Why We are Homeschooling
We’ve been in debate on whether or not to send the Little Man off to PreSchool this year. I’ve talked about all of the reasons why Preschool would benefit him (and me) because of my work schedule and I’ve spilled my heart on how uncomfortable I am with the idea of someone else taking care of him. Being a parent means making these kinds of decisions…choices that will impact and benefit our family, our children, and our own lives.
So after much deliberation, discussion and confiding in close friends and family, we’ve decided to Homeschool Little Man.
At least, for now.
Making the transition from “just” being a stay-at-home mom to being a work-at-home mom was hard enough. Learning to balance my job, my home, my son and my husband is an every day battle. Things fall behind and I have to make choices day in and day out on what is and isn’t going to get done. Now that I’ve decided to add Homeschooling to my plate and possibly a photography business here on the island, I’m starting to wonder if I’m overdoing it…overloading my plate. And whether or not I’m setting myself up to burnout in the future.
But, despite those hesitations and fears, teaching my son from home was a pretty easy decision to come to.
What made up my mind? Well, I’m glad you asked…
For one, we are a military family and homeschooling fits our lifestyle.
There is no doubt that in the coming year or two, the husband will be leaving to go back to school in the states. We may or may not be going with him for a duration of his time there. But, nonetheless, when he leaves the island, Little Man and I will be heading back stateside at least for a few weeks to visit with family and friends back in Alabama. Which would mean leaving behind Kodiak and school and everything else. Moving and traveling is part of our life as a military family. It’s par for the course and something that we just can’t avoid. Homeschooling gives us the chance to work around the Military’s schedule, take time off to visit family as needed (or take time off when family comes to visit us), and not have to worry with him falling behind or missing too many days of school. We just pause and then pick back up as needed.
I can control the pace, the speed and the rate in which we tackle new things.
One of the biggest issues I have with the education system is the Student/Teacher Ratio and the pace in which teachers move on to new topics. By homeschooling, I will be able to spend extra time on things that Noah may or may not grasp as easily without worrying about leaving another child bored. Or, if he catches on to something quickly that we don’t have to spend as much time on, we can easily move to a new concept without leaving anyone else behind. I’ll be able to pick up on his strengths, understand what teaching methods fit him best and really be able to hone in on his strong points while still making sure all of the bases are covered.
My son is only little once…and I don’t want to miss any of these precious years because he’s off at school learning things that I could just as easily teach him here at home. I have the opportunity and the means to stay at home, work from home and enjoy time with my son that a lot of full time working moms would kill for. And I fully intend to take advantage of that. I know that there is a lot of hype about “letting them go” and teaching kids to be “independent” and I’m all for that, to an extent. But when he’s 18 and I look back on the life that he’s led and the years that have passed, I don’t think I’ll regret my choice to spend just a little bit more time with him…to spend just a few more years being silly and goofy and living up the time I have with him before he heads out into the world to lead his own path.
Children are impressionable and I want to moderate what my son learns and when; and who he is surrounded by. It’s no secret that some parents just don’t parent their kids the same as I parent mine; some parents don’t have the same values, morals and beliefs that my husband and I have. And that’s okay. But not for my son. Not in this society. I read a post by Erica @ Confessions of a Homeschooler that said something to the extent of:
“Go to your local middle school, junior high, or high school, walk down the hallways, and tell me which behavior you see that you think your son should emulate.”
I couldn’t agree with this statement more. I spent the first 9 and a half year of my school career in a Public School System before transferring to a Private School, and let me tell you…there are issues everywhere. Peer Pressure will arise no matter what method we choose to school our son, but if I can keep a better grip on the influences in our sons life by somewhat mandating who he is around and what he fills his time with, I stand a better chance of keeping him squared away and on a straighter path,
Am I 100% confident that I’ll be a good teacher? No. Do I think that this is going to be easy? Not at all. Am I scared to death that I’m going to totally fail at this homeschooling thing and end up regretting this decision? Yep. Somewhat.
But, I AM 100% sure that right now, this is the best decision for our family and for our son.
So I’m just going to go with it.
Much luck to you!
Thank you, Shell!
I echo what Jessica says.
🙂
Thank you, Carolyn!! 🙂
Good for you. I wish you luck with the homeschooling. I’m sure you will do great though because you are a very devoted mother.
Thank you, Jessica! 🙂 That totally made my day.
We homeschool our kids for their first year of preschool. I am considering keeping Owen home for preschool next year as well, but Jon and I are undecided. I wanted to homeschool Madeline for kindergarten but after many discussions we decided it wasn’t right for our family right now.
I have many reasons for wanting to homeschool. One of them is that they are only young once and I feel like the expectations schools today have on these little kids is too much. I don’t see the necessity of my 3 year old being in a classroom all day. I don’t see the necessity of my 4 year old having homework (yes, they have my four year old homework). I think we don’t give kids enough time to simply be kids. And I also don’t think that the expectations of younger kids are in line with their development. There are many studies that show boys often do not read until age 7, yet we expect all kids to read by the end of kindergarten, when they are brealy 6. And then we turn around and say that many of these kids are failing and not meeting standards. I don’t understand it all. And by homeschoolingI can control the pace, my kids get individualized attention and I know what is going on first hand. I love the idea of homeschooling but right now it doesn’t work for us past preschool.
I agree. My 3 year old doesn’t have the attention span to sit and do schoolwork all day long. Plus, he’s the active type. He has no interest in sitting and coloring all day long. He’d rather play learning games and do puzzles. And I don’t think any teacher is going to let him do that all day. Controlling the pace and the learning style is the most convenient for him and for our family.
Fabulous choice! I’ve been homeschooled the whole way and could not be happier. Take a look a the Five in a Row curriculum, it’s my favorite from when I was younger. Good luck!
Thank you, Sara!! I’ll check into that!
Good for you for deciding to give homeschooling a try! I am a homeschool graduate, and I loved it for all the reasons you listed – and now that I’m a mom, I’m definitely planning on homeschooling our kids as they reach school-age.
That’s good to know that you had such a positive experience homeschooling! 🙂 That definitely gives me the extra confidence boost I need.
I’m actually in the very same boat with you right now, Courtney. As yo know, we are also a Coast Guard family, and I sympathize with all of the military related statements you made. The exact same thoughts about travel go through my mind, too. But my main reason for homeschooling Abbey at the preschool age (at least) is about my child’s development as a person. We tried enrolling Abbey in a preschool, because, like you (but not to the same extent!), I was starting to get my act together to work from home, and the time sans preschooler would be so nice to have. It was also going to give me time just with little Joe, to enjoy mommy and Joe time. But it didn’t work out. I realized that choosing to send your preschooler to school is to entrust the teacher and the program with not only your little one’s mind, but their psyches and self-esteem as well. Because of Abbey’s insatiable energy, the teacher pretty much told me that Abbey was a problem and she needed to have more control over her impulses. Uh, DUH she’s 3. That’s why I’m sending her to you. Because you’re a professional. Long story short, the program pushed my mama-bear button too hard and I withdrew Abbey from school. And I’m glad I did. It may be the “mainstream” thing to send 3 year olds to preschool. . . but it’s not always the right thing.
Since Abbey has been a “home schooled” preschooler, I’ve noticed a huge increase in her self-esteem AND her impulse control. I thought I needed her to be in the care of a “professional” teacher and structured school environment. . . but it looks like my teaching and care at home is just fine 🙂
I agree completely. For a long time I couldn’t grasp or understand why someone would homeschool their children instead of putting them in “regular” school, but like you said, as I got older and became a mother, I realize that school isn’t just about education. I’m sorry that someone would so bluntly and blatantly tell you that your daughter was a problem. I think some kids just thrive under affectionate and encouraging environments. 🙂
I admire you for this decision! Around here they don’t even do pre-school until they’re 4 years old and although I’m sure (now anyway) that I’ll be sending him if he gets in (it’s VERY cut-throat), I’m also sure that I’ll have to do some sort of preschooling at home before those years to get him ready. I love teaching him, it’s one of my favorite things but I don’t think I could EVER homeschool, lol, at least not in the actual “school” years, haha. Congrats on the decision and getting more time with the little man!!!!
Thanks girl! 🙂 We moms all homeschool during the early years, whether we realize it or not. They offer a K4 Program at the Elementary school here, too. But the CDC on base has one for all ages. The earlier years are more like daycares, but age 3 and 4 are in a room together. But, again, we opted for the homeschooling for at least a few more years. Who knows where it will take us. 🙂
Good for you for making such a great decision. I was homeschooled for a period of my elementary school career and loved it. My mom was a stay at home mom but she also ran a childcare business in the home. I think as long as you can do it and your husband is supportive, that’s all the matters. I have been thinking about homeschooling my girls when the time comes but haven’t made any firm decisions as of yet. I think children benefit so much from a homeschool education, so it would, however, be my first choice.
Thank you, Jessica! My husband is very supportive and loves knowing that our son is in the best hands possible during the day, instead of off at a school where they don’t give him the attention and support that we offer at home. Keep praying about your decision to homeschool. It wasn’t something that I just jumped into. Lots of prayer went into it and lots of conversations with others who homeschool. Good luck! I’ll look forward to reading about what you decide!
I think it’s great that you are going to take on this challenge and cherish those moments with your little guy. You know, as a former teacher I never even considered homeschooling my kiddos. Crazy right?! But if you were to look at our playroom you would think I was a complete liar because it’s decked out with the alphabet, numbers, colors, sight words, and lots of educational activities. My oldest is 2.5 and I’ve been thinking about it more recently but I’m still on the fence. I guess I have a few more years to go – so we’ll see! Good luck! 🙂 You will do great!
Thank you, Michelle! It’s definitely not a choice that I came to lightly. And if you’d asked me a year ago if I wanted to homeschool (or would), I would have said no without hesitation. It’s amazing how much we change our minds. 🙂