"I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. One will say, 'I belong to the Lord'; another will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, 'The Lord's' and will take the name Israel." -- Isaiah 44:3-5

Top 10 List: Reasons we homeschool

  1. Customized education for each child.  Private tutoring used to be considered a luxury for only the well-to-do.  Even today people pay more for tutoring than they do for a class.  But the headmaster here has procured the tutor on retainer, at a very reasonable rate, so it's a luxury that even we can afford!
  2. I love to teach.  I am a teacher by nature.  So why would I want to outsource the most precious teaching of my most precious children?  Plus, I have control issues.  And, I find the extra benefit is that I get to learn a lot of things I never did as a kid!
  3. Weaving values throughout the daily schedule, education, and activities.  We have strong beliefs about how we should live and what our purpose as humans is.  We love having the opportunity to teach these values and beliefs to our children all day, every day.
  4. Flexibility to explore passions and move at the appropriate paces for each child.  If one child is fascinated by the weather, we can spend a lot of time doing a long unit study on weather.  If one child is particularly good in one subject area, he can move ahead much more quickly than he could in a classroom with 24 other kids.  If one child struggles in a particular area, we can slow down and review the skills until she gets it, without her feeling "left behind."
  5. No labeling of kids.  We have children that would likely be "labeled" by a school system -- on both ends of the spectrum.  Since we do not want their self-identity to be influenced by this, in either direction, while they are so young, we choose to keep them out of that system.
  6.  Sibling interactions.  Because the kids are all at different stages developmentally, there are plenty of opportunities for siblings to teach, help or learn from each other.  I love giving them plenty of time and space to be around each other, to experience the diversity of ages and perspectives.
  7. Peaceful Lifestyle.  This is a big one for us.  I like being able to structure our daily routines, yearly vacations, weekly schedules, etc., rather than have the school system dictate them to us.  We rarely have to feel rushed, pushed or stretched... except for when Pete and I overbook things.  Now if we could just get Pete to a position where his job didn't have calendar-related requirements, we'd be all set!   Yes, I'm lazy, and yes, I have control issues.
  8. Learning through play.  While the kids are young, I like them to have plenty of opportunity to play and explore on their own.  The idea of asking my boys, especially, to sit in a classroom for hours in a day, while they are still small, seems difficult, to say the least.  I want them to run and jump and imagine and discover.... and we fit in books around that.
  9. More time together.  There are certainly days when one or more of us want to run screaming away from this seemingly-crowded and increasingly louder house, but for the most part, we enjoy being together.  When I think about putting them on a school bus and not seeing them all day, and then possibly not much in the evenings either, between extra-curricular activities and homework, it makes me sad.  So for now, we stay together, and hopefully build lasting, trusting, close relationships.
  10. No running for a school bus way too early in the morning!   Some days, I must admit, this is my #1 reason for homeschooling!  I'm not a morning person -- especially if it starts in the dark.
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