Why I Homeschool

The picture looks gloomy right? Actually it is fog with the morning sun peeking through. DJ took this photo as part of his photography lessons. So that gets me to the point of Why I Homeschool.

I like homeschooling because my kids can focus on things they enjoy learning about, plus the basic elements of education. Of course we learn math, science, language arts, and all the rest, but we can be more detail oriented about the things they each love to learn about. I can not believe how much DJ has progressed since Sept when he did his first photography lesson. Sometimes it is time consuming, but he enjoys it, and I get all kinds of cool pictures to show off. Caitlin is just starting to blossom into what she enjoys learning about most. A lot of the stuff kids learn in public school is stuff they will never ever use, or even need to know. So why teach it? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

This is a weekly meme sponsored by Miss Moe, so be sure to check out her blog, to see why she homeschools.

Why I Homeschool

Each Wednesday, Miss Moe, has challenged me to write about why I chose to homeschool. Of course there are so many reasons, why I chose this path, but one of them is because I find society to be so judgemental. Everyone it seems finds the need to judge others for their looks, clothes, religion beliefs or lack of, finances, sexuality, morals or rules they live by, etc. These are all things I do not want my children to do. I may not agree with the way someone else lives or does things, but it is not my place to judge them. I would still be kind, compassionate, and caring to anyone. The only exception would be if you somehow earned my distrust. I don't want my children to learn to be cruel and unkind to others because someone else says they should be, or says that person is living in a way that is wrong. I do not know one person who is perfect, or has lived a life of pure innocence free of sin. Even as a homeschooler we face judgement from other homeschoolers. If you don't teach from a religious point of view, are not conservative enough, or you speak your mind in a bold manner, you may be shunned. I think it is a shame that homeschoolers, which is not an easy task to uptake, are forced to deal with judgement from other homeschoolers. It makes me sad to think about it.

YOU Homeschool, Why?

You wouldnt believe how many people ask me that question. Some in a rude manner, it is like homeschooling is dirty, or in some way secretive. I did not choose to homeschool, to isolate my children, and make them into some kind of weirdos, a general misconception, I am finding. I chose to homeschool for several reasons. When I became a mother, at the ripe old age of 31, I decided I wanted to be a stay at home mom. The first 3 yrs of my sons life, that was not possible. Day care was an awful experience, in my opinion. Then when I became pregnant, with my second child, I told my husband, I want to work nights, and only 2 nights a week. We have been doing that ever since. While I am tired, and just a little grumpy the nights I have to work, it is wonderful to be able to stay home with my children. Then my son had to start kindergarten. We were in Florida then, and I was not very fond of the school system. Another misconception, is that people think we are snobs, and just think our kids are better than others, again not true. My problems with the school system, have more to do with me, than the actual system itself, though I dont think anyone who lives in Florida can deny that the school system is really not that good. We did the public school thing, right until the start of second grade. My son excelled, and there was no learning issues. However, when we bought the new home, and moved to another school district, a much better school I might add, we found out that there were only 3 bus stops in the whole town. That meant my son would get on the bus at 7 am, and not get home until 3:45 pm, then with the walk home, in thunder lightning, pouring rain etc, it would be 4 pm. I found this to be very unacceptable, and was quite frankly appalled. The school said, well you can always bring him and pick him up. Yes true, but with only one car, and my husband works 5 days a week, not a real good option either. I had always wanted to homeschool anyway. I have never been a fan of the public school system, not even when I was in it. So we took the plunge, and we are happy we did. There is always the issue of socialization, as I stated at the beginning, they will become isolated nerds or something. I personally do not believe peer relationships are nearly as important, as family is. My son keeps in touch, with two of his good friends from his old school. He made several new friends playing youth baseball, and interacts well with all children on any public outings we do. My 4 yr old, is the one I need to be more aggressive with. She really doesnt have any children her age to play with. There are no small children that live near us, but I did just find a local homeschool group, so I hope that will be beneficial. I can always send both of them, to a local daycare, three days a week for an hr or so, for socialization. I may choose that option, should the homeschool group not be feasible. So when people ask me YOU homeschool, why this long winded answer is what they get. If they are still listening when I am done, they will see that I love being with my children, teaching them, learning from them, and that it was the best choice for us.