There are so many reasons why my husband and I homeschool our two boys. It would almost be easier to explain why we don’t send our children to traditional school.
I prefer to promote the positives of homeschooling, so here, in no particular order, are the many reasons why we homeschool our children.
We see what traditional schooling produces.
My husband and I have a unique vantage point. We are both certified middle and high school teachers. We have a combined 20 years of teaching in public and private schools. While the elementary schools tend to be better about active learning, the multiple middle and high schools we taught at often had more of an emphasis on having fun in school than learning and preparing for life.
My husband and I now work for a college textbook publisher and we watch the textbooks get watered down more and more as students are not able to handle the material a college student could decades ago. We see a lot of college students who are more concerned about their “college experience,” sporting events, and parties than preparing for a career and the real world.
Because of our intimate involvement with the world of academia, we wanted to take the reins of our children’s education.
We wanted our children to love to learn.
We never hear, “Will this be on the test?” Our children have not been trained that you learn some facts for a test and then quickly forget them because there will soon be another test.
Children are naturally curious. They were made this way so that they could learn about the world around them. Homeschooling doesn’t squash this curiosity but rather embraces it and follows it. For example, if your child is interested in dinosaurs, you can get books and videos from the library and visit dinosaur museums. They will see that learning is fun and exciting. This will create a lifelong learner, instead of stopping when there are no more tests to take.
Nothing makes us smile more than when our kids beg to read at night or when their Christmas list is full of educational items. I’ll never forget doing chemistry experiments with my son on Christmas day who was so excited to use his new science kit!
Homeschooling helps strengthen their faith.
There is no guarantee that your children will keep their faith if homeschooled, however, the statistics are definitely in their favor. You can read a great article on the statistics of homeschooled students keeping their beliefs into adulthood. A big take away from it is this: 87% of study participants who were homeschooled said they have strong Christian beliefs. Conversely, Millennials who were enrolled in public schools or private Christian schools were more likely to walk away from the faith later in life.
Children should learn and grow at their own pace.
My children can excel far beyond their “grade level” in some subjects and take their time to grasp understanding in more difficult subjects. There is no concept of being “behind” because we are not comparing ourselves to an entire classroom of children. It is only natural that some kids are great in math but struggle with writing, and vice versa. There is no shame in this at all. Every one of us has strengths and weaknesses and we can recognize them and work on them.
I also want to help my children find their true calling and develop those talents. As we see a love of science develop, we look for opportunities to learn and grow in this field. This will either help our son learn that he doesn’t want to pursue a career in science or it will help him to be more prepared to know exactly what type of scientific career interests him.
We feel it is our duty as parents to educate our children.
As believers and doers of the Bible, we believe that we are supposed to live out the various verses that discuss educating your children. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 talks about constantly and consistently teaching and talking with your children.
I realize that some parents say that they cannot afford to homeschool. That is one reason why this website exists, to provide ways to financially support your homeschool. It may also be necessary to sacrifice financially in order to reap the rich rewards of homeschooling.
And here is an ongoing list of many other reasons we homeschool…
- We like being with our children.
- We can choose the curriculum that best suits each child.
- We can infuse a Biblical worldview into every subject.
- Our family is very close and speaks our own language through books and things we’ve learned together.
- Tons of field trips!
- No time constraints.
- Tutoring is the most effective form of education.
- Our children receive a superior education for less money.
- We can take a vacation or visit family whenever we would like.
- Great discussions around the dinner table.
- Avoiding mainstream ideologies we do not agree with.
- We can quickly observe and correct behavior.
- Our children do not go with the crowd, but rather have their own unique interests.
- No bullying, negative peer pressure, school shootings, and other major negative elements found in traditional schools.