I'll apologize right off the bat for writing another post in list form. I guess my mind works best this way.
But this time, I'm writing about a completely different subject, one that I haven't written about in a long time! Back in March 2011 (wow, almost five years ago!), I listed the five main reasons why my husband and I chose to homeschool our children. (To read that post, click here.) At that time, my oldest child was only in the second grade, and so I still had much to learn as a homeschooling mom.
Now, after nearly eight full years of homeschooling, I have never regretted my decision once. On top of that, I have discovered five unforeseen benefits along the way. If you are trying to decide if homeschooling is best for your family, these things might help you in your decision making.
So, here we go again, another list!
1) My children eat healthier, for less money.
Packing lunches for kids to take to school is not hard. Making them healthy lunches that will not end up in the garbage can IS hard. I have the opportunity to make a warm lunch for my children every day, and I get to sit with them and watch as they devour their fruits and vegetables. And we rarely have to buy prepackaged or individually-wrapped foods, which saves us a bundle.
Now, after nearly eight full years of homeschooling, I have never regretted my decision once. On top of that, I have discovered five unforeseen benefits along the way. If you are trying to decide if homeschooling is best for your family, these things might help you in your decision making.
So, here we go again, another list!
1) My children eat healthier, for less money.
Packing lunches for kids to take to school is not hard. Making them healthy lunches that will not end up in the garbage can IS hard. I have the opportunity to make a warm lunch for my children every day, and I get to sit with them and watch as they devour their fruits and vegetables. And we rarely have to buy prepackaged or individually-wrapped foods, which saves us a bundle.
When I think of my childhood, I can't recall a time when I went grocery shopping with my mom. I have a few memories of watching her make a bed or do laundry, and really, I took those kinds of things for granted. When I came home from school, the house was magically clean and the refrigerator magically full! Much of my life skills came when I was much older, which is why I like to incorporate things like shopping and housework into our "homeschooling". When we go to the store (at least once a week, with all six kids in tow), I ask my children to help pick out fruit and vegetables or retrieve items off the shelf. They take turns keeping the baby happy. They cook with me in the kitchen. They help me put clean sheets on the beds. They know that things don't get done by magic, but by work.
3) We have the flexibility to serve often as a family.
For our family, serving is just as important as academics, if not more so. And because we can limit our focus on academics to weekday mornings and afternoons, we have our evenings and weekends for going out together as a family to help a friend move, deliver a meal, do yard work for a person in need, or to invite people over.
4) We can deal with heart issues immediately.
We all know that children aren't perfect. Conflict can arise at any given moment. The great thing about homeschooling is that when it does arise (and believe me, it does– often), I can stop everything and address the issue. There is no parent-teacher conference, or finding-out-hours-later-after-school. And I can deal with the problem in a way that no teacher or administrator can– by going to the Bible and praying with my child.
5) For my non-conformist child, homeschooling is the best choice.
When I first started homeschooling, it was easy. My older three children loved to sit down and "do school" with me for a few hours a day. There were times, of course, when one would be reluctant about reading or another would complain about math, but they were mostly compliant and easy-going. Then came my fourth child. He doesn't like to follow directions; he likes to do things on his own terms. He'll never do something if it's senseless and trivial; he must have a good reason or he'll just flat out refuse. He's dramatic and likes to be the "class clown". He doesn't sit still for very long. As you can see, my son would never fit in in a classroom of thirty. He would quickly become a problem because the teacher wouldn't have time to deal with him individually. Almost every day I have to remind my son why he is learning, why he needs to listen to people in authority, and why sometimes it is important to follow certain rules. And every time I have to have this "talk" with my son, I am thankful that he is in a place where he can learn in a way that's suited to him, and that he can learn the lessons that he really needs to learn.
4) We can deal with heart issues immediately.
We all know that children aren't perfect. Conflict can arise at any given moment. The great thing about homeschooling is that when it does arise (and believe me, it does– often), I can stop everything and address the issue. There is no parent-teacher conference, or finding-out-hours-later-after-school. And I can deal with the problem in a way that no teacher or administrator can– by going to the Bible and praying with my child.
5) For my non-conformist child, homeschooling is the best choice.
When I first started homeschooling, it was easy. My older three children loved to sit down and "do school" with me for a few hours a day. There were times, of course, when one would be reluctant about reading or another would complain about math, but they were mostly compliant and easy-going. Then came my fourth child. He doesn't like to follow directions; he likes to do things on his own terms. He'll never do something if it's senseless and trivial; he must have a good reason or he'll just flat out refuse. He's dramatic and likes to be the "class clown". He doesn't sit still for very long. As you can see, my son would never fit in in a classroom of thirty. He would quickly become a problem because the teacher wouldn't have time to deal with him individually. Almost every day I have to remind my son why he is learning, why he needs to listen to people in authority, and why sometimes it is important to follow certain rules. And every time I have to have this "talk" with my son, I am thankful that he is in a place where he can learn in a way that's suited to him, and that he can learn the lessons that he really needs to learn.
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