Benefit of Homeschool

1) I like having control over what my children are learning.

This may be important to you if you have strong religious, moral or even political views. When your children are in public school you have no control over what they are being taught...if you can even figure out what they're being taught at all!

You may be able to review their schoolbooks and worksheets but as far as knowing what goes on in their day to day interactions with teachers, it's almost impossible to know what that is past the preschool and Kindergarten levels. Your child's teacher may be imparting subtle influences to your child that you would rather they not be exposed to...at least not yet, and not without the opportunity to impart those ideas through the screen of your own beliefs.

I remember a lot of "fluff" and busywork in school...time that had to be used up somehow until the bell rang. Homeschooling cuts out all the fluff. You can keep your curriculum limited to the basics if you want, or you can tailor the curriculum to fit your family's priorities. A lot of homeschool families include Bible and religious studies, character development, gardening, crafts and handiwork in their day. Useful life skills and entrepreneurship are often a priority of homeschooling families.

This leads me to reason #2...

2) It's in my child's best interests to be their primary teacher.

Since it's my responsibility to decide what's best for my child, I want to be the person to teach them. I know my children best...their learning style, their individual strengths and weaknesses as people, their age and level of development. I can build a homeschool curriculum that is best suited for them as individuals.

3) Homeschooling is not new or cutting-edge...it's ancient.

As a parent who is trying to do things the natural way, I can't help but notice that the entire idea of sending children off somewhere to be "schooled" is a new concept. I tend to shy away from things that are supposed to be so necessary and important for my kids that are actually new behaviors for human beings!

When did we get the idea that we needed to shuttle kids off somewhere to learn how to grow up to be successful, intelligent adults? Since the beginning of time, parents have taught their children the necessary life skills, character traits, stories, songs, history, and more that they needed to know in order to grow up well in their environment.

I believe that as a parent, that's my job. Just as a Mother is equipped to grow her baby in her womb, feed her infant from her body, she is also capable of teaching her child important life skills.

4) I homeschool my kids because I love them and want to keep them near me.

No, I'm not an overprotective "smother". I relish an hour or two spent away from the responsibilities of childrearing, as does any honest Mother! But it does concern me that sending my kids to school would mean having them away from my protective eyes at a very young, impressionable, tender age. The weekly (daily!?) news reports of child molestation in schools, bullying, racial strife, gangs, violence, etc. deeply offend me. I can only protect my children so much from these dangers in this world. Homeschooling is one thing I can do. Children are young for such a short time. They grow up so fast and soon fly away from the nest.

Homeschooling isn't for everyone, and public and private education have their place, but for my family, home is where it's at!