One Mom's Thoughts on Homeschooling...

Brenda over at The Family Revised has posted one of the SWEETEST blog posts I have seen on homeschooling in a while. We all have our own reasons for homeschooling. I know that many look at us and think, WHY, but it is so hard to express it at times.

I love how close I am to my children. Now, when you say this, other moms get in a hussy. They think that by saying this that you think they are not close to their children. But what I mean by this is that in my life I find that I am closer to MY own children because of homeschooling. I am closer to them in a way I wouldn't be IF I sent them to school somewhere else. I know how they learn best, I don't need someone else to tell me how to get them reading better, I already know what works based on my time with them. I have bombed in the things that didn't work, and I have rejoiced at the read alouds that make us laugh and cry as we snuggle on the couch.

I know what they are learning. I don't have to ask the teacher or the child! I will never forget riding with a friend to pick up her child at school (she now homeschools) and she asked the child what he did that day. He shrugged his cute little shoulders and went on. This drove her nuts! And rightly so! My children and I spend the day learning together. I aid them in finding the answers and we are amazed at those answers when we find them. It is so FUN!

And just like Brenda I love that we can bring God into our school as we please. I love that my children know what I believe and believe me something comes up about once a day that shows my convictions or reaffirms a character trait I want to instill in them. This does not mean that I think my mama friends with children in school are missing this with their children. I just mean that I think to myself at 11am during history lessons and a BIG God moment in that lesson, that had they been in school with some other person, learning something else that I wouldn't hear about, that WE wouldn't have had that WOW moment together. I was there! We grew closer in that moment. I saw the understanding in their eyes. I saw the worldview grow within them. I saw the history become real to them.

I hate being on someone else's time schedule. My husband and I both have skills that can earn us a living that do not fit into a "normal" work day schedule. And while some may think you need to be on the 9-5 work schedule in school to be able to be on such a work schedule later, I have to disagree. Who knows what my children will do and they will have college to zap them into shape, they will have to be on time to get that degree. I think the key for my family is that my children are learning responsibility for self. That to reach a certain goal, they must meet the requirements, and work to do it in a timely manner. And if they need money and they work at Walmart one day, they WILL work in a timely manner in the time lot provided or LOSE THE JOB. But the neat thing about homeschooling is that it helps to make a more self-disciplined person. My children have learned very quickly that they must keep to it in order to get to the end. I keep them on task to a certain extent, but much of the time I leave them to complete something with their own steam. But again...this is one of those homeschool moments that one has to SEE to understand what I mean. HEE HEE. I must also say that the more I back away and watch, the more responsibility they take on their own. When I was right over them and making them stay on task each second of the day, the more they needed me. ;)

My children have been very blessed with being able to read something and understand it. They have a few things they run into that requires more focus and brain power, but they just practice, and they get it. They aren't afraid of it. They just feel they are able to figure it out at some point. They don't stress! I don't have letters coming to my house that tell me that my child will not learn what they need at that moment. The learning is not stressful. What this has done for them is neat to watch. Remy had issues with something in math. What we were doing was not working. I brain stormed and I gave him the things I knew would help him to help himself. He used the tools and after 2 days of schooling in this matter for about 10 minutes each time he had it conquered and we moved on to the next new concept. This technique has my children working on and above grade level. The lack of stress to learn something combined with the different tools to meet their different learning styles has made them a success. It is just so darned neat.

I just really love homeschooling. And I guess it takes living this life of learning with your children to grasp it, really. I also see children in school that I love and adore and they have parents that make sure the school is working for them. I see that. But I also see the things I have been able to make better for my children with homeschooling.

What a blessing the whole thing is to our family. :)