had many experiences with being ashamed to tell people that I homeschooled. Especially my extended family. My immediate family, maybe didn’t understand at the beginning, but they were very supportive! My in-laws homeschooled all of their kids, so they were happy to see that I joined the posse. BUT I have extended family that probably still do not understand why I do this. They probably think I am damaging my kids, making them socially awkward, not teaching them the things they need to know for their future, etc. etc. There are so many preconceived notions that people have …. and I have heard them all!
I do understand where people are coming from…I used to be THAT person. I didn’t understand why people would homeschool — until it was MY kid.
When I first started I even wrote down all the reasons why I decided to do this…you know – so I wouldn’t forget! This is what I wrote to myself:
1) Trynitee’s anxiety is at an all time high to go to school. She has always LOVED school and has always looked forward to going, but there is something different about this year and she now cries every morning, has stomach aches and really does not want to go to school.
2) I have felt like teaching my kids at home for a long time, but also wanted Tryn to go to first grade because she loved school…now that school is giving her so much stress this has confirmed my prompting that I need to teach at home at this time.
3) Safety of my children.
4) Bullying — even by her own friends — even on the bus.
5) I want to teach her and emphasize her strengths, instead of a “one size fits all” classroom.
6) I’m excited to do extra hands-on experiences and experiments with my children.
7) I have a hard time with Tryn being gone more than she is home.
8) I am at a point in my life where I can teach at home and want to teach at home.
9) And probably the most important reason, is that Tryn and I both want to do this and are excited to teach/learn together. There is no better place to teach a child their full potential than in the home (this is, of course, what I believe).
So I wrote this to myself on October 8, 2013, which was the same week that I started homeschooling Tryn. I have not looked back! In fact I only look ahead to all the possibilities that we have together.
Many of my reasons are the same as they were back when I started. Some have changed and many reasons have grown. I know that I am doing the right thing for my family right now. It may change in the future, but I honestly love homeschooling more than I ever thought I could! I love to teach, I love to see my kids learn, and I love that we can do both in our home together.
