We met for our first Mom's Night Out of the new school year, (Oct. 2011) and it was a great meeting ( in my humble opinion). We had 14 ladies, and enjoyed making some new acquaintances and catching up with old friends. I always hate to interrupt the conversations to "start" the meeting, but eventually I did so. After some introductions, we took turns sharing some of the reasons we decided or continue to homeschool. As many of you know, the homeschool community is a diverse bunch, and it was both interesting and inspiring to hear the heart of these dedicated moms, and hear how the Lord has led them to this decision.
Some of the reasons given for deciding to homeschool were: time with our children, special learning needs, verbal or physical abuse at public school, conflict with government school ideology (evolution, etc.), and Biblical conviction.
For me, it has been a Calling to home educate and home disciple my children. The blessings of walking this journey in obedience have been the Lord's gifts to me. Yes, there are some difficult days or seasons, but I wouldn't trade these years for ANYTHING. As it is, there are not enough days in a lifetime to enjoy my children as much as I wish to.
In addition to the serious, core reasons we decide to homeschool, there are a few general benefits as well. We went over some of these at our meeting.
- Quality Education
- Schedule: We make our own - traditional school calendar, year round schooling, family vacations during "off" season, etc.
- Parental choice of educational philosophy and teaching method
- Dress Code: pjs or cowboy and ballerina costumes... and everything in between.
- Mom Refinement: There are few situations that expose our character weaknesses and offer the opportunity for the Lord to grow and change us, as much as spending 24/7 with our children.
- Family Time: Lots of it!
50. Because we like to stay out of the “rat race” somewhat!
49. Because I can save money on clothes, school supplies
48. Because we are free to set own daily routine & schedule
47. Because I can teach teach my children life-skills
46. Because we can vacation anytime of the year we want
45. Because we can have more time to work on special projects
44.Because of Socialization (We want our children to have positive socialization experiences)
43. Because of Individualized instruction (based on child’s leaning style)
42. Because we want to avoid bullies!!
41. Because we want to shelter children from harmful aspects of our culture
40. Because we desire to extend the joys of childhood
39. Because we want to be able to pray whenever we want to
38. Because we want to work on developing good habits
37. Because we want to practice what we preach
36.Because we want to sleep in on some days
35. Because we want to stay up late with company or a good movie sometimes
34. Because we want to hug our children throughout the day
33. Because we want to choose our own course of study
32. Because we want to avoid violence (teacher molestation, shootings etc.)
33. Because we want to learn along with children
32. Because siblings can nurture relationships
31. Because homeschooling allows for more family discussions
30. Because there is no homework!
29. Because of more family togetherness
28. Because there is more time for music & art
27. Because the public school gives too much busywork & paperwork
26. Because avoiding peer-pressure is important
25. Because we don’t get the flu as much
24. Because we want to play with children of all ages (not just own age & grade)
23. Because we want a more complete education
22. Because we want to teach creation science
21. Because we want to teach christian worldview & apologetics
20. Because we like to call or skype dad during the day
19. Because we want to practice hospitality more easily
18. Because we want to volunteer or help a neighbor more easily
17. Because we want to keep working on a math problem until we get it!
16. Because we like to read books together as a family
15. Because we enjoy going on family walks and bike rides
14. Because we have freedom to be ourselves without fear of rejection
13. Because we get to spend more time with grandparents
12. Because we are able to choose curriculum that in Christian perspective
11. Because we can weave biblical worldview into all subjects
10. Because we want to make the best educational choices for our children
9. Because we are able to have more family meals together…and children learn to cook
8. Because academic subjects can be tailored to the individual students
7. Because Dad can declare any day a holiday and we can have a family fun day
6. Because we can spend more time on areas we are struggling with
5. Because the time with my children passes way too fast
4. Because the homeschooling lifestyle is wholesome and natural
3. Because life is short and homeschooling allows us to prioritize and focus on the eternal
2. Because I love spending time with my children and truly enjoy them!
1. The number one reason that we homeschool our children is because the Lord told us in his word to teach, train, disciple and mentor our children….and our prayer is that our children will follow the Lord all the days of their lives.
Why are you homeschooling???
No comments:
Post a Comment