I was reading an Alpha Omega homeschooler's devotional this morning that was talking about reconnecting with your first passion for homeschooling. I could definitely relate--even though I told DH just last night that I wish it was already time to start back, I'm not looking forward to the inevitable struggles that come (when they don't want to work, when they get frustrated or don't listen, when something I thought sounded wonderful flops big-time, etc...). My boys, however, are cherishing these next three weeks of their summer break, so I'm not going to burst their bubble by starting sooner than I promised. I feel like now, three years into this, I'm better equipped to handle the disappointments because I know what to expect. However, I could definitely use a reminder of all the good reasons we do this for our kids. So what led you to begin this journey with your kids? What makes you determined to "keep on keeping on" even when times get tough? I could use a list of positives to look back on when those rough days come!
I'm only hsing cause my son had too much trouble in school. I didn't have the energy to deal the baloney a second time around if Jeannie had trouble.
The very short version of why I started homeschooling is that my dd didn't get anything good out of her 1 year in public school. She was bored by the work and tortured by the other kids. So, I figured I couldn't possibly do a worse job. The reasons why we continue (in no particular order): I enjoy being with my kids They're getting a much better education than the public schools could ever provide I get to be there for the A-HA moments We enjoy curling up in my bed reading or watching a movie together on the days where we don't feel like doing work I know that their educational & emotional needs are being met I don't have to talk to the school principal My kids enjoy learning (most of the time) We can take field trips when the places are less crowded, allowing us to take our time & really look at things Since they don't spend 6-7 hours on the bus & at school, then have 2-3 hours of homework, we have more time for fun family things after dh gets home from work My kids are HAPPY!
Basically, two of our daughters graduated from pubic school. When we found out we were going to have a baby, Ems, it was decided that homeschooling would be the best option for many reasons.
We were hoping our oldest would get into a Christian middle school. At the beginning of the summer, she was the first on the waiting list. The principal told us that the first on the list always gets in - but that summer proved him wrong. So, homeschooling was our backup plan. The truth is, it worked out better than if she had gone to that school. We taught her at home for three years, and she ended up going to a different Christian school during her high school years. She set the example, and the oldest two boys followed. Similarly, we homeschooled them both during middle school years.
Initially, our local public school had such a bad principal that she was definitely an abuser. They also tolerated bullying and the principal herself was a bully. "Extreme bullying" was going on for sure. Once I got to homeschooling, I realized how bad the public schools really are. Standing on the outside, sending the children in, it seemed so great. But once I looked very close, I realized it was just an expensive, tax payer dollar paid for, babysitting service..and not a very safe or moral one.
We struggled with our public school. Our middle daughter had such a difficult time keeping up. We would work with her at home but everyday the teacher would send home more and more homework because our daughter couldn't complete it during the school day. It got to the point that we could only do our part at home. The school had to do its part but didn't want to. We asked, many times, to have her held back a year. The teacher told us she couldn't do that. I guess the school wouldn't allow it. The only way she could be pushed back a grade was if they were still in the first semester but holding the student back a year come the new school year would cause a self-esteem issue. What is the difference?! Needless to say, my 6th grader has learned more than her sister learned in her 13 years of public school. Sadly, Em's reading skills far surpass her sisters'.
Although we homeschooled for half a year during 1st-5th with my now 20year old..when we found out that she couldn't do basic math...we started getting serious about homeschooling. She graduated at age 16 from homeschool,and is continuing to teach herself things. With our youngest we were told that she was ADHD, and put on medication..in 1st grade. We brought her home,took her off meds and she discovered her passion(Law), although she has to still learn the English,Math,etc, she is also learning about the law. Another reason we continue teaching at home are: 1. We love being with our daughters 2. We are learning with them 3. We enjoy their company. they are very interesting individuals even when they argue with each other.
When Garrett was a baby I wanted to homeschool him when the time came... but life happens and I started him in K when it was his time. Until then he had been home with me, completely unschooled for preschool and was way way way ahead of his peers. I didn't feel it was hubby's responsibilty to support me if I were to stay home to teach a child who could be in school and I could be back to work, esp since the child wasn't his. I had little #1 while Garrett was having the love of learning sucked out of him in K, I knew then I wouldn't be going back to work... but still didn't feel it was hubby's place to support this, I had little #2 and hubby began the adoption process while what little love of learning that was left was lost during 1st grade. After that hubby came to me and asked me to homeschool the kids. He had watched that light dim. We also had issues with the "No child left behind" laws and how the schools interpret them. They would not allow us to send in extra work, they would not test him for gifted, they would not consider advancing him all because "the law says we can't". Garrett was always bored and getting in trouble for stupid things.. it was a very disappointing experience for all of us, and none of my kids will ever endure that ever again.
Our stories are fairly similar. Dd was also way ahead when she went into Kinder. They did test her for the Gifted program, though. Since the Gifted Program doesn't start until 1st grade, they don't test until towards the end of Kindergarten. In Kindergarten, she learned that being smart was a bad thing, and people didn't want to be your friend if you knew more than they did. So, when you asked her a question she'd say "I don't know" or "I forget." She had decided to hide her intelligence & play dumb, so her classmates would like her. I'm sure she did the same thing for the test for Gifted Program, & she didn't get in.
We decided to skip the drama of middle school and go for our local charter school. We're all happier, my dd that was to go to high school refuses to go and wants to stick with our charter school and her friends. My youngest dd is at the age where she would go to the middle school but this will be her 3rd year of hs. And my ds I am going to try my hand at preschool and prove to my dh that hs is the way for him too.
I have simply always known I wanted to homeschool well, since discovering what homeschooling was long before I had children. That may sound weird but I grew up being homeschooled even though I went to Public School from the time I was four until graduation. I just realized I learned WAYYY more from my mother then public school. When we took a hike she was constantly telling me this plant is edible this one is not. This one is related to this other one but different in this way. It might have been easier since she had a doctorate in a science field. She would teach me science while we were cooking and we were always playing games and learning math and reading out loud, even after I became an adult. When she took up ceramics all her children ended up doing some ceramics too and a couple became certified instructors with her for a specific brand as far as teaching painting techniques, etc. I was one of those. Whether it was remodeling a house, reading great literature, or watching the northern lights we were always learning with her. She picked it up from her parents who always did everything together. So when I learned about homeschooling I didn't even have to think about it. Why waste time at Public School going to Pep rallies, watching the clock in boring classes, and standing in line A LOT? Why not just skip straight to the good stuff? I guess you could call us unschoolers who were stuck in public school during the day. Since becoming a parent I have come up with numerous reasons all which are very important to me but that's how I started homeschooling.
my hubby and I always said that we would either send our kids to Cs or Hs. They have been in CS in the past, but when we moved to tx, the cs here was soooo bad. My girls would come home and tell me things that shocked me!! So we have decided that hsing is the best for us.
I am not someone who EVER said they would homeschool their kids. As a stay at home mom with my son (12) since he was born I readily admit that I anticipated with selfish glee the time when I would have 6 hours to myself when he was at school. Well, I did have that 6 hours for 3 years - we pulled him out after 3rd grade. There are many, many reasons why we pulled and will keep him out-here's just a few: 1. he was in a gifted program that was not challenging for him at all. 2. he has Asperger's (which we didn't know until 3rd grade) so is a little "different' (not something that is usually embraced by the majority of kids) 3. Bullying - I did not believe my son was physically or emotionally safe in school. 4. an unresponsive and totally ineffective administration as far as the bullying issue 5. I hated that my son was there for 6 hours not to learn but to learn how to do well on the ISAT tests that are the Holy Grail of our public school system 6. My son does not learn well sitting (literally) with 25 noisy, disruptive kids. 7. Because of the Aspergers my son often has sleep issues -he sleeps OK just has trouble falling asleep -not a good fit when you have to get up at 6:30 for the bus. 8. I wanted my son to have TIME- time to learn, time to read, time to explore what he wants (after core subjects are done) everything in ps is rushed 9. FREEDOM! If we want to drive to Chicago to a museum any day of the week-we can! 10. My ds gets to learn things he would never even be exposed to in ps. 11. Oh I forgot one- we couldn't afford private school:lol: and decided that it would probably not be much different than ps I don't think my son will ever go to school again. Homeschool is a precious gift that I am grateful for every single day.
My 10 year old step-daughter goes to a public school . . . I hate it. I home schooled her in first grade, she knew all of her phonics and could read really well. Now that's she's 10 and going into 5th grade . . . her phonics have gone out the window. It took her over an hour the other day to sound out and spell ZEBRA. Come on . . . what happened to the phonics I taught her? And yet, she still continues to get A's and B's in ps. How is this? Because of the 'no child left behind act' and it's not fair. Because of this, my daughter will be homeschooled. I don't want her shoved through the system because the teachers have to. Oh, and the fact that my daughter would have to walk through a metal detector to go into school . . . that's another reason. I just re-read this post, it sounds kind of harsh. I'm not gearing my harshness towards anybody but the public school system. LOL
Short answer then: the kids were bored. Answer now: variety in what they can learn, flexibility in schedule, materials, life. Carol
Hi I won't go into all the details, but we started homeschooling our son due to a bad public school kindergarten experience. There were bullying issues (including the staff and principal in my opinion), the school basically forcing us to do something that the district handbook stated otherwise, and Child Study Team meetings that we had to attend and such and such. Also, our son was having a hard time getting used to learning in a large group of noisy children and he had difficulty with his fine motor skills, which caused him frustration and anxiety. At home in a fairly quiet environment he was a completely different kid. He could be himself at home. He also could show me what he knew at home, but in school the teacher couldn't see it sometimes (either he was too anxious to show her or she just didn't have time to notice with 22 other kindergarten students). Anyway, we've homeschooled our son for 1st and 2nd and are about to start 3rd grade. We have had great days and we've had our bad days, but overall it's been soooo much better than his public school experience. Our dd is about to start public school kindergarten this year at a different school and in a different district. I'm hoping it is much better than our last experience with a public school. Currently, dd attends summer school there and everything is going well. I've been treated much better at this district and this school than the place my son attended. No one has yelled at me, no one has told me "to let go now" and no one has made me feel like a bad parent (yet anyway)!
Many reasons: ~being able to have a Christian focus in our schooling ~flexibility ~time with my girls
My daughter asked if she could in the 7th grade. Before that, I thought homeschoolers were all weird holy rollers like my sister-in-law...but I was wrong. About the homeschoolers and my sister-in-law.
My shortened version is: DS #1 (age 10) has ADHD and was verbally abused and ridiculed in school, by his teacher, in front of the entire class not once, but twice (I didn't find out until the second time or else there wouldn't have been a second time). DS #2 (age 8) doesn't have any learning issues but I didn't want an unbalance in their learning. I didn't want him to get a "so, so" education while his brother is getting a pretty good one (if I do say so myself). Plus, they were the only 2 in elementary school and I didn't feel comfortable sending my (then) second grader to school alone (he's the baby so yes, I end up babying him). DD (age 12) was going to be left in public middle school until two separate incidents occurred: 1) Whilst doing my "routine" scan of her computer to ensure there were no viruses and also to check-up on the sites she was visiting (only did this because my router log had some very, very weird site names that neither my husband nor I had gone to); and I had the shock of my life ... porn sites sent to her, sent by her and browsed by her The computer was quickly removed from her room and isn't going back for a while. 2) This is the most important reason and actually what sealed the deal for us ... although DD says nothing ever happened to her, her physical education teacher (male) was fired and now has child molestation (or the like) charges held against him. DD was questioned on two different occasions by the security forces here on base (police). She says the only (I say only because it is her word, mine is a much stronger version) things that happened to her were (a) two "bra checks" where he felt their backs to "make sure they were wearing bra's" and (b) one "bra check" where he had them lift their shirts to show their bra's. Had I known any of this was going on she would have been out of there much quicker than she was. I am still beating myself up over what happened and it makes me sick when I think about it. Well, I guess I didn't cut it that short, sorry ... but those are my main factors in deciding to homeschool (again).
