Monday, August 23, 2010

Why We Homeschool


It's amazing to me how many people have asked if I was sending my kids back to public school this year. Some of the comments and questions I've heard lately: Don't you get sick of them, don't you want your free time, are you sure they are learning what they need to, don't you want them to be around other people? You have more patience than I do, I would/could never do that, etc.

I've found that after a year, I'm even more convinced that it's the right thing for our family. When we first started, I thought that it was because of large class sizes. I had always been in PTA- loved most of our teachers, and sent Lexii all the way through, from kindergarten on. What I soon realized was that I used the class size as an excuse to pull them out. I had really wanted to have my kids home with me from day 1. When Lex went off to school I really had no choice, I was working 60+ hours a week. A few years later I became a stay-at-home mom and found that the only place I wanted to be was at the school with her. I volunteered everyday and was on the PTA board. I loved knowing what was going on and voicing my opinion. Lexii was a great student and her teachers always loved her. When Nate started school I was the same way. I was at the school as much as possible and was in almost daily contact with his teachers. Nate is a great student but has many challenges due to him having Asperger's. When he started 1st grade it was horrible. I made the decision to pull him out of school, but then chickened out. I didn't know there was help and resources out there for homeschoolers. I returned the supplies I had bought and sent him back to school. We were both completely miserable. As the time approached to send Mason to school, I kept having a nagging feeling not to send them. I had gained some confidence from being in a preschool group for a couple of years and Mason was ready to start reading so I knew he would be completely bored. Nate was struggling with socialization and was completely miserable. He was acting out and very disobedient at home. We went and looked at the class lists on the school door a few days before school was scheduled to start. We turned around and went home. I called Steve at work and said I wasn't sending them. He replied, "I knew you weren't going to". We prayed for confirmation and felt a great peace. We had never had that about our children's education before. I love having my kids home! I love teaching them and watching them learn. I love it when they get something for the first time and are so proud of themselves. I love that we can pray in our little school room and read scriptures and learn about the Gospel along with the other subjects. Most importantly, I love that we get to decide what's important to learn and not someone sitting in an office somewhere writing standard curriculum for thousands of students. One size does not fit all when it comes to an education. In our family we place a high value not only on education, but also on a love for learning. I always want my kids to be inspired to learn about Heavenly Father and the world around them.

3 comments:

Natalie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Natalie said...

I think it's great that you and steve are so in-tune with what your kids need! Keep up the good work!

Mama Stacee said...

Jenni, I took my second one out of public school, put him in private, then took him out of private and homeschooled. Now I gave him the chance to go to public and I hate it so so bad! I want him home again. His behavior has been attitude stinks. UGH I admire you!