In part one of this little blog series I wrote about my likes and dislikes when it comes to the public school system. I did the same for home education in part two. In this post I want to list the three main reasons we chose the way that we did.
1. A Love of Learning is Very Important to Me
I want my children to have a love for learning from the start. I was a student who excelled in school but I never really enjoyed the work. I can’t remember many instances of any of my peers truly enjoying the work either. Much of the work was tedious and unnecessary. The homeschool community provides children with fun educational choices they wouldn't find in public school. Many home educated children actually enjoy what they are learning because much of it it is interest led and it is also done at the child’s own pace. I believe children learn the best when they are having fun. The more interesting, fun, and strange, the better. That is how memories are made. They need to have a real interest in what they are learning otherwise it is not going to stay with them in the long run.
2. The Family and Flexibility Factor
We chose to do home educate because it is what works best for our family at this point in time. To say family is very important to me is an understatement. Quite frankly there is little anyone could do or say to keep me from spending as much time with my family (both immediate and extended) as possible.
All of my extended family as well as most of my husband’s extended family lives across the country in sunny San Diego where we grew up. Because of this, we make a point to save every penny possible to take at least one (if not two) trips to California each year. These trips happen every 7-8 months and when we go, we are usually there for at least two weeks. This doesn't exactly fit with the public school schedule. By educating at home, I am able to schedule accordingly with our travels.
3. To Encourage Love and Discourage Segregation
The final deciding point in why I wanted to home educate is actually for social reasons. I am not a fan of cliques, I am not a fan of misguided and false labeling, and I am not a fan of bullying.
Unfortunately the public schools tend to foster a love for segregation and as a result each generation becomes more and more hateful. In this “age of the internet”, hate is at an all time high. Take one glance at a Twitter or Facebook feed. This world loves to hate and loves to ridicule. Christians are ridiculed, gays are ridiculed, homeschoolers are ridiculed, working Moms are ridiculed, stay at home Moms are ridiculed, smart people, rich people, poor people, obese people, conservatives, liberals, atheists... all ridiculed, all the time. The list goes on and on and on. There is nothing right about this. It is my mission in life to teach my kids to love.
Regardless of whether my kids’ natural personalities are shy or outgoing, I want them to love social gatherings of any kind and I want them to grow up without any superficial ideas of superiority among their peers. Contrary to what you see in the movies and on TV, Home educated kids often develop excellent social skills and they are able to talk to anyone regardless of their age, beliefs, or social status. This is in large part because they are never separated into groups that were created based on entirely false perceptions.
I believe one of the best ways to help my kids out in this area is to allow them to grow up without all of the completely unnecessary and frivolous cliques. It’s important to learn early on that the “popular” kid is no more important than anyone else, the “geek” is not a “freak” that you should avoid, the “outcasts” are most likely people you’d really enjoy talking to, and most importantly - the people who believe differently than you are not to be ridiculed or hated.
I believe children should be taught to interact with, appreciate, and love all people. This should be taught by the parents and taught in school. Building character, tolerance, and teaching kids about proper discernment is not a priority in the public school anymore and it should be. The fact that these things are neglected in public school is, I believe, the reason cliques exist and the reason so many kids care more about their social life than they do about their own education.
I want my children to grow up knowing how to love and also knowing what is actually important.
My Decision Based on My Own Convictions:
After considering all of my beliefs and concerns, I came to a pretty obvious conclusion that home education is the right thing for us. While attending public school would be perfectly fine, I believe home education offers my kids more that will help them in the long run. It is also a good fit for us as a family due to my current “stay-at-home Mom” status and our frequent trips to visit family.
Above all, I have chosen to educate my kids at home with the hope that they will develop a love of learning that will last into adulthood and to rid them of a childhood filled with segregation and worry and instead fill their childhood with as many real relationships as possible, as many learning opportunities as possible, and most importantly I want them to have fun and enjoy childhood.
