Why I Homeschool

I finally sent off my home study enrollment to the state today. What a hassle! I am so glad that’s over.

This year, I am handling my organization a little – okay, a lot – differently in order to avoid some of the headache. (I hope)

Now that I have been immersed in what I hate about homeschooling this whole week, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on what I love about it, and why I do it.

Kate at I Think Therefore I Blog asks readers why they homeschool. Not that I need to be asked to rattle on at length about it.

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We started homeschooling a little over three years ago about two weeks before The D was to go into third grade and Big E into second.

I had been home with all three kids all summer and it was great.

Then the letter arrived in the mail for me to set up an appointment to come in with the kids and meet their new teachers. And the stomach aches and sleepless night began (for me, not them).

I hated the thought of the kids going back to school. They both hated getting up in the morning. They were both always complaining that they were bored at school. The D always complained that he hated sitting all day and they never had recess. Big E was stressing himself out trying to meet his unattainable, self-imposed goal of being perfect in school. He would literally cry once he got into the van at the end of the day, just as a release.

And then there was dealing with a new teacher.

Most teachers are too permissive. And I have a son who like to test limits. If the limits are not there, he pushes further. And further. And further.

Well, I like to follow up with a punishment at home for misbehavior at school. Losing TV privileges and sitting in your room while your friends are playing outside goes a lot further than a “friendly reminder.”

Unfortunately, I encountered teachers who thought I was too strict and decided that it was okay to withhold information from me.

Funny how they wanted my help when he had pushed the limits further than they were comfortable with.

At any rate, I hated the thought of dealing with school. Ugh!

After the third night of no sleep, I desperately cried out in prayer for a solution – and a good night sleep.

I did fall asleep. And I woke up with the idea of homeschooling.

I knew nothing about homeschooling. I knew no one who did it. I never thought about doing it. I didn’t know how to do it.

I brought the subject up to the kids to feel out their reaction. They loved the idea (and ran around telling their friends that they were going to homeschool, even though nothing had been decided yet).

I brought the subject up to Bob and he loved the idea. He even sent me some articles he had read about it.

I really believed that it was an answer to my prayers, so I went for it. I spent the next two days reading all the information I could online about Vermont’s laws and writing my curriculum and filling out paperwork for the state (and thanking God that I had high-speed internet).

I went to the school and met with the principal, who was very supportive, and told her our plans.

We were homeschoolers!

So, my and the children’s dissatisfaction with the school was the reason that we started homeschooling, but I have so many reasons that I continue to homeschool.

And it’s a good thing. Disliking the alternative is hardly a motivating reason to keep and enjoy doing something.

I homeschool because I care about my kids. I have a vested interest in what kind of people they grow up to be.

Funny, just today someone was arguing with me that society has a “compelling interest in making sure a homeschooler isn’t creating a moron,” as a justification for regulation. The fact of the matter is that no one cares more about how my children fare in this world than I do.

I know their learning styles and interests. I can help them become passionate about learning. And they have.

Moreover, I don’t have to worry about school shootings, bullying, racism, liberal indoctrination (come on, I live in Burlington, VT), teachers who are sexual predators, to name a few. (And, yes, those are all local stories.)

I also don’t have to worry about my guys following every dumb trend that someone at school says is cool.

At home, my boys are free to grow up to be who they want to and not who our media-saturated, pop culture tells them to be.

I started homeschooling because I was not happy with public school. I keep homeschooling because my children deserve the freedom to learn and grow in a loving and caring environment.

Besides, who wants to get a real job?